Even at the slow pace, the car shook over the lumpy ground and it threatened to throw Rhys off. With his arms held out for balance, he watched the baby swing like a pendulum from his grip. Its little mouth snapped every time it got close to him.
As they approached the tree, the diseased at the bottom continued to focus on Flynn.
Rhys stamped on the top of the car again when they got close, and Vicky came to an abrupt stop.
Everything moved in slow motion. Rhys’ foot caught beneath the blue strip light that sat on the top of the car, and he fell. He reached out to soften his landing, which brought the baby closer. The ravenous little demon swung so near to his face that the castanet click of its teeth snapped in Rhys’ ear.
When Rhys hit the roof of the car, he rolled onto his back and lifted the baby away from him. He kept it at arm’s length. The fall had instilled a new vigour in the horrible thing. It writhed and snapped with more ferocity than before. So close to tasting blood, it seemingly couldn’t bear it.
Rhys got to his feet again, and the baby chewed at the air between them. He turned to the diseased beneath the tree. “Oi, you horrible bastards, look at me. I have one of you now.”
As one unit—one mind—the pack turned and stared at Rhys. The usual expressions of hate locked their faces, but they quickly vanished when they saw the baby. Concern wrinkled brows and their aggression vanished.
Rhys swung the baby back and forth. He felt like a cruel older brother holding his sister’s doll hostage. The diseased’s eyes followed it like dogs on a stick—that’s all the baby was: an inanimate object to be used as a toy. This thing wasn’t human and didn’t deserve to be treated as such.
The strength drained from his body as if his muscles questioned his actions. The little thing was a monster—nothing more. Rhys took a deep breath and pushed through it. He then yelled and launched the small child.
Bloody eyes stared, dark mouths hung open, and then, as one, the diseased chased it.
Another stamp on the roof and Vicky pulled toward the tree.
The bright sun shone into Rhys’ eyes, and he had to shield his vision to see when he looked up. “Flynn, it’s me. Daddy. You need to come down now, mate, before they come back.”
For a moment, Flynn stared at Rhys and shook his head.
“Come on, we can’t hang around. We’ve got to get out of here, now.”
Flynn shook his head again, but he didn’t speak.
A glance to the side showed the diseased gathered around the baby. “If you don’t jump now, you’ll die. We’ll all die. Come on, Flynn.”
When his little boy lowered one of his legs, Rhys saw the shake that ran through it. His heart tensed when he saw the dark patch that had spread around his crotch from where he’d pissed himself.
“That’s it, you’re doing really well.”
The small black plimsoll found a foothold as Flynn got closer to his dad. Some of the diseased looked their way. Rhys’ heart raced, but he tried to keep his voice even. “You’re doing well, Flynn, but we need to speed it up a little, mate.”
Flynn bit his lip in concentration and sped up.
Then Rhys heard it and it ran shards of frigidity down his spine… the primitive call from a diseased. It turned his entire body to gooseflesh and his pulse ran away from him. “Jump!” he said. “Jump now, Flynn.”
Flynn slipped from the tree and landed in Rhys’’ arms just as the pack ran toward them.
With a hard stamp on the roof, Rhys shouted, “Go, go, go, go.”
As the sound of a stampede rushed forward, Vicky revved the engine hard and Rhys dropped down so he and his boy were crouched on top of the car.
A couple of hands slapped at the boot as it shot away, but none got any closer than that.
As they moved over the bumpy ground of the park, Rhys pulled Flynn in tight. With his little boy in his arms, Rhys sobbed like he’d never sobbed before.
Chapter Forty-Seven
When Vicky stopped the car, Rhys pulled out of the protective hug he’d wrapped his boy in; a glance around made it seem clear to him. “Come on, mate, let’s get in.”
Flynn sat up and hugged himself. It did little to stop him from shivering.
Rhys rubbed his back before Flynn looked down at where he’d wet himself.
Rhys dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about that; Vicky won’t care. We’ll get you a change of clothes en route.”
The screams of the diseased rang through the air behind them. They hadn’t given up yet. After Rhys slipped off the roof, he held his arms out to Flynn. “Come on, we need to hurry this up.”
The roof bent and popped as Flynn walked across it and jumped down.
The second they closed the back doors, Vicky hit the gas and they sped off.
***
Everything had worked out. Rhys had his boy and a new lady in his life—so what if it had taken the end of the world for a woman to be interested in him again?
They had to pass Summit City on their way to The Highlands, but it would be behind them soon and they’d be home free. When Flynn squirmed, Rhys relaxed his hug on him. It was hard to let go after he’d pined for his touch for so long.
Rhys placed a kiss on top of his boy’s head and breathed in his smell. “I thought I’d lost you, mate. Then I held the piece of bark you’d painted and varnished for me, and I knew you were all right. I just knew it.”
