Keith smiled when he saw his brother. “Rick? I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry for what I was forced to do, but good news: We can leave now, just like you wanted.”
“It’s too risky to leave right now. We all need to stay put a little while longer.”
Maddy was the first to argue. “Rick, I told you how bad things will get if we stay here. We have to go while there’s a chance. The demons are gone.”
“But why?” asked Rick. “Why have they suddenly left?”
“Because there are armies forming up and they were called upon to head north. Diane found out all about it.”
Rick shook his head and shrugged. “Called by whom? We can’t be sure of anything right now. You wanted to stay so badly earlier, I can’t believe you’re being so stubborn about leaving. You don’t know why they left; admit it.”
Keith leaned back against the counter and grunted. “Maybe they’re telepathic and received orders. Only thing we know for sure is that they’re gone, and we have an opportunity to make a break for it. This is a good thing, Rick. If I hadn’t subdued you, then you might have been caught right in the middle of them as they left. I saved your life.”
The sudden burst of anger was so sudden that Rick snarled like a dog. “You saved my life? Are you kidding? You smashed a bottle over my head like a fucking savage. Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m your big brother, and I’m trying to look after you and everybody else here.”
“Who the hell asked you to?”
“Nobody. It’s a burden I’ve taken on for myself.”
Rick unclenched his fists and tried to calm down. “Look, Keith, if you want to leave, fine, but I’m staying. I suggest everyone else does the same. There’s nothing to tell us that this isn’t all a big trap. The demons can’t get inside because of the iron bars, so they’ve thought of a way to get us out instead. I’m staying here until I know more.”
“Me, too,” said Maddy, moving over to Rick’s side. “He’s right. We could walk right into a trap. Let’s wait until tomorrow and make sure the coast really is clear.”
Keith slammed his hand down on the counter. “If we don’t leave now, there might not be another chance. Do you people not understand what’s going on? There’s a war. We can’t just lie around here hoping help will come. We need to help ourselves.”
“I agree,” said Steve.
Diane nodded. “Me too.”
“And I’m with Rick and Maddy,” said Daniel. “So that splits us in two.”
There was silence while everyone waited for someone to change their mind, but no one did. Maddy had already taken off her backpack and sat down on a stool.
Keith shoved a bottle of water into a holdall and pulled the zip closed. “That’s fine,” he said. “We go our separate ways. When I find help, I’ll send it to come get you. Hopefully, you’ll still be alive.”
“Don’t do this, Keith,” Rick pleaded. His head was still thudding, but he didn’t want to see his brother make a mistake.
“I’m sorry I had to hit you, Rick. I was trying to save your life, but it seems there’s no helping you.” He shouldered the bag and shoved his way out of the kitchen. Diane hurried after him. Steve was a little slower in following and first stopped to speak with Rick before leaving. “Your brother is an arsehole, but I want out of here. It’s safe, so I’m going, but I want to say that it took backbone to stay calm after what your brother did to you. I would have smashed his face in. You’re a better man than he is. Thanks for letting me stay at your house.”
Maddy pulled up a stool for Rick. “They’re not leaving for twenty minutes,” she said. “Might still change their minds.”
“They won’t, but why did you?”
She shrugged. “I keep thinking about my husband, and who he would want me to tag along with. He would want me to be safe, and I feel safest around you. You did come and try to save me outside the pub after all.”
“Yeah, but it was Keith who came out and rescued us in the end.”
Daniel chuckled from the corner of the kitchen. “I suppose it’s the thought that counts.”
Maddy chuckled too. “It mainly comes down to me not trusting a man who can smash a bottle over his own brother’s head. I’d rather follow a good guy to my death, than a bad man like your brother. It was different when we were all leaving, but if it comes down to you or Keith, I choose you. Because my husband would have chosen you.”
