Lily of the Valley in May (11 page)

“I don't know…”

Joel pulled out his Bible. “Here, look…”

DC Blondell took it. “What am I looking at?”

Joel's phone rang as he pointed to the passage. “I'll just answer this. One minute. Hi, El.”

“Hi, not answering the phone while driving, I hope.”

“Nope, we got caught in a thunderstorm. We're currently in a Travelodge in the middle of nowhere.”

“Are you both all right? Grace is really worried. We both are.”

He laughed. “We're fine. Faith's asleep and I won't be far behind her. What about you two? Are you safe?”

“We are,” Elliott assured him. “We're at Dad's for the next week or so. Rick insisted we leave town and I wasn't going to argue. So other than you, no one knows where we are. Rick didn't even want to know. Grace says hi and sends love to you both. As do I.”

“Love you both too, bro. Night.” He slid the phone into his shirt pocket and looked over at DC Blondell. His eyes were closed with the Bible open on his lap.

Joel lay on his side, watching Faith sleep, hoping he'd get another chance to talk to DC Blondell in the morning. He pulled out his phone again and sent Elliott a text telling him they were currently in Caergele and heading for Cardiff in the morning and asking him to pass their exact location onto Rick.

He trusted the cop sent to protect them about as far as he could throw him.

Not far at all.

~*~

Just after eight thirty the following morning, Faith sat on the bed, looking out of the window. Joel had gone to get a paper and buy sandwiches for the trip. Soon after he left, DC Blondell had slipped out; adamant he couldn't get a signal on his phone.

There was a knock on the door. Faith grinned and got up. It would be Joel or the cop and both deserved to be teased for knocking. She opened the door. “Did you forget the—?”

“Hey, babe.”

Her heart stopped as a very familiar figure shoved a gun into her chest and pushed her back into the room. “D—Damien…”

“Thought you could hide, did you?” His free hand gripped her tight enough to hurt.

“H—How did you find me?” She swallowed hard, fighting the panic filling her.

“Easy when you know how. Friends in the right places and so on.” He shook Faith hard. “You and I have unfinished business.”

“The police know where we are. They'll be here any minute.”

“I think you'll find the cop's gone for coffee. I wouldn't worry about him. Or that lover of yours.”

“Joel is not my lover. He's a gentleman. What have you done to him?”

“Nothing yet.” Damien grabbed her hair and twisted. “You're mine, and it's time I reminded you of that fact.”

Faith's hands rose to her head and she let out an involuntary cry of pain. She'd forgotten, become complacent. How could she have done that? He was going to kill her.
Oh, God, please let it be swift…don't let me suffer before You call me home.

“You don't need him. You have me and we have things to discuss.” His nails scraped down her face, but she refused to look at him.

“Joel will be back. He promised he wouldn't leave me.”

Damien's cruel laugh filled the room. “Did he tell you he loved you? You don't seriously think someone like
him
would be interested in a
mouse
like—?”

“Actually, yes he would. I—” She broke off as a thunderous look crossed his face. His eyes narrowed as he leaned down, raising his hand.

She'd forgotten rule number one. Thou shalt not interrupt.

And now he'd make her pay.

~*~

Joel queued in the small newsagents next to the Travelodge to pay for his paper, the food, and cans of soda he'd picked up for the journey. Huge mountains looked down on the tiny village, their tops lost in the clouds and constant rain. He paid and picked up the carrier bag. He ran back to the lodge and down to their room. He frowned seeing DC Blondell standing outside the door. He fixed him with a firm stare. “Who's with Faith or did you forget your key?”

The cop laughed. “She's busy.” He shoved a gun into Joel's side. “Damien's with her. He wants a quiet chat, sort out a few things.”

Joel tried to pull away, but the sound of the gun hammer rising froze him in his tracks. “Rick knows where we are. You rang him last night.”

“Actually, I called Damien. DS Chadwick thinks we're still on your ‘book tour'.”

Grateful the cop didn't know he'd texted Elliott, Joel glared at him. “I never did trust you. Have you betrayed us from the start?”

