Out For Blood 37

February 28th 1936

Martinsville

Alice watched as Harold slipped and began falling for a second time, she cried after him but he had disappeared from view and did not answer. She looked across the tree tops through the dim light; she could still hear the dogs barking in the far off distance, it would not be long before they reached her. She turned and continued climbing; the loose rocks and wet slippery ground were making an already difficult task even more arduous.

Alice could see Tarboro Ridge only ten feet above her; if she made that she could run and hide amongst the many shallow caves in the rocks, and perhaps maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t find her. She looked back in the hope she would see Harold gaining on her, but he wasn’t there.

Once Alice had made the top she ran for all she was worth, tripping and falling time and time again. The sound of the dogs had now quietened, but that was only because they were below the ridge. She carried on running until she could see a wide enough crevice in the rocks above her; climbing up to it she concealed herself inside. It wasn’t very deep, only a few feet in fact, but it would have to do. Alice curled herself into a tight ball and decided she would wait in the crevice until it rained again… however long that might be.

Unknowingly Alice had fallen asleep and started to dream, she dreamt of running through the woods into the clearing by the creek; the rain thrashing against her face as she attempted to flee her pursuers, then suddenly the rain had stopped, and so did Alice.

She then turned on the balls of her bare feet, everywhere she looked the raindrops were motionless, suspended like thousands of crystal clear beads, she reached out and brushed them aside breaking their shape into smaller droplets. The air was still and silent, Alice twirled arms outstretched breaking all the watery globes within her reach. She heard soft harmonic voices brushing past her ears as she spun. No one now was chasing her.

As she twirled listening to what sounded to her like voices from heaven she smiled and looked skyward, then from amongst the trees came a twig snap… and the silence once more erupted into mayhem, all the raindrops fell at once as though roused from their slumber, the downpour now continued and the barking dogs were once again giving chase. She looked into the trees but couldn’t tell where the noise was coming from, it sounded like everywhere.

Suddenly the trees were no longer motionless either; they had become the Collective and were screaming her name and pointing at her, hundreds of them. Then within a blink they had changed again, they were now dogs, but these dogs were very tall, they were running on their hind legs. Their barking had turned to laughter and they were being pulled along by men running on all fours, only they weren’t just men, all of them had Harolds’ face, and were barking her name, saliva splashing from numerous jaws as teeth clashed, their collars tethered to the abdomens of the erect dogs like umbilical cords.

Again Alice was climbing into a crevice, but unfortunately before she could get all the way inside Harolds’ jaw clamped down on her leg; he began to pull at it trying to extract her. Alice started screaming and kicking at Harold. Suddenly she woke to find it wasn’t him, it was one of the real dogs… they had found her.

March 1st 1936

Alice had been sedated with chloroform and taken back to Martinsville where the Collective were still waiting in the Town Hall, Harold had been turned a few hours early, and they had left him where he had fell. If he managed to wake before it rained again they would accept him back, under strict conditions of course, if he didn’t… then so be it.

The Primary One was in his inner chamber waiting for Alice to be handed over to him, he wanted to turn her personally, but when Ella had delivered her she told him she had already injected Alice.

Some hours later when Alice woke she felt sore all over, she touched inside the small depression at the base of her skull and expected to find a small speck of dried blood, but there wasn’t one. If she had been turned that is where they would have injected her. Alice was also tender between her legs, and her inner thighs showed signs of bruising.

She realised she was now trapped, the Primary One had raped her, of that she had no doubt. She also knew that if the rape resulted in a pregnancy, in just over four months Martins would kill the foetus and then she would miscarry. She could then bleed to death; she had heard that two girls of seventeen and eighteen had died that way last year.

Then she thought of Harold, if she hadn’t made it then he would certainly have been caught too. But what would they have done with him; all those that attempt to flee Martinsville and are caught doing so, have never been seen again.

It was two more days before she heard of Harolds’ fate, he had returned to Martinsville and was locked in one of the cells at the police station until they decide what to do with him. After a month he was still locked up and Alice had found she was pregnant. She had now been moved inside the Town Hall on the upper floor and locked in one of the rooms; she knew she would be there until it was time.

