“About fifty-five miles. We’ve made good ti—”
“Bobbi! LOOK OUT!”
Wolf began to bark at exactly the same second Wren screamed. A young doe ran in front of the headlights, and Robyn jammed on the brakes, steering the best she could as the car went into a spin. She and Wren both let out frightened cries as Wolf carried on yelping, desperately trying to stay upright in the back seat.
The doe stopped for the briefest of pauses before continuing over the road, but the damage was done; the car was out of control as the tyres screeched over the tarmac. There was a loud thud as the undercarriage mounted the verge, and the sound of embedded rocks and stones pummelled and dented the metal. The girls continued screaming, and Wolf continued to bark, even after the car had ground to a halt.
The engine stalled with a judder, and somehow the right indicator had been flicked on in the hubbub. As Wolf finally fell silent, that was the only sound that could be heard. It was almost like a ticking clock. They were just waiting for the alarm to sound and then maybe they could wake from this nightmare. The bell didn’t ring, but their hearts gradually returned to a normal pace, more so when Wren heard Wolf panting.
“Are you okay?” Robyn asked.
“Err … yeah, I think so. You?”
“Yeah. Wolf … is Wolf okay?”
Wren unclipped her seat belt and turned around. The car was at a forty-five-degree angle, and Wolf was down in the footwell, but as she flicked her torch on and reached across to pat the back seat, he jumped up with no effort.
“Good boy. You okay, boy?” She leaned over her seat further to kiss him then returned to face the front. “He’s fine.”
“I’m really sorry about that.”
“What are you sorry about? There was no way to see that coming, and you did amazing. It would have been easy for us to crash into a tree or roll over or something, but we’re all safe and in one piece.”
“I suppose. Bloody hell, that was close.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I suppose we’d better get going again.” Robyn turned the key in the ignition, and the engine coughed numerous times but did not start. “Oh crap.” She tried again and achieved the same result, then again.
“Should we take a look?” Wren asked.
“At what? I don’t have a clue about engines. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“I suppose that means we’re walking.”
“In the dark, in the middle of nowhere, with no food, and hardly any water.”
“I suppose we can stay here until—wait a minute, what’s that smell?”
“My guess is Wolf, but on this occasion I can’t really blame him.”
“No, not that smell, the other one.”
Robyn sniffed at the air. “Oh shit, it’s petrol.”
Wren tried to open her door, but the awkward angle meant it was wedged against something. Robyn climbed out of the driver’s side then helped Wren across, rucksack and all, before opening the rear door and coaxing Wolf then retrieving her weapons. She secured the crisscrossed scabbards to her back then slid on her rucksack before finally placing the bow and quivers over her shoulder.
“Do you think it could blow?” Wren asked.
“I don’t know. I mean you see it in the movies sometimes, don’t you? The fuel leaks and then there’s a spark and then boom, and I mean it’s not like fire doesn’t seem to follow you around.”
“It doesn’t follow me around,” Wren said as all three of them moved away from the vehicle.
“Whatever, I’m not taking any risks.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Wren retrieved one of her crossbows and a handful of bolts then placed the rucksack on her shoulders.
“You’re not going to be able to see much in the dark to aim at, are you?”
“I’d rather have a weapon than not.”
“I suppose.”
“I think we’re only about five miles out of Inverness.”
“Great, so we could bump into a pack of roaming zombies at any time is what you’re telling me.”
“Listen. That house I told you about, the one where I lived all those months when I was still hoping you might show up, it’s on the outskirts. I kept a stash there just in case.”
“In case what?”
“When I left for Safe Haven initially, I didn’t know Grandad was there. I didn’t know what to think. I just decided that if ever I needed to make a run for it, I’d have kind of a bug-out bag waiting for me there. The place had a well, and I don’t know about you, but I haven’t eaten in ages. I wouldn’t mind breakfast before we carry on.”
“That sounds good.”
They carried on walking down the road. Thankfully the rain had stopped completely. Wolf began to growl, and both girls tensed. Robyn grabbed her swords, and Wren raised her crossbow, despite having no idea where or what she was aiming at. She withdrew the torch from her pocket with her left hand and shone it towards the bushes, and a large red-eyed rat stared back at them.
Wolf took a threatening step towards it, and it vanished. “God, Wolf! Are you trying to give us a heart attack?” Wren said.
They continued a little further then Robyn placed her hand out to stop her sister. “Maybe this isn’t such a great idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean we’ve always said, wherever possible, we’d avoid travelling at night, and right now we’ve got forest to the left, forest to the right and there could be anything lurking anywhere. Maybe we should listen to our own advice. We’re taking a really big risk being out here.”
“Like we’ve got a lot of choice.”
“Well, how about, I don’t know, grabbing an hour’s kip in a tree or something?”
The last time Wren had spent the night in a tree was during her long, fruitless vigil waiting for her sister the night they were both separated. “I suppose. Wolf could stay at the bottom and keep guard, at least when we set off again, we’d be able to see what we were doing.”
