They followed the wall away from the building until it turned and ran along the bottom of the property. The woods ahead were dense. The trees blocked out the light. They couldn't see beyond. They were both instinctively afraid to enter its ominous depths.
They loitered at the edge of the treeline and deliberated anxiously.
"The church should be just through there." Lisa pointed straight ahead through the trees. "It can't be far."
"Jesus! It's dark, though!" Anita whispered. "What if there are some of them in there?"
Lisa looked at her. "We can't go back."
"We could go round?"
"We've got the river on one side and the house on the other. God knows where we'll end up."
"What does it matter? We don't really know where we're going, anyway."
"We do." Lisa was indignant. "We're heading for the church. We agreed that it was probably a … safe place."
Before Lisa could stop her, Anita had snatched up a large stick and started banging it against a tree. The sound reverberated through the forest.
"Shh!" Lisa hissed at her. "What are you doing?"
Anita stopped banging and looked into the darkness.
She put a hand up to hush Lisa. "Wait."
They both jumped as the silence was broken by a small bird that fluttered from a nearby bush, soaring into sky and away to safety. Nothing else moved.
Anita tittered. "Come on. Let's go."
They crept between the trees, Anita in front with the shot gun pointed out in front of her. This time she had unlocked the safety and kept her finger loosely on the trigger. The wood was cool and still. At first every small sound startled them. Every rustling leaf, snapping twig or creaking branch caused them to swing towards the noise and freeze. But, as they got used to the natural sounds of the environment, they moved more quickly towards the light shining through the trees from the other side.
After what felt like a lifetime but was probably only five or ten minutes, they emerged into a small walled garden. Straight ahead on their left was a pretty little church surrounded by a small graveyard dotted with old, lichen-covered gravestones leaning at various lop-sided angles.
They moved quickly towards the building. A neat, modern extension had been added to the side of the main church. The extension had one small, high window and a single, solid dark wood door. Lisa tried the handle. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. They headed to the main entrance on the other side of the building. The original entry had been re-fitted with polished, new, light-wood double doors and the old brickwork on either side was decorated with modern, shiny black wrought ironwork. They were locked too.
"So much for churches being places of safety!" Lisa muttered.
The front of the building was more exposed than the back and in plain sight of a nearby house. Uncomfortable about the possibility of being seen, they returned to the back and the small extension. Anita rattled the door by its handle. It didn't budge. She turned her attention to the small window.
Standing on her tiptoes, she could just reach the sill.
"Give me a lift up, Lisa."
Lisa cupped her hands for Anita to hoist herself up. She was heavy. Lisa's whole body shook under her weight.
Anita pushed at the window. "It's locked! But I could smash it?"
"We can't break into a church, Nita!" Lisa whispered.
"Jesus, Lisa! What other options have we got? I'm sure they'll understand in the circumstances! It's not as if we're going to steal anything."
"Ok! But just be quick. I can't do this much longer. I'm going to drop you!"
Anita pulled her sleeve down over her fist and impressively punched a hole in the window.
She opened the window from the inside.
"Give me another push."
Lisa summoned every last ounce of strength she possessed to push the girl a few inches higher. Anita wriggled through the space. There was a thud and a crash followed by swearing. But a few seconds later, the heavy door swung open and a grinning Anita gestured her inside.
Lisa closed and bolted the door behind them.
The room was surprisingly large. It was dim, the only light coming in through the small window. A single, closed door led into the main building. The room was evidently the vestry. It had the appearance of an office come dressing room. There was a desk and chair, and the walls were lined with bulging bookshelves. A wardrobe stood in the corner next to a small sink with a mirror above it.
Lisa made straight for the sink, turning on the tap and sticking her head under it. She slurped water from the cupped palm of her hand. When she'd had her fill, she stood back allowing Anita to do the same.
"Should we check out the rest of the building?" Lisa asked.
"Probably," Anita mumbled between swallows.
When Anita had finished drinking, they cautiously opened the vestry door and stepped into the silent church.
Lisa had expected the space to be gloomy and scary, but there was something soothing and tranquil about the interior of the old building. It was cool. The light that filtered through the stained-glass windows was soft and welcoming. She wasn't religious but felt safe and protected for the first time since it had begun.
The windows were so high they couldn't see out, but that also meant they couldn't be seen. They knew the doors were locked. As Anita wandered around checking corners, nooks and crannies, Lisa sank onto one of the cushioned pews with a deep sigh.
She was shattered. She hadn't slept the night before and the stress and trauma of the morning was taking its toll. Her head was aching again, and her throat and eyes felt dry from lack of sleep.
"Do you think
