The End of Everything | Book 8 | The End of Everything

by Artinian, Christopher

  “See, piece of cake.”

  Robyn slid the bow and quivers over her shoulder and wedged them into place beneath the rucksack before carefully climbing onto the ladder. When she had done this before at that bank, there had been a key motivational factor that was missing now. Zombies. The prospect of falling to her death beat the idea of getting ripped to shreds by a pack of flesh-craving monsters hands down, but willingly crawling across a rickety aluminium roof ladder with nothing to break her fall but concrete or tarmac was something else.

  “Make sure it’s secure at that end, won’t you?”

  “It’s fine. Solid as a rock,” Wren said as Robyn slowly began to edge across the makeshift bridge. “Just remember, don’t look down.”

  Looking down had been the last thing on Robyn’s mind, but, suddenly, she found the words don’t look down almost commanding her to do the opposite and, as if in some kind of trance, her eyes shifted from Wren and the opposite roof to the road below. She had travelled about six feet but found she could move no further. The grey tarmac became the sole focus of her attention, and she felt sweat begin to trickle down her back. “Why did you have to say that?” she whispered as doubt seized her.

  “Bobbi? Bobbi? What’s wrong?”

  “I … I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Lift your head and look at me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. You’ve done this before.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’ve done it before, you can do it again.” Something made Wren look from her sister to the street, but suddenly she wished she hadn’t. A group of a dozen or so creatures were charging up the road, presumably enticed by the clatter of the ladder and now the shouting. “Remember why we’re doing this, Sis. Now, listen to my voice. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and then lift your head.” For a moment, Robyn just stayed put with her eyes glued to the street below. Then she saw what her sister had seen.

  “Oh shit!” she cried.

  “Never mind them, Bobbi. Do as I say. Close your eyes.”

  Robyn glanced towards the charging beasts once more then she closed her eyes and breathed in and out three times before lifting her head. “Okay, good,” shouted Wren. “Now open your eyes and look at me. Keep looking at me and only me.”

  Robyn’s eyelids flicked open, and there was her sister with an encouraging smile on her face. “Okay. What now?”

  “Now, just take it all very slowly. Keep looking at me, Bobbi, and start moving again.” Robyn took several more deep breaths and kept her eyes fixed on Wren. The noise of the excited creatures below filled the air with the sound of death, but, for now, Robyn was deaf to it. The only sound she heard was her sister’s words of encouragement. “That’s it. You’re doing great. Not far to go now.”

  It was only a few metres, but it felt like a mile. By the time she reached the last rung, her entire body was slick with sweat. Wren grabbed hold of her firmly and guided her over the safety rail. “Thank you,” Robyn said softly.

  “You’re welcome. Don’t worry; the next one won’t be as bad.”

  “There’s another?” Robyn almost screeched as she stepped back from her sister to gauge if she was joking or not.

  “Yeah, but it’s much easier than that one. It’s actually a rope line, and I managed to get hold of—”

  “Did you say a rope line?”

  “Yeah. It’s a proper climbing rope, and I got a couple of carabiners too, which I used to hook my belt to the rope, so that way—”

  “Oh my God! I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “You’ll be fine.”

  Robyn looked back to the ladder then down towards the small group of beasts before finally facing her sister once more. “Okay.” She sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

  They travelled over multiple rooftops, and with each metre, the sound of the horde became louder. Eventually, Wren stopped as they arrived at another safety barrier. Neatly tied up exactly where she had left them all those months before was a collection of climbing ropes. She put four of them in her rucksack and handed three to Robyn, who just looked at them for a moment. “Trust me, you never know when they might come in handy,” Wren said, and her sister reluctantly slid them into her backpack. Finally, she grabbed a green climbing rope with a sturdy four-pronged hook attached to the end. “Here we go,” Wren said, smiling proudly.

  “Let me get this straight. You’re going to lob that rope over to that building, hope that thingy holds and then we’re going to climb across?”

  “That thingy is a heavy-duty grappling anchor hook, which is firmly secured to the end of the rope. I’ll be tying the other end to this barrier,” she said, smashing it with her fist to demonstrate how secure it was. “Then we’ll loop the carabiners around our belts, hook them to the line and pull ourselves across.”

  “Oh, now you say it like that it seems much less dangerous.”

  “I’ve done this a load of times. Tru—”

  “Don’t say it. I do. You know I do; otherwise, I wouldn’t even be up here talking about this with you. Let me just get my head around it for a second.”

  “While you’re getting your head around it, I’ll get the line secured,” Wren said, beginning to swing the grappling anchor in bigger and bigger circles until there was enough momentum to carry it to the roof on the opposite side of the street. It landed with a loud clunk, and Wren carefully pulled on the rope until it hooked around the solid metal railing. She tugged hard to make sure it was safe then weaved the end she was holding around the security barrier on their building before tying a tight knot. She plucked it like it was a giant bass string and it twanged loudly. “Solid as a rock. It could probably take both of us at the same time if you want.”

  “Ooh yeah, I’d just love that. No, I tell you what, we’ll save that treat in case we ever come up here again.”

