Last Wrong Turn Read Free Page A

a spider, and all these wriggling little baby spiders came scurrying out. That kinda thing shouldn't happen to a human, but I know that every so often nature goes wrong. Maybe that's what's happened here. Maybe somehow she's gotten infected by something.
    I wish I could ask someone, but I can't. Pa's no use, so I'll just have to figure it out by myself.
    Lifting the woman's eyelids, I see that the black parts of her eyes are still really small. That always happens after I give the injection, and it'll be a while before they go normal and she starts waking up. Her pulse feels pretty normal, though, so I'm sure she will wake up eventually, although...
    Glancing along at her swollen belly again, I can't help staring at the tight bowl of flesh. Finally I manage to push my fears aside and step closer, slipping the front of her shirt all the way up so I can place my hands on her. The flesh is so smooth, and as I make my way around the table I keep my hands on her belly, feeling the -
    Suddenly I feel the kick again, and I step back.
    My heart is pounding as I realize that although I should start stripping and cleaning this woman, I might be better advised right now to just slow down and take stock. Sure, things look bad and I think she might be very sick, but sometimes people get sick and then they get better again. I know enough to know I'm no expert on the human body.
    Maybe this woman can still be my new sister. Maybe I've just got to make her better again. But first, there's one other person I've got to sort out. In fact, I can already hear him struggling in the back of the truck.

Enda
     
    The woman wasn't alone in the car crash. There was a man too, but at least his body isn't so heavy as I drag him out the back of the truck and start hauling him across the mud.
    Good job I'm strong.
    The hardest part is the mud. My feet keep sinking into the boggy ground, and there's a light rain falling all around, which is only gonna make things worse. Still, keeping a firm grip on the man's arms, I manage to drag him all the way to the pen's gate, at which point I let go of him for a moment and head over to pull the lever. First, though, I peer through and see that the pigs are all lounging at the far end of the pen. Looks like they're enjoying the bad weather.
    “I've got something for you,” I whisper, with a faint smile. “You're gonna eat real -”
    Suddenly I hear a burst of spluttered coughs, and I turn to see that the man has woken up again. I guess I should've hit him harder just now. Even though the car crash left him all battered and gnarled, with pieces of broken bone poking out here, there and everywhere, it turns out he's got some fight in him. For a moment, all I can manage is to stare in shock as he rolls onto his side and lets out a series of faint, gurgled cries.
    “Penny?” he gasps, reaching his hand through the mud and rain as if he doesn't know where he is. Well, sure, I mean of course he doesn't know where he is. He's not from around here.
    “Who are you?” he whispers, turning to look up at me. “Where's my wife?”
    I stay completely still, not sure yet how to respond.
    “Where's my wife?” he asks again, wincing with pain as he turns and looks toward the farmhouse. “What the hell is this... Where am I?”
    He pauses, before turning back to me.
    “Who are you?”
    I stare at him for a moment, before turning and pulling the lever that opens the pen's gate. My hands are trembling slightly, and I sure don't like it when people watch me work, but I figure I just need to get this part done.
    “My wife is pregnant,” the man continues, his voice tense with pain. “Please, where is she? She's eight-and-a-half months pregnant, I have to make sure she's okay. Her name's Penny, and I'm Pete. Pete Latimer. Can you tell me where I am?”
    After pulling the gate open, I make sure the pigs are still at the far end of the pen and then I turn, grabbing the man's feet and dragging him through.
    He immediately cries