Beyond Life (The Afterlife Series Book 2) Page 4

  ‘I think my back’s going to break in two, Gary. Any chance...’

  A loud growling roar in the distance cut off her voice. The sound sent shivers up her spine and Gary stopped the vehicle and looked around. They saw the big cat halfway up a tree. It had laid down its small prey and turned its fierce eyes on the vehicle and its occupants. Val was both fascinated and terrified. Gary reversed very slowly and the animal appeared to relax a little, but not enough for Val’s liking.

  ‘Like any animal, they’re at their most dangerous when protecting their food or their young. I don’t like the look of this one so we’re going to go back in the direction we came and find another route. Okay?’

  She nodded while keeping her eyes on the leopard. She knew that Gary had a gun with him and wondered if the leopard took a jump at them, would he choose to drive or to stop and use the gun. She needn’t have worried as the animal continued its feast when it could see that they were no longer a threat and Val was soon able to relax a little. When they arrived at a shaded area a while later Gary stopped the Land Rover and smiled.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, eyes full of concern as he leaned over and patted her thigh.

  His hand stayed there a second too long and Val felt herself blush as memories of being touched by a red-blooded male flooded her mind. It made her think of Ron but strangely enough she didn’t feel guilty. She looked upwards and smiled.

  ‘Val?’

  ‘Yes I’m fine thanks. That was a bit scary though.’

  Gary laughed and Val got the impression that her idea of scary and his were entirely different.

  ‘Can you give me a hand?’ he got out of the vehicle and Val followed him around to the back where he untied the canopy that was covering the boot. Gary unstrapped the bungee cords that were holding a cool box in place and lifted the box. He handed her the blanket that was underneath and walked to the rear passenger seats where his rifle was stored. ‘Insurance,’ he said giving her a charming smile and set off carrying the box and rifle. Val followed and they stopped at a nearby tree, which was on a slight hill. Gary appeared to survey the area and once satisfied nodded his head for Val to lay the blanket. They sat down and looked around. It was a stunning vista of hills in the distance that seemed to end abruptly. Gary pointed and explained that the steep hillside plunged down into a deep ravine and that he’d take her there on their next outing. Val ignored his presumption that they’d have another outing and looked at their surroundings. In their immediate line of sight the open grassy plains were dotted with an occasional tree. They could see for miles and would be able to spot any potential danger long before it reached them.

  ‘Nothing too fancy I’m afraid,’ Gary opened the box and took out two cans of coke. ‘We’ll let them settle for a few minutes before opening them.’ He took out two foil packages and passed her one. ‘Hope you like the local ham.’

  Val nodded gratefully, pleased with his thoughtfulness as he must have guessed that she hadn’t had time for lunch prior to his arrival.

  Shaded under the tree they ate and drank in comfortable silence for a while, taking in the views and the grazing animals. Val hadn’t felt this relaxed for some time and she closed her eyes after she’d finished eating. There were unknown dangers out here but she felt completely safe in the company of the big charming man beside her. She wasn’t sure how much later it was when she felt his hand on her arm and his voice brought her back to the present.

  ‘Sorry to wake you but I think we’d better make a move.’

  Val opened her eyes and stretched like a lazy cat. Looking up she was surprised to see that the sun had moved a distance from its zenith.

  ‘How long have I been out of it?’

  Gary laughed before replying. ‘At least a couple of hours. You must have been really tired.’

  ‘But I thought we were going to try and get nearer to the Reserve?’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to disturb you.’

  He looked disappointed and Val felt ungrateful. He was being thoughtful and she had implied criticism at his decision.

  ‘Thanks, Gary. Maybe another day then?’

  They both knew this wasn’t a one-off and gathered their belongings to put back into the Land Rover. Ready to leave, Gary was about to put the key in the ignition when Val spoke.

  ‘Thanks so much for today. I’ve really enjoyed myself and didn’t realise how much I needed to get away from the orphanage for a while,’ she leaned toward him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Val was almost as surprised as Gary and blushed at her own impulsiveness. She wound down her window and looked out, studying the countryside intently so she didn’t have to look at the big man beside her.

  He turned the key in the ignition and the engine coughed but nothing happened. Gary tried again and again and Val eventually turned back to look at him, her earlier blushes put aside for the time being as she realised what was happening.

  ‘Problem?’

  ‘Yup,’ he got out and fiddled with a few things under the bonnet. ‘Try the ignition again, Val.’

  She leaned over and turned the key with the same result. He closed the bonnet and walked to the passenger side of the vehicle. ‘We have a problem.’

  *****

  The afternoon was flying by and it was time to collect some more water. Daniel had asked Marion if she’d go again as he wanted to catch up on some paperwork, so she gathered the children together but noticed they were one short.

  ‘Where’s Mary?’ Mary was a beautiful girl not yet a teenager, but with a teenage attitude. Marion could forgive her the bad attitude and most other things for that matter. None of the orphans had had an easy time of it and Mary was no exception. Her parents, brother and sister had been murdered in a tribal killing. Mary had been wounded and was forced to lie under their bodies until a long time after the attackers had left. She had scars on her side and back from the gun wounds but had fought for survival. She was understandably wary about getting close to anyone and for the most part, kept her emotions veiled. Marion had seen her smile a few times recently but knew that she would carry the emotional scars with her for the rest of her life. She sent one of the children to get Mary; a few minutes later the girl came back with a message.

