The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit by David H Sharp

look out of the bedroom window, he still couldn’t see any movement. They needed to leave now and this was the time to vacate the premises, they needed to find some transport and go in search of Jake and Angel. He couldn’t be sure if they were alive but he knew he had to go and look for them, that’s what Jake would do if it was other way around.
    ‘Are we leaving now?’ Lou Pepper tugged at Rogers arm.
    ‘Decided to wake up now have you?’ Roger smiled, he was trying his best not show any signs of panic or upset in front of Lou, he was trying to make things as normal as possible for her under the circumstances.
    ‘Have Angel and Jake come back yet?’
    ‘Most probably decided to stay the night at the big house, it was quite late when they left.’ Roger gently took her arm and moved her to the back door. ‘Now remember what I said last night, we need to move fast and we need to be very quiet.’
    ‘Don’t want to wake up any of those naked monsters do we Mr Clough?’ Lou smiled, she felt safe with Roger.
    ‘No Lou we don’t.’ Roger patted the top of her head. ‘In a moment I’m going to open the back door and then we run, okay?’
    ‘Whatever you say, you’re the boss.’ She saluted.
    Roger slowly opened the door and looked around the garden, it was silent, not even the birds were singing. Holding Lou’s hand tight he walked out of the kitchen and onto the wooden decking.
    ‘Are you ready?’
    Lou nodded.
    ‘Hold on tight.’ With that he ran across the garden and out into the side street, Roger looked in all directions but nothing was about, it was deathly silent.
    Moving down towards the main road he could see the old tin roof of the village hall. W ere they still inside? He wasn’t going to hang around to find out. What they needed though was transport, anything with wheels would do, even a bike. The two of them walked in the opposite direction of the hall and further into the small village.
    At the end of the street hidden behind a hedge a pair of eyes watched as the man and the small girl made their way up the pavement. They seemed to be looking for something, a way of getting out no doubt. What was he going to do? Raise the alarm and get the small girl back to where she belonged? That would mean curtains for the man though, no way he would be allowed to live.
    The pair of eyes observed the odd couple stop and walk down a driveway, he must have spotted a car. They went out of sight for a minute or two but emerged empty handed. They were getting closer now, he could see the little girl looked pale and tired. The man on the other hand looked dogged and determined. This was most interesting, should he let them leave or sign the man’s death warrant? He sat there and considered his position for a while. Once the pair got closer, he could hear the girl sniffing, the decision was taken out of hands. Bursting through a small garden hedgerow a naked woman emerged snarling and frothing at the mouth holding a pair of bloodied garden shears.
    The little girl screamed so loudly that the hidden watcher was startled and moved slightly, causing the leaves of the bush to rustle, luckily the crazy woman was too busy sizing up the other two to notice. The man shielded the small girl behind his back and shouted something at the naked woman. The blood on the shears was fresh and trickled off the rusty blade, dripping onto the road forming a small pool in the dust. The man shouted once more but the crazy woman just kept coming towards them. Should he intervene or should he run? Running seemed the more viable option.
    ***
    Iris O’Neil slipped out of the thin sheets they had given her to sleep under and moved over to Hannah. ‘Are you okay child?’
    Hannah was no child and wanted to remind her of that fact but the Irish lady had been really nice to her so she bit her tongue. She nodded instead.
    ‘Do you fancy getting out of here?’
    Hannah’s eye’s widened as she couldn’t believe what Iris had