Clifton Falls (2 page)

It was a kill or be killed situation for Blake. He’d survived the zombies so the answer was clear. He now choked from thoughts of a suicide scenario as his mind drifted back to the night that was best left forgotten.

Smashing his way through one of the living-dead reincarnates while protecting an injured human, he’d stepped too close to feeling the brunt of a zombie attack. The sadistic, stalker-like creature had snapped out at him and Blake knew he could easily have been its next victim. Deep, way deep in the back of his mind a tiny trace of guilt lay. This had sent a frightened signal to his brain, forcing him to nearly explode during the returning memories. Blood, blood, blood was all he saw now as palms opened up for him to witness what no one else could.

He sat inside a restaurant, in a town called Westbrook County. It was based only a few miles south of the Yorkshire Countryside. With the traumatized man were his closest friends.

A recent newsflash channelled from a television that was situated high up in the corner of the room. This caused previous visions of horror to flicker in Blake’s mind yet again.

The time was 9.00am, and a reporter was at the site of a serious incident. He seemed frantic, but at the same time happy to be alive. The man turned, watching a mutilated corpse being placed inside an ambulance by worn-out survivors. Something major had happened in this spot recently, a terrible catastrophe that ended with too many fatalities to even try and count. The police had been in a battle with an unknown terror, a battle between the living and the un-dead. A sadistic murdering spree that’d left ripped bodyparts behind as victims were brutally eaten by vicious, man-eating maniacs who were supposed to be resting in their new homes inside the cemetery.

The reporter announced an update on what’d happened. A crazy and an un-explainable few days had gone by, and deep scarring memories were to be remembered by not only the survivors of this war but also by the families of the departed.

Dave approached the friend who hadn’t moved his eyes away from the television since the reporter first appeared on it. “Blake. Is everything okay? What do you see?”

“Death everywhere, that’s what I see and it won’t go away.”

Dave knew Blake had been at the centre of this recent disaster as he’d given him brief accounts of what’d happened, but Blake had left the uncut version on the shelf. For how long, who knew?

“If you want to talk about it, then we’re here to listen.” “Thanks, but I don’t think you can stomach what I’ve seen.” A second later and Blake turned from looking at the screen, glaring at his friend. “Or can you?” he snarled.
Tony interrupted the conversation before Blake did something stupid, like lose control. He suggested that everyone leave the premises, as it was obvious that the distraught man wasn’t coping after witnessing a reminder of the nightmare. The four men stood up. Dave recommended that they head back to his place, that way, if Blake was ready to tell his story, then the fresher, more welcoming environment would make it easier for him. Everyone agreed to this proposal.
During the journey, the man with the demons inside his mind had gone through the process of several changes. The others watched him perform a wrestling match between telling and not saying anything. Dave could tell that Blake was struggling to continue the plan, so a few comforting words needed saying in order for Blake to feel safe again.
It wasn’t long before the men entered Dave’s premises. The atmosphere suddenly dropped as each guest entered the living room. They settled onto the three-piece-suite before staring at Blake, as if unsure of how to treat him. Were they really ready for what was about to unfold before their eyes?
“Do you want me to tell you how it all began or shall I not bother now?” Blake asked sharply.
Gary left his seat, placing a hand on top of Blake’s shoulder. “It’s your decision,” he said.
What else could he say? Blake said nothing for a minute before exploding the volume of his voice to the limit.
“If I don’t get this fucking nightmare off my chest then I’m going to detonate from too much anger. God help someone when I do.”
“Okay, mate, cool it yeah. If you’re ready to talk then we’re ready to listen. I’ll just go and make us all a coffee.”
Blake mellowed down again, feeling embarrassed by the sudden outburst. “Thanks, Gary, but it’s going to take more than one cup by the time I’m finished.”
He’d released some pressure from his system. He was still nothing like his original self, but it was however a massive improvement from how he’d been last night and first thing this morning. Dave had let into his house a clone-like figure of his friend. Blake’s hair colour had changed from the golden-red waves, to grey, and it looked like he’d wrapped a shaking, frightened casing around his body, which needed to be cracked open in order for the real Blake to return.
Gary disappeared into the kitchen while the others remained seated. Even Blake sat down now. His eyes scanned the faces of his friends as he waited for the other man to return.
After around five minutes, a tray filled with hot drinks was laid down on the small table located in the middle of the room, and everyone grabbed a cup. The men waited for Blake to begin.
He slowly took a sip from the hot, sweet coffee before glancing at each of his friends again. He desperately tried producing a positive smile, but it wasn’t to be. The exhausted man was still very fragile and on edge, but knew he had to focus on the long conversation ahead. Blake was now ready to relate his awful journey to his friends.
“Let’s go back to the beginning.”

