Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever

by Winkless, Lance

  Winters notices the faint smug look he is given by the smart-looking Lieutenant as he crosses the room to enter the General’s office. The young man is probably thinking, ‘look at how the mighty have fallen,’ which is probably true of Winters to be fair to the young Lieutenant, since Colonel Reed’s demise. Winters was once well renowned by his fellow Lieutenants of the British army, almost infamous. Winters wouldn’t change what happened to Colonel Reed though, and he brushes the smug look off.

  Enjoy the sunlight while you can, Winters thinks in return as he walks past, because things are going to shit and that comfy chair under your arse won’t be there forever.

  “At ease, Lieutenant,” General Cox orders Winters from behind her large glass desk as he comes to attention. Rees is seated to Winters’s right, in a chair positioned in front of the desk and his assistant is sitting at the back of the large office.

  “Not a successful trip then, Lieutenant?” General Cox enquires.

  “No, Ma’am,” Winters responds, standing with his hands behind his back.

  “Did you know Captain Richards would not be attending his appointment at the hospital today?” General Cox asks Winters, her warm smile attempting to disarm Winters.

  “No, Ma’am, I had no idea, I expected him to attend. From what I know of Captain Richards, he would be as eager as anyone to get to the bottom of what happened to him. He would also submit to the tests in the hopes that it can assist in stopping the outbreak, Ma’am.”

  “I see,” Cox says, her finger tapping the glass below it. “And what if those tests went further than he was willing to allow? Would you say he would have foreseen that we may have had other plans for him?”

  “That is certainly possible, Ma’am. As I said to Major Rees, there is nothing more important to Captain Richards than his family and his loved ones, Ma’am.”

  “So, you’re saying that you didn’t speak with him prior to the appointment and that you didn’t warn him?” Cox probes, her eyes focusing on Winters.

  “Certainly not, Ma’am. I have no idea of the plans for Captain Richards. I got an inkling from my discussions with Major Rees on the flight out, but I wasn’t privy to that information before the flight, Ma’am,” Winters insists, trying to look slightly offended by the line of questioning.

  “Okay, Lieutenant. I have to ask these questions, you understand? Especially given everything that’s at stake.”

  “Of course, Ma’am. I’m happy to answer all of your questions, Ma’am,” Winters lies.

  “Good,” Cox says, giving Winters another one of her smiles. “So, what about after Captain Richards missed his appointment, I understand you couldn’t reach him on his phone?”

  “Yes, Ma’am, that is correct, there was no answer, Ma’am,” Winters lies again.

  “And what about his family and friends, did you speak to any of them?”

  “No, Ma’am, I did not,” Winters replies bluntly.

  “Have you tried to phone Captain Richards again?” Cox enquires.

  “No, Ma’am. Major Rees hasn’t asked me to, and I wasn’t sure if he’d want me to. I can certainly try to phone him again, Ma’am. Would you like me to try now?” Winter volunteers.

  “No, thank you, Lieutenant, that won’t be necessary,” the General says, looking away from Winters. “Major, have you anything to add?”

  “No, Ma’am,” Rees replies.

  “Thank you for your help, Lieutenant. Take a seat in the waiting room. Dismissed,” General Cox orders.

  Winters stands to attention and salutes the General before turning sharply to leave and retake his seat in the waiting room.

  “Thoughts?” General Cox asks Rees once Winters shuts the door behind himself.

  “Lieutenant Winters is a highly intelligent soldier, Ma’am, probably too clever for his own good. He has an affiliation to Richards, and I think that he’s holding something back.”

  “You are probably right in that respect, Major. We must remember that he learnt from one of the best in Colonel Reed, the lecherous old manipulator. Even the thought of Reed still makes me shiver in disgust,” General Cox says, feigning a shiver in her chair. “I think it’s best if we keep him in play, at least for now. He may be useful when we acquire Richards.”

  “Ma’am,” Rees responds wondering what history General Cox had with Colonel Reed. No doubt it was sordid if Reed was involved and judging by Cox’s reaction, he thinks.

