Deadweight

by Forster, Paul

  “I was joking about being your Uber driver, my car. I choose the music where we go and what we do.” Natasha's smile had gone as Amy changed tact and pleaded.

  “Please, we need to lead them away.” Amy wasn't above threatening their new friend, but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

  “Okay, but I have little petrol so if they get too close, I'm putting my foot down and we're putting some distance on them.” Natasha looked around for landmarks, obviously further meals were nearby and once she had finished with these three, she would make sure she found her way back.

  Peter continued to get his breath back, Gareth looked far from comfortable and Amy gave herself a moment to calm down and checked her rifle and depleted ammo supply.

  “Where were you heading, are you with a group?” Amy suddenly gained a curiosity of their saviour.

  “There is nowhere to go, I'm just driving looking for food, trying to be safe.” Natasha was so matter of fact, so confident and calm it was as if she was talking about her plans for the weekend.

  “And you're alone?” Gareth chipped in, as interested in her relationship status as he was of other survivors.

  “Just little old me.” The slow and steady speed kept their pursuers close, but not too close.

  “If you take it a few miles, then we'll arc around and head back to the farm. You'd be welcome to stay with us.” Amy saw this girl had ingenuity and a survival instinct to make it this far on her own.

  “By us, she means the apocalypse retirement home. If pensioners are your thing, you'll love it.” Gareth chipped in. The elderly, they were tough to eat but easy to kill so Natasha was game on paying the old people a visit when needed.

  *

  The foursome stood beside the bloodied car on a small country road.

  “I told you I was low on petrol.”

  The following herd was way off in the distance, maybe a mile or slightly more, on foot they would easily increase that distance in a few hours until the pursuers would completely lose them. It might take a day to get back to the farm unless they could source another vehicle. Amy's main concern was getting the hungry mob as far away from the farm as possible, but she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity for scouting this new area.

  “We should quick time it another half a mile then we'll arc round. Anything interesting we should take a look.”

  Gareth entered the day fed up taking orders from this bossy cow, he wasn't any more happy with doing so now.

  “I'm not fucking going back. You find another slave to look after your nostalgia and whimsey brigade.” Peter was tired, scared, and angry.

  “Will you just shut up Gareth! There are two types of people left, those who are alive and those who are dead, there's no longer any damn room for people to be arseholes!”

  Natasha knew there was a third type. One was neither dead nor alive, but somewhere in between.

  “Lord only knows how many people are left, and you want to abandon them to look after your damn self? Give me strength, we'll probably all be dead before the year is out so why are you so damn eager to live your last miserable days alone?” A newly forthright Peter took aback Gareth and Amy, Natasha just smiled.

  Gareth saw his out, he didn’t have to be alone or a servant to the elderly.

  “Maybe I'll go with Natasha. What do you say?” Natasha stood back.

  “Look, I can see you guys have your issues, and these days who hasn't, I know I've got my own problems. But this isn't the time or place for a domestic.”

  “Can we at least move away from them, we can sort this shit out later.” Amy was already walking away as she spoke and Peter followed like a puppy.

  Natasha began to trot off in line when Gareth grabbed her arm pulling her to a stop.

  “You need to listen, she's trying to save the world she'll put you to work serving those old fucks and I know she'd trade your young beautiful life for one of theirs. Think about it, death will follow her.” Gareth begrudgingly followed and Natasha's smile widened, this was too easy.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  IT WAS GETTING late, and they were further away from the farm than ever. Every corner seemed to hide smaller groups of the feeders. Every time they tried to start their long arc back towards the farm, they were faced with a mob of teeth and claws with no other thought than to devour them. Throughout the day, they had unwittingly been moving towards a small town and the groups had grown in numbers and viciousness. Gareth's shotgun, out of shells had become little more than a heavy bat, Amy's rifle was down to its last few rounds. Peter was a bag of nerves, but Natasha remained unfazed. Her biggest concern was to make sure that one of those dumb hungry fucks didn't mess with her food.

