He looked back to the old man.
“Are you going to go to town in the morning?”
Jon simply nodded.
“My son, can you keep an eye out for him?”
He patted Alfred’s liver spotted hand. “I will be happy to keep an eye out for him, and if I see him I’ll tell him you are safe, but to hurry home.”
Alfred relaxed a little. “Good, good. By the way. Before your boy looks for those guns, have him take the horses to the store out back. He can find it just by following his nose. It’s part of the main building, so there’s no need to venture outside. We store the wheat there, but I fear we will need it no longer, so your horses may as well eat their fill.” The old man let out a slow sad sigh, and then said, “I think the days of milling flour here are behind us, at least for a while.”
Jonathan looked at his son, and Callum nodded.
***
As the dark of night deepened, the pounding and groaning from outside grew. Jon set Sally the task of preparing food, and he headed upstairs to see what he could see.
The upstairs of the mill consisted of one great four-walled room. Each wall had two large windows, offering a panoramic view of the mill’s surroundings. Jon held his lantern aloft, and headed to the first window. He opened the creaking sash, and peered down at the mounting throng below. He then moved to each of the windows and did the same.
All around the mill, except for the side closest to the river, creatures clamored at the stone. Only the side protected by water was clear. The sound of gentle splashing drifted into the room from the windows positioned above the water. He approached the window and leaned as far out of its open sash as he could. Once comfortable, he peered down.
He saw a waterwheel turning in the river’s current, and a few yards downstream a small boat bobbed against its tether. He then looked upriver and saw a jetty. It sat just a yard or so from the front of the slowly turning wheel. A handful of creatures stood huddled together on the pier, and all of them appeared to be studying the gently rotating contraption in front of them.
Without warning, one made a leap for the wheel, and then the rest followed. Each attempt made by the creatures ended the same way. They would jump for the waterwheel, only to find themselves bouncing off it and into the river. He watched on as creature after creature washed briskly downstream. His only hope was they might end up washing out to sea. The noise their efforts made seemed to attract more creatures, and soon a steady flow of the ghouls began bouncing off the wheel. This triggered a spark of an idea in Jonathan’s head.
He moved to the window above the barricaded door, and studied the horde below. On their race to the mill, he had counted roughly thirty creatures. Now he could see the number had swelled closer to one hundred. He dreaded to think how many there would be by morning. He closed the last of the windows, and thought about how best to overcome the creatures.
As made clear by those throwing themselves at the wheel, he thought it obvious that movement and sound worked to attract the ghouls. Surely, he could somehow use this weakness to their advantage. He rubbed at his forehead as he worked on their options. He had something in the back of his mind, but he could not force the idea to coalesce. Try as he might, his mind simply would not focus. Resigned to the fact his brain suffered from both hunger and fatigue, he headed downstairs to where the smell of cooking emanated.
“That smells delicious,” Jon said as he strode down the stairs.
“Thank you,” Sally beamed. “The Marshs’ have an amazing stock cellar, and it is veritably spilling over with winter provisions.”
Alarmed by the prospect of another entry point, Jonathan’s gaze quickly shot to the old man. Alfred looked unconcerned as he sat calmly smoking a pipe with Hector at his feet.
“Have no worry,” Alfred said from his cloud of smoke. “The only way into the
“Are you going to go to town in the morning?”
Jon simply nodded.
“My son, can you keep an eye out for him?”
He patted Alfred’s liver spotted hand. “I will be happy to keep an eye out for him, and if I see him I’ll tell him you are safe, but to hurry home.”
Alfred relaxed a little. “Good, good. By the way. Before your boy looks for those guns, have him take the horses to the store out back. He can find it just by following his nose. It’s part of the main building, so there’s no need to venture outside. We store the wheat there, but I fear we will need it no longer, so your horses may as well eat their fill.” The old man let out a slow sad sigh, and then said, “I think the days of milling flour here are behind us, at least for a while.”
Jonathan looked at his son, and Callum nodded.
***
As the dark of night deepened, the pounding and groaning from outside grew. Jon set Sally the task of preparing food, and he headed upstairs to see what he could see.
The upstairs of the mill consisted of one great four-walled room. Each wall had two large windows, offering a panoramic view of the mill’s surroundings. Jon held his lantern aloft, and headed to the first window. He opened the creaking sash, and peered down at the mounting throng below. He then moved to each of the windows and did the same.
All around the mill, except for the side closest to the river, creatures clamored at the stone. Only the side protected by water was clear. The sound of gentle splashing drifted into the room from the windows positioned above the water. He approached the window and leaned as far out of its open sash as he could. Once comfortable, he peered down.
He saw a waterwheel turning in the river’s current, and a few yards downstream a small boat bobbed against its tether. He then looked upriver and saw a jetty. It sat just a yard or so from the front of the slowly turning wheel. A handful of creatures stood huddled together on the pier, and all of them appeared to be studying the gently rotating contraption in front of them.
Without warning, one made a leap for the wheel, and then the rest followed. Each attempt made by the creatures ended the same way. They would jump for the waterwheel, only to find themselves bouncing off it and into the river. He watched on as creature after creature washed briskly downstream. His only hope was they might end up washing out to sea. The noise their efforts made seemed to attract more creatures, and soon a steady flow of the ghouls began bouncing off the wheel. This triggered a spark of an idea in Jonathan’s head.
He moved to the window above the barricaded door, and studied the horde below. On their race to the mill, he had counted roughly thirty creatures. Now he could see the number had swelled closer to one hundred. He dreaded to think how many there would be by morning. He closed the last of the windows, and thought about how best to overcome the creatures.
As made clear by those throwing themselves at the wheel, he thought it obvious that movement and sound worked to attract the ghouls. Surely, he could somehow use this weakness to their advantage. He rubbed at his forehead as he worked on their options. He had something in the back of his mind, but he could not force the idea to coalesce. Try as he might, his mind simply would not focus. Resigned to the fact his brain suffered from both hunger and fatigue, he headed downstairs to where the smell of cooking emanated.
“That smells delicious,” Jon said as he strode down the stairs.
“Thank you,” Sally beamed. “The Marshs’ have an amazing stock cellar, and it is veritably spilling over with winter provisions.”
Alarmed by the prospect of another entry point, Jonathan’s gaze quickly shot to the old man. Alfred looked unconcerned as he sat calmly smoking a pipe with Hector at his feet.
“Have no worry,” Alfred said from his cloud of smoke. “The only way into the
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