As the Light Dies (48 page)

Fair enough
,
thought Dean and he kept running. The rear of the leisure centre started to come in to view, they both had to adjust their direction slightly so they were on course for the row of glass panelled doors. Sam shot passed them both again howling like a banshee until he span around again just ahead of them and carried on barking bouncing up and down on all four paws with every single hair along his back on end.

Gavin was amazed at how efficiently Sam was protecting them, clearing their way ahead and then standing ground from the rear protecting them from both sides
.
Fuck knows who taught him that but thank God we’ve got him
,
he thought.

They were close, the building loomed high above them practically inches away when the chain link fence erupted in to a furious chatter of rattles and bangs behind them, then almost instantly it was drowned out by what Gavin kept envisioning as a hundred people screaming with overflowing blood filled mouths, gluging and gurgling as the life giving fluid ran down the sides of their faces and down their necks. His whole body twitched at the sound and the image inside his head. Two of the panelled doors swung open in front of the brothers and Gavin launched himself through nearly bowling Keith over catching him with his rucksack. Ann held the next door along and let Dean in followed closely by Sam hot on his heels. Gavin yelled back at Keith to shut and lock the doors. He was already on to it, he was working his way along the row of doors as fast as he could double checking they were all locked now that both men were inside.

“
Hurry Keith
!”
said Gavin staring back through the reinforced glass panels waiting for movement outside.... none came. Dean quickly ruffled the ash and snow off Sa
m’
s pelt and cleared his eyes as he stood rigid staring back out still growling.

“
What a boy Sam, good boy. Good boy
,”
he said as he removed his dust muzzle.

“
Ok
,”
said Keith
,“
they are all locked. What the hel
l’
s that noise
?
”

“
W
e’
ve gotta get Upstairs
,”
said Gavin ignoring him
.“
W
e’
ve gotta get away from these windows
!
”

Keith and Ann both shot a glance at Dean before they made a move, he nodded and they all headed up to the cafe above. Dean brushed himself down as best he could, the ash felt like cold fine grit doused all over him. Gavin tried to do the same but he was too buzzed and too dirty to do a proper job, all he managed to do was push it around his face and got some in his eyes that stung.

They arrived at the sprawling windows along the back wall of the cafe and Dean patted Gavin firmly between his shoulder blades
.“
I was worried about you man! I really was,
I’
m so glad yo
u’
re here
.
”

“
Oh man! You do
n’
t know how glad I am to see you guys
,”
said Gavin
.“
To actually make it here in one piece
.”
He turned and hugged his brother. Dean hugged him back firmly.

“
They were gaining on me
,”
said Gavin
,“I’
m sure of it
!
”

“
Who was
?”
said Ann.

Gavin looked at her as he knelt down and ruffled Sa
m’
s thick coat
.“I’
m not really sure
.”
he started as Sam tried to lick him. He chuckled half-heartedly pulling away.

“What!”
said Ann pushing for an answer.

“
I really do
n’
t know what to say, or where to start.
I’
m guessing you guys have
n’
t seen anything yet or yo
u’
d already have a good idea where
I’
m coming from, you know. Either that or
I’
ve properly gone and lost my mind. But I do
n’
t think I have. Sadly! Yo
u’
re just not gonn
a
believ
e
wha
t’
s going on out there. I do
n’t
and I don’t want to either!”

As he finished he shook his head slowly and looked out of the window. They could all just about hear the fence shaking and rattling through the thick glass
.“
There must be lots of them out there
,”
said Gavin, and as he finished they all heard that strange call ring ou
t
…
…
..The gurgle!

It sent chills racing through Gavin, it made him feel ill.

“
What is that
?”
said Keith trying his luck again.

“I
reall
y
do
n’
t know what to say
,”
said Gavin fixated on the window.

Dean looked at his brother and said
,“
Just start at the beginning, and take it from there Gavin, ok
!
”

When Gavin still hesitated Dean said
,“C’
mon, yo
u’
ll be fine, yo
u’
re no
t
usuall
y
lost for words
!”
and he grinned at his little brother.

“
Shut it
,”
said Gavin eyeing his brother trying to be upbeat, but he could feel his voice tremble as recent images passed through his mind as he tried to think of where to start. Edd
y’
s screaming silhouette pinned to the inside of the bus windscreen was up front and centre in his mind. He struggled with it for a moment before eventually he sat down properly on the window ledge so he could keep one eye on what was going on outside while he spoke to them. He took a long drink from his water bottle then took a deep breath and said
,“
Ok here goes
,”
and he started to tell them his unbelievable story, starting from where the
y’
d got going again after being pulled free by the guy in the snow plough on their way down to Fort Agustus. The others pulled up chairs and sat in silence listening to Gavi
n’
s terrible story while the strange noises outside grew louder and louder....

