The Plague of the Zombies Page #3

If it hadn't been for you.

Yes, that's true, I suppose.

Very well, Mr. Hamilton.

I won't go to the police.

- This time.

- Thank you.

Are you sure you can find the way?

Thank you, Mr. Hamilton.

Good night.

Please take great care

not to stray from the path.

There are tin mines under this land

The ground sometimes subsides.

Denver!

Everything is ready, Master.

. Ah.

Alice.

Alice!

Good evening, Officer.

You just step up here a moment,

gentlemen, please.

I... I realize this looks...

it's a serious charge

you'll be on in the morning.

What charge?

Who might this gentleman be?

Sir James Forbes.

- Good evening, sir.

- Good evening.

What are you going to charge us with?

Body snatching I should think, sir.

I see.

Well, in that case I suppose...

you don't mind if we have a quick look.

I don't care who you are, sir!

Well.

What's going on, sir?

I don't know, Sergeant,

any more than you do.

Now, look, Sergeant, I need your help.

My help, sir?

Say nothing of what

you've seen here tonight.

Now look, Sergeant,

it doesn't need me to tell you

there's something very wrong

in this village.

All these young men dying

and now this.

Well, some people say

it is the marsh fever, sir.

Oh, marsh fiddlesticks.

In any case, it couldn't cause a body

to disappear into thin air, could it?

- No, sir.

- Well, then, will you help me or not?

I'd like to help you, sir. Really I would.

My boy was one of the first to go, sir.

Well, then, help me for his sake.

Very well, sir.

I'll withhold my report for 48 hours.

I dare not do more than that.

Thank you, Sergeant.

You won't regret it. I'm sure of that.

What are we going to do about this, sir?

We'll fill it in, make it look

as if it's never been touched.

We can manage this on our own,

Sir James.

Why don't you wait inside

where it's warm.

Thank you, Peter.

Yes, I will.

- Good night, Sergeant

- Good night, sir.

Right-ho, let's get on with it.

Sylvia?

Have you seen Alice?

She's not in her room.

Come in, Peter, and sit down.

- Sit?

- Please sit down.

I have some shocking news

for you Peter.

- What is it?

- Alice.

Then she was ill.

- I must go tell her.

- Wait.

- I have to see her.

- She's not here.

- Where is she?

- Control yourself, Peter.

She's not here.

Now, listen to me.

She's outside somewhere,

on the moors.

She's dead.

No.

Sylvia found her.

No.

No.

Oh, God.

Forgive me.

I killed her.

- That's not true. You know it isn't.

- Yes, it's my fault.

- I should have known.

- That's nonsense, Peter.

If she's been struck by this disease,

it's no fault of yours.

Take me to her, wherever she is.

Yes, I will, Peter. I will.

But there's one thing we have to do.

We must find out about the disease,

find out what it is and destroy it.

You will have to let me

perform an autopsy.

- God.

- We have to, Peter.

And I shall need your help.

- I'm ready, Father.

- Yes, very well.

We'll ask the sergeant to come with us.

- Hey, Martinus.

- Heh?

Come on, wake up!

Come on, let's have a word with you.

No!

Extraordinary.

- No sign of rigor mortis.

- Hm.

When did she do this?

- Some days ago.

- How?

Piece of glass, I think.

She was rather secretive about it.

- Oh?

- It was a clean wound.

Well?

It's not human.

- it's not human blood.

- Exactly.

She's been splashed

with the blood of some animal.

Do you think

she might have been attacked?

By an animal?

There are no external signs of violence.

None at all.

Then how did she die?

That's what we are trying

to find out, Peter.

How did she die?

Stop it!

I can't stand anymore.

It's not a matter of what you can

or can't stand, my lad.

- it's the truth that matters, the truth.

- I'm telling you the truth.

- Look, Jack.

- Sergeant.

Sergeant.

Look, I was up there.

You saw me

so it's no use my denying it.

And she... And the body was found

right by me, all right.

But I didn't kill her. I didn't kill her!

So you say, but you was drunk.

And so I'll go on saying,

because it's the truth.

All right.

What was you doing up there, anyway?

I told you. I'd just had a skinful.

I don't know why I went up there.

Just to get away from everything.

Are you sure you didn't see her?

- And follow her into the woods?

- No!

You'd had a row with her husband.

There's plenty who'll swear to that.

Now, I put it to you

that you wanted your revenge.

- So you saw her and followed her...

- No, I tell you, no!

- Is that the truth?

- Yeah, it is.

I'm sure of that, at least.

What do you mean by that, "at least"'?

What do you mean by it?

You wouldn't believe me, anyway.

You leave that to me to decide.

You saw something else up there,

didn't you?

What was it? What was it?

My brother.

- You saw your...

- My brother, yes. The one that's dead!

The one that's buried out there.

I saw him just as clear

as I see you now.

All grey, his eyes staring.

I saw him.

And yet I know he's out there,

lying in his coffin.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Peter, you'd better go up

and get some rest.

You've been on your feet for 24 hours.

I can't rest. I'll just go and make

all the arrangements for the funeral.

Yes?

- Excuse me, sir.

- What is it, Sergeant?

The front door was open

so I took the liberty...

Well, what is it?

- it's young Martinus, sir.

- What about him?

You should have a word with him.

Oh, very well.

I did see him, sir. I swear it.

Everything I told the sergeant

is the truth.

I'm telling you, sir.

I did see him, sir.

I saw my brother.

Your brother is dead and buried.

I know that, sir.

Didn't I bury him myself?

But I saw him in his shroud.

- Standing, staring at me.

- How could you see him?

God only knows, sir.

But I saw him.

God only knows, indeed.

That's all, Sergeant.

You don't believe me, do you, sir?

On the contrary,

I believe everything you say.

Well, are you satisfied now, Sergeant?

No.

- You just heard the gentleman say...

- I know what the gentleman said.

But I'm the law here.

And I'm responsible for you until

I have made further investigations.

Put him in the cell, Constable.

Father.

Feeling better, my dear?

Feeling well enough to talk?

Now, when you told me about Alice,

you said there was a man with her.

Did you recognize him?

No.

You remember the young man we saw

who was following

the funeral procession,

the one who shouted at us to go away?

Yes.

- He's been arrested.

- But it wasn't him.

But you said

you didn't recognize the man.

Is it possible that the man you saw

was the man in the coffin?

It was, wasn't it?

But how?

Never mind how, my dear.

Just one more question

and then you can rest.

When we found Alice

was she in the same place

where you saw her with this man?

No, no she wasn't.

It was up by some old mine works.

I don't Know exactly where.

Well, I'll try to find them.

You go back to sleep.

No, I'll be getting up in a few minutes.

Thank you, Father.

Very well.

Ah, Peter.

- How is she?

- Oh, very much better.

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