Darkness Comes to Woodford Bridge Ch. 02

'And also keep an eye on what's going on at this end of the road,' Jeff said, as if he was uncomfortable with the idea of just nursing Jack while all this was going on, and needed to make his role more important. 'I can see that... Well, whatever the hell it is, and if something happens I'll be the first to know.'

I nodded. 'And the rest of us need to get back into Woodford, see if we can find anyone else, see if we can find a way out of here, and just try and come up with some answers about what has happened.' Everyone looked at me, and no one answered. I raised my palms out flat. 'Just shout out if anyone thinks we should do something else?'

'Have we tried to call everyone that we can?' Said Jessie.

'Phones are all dead, Electric is down.' Jeff shook his head. 'I think we're on our own at the moment.'

'What about the water, anyone checked that?' Natalie said.

'So what?' Steve answered. 'We're not going to swim our way out of here, sweetheart.'

I saw a frown cross Natalie's face and just for a moment I was positive she was going to give him a mouthful back, but instead she just shook her head, and I knew that she'd weighed Steve up straight away. Accurately too, if she was thinking the same as me. 'Yes, I know that,' she said calmly, 'but if the water is off we need to think about collecting some. It's pretty damn hot out there.'

'That's right.' Jeff pointed at the can in Steve's hand. 'You can't live on Soda and beer my friend.'

'And what about when it gets dark,' said Jessie. 'No power means we've got no light.'

'Let's hope we can get this sorted out by then,' I said, trying to reassure her with a smile I wasn't too sure of myself.

'If we don't we've got a couple of generators back in the workshop,' Jeff said. 'They're old and noisy, but they still work. Run on gas, and that's something we've got plenty of. We can hook 'em up and have light at least.'

'Okay, it's starting to sound like a plan.' I said. 'I just wish we could all keep in touch. Don't suppose you've got any walkie-talkies in all this lot have you, Jeff?' I swept my hand in the direction of the store.

He grinned. 'No. I had a couple of my own last year, but I threw them out with my G.I.Joes. Sorry.'

'What about cell-phones?' Natalie was pulling a little silver mobile out of her pocket and flipping the screen open.

'Phones are down,' said Steve flatly.

'Yeah, well when I tried to call home this morning there was nothing, but we might be able to call between us,' she said. 'Even if we can't call past that wall, doesn't mean we can't-' she stopped and looked up at me with the spark in her eyes that I'd seen yesterday. 'I've actually got a pretty good signal.'

Jessie took out her own phone and asked Natalie for her number, then dialed it quickly. The store was dead silence for a moment, and then a quiet, three note melody began to beep from Natalie's phone. She activated it, held it to her ear and Jessie said hello.

'I can hear her fine,' she said. 'Looks like that's working.' The smile on her face remained.

Jeff reached for the garage phone on a shelf behind the cash register, held the receiver to his ear and tapped the connect button several times, before slamming it back down into the cradle. 'Well, there's still nothing from this. Phone lines must run out through that wall, or whatever it is, and it's just dead. But at least we can still keep in touch in the village.'

In addition to Natalie and Jessie, both myself and Steve had cell-phones. Jeff didn't, and he joked that modern technology had passed him by. He'd only just moved to CD from Eight-Track, he said. We all fed our numbers into the phones, and I gave mine to Jeff, which he placed carefully on top of the register as if it was a miniature bomb.

'What about Marsha?' Said Jessie.

As we'd been talking Marsha had just sat silently, not moving, not even looking at us, just staring out of the dusty windows towards the deserted highway. Truthfully I'd forgotten all about her, I think we all had. Before I could move Natalie crossed over to her table and squatted down by her, placed a hand on her knee. After a moment Marsha looked down at her with a weak smile.

'Are you okay, Ma'am?' Natalie said gently.

'No, not really.' She patted the back of Natalie's hand and looked up at all of us. 'I'm really having a hard time with all of this,' she said.

'We all are, Marsha,' I said. 'We're all frightened, but we're going to try and sort it out. You with us?'

She looked at me with tired eyes. 'I don't think I can stand. I just feel so sick.'

Natalie gripped her hand. 'Don't worry about it. You can stay here where it's cool.' She looked around at Jeff. 'Can't she?'

'Yes, of course.'

