by G G Garcia
Without Henry making any Hollywood moves with his driving, the IO on the roof quickly fell off as they sped away. Henry turned right at The Chancel Primary School and never had time to brake as his eyes clocked a woman halfway across the road. She was holding something close to her chest, and Henry could see the woman had blood coming from her leg and suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Knowing the crowd of IOs were around the corner, Henry had no intention of stopping for the woman. They both knew that that would be suicide, so neither one said a word about helping the woman, even when it was clear that the thing she was carrying was her two-year-old daughter.
“Jesus Christ in Heaven.” Demi placed her hand over her mouth and looked through the back of the car.
“Don’t look!” Henry yelled.
But she did. She couldn’t help but look.
The crowd appeared from around the corner and headed straight for the woman, who was lying on the ground, and the toddler that was sitting up looked hysterical. Henry speeded up so that Demi would see less of the brutality that the mother and child were going to experience. The crowd of ravenous infected humans took no time to tear the screaming toddler apart, and the mother curled herself into a ball as the bodies surrounded her. It was going to be a short death for the woman, but a very painful one.
Henry could feel his throat hardening and took a right at the roundabout.
“I’m sorry, Demsy,” Henry said. “I couldn’t stop for her. I couldn’t.
“I know.”
“Talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Demi’s eyes filled and she wiped her tears away before they reached her chin.
Chapter Twenty-One
Their tired feet moved along the riverbank and all Paul Newbold could think about was a bottle of cold water, even soda, that he knew the pub was blessed with. He had done what he set out to do, and that was to check if his parents were alive, and he had returned with mixed feelings. Tony’s parents were dead, but Craig’s were still alive. He was unsure if his parents were dead, alive, or alive but infected. It was the latter he dreaded the most. One thing he was certain about was that he shouldn’t return to his hometown, unless he was desperate, or any other populated place for that matter. There were pockets of activity in Rugeley, but not as much as he thought, but it was still a dangerous place to be. The thought of being back at the pub and seeing Melvin again, even the foul-mouthed Lisa, made him smile.
Tony lagged behind Paul and couldn’t stop thinking about the IO that he had killed. Despite washing his hands earlier, in the river, he could still smell the blood coming from his hands—or was it the specks of blood on his clothes?
On a couple of occasions he retched at the thought of the killing, but what little content he had left in his stomach refused to leave his body.
Tony looked up to the murky heavens and thought about an incident that happened to him a couple of years ago. It was Friday night, and he, Paul and Craig had had a few pints in the town and were in the kebab shop, waiting for something to eat. Tony was behind Craig and Paul, and could feel a presence behind him as more people joined the queue. He could feel somebody breathing down his neck and a soused Anthony Willetts turned around and glared at the man that was too close for comfort. He remained glaring, trying to focus on the man, and then realised it was a guy with a notorious reputation called Maxwell.
“You got a problem, pal?” Maxwell had growled at Tony.
“No.” Tony gulped. “Ignore me. I’m just a bit drunk.”
“We’re all a bit drunk, mate,” Maxwell spoke with venom. He seemed to be on his own. “But if you glare at me like that again, I’m gonna re-arrange your face.”
Tony remembered the night as if it was yesterday. One angry sentence from Maxwell had managed to sober him up very quickly, and he, Paul and Craig couldn’t wait to get home.
The two men had reached the Wolseley Bridge and went under, knowing that the pub was only fifty yards up ahead. Once they were near the pub, they both climbed the small wooden fence to get into the beer garden and strolled casually to the door to the establishment. There was no vehicle on the car park, so it looked like the Jameson family hadn’t returned. Paul knocked the door with zero hesitation, and Tony looked up to see a curtain twitching, but didn’t see who was behind it.
“You think it’s safe?” Tony asked.
“Yeah.” Paul nodded with confidence and started to scratch the inside of his ear. “We haven’t been away for that long.”
He knocked again, this time a little louder, and from behind the door they could hear movement. The door opened and Paul could see a familiar female face staring back at him.
“I knew you’d be back,” Lisa roared. “Couldn’t keep away from me, could you?”
“Hi, Lisa,” Paul groaned.
Lisa stepped aside and allowed the two young men into the establishment. In a strange kind of way, for Paul at least, it was good to be back.
The three of them walked to the bar once Lisa had locked the door, and went to the bottom of the stairs and stopped.
“Mel!” she yelled up the stairs.
“What is it, for Christ’s sake,” Paul and Tony heard the man moan from the bar area.
“Get your ugly arse down here. Got something to show you.”
The sound of heavy feet came pounding down the stairs and Melvin Leslie appeared. He had a big smile when he clocked Paul and was selfishly pleased that he had returned. Stuck in the pub for a day, with Lisa, was becoming unbearable. She did nothing but moan, despite being in a privileged position, compared to most, and her behaviour had made him snap a couple of times in Paul’s absence.
“Enjoy your day out?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Not really,” Tony said, although Melvin wasn’t really speaking to Tony. The question had been fired at Paul. He hardly knew Tony.