  Amy led them down the narrow country road and signalled for the others to stop as they reached another junction, a series of low growls emanated from beyond the corner. These country lanes and roads were killers, easy to evade but with no visibility it was all too easy to bump into a threat. There were at least two of them lurking, maybe a few more but there were over a dozen less than half a mile away following them.

  “Everyone ready?” Gareth and Natasha nodded.

  Gareth raised his hatchet up ready to bring it down on a beast, Natasha had a large carving knife that she readied into position, Peter held his spear close as if it were a loved one.

  “Go!”

  Amy rounded the corner first firing two shots, Gareth followed and took a run at the nearest creature striking it hard in the face with the hatchet connecting beautifully, knocking it and several teeth flying. Natasha calmly walked up to another, it didn't acknowledge her as she stuck her blade into its eye socket. Peter followed up the rear, not eager to get involved but not wanting to be completely useless. A loud groan stopped them all in their tracks.

  A fat bastard let itself be seen from where it had been standing close to the hedgerow. Even for the big ones, this was huge. its facial features hidden behind the large boils, nose enveloped and just two dots for eyes but the angry gnashing mouth remained prominent.

  “Fuck me, they are a sight Petey. I thought you were bullshitting me.”

  Gareth gestured at Amy and her rifle. She obliged firing a single shot into the monster. A flap of scalp and bone flipped off of the top of its skull, forcing it to take half a step back before proceeding on towards them. A louder, angrier groan came from its mouth. Amy went to fire again, but the rifle clicked.

  “I'm out.” She looked to Gareth.

  “Hell no.”

  Peter faded back hoping to go unnoticed but he needn't have bothered, no one was looking to him to take this thing on.

  “Let me.” Natasha confidently strode forward, her blade dripping with grey blood.

  She hadn't come close to one of these before, but assumed like the little ones, it wouldn’t pay her any attention. She lifted the large carving knife as she closed the distance. The big one was having none of it. It swatted her to the floor before she had the chance to strike down into its skull. It didn't pay her any more attention as she slowly crawled backwards out of its way, hurt and in shock.

  Amy grabbed Peter's spear and moved next to Gareth. “Age before beauty.”

  Gareth smirked. “Ladies first, I insist.”

  Amy examined her weapon briefly, and it didn’t impress her. The creature let out another loud groan inviting them to try. The spear entered under its chin with a pop, thick grey blood oozed from the wound as it swung at the spear snapping it in half. Amy quickly stepped back as it angrily threw its head side to side desperate to remove the remaining segment of the spear as Gareth swung at it with the hatchet, missing by an inch and getting knocked on his arse for his trouble. Natasha was back on her feet, she'd be damned if she would lose all this fresh meat to an unthinking beast, no matter how big it was. It had already passed her so she took the opportunity to approach from behind, stabbing down into its upper back repeatedly, it writhed in pain and screamed with anger as it swung once more at her putting her onto the floor with the knif
e still embedded firmly between its shoulder blades. Gareth looked to Amy for direction, but she had none. They couldn't go back, and this giant of a feeder had slowed little for the abuse it had taken. Gareth handed the hatchet to Amy and took the shotgun from his back and held it like an overweight and oversized bat, ready to take a swing.

  “Peter, we have to get round it.” The fight had failed, they now had to run, it was big and was strong but it didn't seem to be fast. Gareth took his opportunity whilst Amy was shouting and taking its attention, he darted around it and joined up with Natasha, helping her to her feet. At least she'd have one meal.

  “Peter, come on!” Amy pleaded but Peter was frozen, this was it for him. He hoped it would be quick, but at least it'd be over. Amy gave up and manoeuvred around it as quickly as she could, but it didn't care. It wanted him. Peter was all it cared for now. Natasha looked on helplessly. Two meals were better than nothing, shame about Peter, he had as much meat as the other two combined but she wouldn't go hungry. He closed his eyes as he stood shaking, waiting for it to take him. It was six feet away, then five, then four, his three companions could only look on in horror, unable to assist. Its head fell apart like a cracked watermelon, a fine spray of grey blood, brain and bone fizzed narrowly to Peter's side before it collapsed to the ground. Peter ran around the bloated corpse to join the others who shared in his confusion and relief.