  “Winters will come with us to the Zero station tomorrow, agreed?” Cox asks.

  “Yes, Ma’am. But we need to keep a close eye on him, Ma’am,” Rees replies.

  “Indeed, Major. Give Winters your orders on the way out, and I’ll see you at 0500.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Rees replies, getting up from his chair.

  Winters stands to attention as Rees emerges from General Cox’s office and heads straight for him.

  “Sir,” Winters says.

  “You are dismissed for the evening, Lieutenant. Tomorrow, you will be at the shuttle pickup point at 0500 and bring your kit with you, Lieutenant,” Rees orders.

  “Sir, can I ask where we are going, and for how long?”

  “I cannot disclose our destination at this time, Lieutenant, but bring everything you will need for an undetermined time, understood?”

  “Yes, Sir. 0500, Sir.”

  “Dismissed,” Major Rees orders before turning to speak to his assistant.

  Winters turns on the spot and walks away from Rees, heading to exit the building. His confusion about Major’s orders overriding his hunger, at least for the moment.

  Chapter 10

  My feet sink little by little further down into the cold sand. Every tiny wave of the tide sweeping over the top of my feet washes more grains of sand out from under them. Soon the sand will cover the tops completely and begin to edge up towards my ankles. My feet sinking doesn’t bother me at all. No, the sound of the surf is too relaxing, its resonance soothes my mind and the warm, low sun on my face heals my troubled soul.

  Yellow and pink printed flowers entwined into my shorts flap in the breeze that rolls off the endless expanse of the sea spread out before me. Any second now, I will take the plunge and dive forward to let the saltwater wash over me entirely. The water’s salt and minerals will soak into my skin, bringing their goodness to bear on the scars cut into the side of my face. Any malignancy still festering under the scars’ red skin will be healed by the minerals, dissolved by the salt, and washed away completely. I long to emerge from the sea’s healing powers and let the scars dry out in the sun, where they will dissipate and become almost invisible.

  I build the courage to jump, to take my dive, preparing myself for the shock of the cold water. Better to get the shock over quickly, I tell myself, rather than torturing yourself by wading in slowly, one wave at a time. My legs tense up and I am ready to sacrifice myself to the healing waters of the cold sea.

  A voice in the distance, carried on the sea breeze stops me before I can jump. It calls my name. Emily… why is she calling me by my name, why isn’t she calling me Dad?

  Daddy, the voice calls again, good Emily, I think, I’m Daddy, not Andy to you. I turn to look for her, to watch her running down the beach to jump into my arms, but the beach is empty. I look back, farther up the beach, towards the sand dunes to find my little girl, but again I don’t see her.

  Has she fallen over, I panic, is she hurt or lost in the dunes?

  My right leg pulls to release my sunken foot from the flooded sand. My muscles strain but my foot is stuck, sucked into the heavy sand that now reaches over my ankles. I pull my leg again as Emily cries out and as my left foot sinks deeper into the quicksand, my right foot suddenly pops free. I lose my balance from the unexpected jolt and fall backwards onto the damp sand behind me, my left food still trapped.

  Twisting onto my front as far as I can without breaking my leg, my fingers dig into the hard, damp sand and I pull with all my strength. I feel the sand move around my foot as my fingers and
arms pull, and as I strain, my foot slides slowly free of the unforgiving sand.

  Free from the trap, I scramble across the sand until I am upright and on my feet. Daddy! cries out across the beach and I run towards the cry, towards the dunes that loom like demons over the back of the beach. Darkness is falling impossibly fast, and Emily is scared and possibly hurt, she needs me. I aim for the path that disappears into the foreboding dunes that are completely in shadow, putting my trepidation to enter them aside.

  Long stems of beach grass wave at me, inviting me to enter the mounds of sand, and I do enter, ploughing straight into them. Darkness encompasses me, the dying rays of the sun completely cut off by the tall hills of sand and grass that tower over me. I feel the hardness of the path beneath my feet, and I call out for Emily, but she doesn’t answer. The only sound that answers my call is the sound of the breeze wisping through the tall rough grass and the vibrations of disturbed sand.

