Thanks again for all the amazing reviews and comments and follows! I'm glad so many people are enjoying this and getting into it, even if it's not something they normally go for. Well, I wanted to get this next chapter posted in honor of the season 3 premiere of "The Walking Dead" (airing tonight in the US and possibly Canada too). MORE Downton characters surface, and a secret is revealed! Hope you enjoy and please continue to let me know your thoughts! THANK YOU!
Chapter Seven
"Revelations"
Time momentarily froze as the two former soldiers stared at one another. For Matthew, it was as if seeing a friend from long ago, a friend whom you never thought you would ever see again. For William, it was like seeing a ghost.
A smile of relief began to spread across Matthew's features, and he lowered his pistol, but William remained tense and rigid, his rifle still locked and aimed at his former captain. That moment of relief Matthew had felt began to disappear.
"William…?"
William swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.
"William…put the rifle down, please…"
William did no such thing; he just stared at Matthew with wide, shocked, and disbelieving eyes.
"Mason, I order you to lower your weapon, right now!"
That did the trick. Matthew let out a long, shaky breath as William immediately responded to the order. He also seemed to momentarily come out of whatever daze had him under control. "I…f-f-forgive me, sir, I…I just…" he was stammering and nervously trying to salute, while at the same time looking apologetic for what had happened. However, now was not the time for explanations, because a groan could be heard behind Matthew's back, and without a second guess, William aimed his rifle just above Matthew's shoulder, and fired.
The Walker crumpled to the ground…but others weren't far behind.
Matthew was now the one shaking; after having a gun pointed in his face, he hadn't expected William to respond so quickly and aim his weapon after the order. He was grateful he had, but at the same time, he realized reunions such as this needed to be taken elsewhere…preferably someplace where Walkers couldn't attack them.
William seemed to have read his mind. "This way, sir!" he shouted, and then turned on his heel, and began the charge down the alley. Matthew didn't hesitate; he took off after the private, only glancing behind his shoulder every so often to see how many Walkers were trailing them.
The answer? Too many. Always, too many.
William leapt over several small fences, and Matthew did the same, although his legs were still shaky and the muscles screamed for respite. It didn't help that the ruckus they were making by leaping over fences and knocking over rubbish bins was attracting more and more Walkers within a nearby radius. "Mason, I hope you have a plan!" Matthew growled, before firing his pistol at one Walker who was closing in a little too close for comfort! The fallen creature caused a bit of a road block for the others (it was a larger one) but he knew it wouldn't take them long to figure out that they nearly had to crawl over it to continue their pursuit. "Speak to me, Mason!"
"Just a few more yards, sir!" William called back, stopping long enough to remove a pistol from his belt and fire at a Walker who had stumbled onto their path. "Up ahead!" William motioned, and Matthew turned his attentions to see what he was talking about.
A pawn shop?
William raced across a small street, firing his pistol at various Walkers, and Matthew followed, firing two more shots, lowering his overall bullet count to a measly five.
The pawn shop had what looked like some sort of metal fence wrapped around it, as if to prevent thieves from breaking in, even if they managed to throw a stone to break the glass on the windows. The fence had an opening, like that of a gate, and William raced to that opening, banging on the glass of the door, shouting for someone to let them in.
More Walkers were emerging onto the street. They were moaning, some were crawling, and all of them looked hungry.
The door finally opened, and Matthew had to duck when he saw the long barrel of a rifle emerge and fire at the growing crowd of Walkers. William ducked inside, just below the barrel, and Matthew watched in momentary horror as the door began to close. "WAIT!" William shouted from inside, and he pushed whoever was at the door away, before reaching his arm out to Matthew. Matthew didn't hesitate. He took hold of William's hand, allowed the younger man to pull him inside, and then with the help of another, pulled the gate of the metal fence to the door, and slammed the door shut, before pushing some sort of heavy piece of furniture against it, to act as a barricade…just in case.
Only then, after all this had been done, did Matthew stumble back onto the ground, gasping and groaning as air filled his burning lungs.
"God, Almighty!"
Matthew opened his eyes and looked up at the voice.
A woman's voice.
His eyes widened as he looked back at a woman to whose face he knew very well, a woman he had seen so many times whenever he visited Downton.
"Hello…Anna," Matthew gasped, smiling up at the housemaid from his place on the floor.
She wasn't alone. The person who had been holding the rifle, and who had helped him in shutting that gate, stood close by her side, and was also looking down at him with wide, amazed eyes. "And you too, Bates," he said with a friendly nod of the head.
"Mr. Crawley?" Bates exclaimed, before offering a trembling hand to help Matthew up off the floor.
