He pointed back across the fields behind him. There is a post office in the village beyond this farmland, you see? Behind those distant hedges. I came from that direction.” He shocked her then by handing her back her rifle. “So long as you do not point this at me, I shall allow you to keep it.”
She snatched it back and almost pointed it right back at him again. Allow her to keep it? That was rich. Yet, she didn’t tempt fate. The man could have shot her, but he had given her weapon back. That had earned him a little trust at least. “You saw food?” she asked. “Medicine?”
“I saw a post office sign and a large window. I did not search inside. My priority is to find my friend before I expire.”
Hannah frowned. “What do you mean, expire?”
The man lifted his flowing cotton shirt and showed her a bloody bandage. “I had hoped to find safety before danger, but danger found me first. A pack of fiends fell upon me. I barely made it out with my life. They were not so fortunate.”
“You fought them off bare handed?”
“I am not as defenceless as I appear, Hannah. However, I lost all my supplies and most of my breath. I sat down to rest here and… It may have been some time.”
“That wound looks a couple days old, but if we can clean it up, you should be okay. It doesn’t seem infected.”
He nodded as if he understood all this. “You truly do not have a camp? Someone who might offer me aid?”
Hannah took a breath and held it before letting it out and answering. She almost told the truth, but still couldn’t quite trust the man. Not yet. “No, I’m sorry, it’s just me—but if I find anything to dress your wound in the village, I’ll bring it back for you, I promise. Just stay here.”
“No,” he said. “I shall search with you.”
Hannah was about to argue, but then considered it might be useful to try to find out more about Vamps, and why exactly this odd Middle-Eastern man was looking for him, so bringing him along might not be a bad idea. “Fine, but once we find something to help you with that wound, we go our separate ways.”
“As you wish. Although, have you considered our separate ways may lead to the same place?”
Hannah shouldered her rifle and started walking. “I’m going this way, pet.”
28
HANNAH
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the edge of the field and spotted a row of cottages beyond. Sure enough, the last building in the row featured a red and yellow ‘Royal Mail’ sign, and it peeked at her through the trees. No one else seemed to be around, and her fear of ambush slowly bled away. While Aymun was an oddball, he had told the truth about this.
She hobbled through a gap in the hedges while Aymun stayed close behind her. A wooden bus shelter with a bench stood at the side of the road, and she took a moment to rest her ankle there.
“It appears bad,” said Aymun, peering at her wound. “How did this happen?”
“Dogs,” she said ruefully. “Might be man’s best friend, but not mine, apparently.”
Aymun folded his arms and hid his hands inside his sleeves. “It is not just humankind affected by this calamity. If the Red Lord succeeds in scouring the earth, even the smallest of insects shall plummet into the abyss.”
“The Red Lord?” Hannah enquired as if she had never heard the name before.
Aymun shrugged. “A creature I cannot fully comprehend. A destroyer of worlds. A great Evil. The Red Lord erases all so that he may one day create. He is God’s adversary.”
“Isn’t that the Devil?”
Aymun chuckled. “One would think so, but no. I spent my entire life studying the Quran, and the knowledge contained within was a mere thimble-full of water taken from an ocean.”
“I was an atheist, so it’s always been a load of rubbish to me.” She pulled a face. “Guess I was wrong.”
“We were all wrong,” said Aymun. “Shall I search the Post Office while you rest, Hannah?”
She hopped up from the bench. “No, I’m good. Let’s see what we can find.”
They crossed the road and mounted the opposite pavement. Good fortune had left the Post Office’s heavy glass door unlocked, and Hannah shouldered it open easily before stepping inside. The place had been ransacked, but not emptied, and many goods still littered the shelves. Her boots crunched on bags of crisps, and she kicked aside sprouting potatoes.
“A cornucopia,” said Aymun. “Is this what you required?”
She turned to Aymun and nodded. “It’s a good start. Thank you.”
“A joy to be of service. What is it you need precisely?”
“We need seeds to grow…” She stopped herself from continuing. Damn it!
Aymun smiled knowingly. “We?”
Hannah grumbled. She kicked her way through the debris and leant on the Post Office counter. Perhaps she could just ignore the fact she’d dropped her pants and given up Intel.
“I am no threat,” said Aymun. He remained standing where he was, over by the door. “You wish for seeds to grow crops, yes? That means there are many of you, and that you are safe. I am glad. There is safety in Portsmouth too, but our fight is not yet over. I must find my friend. Vamps is not only in danger. He is a danger to those around him.” Hannah couldn’t help but betray her emotions now. This man seemed so earnest. Her bottom lip quivered, and Aymun saw it right away because he titled his head and sighed. “Please, trust me, Hannah.”
She looked at him, wavering back and forth, both physically and mentally. It was hard to stand on her ankle, so she continued to lean against the counter. “I might know something about this Vamps guy you’re after.”
“I am no threat,” Aymun repeated. “Vamps and I, along with many others have been fighting to ensure mankind’s survival. Every human life is
