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

by Artinian, Christopher

  “Now you,” she called down.

  Robyn climbed onto the desk, then onto the filing cabinet and finally jumped up, taking hold of the casing, just as her friend had a few seconds before. She felt Mila grab hold of her jacket and pull, helping her up. They brushed themselves off and climbed to their feet.

  Robyn’s attention was immediately drawn to the opposite roof, and she froze. Mila just looked at her friend for a brief moment with a confused expression on her face; then she followed Robyn's teary eyes and she stopped dead too.

  “Bobbi!” Wren shouted at the top of her voice. She could only just be heard over the sound of the horde below.

  Robyn and Mila walked across to the edge of the roof and watched as Wren carefully but swiftly traversed the rooftops of the various shops and office units until she stood opposite them. So near and yet so far away.

  Robyn slipped the rucksack from her backpack and pulled out a rope, handing one end to Mila. She quickly tied the other end to an arrow, aimed high and fired. The arrow and rope soared into the air, finally landing a few feet from Wren, who eagerly grabbed it. She tied it around the safety railing at her end and pulled to make sure it felt secure then shrugged as if to say, “What now?”

  There was no safety railing on the building Robyn had launched the arrow from, so she took the rope from Mila, wrapped and tied it around her waist, grabbed hold of it in both her hands and leaned back. Mila took up position in front of her and pulled hard on the rope too. “Okay. This could work. This is good,” Mila said, trying to convince herself as much as anybody else.

  Wren stood there looking across at them then looking down at the creatures below. It had been a mistake for her to call her sister’s name. It had diverted their attention, and now every ghoulish face and pair of eyes was angled in her direction.

  A sudden icy chill danced down her spine as she glanced from one malevolent face to the next. These things had no will, they had no thought processes other than to feed, but that feeling she sometimes got began to consume her.

  “Not now. Please, not now,” she whispered. It had come over her a few times before, and it defied logic, but all the reason in the world couldn’t help Wren when this cloak of doubt shrouded her.

  “What’s she waiting for?” Mila asked as she continued to pull hard on the rope.

  “Err … probably just trying to get her head around it … psych herself up,” Robyn replied, looking across to her sister with concern.

  Wren continued to stare down at the faces, and they continued to glare back at her. Only now it wasn’t just a feeling anymore, now she was convinced that there was more to these creatures than some virus, some biological anomaly, there was … evil.

  She had always prided herself in being rational, on being able to think and reason out the things that scared her in life, but she knew that wasn’t going to happen right now. For all her bravado earlier, coming face-to-face with these things like this was something else entirely. The more she looked, the more she tried to convince herself, the worse it was. The hatred in their eyes consumed her. An animal would hunt for food; it did not hate its prey, but these things…

  She glanced from face to face and then she looked across towards Robyn and the other woman on the rooftop. She assumed it was Mila, but the longer she stood there the more she felt convinced that she would never get the chance to meet her. She looked back down at the crowd below, and a fresh terror swept over her.

  Their faces were changing. They were no longer a massive throng of strangers. Miss Baker, the crotchety librarian from Wren’s old school, looked up at her. Only it wasn’t Miss Baker anymore. Her face was pallid, her eyes were grey, and her mouth, encrusted with red from the blood of her last kill, opened and closed eerily.

  Wren’s eyes moved to another beast. It was Carl, the vicious yob who had tried to imprison her in the school. His brother was standing next to him. She turned again, and this time she saw her mum. Tears began to well in Wren’s eyes as she stared down at the woman who had raised her and cared for her and loved her. It was her mum, and it wasn’t. She wore the same clothes as she had done the day all this started, and there, standing right by her side, was Wren’s dad. They reached up in unison, almost beckoning Wren to join them.

  “WREN! WHAT IS IT?” Robyn yelled across, doing her best to be heard over the sound of the horde. Wren glanced up briefly towards her sister then looked back down at the creatures, only now their faces had changed again.