“Does this mean you never found your parents? You know, with you coming back?”
“They weren’t there,” Paul sighed. “And it’s certainly safer here than it is in my hometown.”
“So you came back here, knowing that there’s a place full of food and drink?” Lisa huffed, unimpressed with their return. “Is that it, eh?”
“Yeah, it is,” Paul said sharply. “Wit of it?”
“Well...” For once Lisa was struggling for words, so an irate Paul continued.
He said, “I needed to know if my parents were okay, but they weren’t there. And don’t forget that Tony was here before ya.”
“Waste of a trip then?” Lisa laughed. “You should never have left.”
“I had to go. It’s people I care about, which ya will never understand.”
“Well,” Tony piped up, “if the Jameson family return, we could all be out on our arses. So don’t get too comfortable.”
“Anyway.” Melvin clapped his hands together and produced a large smile, trying to defuse the tense atmosphere. “We have a surprise for you both. But he’s having a nap at the moment.”
“I thought I heard voices,” came a familiar voice from the behind the bar.
“Oops,” Mel chuckled. “He’s awake.”
Paul scratched his head as the male came towards them. As soon as his face was visible Paul scratched his head.
“Craig?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Henry had decided to have a lie down and Demi was nervous being alone with Maxwell. She was certain nothing would happen, but he had always given her the creeps, even when Henry was around. Maybe it was all in her head.
Demi was going to make her own excuses and have a lie down herself, despite not being tired, but she didn’t want Maxwell to think that he intimidated her, which he clearly did.
Demi sat in the armchair and stared at the wall. If she was in this awkward situation a few days ago, she could have been watching the TV, playing with her phone, but now there was nothing.
She could feel Maxwell’s stare and thought about getting up and going into the spar
e room, but her stubbornness was stopping her.
Maxwell took out his gun, the same gun that had killed a pregnant woman that he didn’t seem too bothered about once he was told the whole truth about that episode, unloaded it, and then began to take it apart.
He pulled back the slide, not too much, and removed the spring. He pushed the spring forwards slightly and lifted it away from the barrel. The spring was under pressure, so he had to be careful when removing it. He pulled the barrel out of the slide and held the barrel by the extruding lugs. He then lifted the barrel whilst pushing forwards slightly, and then raised and pulled the barrel out of the slide. Once the Glock had been disassembled, he started to clean it with a small brush.
Five minutes later he put it back together.
After putting it all back together, he loaded the gun and said, “Wanna have a go?”
“What?”
Maxwell smiled a devilish smile. “I saw you looking.”
Demi shook her head. “No, thanks. I don’t like guns.”
Maxwell stood up and walked over to Demi and placed the gun in her lap. “Hold it,” he instructed.
Demi froze with fear and was too scared to touch it. “Get it off me,” she cried.
“Pick it up,” Maxwell insisted. “I’m gonna teach you a lesson that might save your life one day.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You’re in a privileged position, Demi,” he said. “You’re in a place that has food and drink that we got, and you’re staying with two guys who are armed.”
“So?” she huffed.
“So,” Maxwell sighed impatiently. “One day Henry or myself, or both of us, might not be around and you’ll be with a gun, or guns, that you can’t figure out. So stop acting like a little princess and pick up the fucking gun.”
Despite Henry being in the other room, she felt alone, helpless, and picked the gun up with both of her shaky hands.
“Good.” Maxwell smiled. “Now, I’ve loaded the gun. That’s simple enough, so all you need to do is grab the top there with your other hand,” he pointed, “and slide the top back.”
She did as she was instructed, and looked up to him like a child would look at her teacher for approval or praise.
“Good,” he said. “Now, what you’ve done there is chambered a round. Meaning there’s a bullet in the gun. So even if you take off the magazine you could still shoot someone. Let me show you the safety.”
Maxwell stood up straight and took a few steps back. “Now it’s good to go, all you need to do is aim and then bang.”
Maxwell smiled and Demi stood up, holding the gun.
She suddenly looked confident and held it with both hands.
Maxwell remained calm and said, “All you need to do now is pull the trigger.”
Her finger caressed the trigger and Maxwell remained calm. Demi could feel a rush of blood to the head and envisaged what it would be like to put a bullet into someone, into Maxwell. It wouldn’t be a great loss to society, or what was left of it, and she never liked him anyway.
Thinking straight, she gulped and lowered the gun.
“You never flinched,” she said, almost with disappointment, and handed him the gun.
He took the gun off her and stuck it into the front of his jeans. “So?”
“Are you insane?” she said.
He smiled. “I just knew you wouldn’t do it. But when one of those Savs comes for you, don’t hesitate. You hesitate, you die.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Craig had sat down at one of the wooden tables after opening a bottle of beer. Tony and Paul did the same. Lisa And Melvin had decided to go upstairs in the living quarters, and knew Craig wanted to tell his friends what had happened and why he had disappeared. It was a story they had heard before.