They left the road and slowly made their way into the darkness of the woodland. Every shadow threatened horror as Wren panned the torch from side to side, looking for a tree that could offer them safety. Then she saw one, a mighty oak with boughs as thick as tree trunks. Robyn climbed up first, settling into a wide groove eight feet off the ground. Wren made a fuss of Wolf before climbing up to join her.
Robyn wrapped her arm tightly around her sister and kissed her on the head before they both drifted into sleep.
chapter 4
It was light when Wren opened her eyes, but that was the full extent of what she could gather. A thick fog shrouded the forest around them. She looked down to the base of the tree to see Wolf was still asleep amidst a pile of red leaves.
“Bobbi … Bobbi … it’s time to get up.”
“Ugh! It feels like we’ve only just gone to sleep.”
“I know, but it’s light … kind of.”
“What is it with Scotland? Why can’t we just have like the same weather all day long, is that too much to ask?”
“Come on, the sooner we get started the sooner we can get some grub.”
They climbed down from the tree, made a fuss of Wolf and took a drink from their water bottles before heading back out of the woodland and onto the road. “This isn’t that much different from travelling at night. I mean it’s not like we can see anything, is it?”
“The good thing is those things won’t be able to see us until they’re right on top of us either,” Wren replied chirpily.
“Brilliant. That makes me feel so much better, thanks.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Maybe we should head cross country; it might be a bit safer.”
“Probably not a good idea.”
“You’ve got your compass, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but we don’t have a map and this road twists and turns quite a bit. Without being able to see any landmarks, I’d only be able to get us in the general direction.”
>
“Okay, well, just keep your eyes peeled.”
“I’ll be sure to thoroughly scour every inch of the five metres I can see in front of me.”
“Smart arse.”
“I’m just saying, it’s not like I’d be doing anything else, is it? Anyway, Wolf will let us know if there’s anything to worry about.”
“The only problem with that is, unless you’ve taught him some amazing trick you’ve not told me about, he’s not going to be able to tell us how many we’re up against. It could be one, it could be a hundred.”
“Okay, so how about if he growls, we scarper? We head into the woods and—” Wolf suddenly started to growl. “Oh shit!”
All three of them froze, and Wren placed her fingers beneath Wolf’s collar to silence him.
At first, they couldn’t be sure where the sound was coming from. The fog was playing tricks on their other senses, but then the creature’s guttural grumble corkscrewed through the mist towards them. It was on the road and heading in their direction. As they listened more intently, there was a higher-pitched accompaniment.
Robyn withdrew her swords, ready, and Wren cocked the lever on her pistol crossbow, raising it up in front of her. Despite their plan to run into the trees, they both realised at the same moment that they would have no idea what they were running into.
They waited, and the hackles on Wolf’s neck rippled as he stood to attention ready to pounce. The first beast emerged from the thick white soup like a buoy bobbing on the ocean waves. It was only when it caught sight of the two living, breathing humans that it began to charge, quickly followed by a second and a third, the latter two being children in life.
Wren took aim and fired, bringing the six-foot zombie father to a crashing halt on the tarmac. He had what looked like fresh bites on his chest and neck. The children, presumably brother and sister in life, ran towards Wren and Robyn like animated matchstick figures. It had clearly been some time since any of them had eaten a good meal, and judging from the bite wounds on their bodies, they had not been turned long.
Robyn stepped forward and swished both swords in perfect synchronicity. The heads of the sibling creatures launched into the dense fog, hitting the tarmac with loud, bloody thumps before rolling to the sides of the road. The bodies immediately collapsed to the ground, and it was all over.
Wren, Robyn and Wolf continued staring into the mist for the best part of a minute, waiting for a second onslaught, but it never came. Neither of the girls said anything; this was not something to be celebrated. A short time ago, this family had been among the living; now life, hope and a future had been snatched away, imprisoning them in the bodies of flesh-craving ghouls.
They resumed their journey in silence. It was strange how they settled back into a routine. Even though Robyn was using swords rather than just a bow, there was still an unspoken understanding between the two of them. When they had first set off from Edinburgh, they were like cogs trying to turn in opposite directions, constantly working against one another, but then things gradually changed, and even after such a long time apart, they acted as a single unit now.
They slowed again as a chiming sound drifted through the fog. “What is that?” Wren asked, raising her bow once more.
“It’s like the sound Dad’s car made when the door was open.”
They carried on a little farther, and then they saw it. A black Ford Mondeo had left the road and smashed into a tree. The driver’s side front and rear doors were open, and as they got closer still, they could see a figure thrashing wildly in the front passenger seat. They stood looking in for a few seconds as the beast locked eyes with Robyn. Its malevolent black pupils bore holes through her, and it began to smash its head against the glass, eager to reach the two girls. Its seat belt was still firmly locked in position and Robyn and Wren bent down further to try to piece together what had actually happened.
“I’m guessing she got bitten, turned in mid journey, bit the husband, he got out of the car, opened up the back door for the kids to escape; then, before they could get too far, he turned too.”
