Plague Of The Revenants (5 page)

As
I ran I heard them stumbling after me. Even all the way out here, with no sight of civilisation to be seen, there was to be no escaping them. I was seized with a wave of exhaustion. I had not eaten all day and my throat was parched. Further, I was in bad shape, not used to running after years of incarceration. I stopped to get my breath back, turned around and now I saw four of them, pursuing me with a pace that surprised me, almost at a run. I imagined out here in the forests they were hungrier than most of the others. I rushed back to the first one who was quite far ahead and felled it with a single blow only to be almost caught by the second who dived at me in a sort of rugby tackle which I was only just able to step away from. As the revenant sprawled on the ground I quickly finished it off but when I looked up again there were even more. I turned and fled as best I could. The revenants never seemed to lose stamina, in rain or shine they pursued with the same lumbering, lopsided shuffle and as my own run slowed to walking pace and I bent down with my chest bursting and the breath forced painfully from my lungs I realised they would soon gain on me. Best save my energy for the fight to come, I thought to myself. Suddenly I burst out of the woods and was back in a field. Better still I spied the chimney of a farmhouse just a quarter of a mile away. The sight of the farmhouse and the possibility of salvation so close to hand gave me hope and with it a renewed energy. I picked up the pace and broke into a jog which outpaced the revenants for the time being, before deliberately slowing my pace. If I were to hide out in the farmhouse the last thing I needed was to be assailed by the bastards at every opportunity, for they would be sure to try and follow me inside. Even if I were able to outrun them and reach the loft I would still be trapped. I stopped and turned around. Five of the revenants now pursued me. It was time to go on to the attack. I moved forward, swinging wildly with the lump hammer. For too long I had run for these bastards. Now, I decided, it was payback time. I took down two of the revenants with a single blow. The third trailed lamely behind the others with part of its right leg hanging off. No problems there either. I swung at the fourth but it somehow managed to duck, although whether this was by accident, design or instinct I was not quite sure. Now it dived low towards my waist with its arms outstretched. I stepped away but not quick enough and it wrapped its hands around my right leg as it fell. I brought the hammer down hard upon its back and felt its spine crack and this in turn loosed its grip, allowing me to step away from its embrace and pummel its brains into oblivion. There was one more revenant left. I hit it low, shattering its legs in a single blow and sending it falling to the ground. Afterwards I smashed its arms, trying to torture it as much as possible. But the thing could feel no pain. Frustrated, I raised the hammer one more time and exploded its head against the hard ground.

With the revenants finished off I stopped to get my breath back then set off once more towards the farmhouse, my eyes scanning the surrounding area for signs of the undead.
As I got closer I heard noises. I readied my hammer but at that moment I realised they were living, human voices and my heart leapt. I leapt over the fence and hurried across a meadow towards them before screeching to a halt. There were three of them, a young woman and two older men. I could see at once they had been in the process of looting the place for food, as evidenced by the beaten up old truck standing just outside the front door, half filled with provisions, when they had been surprised by three revenants from outside. They looked as though they were trying to ward the creatures off with sticks, and all seemed afraid to make the decisive blow. As I watched I saw the woman pushing the revenant away with what seemed to be the handle of a broom but it fell back towards one of the men who tried to get out of the way but not fast enough to prevent the creature from seizing hold of his clothing and latching its teeth into his arm. The man let out a cry. Blood spurted into the air. The other man now cried out in turn and swung his own stick at the revenant but instead of finishing it off he instead appeared more concerned with releasing the creature’s teeth from the grip of his doomed comrade. Meanwhile none of them were paying attention to the other two revenants who now lumbered forwards to surround them. This was fast turning into a catastrophe before my eyes. I had no especial wish to make friends but in that moment I decided I just had to intervene.
I strode purposely across the meadow, deciding not to rush. Two of the revenants saw me approach and turned their attentions towards me which at least brought the other survivors some time. I swung the hammer hard, without hesitation, smashing into the skull of the first revenant and turning his head into a bloody pulp before he had hit the ground. I did not hesitate as they had done. These beasts had to die. I was hoping my actions would somehow spur the others into action but instead they leapt back fearfully, seemingly as afraid of me as they were the revenants. The remaining two revenants turned and advanced towards me at once. I swung the hammer again but the blow only parried them away and brought me a few seconds. I cried out to the others for assistance but the bitten man staggered away whilst the remaining two just looked on at me aghast, as if frozen to the spot. I retreated to the start of the meadow. The revenants followed me. I strode forward once more and they lined up to take a hammer to the skull. When they were both on the floor I brought the hammer down twice more to ensure they would not be getting up again. I looked up. The three others were regarding me with horror. The man who had not been bitten staggered away and vomited heavily upon the ground.
“Are you insane?” Demanded the woman fearfully.
“Insane?” I repeated, my blood up. “You’re the ones who were trying to push the damned things away with sticks.”
