As the Light Dies (100 page)

Just across from Andy and Collin crouching behind the car Dean had noticed, Ann and Leann watched as well.

“
I hope to God the
y’
ve got a plan
,”
said Leann
,“
poor Sarah will be going out of her little mind
.
”

“
Dean wil
l”
said Ann
,“
he would
n’
t put others at risk if he did
n’
t think the
y’
d get away with it
.
”

“
God, I hope it works
!”
said Leann.

Ann just nodded and silently prayed for Dean and Gavin and Sarah and Sam.

Andy watched the last figure pass them by as it followed the noise. The entire crowd were following Dean now. He glanced over to the women and they saw him. He nodded at them and then nodded in the direction they were headed. They both nodded back.

“
Le
t’
s go
,”
he said to Collin, and off they went.

The four of them silently worked their way along the road weaving through the traffic staying low and looking in all directions at once.

When Leann was close enough to Andy she asked
,“
What do you think the
y’
re doing
?”
hoping he might have an idea to what exactly the others were doing.

“
The
y’
re drawing them away from us. I saw Dean looking back. He mus
t’
ve seen we were stuck, because tha
t’
s when he started shouting and yelling. The
y’
re giving us a second chance. So le
t’
s not waste it,
c’
mon
!
”

They carried on along the road until they came to a break in the fence on their left indicating the start of the little path that lead up to Raigmore Estate through black trees and undergrowth.

They left the road behind and huddled together just along the path amongst the dead shrubbery trying to watch the two brothers and Sarah and Sam, hoping with all their being that Dea
n’
s plan whatever it was, worked.

“
Dea
n’
s a good man
,”
said Andy straining to see
.“
He knows what h
e’
s doing
.
”

“
Why are they still making all that noise though? W
e’
re free
,”
said Leann.

Andy shook his head and said
,“
Maybe they did
n’
t see us run for it, maybe the
y’
re just trying to make sure
.
”

But somehow he thought that there was more to the plan than they knew.

They hunched down and watched in silence reduced to catching glimpses through the ash and snow using the lightning. Without it all they could see was the horde moving in their direction. They could hear them though. They heard them all loud and clear, especially Sarah. Gavin and Sarah stood on the road next to the crash barrier looking down the bank at Dean yelling and screaming and even kicking the barrier. It was working.

The horde rushed towards them, moving as one again as they all followed the noise, drifting like an oil slick pulled by the tide.

Dean told Gavin to hold position as long as he could, drawing the infected towards them, and then on his command back out of view and run like the wind. Dean stopped a few metres short of the barrier on the steep bank and looked back at the infected wave
.
Brilliant
,
he thought.

He slid off his rucksack and rummaged through it as the front row of the infected horde reached the bottom of the embankment and started climbing up the slippery bank towards him.

“
OK! RUN!”
he yelled, and Gavin and Sarah turned without hesitation and ran with Sam bounding along right beside Sarah.

Adrenalin coursed through Dea
n’
s veins, his whole body seemed to throb as it pounded through him. More and more infected came in to clear view now.

“HEY! HEY! I’M UP HERE!
”
he yelled keeping their attention then he climbed up and over the barrier.

“UP HERE! I’M UP HERE YOU SICK FUCKS!”

The gurgles roared as the infected climbed the bank. They were slipping and falling all over the place on the steep snow covered bank, and the ones that fell were trampled in to the ground like before, but in this instance they were actually giving the ones behind more traction, aiding their climb.

The embankment was actually working in the hord
e’
s favour. Row after row fell letting the row behind gain a little more ground, it was like watching a giant human ladder at work.

Dean slapped his sword against the side of a truck he was kneeling by as he watched them.

He did
n’
t like the way they were storming up the embankment, they were scaling it much faster than h
e’
d thought. He hoped his actions so far had given Andy and the others the chance they needed to make a break for it. He looked in their general direction just in case he saw something, but he could
n’
t. He rummaged through his rucksack again still unable to find what he was looking for. He was getting worried. He knew the infected would make it up the bank far quicker than h
e’
d hoped. He did
n’
t have time for delays. He knew that if he could
n’
t find what he needed soon h
e’
d have to abandon his plan and make a break for it himself, and his plan would be ruined.

I just hope I drew them away from the other
s
, he thought, as he searched, certain h
e’
d packed it back at the mountaineering shop knowing the
y’
d definitely need it at some point if they wanted to cook or even try and keep warm.

The gurgles were loud, they were coming for him
!
“Shit! shit! shit!”
he cursed.

Row by row the infected climbed over each other forming a human caterpillar, moving closer and closer to the top of the bank.

