by G G Garcia
“No. I need to do this.”
Paul pulled up, stepped out of the car and Tony reluctantly did the same. Paul took out his knife and Tony had a hold of the tyre iron, Paul’s tyre iron from his Corsa.
Paul looked in Tony’s direction and tried to joke, “I’m gonna start callin’ ya Tyre Iron Tony. Cool name for an IO slayer, don’t ya think.”
“Not really in the mood for jokes, Paul,” Tony moaned. “Anyway, Tyre Iron Tony spells out tit.”
“Does it?” Paul thought for a moment and then smiled emerged under his nose. “Sorry, mate. I had no idea.”
They reached the front door and could see it was ajar. Paul gulped and placed his fingers from his left hand on the door and pushed it slowly open. He lifted his right leg, ready to step inside, but a hand grabbed his sleeve. Paul turned around and was face to face with a petrified Anthony Willetts.
“I’m sorry, man.” There were tears in Tony’s eyes and Paul felt for his pal. “I can’t do it.”
Paul smiled thinly. “I was goin’ to say anyway ... keep guard while I check the place out,” he lied. He could see the fear on his friend’s face and felt for him. “Is that okay?”
Tony nodded, and visible relief swept over his face.
Paul stepped inside and left Tony to be on his own. Tony didn’t mind. He knew he had to step up eventually and was surprised by the way Paul had quickly adjusted to this catastrophe.
All three were non-violent whenever they would go out, so Paul’s cold reaction to the IOs surprised and pleased Tony. In this time of crisis, Paul Newbold had certainly stepped up, unlike his other friends.
Tony’s thoughts went to Craig, and wondered where he had gotten to. Paul’s car had been abandoned and the car keys had been taken, so Craig must have fled in an area between Rugeley and Wolseley.
So where the hell did he go?
The only thing around that area were fields, trees, and the River Trent. If Craig had taken the keys, then he must have planned on returning to the car. He must have been attacked by some IOs, Tony thought, and then lost control of the car and fled, for whatever reason.
He looked around the street and couldn’t believe how deathly silent the area was. Looking at the doors, which most were shut, it looked like people had decided to stay indoors. He noticed that the door at the end of the street was closed and had a red X sprayed on the front. He shook his head, unsure what it meant.
By looking at some of the doors that had a pane of frosted glass and the living room windows, some weren’t taking any risks. Furniture and other accessories that Tony couldn’t make out were placed against the windows and doors. It looked like most people had decided to barricade themselves in.
He shook his head. What a fucking nightmare!
He blew a breath out and gasped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Tony released a yelp of terror and turned around to see a smiling Paul Newbold.
“Scared ya?” Paul chuckled.
“Scared me? I nearly shat a brick.” Tony was angry, but put on a brave face and asked, “So?”
Paul shook his head. “Nothing inside. No signs of trouble or blood, so I think my parents left on their own accord.”
“How come you’re smiling?”
“Because it’s good news. It has to be.” Paul was feeling positive, and Tony was careful not to dampen his friend’s spirits. “The car’s not on the drive and my parents aren’t here, so it must be good news.”
“What do we do now?”
“I’m not travellin’ all around town, lookin’ for them. They could be anywhere. It’s too dangerous. We shouldn’t really be doin’ this.”
“So now what?”
“Your place? If it’s safe, even if there’s no one there, we could stay there for a bit. My house is too smashed up.”
“This whole trip was a bad idea,” Tony moaned
“We came here for peace of mind, to see if our families were okay, didn’t we? At the moment mine have fled and we’re not sure about yours. Not yet.”
“Okay,” Tony sighed.
“Wit’s up?” Paul asked.
“I wished we stayed at the pub.”
“Well, I tell ya wit. If ya house is smashed up like mine, then we’ll be goin’ back.”
“A bit dangerous, man.”
“We got here okay. No reason why we can’t go back unscathed.”