The woman seemed about to argue but at that moment the uninjured man stepped forward. “You came along just in time,” he said breathlessly. “My name is Farrow, this is Kit and our companion here is named Block.” He motioned towards their stricken colleague before turning back to me. “How long have you been out here?”
I suddenly found myself extremely wary of the living, having not set eyes upon a living soul whom I trusted since this whole business had begun. Come to think of it many years had gone by since I had met somebody of whom I did not feel the need to be wary. Nonetheless I was tired and very hungry. These three survivors, on the other hand, were well fed and what is more they had wheels. I decided to demur Farrow’s question for the time being. “Never mind that,” I told them. “You want to thank me? Give me a lift back to wherever you’re staying. I presume you’ve got all the food you need?”
“Well we’re certainly not going to stick around here until their friends show up,” replied the woman, nodding her head towards the remains of the five revenants.
“You’re welcome to come with us,” said Farrow, shooting her a worried glance. “We’re always happy to welcome new people, and at the same time we’re in your debt.”
I nodded towards the stricken man slumped against the side of the truck, nursing the bloodied remnants of his arm. “You want to take him with you?”
“Of course,” snapped the woman irritably. “He’s still one of us. Would you like to be left behind?”
“Still one of us but only just,” I said darkly. “He’s going to turn, you know that?”
“He might not,” she replied defiantly, although there was uncertainty in her voice.
I shrugged. “Fine. We’ll take him back with us but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Lay him in the front with you,” said Kit. “You can drive. I’ll get into the back with the newbie.”

I cl
imbed into the back of the pick-up truck and held on tight. Kit joined me a moment later. I noticed they had managed to get three bags full of supplies. A few tins I imagined, hardly worth it for all the trouble they’d had as a result. Farrow started the engine and drove carefully along the narrow roads. There were a few revenants about but they did not get in our way as we proceeded along. “My name’s Kit,” said the girl eventually.
“I know,” I said awkwardly, looking down. “That other guy told me, Farrow.”
“So what’s your name?”
“Grant,” I reply.
“Is that your first or last name?” She asks me.
“Either will do fine,” I told her with a humourless smile. “You don’t need my life story and I sure as hell don’t need yours. In this world you’re either alive, dead or one of them.”
Kit scowled at me. I did not know how to be polite or to make small talk. I knew how to be respectful and I knew how to be abrupt. I did not especially want people questioning me as to my background so if Kit thought me aloof and unfriendly that was fine by me. It wasn’t as though I intended to stick around that long with a bunch of amateurs.
“So what are you?” She asked at last. “Military man?”
“Yeah,” I replied, not looking at her. “Or rather former military man. When the shit got so bad we deserted one by one. There’s no army left now. As you might imagine we were hit pretty hard.”
“So I heard,” said Kit. “So you got a weapon of any kind? A gun?”
“Just the clothes I stand up in,” I told her. “Ran out of bullets and broke my assault rifle shattering the head of one of the revenants in the woods only this morning. Left my backpack behind making a hasty retreat from a swarm.” I didn’t care for stories. I decided right away that if I were going to continue the façade of being a military man, an occupation I in fact knew next to nothing about, my best hope of pulling it off would be to talk about myself and my past as little as possible.
“Sounds like you’ve seen some shit,” said Kit.
“Yeah? Well anyone who hasn’t is already one of them,” I said with a shrug.
I looked at the girl before me, noticing her for the first time. She must have been in her mid-twenties with long auburn hair; average height, average build, slightly above average looks but then maybe I was biased. I hadn’t seen a real woman for so long. She continued to regard me with suspicion. I could see she disliked me but was fascinated by me at the same time. “How did you get separated from your unit or platoon or whatever you call it?” She persisted.
“They died,” I replied solemnly. “When things got really bad we deserted our posts, went to fend for ourselves in the town. We were holed up in this loft for over a month until the food ran out, had to go searching for more. We ran straight into a swarm. I was the only one to get away. I headed back to the loft and half starved to death until I was able to get out.”
Kit looked at me. “You don’t seem half starved to me.”
“No? Well believe me I am. You’d better have some food for when we get back to that camp of yours.”
“You’ve got some fucking gall demanding five star service when you’ve only just got here,” snapped Kit. “You’re ex-army so you’re used to being in charge I suppose? Think us civilians aren’t worth shit? Well a fat lot of a good you did us. Look at all this.” She gestured to the world around her. “The world virtually ended and fuck all you guys did about it except hiding out in lofts until you got the chance to run for your precious little lives.”
“You fight like sheep, you know that?” I snapped at her. “Weak and cornered. I’m amazed you lasted as long as you have.”
“Hey, fuck you!” Retorted Kit angrily.
“Whatever,” I shrugged. “At least I’m not afraid to kill. You’re going to need a man like me around if your performance of this afternoon was anything to go by.”