'So just stay here,' she continued, 'and we'll go back to the village, find out what we can, and then come back here and tell you all about it. All right?'

It was at that moment I saw the kind of girl Natalie was, and I fell for her there and then. She was sweet and kind, tough enough to shrug of the couple of wiseass comments Steve had thrown at her, and smart enough to be strong with all that had happened this morning. Despite everything my heart still beat that little faster when I looked at her or heard her voice. I just wish that our time together had been like the day before, and not the nightmare we now found ourselves in.

Marcia nodded, and Natalie returned to the where we all stood. Quickly we decided what we were going to do. Steve and Jessie would ride in Jeff's pickup and Natalie and myself would take the bike. The two of us would check out houses, look for any other signs of life, and Jessie and Steve would head through the village and see if the other road led anywhere, or if that too was blocked by the wall. We'd meet back at my place, then come back to the garage.

'Keep the phones on at all times,' Jeff said, as he followed the four of us out into the relentless sun. My boots kicked up little storms of dust as I walked. 'Let's not lose any more of us.'

'We'll let you know anything that happens,' said Steve. 'And we'll be back soon.'

'Call if you need us, Jeff,' I said, as I fired the Harley into life. He nodded and Natalie gave him a small wave as she slid into the seat behind me. She held me tightly as I found first gear and pulled out onto the road, still checking for traffic out of habit, although the highway was as deserted as it had been all day. I felt Natalie's chin on my shoulder as I accelerated, and I looked in my right view-mirror and saw Jeff's beaten old truck rattle onto the road behind us, Steve gripping the wheel tightly and Jessie looking small in the passenger seat. Jeff stood on the dirt shoulder and raised his arm to us as we left him behind, and I kept watching him until he was nothing more than a dot in my mirror. Then we went over the crest of a hill and into the small wood, and he disappeared, and I had the terrible feeling that I was never going to see him again.

***************

I think I'd have been more surprised if we'd actually seen someone as we rode into Woodford. The deserted road and houses were already starting to look familiar. I wondered if a huge group of confused residents would just be standing in the street as we rounded the sweeping bend into the main part of the village, but it was as empty as when we'd left. From what I could remember of the cars that had been parked none of them had moved, and certainly no more had appeared. I slowed the bike and turned it into my driveway, and as we were getting off and I was kicking the Harley up onto the stand the pickup passed with a rumble of engine and a cloud of diesel fumes. Jessie waved at us as they passed, and we both watched until they were out of sight heading for the centre of the Bridge.

'You think they're going to be all right?' Natalie said.

'I think so. You can tell Steve is blaming himself for what happened to Jack. He can be an idiot, but he's okay really. He'll look after Jess.'

'She seems like a nice girl.'

I nodded. 'She is, that's her house just over there.' I pointed across the street. Her little Volkswagen was parked in the driveway, as were both of her parents cars. That was one of the first houses I wanted to check on. I checked my watch. 10.40am. A lot seemed to have happened in two hours. 'I could use a drink before we start searching around. I'm roasting out here.' I said. The skin on Natalie's shoulder was looking redder than before, and I touched it with my little finger. 'You need to get some lotion on that.'

'Come into my place,' she said, 'and I'll change into a shirt or something.' She took me by the hand and we left my bike still ticking and cooling in the driveway and walked around to the Edgecombe house. The porch was cool in the shade as we climbed onto the walkway by the front door, and Natalie pulled a group of keys out of her pocket and led me inside.

There was a lot of old wood and framed photographs, even a grandfather clock ticking methodically in the hallway. It had been a while since I'd been in the house but it appeared unchanged. I followed Natalie down the hallway into the Kitchen, bright with sunlight that flooded through the large bank of windows overlooking the back yard. A traditional farmhouse table stood in the middle of the kitchen with a few bags of groceries on the surface, and as Natalie went to the sink and searched around for a glass I started to put the food away.

'The water is still running,' Natalie said.

'Good.' I slid two packets of pasta into a cupboard. 'I still think it would be a good idea to save some though, like you said before. Just in case. What do you think?'