A supply of blood was brought to her and to the other girls that were in the same situation. It was only animals’ blood, and it tasted sour, but it was enough to keep her strength up. She hadn’t tasted human blood, and hoped she would never have to.

Ella kept daily checks on all the breeders, especially Alice. At that moment there were only three of them. Alice knew this because at night they would call quietly to each other. Helen next door to her left was also sixteen and almost full term, full term being sixteen to eighteen weeks in their case. Sarah on the right was eighteen and this was her second pregnancy, she was eight weeks gone.

After three months Alice found out Harold was now trusted again and was working on the extra tunnels needed to connect key points of the town. Very early one morning she heard someone quietly knocking on Helens’ door, and then she heard a voice whisper her name.

The knock then came to Alices’ door. ‘Alice, I’ve come to get you out.’ It was a voice she knew well.
She heard the soft jingle of keys and then her door was opened, throwing her arms around Harold she held him, and nothing was said between them for many seconds. She noticed his scarred face and stroked it softly with her finger tips. Harold touched her stomach; she closed her eyes as a tear rolled over her cheek and she nodded.

‘They turned you then?’ he said.
Alice shook her head. ‘No Hal, you and I were turned at conception, but until we became sixteen there would be no signs.’
‘I too have recently found that to be true, but I was injected nonetheless.’
‘And how will that affect you?’
‘I don’t know Alice, I’ll have to wait and see… but enough of this, you have to get out of here… now!’

Alice heard something in Harolds’ voice, something she knew she wasn’t going to like. ‘How did you get the keys Hal?’ she whispered.
‘From a friend, but that doesn’t matter Alice, you have to go now!’
‘Are you not coming with me?’
‘No, I have to make sure they don’t follow you.’
‘But they’ll know you let me out!’
‘They won’t Alice, trust me… no one will find out I did this.’

Harold was listening, his eyes searching the half-light for the slightest movement in the shadows; if someone should come now it would mean certain death for them both.

Harold closed and locked the door and they went silently down the stairs. They slipped into the main tunnel where Harold led Alice down into one of the newer tunnels he’d been working on, the one connecting to the dog kennels. Because the tunnel was incomplete the dogs would not be there, and Alice could go along their original route over to Tarboro Bridge and escape.

Once they were at the kennels she begged Harold to go with her but he couldn’t, he had to return and cover his tracks.
They held each other for a few moments, and then Alice looked Harold in his eyes and she asked him once again. ‘Please, please come with me.’
He shook his head and pulling something from under his coat he passed it to her. ‘Take this with you.’ He said.

Alice looked at it. ‘Where did you get this?’
‘From the same friend who gave me the keys, now go, don’t look back, and promise me you will never return to this place.’ Alice nodded and he gently pushed her away.

Alice turned and ran; he saw her white dress disappear into the night. He prayed he would never see her face again.

Harold then returned to the Town Hall, he did not want to do what he was about to, but he had no choice… the friend had decided it had to be. If they wanted Alice to escape then this was the only way of making sure she did. He crept quietly from the tunnel and made his way up to the other rooms next to where Alice had been kept. All the doors on the upper floor were closed; somewhere behind one of them was Ella.

He quietly unlocked Helens’ door and slipped inside, she was asleep. He tapped her shoulder and she woke then turned to face him, Harold gripped her throat with both his hands and squeezed tightly. Helen struggled, but she never made a sound; he went to Sarahs’ room and did the same to her, he couldn’t risk either of them waking and raising the alarm.

Alice would need all the time Harold could get her. He went into a cupboard downstairs and retrieved the body of a young blond girl he had taken from “Chambers”; he put the body in Alices’ bed and covered it with the blankets. Then he set fire to the underside of the three beds and closed and locked the doors.

He then made his way downstairs to the tunnel entrance to make good his get-away, Ella was there waiting for him, she held out her hand and he gave her back the keys.