Dead Flesh (29 page)

Kayla

The Greys led
us out of the school building where the other students, who had
been chosen to be set free, were waiting for us. Amongst them I
could see Pryor, the Addison twins, and Dorsey. He stood away from
the rest of us as usual, alone. I felt sorry for him. I’d never
actually spoken to Dorsey. I figured that one way or another, I
would be leaving the school very soon, and I would like to have
said something to him.

We followed the
Greys out across the courtyard and onto the surrounding lawns. The
air was crisp and fresh, but not cold. The moon was full and hung
low in the sky like a silver disc. As we followed the Greys in
single file away from the school building, Dorsey sauntered up
beside me. He looked at me as if he wanted to say something.

“You all right,
Dorsey?” I asked.

“I just wanted
to say, you didn’t have to do that for me the other day,” he said
angrily.

I was taken
aback by the anger in his voice and said, “It’s okay – it wasn’t
your fault – it was that idiot, Pry -”

“What I meant
to say is, I can fight my own battles, you know. I don’t need you
sticking up for me.”

I frowned and
said, “I only did it to help you.”

Hearing how
Dorsey had spoken to me, Sam cut in and said, “Listen here, you
ungrateful little…”

“No, that’s
okay,” I interrupted.

“Okay?” Sam
said, then turned on Dorsey. “Kayla could’ve got herself in the
shit by sticking up for you.”

“I didn’t ask
her to stick her nose in,” Dorsey spat.

“From where I
was standing, Pryor was getting ready to…” Sam started.

“Don’t worry
about it, Sam.” I looked at Dorsey, and trying to hide my
disappointment, I said to him, “Look, Dorsey, I’m sorry for butting
in, but I was trying to be a mate – that was all. I just wanted to
help…”

“Like I said,
thanks but no thanks,” he hissed, then sped off up the line.

“Can you
believe that?” Sam sighed. “What an ungrateful little turd!”

“Maybe he’s
right. Perhaps I shouldn’t have stepped in for him. I probably
embarrassed him,” I said.

“You saved him
from a good beating, that’s what you did!” Sam insisted.

“Let’s just
forget about it. I’m not bothered, really.”

“Like I’ve
already said, Kayla, I’ve never met anyone like you before,” Sam
half-smiled at me.

I watched
Dorsey walk away, and although I could understand the point he was
trying to make, I did feel a little hurt. Then, looking at Sam, I
smiled back, and said, “Let’s get this over and done with and get
out of here.”

The Greys led
us around the outside of the school and away from the back of the
building. We reached a clump of trees, and thinking this was where
we would stop, they continued, until we stepped out into a large
open area. In the middle was a stone-built chapel. It had a spire
that stretched up into the night. It wasn’t as small as I had
imagined it to be. There were a set of steps leading up to a white
wooden door which was open. From inside I could hear the sound of
music seeping out into the night. It wasn’t choir music, it was
rock music. It was like a party was in full swing inside. I could
feel an excitement running through the group of kids around me as
they whispered to one another about being freed and getting to see
their families again.

Leaning towards
Sam, I whispered, “Are you sure you want to go in?”

Sam nodded his
head. “Hell yeah.”

“Why?” I
whispered over the
boom-boom
of the music
coming from the chapel.

“Because I just
want to get out of here.”

“But do you
really think that McCain is just gonna let you go?” I asked
him.

“You heard what
he said,” Sam smiled at me, and I could see the hope in his eyes.
Then, he was gone, heading along with the others towards the open
chapel doorway.

Half of me
wanted to go after him and drag him back, but what was I dragging
him back to? Maybe McCain had been telling the truth? Perhaps we
were all going home. Then, I was prodded in the back. I turned
around to find a Grey standing behind me. Without saying anything,
it pointed in the direction of the chapel. Not intending to stay
for too long, I made my way towards the doorway. Even if I only
stayed long enough to say goodbye to Sam, what was the worst that
could happen?