"Captain Crawley," William softly corrected, but he seemed to be a little more relaxed now, and was smiling widely as Matthew rose to his feet.
"I…I…I can hardly believe it!" Anna gasped, actually reaching out and touching his shoulder. A smile spread across her face and she beamed up at Bates before looking back at him. "You're…I mean…how…how did you come to be here, of all places?"
Matthew couldn't help but chuckle at her question, but he realized that there was another person in the room, someone just beyond Anna and Bates, who was staring at him just as they had been…although with perhaps a bit more trepidation.
Matthew's eyes widened as he realized who the man was. "Good God…Cpl. Barrow?"
Thomas, the former footman, stood in the distance, looking at all of them with the same wide, disbelieving gaze that William had given him upon first seeing him in that alley. However, the second Matthew had said his name, he seemed to sober up and stood to attention, but did not offer a salute. "It's Sgt. Barrow, now," he corrected, but not without a touch of haughtiness.
Matthew lifted his eyebrows at this, but chose to keep questions and comments to himself. All would be revealed in good time. Even though Thomas, be he a corporal or a sergeant, was the lower-ranking officer, Matthew offered first salute, which Thomas returned.
"I…I still can't believe it!" Anna continued, glancing back and forth between Bates, William, and himself. "Forgive me sir, but…" without another word, Anna reached out and gave him a fierce hug, something that did surprise Matthew, but he chuckled and returned the hug, before glancing at Bates to see how the valet felt about this sudden show of affection. Even though it had been years since he had seen the housemaid and valet, Matthew was well aware of the romance that had been developing between the two of them. Yet Bates smiled, looking both pleased and amazed.
"Forgive me, Capt. Crawley," Anna murmured, blushing and letting Matthew go.
Matthew only shook his head. "None needed; if truth be told, I feel like hugging all of you too, for helping me out there."
Everyone exchanged curious glances, before looking back at him. "Forgive me, Capt. Crawley…" Bates began. "But…we're all curious…how…how did…?" he seemed to be having difficulty putting the words together, as if there was some delicate subject he was trying to tip-toe around.
"How…did I come to be here?" Matthew finished for him. Bates put on a smile and nodded his head, but Matthew could tell there was still something bothering the valet…as well as the others. "Well…I didn't realize I was near Malton, until I just came over the rise—"
"You mean you've walked here?" William gasped in shock, before realizing to whom he was speaking, and quickly looked down at the ground.
Matthew couldn't help but give a wry smile to William's question. "Well, I did today," he sighed. "I had a car yesterday, but when I stopped for the night, I was attacked—"
"Good heavens!" Anna gasped, her hands coming to her heart. "By…by…" she glanced towards the door, where a few Walkers could still be seen lingering, just beyond the metal fence that lined the building.
Matthew shook his head. "No, not by Walkers, a person."
Thomas, who had been keeping to himself while this explanation began, suddenly started coughing. Everyone turned to look at him, and he quickly pointed to the cigarette he was holding, before pounding a fist against his chest to calm the coughs.
"Must you do that in here?" Bates groaned.
Thomas frowned at the valet. "It…keeps…me…calm!" he managed to retort between coughs.
Bates only rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Matthew. "So a person attacked you?"
Matthew winced as he rubbed the rather large bump on the back of his head. "Yes, at least, I believe so. I mean, I'm still alive as you can see…" he chuckled, but none of the others joined in his little joke. In fact, both Anna and Bates nervously glanced at William, who quickly looked down at his feet once again.
"Well…you're very lucky then!" Anna said, trying to put a smile on things. "Where did this happen, exactly?"
"I'm not sure…" Matthew murmured. "A farm house, not half a day's journey from here."
Thomas began coughing violently again, this time earning a disdainful glare from Anna as well as Bates.
"But…if you don't mind me asking, sir….how did you get to the farmhouse?" Bates asked, still looking puzzled.
"Well, I did have a car," Matthew explained. "Someone…someone in London, helped me. He gave me the car, as well as satchel full of items to help me on my journey, but…it was getting dark, and I had to stop to seek shelter, and that's when I came upon the farmhouse, and that was when I was attacked—hit by something in the back of the head and left there…with only a single pistol and nine bullets…" he paused, remembering how many shots he had fired since entering the village. "Now, five."
"So you drove here…I mean, you drove to that farmhouse, all the way from London?" Anna whispered, glancing back and forth between Bates and William.
Matthew nodded his head. "Yes…I…perhaps this is what has you so confused?" he was aware of the looks they were all exchanging. "I woke up, only a week ago, actually—in a hospital, in London—"
"Does London still stand?" Bates interrupted, desperate for the answer.