  ‘Daniel says she’s not well so he’s sent her to bed and Nursie will see her later.’

  Marion frowned. It was unusual for Daniel to be so sympathetic. The children generally had to be seen by the nurse before he showed any concern. Mary had plenty of psychological problems but was physically robust unlike many of the other children. The pulling at Marion’s t-shirt forced her to look at the smiling little face.

  ‘Are we going, Missy?’

  ‘We certainly are, Suria,’ the child took Marion’s hand and started swinging it back and forth as they made their way to the water.

  Mary was lying on her bed studying a science textbook. There weren’t many books and the children had to share them but luckily for Mary not many were interested in science so she’d been able to keep hold of the book for a few days. She held it as if it were a precious gem and was in awe of the illustrations and explanations within it. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do as a grown up but was very bright so thought she might like to be a doctor. She knew she had to work hard and that her family were watching over her. She wanted to make them very proud, especially her father who had taught them all to be independent and not to expect anything for nothing. She also knew that eventually she’d have to be more trusting of people, but Mary couldn’t quite bring herself to trust anyone yet, though she did like some more than others. Daniel came into the room and Mary felt an involuntary shiver. Her father had also told her to trust her instincts and there was something about Daniel that she didn’t like. He’d been perfectly pleasant to her and hadn’t done anything to make her wary, but she was going to follow her father’s advice and she looked at him as he approached her with, Mary thought, a false smile on his face. He’d sent her to the room earlier and told her to
expect a surprise and Mary felt she hadn’t had any choice but to follow his direction. She enjoyed going to the well with the other children, especially if the white women were accompanying them, but given the choice of learning or going for water then learning would always win. She reluctantly closed the book and sat up on the bed.

  ‘Are you ready for your surprise?’ Daniel put out his hand and Mary thought he seemed a bit nervous. She hesitated.

  ‘Come on,’ he said reaching for her hand and she put her hand in his and moved to the door with him but something made her hold back.

  ‘What is it?’

  Daniel could see that she didn’t trust anyone and had not expected her to accompany him on her own without an explanation.

  ‘We’re getting you all a pet to share, and you, Mary, are going to be the first to see it!’

  Her twelve-year-old mind was working overtime. If they had a cat or a dog she’d be able to talk to it about what happened and nobody else would know. She would love it and it would love her and make her happy again. She hoped it was a dog.

  ‘What is it?’ Mary forgot about not trusting Daniel in her excitement.

  ‘Why don’t you go out the back and see, they’re just about to deliver him.’

  Mary ran down the stairs. It was a busy time of day and everybody else was occupied with their own personal chores. She ran out of the back door and saw the old white vehicle. A smiling man opened the door and beckoned her over. She ran to the vehicle hoping there was a dog inside. By the time her young brain realised there was no pet it was too late. She struggled as much as she could but the two men easily overcame her and a smelly rag was forced over her nose and mouth. She stopped struggling when the drug took effect and she was rolled into a blanket and put onto the back seat.

  Marion heard a vehicle and thought it must be Val returning from her outing with the creep, as she unkindly thought of him. She was surprised to see the tatty white van go past and wondered what business they’d had at the orphanage. There weren’t any food deliveries due that day and as far as Marion knew, only Gary’s company worked at the orphanage and she couldn’t recall seeing a white van belonging to them. She tried to put it out of her mind but unscheduled visits were unusual so she decided to ask Daniel on her return.

  *****

  ‘Can you fix it?’ Val knew the answer by the look on Gary’s face but asked anyway.

  ‘No. The fuel pump appears to be broken.’

  She started to switch off as soon as he mentioned something that she didn’t have a clue about. To Val is was the same as when asking a stranger for directions, any more than two instructions and her mind was away with the fairies. Both directions and vehicle parts had exactly the same effect.

  ‘Val?’

  ‘Oh. Do we start walking then?’

  Gary laughed at her naivety. ‘It’s going to be dark in an hour and there’s plenty of wildlife here, so no we don’t walk anywhere.’

  It was just starting to sink in but in case there was any doubt in her mind he added. ‘We stay here overnight and hopefully they’ll send a vehicle out to find us at first light.’

  ‘Hopefully?’

  ‘No, they will send one. We just have to stay in the Land Rover tonight. We’ve enough water to last and I always keep some dry rations in the event of an emergency,’ he was talking to himself as much as to Val but she was nodding and thinking that it wouldn’t be that bad and it was, after all, only one night. They could get to know each other, but definitely not in a physical way.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  She answered yes and he suggested that they stay out of the vehicle until just before darkness fell. ‘It’s going to be cramped in there and once we’re in, it’s best that we stay there all night.’

  ‘But what if I need the loo?’

