Ryan glanced at Loobey, wondering if he had shared last night’s conversation as revenge for Ryan spilling the beans about his cancer, but nothing about Loobey’s expression suggested he had said anything to Brett.
When Ryan failed to answer, Brett gave a smug grin. “You see? You’re terrified to grow up, but it’s your issue, not mine. Stop blaming everybody else and accept the truth that you’re just drifting through life without a purpose. How many jobs have you had since leaving school? A dozen?”
Loobey grimaced on the sofa. “Come on, Brett, that’s enough.”
Ryan felt his fists clench. His upper lip curled into a snarl. “D’you agree with him, Loobey? You’ve been ill for months and you never fucking told me. Am I deluding myself by thinking we’re all mates? Am I an idiot?”
“Of course not. I love you, man, and I always will, but part of what Brett said is right. Eventually, the fun ends, you know? Adult responsibilities come along and suddenly there’s less time to hang out. It’s happened to us all, and so slowly we didn’t even notice. I used to spend the weekends on the lash, but now I spend them with my daughter. Brett and Tom have demanding jobs. We don’t have the free time we used to. It sucks, but it’s life. As for why I didn’t tell you about my cancer, well, I just didn’t want you to have to drop everything to be there for me. I knew that if I told you, you would put your own life on hold, and that wouldn’t be fair.”
Ryan turned and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Aaron asked, following after him.
“I’m walking to the village. I can’t stay here.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
Ryan wanted to hug him, but he wouldn’t do it in front of the others. Instead, he smiled at his brother and gave a nod. “Thanks.”
Loobey got up of the sofa. “Ryan, just sit down, okay? It’s not safe to go outside.”
“Fuck you, Loobey.”
“Seriously? You’re gonna be like that?”
“You see,” said Brett. “This is what I’m talking about. You’re storming off like a child instead of facing the truth. It’s pathetic and it’s going to get you killed.”
Ryan spun around and pointed a finger at Brett. It took a moment to get his words out because his jaw was locked so tightly in anger. “You listen to me, if you—”
There was a banging at the door. The wood rattled in its frame.
Everyone froze except for Ryan, who turned around slowly. “Um… Hello?”
“Ryan? It’s me, Sean. You need to let me in. You need to let me in right now.”
Chapter Eight
Ryan slid the armchair aside slightly and tried to see Sean through the window diamond in the door. The only thing he could see, however, was his friend’s shadow on the driveway.
“Do not let him in here,” said Brett, and he grabbed the biggest knife from the collection on the counter. “I swear to God, do not open that door, Ryan.”
Ryan put a finger against his lips to quieten Brett, then returned his focus to the door. “Sean, can you move where I can see you?”
“Why?”
“Because I need to know if you’re okay. You’re ill, Sean. You tried to attack Aaron and me by the stream.”
Silence, and then, “Sorry about that, our kid. I didn’t want to tell you, but I did some more blow this morning. Sent me a bit doolally and that. I’m fine now though, I swear down. Let me in, Ryan. It’s freezing out here and I’m dying of thirst.”
“I can’t do that. You could be infectious.”
“There’s nowt wrong with me. Whatever was on me has dried up and fell off. I’m right as rain, me.”
Brett glanced at the others in the room. They seemed as doubtful as Ryan was. “Then step in front of the door so that I can see you.”
“Give over, mate. My tits are turning blue out here.”
Loobey sat forward on the sofa, his palms against his cheeks. “He’s lying.”
Ryan nodded. Of course Sean was lying. “You’re not coming in here, mate. I’m sorry.”
“What about some water then? Just open the door and hand me a bottle.”
“I can’t do that.”
Silence for a moment, and then Sean’s footsteps retreated on the gravel.
Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. “He’s going.”
“He sounded normal,” said Aaron. “Like himself.”
“Impossible,” said Brett. “There’s no way he’s okay. We all saw him this morning. He was close to death.”
Ryan peered through the window diamond, trying to see Sean on the driveway. He caught a slight movement to the right, assuming it was Sean walking away. But he wasn’t walking away.
“Shit!” Ryan leapt back as Sean sprinted at the door and threw himself against the wood. The entire frame shook, and the window diamond shattered as a twisted arm punched through it. Sean’s hand was skeletal, coated in a syrupy brown substance that was infested with insects. The tiny four-legged bugs dropped onto the floorboards and began to scuttle. Ryan yelled in terror and began stomping on them. Aaron and the others came to help.
“Let me in,” Sean snarled from behind the door. “Or I’ll fucking kill yer.”
“Go away,” Aaron shouted. “Go away, Sean.”
“Let me in, little man.”
Ryan stomped on the last few bugs, but Sean’s foul arm still reached through the small window, trying to snatch at them with fingertips of sharpened bone. Brett hurried forward and buried a knife in Sean’s forearm. His foul flesh parted like butter, and the blade sliced right down and through the knuckles of Sean’s index and middle fingers. His hand and arm split open in a V shape while more bug-infested slurry spilled down the door as Sean roared in agony – a monstrous sound that shouldn’t have been possible from human vocal cords. “Yer daft bastards. What you do that for?”
Ryan stomped more bugs, panting as he replied. “Sean, you need to get out of here. If you try to come inside we’re going to hurt you. Do