“You and I are going for a drive. Move.” He dragged Joel down the corridor towards the lobby.

“No.” Joel tugged free and punched him. As DC Blondell staggered backwards, Joel tried to grab the gun, with the intention of taking it away from him.

DC Blondell regained his balance and hit Joel hard, sending him flying to the floor. “Try that again and it'll be the last thing you ever do.” He yanked Joel upright and pushed him face forward into the wall by the lobby. He pulled the cuffs from his belt. “Joel Wallac, I'm arresting you…”

Joel struggled, desperate to get back to Faith. “You can't do this.”

“I think you'll find I can. You just assaulted a police officer.”

The first rumble was so faint, Joel wondered if he imagined it. He looked at the picture on the wall. Was it moving? As he watched, there was another rumble. What sounded like a freight train started to get closer and closer. The picture jerked and fell to the floor as the entire building swayed.

Joel staggered. “What's going on?”

The whole building shook as the rumbling got louder.
Earthquake?
He reached out and grabbed the door frame for support. As he glanced at the front of the building, it exploded inwards in a thick choking mass of mud and dirt. Glass, wood and debris accompanied it at a breathtaking speed.

Time slowed. Screams echoed and hung in the air as people tried in vain to outrun it.

The onslaught moved towards him and picked up both and DC Blondell and himself. Joel was twisted around and tossed into something firm and unyielding. He landed hard, winded. He managed to raise his arm in front of his face to protect his head as much as he could as mud piled up against him.

Joel forced himself to take a deep breath, coughing violently. Pressed against the wall, he could do nothing as the onward tide of destruction moved inexorably around him, moving up his legs, past his waist, towards his chest. His stomach knotted and fear filled him.
I'm going to die. Lord, let it be swift. Protect Faith. Don't let her suffer too much.
Fighting to draw in another breath, he closed his eyes. Nothing he could do, but accept his death.

Then there was silence. As frightening as the noise and movement had been, the silence was deafening and eerie. Joel stood there, struggling to take in what happened. Everywhere he looked was black. A thick, damp, smelly mass of mud and debris pinned him to the wall.

Leaning down, Joel tried to scoop away the mass from his legs. The mud had compacted so much under its own weight, he found it almost impossible. Frustration compounded his fear. He had to get out of here. He had to find Faith.

She was out there somewhere.
Lord, keep her safe.
He had no idea how long he kept digging until he was free enough to move. The one remaining light flickered. Nothing looked like it had a few minutes ago and he had no idea where to go.

Someone cried out and Joel turned to the direction the voice had come from. Was someone else alive in here? “Hello?”

“Over here. I can't move.” The female voice shook with fear.

He crawled slowly towards the voice. “What's your name?”

“Sara.”

Joel's fingers hit something hard and roamed across it until he found an edge. It must be the desk. Grunting with effort he pulled the wood away. The receptionist from last night looked up at him. He stuck a hand into the hole and pulled her free.

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” His voice muffled in the snow, hung in the thick air. “Let's get out of here.” He turned in the enclosed space and crawled towards the glimmer of light coming from his right.

His thoughts turned back to Faith and he prayed she was all right. Maybe she got out.

Joel reached the patch of light. He clawed for handholds as he struggled upwards. His feet slid from under him. Gasping for breath he pulled himself out into the damp air and put a hand back inside to pull Sara free.

He straightened and glanced around. His heart stopped and a strangled cry fought its way up and out.

“Noooo.”

Lamp posts lay across the deep mud, or stood broken, sticking up from the devastation. Cars protruded mangled and twisted. Bricks, mortar and trees intermingled in the black mass that covered everything. A doll lay by his feet, its eyes and broken head staring up in a macabre fashion at the misty sky, its owner nowhere in sight. There were no houses, no trees, nothing—just a flat black landscape. Nothing was recognizable in this land of utter devastation.

Joel turned around to face where he'd come. Perhaps there'd be some sign of the lodge, so he could go and find Faith. But there was nothing.