Dean dropped his bag cursing it and grabbed his wrench. He adjusted it to size and used it to unscrew a cap on the side of the truck that he prayed would do what he hoped it would.

“HERE I AM! C’MON! I’M HERE!”
he screeched keeping their attention as he went back to searching his bag as the cap started doing exactly what h
e’
d hoped it would.

It was spewing gallons and gallons of fuel out from the fuel tanker.

As he searched he was trying to think what else he could do if he could
n’
t find what he was looking for
.
“Where the fuck is it,”
he said aloud. It just was
n’
t there, his plan was ruined.

The infected calls were close. Too close!

He lost his nerve and stood up deciding to make a run for it when the first infected person made it over the top of the embankment. It was a man and he was the size of a gorilla. He leapt clean over the crash barrier and landed on top of Dean sending his rucksack and his sword flying as he knocked him to the ground.

Andy and the others looked on in astonishment as lightning fed them snapshots of what was happening.

“
Dea
n’
s sacrificing himself
,”
said Collin.

“
No
,”
said Andy
,“
ther
e’
s a plan here.
I’
m sure of it. I
t’
s just getting a bit risky tha
t’
s all!

“THAT’S ALL!”
said Leann.

“
Yea, h
e’
ll manage to pull it off, he always does
,”
said Ann with a shaky voice.

Dean lay pinned to the ground face up. He looked up at the infected man as he opened his blackened mouth wide! Everything inside was black, the walls of his mouth, his gums, his tonsils, even his teeth, and his tongue looked like a slippery black eel.

Then he bit down on Dea
n’
s forearm with bone crunching force and started gnawing and twisting and tugging trying to tear through the layers of Gore-Tex.

Dean yelled out with shock realising what had happened.

He punched the ma
n’
s head with his free hand but had no effect. The man was locked on like a rabid animal and weighed a ton.

Dean reached down to his belt and unsheathed the hunting knife h
e’
d taken from the mountaineering shop and thrust it in to the ma
n’
s side, all twelve inches of it!

The man released his bite and looked at Dean almost grinning.

Dean kicked hard with both legs and pushed himself back from under the infected man and nearly pushed himself in to the torrent of fuel gushing from the truck.

The man lunged at him like a wild animal and his gurgle almost sounded like a growl.

He landed on Dean again slamming Dea
n’
s his head against the freezing ground burying half his face in the snow. It hurt like hell but Dean kicked and punched and bucked and wriggled, but none of it had any effect, he did
n’
t move an inch!

The man leaned in close to Dea
n’
s wounded face snapping his lipless jaw, his black tongue wriggled around in there like it had a life of its own. He was eager to taste Dea
n’
s blood!

Dean lifted his left arm and hooked his elbow under the ma
n’
s chin and blocked him just in time.

The man grabbed his arm and pushed it out of the way like it was
n’
t even there, then reached down and clawed at Dea
n’
s wounded face tearing his dust mask off as he did.

Dean howled in pain as infected fingers scraped across the wound.

He kicked again and again with no effect. It was like kicking a sand bag. The man hooked a thumb around the inside of Dea
n’
s left cheek and forced his head down against the ground and put all his weight on to him as though he was trying to crush his head.

Dean screeched through gritted teeth and punched the ma
n’
s sides trying everything he could to get the guy off. Then he tried reaching for his hunting knife that was still lodged in the ma
n’
s side, but he could
n’
t find it.

Hope was fading fast. Hands started rising up behind the crash barrier.

Dean saw them searching for something to grab on to, to pull themselves up.

They were coming for him. The
y’
d be on him in seconds.

He was out of time. The plan had failed!

He started choking on the petrol fumes as the man scratched at his face causing excruciating pain. Dean screamed and brought his arm back up hooking the guys chin with his elbow again as he leaned in again about to bite him!

The man thrust Dea
n’
s elbow out of the way and grabbed a hold of his cheek bunching the flesh up in his fist and started tugging. Dean screamed as crippling pain shot across his face and his mouth began to fill with warm blood. With the deepest breath he could take he screamed out with anger, frustration and fear all rolled in to one knowing his plan had failed. Knowing h
e’
d never see Gavin or their parents again. Knowing that h
e’
d broken his promise to Sarah!

He heard Sam bark somewhere in the distance.

God, they should be half a mile away by no
w
, he thought.

I shouldn’t be able to hear him! Why the hell aren’
t
.... The man was suddenly forced backwards.

He was dragged off  Dean, and took some of his cheek with him!

Dean howled with pain as Sam forced the man to the ground where he ripped his throat out with three swift bites, before he shook what was left of the ma
n’
s neck like an old piece of rope. But he could
n’
t crack it like he had with others. This ma
n’
s neck was thick and strong.