It pained his heart to have to tell the man otherwise. "I'm afraid not," Matthew sighed. "I…I don't know how I managed it, really…" he laughed, despite the horror of the reality. "But…by some miracle, I awoke, alone, in my room—unharmed. But when I stumbled outside…" his voice trailed off as he remembered the horror of that day, so clearly. Matthew knew that day would forever haunt him, no matter how many lifetimes he lived. "I was lucky, Anna; I've been very, very lucky. I was rescued by some people, the people who gave me the car, and…I…I owe them everything…" his voice trailed off once more as he thought about Reggie and Lavinia, how they were still back there, fending for themselves against the armies of Hell. I should never have left them.
Anna smiled and took Matthew's hand in her own, before giving it a squeeze. "God is surely smiling upon you, Capt. Crawley."
Thomas made a noise at her words, but then feigned innocence when Bates glanced back at him with a look of warning.
"So…you've been in a hospital this whole time?" William asked, although his voice was barely above a whisper.
Matthew turned to the younger man and smiled, before reaching out and grasping his shoulder. "I was, Mason; but…believe it or not, I do remember what you did for me, back in France; how you pushed me out of the way from that shell, and that you saved my life."
William began to shake his head. "No…no, sir, please, I—"
"Hush, Mason," Matthew ordered, however he could tell that the former footman was uncomfortable, so chose not to push the issue further. "Now, I've answered your questions, so perhaps you can answer the same for me?"
"You mean how we came to be here?" Bates asked.
"It was his Lordship's doing," Thomas answered, from behind the rest of them. Matthew looked at Thomas with raised eyebrows, while the former first footman took a long drag on his cigarette. He seemed to have his coughing under control.
"Cousin Robert?" Matthew whispered, swallowing a nervous lump in his throat. His heart suddenly began to race, but it was not for the man to whose name he had just murmured.
Bates' eyes were narrowed at Thomas, and he quickly tried to take control of the conversation before the ex-footman had the chance to continue. "His Lordship asked for a small party to…scout ahead, so to speak. It's been four weeks since there's been any sighting of…" he paused and furrowed his brow. "What was that word you used to describe them?"
"Walkers," Matthew answered. "I mean, that's what Reg—I mean, that's what my…my rescuers called them." He didn't know why, but…for some reason, at least for the time being, Matthew didn't feel comfortable revealing Reggie and Lavinia to anyone, at least not yet.
"Walkers…" William repeated, before chuckling softly. "That's…rather a perfect name for them."
"Indeed," Bates agreed. "We've been just referring them as…'creatures'."
Matthew was more interested in learning what had happened back at Downton, especially what had happened to the house's residents. But something Bates had said had definitely caught his attention. "You said you came out here because you haven't seen any Walkers in four weeks?" Amazing; maybe Reggie was onto to something when he said that they prefer more populated areas? But Malton wasn't so far away from Downton…and the place seemed to be crawling with them.
"We arrived in Malton yesterday," Anna sighed. "Not even an hour had gone by, before we realized that these…Walkers…were everywhere."
Indeed, there were a great many of them, Matthew couldn't deny that. And yet, their number was nothing compared to the horde he had encountered in London.
"We were in Ripon for two whole days before we came to Malton; we searched high and low, but found no signs of…Walkers," Bates explained, still getting used to the new name.
Fear and hope suddenly gripped Matthew's chest. "And…Downton village?" he whispered, swallowing hard. "What of it?"
Anna and Bates looked at one another and sighed, a look and sound that caused Matthew's heart to plummet.
"It's a ghost town," Anna whispered, looking down at the ground, before reaching over and gripping Bates' hand for comfort. "It…it was the first to fall, that we know."
The first to fall. Matthew felt nausea grow in the pit of his stomach. "The...the villagers?"
"When word reached us about what was…what was happening, there were many that fled; some came to Downton, seeking help from his Lordship," Bates explained. "And...some went to York."
Matthew's brow furrowed at this. "York?"
Bates nodded his head. "There are rumors that…that York is a safe haven, that they have supplies and soldiers and…a cure of some kind."
Matthew was shocked by this. "A cure?"
"Load of poppycock if you ask me," Thomas grumbled between puffs.
"Yes, well no one did ask you, did they?" Bates challenged.
"Most people dismiss the rumors," Anna clarified, purposefully putting herself between the two rivals. "If they really had all these things, I suspect we would have heard something by now, and that was well over three months ago."
Her words made sense, but it caused Matthew to pause and wonder; how long had this horror been going on? Reggie had given him a clue as to the origins of the disease, but…how long had it been going on in Yorkshire?