THREE
(MONDAY)

Blake lived in a countryside town called Clifton Falls. It was situated around ten miles north of Westbrook County. Everything that meant anything to him was in that county; his old friends, childhood, and family.

He was the boss of an agricultural factory that supplied the nearby towns with crops. Blake’s factory was one of the leading suppliers for companies abroad not so long ago, but times were hard now, crops were slow to develop, and maintaining a profitable business was at its lowest.

The local caravan park was the main attraction surrounding this tiny town. Positioned deep in the forest, this caravan park filled up with thousands of tourists every year. They came to take part in the family adventures, camping facilities, and fishing, as the local lake attracted a vast array of stunning fish during the summer months. This small town had managed to keep itself afloat over the past ten years or so by using the forest as an extra income.

The local cemetery was another reason why this town attracted strangers, as it was the main graveyard for the nearby towns.
On this particular morning, Blake received news from head office that the chemical-testing company, (Crop-techno Ltd), was about to launch its latest invention of pesticide/fertilizer. It was the right time to use this experiment on the crops because the toxicbeetle, a deadly plant bug and newcomer to these parts, was about to come out of hiding. These nasty bugs had originated in countries with a warmer climate, like Australia and New Zealand, so must’ve sneaked into the UK via a delivery. It was a mystery to Blake why the climate hadn’t killed them off, but the climate in Britain was changing, so all in all wasn’t too surprised. The bugs often chose springtime to unleash devastating disease onto the harvest. These tiny creatures would eat away at anything appearing in front of them, including the crops and soil. They also attack humans, and once bitten, a toxic residue called Cantharidin is injected. This causes a nasty, blistering rash on the unfortunate victim.
Blake took the information and headed toward the main part of the factory. News about the fertilizer had spread quickly because by the time he’d entered the main doors, people were already engaged in conversation about the product. “All right everyone. Can I have your attention please?” He waved a clipboard above his head. “I see some of you have already heard the good news about the new chemical, and yes, it works.” He began to read the vital information from the piece of paper attached to the board. “It’ll make the crops grow better as well as killing the insects.” Everyone remained silent as they listened to his words. “We’re about to put this chemical to use on our fields. It’ll be arriving in the morning so I want everyone involved with spraying the crops to be here bright and early. We must get this done as soon as possible, as we need to stop the fucking beetle bugs before they put a stop to us earning money this summer.” The staff members listened intently; not once interrupting him. “That’s all I want to say on the subject at this time so if you don’t mind, can you please do some work today or I’ll be sacking a few of you by the end of the shift.”
Blake chuckled. It was an indication that he was winding everybody up again, but most of the time they actually fell for it.
He left the factory building, smiling to himself as he returned to his office. He had his fingers crossed that this new idea would be successful.
Monday’s shift was over and Blake watched his employees clocking out. He smiled after noticing just how quickly their movements were when it came to home time and thought about how much work could be done if his staff actually used this pace in working hours. After a quick tidy up of his desk he was also ready for home.
Blake smiled as he opened the front door of his house. This became broader once he’d entered the hallway.
“Honey, I’m back. What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”
From the shadows of the next room appeared a magnificently sculptured masterpiece of a woman, with long brown hair and soft, silky skin. All she wore was a see-through, satin negligee. “You can have me for dinner if you want to, tiger?” “Tiger” was the nickname she gave Blake when she was feeling very sexy.
His eyes glued themselves onto the beautiful vision in front of him and for a brief moment his mouth opened, letting his tongue unfold. “If I have you for dinner then what do I get for pudding?”