Chapter Fourteen
Demi Mason had gone into Henry’s bedroom, and neither men had seen her since. Maxwell and Henry sat on the couch, sipping on a bottle of water each, and Henry stood up.
“Where are you going?” Maxwell asked him.
“I think we should get those canisters of water now, while it’s still daylight.”
“Good idea.” Maxwell nodded in agreement. “Strike while the iron’s hot.”
“I’m gonna let Demi know,” said Henry. “She must have gone for a lie down.”
“She seemed to be in a right mood earlier.” Maxwell huffed and then added, “What’s up with her?”
“What's up with her?” Henry didn’t know whether to laugh or be angry with his friend. Was he that cold? “You shot a woman.”
“It was an accident.”
“It still happened.”
Henry went over to the bedroom door and opened it slowly. Maxwell decided to hang outside and wait for his friend. It took a few minutes for Henry to appear and when he did, his face was glum.
Maxwell couldn’t help himself and asked, “What’s up with your face?”
“She wasn’t too happy that we’re gonna leave her on her own again.” Henry sighed and unlocked his door with his key fob before approaching his car. “She’s still haunted by that woman you shot.”
“Why are you bothered what she thinks?” Maxwell followed Henry over to the Audi. “You were banging another bird a couple of days ago while I was out. I mean, she was just one of many girls you used to bang every now and then.”
“I know that,” Henry groaned. “Kelly, who I had to choke to death after she became infected, is dead, and sitting in her car, not far from here.”
“Demi’s only here ‘cause she flagged you down, when—”
“I know, I know.” Henry got into the driver’s side and fired the engine. Maxwell was sitting next to him a few seconds later. “She’s with us now. You two will get on ... in time.”
Henry pulled away and the two men made the short journey to the Aelfgar Sports Centre, which was near the town centre.
Henry used to go there years ago, so he knew the layout of the place. It wasn’t a big place. There were four squash courts, a reception area, and a gym on the first floor. Upstairs was the sauna area, or used to be, and Henry was certain that the water was kept in a cupboard, in the gym. He remembered instructors going in there whenever the water needed changing.
The Audi turned right, near the small police station, and they entered the sport centre’s empty car park.
“Where is everybody?” Maxwell groaned. “Even the police station looked abandoned.”
Henry didn’t give him an answer. He couldn’t give him an answer.
He stepped out of the vehicle, Maxwell following suit, and both men checked the front of their jeans, making sure their Glocks were present. They both pulled them out as they strolled towards the main door, both pulled the slides back, chambering a round, and Maxwell began to mess with the trigger.
“You okay?” Henry asked him.
“Can never get used to these guns. I still prefer a manual safety. I miss my old Browning.”
“You’re a friggin’ dinosaur,” Henry laughed.
“I just think that the trigger safety system is mental. If an inexperienced person pulls the trigger right, then you could have a right mess on your hands.”
“Mess? You’re good at creating a mess when you’re in control.”
“Stop going on about that woman again, please.”
Henry tried the main door and found that it was locked. The door had a large glass pane and
Henry was confident that he could smash it and get inside.
Without conferring with Maxwell, Henry looked around on the floor and spotted a large rock. He picked it up with his left hand and threw it at the pane from three yards away. The glass shattered on Henry’s first throw. He approached the door with caution and took a peek inside before removing a few shards of glass. He put his arm through and managed to unbolt the door, but it was still locked and Henry’s speciality wasn’t picking locks.
“Tremendous. Looks like we’re the first ones to come here,” Henry remarked.
“We’re probably overreacting,” said Maxwell.
“Probably.”
“But then look at all those panicky people at that supermarket. And they thought Brexit was gonna be bad.”
“Exactly. If this thing is long term, then we’re gonna need all the supplies we can get.” Henry took a step back and front kicked the main door, forcing it open on his fourth attempt.