I looked around when there was no reply. She leaning over the sink, water splashing into the drain, and from the way her shoulders where shaking I could see she was crying. I quickly went to her and as I touched her back she turned and pressed her body against mine, her hair in her face and her cheeks flushed red. I stroked her hair and felt hot tears trickle against my neck and she sobbed against me, and I didn't offer any words of comfort because I didn't know what to say. I just let her cry, let all the built-up fear flood out of her, and held onto her with my eyes closed. After a while her weeping slowed, until there was a little hitch of breath and I heard her sniff. I opened my eyes and looked down at her. When she spoke her voice was a whisper so slight I could barely hear it.

'Are we going to die, Dave?'

I shook my head. 'No, we're not. Why would you say that?'

She rubbed her hand against her eyes. 'Because if we are trapped in this place by whatever is coming out of the Earth, we can't get through it and no-one can get through to us. We've got no power, we can't call anyone, and now we're thinking of collecting water. And when that runs out, what then?'

'We don't even know if we are trapped yet. Steve may at this moment be driving on a clear road.'

'But what is that thing? I've never even heard of something like that. And where is everyone, did they all just walk into that wall and die, fall apart like Jack's arm did?'

'Natalie, I just don't know.' I said, stroking the small of her back.

'When we were at the garage and I said about the phones all I could think of was what could be happening to my parents back home. To my friends. They might be in the same situation as us. They might be dead.'

'My Dad lives alone. He's getting old and suffers with back pain, and I would give anything to just know he was all right. I'm terrified by what's happening in here, but I'm also scared about what's happening on the other side of that wall. But if everyone is okay out there, and we have to believe they are, then they can see what's going on will be trying to help us. Just think of that, okay?'

She was silent for a moment, looking down at my shirt, her breathing becoming calmer. 'I was in New York on September the Eleventh,' she said. 'Not Manhattan, but close enough to see the smoke and dust across the entire city. I thought that World War three had started.'

'I watched it live on the TV. I thought the same thing.'

She swallowed hard. 'D'you think that's what happening here, some kind of terrorist attack?'

I thought about it for a moment, then shook my head. 'No. I don't see how it can be. Terrorists would just detonate a bomb or shoot people. That thing is just some kind of natural phenomena. I was thinking about it as we rode back here. Maybe it's just something that's come from deep down, split the earth open and forced it's way out. But I don't think it's the work of men. In fact, I don't think anyone has ever seen anything like it before.'

She leant forward and kissed my adam's apple, her lips brushing lightly against my skin. 'I'm sorry that I cried.'

'You don't need to apologize, I feel like it myself. You were brilliant back at the garage.' I raised her chin with my finger and smiled. 'Getting everything organized. I was really proud of you.' I returned the kiss she had just given me, this time to her mouth. 'I wish you weren't here for all of this, but I'm glad you are. If that makes any sense?'

'It does. I'm just glad that I met you last night.'

We looked into each others eyes and then kissed again, longer this time, as if we both needed the closeness of each other. We only stopped when the cellphone in Natalie's pocket rang loudly, making us both jump. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen and then handed it to me, the worry once more in her eyes. Steve's name was flashing on the blue backlit screen. I looked at it for a moment, felt a snake coil into my stomach, then flipped it open. 'Steve?'

'You hear me okay, Dave?' His voice was metallic and raw.

'Yeah, I can. Found anything?'

He paused before answering, and I desperately hoped that he'd found help, a squadron of emergency vehicles shrieking down the road towards them, bus loads of villagers coming back from some secret night-trip that we knew nothing about. An open clear road.

'It's here. Whatever that fucking this is, it's all around us.'

I closed my eyes, felt bile rise in my throat. Natalie knew from my expression that the news wasn't good, and she slipped an arm around my waist.

'No way through?' I said.

'Not that I can see. It's a solid and huge as it was at the other end of the highway. And it looks like it curls away back around Woodford. It runs away across the meadows to the left of me, same on the right. Jessie! Be careful there honey.' His voice faded as he moved the speaker away from his mouth, and then in the distance I heard the girl say that she was all right. 'Still there, Dave?'

'Yeah. Is Jess okay?'

'She's fine, I just don't want her getting to near that thing, is all.'

'Take care of her, man.'

'I will. Listen, as we've got the pickup I thought we might drive it across the fields, follow the line of this wall and see if anything happens.'

'Good idea. Just watch your backs, okay?'

'We will. Where are you two?'