The lodge and the town as far as he could see were gone.

9

Joel blinked hard, trying to make sense of what he could see. A pungent odor of sewage and wet earth hung over the area.
Lord God, be with those buried under here. Help me find Faith, please.

Hands trembling, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He expected it to be broken or not have a signal. Relief filled him when neither of those possibilities turned out to be true.
Thank you, Lord.
He punched 9-9-9 and waited.

“Emergency. Which service do you require?”

“All of them. And mountain rescue. There's been a landslide in Caergele. Half the town is gone. There are people buried. Tell them to hurry.” He hung up and redialed his home phone to speak to Elliott. It went straight to the answerphone. “El, it's me. We're still in Caergele. We got caught in the landslide. I'm fine, but Faith is missing. I'm going to look for her. I love you, bro.”

Joel hung up and started to half scramble, half slide down the debris to where he thought the main part of the Travelodge lay buried. He could hear a few people around.

A heart rending scream hung dully in the misty air.

A child cried out, calling for its mother.

A corner of a window frame protruded at an odd angle. Dropping to his knees, Joel started to pull at the mud, trying to uncover the window.

Please Lord, let her be OK. Let me find her.

Someone knelt beside him, hands reaching to help clear the mud and rubble. Joel glanced up.

An older gentleman, blood trickling from a cut on his head looked at him. Tears glistened in his eyes. “My wife's here. I only left her for a moment.”

Joel touched his arm in sympathy. “My girlfriend, too.” A bucket appeared beside him and he started to fill it. When it was full, another appeared in its place. Emergency sirens filled the air. More men arrived, choosing to concentrate their efforts on where the school lay buried.

“Everybody quiet!” The digging stopped and silence fell. The same voice called again. “Is anyone there?”

No answering call came and the digging resumed.

His movements became frantic. Faith was under here and if they didn't find her it'd be too late. He pulled the rest of the mud clear from the window. Scrunching tightly, he brought his knees up and punched his feet hard against the glass several times until it shattered. He kicked the broken glass away and edged himself into the hole.

“Don't be an idiot, man,” someone yelled. “Let mountain rescue do that.”

Joel glanced up. “No time to wait.” He pushed with his hands, slithering down into the darkness, dropping further than he expected and landing hard. It was pitch dark, wet and cold. Pain shot through him as he hit the ground. “Agh.”

“Are you all right?” the voice called down to him.

“Yeah.” A flashlight landed at Joel's feet. “Thanks.” He turned it on and shone it first one way and then the other.

The floor twisted and writhed under his feet. The building creaked and groaned.

He knew he had to move fast, but which way did he go?

He gasped as the light fell on the plaque on the wall. Second floor? Was the mud that deep? Where were the other two floors and how did he get down to the ground floor from here?

Another man dropped down beside him. Joel looked at him. He wore caving gear and had a helmet on his head.

“Cave rescue. I need you out of here, mate.”

Joel shook his head. “I have to find my girlfriend. She's trapped in here.”

“A lot of people are trapped, but the building's not safe.”

“All the more reason to let me help you search. The more people looking the faster it will be.” Joel looked at the other man. “I'm not leaving without her. Please…”

~*~

Faith struggled to open her eyes, only to find it pitch dark. Her head hurt. Something heavy lay on her legs, pinning them to the floor. A trickle of water ran down into her eyes and she wiped it away, trying to push upright. At least she wasn't blindfolded. A groan came from somewhere to her right. “Joel?” Her voice was husky and her throat hurt.

“Not Joel.” Damien's voice snarled and hissed.

Terror flooded her. It wasn't a dream. It was real.

Damien had hurt her again, this time not being careful about the marks showing. Was that why she couldn't move? Had he gone too far and really hurt her this time? It didn't matter. She was tired of giving into him.

Sitting up, she moved her hands and felt around her. Without her sight, she had to rely on touch and hearing. Whatever was under her fingers was wet, slimy and stank. Feeling further, she tried to move what was on her legs, but it was too heavy. “What happened?”