  “With a bit of luck, we’ll never have to step foot on any of these roofs again. I’m hoping this is a one-time thing.”

  “Well, that’s something else we’ve got in common.” Robyn looked down at the road once again.

  “Listen, we get across here, and that’s it. We’ll be able to get a view of the street that guy said the lorry went over on.”

  “And then what?”

  “Then we figure out what to do next. I know this makes you nervous, but I need you to be strong now. I need you to be the woman you’ve become over the last few months. What we’ve got ahead of us isn’t going to be a cakewalk, and we’re both going to have to be at the top of our game.”

  “Says the girl who’s just been shot.”

  “Exactly. You’re going to have to pick up any slack.”

  Robyn took a deep breath. “You’re right. Sorry, Sis. I won’t let you down.”

  “You never have. Do you want me to go first?”

  “No. I’ve got this one,” Robyn replied, climbing over the railing and fixing the carabiner to her belt before attaching it to the rope. She took another deep breath and gripped the smooth nylon tightly in both hands before swinging her body out and hooking her legs around. A thousand butterflies started to flap in her stomach, but she had made her sister a promise and she wasn’t going to break it. “See you on the other side.”

  chapter 19

  Asection of rust the size of a watermelon flew into the cargo compartment causing a number of the occupants to scream.

  “Oh shit!” Dean yelled. “This isn’t going to hold much longer.” As he spoke the words, another piece fell away, making the hole even wider.

  “Maybe if we use some of the panelling we have used for the other side,” Mila said.

  “What’s the point?” another woman cried, taking her hands away from the metal wall and standing up straight. More and more light was beginning to seep into the lorry container now as the relentless barrage continued. “We may as well just give up. Now or five minutes from now, it’s going to be the same result.”

&nbs
p; There was movement on the other side of the compartment, and Rod emerged out of the throng of bodies. “Thought you could use some help over here.”

  “I don’t know how much use it’s going to be. As soon as a couple more of those studs go, the momentum is going to be with them, and whether we like it or not, that panel is coming down, and those things will be in here,” Dean replied.

  “Okay, well, until that happens, let’s just keep on pushing and try to figure something out, shall we?”

  “I didn’t really have any other plans.”

  “Oi, you,” Rod said to the woman, “Get back here and push.”

  “I told you, there’s no—”

  “This isn’t up for debate. Get your weight behind this panel now.”

  Rod could see shock and anger on the woman’s face at being ordered around in such an abrupt manner, but, regardless, she obeyed and took up her position next to him. “There’s no point,” she said again. “There’s only one way this is going to end.”

  “I was wondering if we could use some of the fencing from the opposite wall,” Mila said.

  Over the sound of the growling and the incessant banging came another noise none of them had heard before. At first, the metallic grind of a section of undercarriage collapsing puzzled them, but as soon as the much louder, considerably more hollow bass drum accompaniment of dozens of fists smashing against the plywood filled the compartment, they all knew instantly what had happened.

  “You were saying?” Rod yelled over the tumult.

  As the panels at both ends of the lorry continued to shift and bow and more sections of rust dislodged, allowing in stray beams of light, Mila could clearly see the defeated expression on her friend’s face.

  “This is it, isn’t it?” Mila said. Rod could not really hear the words as they came out of her mouth, but she could have remained silent and he would still have been able to read the thoughts behind those eyes. He nodded sadly. “Scheisse!”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Robyn surprised herself with how effortlessly she made the journey across. This time she did not make the mistake of glancing down until her feet were planted firmly on the other roof. Her stomach churned a little as she did. It was another long drop. She looked across to her sister, who was already pulling herself along the rope. A few seconds later, they were standing next to each other once again.

  The sound of the creatures was cacophonous now. Robyn and Wren continued over the rooftops until Wren put her hand out to stop her sister.

  “Okay. Be careful here. If memory serves, there’s no safety rail,” she said, looking across to the edge of the roof.

  “This is it? This is the one?”

  “Yeah.”

  The pair cautiously stepped forward, both sharing the same anxiety. They had been so intent on getting to where the lorry was they had not really considered the next step of the plan if indeed there was any step to take.

  “Oh, God.” Robyn couldn’t even hear her own words as the creatures’ dirge swallowed her and Wren. For a moment they both just looked, their mouths wide open in horror. Even the overpowering stink of death and decay was not enough to force them to turn away. They were spellbound.

  “I’ve never seen so many in one place,” Wren shouted over the growls and banging. “There must be a thousand of them … more even.” She looked across to her sister for a response, but none came. Tears were pouring down Robyn’s cheeks as she stared towards the scene below.

  Wren reached out to take her hand and eventually Robyn looked at her. “It’s all over,” she said, turning around and stepping away from the edge.

  The lorry was surrounded. The windscreen had been stoved in completely, whoever had been in the cab would have been the first victims. The ordeal for the rest of them would be a much more drawn out affair. What was I thinking? What were we going to do when we got here? I’ve just made things worse. Now she knows the hell her friend is going through. Wren turned away too and went to join her sister, placing a gentle hand on her back.

