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Chapter 37
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Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 38
Louise's lips curled in a smirk. "At last, the tardy scullery maid reports for work. We do need someone to clean up around here. It's terribly dirty and I could just kill for a cup of tea."For the thousandth time, I cursed the tired action that turned Louise from a thorn in my side to an undead thorn shoved under my fingernail. Or was she? Garden variety vermin weren?t usually chatty.Ignoring her dangling insult, I narrowed my gaze. "What are you, exactly? You don't look like one of Elizabeth's mindless minions."Had she Turned from Elizabeth's bite, or had one of the vermin subsequently scratched her? It was hard to tell if her heart had stopped beating when I wasn't so sure she had one to being with. She seemed too ?well, alive.There were obvious changes from the Louise of old. This version was no longer groomed and coiffured. She wore a black shirt underneath the strange coat that looked like it once belonged to a man. Her legs were clad in trousers with stripes made of dirt
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 39
A legion of vermin now separated me from Seth. He, Frank, and Louise were surrounded by a guard of the undead, which marched them onward to their audience with Elizabeth. Splitting up was never part of our plan, but we would have to make do. I would find Alice while Seth and Frank tried to learn more about Elizabeth's plot. Then, I added an extra step to my plan?stuff Louise in a crate and ship her off to the War Office. They could consider her an early Christmas present.I also needed to tell Seth how much I loved him before the day was over. I wouldn't have him going home after this adventure thinking I merely liked him. I needed to grab him by the collar and spit out the words carved in my heart. Assuming Elizabeth didn't carve it out first in some final macabre confrontation. No, I couldn't think like that. We would triumph over her. Somehow.By the light of the glow worms, I made my way to the underground river. The water flowed like molasses on a cold morning, as though it was
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 40
We walked back through the tangled maze and past the slug-like vermin sitting on its boulder. Once again, it waved short stubby arms at us and made a gurgling roar. If the creature thought it was scary, it was sadly mistaken. Alice shook the mallet in its direction, and it gave a startled cry and fell silent."You should dispose of it, Ella." Alice's fingers curled tight around the mallet."It doesn't feel sporting to clamber up there and hit it from behind. Let's keep moving." I briefly considered seeing if it could play catch by tossing it a grenade. But the idea of raining vermin splatter on us stilled my hand. Instead, I tugged Alice along, but the vermin's black eyes tracked our movements as we pushed past its rock.We ducked under the last skeletal tree barrier and emerged on the short strip of rock that ran from maze to water's edge. The opposite bank rippled, like ripe wheat moving with a faint breeze, but this was no quaint agricultural scene. We were confronted by a black
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 41
Louise walked to the edge of the tall stones to watch my impromptu bonfire. Only Elizabeth ignored events beyond. Her soulless eyes sought me out in the gloom, alerted to my presence by the metallic song of my sword. As she narrowed her gaze in my direction, the men rose to their feet. Seth leapt for the unguarded weapons and scooped up the two blades.Alice and I ran. I kept her in my line of sight and only breathed a little easier as we reached Frank. Alice hurtled toward him and threw herself into his arms. Seemed she had decided he was a better option than a sea of vermin. He wrapped his arms around her and grabbed hold of her tighter than if she were a life preserver in a frigid ocean.Seth jumped back to the centre and handed the machete to Frank. He smiled in my direction. "Nice touch with the grenade, and handy that the Turned are now lighting up the cavern for us."The fire lent a temporary flare of reflected light to Elizabeth's black gaze that died away as she fixated on
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 42
I stood alone, surrounded by vermin. Hopefully the others would meet Lieutenant Bain in the smaller chamber and dispose of their undead guard. I tried to remember how many soldiers had emerged from the back of our single truck. Fifteen, perhaps? Not enough to turn this tide, my mind whispered.Fifteen men had to be enough, because there was no alternative with the rest stationed at the big house. The men could send Alice toward safety and the outside world before they launched an attack on Elizabeth. All I had to do was stay alive until then. Death would not claim me today. I had things left unsaid to Seth, and things not yet done, that I wanted to grab with both hands.Animated corpses drew closer to me and I shied away. I could use my time pretending I was dicing vegetables in the kitchen, or try and draw more information from Elizabeth. The creatures herded me toward the altar, where they flowed around the pile of stones to surround their queen. They left me standing before Elizab
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 43: Alice escaping wonderland to rally the troops
I'm not a fighter like Ella, nor am I brave. I have my own virtues?I'm loyal, care about people, and I'm tenacious. Lady Jeffrey's horde kidnapped me and shoved me into an eternal nightmare, but I refused to give the cow the satisfaction of dying. Going stark raving mad though, seemed likely.Chained to a tree in the middle of Hell gave me lots of time to think. I hated Frank. He had scoffed at my dreams and then broke my heart. Never would a man do that to me again, no matter how sweet his words or how spine-tingling his kisses. Then I worried if anyone would ever find me. Would I die there alone? I didn't even know if I was still in England or if I had tumbled into another world.More than anything, I cried. Soft, quiet whimpers that only I heard, and then deep, piercing shrieks that echoed above my head. I cried until I ran out of tears and my eyes swelled shut. Then I slept. When I woke there would be a tin of sardines and a mug of dirty water. Time didn?t exist in that mad world