“You’ll not need a pudding after what I’ve got planned for you. Anyway, you’ll be too tired to eat it.”
Karen couldn’t stop herself from laughing at what she said and because she was doing it, Blake also chuckled.
She grabbed her beloved by the arm and led him to the bedroom. Tonight was going to be fun.
The room appeared clouded in darkness, which wasn’t normal for this time of day. A gleam of light shone over a highlighted spot, splitting the room in half. The curtains, although drawn together, left a gap, and this produced the thin beam of fading daylight.
She placed an index finger onto Blake’s sensuous lips before locking her eyes onto his. Their bodies pressed together, forcing Blake back against the bedroom door. He was curious by her fast approach to them having sex but wasn’t going to complain. “Have you been drinking, girl?” he asked. A cheeky grin now spread across his stunned face.
Karen licked her wet, pulsating lips. She was definitely intoxicated with something, but it wasn’t alcohol, it was lust. She had a thirst for some passion in her life and tonight she would get it. “Do I need to be drunk to want to spend the night with you?” she replied, her eyes glowing a bright blue in colour.
She pinned Blake’s arms over his head with one hand, slowly kissing his neck, while her free hand stroked the right side of his cheek. It gradually moved down, resting on the collar of his suit jacket. Karen slowly slipped the jacket over his shoulders, watching it slide down his arms and onto the floor, then, unfastened his shirt buttons, leaving an opening for his chest to appear. She smiled naughtily, looking up again before compressing yearning lips against his. Their mouths opened and closed in rhythm. Their eyes remained shut. Both hearts beat faster and faster from the exciting sensation overcoming them.
Karen sucked hard on Blake’s top lip.
“Ouch, be careful baby. I know you’re hungry but I’m sure you can think of something more enticing to suck on besides my lip?”
“Really, are you telling me that your little friend has decided to wake up and wants to play?”
“My so-called little friend, so you imaginatively put it, isn’t so little anymore.”
Karen managed to restrain herself from revealing a raucous laughing sound again. “Okay, I think it’s time to let him out, don’t you?”
“Anything you say, you’re in control not me, but please be gentle.”
“Ooh, don’t you worry, I will,” she said, while grinning.
She pulled on Blake’s shirttails, leading him across the lighted area of the room. The door was kicked shut. A soft nudge led to him landing on the bed. Karen’s eyes glowed again as her mouth broadened. “Now, where were we?” she said with a teasing tone.
Blake tried concentrating. This woman was an erotic, filthyminded whore tonight and it wasn’t even his birthday. It was best if he enjoyed every minute of this because who knew when it was going to happen again?
“I think it had something to do with you playing a musical instrument,” he said, while sniggering again.
Karen twitched her nose, staring at her husband. Her actions were of someone who never had a clue where this conversation led, but she did. “What do you mean an instrument?”
“I thought you wanted to play the organ?”
Both almost choked from the joke. Karen fell onto the bed next to her man. She remained giggling when climbing on top of him, but automatically stopped after depositing her lips onto his to transfer a soft kiss. “I love you,” she whispered into his ear.
“I love you,” Blake whispered back.
She undressed him very slowly, finding time to produce passionate butterfly-kisses onto his lips, neck and face before gradually shifting toward the top end of the bed.
Blake’s items of clothing went through the same ritual. Each piece was removed from his goose pimpled frame and tossed onto the floor. Now it was his turn. He slowly lifted Karen’s nightwear to reveal perfectly toned legs. The item of clothing then moved up her body before slowly passing her perfect breasts and slipping over her head. Blake produced a pleasing smile as he watched the negligee land on the carpet.
Stripped bare, they slid inside the satin sheets that he hadn’t seen before today and the perfect night of passion became reality.

(TUESDAY)

A clear sky penetrated brightness into the kitchen as Blake sipped his morning cup of tea. All thoughts were on today. The quicker he had this thing sorted out with the fertilizer, the better it would be for everyone concerned.