Hell

by G G Garcia

  “I think I told you before. I spent years working and helped pay off the mortgage, so why would I walk away and give her the house that I’ve also worked for? We live like pals anyway. We’re hardly active in the bedroom. I mean, I know she’s not that easy on the eye nowadays, but I’m certain she’s played away now and again.”

  “Wit about ya?”

  “Just the once.” Mel sighed and said, “Lisa knew all along. She told me yesterday. You met her ... briefly.”

  “Gail?”

  Mel nodded and revealed an embarrassed smile. “The very same one.”

  “Jesus.” Paul ran his fingers over his face and added, “I did think somethin’ weird was happenin’ when we both went to her house. And ya also looked quite upset when she died.”

  “Upset? Mel scoffed. “When we got to the pub, I went into the toilets and cried for half an hour.”

  “So ... ya loved her?”

  “No, not really. Although I liked her very much.”

  “Wit was it then? Just sex?”

  “We were just two lonely people. She had lost her son and was living alone, and I was, and still am, in a dead marriage.”

  The conversation had come to a temporary halt, and the two men cleared the bend and could see the straight road ahead of them. Paul smiled when he saw his Corsa in the distance, sleeping at the left hand side of the road where Craig had abandoned it.

  “There’s Carol,” he moaned.

  Mel laughed and waggled his head. “You’re not bloody right in the head, son.”

  The two men walked for a minute and their walk slowed when individuals could be seen up ahead.

  “Shit. What do we do?” Mel asked Paul.

  “It’s okay. Keep walkin’.” Paul increased his pace. “I’m not walkin’ this far to then turn back and go to the pub.”

  “But...”

  “Come on.”

  Mel stopped walking and had lost his nerve. Paul turned around and could see the man was frightened.

  “They haven’t spotted us yet,” Paul said.

  “How do you know?”

  “‘Cause they’re not runnin’. But they will do if ya gonna stand and fuck about.”

  Mel still remained standing and looked unsure what to do.

  “Fine. Just stay there and I’ll get the car,” Paul huffed. “Be ready to jump in when I drive by.”

  Mel never responded verbally. He simply nodded, embarrassed that he had lost his nerve. He wished he was more like Paul.

  Young Paul Newbold seemed brave and ruthless, and if he had any nerves he was doing a damn fine job hiding the way he was feeling.

  Paul briskly walked with scissor-like strides, almost jogging, and was less than twenty yards from reaching his beloved vehicle. He took out his keys and could feel the excitement running through his veins. He got inside and felt the gear stick, ran his fingers affectionately around the steering wheel, and then placed his keys in the ignition. “Hey, Carol.”

  He fired the engine and could see up ahead that the car being started had been noticed. One of the individuals from the group began to jog towards the vehicle, which quickly turned into a sprint. Paul knew that once one ran, they’d all follow. He wasn’t wrong.

  The others began to follow and Paul did a U turn in the road, and headed down the Rugeley Road. He checked in the rear view mirror and could see that the first one, the first runner, wasn’t very far away at all, and increased his speed to create a bigger gap, knowing that he needed to stop in a few seconds to pick Mel up.

  He slowed down once he was near Mel and yelled at the hesitant man to get in the fucking car.

  Mel sat on the passenger seat and the vehicle was moving again before he had a chance to shut the passenger door. Once it was closed, Paul took another look and was pleased that the distance between the car and the horde was growing, however, something else began to bother him. They were near the pub and once they passed the garden centre to their right and went over the two mini roundabouts, Paul went by the pub’s car park entrance and continued to drive on.

  “Where the fuck are you going?” Mel yelled, wondering if Paul had finally lost his mind.

  “We can’t go to the pub just yet,” said Paul.

  “Why not?”

  “Because those IOs are too near.” Paul gaped in the mirror again and was pleased that every single one of the group had ran by the pub and was following him. “I don’t want to lead all those pricks to the Wolseley Arms. It’d be a massacre and unnecessary.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” said Mel, now looking over his shoulder and staring at the fading herd. “Turn right up ahead. There’s a hump bridge. The road leads into Little Haywood. Drive through the village and then turn right. It’ll get you back onto the Wolseley Road and eventually back to the pub.”

  “Okay.”

  “You’d be practically doing a full circle.” Mel pointed up ahead and said, “Nearly there.”

  Paul slowed down the vehicle and indicated right. He had no idea why he used the indicator. Out of habit? He laughed at himself and cancelled the signal, then turned right and went over the bridge a lot quicker than he would have done a week ago.

  “Another mile or so to go,” said Mel. “And we’ll be back.”

  “No point goin’ back,” said Paul. “Let’s just go straight to this place in Hixon.”

  Mel looked behind him and couldn’t see the gang of infected that were following them.

  “They won’t be far behind,” Paul said, knowing what Mel was thinking. “But they’ll be well out of the picture by the time we get to Hixon. I just feel bad.”

  “What for?”

  “For bringin’ them into this village.”

  “People will be barricaded in. It’ll be fine.”

  “True, but we’ve seen for ourselves that if they spot any movement, they won’t hesitate to jump through ya front livin’ room window to get to ya. Even if it kills them.”

