The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit (7 page)

She peered through to the other side and could see some dusty old cardboard boxes and an old wedding dress hanging from a rusty hook. There was a large window in the roof and she could make out some congealed spray snow around the edges, it all looked very odd. Another noise came from the landing and Amber knew she needed to get into the strange room next door before she had company. Picking and peeling away at the paper and the small chunks of chalk the hole was getting bigger by the minute. Now Amber could just about push her face into the craggy hole, so she did, it smelt stuffy, like daddy’s old football socks.

Now she could see an empty birdcage with a sheet hanging off the one side of it and an old set of golf clubs but then in corner of the dusty loft was the ‘piece de resistance’, a dolls house as big as Amber had ever seen. To think it had been only next door within reaching distance all this time, for a split second she forgot about grandad and stinky dog woman.

‘Ammmmmberrr!’ The blood curdling cry made the little girl snap back into reality and she turned around quickly.

There clawing his way into the loft, blood streaming from his arms where his skin was being torn on the splintered wood was her grandfather Cyril Meadows. Gnashing his teeth and spitting blood his bulging black eyes were transfixed on his young Granddaughter. He let out another howl and then he pulled himself into the loft as naked as the day he was born.

Amber panicked and screamed, she doted on her grandad but this creature scraping and slithering into her room wasn’t the grandad she knew and loved. Using both arms she smashed the sides of the small hole and pushed her way into the loft next door but got stuck trying to squeeze her shoulders through. Amber screamed again when she could hear the footsteps flapping behind her.

Cyril Meadows stumbled over the floorboards like a drunken sailor on shore leave coughing as he went. Bewildered and rabid he looked wildly from side to side looking for his little girl. He coughed again, more blood spilling from his mouth, he then sprayed out the last droplets at the wall. He could hear screaming, a little girl screaming but it was hard to detect where it was coming from as it mingled with the high pitched screeching that was endlessly rattling around his now mulched brain. Then he could see feet, little feet kicking out. Cyril became excited, he licked his lips and staggered towards the movement.

Amber heaved with all her might, she could hear the slathering and slapping of her grandad’s naked body getting ever closer. She managed to get one shoulder through and then the other followed, then like a wriggling worm she slid through to the other side but just as she was about to land a cold clammy hand held onto her right foot.

‘Get off!’ Amber squealed kicking out in terror. It was no use the hand was like a vice and it was getting tighter by the second. She managed to turn herself around to face the hole but wished she hadn’t when through the gloom she could see grandad trying to bite off her toes.

‘Noooooooo grandad!’ She cried. Amber then used her other foot like a missile and launched it back through the hole. It caught him on the cheek bone and it instantly shattered.

Cyril Meadows let out a spine chilling shriek and let go of his granddaughter’s foot. His face felt as though it was on fire and the pain crashed into the nerve endings of his teeth and shot down his throat. He moaned and groaned holding his face, blood seeping out of his nostrils, he wasn’t going to give up that easily though, not when the prize was so close.

Amber fell to the loft floor with a thump and the dust flew into the air. Coughing and spluttering she got to her feet but as soon as she did a pair of bloody hands came at her. She backed away but the bony fingers grabbed her pyjama top and wouldn’t let go.

‘Please grandad go away!’ She pleaded loudly.

Cyril Meadows smashed his head through the hole in the wall, plasterboard flying into the air.

Amber screamed so loudly that all the birds flew from the satellite dish situated on the chimney pot directly above her. Reaching down she tried to grab a golf club but just missed, her grandad was now pulling her closer his teeth cracking together like a snapping alligator.

Amber pulled away again and a button tore from her top, she could just reach out and grab the eight iron. Without hesitating she smashed it into her grandad’s face and then swiped him again for luck, he let go. Amber didn’t stay to see if grandad was hurt or not, she didn’t stay to look at the doll’s house either. She ran from the loft room down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen, ignoring the decomposing Mrs Sinnot lying on the ceramic tiles. Amber opened the kitchen door and ran into the back garden and out of the side gate. There she stood looking up the street as the sun was dancing on the horizon, she was a very scared little girl but for now she was a free little girl.