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 44: Ella confronting the evil queen
I stared at the open cage as Louise's taunt of dog rang in my ears. Where had they even found a cage? I wasn?t sure Elizabeth understood her job as vermin queen. Instead of converting all the locals, she seemed to have her minions out stealing clothes, furniture, and farmyard objects. At least they hadn't claimed any more souls as far as we knew. My conscience much preferred thievery over the mass slaughter of innocent people."I shall keep you as a pet, while I drag every one of your sorry family down here and have them Turned before you," Elizabeth said."Including your father the vegetable." Louise spat the words out as she shoved me into the open pen. The gate clanged shut and she turned the key in the lock. Then she pulled the brass key out and threw it toward the silver river.I strained my ears for a splash. Did it reach the water or lie on the bank? Either way, I was reduced to a circus attraction. The cage was too small for me to stand upright and I had to kneel. In my mind
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 45
"Kill her!" Louise screamed, spinning away from Seth to point an accusing finger at me. I wondered if, as her mother's knight, she could override the order not to harm me. Somehow I doubted vermin had complex thought processes beyond, Queen say no bite, knight say bite. I hoped the queen's orders prevailed and offered me a small measure of immunity."Jack?s close," Jake whispered from beside me, and then he disappeared into the sea of vermin. After this was over, I was going to ask how he had done that. Why did they not bite him?Seth raised his foot and booted Louise from behind. She lurched forward and hit the ground. I was outraged and proud at the same time. An ignoble act from my aristocratic suitor, but I cheered that the horrid bint finally ate dirt. Seth jumped past Elizabeth and leapt up onto the queen's throne, giving him the higher ground as he cast around for a weapon.Elizabeth looked somewhat bemused, as though a serious dinner party had turned into drunken charades. S
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Hazel followed my line of sight and glanced down at her mother's leg. Then she looked up to meet my horrified gaze. She shook her head, silencing me, not that there was anything to say, assuming I could say anything. My vocal cords had managed only two words in the past two years, and that rusty sound was only for Hazel's ears.I gestured to the trapped creatures and drew a line across my throat and then mimed lifting the head off. The vermin would keep struggling to free themselves and we needed to deal with them while they were still trapped."Father, Henry says you must remove the heads of these things to silence them forever." Hazel placed the fallen walking stick in her mother's hand, but kept an arm around the woman's shoulders.Mr Morris' eyes widened as he looked from the vermin stuck in a tree, one pinned to the roots through the side, and another back by the front door. That one was still trying to swim across the grass. I had a strong urge to go check on Phelps; with my l
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 89
I reached out and grasped Hazel by the shoulders. I gave a gentle shake to break the staring contest but she tried to swat me away. There were some advantages to being taller, and spending all day engaged in manual farm chores had finally put some muscle on my frame. I turned her and pointed out the window.At that point Mr Morris remembered why he had ran up the stairs. "You don't understand, love. Those things are outside the gate."Hazel and I kneeled on the window ledge and looked out. Below, in the approaching dusk, shuffled at least four of them. They stared at the thick door as though trying to remember how they worked. Push or pull?If they figured it out, they would swarm into the enclosure. We all stared at each other, realising there was one other person down there who didn't know what waited outside. Someone who couldn't ascend the steep tower stairs or run.Mrs Morris."Rachel!" Mr Morris screamed and ran for the door at the same time. His heavy boots and weight shook
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 88
March 22nd, 1919 was an important date in my mental diary. Things happened on this day far more than the signs of new life pushing up through frigid ground as the earth threw off winter and embraced spring. It was Hazel's eighteenth birthday. Not even the threat of Mr Morris tearing me limb from limb could make me miss her birthday.Sadness and regret formed a swamp in my gut. That day she would leave her tower forever, having agreed to stay only until she reached this milestone. This would most likely be our last day together. I had promised to take her to the village, where she would be safe from roving vermin, until she decided on her course of action.It was early afternoon by the time I had finished my chores and then penned a note to Magda asking for hot water to wash. All the while, Ella and Alice twittered and laughed. Honestly, what was wrong with a fellow wanting to wash the sweat and dirt off before he visited a girl on her birthday?As I rode out, the other women stood b
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 87