  ‘I’ll need to escort you, Val and bring the rifle. We’ll dig a small trench now at the other side of the tree so we don’t have to walk far from the Rover.’

  *****

  They were about to gather for dinner and Marion wanted a quick word with Daniel before they sat down. She also wanted to check on Mary.

  She popped her head around the office door. He was sitting at the old desk, flicking through a file and frowning. He didn’t notice her.

  ‘How’s Mary.’

  He jumped in the seat and looked to Marion as if he’d been caught with his hand in the sweetie jar.

  ‘You made me jump.’

  ‘Clearly. What are you doing?’

  ‘Working hard, obviously.’ He closed the file before she had a chance to see what he’d been looking at and put it in one of the desk drawers. Closing the drawer he locked it and put the key in his trouser pocket.

  ‘So, Mary?’ Marion repeated, her fingers tapping against the door.

  Daniel didn’t answer straight away and Marion wondered if he wound her up on purpose. He eventually shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Marion, you may have noticed that I am very busy. Once I sent her to lie down I decided to ask the nurse to check on her after dinner. We’ll see if she eats. If she does we’ll know that she’s not ill and there will be no need to waste the nurse’s time.’

  Marion wondered what he was hiding, but let it go for the time being.

  ‘Who were the visitors?’

  Daniel put down the pen he’d been holding and sighed heavily. ‘What?’

  ‘The visitors in the white van. Who were they?’

  ‘Marion. I repeat. I’m very busy. One of the reasons I asked you to do the water detail was so that I could get this paperwork done. I’m going to be working late into the night as it is. I also...’

  ‘But you must have heard the van, even it you didn’t see it?’

  ‘I’ve been immersed in my work and haven’t seen or heard anything else,’ he stopped her next interruption by adding. ‘New volunteers are arriving the week after next, you and Val will be going home early,’ he smiled. ‘Now shall we go and eat or do you want to hear the rest of it?’

  Marion momentarily forgot about Mary as Daniel explained that the charity wanted her and Val to take the lead on a new orphanage being built in Romania. If they agreed, it would mean another course in London. If they were up for it the plan would be to handover to the two new volunteers, return to the UK, have some time off and then attend the course. It was a promotion and Marion was taken aback at the suddenness of the move. She knew before discussing it with Val that this is what she’d aspired to and she would take the job, whether Val wanted to or not. Probably another unkind thought but she was still annoyed that Val had allowed herself to be charmed by Gary.

  ‘You can tell them that I accept their offer. I’ll talk to Val when she returns which should be any time now.’

  Chapter 5

  Ron was still feeling emotional following Libby’s wedding. ‘My little girl. I’m so glad that Carl was there to give her away. I know they’re going to be happy, Claire but Val’s going to be mad. I’m not sure she’ll ever forgive her. And as for your mother...’

  Claire wasn’t entirely sure. ‘If you’d said that to me a little while ago I would have agreed with you. But a woman I didn’t know when I was alive has taken over my mother’s mind and body so I’m never sure how she’s going to react to anything these days.’

  ‘Fair enough. Let’s go and see Val and your mother and see how they’re getting on.’ Ron knew what Claire’s answer would be but thought he’d try and get his own way for once.

  ‘Sure, Ron.’

  The surprise showed in his face, but not for long.

  ‘After we’ve been to see how my father and Mel are getting on. This is going to amaze you, Ron.’

  Knowing the amount of energy it took to argue with her when she was determined to have her own way, Ron decided to cede to Claire’s wishes and prepared himself to be amazed.

  *****

  As it happened, he was amazed. ‘Who the hell is that?’ They were watching a man stretching in a gymnasium. Claire laughed as t
hey looked around. Tony had given her the head’s up about her father’s new obsession. The gym was full of the usual torture equipment from treadmills, cross-trainers and all manner of weights, to complicated looking multi-gyms that Claire would never understand how to use or why anybody would want to. Her father had completed a number of stretches and looked as if he’d been running. He was a completely different man to the one that they had watched breakdown when his marriage and illicit relationship had imploded before his daughter had been kidnapped. Bulging with muscles and not an ounce of fat in sight, Claire was impressed with her father’s transformation although he had gone completely over the top. He approached a bar with weights on each side that Claire thought would take ten men to lift. He lifted the heavy bar above his head with ease and Claire and Ron watched as additional weights were added. They weren’t the only ones watching as other gym bunnies heard that Graham was in the building and stopped their workout to watch the locally famous strongman. He began to struggle as the pole became heavier and his muscles strained like those of the Incredible Hulk bursting out of his shirt. Satisfied with his workout, Graham eventually stopped and his audience applauded. He feigned embarrassment but was secretly delighted. He nodded in appreciation and saluted the crowd like a true champ. Claire cringed. Graham towelled the sweat from his face and the back of his neck while chatting to a few of his admirers about various techniques. When the crowd dissipated he took his mobile phone out of his rucksack and took it off do not disturb mode to check if he’d missed any calls. The Eye of the Tiger music rang out in the gym and Graham quickly answered the call. They listened to his side of the conversation as Graham said that he would come over for tea and would then take Mel to visit her friend Alice.