  “You lot make enough noise, Lord knows how you made it this far. You need to be careful with the big ones, they don't fuck about.”

  A tall handsome black man with a Welsh twang, dressed in army fatigues, emerged from further down the road. He walked up to the group, his rifle lowered but ready to be put into action if needed.

  “Lance Corporal Kenneth Addo, pleased to meet you.” His beaming smile was reassuring even if no one had any reason to trust the military. “It will get dark soon. I've got a secure house about two hundred meters down the road. Or you can stay here.”

  “I'm done. I can't carry on.” Peter sat himself on the floor and crossed his legs, seemingly deciding to stay put for the short remainder of his life. Amy stood over him.

  “We'll bed down for the night, it'll be better in the morning.” They were all hungry, none more so that Natasha. All day she'd been walking with her food as it burned calories, but her dinner was close. They'd sleep, and she'd make her move. Amy, Gareth and this big chunk of uniformed dark meat would be her first, she'd slit their throats as they slept and bathe in their blood. She'd keep Peter around as a fresh meal, he'd be easy to subdue and after a day or two she'd have gorged herself on the others, she'd be ready to make use of him.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

  THE HOUSE WAS small and run down, it would have been derelict long before the outbreak. The windows boarded up years before, hope of a clean bed and running water didn't last long, what it had in its favour was the distance from the road and a distinct lack of neighbours. Kenneth had at least attempted to clean out one bedroom so that the pigeon shit and mouldy furniture didn't assault all the senses. A single sleeping bag, a small stash of scavenged tinned food and several bladed tools, cleavers, knives and a splitting maul. Peter had popped himself down in the far corner, his back firmly implanted against the wall. Gareth had picked himself out the cleanest spot in the room, he didn't ask, he just laid down and closed his eyes trying to get some rest. Amy, Natasha, and Kenneth stood in the middle of the room.

  “I don't mind taking the first shift, you guys look nearly as dead as those things.” Kenneth held his rifle close to his chest ready for his guard duty, he wasn't sure he completely trusted his guests, but the feeling was mutual.

  “I'll take the first watch.” Natasha was eager to eat and reached for the Kenneth's rifle. “I don't think so princess, have this.” Kenneth produced a small folded blade and handed it to Natasha.

  “You hear anything, wake me.” Amy gave her new friends a smile, at last some doers to back her up.

  “A word ma’am.” Kenneth hadn't spoken to anyone for over a week, and he was more than a little rusty.

  “Amy, please.”

  They both left the bedroom to the privacy of the landing.

  “Amy, I've been away from my men for nearly a week, I've been to several camps, each supposedly well armed and prepared, all I've seen is those things. You're the first friendly faces I've seen since I left Wellworth.”

  Amy interrupted. “I've heard of Wellworth.”

  “It's a research facility, I came out looking for help.”

  “And you found it in this derelict?” Kenneth dropped his smile.

  “There's nothing out there. The towns and cities are infested or have been levelled. As you've seen, you get within half a mile of civilisation and it becomes much less civilised. I've seen signs of life, but it's small, it's hiding, it will not bounce back and it's not going to put these things down. We're fucked.”

  “We have a farm, it's not too far from here, we'll be heading back in the morning, we have people, not a lot, but people. You're welcome to join us, fuck, you're more than welcome, I insist.” Kenneth smiled back at the inviting offer.

  “If I can't find a way to Southampton, I need to get back to Wellworth I’ve already been away for too long, you should join us.”

  “I’ve been in a camp run by the military. I'm not going into another one. I think you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who'd do that. At least with the dead you know where you stand.”