  Where is she? I panic, my eyes widening to search the black shadows of the hills surrounding me. Edging forward, deeper into the darkness, my head turns this way and that, searching for any sign of my lost daughter, but I can see nothing.

  My eyes adjust to the darkness, showing me shadows of swaying grass moving all around, threatening to slice into my skin if I venture too close. I peer ahead, hoping to see Emily somewhere on the path but there is nothing, only a dim light that thankfully shows me the way out of this black maze.

  I step towards the light, carefully treading to stay on the path and away from the sharpness of the threatening prongs of grass. A shadow breaks the light ahead on the path, a shadow of a small person. ‘Emily’, I shout and move quickly to follow her as she runs out of the dunes and towards the yellow lights shining from the windows of the cottage.

  Free of the dunes, I see the cottage’s door swing open, spilling light out into the darkness. The light shows me Emily rushing inside, only for the door to swing immediately shut. Figures move behind the cottage’s bright windows, I see Catherine, Josh, Stacey, and Alice. My heart skips when I see them. I am coming, I say, don’t forget me. I’ll be inside with you all, in only a few moments.

  I race up the path towards the cottage, to join my family inside. My legs push me forward but no matter how hard they run, the cottage remains in the distance, the light from the windows comes no closer. My desperation to reach them escalates and I run faster to catch up to the light, until my lungs burst, and my legs give way.

  “Catherine, I’m here,” I cry out as I stumble to my knees, the cottage still out of reach.

  Gradually, I push myself back upright, ready to try again. I look ahead to see my destination, my family still there in the yellow light, behind the cottage’s glass. A black figure drifts across the front of the cottage, breaking the light. Fear tightens my stomach as another ominous figure moves across the light, and then another.

  The breeze around me suddenly ceases and every sound of the beach it carried vanishes. The darkness around me closes in to bring a new chilling sound to my ears. A low vibrating screech comes from the direction of the cottage, from the black figures that are growing in number to block the light from the windows completely.

  Undead Rabids have come to haunt me, to cut me off from my family. They move towards me, coming down the shortening path from the cottage. Fear forces me to step backwards, the dunes now offering my only salvation from the creatures of death stalking me. My family, I think desperately, they won’t be safe inside that cottage, the beasts will find their way inside, I do not doubt that.

  I take another step back, too scared to do anything else, too frightened to try and help my loved ones. I bang into something on the path behind me and I freeze, terror paralysing me instantly. My eyes wide, strain to the side to see what I already know is there, I can feel its presence, hear its grunting throat.

  A hand touches my shoulder, fingers winding around it, gripping me to the bone. Dead eyes appear to the side of me, the glint of teeth as the Rabid’s gaping mouth closes in on my neck and I scream, I scream for my family…

  “Dad, Dad!” a voice shouts.

  I wake up suddenly, darkness intersected by streaking lights fill my vision. A face looms close by, blinking in and out of focus. My brain rushes to remember where I am, my body shivering in a cold sweat.

  “Andy, are you alright? I think you were dreaming,” Alice’s voice sounds in front of me, from the front seat of the Defender where she has turned in her seat.

  “Where are we?” I ask as reality bites back.

  “We’re on the M4, but we’ll be coming off shortly. You’ve been asleep for quite a while. Are you okay?” Alice asks.

  “Yes, I’m fine thanks. Just my normal sleep pattern I’m afraid.”

  Alice is right, I have been asleep for a long time. The last thing I remember was leaving Exeter behind when there was still daylight, now it’s all but fully dark. Josh had insisted on driving, he said I needed the rest before our task ahead, and he wasn’t wrong.

  Straightening myself up in the back seat of the Defender, I take a deep breath and look out of the window, my nightmare still fresh in my mind. I don’t have to ponder long about what the visions meant to me, it’s obvious. They tally almost perfectly with me leaving Catherine and Emily to go on another foolhardy mission. I try not to dwell on the nightmare and take action to take my mind off it.