Rick put his hand out to grab Maddy’s, which was placed on the counter, but he ended up hovering over it awkwardly. Maddy helped him out by standing up and giving him a quick hug. “You, me, and Daniel will have to think about leaving soon ourselves. If your brother gets out safely, we might end up chasing after him.”
“I hope so,” Rick admitted. “I hope I’m wrong and the demons really have all gone north.”
Maddy nodded and exited the kitchen, leaving Rick and Daniel alone together. “You still sure you want to stay now that everyone is splitting up, Daniel?”
“I’d rather we all stay together, but at least you convinced Maddy to stay. Three is better than two. Plus, if it was just us two dudes hanging around together, it would be weird.”
“Huh, you still think my brother is walking into a trap?”
“I do, yeah. Diane said the demons were forming up in three big armies, but she also said that there were smaller bands dotted around causing havoc. Your brother doesn’t seem concerned about that though. Me, I think that black haired demon has unfinished business here.”
“I can’t make the others stay, Daniel.”
“I know, but at least you tried. God likes a trier. Idle hands and all that.”
“You really think there’s a God? How can you?”
“How can I not? In the presence of demons, one cannot possibly deny the existence of God.”
Rick rubbed at his throbbing head, loosing several flakes of dried blood. “Then why isn’t He helping us?”
“Maybe he was caught as unawares as everybody else. Maybe backup’s on its way. Maybe you should pray.”
“If I live another day, I just might start. Feel like it would be easier to lay down and die right now.”
Daniel went to the fridge. The water had gone into the holdalls, so he was left with nothing to snatch up but a couple beers. He handed one to Rick.
Rick shook his head. “If I start drinking now, I won’t stop.”
Daniel took the beer back and broke the tab. “I hear you, pal. There was a time I let myself get carried away with things that were bad for me. Learned a little self-control since. It’s never too late for a man to start changing.”
“Not sure if I believe that. With Keith around, I’ve realised that I’m no different than when I was a kid.”
Daniel took a swig of beer before placing the bottle down on the counter. “You’ve changed since I met you. The guy I met wanted to bury his head in the sand and go sit in the corner and drink himself asleep while everyone else did what needed to be done. The man you are now marched into this kitchen and spoke up for what he believes in, then sat down and refused a beer. You’re not a little kid anymore, Rick. Your father’s long gone, and your brother’s a tit. That pop career you lament so badly can finally be put behind you. The world has changed, and so have you. You have a new cross to bear now, and it’s called: keeping everyone around you alive. Even if you don’t see it, people gravitate towards you. That will be important in the days to come. God needs leaders.”
Rick smirked. “That religious stuff never quite left you, did it, Daniel?”
“None of us ever loses the Lord, we just sometimes forget that he’s there. Believe me, though, Rick, he never forgets about us.”
Rick got up from his stool. “We should see the others off.”
They went into the entrance hallway and found that the front door was open. Noise came from outside. Keith was busy backing Rick’s Mustang up the driveway and away from the gate. Maddy, Steven, and Diane stood by, watching, so Rick
and Daniel went and joined them.
“When we leave here, Rick,” Maddy told him. “I want to drive your car.”
“Be my guest. I was always too scared to put my foot down anyway.”
Keith parked the Mustang and got out. Then he went and got into his Range Rover, which he reversed out of the way of the gate as well. It felt like taking the safety chain off a front door during a dark and stormy night.
Keith got out of his car once it was parked and marched back towards the house. “I need the padlock key, Rick.”
Rick sighed. “Sure I can’t talk you out of this?”
“I’ve made up my mind. The only chance we have is to leave now.”
“I was talking to Steven and Diane.”
“Sorry, Rick,” said Steven. “I can’t stick around while there’s a chance to find help.”
“Me too,” said Diane. “The Internet said the coast is safe, so that’s where we need to go. There’s a gate too close to here. If more demons come through, we’ll end up trapped again.”
Rick pictured the gate in Crapstone and wondered if anything was coming through right now. Were there a limited number of demons, or would they continue to pour through forever? Did the Army have any idea of how to close them? Was it even possible?