  They’re getting louder. They know... They know I know. They know I’m on to them, that they’re not just mindless, directionless things, that they’re driven by something else … something dark.

  Wren’s grandad, Mike, Lucy, Talikha, all the rest of her friends from Safe Haven were down there now, willing her to climb out on that rope, waiting for her to lose her grip and plummet into their waiting arms. She looked towards her sister once more and shook her head. “I can’t do it, Bobbi,” she yelled.

  “You have to do it!” Robyn shouted back.

  “I can’t. I’ll fall, I know I will.”

  “Listen to me. Don’t think about them. It’s just the same as the rope we went across earlier. Buckle your belt around it and climb across, and don’t look down. Just like you told me, remember?”

  “It’s not the same.”

  “It is the same, and I’m not going anywhere without you, so get that into your head and get moving.”

  Wren looked down at the faces once more, but now she didn’t recognise a single one. She took a deep breath and walked back from the edge before taking a short run up and hurling the homemade javelin across to the other side. It landed a couple of metres to the left of Mila and Robyn then skidded across the roof.

  The hammer throw had never been an event in the heptathlon, but she had done it a couple of times. She tied the handles of the shopping bag together to make sure the contents didn’t fall out in midair then swirled and twirled before releasing it with a loud grunt. The bag sailed over the street with ease.

  She walked back to the edge of the roof once again and looked at the rope. There was a feeling beyond fear inside her; it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Despite the sun, despite the exertion, she felt a frigid, Arctic cold rising within her. She climbed over the barrier and crouched down. What I wouldn’t give for a carabiner right now. She took a tight hold of the rope and swung out.

  Robyn and Mila took a step forward, the strain on the line taking them both by surprise, and Wren’s heart fluttered as the line dipped before the two women regained their footing and the rope became taut once more.

  Wren hung there for a short while then lifted her body and crossed her legs around the line. She paused and took a breath. The sound from below engulfed her. Oh, God! She cocked her head back and looked towards the opposite roof. Come on, Wren, positive visualisation! It was hard, really hard. It was virtually impossible to shake off the experience from a few minutes earlier. It had been so vivid, so real, seeing all those familiar faces. Obviously it had all been in her head, but … there was something, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and when she was in the toughest spots, it always came to the fore.

  Don’t think about it. Just think about getting across there now. That’s always been your problem, you think too much, only… This hadn’t been anything to do with thought, it had been a feeling, almost an instinct that there was something else at work, something other than biology, chemistry and physics.

  She carried on along the line, her hands became like vices each time they clamped onto the rope. Slowly she moved, one hand in front of the other. The line stayed taut. It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. It played over like a mantra in her head. It’s going to be ok— There was a loud metallic groan that made Wren stop dead. She tilted her head to look at Robyn and the other woman. Their expressions had changed from steely determination to abject horror as they too had heard the unmistakable sound of straining metal and were now looking across toward
s its source. Their eyes were fixed on the opposite roof, and Wren tilted her head in the direction she had come from to view the barrier. Just as she did, there was another loud metallic creak and the metal railing she had tied the rope to visibly shifted forward, causing the line to slacken.

  “Aaaggghhh!” Wren kept a tight hold of the line and closed her eyes, expecting to drop like a stone any second. It’s a safety railing, it’s got to hold. Yeah, just like that bloody venting duct. It’s probably fifty years old, and it’ll have weathered some of the worst winters the UK has suffered. “I’m screwed,” Wren whimpered.

  “Wren! Wren! Keep going. Come on, don’t stop now.” Robyn’s yell sounded like a ship’s captain shouting orders in a gale as it drifted over the tremulous waves of growls.

  More tears trickled down Wren’s face. Of all the ways to go, she could not imagine one worse than falling into a sea of infected. The stink of rot surrounded her; it was so strong it felt like a solid thing … some black vileness that she could reach out and touch.

