The HarpIES – Web Episode 2.
Gerard found himself outside the hospital, milling around the locked doors with the others who’d been in the emergency room. More medical staff and police arrived, but no one knew what was happening and Gerard was struggling to keep it together. He couldn’t handle this alone, and brought his mobile phone out to ring Mandy’s parents. Gerard didn’t know what he was going to say to them, but he had to do something and rang the number. The line was engaged, but he tried again and again. The same busy tone beeped back at him every time he called, but at least he knew someone was home. Their house was less than a half mile from the hospital, and with panic ruling him Gerard set off running in that direction.
It didn’t take Gerard long to get to the housing estate where Mandy’s parents still lived, and he was more than relieved to see their car parked outside.
“Look at this guy!” Gerard passed a break in the street. A small group of people were hanging out and drinking in the remains of the summer’s day.
“Fuck me, look at the blood on him to!” A different voice to the first rang out, but Gerard’s focus was on getting to the house and he neither heard nor saw them.
Gerard reached the front door and opened it without knocking, the door on its latch as it usually was when they were in.
“Hello? Jeff, Ellen – its Gerard!” He shouted entering the house.
Gerard could hear the TV in the living room to his left, and opened the frosted glass paneled door to enter. Immediately he could see something was wrong, as their normally immaculate front room was a mess. Two of the seats around the dining room table had been knocked over, and the takings from the coffee shop lay strewn on the table and floor. The telephone was beeping its disconnected tone, as the handset had been knocked from the cradle in the disturbance. Gerard came further into the room, frantically looking around when a noise from the kitchen attracted his attention.
“Jeff? Ellen?”
Gerard saw Jeff’s twitching feet first, prone on the floor. The rest of the body came into view as he moved across the open plan room toward the kitchen.
“Jeff?”
Jeff was lying face down on the lino. He positioning looked as though he’d been going for the back door, but Ellen must have attacked him from behind as was now straddled on his back with a pool of thick dark blood expanding around them. Gerard speaking had attracted her attention, and she sat looking at him over her shoulder with the same dark red eyes he’d seen on Mandy. Ellen’s face was dripping in blood, and she absently chewed a piece of flesh. With a guttural growl the Mandy’s mum turned as she rose up, and started moving towards Gerard. Too frightened to do anything else he began to back away, trying to keep some distance and furniture between them. Ellen looked as though she was sizing him up, and each matched the other step for step. Then Gerard bumped a side table, knocking over an ornament. This was the opening Ellen had been waiting for, the slight distraction triggering her attack and she ran for him.
Gerard was close enough to the hallway to make a break for it, and he ran through the doorway slamming the door behind him. Ellen collided with the screen directly after, shattering the glass and covering them both in shards. Gerard didn’t stop and continued to back away as he watched Ellen shred herself on the broken pane squirming through after him. He turned and ran out the open front door, and while checking behind him he collided with someone coming in. Gerard’s momentum carried him onwards, and he finally fell onto the flat green canvas of a front garden.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Gerard looked up at the glowering skinhead man, who unknown to him had been part of the drinking group he’d just passed.
From within the house both of them heard an animal like screech, and suddenly Ellen appeared in the doorway sprinting toward them. Gerard knew there was no avoiding her this time, but she ignored him altogether and leapt screaming at the newcomer, both of them tumbling onto the grass close to Gerard. The man began shouting to his friends as he struggled to protect himself. Ellen tore at his face and body with her nails, while still trying to bite him. Another member of the group ran over, and there was a sickening crunch sound as a boot connected with Ellen’s face. The force of the blow threw her head back with a snap, and she fell unmoving onto the lawn.
“What the fuck did you do to her?!” The skinhead shouted at Gerard as he dusted himself off, and winced at the cuts he touched on his face. Gerard could see the man’s anger rising, as his companions sniggered and mimicked his cries for help. Not waiting for an answer, the thick-set aggressor walked the few steps over to Gerard and connected a heavy punch on his jaw.
Gerard didn’t hear any comment after, or see the hulking shadow bearing down on him. His head had struck one of the pointed kerbing stones that marked the path down the front garden. The group left him bleeding in the garden, and began to walk toward the house. Gerard, barely conscious, staggered off into the night and somehow managed to make it back home on auto-pilot.
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