“
Where are we gonna go
?”
gasped Ken as the three of them ran along the darkened corridor.

“
No idea
,”
said Steve
,“
maybe the stores. The
y’
re well secured, if we can get in
.
”

“
Yea
,”
said Katie
,“
and maybe we can grab some tools and use them as weapons
.
”

Steve was glad to hear her talk like that, getting her fighting spirit back
.
She must be getting over the initial shock of it al
l
, he thought, he knew she was their best chance of survival with her military background. As they ran Katie could just make out the entrance to the stores up ahead
.“
The stores are open
,”
she said seeing the roller door still fully up.

Ken felt relief wash over him
.“
Thank fuck
,”
he said.

Steve stole a glance behind sure that the primitive growl and heavy footsteps were gaining on them. Mick was about thirty feet back and coming at them fast. Behind him, the group that had chased after them earlier had found their way down the stairs following Mic
k’
s calls and were running just as fast. They did
n’
t have much time!

Stev
e’
s heart missed a beat
.
“SHIT!”
he cursed turning back around to warn the others when Katie started screaming and then Ken started skidding along the linoleum trying to stop.

What the fuck
!
thought Steve. Then he saw why. There was a man standing behind the store counter, a sick man, one Steve did
n’
t recognise. He was a mess. His clothes were in shreds and he was covered in blood. Bite marks littered his arms and torso. His hair clung to his scalp drenched with blood as it poured from a wound none of them could see. Most of the gu
y’
s face was covered in blood that had ran down through his hairline from the hidden wound and from a hole where his right ear use to be. He squealed excitedly when he saw them, reaching out towards them swinging this way and then that way desperate to catch one of them. A torn cheek swung through the air catching between his teeth as he swung his head and snapped his jaw reaching out for them.

“Oh my God -  his eyes!”
cried Katie. Steve looked and saw that his eyelids were missing exposing his black eyes as he cried black tears. Long deep tears ran across his face from where his eyelids had been torn away, Steve could imagine it happening and he cringed. One tear reached down across his left cheek cutting so deep his upper gum line was on show.

Katie was going too fast to stop and she slid along the linoleum straight towards the crazed ma
n’
s mauled hands. She realised she was
n’
t going to stop in time so at the last second she tried to launch herself forwards and she practically dived passed him. Steve held his breath as the ma
n’
s blackened bony fingertips brushed her shoulder. She made it landing awkwardly on the other side and backed up clear from his reach as she turned to watch Steve and Ken, and she gasped with horror when she saw what was chasing them.

“RUN!”
she screamed and as she did the mauled thing behind the counter leaned out even further reaching for her and he fell over the counter in to the hallway thrashing and hissing like a live wire. Ken just coming to a stop turned and looked back and his face dropped and turned white with shock
.
“DONT STOP!”
yelled Stev
e
“RUN, KEEP RUNNING!”

Ken nodded letting Steve pass without disturbing his momentum, then launched himself back in to an all out sprint behind him. The wild thing on the ground was crawling towards Katie, until it saw Steve and Ken and turned towards them making some horrendous noises, trying to growl and gurgle at them. Black gunge ran down his chin like thick black saliva. He reached out for Steve as he approached
!
“Oh shit!”
said Steve as he jumped, he was going too fast to do anything else.

Katie gasped watching thinking
,
Oh no he won’t make it, he’s too far back to jump
!

She readied herself to jump in and help him if he landed short.

But Steve flew through the air tucking his feet in, lifting them as high as he could like he was jumping a hurdle. The infected man reached for him and smacked the toes of his boots and sent Steve in to a headlong dive. He flew through the air and landed hard on his front in a bellyflop just within the infected ma
n’
s reach. Katie jumped over to him and grabbed one of his hands and hauled him away as fast as she could nearly yanking his shoulder out of the socket. Steve tried to get back up as she pulled him clear but he stumbled back on to his knees because she was pulling him so fast, his feet could
n’
t keep up with her. She realised and eased up
.“C’
mon
,”
she said, and he tried again and this time managed to catch himself. He ran with her a few paces then turned back for Ken.

“I’
m ok, keep going
,”
blurted Ken right behind them. H
e’
d jumped just behind Steve as the infected guy reached for Steve instead of him, and he landed right behind Steve as he stumbled and he was hauled along by Katie, he nearly tripped over them both. But he had
n’
t and now they ran together again as Mick bore down on them fast with hi
s
troop
s
right behind him.

“Where the hell do we go now?”
asked Ken. Steve stole a glance over his shoulder and saw that Mick was going to catch up with them. He was sprinting after them just as fast as they were, and the gang behind him were gaining o
n
him.