  “What was I thinking? I was an idiot to want to come here.”

  “It’s my fault,” Wren replied. “I told you I knew where this was; I told you we’d be able to figure a way to get to them. I knew it would be bad, but I didn’t expect this.”

  For a few minutes, they stood in silence with their backs to the street they had battled so hard to get to. Robyn continued to cry while Wren wracked her brains. The situation seemed impossible. Maybe if they’d waited, maybe if she’d spoken to Mike and the others they would have agreed to come and now she and Robyn wouldn’t be facing this alone. Suddenly, she had a light bulb moment. Sammy, Mike’s youngest sister, had told Wren about how her brother had lured a horde away so the rest of the family could get to safety soon after they had left Leeds. That’s what I can do. It won’t be plain sailing, but I can outrun most people on my worst day. No way Bobbi will let me do it though.

  “I’ve never felt so helpless in my life,” Robyn said in between sobs.

  Wren’s heart broke at that moment. The strong woman who had come back to her had been shattered by guilt. She was that insecure young girl again.

  Deep breath. I can do this. “I might have an idea.”

  “What kind of idea?”

  “It might be nothing. Just give me a minute.”

  “I don’t want you taking any stupid risks.”

  “No stupid risks; don’t worry. Just wait here a minute, I want to check something.”

  Wren walked across to the roof entrance and opened the door revealing the dark stairwell beyond. She glanced back at her sister, who already had a suspicious look on her face. Wren flicked on her torch and began to descend the staircase as the door swung to and fro in the breeze. How many times had she made this journey? The ground floor had once been a Chinese takeaway, and somehow the smell still lingered.

  She entered the kitchen, and the noise of the beasts outside made the walls around her shake. She walked across to the fire door and hit the panic bar, ready to slam it shut again if the creatures had seeped into the alley. To her relief, it was clear. She stepped out into what had once been a small car park for the delivery drivers and went across to the broken window of Demario’s, the biggest Italian restaurant in the city. During the months she frequented Inverness she had constructed a labyrinth of escape routes, and she’d hoped she’d never have to visit any of her old haunts again, but this was too important.

  She climbed through the window, remembering how disappointed she had been to discover that all the foodstuffs had been cleared out long before the outbreak had begun. As she left the expansive kitchen and entered the darkened restaurant area, the din of the horde became slightly more muted. She opened the door of the entrance vestibule and let it swing shut behind her as she stepped forward to the formidable front doors. She had used a crowbar to pry and jimmy this lock. She remembered how it had taken her an age, but she also knew that having a good escape route in a city was the difference between living and dying, and it had been worth it a hundred times over.

  Wren took a deep breath, placed her hand around the thick, vertical stainless-steel handle and pulled the door inwards. She was hit by a wall of noise as the din of the creatures from the street to her left filled the air. She peered out, first right then left.

  The coast was clear. Of course it was, there was enough noise coming from the vicinity of the lorry to gain the interest of any infected creatures for some distance, why would they linger anywhere else? Wren nervously stepped out onto the street and it was only when she heard the whoosh of the door behind her as it swung closed that the enormity of what she was doing hit her. If Mike could do it for his family then she could do it for hers … although in the story she was told, Mike led off about forty infected, not hundreds.

  Okay, Wren, no time to bottle it now, she thought to herself as she looked left towards the Co-operative store. Corrugated steel shutters covered its windows, which was just as well because seeing the reflection of tho
se things would probably make her think again.

  She reached around into her rucksack and pulled out the pistol before examining it carefully. It was just like Lucy’s. Lucy had shown Wren once how to use one, but Wren had always preferred the more graceful crossbows. Grace was not what she needed now. She needed something that was going to cut through the dissonance like a knife through butter.

  She crossed the street and made her way towards the Co-operative. Two shopping trolleys lay on their side just by the entrance. A few more metres and she would be in sight of the lorry, in sight of that massive army of beasts, and then she would find out just how mad this idea of hers was. I hope all this isn’t for nothing. I hope they’re still alive in there.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Robyn opened the door wide and stood at the top of the stairwell for a few seconds, just looking down into the darkness. “Wren? Wren?” When there was no response, she grabbed a tight hold of the handle as a spell of dizziness came over her. She had been so upset, so consumed by her own sadness that she had not questioned her sister. An idea? What ideas were there? This was an unwinnable situation without doing something stupid … suicidal. She continued to look down the staircase a moment longer then took a few tentative steps down into the shadows.

  She was just about to call out once again when a boom sounded behind her. She tore back up the steps, across the roof and to the edge. The massive horde was moving in unison, charging down the street like a herd of bulls. It took Robyn a moment to comprehend what was going on, but then, as a second crack echoed, she looked towards the Co-operative store at the far end of the street. There, balancing on two knitted together shopping trolleys, was her sister. She had the gun they had taken from the soldier raised high above her head and she squeezed the trigger for a third time.

  The first of the rampaging beasts was only twenty metres from Wren. It was at that moment that Robyn realised that she would never see her sister again.

  chapter 20