  “How long do you think, until we arrive?” I ask my pilots.

  “About half an hour, I think,” Josh informs me.

  “Yes, won’t be much longer than that,” Alice agrees.

  “Has there been much traffic?” I ask.

  “No, the roads are quiet. I don’t expect many people would choose to be travelling at the moment,” Josh guesses.

  “No, they wouldn’t… especially towards London,” I agree. “Any police around?”

  “Not that we’ve seen. I’ve been checking my speed just in case though,” Josh tells me.

  “Good thinking,” I tell him.

  “Lieutenant Winters tried to phone me, but I didn’t answer it,” Josh tells me.

  “He was probably phoning to see why I missed my appointment at the hospital,” I reply, while I quickly retrieve my phone.

  “That’s what I thought,” Josh says.

  My phone tells me I to have a missed call from Winters too, along with several others from two numbers my phone doesn’t recognise. One of the numbers is a landline number, with a Plymouth dialling code. I would guess that call has a good chance of being the hospital, trying to see where I am and the other, a mobile number was probably doing the same.

  My absence from the hospital has obviously not gone unnoticed, as I knew it wouldn’t. The pretence that the tests were for my benefit didn’t fool me for one minute. I know full well that the authorities are desperate to find out what has happened to my body since it was infected. I understand the reasons why they are desperate, and I am willing to let them run their tests, just as soon as I have the time...

  I debate for a moment on whether to phone Lieutenant Winters back and tell him I am delayed, and that I will phone him again as soon as I can attend to make a new appointment. But I decide against it, he would have numerous questions on why I’ve missed my appointment and they are questions I don’t want to answer right now.

  “I have missed calls too, from Lieutenant Winters and two other numbers,” I tell Josh and Alice. “I think it’s best if we ignore the calls until we are finished.”

  “It must be nice to be so popular,” Josh jokes after he and Alice agree about the phone calls.

  “Always popular me,” I reply sarcastically.

  “Are you hungry?” Alice asks, after a minute. “I have your sandwiches here.”

  “Yes, I am. I’d better eat them before we arrive. Thanks.”

  Alice rustles through a bag and hands me the sandwiches back over the seat together with a packet of crisps and a bottle of water. By the time I’ve finished my snack, Josh has turned off the motorway and we
are driving through the side roads to reach Richmond.

  “We’re not far now. We will be in Richmond on the other side of this bridge,” Alice tells us as we drive over the river Thames. “And they’re just around the corner.”

  “What are their names?” I ask.

  “Bill and Lillian.”

  “Very American,” Josh jokes.

  “Take a right here,” Alice says, ignoring Josh’s quip.

  Josh does as he’s told, without any further witty remarks and after several more instructions, Alice tells him to slow down.

  “This is their house,” Alice confirms as Josh comes to a stop outside a large and affluent looking house.

  “It looks dead,” Josh says, referring to the fact that the house is in complete darkness.

  “Yes, it does,” Alice agrees. “It’s usually lit up like a Christmas tree.”

  “Perhaps they have left the house due to Richmond being close to London or they could be laying low inside,” Josh guesses.

  “I’m not sure where they would go if they have left? They’ve no family here or back home in the States. This house was their life,” Alice tells us.

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out if anyone’s home,” I announce and pop open the Defender’s back door.

  Josh and Alice follow me out of the four-wheel drive. Josh and I then let Alice lead us up to the front door and climbs up a flight of stone steps that lead up to the house with some confidence, but she then looks quite nervous when it comes to the knocking part. She looks back over her shoulder before she knocks, and I give her a nod of encouragement for her to go ahead. The first knock goes unanswered, as does the second knock, but on the third one a dim light switches on inside the house.

  I don’t know about the other two, but I feel relieved when I see the light come on. The last thing we wanted to do after we arrived was to have to start trawling the riverbank looking for a boat to ‘borrow’. Somebody being home is our best bet for getting a boat and getting some rest before we set off.