He looked at his handgun, then over to Maxwell, who had his in his right hand, and then back to the door he had kicked open. He had no idea what was in there, but thank Christ they were drug dealers, he thought. He held his Glock with two hands and stepped inside, with Maxwell not far behind.
“The stuff we need is in the gym.” Henry pointed down the corridor, to the right, but I think we should check the place out first.”
“Okay.” Maxwell hunched his shoulders. “It’s only a small place anyway. Shouldn’t take long.”
The two men strolled to the left and checked out the first two squash courts. They were both clear and they headed back down the corridor, passing the small reception area. The gym was near, and by the gym were two more squash courts and then a set of stairs that led to the sauna area.
The two men went by the gym door and checked out the other two squash courts. The doors were both open, so it was a simple matter of peering inside.
“Stairs next?” Maxwell spoke with a hushed tone.
Henry nodded and led the way to the first floor. Both men were reasonably relaxed. Their loaded handguns, a rarity in the UK, added to their confidence, and they reached the first floor with no incident. They could see that the floor was clear, but the door to the sauna area was at the end of the floor, and that door was shut.
No words were exchanged between the men. There was no need. They knew what had to be done: Check out the sauna room and then they needed to get to the gym to get the canisters of water.
Henry was the first to reach the sauna door, which was clearly stated on the entrance, and gently pushed the swing door open, wide enough for he and his colleague to walk in. They both walked in and could see the area was clear.
“I had a feeling this place would be clear,” Maxwell said.
“Oh, yeah?” Henry looked at his friend and asked, “Why?”
“Well, according to the news, this radiation that hit the Midlands, or whatever the hell it was, happened during the early hours of Sunday morning.”
“And which news was that, eh?”
“The BBC.”
“Well, according to Reuters it happened Saturday night, just before midnight. And this gym is open till ten at night.”
“So, what’s correct?”
“Does it matter, eh?” Henry opened the sauna and then had a quick peep in the steam room. Both empty. “Whatever the fuck it is ... it’s here, it’s happening. And as for that theory Demi mentioned last night...”
“About the army cutting off the West Midlands from the rest of the country?”
Henry nodded. “We don’t have the personnel to do that. Don’t get me wrong, something’s happening. To lose power that quickly is a bit strange. Some kind of EMP activity, performed and ordered by the government, is definitely something that could have happened.”
“If the whole country was fucked, we’d still have power for a week or so,” said Maxwell as they both began to leave the Sauna room. “It’s been a definite government intervention.”
“All we need to do is look after ourselves.” Henry bit his bottom lip and lowered his head with sadness. “Emma was never given the chance.”
“At least you have a place where you can visit her.” Maxwell spoke, referring to where Emma had been buried in their back garden. “I know that doesn’t bring any comfort.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Henry sighed and added, “She was all I cared about. Wasn’t too bothered about my parents.”
“Well, they have pretty much disowned you since being in the drugs game.”
The two men reached the ground floor and approached the white door that led to the gym. There were no windows or glass in the door, so it was impossible to know if there was anyone in there, until the door was opened and they had a look in.
Once again, Henry was the first to approach the door and hesitated little as he pushed it open. It was a small gym, empty, and the cupboard door at the end was the place they were after.
“I’ll give it a try,” Henry said. “If it doesn’t budge, I’ve got a crowbar in the boot I can use.”
Maxwell nodded, and both men walked by the empty gym. The place smelled of stale sweat, and probably the members of staff didn’t clean it on the Saturday. Maybe they were distracted, Henry thought, or maybe they just couldn’t be bothered. Reuters had claimed that it had occurred a lot earlier than the early hours of Sunday morning, which was what most channels were stating. Nobody knew what was and had been going on, but life, as people knew it, had changed for the worse.
Henry tried the door and couldn’t believe it had opened. Maybe the staff had forgotten to lock it. He flicked the light switch, forgetting briefly that power was no more, and opened the door wider to get some kind of light in the dusky area.