February 1919 and work never stopped, despite the solid ground that showed no sign of spring. An unexpected cold snap saw a light snowfall blanket the ground. It meant we either bundled up and continued on regardless, or undertook one of the endless inside jobs. Due to the weather, I decided to clean tack and dragged a chair to the end of the barn aisle. With the doors open to the frigid air, I sat with a pile of bridles in a box next to me. On my other side, a bucket of warm water and a cloth for working in the saddle soap and cleaning off sweat and dirt.The horses were quiet in their stalls and a sense of peace suffused the world. As though the drop in temperature had frozen time itself and allowed us all a chance to draw a deep breath and recover from events of the last few weeks.I should be cleaning the leather, but my mind couldn't concentrate in the quiet. I picked at my worries, pushed to the front by the voice that whispered from the back of my skull. Muttering about sins
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 86
The dawning of 1919 was a subdued affair, with little to celebrate as the new horror unfolded across the country. Father Mason's deceased wife turned up in his kitchen one night and the encounter shattered the last of his fragile confidence. Over at Serenity House, the former duke escaped the mausoleum and was dispatched by the capable butler, Warrens.Winter deepened and created a frozen tableau, which bought us some time. It's much harder to climb from your grave when the topsoil is frozen solid. We all wondered if the victims would sprout up with the warmer temperatures like daffodils.As January unfurled, Lady Jeffrey grew tired of us all peeking around the parlour door and moved the wireless to the kitchen. She deemed news of the Turned, as they were now called, far too unsavoury for her girls anyway and only suitable for our lowborn ears. That included Ella.The square wooden box crackled and chirped all day long. It seemed the horror would never end, as reports emerged that t
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 85
All through November and December, at every opportunity, I braved the frigid night time temperatures and waited in sight of the tower for Hazel to drop the ladder. I would spend an hour or two in her company. She would read and I would sketch her profile as the moonlight caressed the planes of her face.Christmas 1918 arrived and I was determined to be with the girl who held my heart. In double layers and with a wool cap shoved down hard on my head, Cossimo and I rode out to our familiar lookout point. I carried a bribe to console the gelding while we stood the lonely watch, a feedbag with oats. His eyes lit up as I carried it over to him and he dropped his nose into the canvas. That made it easier to slip the strap over his head. Quiet munching came from behind as I leaned against a barren tree and stared at the tower.A puff of smoke spiralled skyward from her tower chimney. At least she would be warm as the fire threw out a good heat in the circular room. To pass the time, I imagi
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 84
The household bombarded Ella with questions as soon as we returned. The poor girl barely made it over the threshold into the kitchen. Alice squealed and hugged her friend so tight it looked like she might never let go."I was so worried," she said. "What happened?""They let me go." Ella's gaze met mine. How much would she tell the others? Would she mention the price of her freedom?decapitating four other people?"I'd love a cup of tea and a bath. I don't think I will ever be warm again." Ella turned to me. "Thank you, Henry."I?d done nothing. How did she stand tall and brave when so many grown men showed themselves to be cowards? But then I shouldn't be surprised. I served under Sir Jeffrey, and his daughter had the same iron backbone.I left her to the care of Alice and Magda and busied myself with the farm chores. My next rescue mission wouldn't be so public. I waited until the approach of dusk before saddling up Cossimo. The horse looked at me and I swear gave a low snort and
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 83
As though Lady Jeffrey read my mind, she discovered a job that had to be done immediately and kept me from riding to see Ella the next day. Instead Stewart and I had to dig out a ditch by the end of the driveway. She wanted it deeper in case of winter rain. I swear she wanted a moat. By evening we both had blisters on top of our callouses and to my shame, I was too tired to spare much of a thought for either Ella or Hazel.Three days had passed since Alice ran home screaming and Ella was arrested. Dawn still hadn't made the horizon as I sat in the kitchen, warming myself in the chair closest to the coal range while I chewed my toast. My gaze fixed at a point on the far wall, but my vision turned inward as I sorted through my plans.Firstly there was the issue of Ella, no doubt freezing in the cold cell. Then there was the girl trapped in another type of gaol. Mr Morris would skin me for gaiters if he caught me around the tower, but I?d risk it for Hazel. My chances of sneaking over t
Serenity House: Ella's Journey Chapter 82
I screamed until my voice gave out and still I ran. My vocal cords might not have stamina, but my legs did. Blindly, I didn't care what direction or what obstacle stood before me, I ran away. I would surmount anything to leave the horror behind me. But no matter how fast I moved my feet or how hard my lungs worked, it stayed at my back. Death was stitched to me; it formed part of my fabric and rippled over my skin.And it laughed.The black shadow chuckled and mocked my feeble attempts to slip its clutches until, exhausted, I fell to the ground. Then I curled up in a ball, clasped my hands over my head, and sobbed. Why didn't the Grim Reaper cut me down? Then, at least the nightmare would end. An eternity in Hell would not be any worse than living.In the secret room in my mind, I pulled the blanket up and everything went dark.***August 1914. I had turned fifteen a few days earlier when I crept down the barn stairs early one morning. I slipped a bridle over Cossimo's head, jumpe