No sooner had I
stepped inside the chapel, the door was

closed behind
me. The sound of music was very loud now. There was a small foyer
which led into the main part of the chapel. Unlike any other chapel
I’d been into, there weren’t any pews, font and instead of an
altar, there were turntables and a D.J., who looked like a reject
from a Tim Burton movie. He was thin, gaunt-looking, and wore a
tall hat which any undertaker would have been proud of.

Around the
edges of the walls, there were tables which had been covered with
the most delicious-looking food I had ever seen. There were plates
of sandwiches, pizza, hot dogs, bowls of popcorn, marshmallows, and
every other kind of cake and dessert that I could imagine. Maybe
this really was a leaving party, I thought. I had no idea what
strange customs and rituals this weird new world had.

I headed across
the chapel to where some of the other students had started to dance
with each other. Not since arriving at Ravenwood had I seen such
looks of happiness on their faces, and I couldn’t help but feel my
own spirits rising.

“Hey!” I heard
someone shout and I looked around to see Pryor and the Addison
twins standing in a nearby alcove. He waved his hand at me, and
beckoned me over. Ignoring him, I turned away.

“Hey, Hunt!” he
shouted again.

I looked back
and could see that he had my iPod in his hand. Without hesitating,
I headed across the dance floor towards him. He grinned at me from
the shadows.

“Look what I
found by that big old chestnut tree,” he smiled.

I reached for
my iPod and he snatched it away. “Give it back to me,” I said.

Then, swiping
his thumb across the screen he opened the messages. “Say, look at
this,” he smiled, then he read aloud the message I had sent earlier
to Kiera. “Kiera, camera hidden on south side of school near to
stream and huge pile of bushes. If Isidor can’t track my scent then
he should be able to smell the dead body! Will have to explain
later. Got to go! Kayla.”

“Give it back,”
I said, holding out my hand, and the Addison twins sniggered like a
couple of hyenas.

“So you’ve been
over the wall?” Pryor asked with his annoying grin, but his eyes
looked crazy – almost wild. “What’s with the dead body and who the
fuck is Isidor? What sort of fag name is that?”

I couldn’t bear
the thought of him being nasty about Isidor, so shooting my hand
forward, I grabbed him around the throat and brought my forehead
smashing down onto his nose. I heard a sickening crunching sound
and felt his nose spread across his face. Pryor fell to the floor
screaming, blood pumping through his fingers.

“She’s broken
my freaking nose!” he screamed like a baby. “She head-butted
me!”

I reached down
and snatched my iPod from his blood-stained hand, fighting hard not
to tear his head clean off. Then, whispering in his ear, I said,
“Don’t you ever say another bad word about my brother, because if
you do, you won’t fucking believe what happens next!”

“You can’t do
that,” one of the Addison twins mumbled from beside me, as they
looked down in horror at their bleeding friend.

Then, flashing
my fangs at him, I hissed, “Shut your fucking face before I start
sucking on your brains!”

Both twins
looked at me, their faces white as snow, eyes wide. Smiling to
myself, I walked away, needing to find somewhere alone so I could
contact Kiera. Before I’d had a chance to find anywhere, Sam came
running towards me, a smile spread across his good-looking
face.

“I really think
we’re going home,” he shouted over the music.

“Do you really
believe that?”

“Don’t you?” he
asked me, the grin still plastered across his face.

“I’m not sure,”
I said back. I wanted to believe it but it sounded too good to be
true. “What about you?”

“What about
me?” he said, pulling me close so he could hear me over the
music.

“What are you
gonna do when you get out of here?” I asked him, knowing that he
didn’t have parents to go back to.

“I was still
hoping that I might get you to change your mind,” he smiled,
slipping one arm around my waist.

“About
what?”

“Letting me tag
along with you and your friends,” he asked again.

“You can’t,
Sam,” I said, shaking my head.

“It’s meant to
be,” he said. “I know you don’t believe me, but I did see you on
the beach that day, and you did know my name.”

“It wasn’t me,”
I told him.

Then, the music
changed and
Candyman
by Christina Agulera
started to play. Not wanting to go over the whole beach thing
again, I smiled and said, “I love this song.”