"Some people did choose to stay, in the village, but…" she looked away and Matthew didn't have to be told anymore about those poor souls.
"My mother?" he whispered. Surely she had been one of the many that had gone to Downton. He knew that Cousin Robert and Cousin Cora would have taken her in, she was family after all! There wouldn't have been objection, of course; in fact he was sure they would have insisted upon it!
But the looks on Anna and Bates' faces spoke volumes…and Matthew literally began to crumple to the ground. "Oh God…" he gasped, feeling as if the air was being sucked out of his lungs. "Oh God!"
"No, no, Capt. Crawley, you mustn't think that!" Anna argued, falling to her own knees and taking his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes.
Matthew looked at her with confusion. "I…I don't understand…is she…alive?"
Anna bit her lip. "We…we don't know…" she sighed.
Matthew stared back at her and then looked up at Bates. "W-w-what?" he stammered.
Bates also gave a sad sigh. "We don't know what became of Mrs. Crawley. Because…she left the village without saying anything to anyone, about where she was going or what she was doing…exactly one week, before everything happened."
Conversations continued as night began to fall.
They moved upstairs, to a flat above the pawn shop. Here was the place where they had been making their camp since coming to Malton. Here was access to the roof overhead, where two of them could crawl out and look down upon the creatures below, as well as try to plan their best move to escaping the madness that was Malton Village.
Thomas sat in a corner, puffing on a cigarette, not caring if Bates glared at him or not. He didn't care what his Lordship said; Bates wasn't the boss of him nor would he ever be. The only reason he was on this bloody mission was because of his medical expertise; as far as he was concerned, that made him a valuable asset, one whom John Bates should respect, if not cower to. At least Anna was there to distract the bastard. And despite their little fist fight from before the War, Thomas knew he could control William. And now, he had something to hold over the lad.
While in the flat, William wandered out onto the roof to keep a watch on things below, while Anna prepared some supper with the meager rations they had brought, and Bates continued to give Capt. Crawley answers to the man's various unending questions. No matter how many times Bates explained that none of them knew what had become of old busy-body Mrs. Crawley, Capt. Crawley wasn't satisfied. He wanted to know more, he wanted to examine various theories, he wanted to speculate; "Why would she leave? She must have told someone something? She must have left some clue?" and so on and so forth.
The questions soon changed to what had become of Downton Abbey, and the people who resided there. Despite the words he used, Thomas knew that the captain really only cared about the ones above stairs. He snorted at this and took a long drag on his cigarette. Anna murmured something about the family being well and healthy, and even though Capt. Crawley didn't say her name, they all knew he was the most curious about Lady Mary. Thomas found it both amusing and interesting that no one mentioned Lady Mary's "engagement". No doubt that would come as a nice shocker, when they all got back to Downton.
If we get back…
The situation wasn't looking so good. The pawn shop made an excellent fortress, thanks in part to its metal fence that surrounded its glass walls, but it was temporary fortress at best. They only had so many rations, and if truth be told, Anna wasn't the best of cooks, at least in Thomas' opinion. Plus, he'd give anything to just get away from Bates; was it possible to despise someone even more? Bates clearly felt very high-handed, what with his Lordship "entrusting" him with this task to scout ahead and see if there was still any danger lurking about in the nearby villages. What he wouldn't give for some…accident…to occur.
With a grunt, Thomas decided to get some fresh air, and crawled out onto the roof, where he found William, keeping a watchful eye on the world below. The younger man turned as soon as the scent of Thomas' nicotine filled his nostrils. "Yes? What is it?"
Thomas frowned. "Don't be rude," he grumbled, before expelling a cloud of smoke into the other man's face. He didn't even try to hide the smile when William began to cough.
"Don't do that!" William hissed. "They'll hear you!"
Thomas arched an eyebrow and peaked over the edge of the roof. There were still a good number of those…things…gathered around the shop's fence. Thank goodness they weren't intelligent enough to learn how to climb walls. Some were beginning to wander away, in search of food elsewhere. But a majority knew that "food" had escaped into this building, and were content to wait for it to come out, no matter how long it took. What else did you have but patience, when you were dead?
"How are we going to get out of here?" William murmured out loud.
Thomas flicked some ash from the end of his cigarette. "Out of Malton? Maybe we can find that car Capt. Crawley was referring to and drive out of here?"
William turned his attention back to Thomas and frowned. "You think that car is here? Why?"
Thomas shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe the thief stopped here? Maybe he needed fuel or something and…was attacked? But it is possible that the car is here. Hey, it's not a bad theory, so don't give me that look," he grumbled.
William didn't say anything further on the subject. "And…what about getting out of this shop?"