“We’ll see about that,” muttered Kit. She folded her arms and cast an anxious glance towards Block who was even now bleeding out in the cab of the truck. I sighed heavily, realising I needed to make much more of an effort than this. “I know you think I’m being harsh but my criticism has a serious side,” I told her, my tone conciliatory. “You need to stop pussyfooting around with those bastards. They aren’t human anymore, you know that?”
“I’ve seen enough of them,” muttered Kit. “And maybe they’re not human now but one day there might be a cure.”
“Forget it,” I told her sharply. “Nobody’s going to come up with a cure. Not now, not ever. You get bitten, you’re gone and the best thing anybody could do is take you down before you kill anybody else.”
“Sounds like a pretty heartless attitude,” retorted Kit.
“An attitude that’s kept me alive up until now.”
Kit said nothing to this. I decided to change the subject. “So anyway, where are we headed?”
“We’re holding out in a church,” she replied. “There are seventeen of us, mostly survivors from the village. There used to be more but, well…”
“If they fought as poorly as that I’m not surprised,” I said flippantly, but Kit’s pained expression immediately caused me to regret my words. I started to apologise but she waved me away.
“We’ve been hit hard but there are still families,” she said. “Me, my dad, a few others. My mum was one of the first in the village to get bitten, took my brother with her when she turned.”
“I suppose a church is as good a place to hide out as any,” I said with a nod, declining to be drawn into the circumstances of Kit’s own personal tragedy. “Thick walls, heavy doors, high windows and if you get a break in you can always retreat to the tower.”
“I gets cold at night,” replied Kit, staring off into the distance. “And we’re only just into September.”
“Are we?” I said in surprise. Truth be told I had completely lost track of the days and the seasons. All I remembered was that when we were first sent over to the stadium to bury the bodies it was the height of summer. I was amazed the time had gone so fast. “How did you all come to be holed up in the church?” I asked her.
“We’re lucky in that we’re isolated from any towns,” replied Kit. “Strange, but I used to hate it whilst growing up. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. Strange to think it saved my life. When the infection first hit my dad acted. He got as many people as possible into the church, pooled our supplies and boarded it up as best he could. This kept us going for the first few weeks. After that we had to start scavenging.”
“How many of you were there originally?”
“Fifty,” replied Kit with a heavy sigh. “But we’ve had five newcomers.”
“So of your original fifty just twelve remain?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah well they’re vicious bastards those revenants,” muttered Kit angrily.
“And let me guess: of those still left most of them are the elderly, the infirm and children. Anybody who could fight has already been out there and been lost.”
Kit bowed her head and said nothing.
“Who’s in charge?” I asked.
“My dad.”
I nodded. “Your dad a military man? Local politician?”
“He’s the local vicar.”
I threw back my head and laughed out loud. “I see it all now,” I chuckled. “You’re trying to pray this infection away!”
I regretted my words straight away. Kit looked at me angrily and was in the process of retorting as I raised my hands in an apologetic gesture when all of a sudden the truck veered violently from one side of the road to the other. I seized a hold of the sides and clung on for dear life as Kit made herself low on the floor. I snapped my head towards the driver’s compartment to be greeted with the sight of Farrow desperately trying to repel the newly turned revenant from his throat. The brakes were slammed on and we were both thrown forward and I tumbled over the cab of the truck as the vehicle came to an abrupt stop in a ditch where it lay at an angle on its side. Aside from a few bruises I was otherwise unhurt and recovered myself straight away. I retrieved my hammer which had fallen a little way down the grass verge and ran around to open the driver’s side door. The two of them fell out straight away, Farrow still grappling with the revenant although I could see that with the deep gash to his throat he was weakening by the second. I raised the hammer and smashed it hard into the revenant’s head, shattering it against the open driver’s side door. The revenant fell back and was still. Farrow lay on the floor moaning softly, his mouth opening and closing. Kit knelt down beside him. I grabbed hold of her and pulled her away. “Are you fucking crazy?” I exclaimed.
“But he’s still alive!” Protested Kit.
“Alive in name only,” I retorted. “Even without the epidemic there wouldn’t be much we could do for him.”
“But we can’t just leave him!”
I looked towards Farrow, slumped against the driver’s seat, blood cascading down his shirt from the gash in his throat. For now he was dying but judging from the size of his wound I estimated he would turn in a matter of minutes. “Come on,” I said urgently. “We have to get out of here.”
“But the truck…” began Kit.
“Fuck the truck!” I exclaimed angrily, motioning towards its upended wheels. “You think we’re going to be able to put our shoulders to it? That was a loud crash we just made and they’ll have heard it for some distance. The best thing we can do now is take what we can and get out of here.”
Kit seemed about to argue but the appearance of a revenant shambling down the road towards us soon changed her mind. She grabbed a rucksack from the back and slung it over her shoulder.
“Quickly,” I said. “At least we’ve got the supplies.”
“Two days of tins don’t mean shit when we’ve lost two good men and a truck,” muttered Kit bitterly as we started hurrying away from the scene at a brisk pace.