“Okay,” he said with an air of finality. “I’ll open the gate for you all.”
He walked down the pebble driveway while Keith and the others got in the Range Rover. When he reached the gate he peered through the bars. The coast certainly did seem clear, but the road was too quiet. The cottages down the road were quiet, and trees obscured the farmland further along. There might not be a person alive for ten square miles, or there could be a thousand people dotted around, hiding in houses or in the woods. There was no way of telling what the world was like beyond the driveway.
Rick pulled the padlock around so that he could insert the key, and then unlocked it. Holding his breath, he took one last look through the bars, expecting demons to spring forth from the trees, but none did. The rev of the Range Rover’s engine jarred him, and he swung the gate open without further hesitation. It felt like stepping in front of a speeding train.
But nothing came.
Keith’s Range Rover crept forwards and almost shunted Rick out of the way. Tradition took him, and he lifted his hand to wave his former housemates goodbye, but Keith kept his eyes pointing forwards. The tinted rear windows kept Steven and Diane from view.
The Range Rover passed through the gate, turned into the road, and sped away.
They were gone.
Maddy and Daniel came up beside Rick. Daniel spoke. “You think we can get that gate closed again, pal?”
Rick took a hold of the gate and began to close it, but stopped when there was an almighty crash.
Maddy’s eyes went wide as she looked at Rick. “Jesus! What the hell was that?”
Rick held the padlock in one hand and the key in the other. He thought about putting the two together and going back inside, but he already knew he couldn’t. “Keith’s crashed the car. The demons never left. It was a trap.”
As if to confirm his suspicions, a group of corpses burst from the tree line on the other side of the road and sprinted towards the gate. One of them threw itself at the gate before Rick had chance to fully close it. It struck the iron bars and shunted Rick backwards. His ankle twisted in the gravel and he fell down onto his rump.
Daniel leapt forward and kicked the gate closed, but the demon was half inside and became trapped between the bars. Its skin began to smoke and burn until it squealed in agony and withdrew. Maddy ran up and helped Daniel keep the gate closed until Rick could get back to his feet and insert the key in the lock. His hands were shaking so much that it took him several attempts to get the gate secure, but once he had, the three of them leapt back towards the house.
The dead men and women threw themselves against the gate, even as the iron burned their flesh. They were angrier than before, snarling and hammering at the bars, like angry gorillas.
“They’re pissed off,” said Daniel. “They had a chance to kill us, and they failed. Maybe they have a boss they’re going to have to answer to.”
“The son-of-a-bitch with the black hair,” said Rick.
Maddy looked around. “Then where is he?”
Rick remembered the sound of his brother’s Range Rover crashing. “He’s wherever Keith and the others are. We have to go rescue them.”
Daniel looked at him like he was mad. “Are you serious?”
Rick nodded firmly. “You said your God needs leaders. Well, I’m leading. We grab whatever weapons we can and we go out there. I’m done hiding.”
Maddy tried to stop him as he marched into the house and into the living room. “Rick, we can’t go out there. They’ll tear us to pieces.”
“Why? Because they’re monsters?”
“Well, yeah.”
“So we should just lay down and die? They aren’t monsters—we’ve seen them die. If all we do is cower away, waiting for someone to rescue us, then we’re all screwed. They’ll pick us off one by one. We need to fight back. In the pub, we fought back and won.”
“Sarah died,” said Maddy. “So did lots of other people.”
Rick nodded. “But so did lots of demons. I’m going to get my brother. He’s a complete and utter shit, but he saved my life. I don’t want to owe him anything.”
“Your mind is made up?” said Daniel, standing next to the couch.
“Yes.”
“Then I suggest we put all that booze in your kitchen to good use.”
“You want to get pissed?” Maddy asked.
Daniel grinned. “Oh, I’m already pissed, darlin’, but I wasn’t thinking about having a drink. Let me show you some of the things I learned after I left the church.”