  Mel gulped and made a solitary, slow nod, agreeing with what Paul had just stated.

  They were both now in the village of Little Haywood.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Henry and Demi stepped inside the man’s house. The owner placed the box of tins on his living room and Henry placed the water on the carpet floor.

  A small plump woman walked into the living room from the kitchen, and seemed surprised to see Demi and Henry standing there.

  “Honey,” the man tried to explain. “These two are from the car that we saw.”

  She nodded but never said a word.

  The man continued, “I told them about Lisa.”

  “We’ve given you some food.” Henry decided to speak up. “We’re going now. We need to be some place.”

  The woman of the house looked at her husband and then looked down at Henry’s waist, noticing the handle of the gun sticking out. She looked at her husband once more and then her eyes went back to her two guests.

  “Is that a real gun?” she asked Henry, and then sat down.

  He nodded. “It is.”

  “Thanks for the food.” She grunted and placed her hands on her lap, straightening her back. “My husband and I differ on a serious subject concerning what’s happening right now.”

  “Oh,” was all that he could muster. In truth, he wasn’t sure what she was talking about and where she was going with her talk.

  He listened as she continued to speak.

  “I believe that these people that are infected...” She paused and looked at her husband with a hard glare, almost as if she was warning him not to interrupt because he didn’t agree with her thinking. “I believe they’re screwed. I believe very strongly that whoever is infected ... they’re finished. They’re as good as dead.”

  Her husband stood with his head lowered, shaking it in disagreement as she spoke.

  “You don’t think they’ll be a cure?” Demi queried the woman.

  The woman released a short laugh and waggled her head. “No. Whatever has happened, whether
it’s some kind of military accident, the people affected will be left to die or be killed when they come in to clear things up.”

  “You really believe it could be a military accident, not a terrorist one?”

  “If it was terrorist one, they would have done London. Not an area that has places that the world has never heard of. I think it was military, maybe some kind of gas that was designed for ... I don’t know. Over a hundred years ago, mustard gas was available during the Great War. That shit strips away the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and respiratory tract, victims may also experience irritation of the eyes, temporary blindness, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath and sinus pain. The digestive tract is also affected, resulting in abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever and vomiting. God knows what they could come up with nowadays.”

  “You sound like a man I briefly knew,” said Demi. “John Jameson. He owns the Wolseley Arms pub.”

  “We know him,” the woman’s husband spoke up. “We used to go to that pub. Sometimes we used to take old David Billingham with us. His wife died a few years ago, so we kind of felt sorry for the old guy.”

  “I think John mentioned that name.” Demi nodded. “John’s gone. He left with his wife and son. Some people I know are there now. That’s where we’re going.”

  Henry was getting tired of the small talk and decided to speak up. “Look, we really need to go.” He looked at the woman of the house and said further, “Your husband told us about your daughter. We’re sorry, but we have to go now.”

  “There’s a favour I need to ask you before you go,” the woman said, now getting to her feet.

  “Don’t bother,” her husband snapped. “We’ve already talked about this.”

  “She’s finished.” She quickly turned her head and glared at her husband. “There’s no point denying it.”

  Henry had an idea what they were arguing about and decided to step in.

  “I know where this is going,” Henry said. “I mentioned your daughter being put out of her misery and your husband bit my head off.”

  “I can’t leave her the way she is,” the woman spoke and was becoming emotional. “Tied to that bed, out of her mind, messing herself. It’s not right. My husband disagrees, but I think deep down he knows our beautiful Lisa is no more. She’s not coming back.”

  “So what are you gonna do, eh?”

  “She needs to be put to sleep.” The woman began to cry as soon as she finished the sentence and her husband remained tight lipped, but his face looked annoyed.

  “Where is she?” Demi asked the woman.

  “Come with me.” The woman walked through a door and went upstairs. Demi followed her, and told Henry to come.

  Henry reluctantly followed the two females, leaving the disgruntled man of the house in the living room. The woman of the house opened a bedroom door and stepped inside.

  Henry and Demi did the same and the smell of fetid urine made the pair of them screw their faces in disgust.

  They could see a young female lying on the bed, and there was a large wet patch on the quilt, around her middle and by the side of her thighs. The infected girl was hissing at the people that had just walked in. She was tied to the bed, her eyes bloodshot, but she wasn’t writhing and moving like a crazy person. She looked reasonably calm, but Henry knew that if ever she came free, she’d go for all three of them.

  “She’s still wearing the same clothes she had on when she went out on Saturday night.” The woman spoke with sadness. “It was too dangerous to undress her.”

  The room fell silent and the smell of urine twisted the noses of Henry and Demi once more.

  “I’m sorry that this has happened to you,” Henry said to the woman and placed his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. “And I agree with you that there’s no going back from this. I think deep down your husband agrees.”

  “That’s why I want you to do me a favour.”

  “What is it?”

  “I want you to put her to rest.”

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Paul and Mel were quiet as the Corsa travelled through the barren streets of the village at thirty miles per hour, remaining in third gear. It was very bizarre. There were no signs of violence, no blood on the paths or roads, and no bodies could be seen. It was a lifeless place.

