Read Online Plagued by Nicola Barnett - Free Book Online Page A

Adrianne.
     
    Adrianne, free from her thoughts, crawled to the
end of the bed and sat upright, facing the man in front of her. She looked at
him, studying him intently and then, as if reading his mind, she nodded
solemnly.
     
    Sarah’s head shot from Adrianne’s to Mark’s and
back again, trying to understand the silent dialogue between them. They were
staring at each other with a dark look that Sarah couldn’t decode. When she saw
Mark’s eyes shoot to his crowbar on the floor, their silent decision dawned on
her. She shook her head, helplessly and panic surged through her chest. 
     
    “No. No. You can’t,” she uttered in disbelief.
        
    “This is what she wants Sarah, she doesn’t want to
suffer. We owe her that, at least,” Mark said, his voice stern.
     
    Adrianne nodded her agreement. “It is,” she said,
turning to Sarah. “Thank you for coming here, Sarah, and for caring about me,
it warms my heart. But I’ve been waiting here alone for too long now, I want to
be with my family again. It’s okay, I want this.”
     
    Tears fell from Sarah’s eyes. Her conscience ripped
in two. This can’t be happening . Her skin prickled as she watched Mark
pick up his crowbar from the floor and stood in front of Adrianne, his face
giving nothing away. Sarah wanted to run but her legs wouldn’t move.
     
    “Are you ready for this, Adrianne?” Mark asked,
his voice wavering. His stony facade finally broke and his eyes filled with
compassion.
     
    “Yes I am,” she smiled at him warmly and her brown
eyes shone, revealing a glimpse of her beauty. “It’s time to go home.”
     
    “Don’t do this. Please,” Sarah muttered. As Mark
took a step towards the woman on the bed, Sarah could take it no more, the
horror was too much for her. Her legs gave way and she fell to the floor. She
turned away from Mark and sat with her knees up, covering her ears and eyes in
a desperate attempt to block out the inevitable. 
     
    “Good luck out there,” Adrianne said to Mark and
closed her eyes.
     
    “Thank you. Goodbye, Adrianne,” Mark said quietly,
he pursed his lips to stop them trembling.
     
    A smile crept on Adrianne’s face and she sighed
peacefully, her shoulders relaxed and she placed her hands on her lap.
     
    Mark raised the crowbar over his head swiftly,
trying not to think about what he was about to do. He had done this many times
since the outbreak started and he’d done it without sympathy — until today.
Nausea rose in his stomach and he listened to Sarah’s whimpering behind him,
causing a flicker of self-doubt in his mind. Clenching his jaw, he pushed his
surroundings out of his mind and tensed against the tremor that tried to take hold
of his arm. Then, he regained his nerve and swung the crowbar smoothly
downwards towards Adrianne’s head in an expert blow.
     
    A sickening crack filled the room and Mark felt
the crunch of bone rise up his arm, nausea rising in his throat. Adrianne uttered
a small sigh as she flopped sideways onto the bed, blood poured from the wound
on the top of her head and soaked into the sheets. Her body twitched
uncontrollably for a second and Mark, fearing she was still alive, swung the
crowbar at her head for a second time. The second crunch was wetter than the
first and the impact had been soft — blood spattered around the room.
Adrianne’s muscle twitches finally stopped.
     
    Mark stared at the body beneath him, his mind
blank. The crowbar slipped from his grasped and thumped onto the floor, leaving
a large red stain where it landed.
     
    Sarah was still crying heavily on the floor with
her hands over her ears and didn’t hear Adrianne’s demise over the sound of her
own hysterical cries. She did, however, feel the crowbar hit the floor with a
‘thud’ and opened her eyes to see Mark covering Adrianne’s body with a sheet. White
speckles filled her vision as she saw the blood-soaked sheet, causing her to
fall onto her side on the floor. She pulled her