Within ten minutes, the kitchen counter had been transformed into an armoury. A row of spirits—whiskey, tequila, and vodka—sat with dishcloths stuffed into their neck. Keith had taken the iron poker with him, but Maddy had found an old field hockey stick. Daniel had fastened a long chef’s knife to the end of a broom handle, producing a makeshift spear. Rick, himself, clutched the long stem of an antique brass lamp he kept in the conservatory.
They all now wore whatever they could fashion as armour. It was hot, but Maddy had put back on her thick paramedic overalls and wrapped a scarf around her neck. The only skin showing was her hands and face. Rick wore a long leather jacket from his pop-star days—the type of thing that looked stupid on anybody who wasn’t famous. It was a thick second hide that would hopefully protect him from the claws and teeth of his enemies.
Now that it was time to go, Rick’s resolve threatened to leave him. His stomach churned like a blender, and the urge to lurch forward and vomit was hard to resist. When he looked at Maddy and Daniel, reminding himself that they would be with him, he felt a little stronger. It wasn’t as if any of them had a choice. The demons were back at the gate, which meant they were once again trapped. Their only choice was to fight their way free, or stay and eventually starve. If they could help Keith, Steven, and Diane, all the better.
“Let’s do this,” he told the others, who had both taken on the colour of whipped ice cream. They headed out the front door and headed down the driveway. It was now the tail end of dusk, and the security floodlight had come on, bathing the demons in a silvery skin of light. More like angels than monsters, but then Rick heard them growl and knew there was nothing pure or holy about them.
“Let them have it!”
Maddy and Daniel lit two of the Molotov cocktails and let fly. Both flaming bottles smashed against the fence and ignited in a cloud of fire. The demons screeched like tortured children, flailing around like puppets with twisted strings. Flames crackled in the evening breeze, and the smell of burning flesh added to the scents of summer.
Rick followed the next part of the plan and ran to unlock the gate. Once he’d popped the padlock, he yanked the gate open wide enough that the driveway
was clear. Maddy hopped into the Mustang and gunned the engine while Rick jumped clear just in time to avoid getting run over.
The heavy American beast struck the group of burning demons and sent them scattering across the road. They seemed to roll and bounce endlessly before coming to rest. There was no ambiguity about their condition. Every one of them was dead, burnt, and battered.
Maddy reached across and shoved open the passenger side door. Daniel was cooped in the back. “Rick, get in.”
Rick threw himself into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut behind him. Maddy took off, the car beeping at them to buckle up, which they had to do to shut it up.
“Is this a bad time to say I need a piss?” said Daniel.
“Why didn’t you go before you left?” Maddy growled.
“I should have done. Sorry.”
“You can go after we kill the rest of the demons,” she said.
Then they all broke out laughing, not because they thought it was funny, but because their nerves were so fried. They had just survived a battle unscathed, and the adrenaline in their veins was like a hit of cocaine. It gave them giddy hope that they might just be okay. So they laughed.
It didn’t take but a few moments to get around the bend and find Keith’s Range Rover. The vehicle was on its side, windows shattered and axles bent.
“He’s still alive,” said Daniel. “I’ll be damned.”
Rick couldn’t believe what he saw. He’d felt obligated to come to his brother’s aid, but had possessed slim hope that there would be anything left to rescue.
Keith was holding his own. He popped up out of the Range Rover’s side window, which was now facing the sky, and swung his iron poker at any demon that got too close. They tried, in vain, to drag him out of the wreckage, but he picked his swings and made sure every one counted. Several of the demons lay dead in the road, their skulls caved in.
Steven was dead. He lay on the tarmac, face down after having apparently launched through the windscreen. Keith’s older vehicle must have lacked the nagging seatbelt alarm that Rick’s Mustang possessed.
Hell on Earth Trilogy: The Complete Apocalyptic Saga Page 23