  “Wren!” It was another voice, with an accent, that called to her this time. “You can do this.”

  Wren remained in the middle of the line clutching the rope with all her might. Her eyes were still clenched shut as the tears continued to fall.

  Then everything went silent, giving way to a soft, clear voice in her head. “Button … Button.”

  “Dad?” she whispered.

  “Here are seven words neither of us thought I’d ever say, but, you have to listen to your sister.”

  “I’m so scared.”

  “She’s more scared. She went through hell to find you and now with you stuck out here with all those things below, she’s more terrified than she’s ever been in her life. She’s standing there, now, pulling on this rope, looking at you and praying that you don’t give up. Because if you give up, there’s nothing left for her.”

  “What do you want me to do? The railing’s bending. Every time I move, it puts more pressure on it.”

  “Look at it, Button. Just open your eyes and look at it.” Wren’s tear-filled eyes opened and she stared towards the railing once again. “Whether you stay out here or head towards the other roof, it’s going to give at some stage. Wouldn’t it be better to at least try?”

  “I miss you, Dad.” She waited for a response, but none came. She was by herself once again.

  “Wren. Please!” Robyn screamed again.

  Wren took a deep shuddering breath, squeezed her eyelids together one last time to get rid of the remainder of her tears, and then began to climb across the rope once more.

  “Yes, Wren, Yes. Gut, gut!” came the enthusiastic shout from the other roof.

  “You’re doing it, just keep going!” Robyn yelled excitedly. I’m doing it. I’m doing it. “Come on, Sis, not far to go now.”

  With each foot she travelled, a little more hope returned. I’m doing it, I’m doing it. But suddenly she realised it had all been folly and she was going to be ripped apart by the waiting crowd of demons below as the metallic screech of the railing snapping scythed through every other sound around her.

  chapter 25

  Robyn and Mila screamed at the same time. This couldn’t be happening. First Wren disappeared from sight then they watched the long strip of security fencing fall.

  “Brace yourself,” Mila cried, tugging on the rope with all her strength.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “Oh shit! Oh shit! OH SHIIIT!” Wren felt the wind rush beneath her as she desperately clutched the line. Had she got far enough across to avoid the grabbing hands of the creatures? Only time would tell. “BOBBIII!” she screamed in panic like a child crying for its mother. A split second later, Wren smashed hard against the beige sandblasted wall of the solicitor’s office.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  There was a sudden and massive jolt as Mila and Robyn took Wren’s weight. Their feet began to skid across the rooftop towards the edge. “Scheisse!”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Wren looked down to see the fencing landing on multiple creatures at the same time, causing them to collapse to the ground. Thankfully, Robyn and Mila would not have to take the strain of that too; otherwise, it would all be over.

  “Wren! Wren!” It was her sister’s voice. It contained the same depth of panic as her own scream had just seconds before.

  “I … I’m okay, I think.” Okay was a broad term. She was not in the grasp of the beasts and smashing against the wall, although painful, had not caused her to lose her grip.

  More creatures rushed forward to fill the space that had been occupied by others who had been hit by the fallen barrier. Several of them got tangled in the rope line, and it started to become taut again. Wren realised instantly that if she did not get to the roof, and fast, there was a risk that Robyn and Mila would not be able to take the strain and would either join her as she plummeted into the jostling horde below or let go of the rope.

  She frantically began to climb. Wren felt no pain now as the adrenaline surged through her. Her biceps and triceps strained as she scaled the rope. More creatures became entangled, and a tug of war began.

  Mila and Robyn continued to skid as the pull on the rope intensified. “Scheisse,” Mila shouted again, leaning back further, attempting to create more friction with her feet.

  “Hurry up, Wren! We’re not going to be able to hold it much longer,” Robyn screamed.

