As the Light Dies (40 page)

“Oh shit!”
said Ken
.“
You guys think the radio guy was right about this
?
”

Steve listened for a second before answering and the noise tapered off and died out. He looked up and said
,“
I do
n’
t know what the hell that was, but after seeing Sandy in the state he was in, i
t’
s kinda got me worried
.
”

“
Yea! Me too
,”
said Ken.

Steve looked at Katie
.“
Whatcha think
?”
he said.

Katie shook her head
.“
I do
n’
t know!
I’
ve never heard anything like it
.
Ever
!
I
t’
s like some kind of gurgle, or a deep click. I get how Sandy thought about standing in a peat bog but i
t’
s different, it is like that, but i
t’
s not at the same time. She hesitated and then said
,“
I
t’
s weird
!
”

They waited for a minute listening to see if the noise came back again, it did
n’
t.

Steve looked at the other two, cocked an eyebrow and nodded towards the door and pushed it all the way open and led the way. They dropped down to the midway landing and Ken puffed out his cheeks, pressed his lips together and blew.

“
Jeez
,”
he said
,“
somethin
g’
s gone off
!
”

“
Yep
,”
added Katie nodding.

“
I do
n’
t smell anything
.”
said Steve.

Ken looked at him and said
,“
I
t’
s a metallic kinda smell. I
t’
s almost leaving a sour taste in my mouth
!”
Steve raised his eyebrows and shook his head as he sniffed at the air
.“
Nope
,”
he said
,“I’
m not getting a thing
.
”

He looked at Katie and she nodded
.“
I
t’
s just like Ken says
,”
she said
,“
i
t’
s kinda metallic.
I’
m not getting the taste though, not yet
.
”

Steve glanced at the atmospheric sensors and then remembered that they were dead, even their battery fail safe had gone down.

“Shit!”
he said
.“
Were gonna need to get masks ASAP! We could be breathing in anything.
C’
mon
!”
he said and he started descending the next set of steps.

As they moved down towards the doors that opened out next to the canteen doors Kati
e’
s stomach started to knot up despite her best efforts to stop it. The metallic smell reminded her all too well of a recent field exercise gone wrong
.
Very wrong
!

A young female cadet had been fucking around about to scare one of the other girls half to death with her exposed bayonet attached to the end of her rifle oblivious to the fact that it was razor sharp! Sh
e’
d been waiting to jump out on one of the other girls when she decided she had time to quickly tuck her trouser leg back in to the top of her boot. Trying to hold her rifle under her elbow she bent over and pulled her laces undone to open the top of her boot and the rifle began to slip out from under her elbow. She tried to squeeze her elbow tighter, but instead of gripping the rifle, she caused the opposite to happen and actually forced the rifle out from under her arm. Forgetting all about her laces she desperately tried to catch the rifle knowing the trouble sh
e’
d be in if she damaged it. She reached out for it in a panic and grabbed a hold of the exposed bayonet with both hands slicing them both down to the bone. In her horrified reaction she jerked back upright so fast she made herself to slip and she fell down on top of the bloody bayonet and it sliced through her neck! The blade carved open an artery as it sliced up through her neck, up through her lower jaw where it pierced through the floor of her mouth splitting her tongue in two and imbedded itself deeply in the roof of her mouth! She was found by Katie just as her young eighteen year old body went limp.

Katie had tried in vain to resuscitate her but it was no use, she had literally run out of blood, and that blood
,
all that blood
,
Katie remembered, smelled like it was metallic.

The strange noise started up again stopping them in their tracks, and brought Katie back to the here and now. Before any of them said anything another noise chimed in and Steve was sure that they were from opposing forces workin
g
agains
t
each other. Then there was a tremendous crash against the other side of the doors shaking them in their frames! Steve Ken and Katie each flinched wide-eyed. A second or two passed and Steve turned his head to look back at the other two when another sound joined in the mix. It sounded like something heavy was being dragged across the floor just inches away from them, just the other side of the doors.

Ken quietly dropped down another step behind Steve.

“What the hell!”
he started when Steve spun around with his finger pressed hard against his lips and Ken closed his mouth again.

The dragging noises continued and Steve used them to hide any sound he might make as he dropped down the next couple of steps ushering the others down behind him to the bottom where they huddled behind the doors and the dragging stopped. Katie thought the
y’
d been heard. Ken wanted to turn and run and Steve thought he should be able to see his heart beating through his jumper; it was beating so hard. He wanted to try the doors but he hesitated. Sand
y’
s tale had him spooked. Katie looked up at him and whispered
,“
Wha
t’
s the worst it can be? People ca
n’
t really be fighting like Sandy said, it is
n’
t possible. The noise will probably turn out to be some stupid new football horn or something and tha
t’
ll explain some of the over-reactive rivalry you know
.
”

“
What about the attacks
?”
said Ken.