Chapter Nine

‘Is that smoke?’ Angel pointed in the general direction into which they were headed.

It’s black smoke too.’ Jake ducked his head under the visor to get a better look.

‘What does that mean?’

Jake shrugged. ‘I don’t know but I always think black smoke looks worse, house fire that sort of thing.’

‘Thank you David Attenborough.’ Angel replied sarcastically. ‘And when will your new book
Where there is smoke there is fire
be out?’

Jake laughed, Angel had a wicked sense of humour. The more he got to know her the more he became attracted. He stopped smiling and became more pensive.

‘Don’t.’ Angel said.

‘Don’t what?’

‘Don’t think about us, the kiss, it’s not good for us, it will eat away at everything we have.’

Jake was shocked, she had just come straight out with it. He had been worrying about broaching the subject for days and then Angel had just flung it out there.

‘How do you know I was thinking about that?’

‘Because I have.’ Angel flicked the switch and opened the window. ‘I know you have, you bumble about and nervously laugh when we start to talk, you are too easy to read.’ She placed a cigarette between her lips. ‘It will ruin what we have.’

‘What do we have?’ Jake asked uncertain he wanted to know the answer.

‘This.’ Angel exhaled smoke from her nostrils and opened the palms of her hands. ‘We are survivors, friends
,
we
can’t
over complicate things.’ She drew her legs up and squeezed her feet up onto the dashboard. ‘Things are complicated enough without a relationship evolving and messing with our heads. It’s the last thing we all need.’

‘Okay.’ Jake said slowly.

‘We need to be on guard twenty four seven, we are surviving from hand to mouth one day at a time. What happens if it doesn’t work out? I have Lou to think of.’

‘What happens if it goes well?’ Jake challenged Angel with a smile.

‘It’s too risky, we need to keep things simple.’

‘Oh Christ.’ Jake came to the brow of the hill and in the distance he could see Wisteria Hall ablaze. Their little heart to heart had been temporarily extinguished.

‘Oh my God.’ Angel threw the half smoked cigarette out of the truck window. ‘Alice.’

Jake put his foot down and for the next seven or so minutes they both sat silently in the Nissan Navara. As they got closer they could see the extent of the fire. It wasn’t just the main manor house but all the out buildings were raging with flames.

‘Why?’ Angel couldn’t take her eyes off the large estate, it looked like a living hell.

‘The infected?’ Jake looked around suddenly realising they might not be alone. Angel got his drift and quickly closed the passenger window.

‘Let’s take this dirt track, I think it sweeps around the bottom field and winds its way up to the back of the house.’ Jake took a sharp right and the truck bounced up the single lane dust flying into the air.

***

‘Can’t we go outside?’ Lou Pepper complained.

‘We stay here, we don’t move until Angel and Jake return with your toy.’ Roger still couldn’t believe the other two had gone back for a stuffed animal.

‘It’s not a toy!’ Lou remonstrated. ‘His name is Rufus.’

Roger ignored the young girl grabbed his brown leather jacket and moved away from where they were sat and walked to the window. Oxton looked like a small village in the middle of nowhere, he could see a very old small church on the bend in the road.
Why was he giving Lou such a hard time?
He had two little ones of his own, he knew what kids were like.
Were they still alive?
The odds didn’t look good but he had to get to Bath and find out. If everyone was dead, he couldn’t even think about it. Suicide, a subject he thought he would never have to tackle suddenly leaped into his head.

‘Roger I need the toilet.’ Lou’s voice made him smile, perhaps he should treat Lou like a daughter, there may not be many daughters left in the country. The next generation were precious cargo, he walked back towards her with a smile. ‘I think there is one in the back of this hall. Let’s go and take a look.’ He took her hand, it was small and soft and as he walked with her he imagined it was his youngest, his Emily.

God he missed them.
He knew Suzanne would have made sure the girls were safe and sound whatever had occurred down in Bath. Jessica could look after herself and was just turning into a stroppy teenager, Suzanne would say she was following in her father's footsteps. Emily on the other hand was a few years younger and still stayed close to her Daddy wherever they went. He remembered them all waving from the window the morning he had left the family home. A tear trickled down his cheek and he squeezed Lou’s hand a little tighter.