I looked out through the windows into the backyard. 'Just at home. We're going to check out some houses, see what we can come up with.' Natalie now sat on the kitchen table, feet up on a chair and her elbows on her knees, watching me as I talked. I smiled at her. 'Hopefully we'll come up with something positive.'

'I hope so too. Talk to you later.'

'Call Jeff,' I said. 'Let him know what you've found.'

'I will. Be careful.' There was a crackle as the phone went dead, and I looked at the cell for a moment before snapping it shut. Natalie let out a deep sigh.

'I assume it's not good news?'

'Not really, no.' I leant on the table next to her. 'It's there, just the same. I think it's all around Woodford.' I pushed the hair back off my forehead and felt sweat on my brow. 'Whatever it is, it's got us trapped.'

She leant into me, her thigh against mine, and looked down at the natural slate that made up the kitchen floor. Her breathing was shallow and I thought she was going to cry again, but just as I was reaching to put an arm around her she looked up with clear eyes. 'Then we've got to do what we can to get out of here,' she said firmly.

'I wish I'd met you in New York, Nat,' I said. 'And not here.'

'So do I. But we're in this thing together now.' She stroked a hand over my cheek and pressed her face to mine. 'I'm glad we're together,' she whispered.

'So am I.'

She kissed me again and jumped down off the table, pulled me up by my arm. 'I'm going upstairs to get a shirt on.'

'Want me to come up with you?'

As soon as I said that I realized that it could be interpreted in two ways. Go upstairs with her in case she was frightened of being alone, or go upstairs with her for a different reason entirely. She stopped at the doorway and leant on the frame, looking back at me. 'Listen, I didn't mean it like that,' I said. 'What I-'

'Yes. I want you to come up with me,' she said, and turned around and left the kitchen.

I followed her out and down the hallway, up the wide staircase with it's crimson carpet running down the centre of the treads and it's polished banister, and down a long hallway to an open door at the far end. The room was dominated with a large bed, old-fashioned with it's brass fittings and steel frame. Some of Natalie's clothes were laid out across the pristine white bedspread, others draped from hangers hooked over the wardrobe door. On the dresser were some of her personal items, a ring and purse, some cash and an I-Pod. She'd left the large white drapes half-drawn to keep the heat out, and The room was bathed in a creamy softness that was comforting.

Natalie kicked her sandals off and walked into the adjoining bathroom, and as I heard water running I went to the window and looked down on the beautiful garden below, at my own less beautiful one to the left of it, and further on across the cornfield and meadows with their yellowed grass. At the patches of trees and lines of hedgerows that broke up the fields, and at the silent road away in the distance. The world looked so beautiful, but how could it be so bare and devoid of life? And if we were trapped in Woodford Bridge, imprisoned by strange forcefield that had ripped itself free of the Earth, how were we ever going to escape. I thought back to Jack, and how one tiny touch of his finger against the wall had resulted in him losing his arm up to the elbow. With that kind of devastating power, who knew what it was capable of?

Before my thoughts could get any darker I heard Natalie behind me. I turned from the window and the sight of her made me forget for a moment that there was anything ugly and dangerous in my life. She'd pulled her hair loose and it framed her face in a messy tangle that made it look just that little bit sexier, as if she'd just woken up. She'd lost her vest and the bra she wore was small and white, edged with tiny lace trim and covering the swell of her small breasts. The skin on her flat stomach was lightly tanned and toned firm, a faint line of muscle snaking down to the dark smudge of her bellybutton, and although she still wore her faded jeans the top couple of buttons were open, giving me a glimpse of matching underwear and making what I couldn't see just that more exciting.

'You're so beautiful, Natalie,' I said, trying not to stare at her and aware of the croak in my voice.

She smiled softly and dropped her eyes from mine for a second. 'Could you put some of this on my shoulders for me,' she said, holding out a small tube towards me.

She stood in a shaft of sunlight that spilt across the polished wooden floor, and I kissed her, wet strands of her hair against me as I did so. I took the moisturizer from her and she turned around, pulling her hair forward and revealing her slim shoulders and the graceful curve of her back. The skin on both shoulders was pink where the sun had bit into her with light strips from where her vest had offered protection. I flipped the cap on the sunblock and squeezed a blob of white onto my fingers, pressed lightly against her skin.