“
Just Sand
y’
s over active imagination and confusion
,”
said Katie.

“
I hope that is all it is
,”
said Steve.

“
So do I
,”
said Ken
,“
but tha
t’
s a damn weird football horn if tha
t’
s what it is
.
”

Steve took a firm hold of one of the handles and just as he was about to push it open, just far enough to peek through, there was a dull thud from the other side. Steve paused waiting to see what would happen next. He did
n’
t like any of this. There was another thud!

Steve looked at Katie who looked stumped. She shrugged her shoulders looking back at him.

THUD
!

They all flinched. That one hit hard.

“
Someon
e’
s on the other side
,”
Steve whispered. Ken opened his mouth to speak but before he had the chance the thud wa
s
followed by a kind of squealing sound and it was moving up the door from the floor!

What the hel
l
, thought Steve. He cocked his head moving his ear close to the door and Katie grabbed his shoulder stopping him.

“
Not too close
,”
she whispered, stopping him centimetres from the door just in time as another hard hit shook the doors.

The three of them jumped and looked at each other!

“I don’t like this……..”
Ken started to say and he was cut off as the door burst in to a fit of rattles!

“SHIT!”
blurted Katie and she backed up a couple of steps, Ken followed but Steve stayed where he was. Another heavy thud hit the doors, the heaviest yet, followed immediately by another two harsh thumps. Katie backed up another step.

“
I think we should back up
,”
she whispered
,“
I think somethin
g’
s wrong, and that smell...
.
”

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD
!

The thumping cut her off, picking up speed and strength building to a steady rhythm.

Steve could feel the force as he held on to the handle.

That’s too strong for an injured man who’s too weak to shout for help
,
he thought.

Then he gave himself a mental slap and reluctantly released the handle. He could
n’
t allow himself to believe Sand
y’
s story about people tearing each other to pieces, he just could
n’
t, there was
n’
t a chance that people were eating each other
.
Never would be
!
Yet deep down there was a part of him that knew something was amiss. After all, if he thought everything was normal he woul
d’
ve flung the door open without hesitation, or even have called out by now, but he had
n’
t.

As Steve lowered his hand he looked back at the others. He could see that they were both scared, they both felt something was wrong as well. Taking the side of caution, Steve nodded at them and then again back the way the
y’
d come, and he moved back towards the foot of the stairs and said just loud enough to be heard over the noises.

”
I do
n’
t want to open that door. I do
n’
t know why, but
I’
ve got a bad feeling about it. Do
n’
t get me wrong, I do
n’
t think Sandy...
.”
Steve stopped mid sentence as the doors suddenly bowed inwards forced from the other side straining the hinges.

Ken and Katie looked on with wide eyes and Katie backed up another step. The force behind the doors was bending the hinges back, forcing the doors open in reverse cracking them apart ever so slightly down the middle. They all looked on as the opening widened. Steve tried looking through the tiny gap, but it was no good, it was too dark. The slapping thumping noise was louder with the gap between the doors. Katie backed up another step on to the midway landing and crouched down trying to get a look in to the corridor, but she had as much luck as Steve.

The pressure released a little and the doors closed again. Steve took a deep breath then the doors were pushed again, this time with even more force. Steve flinched as they fell back again, and then heaved inwards again opening even further. The door frame groaned under the strain and a hinge pinged in protest. He knew he should call out but for some reason he could
n’
t do it!

“
I think we should go guys
,”
said Katie. There was a dull pop and then that strange gurgle sound started again, it made Steve want to cough and clear his throat.

The doors flexed in and out on their two inches of travel opening and closing. Steve tried desperately to see through the gap but it was no good, the split between the doors was totally black.

“We need to go,”
said Katie
,
“this is wrong!”

“
Yep
,”
said Ken backing up beside her.

“C’
mon Steve
,”
said Katie.

Steve nodded still staring at the door. He was torn between wanting to call out and push the doors open (if he could) and help whoever was on the other side, if of course it turned out that someone did need help. Or of course, they might need to run like hell. He felt like they were all being ridiculous, acting like children but he still could
n’
t shake the feeling that something was wrong here. He looked down the length of the doors and realised a dark puddle had spread from under the doors and reached out and around his feet.