  Kenneth understood, every camp he'd come across had fallen and knowing the pressures the military would face could only imagine the potential abuses.

  “Sleep on it, we're a dwindling race us human beings. We should stick together.”

  They both walked back into the bedroom, Gareth was snoring and Peter had his eyes closed, still propped up in the corner as Natasha played with the knife she'd been given.

  “You kids should get some sleep, in four hours I'm waking up big Kenny.”

  *

  Moonlight broke into the room through one of the decaying boards covering a window. Gareth still snored as the others breathed heavily in their sleep. Outside was silent, not a bird fox or vole stirred, either they'd already become prey or had the sense to be quiet. Natasha could feel her stomach tearing into itself, she was starving, it'd been too long, and she felt she could lose control. Now she'd have to make her move whilst there was the slither of an opportunity. Gareth stirred, that wouldn't help, but she knew just what to do. Silently she crept over to him, he was close to waking, carefully she unbuckled his belt and opened his fly before reaching in. Not bad, a good-looking guy with a meaty cock. Gently she massaged it with her hand, careful not to be too rough, as it swelled and enlarged, she moved down and started going down on him. He stirred becoming slowly aware but enjoying the experience. Coming up for air she examined his erection, rock hard and maybe eight inches. Such a shame, such a waste.

  “Don't stop.” Gareth whispered.

  Natasha looked up and smiled as she adjusted herself over him and started gently riding him. He started to sit up and Natasha shook her head as she guided him back down. Gareth held her hips and tried to control her pace, trying to make her go faster. As much as he was enjoying himself, time wasn't with them, the last thing he wanted was for one of the others to wake and ruin his fun. Natasha adjusted her position and leaned down, her nose grazing Gareth's before they locked mouths. It was a messy passionate kiss, as the knife entered Gareth's ear canal and pierced his brain he couldn't have cried out even if he had wanted. He went limp almost immediately, she could feel his last breath escaping into her mouth. Natasha carried on riding him for a moment or two longer before she couldn't help herself any more and licked the blood as it began to pool on the floor. She knew she had to act quickly and strike before they discovered her, but the hunger was taking control. Just a bite, just to settle her stomach before the noise of it rumbling woke the others. The neck was soft and easy to rip into. It always was. Just one bite. It was intoxicating, fresh meat that was sti
ll so warm. Maybe another. Natasha bit down harder for her second bite, a small pop followed by a crunch as the cartilage gave way. She didn't even pause to see if the others stirred. Just one more bite then she'd start getting to work on the others.

  “Will you two pack it in?” A pissed off Welshman didn't want to waste his downtime listening to a couple having a quickie. “You're supposed to be on watch.”

  Natasha swallowed a chunk of flesh before she could answer. “

  I'm nearly done.”

  Two quick pelvic thrusts, a wipe of her mouth and she rolled off, careful to shield the knife from view. Kenneth rolled back over and closed his eyes. One down, three to go. She thought of her plan to keep Peter alive for a few days, it would be difficult but fresh meat was so much tastier and satisfying than rotting flesh. If she could, he'd survive the night, he wouldn't be a threat even if he knew what was coming. Amy would be last. Kenneth was a giant and would have to be next.

  Slowly, she got to her feet and walked as quietly as she could across the room to Kenneth, knife ready to find its way into his brain. One foot in front of the other, slow but methodical so as not to disturb any debris and give her actions away. She lifted the blade, eager to get the job done quickly so she could quickly move to Amy. The floorboards creaked beneath her just as she was about to strike, Kenneth quickly turned and caught sight of the blade catching Natasha's hand as she brought it down, Natasha struck Kenneth in the face with her left hand as they wrestled for the blade. He used his strength and size to roll on top of Natasha securing her by both wrists as she writhed beneath him desperate to get the knife and escape his clutches, Kenneth could finally see her face. Blood smeared around her mouth and chin, as she snapped her teeth at him he edged back.