  “What the bloody hell do you think I’m doing?” Wren’s heart thumped faster and faster. She had started the climb vertically, but now the line was jutting at more and more of an angle. It shifted again, and she stopped, convinced the whole thing was about to collapse. She looked up to see a pair of hands gripping the rope tightly. When she had first begun her journey across, Mila and Robyn had been several metres back, but for her now to see one of them from her position told her everything was balanced on a scalpel’s edge.

  Wren continued to climb and heave and grunt. Tears of frustration welled. It was just a matter of feet, but it felt like a mile. Mila skidded forward a little further, and Wren looked into her eyes. The terror they both felt was palpable. One more tug, one more creature getting entangled in the line from down below and that was it. She, Mila and Robyn would all be hurtling towards a gruesome death. “You can do this!” Mila yelled as tears formed in her eyes too.

  She couldn’t. She couldn’t do it, but there was one thing she could do. “Let go of the rope!” she cried at the top of her voice, swinging wildly on the line before releasing her grip.

  “NOOO!” Mila screamed. At that very same instant, the line flexed again, and Mila was forced to relinquish it; otherwise, she would have toppled from the edge. Robyn skidded further along the rooftop, the momentum now firmly with the tangled and jostling creatures below.

  There was a ringing crash as Wren’s boots smashed through the third-floor office window. She just hoped there had been enough power in her thrust for her to get all the way in. As she travelled through the air, she heard screams from above. Please let them be okay. The glass fell around her legs and body as she shot through the opening like a bullet. She sailed over a desk and continued her flight, dreading a landing worse than the one she had endured in that small, cramped toilet. When her feet hit the carpeted floor and she came to a running stop, she thought she was dreaming. She waited for the ground to open up beneath her or for something to collapse on top of her, but nothing did. She twisted around to look towards the window as another scream rose into the air. Her heart stopped as the rope continued to stretch. Let go, Bobbi, Let go.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  On seeing Mila relinquish the rope, and hearing the crash, Robyn let go of the line herself and spun like a top as it unfurled from her waist. Mila was dangerously close to losing her balance, and Robyn’s hand shot out, grabbing hold of her belt and pulling her back as they watched the line disappear.

  They both knew what the crashing glass had meant, but neither of them dared to peek over the edge to see if Wren had made it.
Instead, they looked at each other for a moment before slowly walking across to the open hole where the skylight had once been.

  They stood glaring down into it like mourners around a grave. “Wren!” Robyn called in a shaky voice. No response. She looked at Mila with even more worry before lowering her eyes towards the gap once more. “Wren?”

  “Bobbi!” came the excited call from below.

  Robyn did not even attempt to climb down; she jumped from the roof to the top of the filing cabinet, down onto the desk and finally onto the carpet, then raced towards her sister who was still standing in the same spot.

  Robyn threw her arms around Wren and squeezed. “You silly cow. What the hell were you thinking?” she asked as they continued to hug. Tears of joy were running down both of their faces, and even when a loud clatter sounded as Mila climbed down from the filing cabinet and jumped to the floor, they did not break their embrace. Eventually, Robyn let go and turned to beckon her friend across. “Wren, I’d like you to meet Mila.”

  It seemed so unreal. The deafening chorus of growls still continued outside, but here they were being formally introduced when just moments before one was saving the other’s life. Wren smiled warmly through her tears and took hold of Mila in a tight hug. At first, the German was taken aback, but then she reciprocated. “I am happy to see you are in one piece. You share your sister’s dramatic flair. I can tell life will never be dull with you two around.”

  “Ha!” said Robyn. “You can say that again.”

  They lingered there a minute longer, enjoying the small victory, but it was short-lived. “So what now?” Mila asked.

  “Don’t ask me, ask her,” Robyn replied. “I’ve used all my best stuff.”

  “We should probably get out of here,” Wren replied.

  “Well, duh! Please tell me you’ve got a better way to get down than the way we got up.”

  “How did you get up?” Wren asked with a puzzled look.

  “An old drainpipe.”