Thomas shrugged his shoulders again. "Maybe the almighty Mr. Bates will come up with a plan? He is our 'fearless leader', after all."
William looked at Thomas with disdain. "I honestly don't know what your problem is with Mr. Bates. He's kept us safe, he's a good leader, and his Lordship did put him in charge, so you should show him some respect—"
"Respect?" Thomas spat, as if the word burned his mouth. "Are you honestly lecturing me on showing respect, private?"
William closed his mouth, but his eyes never left Thomas'. They narrowed, and then he lifted his chin and returned Thomas' cold stare with one of his own. "Major Clarkson made you acting sergeant for the convalescent home, but that's it. You're not a sergeant out here…and you're certainly not the highest ranking officer, either!"
William was young, which meant he could still be a hot head. Thomas was older, and therefore had improved with time in his efforts for calculating. That entire afternoon, while Capt. Crawley retold his story on what had happened to him and how he had come to be here, Thomas' mind was reeling. If there was one thing both he and Miss O'Brien were good at, it was calculating a good plot. And as he gazed back at the younger soldier and his former colleague from Downton, he couldn't help but smile. And that smile only widened, as he saw the effect it was having on William.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Thomas murmured, expelling another cloud of smoke from his lips. "Running into Capt. Crawley as we did." William swallowed nervously, and then nodded his head. Thomas only grinned. "Indeed; Capt. Crawley, back from the dead! Oh, what joy his Lordship will have when he sees him…the future Earl of Grantham, alive and well…" he flicked a little more ash from his cigarette. "Good thing you didn't shoot him when you came across him."
"Thomas—"
"That's Sgt. Barrow," Thomas corrected, not even bothering to look William in the eye as he flicked some ash onto the younger man's boot. "Yes, it's all quite…miraculous…you could say. Especially after everything you had told us."
William turned his head away, and began to shift uneasily.
"Yes, his Lordship will be very happy; quite the opposite from when you returned to Downton to tell us how poor Capt. Crawley was dead."
Thomas grinned as he watched William shrink at his words. He may not be a sharp shooter, but he had hit the bulls-eye of his target.
"You were in London, of course, at that hospital with Capt. Crawley, keeping what we all thought was 'bedside vigil', so you didn't see how hard her Ladyship tried to keep his Lordship from coming down to London to bring Capt. Crawley back to Downton. You didn't see how Lady Mary would close herself off in some room…thinking she was all alone…and cry and pray for his safety and his recovery. And you certainly didn't see the panic on all their faces, the whole lot of them…when everything began to crumple apart, and still, all his Lordship could think was, 'we need to get Cousin Matthew back to Downton'."
William's shoulders began to shake; was the lad crying? Thomas only grinned further.
"No…you just returned and told everyone that he was dead."
"I thought he was!" William gasped, lifting his head and facing Thomas, the signs of tears reflecting in his eyes. "I…I stayed with him for as long as I could…but…but they insisted that everyone had to leave London, that it was no longer safe! And I tried, I tried to get them to let me take him, but they said I couldn't, that it was too risky, and then the attacks started, and the hospital slipped into madness, and…and…" he paused, beginning to sob. Thomas merely puffed on his cigarette. William was digging his own grave; he didn't need to add anything further to it.
"I…I did everything I could…" William sobbed. "I tried to put up a barricade…I tried to shut him in there, so…so…so they couldn't get to him…"
Thomas flicked the last of the ash onto William's boot. "Well, no hard feelings; your little barricade trick apparently worked!" he said with a false smile. "After all, he's here, he's alive, he's made it this far…on his own."
William gulped and looked at Thomas pleadingly. "You won't…please…you won't say anything to him…will you?"
Thomas looked at William for a long, hard second. "That depends…" he murmured.
William's face, which was beginning to look hopeful, quickly fell. "Depends on what?" he whispered.
Thomas couldn't help but smile. He loved this feeling, this feeling of having all the power. And if he played his cards right, he truly would. "Depends on if you do what I say when I say it," he simply stated.
William looked wary. "What…what do you mean?"
Thomas chuckled to himself, before flinging the last of his cigarette over the roof. "Don't worry your head about that right now, Pvt. Mason," he replied with a smile. "When the time comes, I'll let you know."
William clearly didn't like the sound of that, but what could the lad do? Admit that he had lied to everyone? That in truth, Matthew Crawley was alive in London, just under a deep coma, but that when Hell erupted, he abandoned his captain, the future Earl of Grantham, to save his own skin? No…William would do no such thing, and Thomas knew it. The key to defeating Bates was within his grasp; he had his puppet, now he just needed to bide his time.