  The lucky residents of Little Haywood appeared to have witnessed very little action, although no one was taking any chances. All the curtains in almost every single window were drawn, every main door was shut, and not a soul could be seen. Paul guessed that behind the locked main doors, most of the residents had barricaded and were spending most of the time in their attics and rationing their food.

  They exited the village and were now on the country road, heading for Hixon. The journey along the road was over in ten minutes and they could see the ‘Welcome to Hixon’ sign. It was another small place, and it was a village that had a population of just under two thousand. They went by a pub called The Green Man, and they continued along the straight road and could see a large building which was the wholesalers they were after.

  They could see another vehicle parked by the side of the building and it looked like someone else was inside the place. Paul and Mel just hoped it was a friendly person or persons that were inside.

  Paul pulled up by the building, not far away from the other parked car, and both men stepped out. Mel pulled out his knife from his pocket, but Paul told Mel to put it away. If the individual or individuals inside saw two men carrying knives, they could react in a violent way if they saw Paul and Mel as a threat.

  “There might be trolleys inside,” said Paul. “Not sure. Never been to the place before.”

  “Me neither,” Mel groaned.

  The automatic doors to the entrance of the place were opened. With the power going, they were probably initially closed and had been prised open with a crowbar or another device by other people. The two men were on high alert and stepped inside the dusky place. There were ten aisles in the establishment and Paul could see that the liquids were in Aisle One.

  “Wanna check the place out first?” Paul asked his companion.

  “Nah, fuck that!” Mel blew out his cheeks and added, “Let’s just get the liquids, fill the car, and get the fuck out of here.”

  Paul nodded and they both headed for the first aisle. They could see that this place had already been visited and that some of the shelves of the aisle had been cleared, but there was still enough to make the trip worthwhile. There were litre bottles of water, lemonade and other sodas, and Paul told Mel that he was going to get a trolley from the door.

  In minutes, the trolley had been filled and so was the Corsa after four trips. Although not the largest car, with very little boot space, both men were pleased with the result, although Paul did worry about Carol’s suspension and if they had placed too much weight in the vehicle.

  Paul inspected the back of the vehicle and could see there was plenty of room for one more trip, but the weight concerned him.

  “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Mel said, looking a lot more relaxed than before, “One more trip?”

  “Dunno.” Paul was staring into the back and rubbing his chin in thought. “Not too sure the old girl could handle the weight.”

  “Go on,” Mel urged. “The pub’s only a mile up the road, and I’m not sure if I can be arsed to come back and make a second journey.”

  “We could come back tomorrow,” said Paul. “And take some food as well.”

  “Well?”

  “Fuck it.” Paul grabbed the trolley, walked away and headed for the entrance/exit. “One more trip won’t hurt.”

  Mel jogged over to Paul to catch up and they headed for Aisle One once more. Paul had cleared all the water, so they went over to the sparkling flavoured water and filled the trolley.

  “Hello there,” a voice called out, making Mel gasp.

  Paul and Mel looked up and could see a large man, muscular, holding a shopping basket in each hand. There was a mix
ture of food and drink in both full baskets, both looked heavy, and it appeared he was doing exactly the same as Paul and Mel: He was taking stuff to enhance his survival.

  “Alright, pal?” Paul called down the aisle. He was a little twitchy with the man, not sure if he was a threat or not.

  “I’m just leaving,” the man said. “Me and the wife are just getting a few things and then we’re gonna go.”

  “Same here,” Mel spoke up.

  Paul noticed that there was baby formula in the left basket and began to relax. This guy was no threat. He was a father, trying to take care of his family.

  A woman appeared from around the aisle and stood next to the muscular man. She was a pretty brunette, her hair greased back in a ponytail, and had a baby next to her chest with the aid of a baby carrier. The baby appeared to be asleep.

  “Hiya,” she called out.

  Both Paul and Mel acknowledged the woman with a nod.

  “It’s crazy, isn’t it, with what’s going on?” the chirpy female spoke.

  “Ya could say that,” said Paul.

  “Anyway.” The large man smiled and added, “We’re leaving. Good luck to you, gentlemen.”

  “Ya too.”

  Both man and woman disappeared around the aisle and Paul said, “Well, at least that was pleasant. Bit risky taking a baby out, especially if it started cryin’.”

  “They probably didn’t have a choice.”

  “Still, ya’d think that the woman would stay home and...”

  “Paul, let’s just go.”

  “Okay.”

  “But first I need to use the bathroom.” Mel pointed up ahead. “Toilets ahead. I need to curl one out.”

  “Fuck’s sake. Seriously?”

  “Won’t be long.” Mel slapped Paul on the back and walked down the aisle to reach the gents’ toilets.

  “I’ll see ya outside.”

  Mel unbuckled his trousers the moment he stepped inside the toilets and picked the first cubicle. He dropped his trousers and pants and made a groan as soon as he began to defecate.

  As soon as he was done, he cleaned himself up and tried to flush the toilet, but it didn’t work. He closed the lid and exited the cubicle.