He felt panic trying to take over as he tried to think what to do next when suddenly Katie reached out and unclasped a fire extinguisher from beside the exit door to the drill floor and without any hesitation or even aiming she spun around and launched it with both hands. Ken watched with his heart in his mouth shaking all over; needing to piss. Stev
e’
s mind was frozen, not sure what to do for the best. The extinguisher flew through the air in what felt like slow motion. Mick did
n’
t flinch, it was like he did
n’
t see the extinguisher, his black eyes were locked on to them and he raced at them with a crazy contorted grimace on his face bearing his blackened and bloody broken teeth. The extinguisher started to lose height. Katie Ken and Steve watched with baited breath as it fell
.“
Oh shit i
t’
s gonna miss him
,”
said Ken.

“No
,
i
t’
s gonna hit him, i
t’
s gonna hit his legs
,”
said Steve.

The extinguisher made contact and time suddenly sped up again. The extinguisher smashed in to Mic
k’
s shins with a sickening crack and sent the blackened hulk crashing to the floor face down, and he slid along the floor and hit the wall headfirst hitting it hard
!“
GOOD SHOT
!”
said Steve.

“C’
mon before he gets up again
,”
said Leann already turning.

Th
e
man thin
g
from behind the counter clawed himself up, using the counter and turned towards them thick bands of black saliva hung from his chin as he started to stagger towards them, he was slow and uncoordinated unlike the others. Then in the blink of an eye he was run down by the charging mob behind him and he disappeared under their trampling feet.

“SHIT!”
yelped Ken.

The
y’
d all been so focused on Mick and the guy from the stores they had
n’
t noticed just how close the others were.

Turning back around Steve saw that Katie was already halfway along the corridor near the next stairwell
.“C’
mon
,”
she yelled. Ken and Steve did
n’
t hesitate, they did
n’
t have time to. Mick was back on his feet, his right shin was broken and as he tried to walk the leg kinked inwards pushing his foot out in front of him like a capitol L. He stumbled for a second with the broken leg and then started to limp towards them again gaining control of his balance as the sheered bone pierced deep in to his muscle and stabilised enough for him to carry on, and he came for them oblivious to any pain. He opened his mouth wide and called out as the mob came up behind him. The call reverberated along the corridor stirring up the others that all stayed behind him and they joined in calling out with their broken vocal cords gurgling like a drowning choir.

“C’
mon, quickly
,”
said Katie
,“
le
t’
s go up to the...
.”
she stopped mid sentence staring in to the dark stairwell faintly lit by dying glow sticks. She hovered for a moment.

“
What is it Katie
?”
called Steve
,“
We do
n’
t have time to wait
.
”

She turned back letting the door close as calls rang out from somewhere within the stairwell. She ran back towards the two men as they ran towards her with looks of astonishment on their faces as the door exploded open and four mottled, greyish black and horribly mauled figures burst in to the corridor clicking and gurgling. Bright red blood covered their hands up to their elbows, their jaws worked frantically, chewing something. The last one out saw them and pointed, dropping something from its skeletal hand that landed with a splat beside its chewed up toeless bare foot.

“C’
mon
!”
said Steve
.“
Cover your mouths
!
”

He leapt forwards and pushed open the door to the drill floor and ventured out. Ken and Katie jumped through behind him.

It was freezing outside and the ash was thick, Ken started coughing badly almost straight away
.“
Jesus i
t’
s bad
,”
he said between coughs.

Steve searched frantically looking all around, grabbing and moving things. He called out to the others
,“
Look for something to block the d...
.”
he stopped mid sentence when he laid his hands on a shovel. He grabbed it and rammed it face down under the bottom of the door.

“
Tha
t’
ll hold them back for a few minutes
,”
he said
,“
now
c’
mon, le
t’
s get outa here
.
”

Steve led the way across the murky drilling floor hunting for the exit to the outer deck. Then half way across he stopped dead. H
e’
d heard one of those horrible calls, the others heard it too. It sounded close, too close! The three of them looked in all directions petrified expecting a discoloured half eaten figure to burst out of the murk at them, but they could
n’
t see anything, the ashy snow was too thick!

“
Where the hell is it
?”
said Ken whispering.

It called out again, louder this time.

“SHIT!”
said Ken.

“
Shush
!”
Steve hissed and suddenly something clapped right beside them in the dark.

They all flinched looking to see what it was.

“
I ca
n’
t see anything
!
I can’t see anything!”
said Ken.

Katie tugged at him and shushed him as Steve looked around, frantically scanning the immediate area, he felt like his eyes were open so wide that they were going to fall out of their sockets.

The call came again, they heard it like a slow kluging gurgle. Katie tried to desperately hone in on the sound.

“
I
ca
n’
t fucking see
!”
said Ken
,“
I just can...
.
”