‘You can let go now Roger.’ Lou looked up at the man who had his eyes closed tight. ‘You can let go now.’ She called out again but Roger stood still breathing deep and steady.

‘Roger!’ Lou shouted.

He jumped and let go of the little girl’s hand. He quickly wiped away the tear that had rested in the crease on the side of his mouth.

‘Are you crying Roger?’ Lou asked now concerned.

‘No, no.’ Roger ushered her towards the ladies toilet. ‘Just had a little bit of dust in my eye.’

‘Silly dust.’ Lou harrumphed as she opened the door. ‘It gets everywhere.’

***

Jake pushed the driver’s door open and ran from the truck. He raised his hand to protect his face from the searing heat.

‘Be careful.’ Angel shouted following closely only three steps behind him.

‘What the hell has happened?’ He shouted. Jake then moved closer to the back of the house, the hedges were on fire and crackling like fireworks.

‘Watch out!’ Angel screamed and then tugged his collar to bring him back. A huge chunk of burning wisteria fell from the wall of the manor house and crashed to the ground, embers shot into the air.

‘Jesus, that was too close.’ 

‘This way.’ Angel pushed her way through a part of the hedge yet to succumb to the flames, she then found her way around the side of the manor house and to the side of the orangery.

Jake followed closely and then took the lead.

‘The barn.’ He pointed to the mass of orange flames licking the evening sky. He ran over to the entrance but the heat was just too much for him to get close. ‘Charles!’ He shouted. ‘Janet!’

‘Alice!’ Angel stood next to Jake but the barn was engulfed. ‘Look!’ Angel pointed through the thick smoke.

‘Where?’ All Jake could see was smoke and flames.

‘I can see feet.’

‘Feet!’ Jake still couldn’t see anything.

A warm blast then shot through the air taking them both by surprise and both Angel and Jake fell to the ground. A huge balloon of yellow and red rode through the barn roof like a tidal wave, the building creaked and groaned and timbers started to smash to the ground.

Jake pulled Angel to her feet. ‘The petrol.’ He motioned to the now rapidly disappearing building. ‘It must have exploded.’

‘I saw feet.’ Angel was shouting over the roar of the flames.

Jake nodded. ‘I believe you.’ They both moved back, the roof finally gave way and the walls started to tumble brick by brick. ‘Whoever or whatever was in there, well they are gone now.’

Angel pulled away from Jake to get back to the barn.

Jake pulled her back. ‘What are you doing?’

‘They could still be alive.’

‘No.’ He pulled Angel to his side. ‘They are gone.’

Angel looked at the funeral pyre, Jake was right, no one could survive.

‘Look, over there.’ Jake moved away from the house and looked down the field. ‘The animals are burning!’ He couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘Oh my God, who would do that?’ Angel was sickened at the sight of the cows lying on the ground their legs stuck upright through the smoke.

‘This is no accident.’ Jake turned to Angel. ‘I don’t think the infected would do this either, it’s too organised, too pin pointed.’

‘Time to leave?’ Angel had seen and heard enough.

‘I think so.’

They both fought their way back around to the where the truck was parked but what met them when they got there was even worse than what they had just both witnessed.

***

‘Can you hear something?’ Lou Pepper raced to the window of the village hall.

‘Get away from there.’ Roger chased her and pulled her from view. ‘Lou you have to be more careful.’

‘But Angel is back.’ She tried to lead Roger back to the window,

‘We don’t know that though, do we?’

‘I can hear a car.’ Again she tugged Roger’s hand.

‘It might be someone else, we can’t be too sure it’s them.’

‘Who else would it be?’ Lou could only think about Angel and Jake.

‘Well.’ Roger had to be careful what he said, he didn’t want to scare the young girl. ‘There could be some nasty people around, people we don’t want to meet.’

Lou screwed up her face. ‘Like the naked monsters?’

Roger smiled,
kids.
‘Yes like the naked people, we call them the infected.’

‘Here they come, with Rufus.’ Lou jumped up and down as a vehicle trundled down the main road and then appeared from around the bend partially blocking out the old church.

‘Get down.’ Roger hit the deck and pulled Lou down with him.