“Hark at Miss Marple.”
“It’s not funny, Bobbi.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I suppose love can kill you just as easily as hate.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the sensible thing to do as soon as she got bitten would be to leave her behind. Get the kids in the car and go. It’s no mystery; she would turn, sooner or later.”
“Could you do that? Could you do that to me?”
“No fear. You get bitten, I’m off,” Robyn said, smiling. Wren did not reciprocate. “No. No, of course I couldn’t, but…”
“But what?”
“The kids … I mean, y’know, what about the kids?”
“Maybe he was thinking about the kids. Maybe he was hoping they could get out of whatever trouble they were in, get away from whatever did this to her and then say goodbye properly.”
“I suppose.”
“God, it’s horrible.”
Robyn walked around to the open driver’s door and crouched down to look inside. The creature turned and lunged, getting much closer to Robyn than she’d thought possible, given the constraints of the seat belt. Its arms reached out hopelessly, and it strained against the reinforced strap, all the time snapping its teeth as if just the action would miraculously make succulent flesh appear in its mouth. Robyn lined the sword up and, as respectfully as she could, put the creature to sleep. It lolled to the right, and a surprising feeling of sadness swept over Robyn.
She had put hundreds of these things out of their eternal suffering without so much as a second thought, but for some reason, this one was different. She leaned in and gently brushed the long, lank brown hair over the creature’s face, disguising that it was anything other than the woman it had once been. It was no longer a vicious monster intent on attacking Robyn; it was the mother who had hoped for happiness with her family, a bright future for her children.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before closing the car door and silencing the chime.
“Are you okay, Bobbi?” Wren asked, walking around the back of the car to join her.
“Yeah, it’s just …”
“What?”
“It just hits you sometimes, doesn’t it? I mean that could have been Mum and Dad. We could have been those kids. This could all have gone so differently.”
Wren reached out and took her sister’s hand. “One thing I didn’t tell you last night that I should have done.”
“What’s that?”
“How proud I am of you.”
Robyn just looked at Wren for a few seconds. “What do you mean? For what?”
“For not giving up, for fighting through everything, even though the odds were against you; for saving those children, for not forgetting about your friend. We left each other as kids, you and me, and you came back as this amazing woman. I’m so proud of you, you wouldn’t believe it.”
A single tear fell down Robyn’s face, then another, and before long, there were torrents running from both eyes. She wrapped her arms around Wren, and they held each other until the tears finally stopped. “Thank you. You were the one thing that kept me going. I kept hearing your nagging little nerdy voice in my head, always telling me to do the right thing.” They both giggled.
“Yeah, well, it worked.”
“Love you, Wren.”
“Love you, Bobbi.”
“I suppose we should check the car, see if there’s anything useful in it.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any way it will drive, is there?”
“I told you, I’m not an expert, but I think the technical term for the state of this vehicle is shagged.”
“Fair enough.”
The girls searched the glove compartment, under the footwells, the boot, everywhere. There wasn’t even a spare tyre.
“Oh well, it was worth a look, I suppose.”
“Don’t worry; it won’t take us that long to get t
o the farm I stayed at. We’ll get some grub there.”
“I don’t suppose—”
“Before you even ask, no.”
“You don’t know what I’m going to say.”
“You were going to ask if I had any Pop-Tarts.”
There was a pause of a few seconds. “No, I wasn’t.”
Wren folded her arms. “Okay then, what were you going to ask?”
“Err … I was going to ask if … err … okay, smart arse, I was going to ask if there were any Pop-Tarts.”
The three of them slowly moved off, heading into the foggy unknown. “I really don’t know what it is with you and those things. They are so unhealthy.”
“Yeah, well, so’s smoking.”
Wren’s brow furrowed. “I don’t smoke.”
“Yeah, well, neither do I, so … Pop-Tarts are like my tobacco. Everybody’s got some bad habits.”
“I see you haven’t lost your ability to bring any argument to a crashing halt with your unique brand of Bobbi-logic.”
“Hey, I know it’s foggy, but can you see how many fingers I’m holding up?”
“Very funny.”
“On the subject of tobacco, does Grandad still have that God-awful pipe?”
“Oh yes. He’s got enablers. Mike, Shaw and Hu—” Wren cut off and suddenly looked sad.
“What is it?” Robyn asked.
“I was about to say Hughes. He was one of the people who died yesterday. He was a lovely man. Always called me sunshine; always had a smile on his face.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He isn’t the first friend I’ve lost; he won’t be the last, it’s just you forget sometimes. It all kind of blurs.”
“I know what you mean.”
They carried on walking, listening to the sounds of the surrounding forest, listening for any danger lurking ahead. Gradually the fog began to lift a little, then a little more. Then the forest gave way to fields, and finally the world … or at least this particular piece of Scotland stretched out in front of them in all its sunny glory.
“Takes your breath away, doesn’t it?”
“Kind of.”
“What’s wrong?”
The End of Everything | Book 8 | The End of Everything Page 3