“Let’s dance
then,” he grinned, and before I knew what was happening, he was
spinning me around and around in his arms. Sam wasn’t a bad dancer
and he swirled me this way and that as he held my hands. His smile
was infectious, and within moments, he had me smiling and laughing
too. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so happy.
Candyman
finished and
Watching The Moon
by Bruno Mars started.

The lights in
the chapel were dimmed and before I could walk away, Sam pulled me
into his arms and started to dance slowly with me.

“I’m sorry I
stabbed you,” he said.

“I seem to have
that effect on guys,” I said back.

“I bet there
aren’t too many guys who have to say sorry for doing something like
that on their first date,” he said, trying to make a joke, but I
could tell that he was sorry.

“So you think
this is a date then?”

“The closest I
think me and you will ever get to one,” he said.

“I guess,” I
smiled.

“Even though
you say that it wasn’t you on the beach that day,” he whispered,
resting his cheek next to mine, “I’m glad that I got to meet you
here, Kayla.”

“Why?” I
whispered, always feeling uncomfortable when I was being paid a
compliment.

“I wanted to
tell you something the other day, but I chickened out,” he said,
pulling me close as I slipped my arms around his neck. “I guess it
doesn’t matter if I make a complete jerk of myself, as we’ll never
see each other again after tonight.”

“So what was it
that you wanted to say to me?” I asked, swaying against one
another.

Leaning back
from me so he could see into my eyes, he said, “You shouldn’t let
the memories of those girls who bullied you haunt you forever.”
Then, swallowing hard, he quickly added, “I think you’re hot,
Kayla.”

With my hand
placed gently on the back of his neck, I wanted to pull him forward
and kiss him. But before I’d had the chance, the music stopped, the
lights went out, and everyone started screaming.

Kiera

Banner led us
into his office and slumped behind his cluttered desk. He eyed
Potter and Isidor with suspicion and said, “So, who are your
friends, Hudson?”

“Just friends,”
I said. Then, taking the camera from my coat pocket, I placed it on
the table in front of him and said, “I’ve been trying to solve a
puzzle, and here is a big piece of it.”

“Puzzle?”
Banner said, looking down at the camera.

“Emily Clarke?”
I reminded him.

“Clarke?” he
replied, scratching his thick, white hair. “Oh yeah, I remember
now. The girl that went missing.”

“That’s right,”
I said. “She worked as a teacher at Ravenwood.”

“Look, I don’t
really have time for this right now,” he groaned. “I’m kinda busy.
Got a couple of guys down in the cells for burglary.”

“I’m pleased
for you,” I said dryly. “But what about Emily?”

“Look, Hudson,”
Banner said, “I’m really busy. Neither of the scum downstairs is
talking. I got some of the boys to take ‘em both round the back of
the station and give ‘em both a slap - but they still didn’t talk.
So I went and paid ‘em a little visit in their cells. Even when I
had their nuts squeezed tight in my hand and I thought their eyes
were gonna pop straight outter their heads – they still wouldn’t
talk about those burglaries.”

“Screw the
burglaries,” I spat. “Emily Clarke has been murdered...”

“Murdered?”
Banner smiled nervously. “Don’t talk such rubbish.”

“Watch the
tape,” Potter said from the corner of the room.

“Why?” Banner
asked, picking it up in one of his huge hands.

“Because it
shows Morris McCain butchering Emily Clarke,” I said, trying to
stay calm.

“Bollocks!”
Banner cried and rubbed his thick white moustache, nervously.
“McCain wouldn’t dare.”

“Why wouldn’t
he dare?” Isidor asked him.

“Because it
would all be over!” Banner shouted. “The treaty and everything
would be finished. The treaty says that any wolf to be caught
murdering a human would be put to death. McCain might be a bit of a
bully, but he ain’t dumb enough to go murdering your friend, Emily
Clarke.”

“Look, I
haven’t got time to stand here and argue with you,” I told him. “If
you don’t believe me, watch the footage on the camera.” Then,
realising that Potter was right, and I was being made to feel about
as welcome as a fart in an elevator, I went to the door.

“Where are you
going?” Banner called out.

“To get my
friend back before she becomes another one of McCain’s victims,” I
said.