Underwood (19 page)

Tony Griffiths was right, destroy what is in the woods and you destroy the Underwood that to most people didn’t exist, what become of its inhabitants he wasn’t sure, but that’s what he had to do, he googled the weather, there were no reports of storms, as he walked out of the internet café, he realised he had found out more questions than answers,

he went into a local clothes store and bought himself some more clothes, then made his way back to the travel lodge at Magor services, tonight he wanted to go and have a beer and what better place than the Iscoed Tafarn of Underwood.

The weather forecast was humid and sticky for the evening, no sign of Storms, But as Peter got into his hire car, dressed in his new jeans and t-shirt, he knew that a warm sticky period in the UK usually ended with a storm, he just hoped the next one would be all empowering and would consume him up into the new Underwood, the one that didn’t exist.

‘So why would you want to be the new driver’ asked Allan the sheriff to Tony,

His answer was easy he had it all planned,

‘I maintain the bus anyway and besides Steve, other than the deputy’s I was the only one who done any driving, just sort of makes sense’,

The sheriff grunted in his unusual manner as he sat in his office chair, Tony wondered why he needed an office, there was never any paperwork to do, and it was not as if he ever filled out a report,

‘What do you know about the disappearance of Peter Ford’ the sheriff asked changing the subject.

‘I think he went into the woods looking for a way out, he mentioned it once or twice’

‘Stupid man’ the sheriff paused, he liked Tony, other than losing it a bit when his wife passed, he had been a loyal resident and a good servant, ‘do the both jobs then’ he said,

Tony thanked him and left the office, he was now mobile, he may have just secured the vehicle to get those kids out he had told himself, he got into the mini bus and drove it to his car lot,

He struggled to move the casing over the hatch in his workshop, he decided to take some of the heavier stuff off it to make it lighter and easier to move, that’s what he done before going into the basement,

Delyn was sat on the sofa, Tony noticed her tear stained face, he guessed she had been crying since he left, he could see the anxiety in her face and she took a deep breath when she saw him, she noticed he was carrying two carrier bags, and still she thought of implements of torture, she wished she hadn’t watched all those horror films that her parents had forbade her to watch when she was younger.

‘It’s okay I’m not going to hurt you, I have food and drinks’ said Tony trying to reassure her, he sat beside her on the sofa and he was pleased to see she did not flinch, you have to eat something, there’s quite a bit in here and we will keep putting stuff down the chute’, Tony noticed she was still in the dressing gown he had given her,

‘Did you get the clothes’ he added, the look on her face told him she hadn’t, then he realised he had never told her about the chute, he took her into the kitchen, the clothes were there, there was also some shower stuff that Eileen must have put in the bag, he handed them to her and showed her how to work the chute.

‘Go get changed I’ll rustle up some scrambled egg on toast’ and off Delyn went feeling like a lost little girl in a lost little world.

She didn’t realise how hungry she was and wolfed it down in seconds as they sat at the two seater dining table, Tony quickly scrambled her some more and Delyn ate that with the same vigour, and gulped down the Cola in front of her, she felt a lot better and started to put some trust in Tony.

‘Thank you’ she said as she wiped her lips with some tissue,

‘Just eat what you want, there’s plenty, we’ll get you some more clothes, though most are handmade around here’ he realised he was talking dribble and waived his hands as if trying to squat a fly,

‘Why can’t I get out of the basement, what will happen if I do get out?’

Tony grabbed the two empty plates and put them in the sink, he thought of his wife, how she would have been the one to deal with this, he didn’t know the words to comfort her and if he did he did not want to be the one to say them, Delyn just stared at him waiting for the answer, but he had no answer for her.

‘The two girls who helped me this morning are calling in, I’m sure they will tell you everything you want to know’ he told her, that was the best he could do at that particular moment.

