The Final Winter: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel(45)

“What do we do with you now?” Harry asked the unconscious lad. “Can’t exactly leave you in the middle of the room to freeze, can I?”

Or maybe that’s exactly what you deserve.

Harry’s fists clenched themselves automatically as he thought about how frightened Steph must have been. He had to take deep breathes until the moment passed.

Try to let it go before it drives you insane.

Harry needed to get away from Damien – just being near the scumbag made his stomach sick – but wasn’t an option just in case he woke up and tried to escape. The only place warm enough to keep Damien prisoner was over by the fire, but that was already taken up by their casualty, Peter.

Prisoners. Casualties. What the hell is happening tonight!

The only other place that would be habitable was the cellar downstairs – once they got the new fire started at least. But no way was Harry about to drag Damien to the same place as Steph. In fact he was never going to let the kid anywhere near her ever again. He’d have to leave the bastard up here, beside the fireplace.

Harry walked over to Jess and Jerry. Both of them were on their knees tending to Peter, but they didn’t seem to actually be doing anything useful, other than merely keeping an eye on him. What can they do? Harry thought. He noticed the two of them were both shivering and rubbing at their arms. The fire was obviously failing in its task of keeping back the chill. Jess looked up at him as he approached and he saw that, despite her obvious weariness, she could still manage a smile.

“Hey,” Harry smiled back, “how you two holding up?”

“It’s starting to feel a bit like that film, Alive,” said Jerry.

Harry raised both eyebrows.

Jerry sighed. “You know…that movie where the plane crashes? The one where they’re all freezing to death, one by one? They all start to eat the dead bodies to stay alive?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry.”

Jerry’s own shoulders deflated. “Goddamn it, dude.”

Jess spoke. “We want out of here, Harry.”

Harry hadn’t expected that. Sure it was an obvious thing to say, given the circumstances, but Jess was an upbeat person and didn’t seem like the kind to complain. “I know you do,” he said, “but that’s not possible right now. You know what it’s like out there. It’s not safe.”

Jess nodded. “That’s what I mean. It’s not safe here either. The snow is getting deeper and deeper, and there’s something out there that wants us dead. We weren’t lying earlier; there’s something really out there.”

Harry pictured the flames outside, growing from the snow like shimmering beanstalks, and felt a knot form in his stomach. Then he thought about the thing pretending to be his son. “I know, I believe you.” he admitted. “So why on earth do you want to go out there?”

“Because here we’re nothing but sitting ducks. I’d rather take my chances running to safety than waiting here to die.”

“No one is going to die,” Harry state firmly, “but I agree that we may not be safe in here either.”

Jerry’s face lit up. The cold air, mixed with the licking heat of the fire, made his cheeks blush like cherries. “So, you’ll help us then?”

“No,” Harry said quickly. “If we go out there we’ll be frozen stiff in a matter of minutes or the victims of something even worse. It would be insane to leave here before morning. Even then I’m not so sure. I agree we’re in danger here, but I think we would be even worse off out there.”

Jess seemed close to tears; possibly even full blown panic. She looked at Harry pleadingly. “So what do you suggest? That we wait here until someone else comes flying through the window or Damien tries to rape someone else?”

Harry felt his face pull back in a snarl. “Damien won’t be hurting anyone else, don’t you worry about that.”

Jess shrugged as if his assertion meant nothing. “Okay,” she said, “but like I said, there’s something out there that’s less than friendly. You really just expect us to wait here till it tries to get in?”

“No,” said Harry. “We prepare, and if whatever is out there tries to get in…”

Jess and Jerry both looked at him. “Yeah?”

Harry snarled. “We make it wish it hadn’t.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jess decided Harry was crazy. He had to be. Why else would he suggest bunkering down in the pub and waiting for whatever was outside to get in? He didn’t understand the situation, and perhaps that made sense. Harry hadn’t seen what she and Jerry had seen, hadn’t seen Ben’s young body disintegrate into a billion bloody granules of sand. No one else understood that there was a seven-foot psychopath out there with a film prop from Braveheart.

Jesus, I sound like Jerry. Either way, if I ever see another sword again in my life it will be too soon.

Once Harry was far enough away, Jess turned to Jerry and said, “Are we really going to stay here?”

“You mean batten down the hatches like the kid from Home Alone? That dude under the hood is a demon or a vampire or…something, and if we try to duke it out we’ll end up like Ben for sure.” Jerry ran both hands through his messy hair and sighed. “But what choice do we have?”