9_5

In silence they waited, each contemplating the distant mill impatiently.
“Where the Hell has he got to?” Bailey eventually swore.
“I don’t know” de Hogue replied. He stared back along the road, but by now it was very dark and he could not make out if any one was approaching.
Suddenly there was a sharp sound in the distance, the deep crack of a gun being fired, and Bailey’s head jerked around.
“Stokes?” he cried in a hoarse voice.
A second shot rang out, a hand gun, easily identified by its sound. And Bailey began running towards the mill. De Hogue followed him, slower and more cautiously.
He knew Stokes’ rifle had two barrels and he waited for the second discharge, trying to get his bearings. Ahead of him the mill loomed above him, blocking out the sky with its darker silhouette. Bailey had already disappeared.
He stopped and listened and suddenly another shot rang out. Closer, off to his left from amongst trees. It was the unmistakable sound of Stokes’ second barrel, and de Hogue began running towards the sound.
“STOKES?” he shouted loudly. He pulled his boarding pistols from his belt and plunged through a hedgerow which loomed out of the darkness ahead of him.
“Over here” a voice cried out from the dark and he turned to towards the sound.
“Where are you?” he moved quickly, crouching, along the hedgerow with both guns extended out ahead of him.
“Here” Stokes hissed as he grabbed de Hogue’s arm and pulled him down to the ground. “It’s just over there!”
“What is?”
De Hogue’s eyes followed Stokes pointed arm towards the dark shadow of a small group of trees.“It ran right by me” Stokes said, he had already reloaded his weapon and he snapped it shut with a loud click. “We have to get after it, before it gets away. Come on!”

He jumped up and started towards the trees. De Hogue looked back along the hedgerow, but there was no sign of Bailey any where. He didn’t dare call out so he followed Stokes who moved silently ahead, keeping both pistols pointed into the shadows which rose up around them as they entered the trees.
For several minutes they moved as silently as possible until they reached the other side. Here Stokes knelt quickly and examined the earth. In the dim moonlight the creatures trail was clear to be seen. It had fled out through the trees and back across the fields.
“Where are we now?” Stokes looked around the landscape.
“Is that the road down there?” de Hogue asked.
They stared about them, listening for any sound which might help them when suddenly Stokes stiffened.
“By God, there it is!” he pointed out across the fields to where the hills rose up like a dark curtain pulled across the sky.
De Hogue peered into the dark but he could see nothing. Stokes brought up his rifle and paused. For a long moment there was a pregnant silence and then he fired, one barrel after the other, the retort echoing from the distant hills. The muzzle flash of Stokes rifle was far greater than de Hogue had anticipated and he turned his head away blinking.
“Did I get it?” Stokes asked as he broke open the rifle ejecting two spent cartridges and instantly replacing them.
“I can’t see a thing” de Hogue grumbled.
Both men stared across the field, but there was no sign of any creature or man.
“It’s a strange looking beast” Stokes muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t wait to show it in London!”
De Hogue made no comment, but as Stokes started out across the open field, he followed, keeping a few yards back and off to the right. Quickly his vision adapted to the night again and he searched the distance for any sign of the creature.
“What does it look like?” he hissed but Stokes either didn’t hear him, or ignored him and they continued across the half frozen grass towards the hill. Gradually the ground began to rise up. At the far end of the field, they reached a dry stone wall, and across this they found the road.“I think we’re about a mile or so out from the village” de Hogue whispered.
Again Stokes said nothing. He had knelt down though and as de Hogue came nearer to see why; he stood up and held out his hand to de Hogue.
“I hit it!” he said.
De Hogue looked down at the ground, and could just make out a darker patch against the packed dirt of the road. He rubbed his fingers in it and it was slightly sticky.
“Is this blood?” he whispered but Stokes had moved away. He lifted his fingers to his nose and sniffed then swore in disgust at the pungent odour which arouse form them. What ever it was, it wasn’t blood.
Stokes hissed at him to follow and set out across the next field. De Hogue made his way after him and when Stokes stopped to examine the ground, he grabbed the man’s arm.
“This is foolish” he said.
Stokes looked at him, with eyes invisible in the dark hollows of his face.
“We can’t track this thing in the dark” de Hogue waved a gun at the hill. “And we are separated from the others”
Stokes grabbed his collar.
“You go back if you want” he hissed. “But I’m going after it. I’ll not risk it returning to the sea, never to be seen again!”
He let go of de Hogue’s coat and started off up the hill.Watching him go, de Hogue struggled with himself. “This is a bad idea” he muttered, but he followed Stokes none the less, unable to let the other man face the danger alone…