Delyn just looked at him, she felt herself filling up, she didn’t want to cry again, a single tear fell onto her cheek, she wiped it away with the back of her hand as another fell, Tony took her hand in both of his,

‘I promise you after they have been if you still want to leave I will let you,

She forced a smile, she liked this man, she had no idea what was happening or where she was, but for some unknown mad reason she felt she could trust him, she had to trust him, she had come to no harm, and the promise that she could go if she still wanted somehow reassured her, at least it gave her something she hadn’t had until now and that was a choice, she felt that she would soon be leaving and that made her feel so much better.

Tony left her on the sofa reading a magazine that was probably 40 years before her time, and as he pushed the case back over the cover, only one thought went through his mind ‘
no way is she getting out of here until I take her’
he locked his garage and went into his house, he needed a well-earned rest, his bed was calling him.

Tony slept well and was only woken by the bell being rung on the gate which was wired into his house, as he walked through the car lot, he could see the two girls waiting at the gate, he led them to the person they had come to see.

Both girls had an arm around Delyn’s shoulder after they had told her all that had happened, Ivy’s story being the most daunting even Lily had not heard it all and it brought a tear to her eye, Delyn felt like her whole world had been blown apart, at first she refused to believe it and thought the two girls were some part of it all, some occult that she had been dragged into, and she had grown panicky and started shouting at them, but Ivy’s own tears convinced her otherwise and at that times all 3 girls new that if they ever did get out the mental scars would never fade, they would remain etched forever in their hearts and souls, some more than others, but they would be etched there forever nevertheless.

‘You won’t try to get out will you’ asked Lily after they all had taken some time to compose themselves, after what she had heard it didn’t take long for her to answer,  it was as reassuring as the two girls had hoped.

‘No’ she replied, and she truly meant it as at that time she didn’t see any other choice,

‘If we’re not out soon it won’t be long before I’m down here with you’ said Ivy, referring to her own 16
th
birthday,

‘That day’ said Lily we will all be together, because if they see Ivy missing it just means they will be keeping more of an eye on me’ she shuddered at her own words, ‘but that won’t happen because my dad and Tony are going to get us out of here’ she bit her bottom lip as it quivered ‘ he’s not dead, he’s on the outside looking in, I know he is’, the three girls embraced until there was a knock on the hatch and Tony’s head appeared, all three girls looked up at him and smiled, it was their way of saying thank you,

‘Time to go girls, don’t want to cause to much suspicion, they said their goodbyes and the two girls climbed out of the basement, before he locked it Tony put his head through and said goodnight to Delyn, who was stood right under the hatch,

‘Tony’ she called and he met her eyes,

‘Thank you’ she added, ‘I think I might be staying here until you say it’s time to go’ and she smiled as she said it,

Tony smiled and gave her a wink and as he closed the hatch and watched the other two girls go he wondered how he had put himself in such a position that the 3 young girls had so much dependence and faith in him,

‘I won’t let them down’
he thought
’you better be on the outside looking in Peter’

He went to the fridge and got a much needed beer, he took the top off and gulped half the bottle, his only solace in his god forsaken world.

‘Sure gonna miss this stuff though’ he said out loud, and laughed to himself, he finished his beer and grabbed another as he looked at the skies, ‘
no storms tonight, think I’ll get pissed’

Peter still wasn’t sure what he was trying to achieve as he sat in the Iscoed Tafarn, the local pub on a council house estate in South Wales, the pub he previously visited as Underwood social club, as he sipped his shandy he found his head was being filled with all sorts of nonsense, but it was better than his hotel room, at least hear the occasional song on the Juke box would take his mind in other directions, just for a moment, he was pleased to see that the song was modern, he then realised that he had never heard any music in the other Underwood.

Every time the door opened he would look up expecting to see the Sherriff Allan Herapath, but of course he never did, he wished Tony Griffiths was here, but then he wondered how that could possibly be as he was dead, maybe both Tony Griffith’s were dead, he couldn’t work that one out, he was totally confused at this time, it felt like he was living in a world and his family in another, at this stage he was thinking he didn’t care what world it was as long as he was with his family.