When a soaked Craig hammered on the main door, Mel and Lisa were too scared to open it. They weren’t sure if it was an infected individual or not. They weren’t sure knocking on doors was something they did or could do. But when Craig spoke and cried for his friends, they knew he was human. Mel wanted to let him in, but Lisa’s exact words were: “Let the spunk stain go somewhere else.”
They peered out, before opening the door, and could see the young man was soaked. It hadn’t rained recently, so this had confused them. When they let him in, he was given a towel and a change of clothes and he told the pair his story. His story sounded familiar and he mentioned his friends Paul and Tony, and they knew then who he was.
Craig took a swig of his beer and said, “Thank God you’re both okay.”
Tony nodded and Paul smiled.
“I heard about Demi,” Craig said. “And the Jamesons.”
Tony said, “She spotted some car and flagged it down.”
“Funny, isn’t it, mate?”
Paul asked, never asking where Craig had stayed the night, “Wit is?”
“We have this secure place with food and drink, yet we still wanted to leave and go home.”
“If the power was still on, I would have stayed here, man,” said Tony. “We left to see if our families were okay.”
“And are they?”
Paul and Tony looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. No words needed to be spoken. Craig could tell by their faces that their parents were never found.
“I would have stayed there,” said Craig. “If I’m gonna die, mate, I’d rather die in my own home.”
“My place was too smashed up and supplies were practically non-existent.” Paul cleared his throat and decided to change the subject. “Anyway, Craig, I haven’t forgotten that you bailed out on us, stealing my fuckin’ car.”
“I know.” Craig lowered his head with shame.
Paul felt no malice towards his friend. He was angry at first, but he understood why he did it. He did it for exactly the same reason why he and Tony went to their hometown.
Paul thought about what Craig’s mother had said to him, and wondered if he should break his promise and tell Craig that his parents were alive. He deserved to know, but it was his actions afterwards that concerned his mother. She wanted him to stick with his pals until this catastrophe was over.
Paul took an intake of breath, in two minds whether to tell him or not, but clocked Tony staring at him, gently shaking his head.
“So...” Paul began. “Wit happened?”
Craig rubbed his face and took a drink from his bottle of beer. It seemed to take an age for him to start explaining. Another swig of his drink and he began to explain. “When I took your car, I went onto the Rugeley Road,” he began.
“Obviously,” Paul interrupted. “Ya were headin’ to Rugeley and the car’s abandoned by the side of the road. Why did ya abandon it?”
“I was driving down the road and saw a crowd of people in the distance.” He took another drink and continued, “I had no idea if they were infected of not. But then I thought: why would a gang of individuals be out in the open, the way things are at the moment?”
“Wit happened then?”
“I pulled the car to the side of the road, took the keys, and started to walk towards the crowd to get a better look.”
“What?” Tony laughed. “Are you insane, man?”
“I wanted to get a better look.”
“A better look? You don’t even know if they’re infected until you see their eyes.”
“Anyway,” Craig shrugged off Tony’s mocking. “I walked a few yards and heard a rustle to the side of me. An IO came out of the trees, a young girl, and tried to attack me. I managed to fight her off, but our little tussle attracted the attention of the crowd from far away.”
“So they ran towards ya?” Paul asked.
Craig nodded.
“And wit happened to the girl?”
Craig took in a deep breath and said with regret, “I fled over the field, but she wouldn’t let up. So I turned around and punched her a few times, and she fell to the floor and never got back up. I think I might have killed her, mate, or knocked her out. S
he only looked about fifteen. Knowing that the crowd were running, I decided to run across the field, but not one of them cut through the trees and followed me. They’d either been distracted by something else, or they didn’t have the brains to follow me. Maybe they just continued along the road.”
“Or maybe they just got knackered,” Paul spoke up. He could see the confusion on Craig’s face and explained. “Because they’re still human, they still get out of breath when running, and have to eventually stop.”
“Oh.” Craig looked confused and opened his mouth to say something, but no words fell out.
Paul took a long swig of his beer and got to his feet to get another three bottles. With the power gone, the bottles weren’t cold, but the beer still tasted wonderful.
“So ya still have my car keys then?” Paul asked.
Craig nodded and reached for his front pocket and Paul went over and held out his hand. Craig handed them over with his head lowered, shamefaced.
“At least we now have that option,” Paul said and walked behind the bar to get the beers.
“And what option’s that?” asked Tony.
“I have no plans on leaving this place again, but if we had to, for whatever reason, I have wheels about a mile away from here.” Paul opened the lids of the beers and made his way back around.
“And why would we be in a position where we would have to leave?” There was confusion in Craig’s tone.
“If this place becomes unliveable,” Paul tried to explain. He put the beers on the table and sat back down. “For whatever reason.”
“You mean if a crowd of IOs get in?” Craig picked his beer up and took a long swig from the bottle.
“Yeah.”
Craig belched and said, “Well, if that was the case, mate, you might not even make it to your car. A mile is a long way to run when those things are running after you.”
“I’m just sayin’.”
“Let’s not talk about leaving again, man,” Tony piped up. “We’ve done it once. It wasn’t worth it. Staying here is for the best.”