“I knew this would come in handy for something,” Maxwell said. He pulled out his phone and put on the flashlight app. “Can’t text or surf the net anymore, but I’m glad I didn’t chuck it.”
Maxwell’s phone lit up the small store cupboard and it revealed four canisters, a gallon in each.
“I was expecting more,” Henry admitted. “Oh, well. We’re here now.”
Both men tucked their guns away, Maxwell turned off his phone that was running low on battery, and both men walked in and grabbed two canisters each.
With little fuss, Maxwell and Henry carried the bottles to the boot of the car and quickly got into their seats.
“Well, that was easy enough,” Maxwell said. “Piece of piss. Home next?”
Henry nodded, and then started the engine. He pulled away quickly, tyres screeching a little, and turned left at the junction. The vehicle travelled at a steady thirty and Maxwell looked in his rear view mirror.
“You better put your foot down.” Maxwell announced.
Henry checked his rear view mirror and a smirk emerged under his nose. There were three IOs running behind, but with the two men travelling at thirty miles per hour, there was no chance they were going to catch them up.
“Henry! Did you hear me?” cried Maxwell. “Step on it.”
“Stop panicking. Keep looking in your side mirror. Something has just dawned on me.”
Maxwell did as he was told, and once another thirty seconds had passed, and the guys were near St Augustine’s church, one by one their three pursuers stopped running. One even collapsed on the ground.
“What happened?” Maxwell rubbed his head and was perplexed by what he had just seen.
“They’re out of breath,” Henry laughed. “Tremendous.”
“What?”
“How many times do you need to he reminded, eh? They’re still human.”
Chapter Fifteen
The red pickup reached the town centre and turned right at the roundabout, heading up Sandy Lane. So far there had been no incidents, but Paul Newbold had a bad feeling about going to Tony’s house on the Pear Tree Estate. The two men were halfway up the long road and passed three dead bodies and a crashed Fiat Punto had hit a brick wall, near Lea Hall’s tennis courts. They passed another dea
d body on their right. The female was lying face down, blood everywhere, and it looked like she had been attacked. Paul looked at his hand where he had been bitten the other day and thanked God that the disease couldn’t be passed from bite to bite.
He had decided to leave Melvin and Lisa’s place to go home, but it didn’t quite work out the way he wanted. He put a couple of IOs down by the Wolseley Garden Centre and had to go back to Melvin and Lisa with his tail between his legs. He smiled at the thought of the two. He hoped that they were okay, especially Melvin.
The pickup slowed down and turned left onto the Queensway road. They were now on the Pear Tree, a minute away from Tony’s parent’s house.
The road inclined as the vehicle progressed, and Henry took his foot off the gas as they hit the right bend. Tony’s house could be seen up ahead, on the right, and Paul began to slow the vehicle down, bringing it to an eventual stop.
He pulled the pickup outside the house and turned the engine off. He turned to his passenger and could see that Tony was petrified. Paul guessed that it was a mixture of two things: He was probably worried about any IOs lingering about, as well as the safety of his parents.
“Shall we?” Paul said to his friend.
Tony nodded, picked up the tyre iron with his shaky right clammy hand, and was the first to leave the vehicle. He led the way, Paul following behind, and pulled out his spare key out of his back pocket. After all that had happened, he was surprised he hadn’t lost it. Originally, the spare key was for when he returned from the club at an ‘ungodly hour’ as his mother used to call it.
Tony made the short walk up six concrete steps to his main door and decided to check through the windows first, before opening it. Paul remained standing by the main door as Tony did his checks, and once he returned he shook his head at Paul, telling him that he couldn’t see anyone.
“Ready to go in?” Paul held his breath, waiting for an answer.
Tony nodded the once and began to open the door. His hand shook so much with nerves that the easy task took thirty seconds to complete. The door was then pushed open, and Tony was bravely the first man to step inside. He checked the cupboards and, like the fridge, they were bare.