It was his duty to protect them, he would do that wherever he was, he was with Tony Griffiths yesterday, today he visited his grave, tomorrow he hoped he would still be helping his family, whoever that Tony Griffiths was he needed him, dead or alive, the whole situation was so unbelievable, he had a job believing it himself.

He went to the bar and ordered another shandy he was greeted and served with the same friendliness, he watched two women in the corner sat with their backs to him, he heard them laugh and as one stood up to turn to go to the bar, Peter almost dropped his beer in shock as his whole body started to shiver and his skin to seep sweat, and now with her stood up he could see the other person, walking towards him to get a drink was June Murphy and sat in the corner was Sue Bradshaw, the two old ladies that had become wino’s, his heart raced and his hand shook, he had to put his beer on the bar or he would have dropped it.

Peter panicked as she came towards him, his whole mind now in total confusion he rushed out of the bar and into the car park, he found that he was struggling for air as he panted at each breath, he controlled his breathing and sat down on an outside table, a young couple were staring at him and he raised his hands to tell them he was okay, they looked away and took no more notice.

He lit a cigarette and took a long drag, he kept telling himself to pull himself together, he was no good to anyone in this frame of mind, and he cleared his head the best he could.

He had another cigarette went back into the bar, his pint was still there, he took a sip and went and sat down by the two ladies’ he had butterflies in his stomach, his throat felt dry even though he sipped his shandy, he wiped the palm of his hands on his jeans as he spoke,

‘Evening girls’ he said,

The two girls looked at Peter, he noticed they looked the same age as the other 2 women in Underwood, his heart was racing, he had a knot it his stomach, he felt like he wanted to scream, ‘
what the fucks happening to me he thought’
he was half expecting voices in his head to start answering him.

‘All right love’ said June, Sue took a sip of her wine ‘aint seen you here before’ June added, but something was telling Peter something else, it was the look in June’s eye that gave it away.

‘Just looking around the area thinking of moving here’ he told the two girls, he studied them it was definitely the same two ladies,

‘Can I get you a drink’ he asked them,

‘No thanks mate’ said Sue, she wasn’t really taken with the man who had invaded her space, she didn’t like strangers, she thought Peter looked suspect in some way, but then again Sue Bradshaw thought everyone was suspect.

‘I’ll have a bottle of wine’ said June,

‘
Haven’t they heard of glasses in this place’
he thought, Peter got up to go to the bar, and the simple task of buying someone a drink filled his body with adrenalin.

‘You sure you don’t want one’ he asked Sue, expecting her to share June’s bottle,

‘Go on then’ Sue said ‘I’ll have a bottle of white too’ she had suddenly warmed to Peter, and she looked at June and winked at her, the suspicion temporary suspended, or a suspicion that wasn’t really there at all, 5 minutes and £25 the poorer Peter handed them the bottles of wine and sat back down, the conversation flowed as well as the wine and Peter grew to like the two old ladies, but he was still on edge as he sat there, trying to find something that would give him a clue, just something to hang on to, they each bought him a pint of shandy, Peter was concerned of being over the limit, a law that didn’t seem to apply in the other Underwood.

As the conversation and the wine flowed, Peter had no idea what he was looking for, he didn’t know whether the other Underwood he had seen them in was a life in the past or one yet to come, Tony Griffiths was dead, somehow he could get his head around that, but these two were alive, just as they were in his other life,
‘they can’t be, they have to be dead in one of them’
he thought,

‘What interests you in coming to Underwood’ asked Sue slurring her words, Peter saw his opportunity,

‘I heard it’s a mysterious place and the woods are haunted or something, and didn’t people die in the old army huts’

‘See I told you’ said Sue, she leaned forward ‘I have the visions about the woods, the other day June fell in them and almost died until someone dragged her out’