Still gripped with a violent shake, Flynn stared at Vicky in the front seat. A frown crushed his features. “Where’s Mum?”
Silence filled the car and Rhys made eye contact with Vicky via the rear-view mirror.
Flynn looked from his dad to Vicky and back to his dad again. A reedy panic tightened his words. “Where’s Mum? What’s happened to her? Is she dead?”
“No, she’s not dead,” Rhys said. “She’s, um, she’s trapped.”
“Trapped?”
For the second time in as many minutes, Rhys and Vicky stared at one another. There seemed to be no point lying; he was only six, but the rules of life had changed drastically. “Those people that were trying to get at you in the trees aren’t people anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re…” how could he describe it?
“Zombies?” Flynn asked.
“How do you know about zombies?”
“Mummy lets me play Call of Duty: Zombies.”
“She lets you…” Rhys stopped himself. “They’re pretty much zombies, but a hell of a lot faster. They came from Summit City. There’s a science lab called The Alpha Tower where they made the virus.”
The confusion on Flynn’s face inspired Rhys to get to the point. “When the virus broke out, I was outside. Everyone who was in work still, like Mummy, got locked in their buildings. Shutters blocked every window, and they’re now trapped inside.”
“Are they safe?”
“For the time being.” He looked into his boy’s dark eyes. No lies; Flynn deserved more than that. “The thing is, mate, I’m not sure she’ll get out.”
The sound of Flynn’s rapid breaths tore at Rhys’ heart. “But they have to let her out; she’s my mum. You have to do something, Dad. Can you go and get her?” A sheen of tears glazed Flynn’s eyes. “I want my mum.”
A rock sat in Rhys’ stomach when he looked at Vicky in the rear-view mirror again. She shook her head, “No fucking way!”
“Language!”
Vicky’s gaze flicked to Flynn, and then back to Rhys again. “I’m sorry, but there ain’t no way I’m going back in there. It’s madness. Let’s just go to The Highlands and sit this out.”
“You said there’s a way to override the order to incinerate, right?”
Vicky didn’t respond.
“Does that mean there’s a way to override the shutters on the buildings too?”
“Are you insane, Rhys? If you open up the buildings, there’s no way you’re getting out of that city. There’ll be too many people getting infected.”
“Maybe I could use the chaos to get out. I’ll have a plan so I’ll be one step ahead of everyone else. I know what to expect. You’ve already said I need to get to The Alpha Tower to open the shutters, so will you tell me exactly how I do it, Vicky?”
For a moment, Vicky didn’t respond. After she’d looked out of the window to her right, she sighed. “You need to get into The Alpha Tower and get up to the top floor. There’s a room up there with a computer in it where you can turn off the incinerator. There’s another computer that will override the lockdown system. It’s pretty simple. The hard part is getting in there. My card will get you into The Alpha Tower, but once you’re in, you’ll need a scientist’s card to get to the last room. As far as I know, they’ve all been bitten. It’s a tower full of diseased now, but if you can kill one in a lab coat, you may find a card. I think it’s suicide though, Rhys.”
When Rhys looked at Flynn, the light glistened off his tear-streaked cheeks. “Can you draw me a map of the inside of The Alpha Tower?”
“And what are we going to do with, Flynn? We can’t take a boy in there with us.”
“I’m not asking you to come with me.”
“Good.”
“I need you to keep Flynn safe.”
“What?”
Rhys wiped the tears from Flynn’s face. “I want you to drop me off, take Flynn, and come back for me half an hour before the city’s supposed to get wiped out. I’ll be waiting.”
Vicky frowned in the rear-view mirror but didn’t respond.
When Rhys touched her shoulder, she flinched. “I need to do this, Vicky. It’s the right thing to do. I need to do everything I can to make sure my boy has his mum.”
Still no reply.
“Please?”
“What if you’re not back?”
“I’ll be back.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“Trust me, Vicky, I’ll be back. I promise.”
The same darkness sat on her features, but something had changed. He had her; she was going to do it.
Chapter Forty-Eight
The creak of the handbrake cut through the silence after Vicky stopped the car by the drawbridge. Waves of nausea ran through Rhys as he looked over at Summit City. Panic fluttered in his chest. They had a police car, baseball bats, a full tank of petrol, and his little boy; yet he was going back into the bowels of hell. Nevertheless, it was the right thing to do, and whether Larissa was a bitch or not, he owed it to his boy.
Vicky held up a pen and piece of paper. “I’m going to draw exactly where you need to go in The Alpha Tower, okay?”
“Thank you.” Rhys then took Flynn’s hand and unlatched the watch on his wrist. “I need to take this, mate.” It was a multi-coloured Lego watch with Superman on the strap. “I need to keep track of the time while I’m in there.”
Flynn nodded but didn’t speak.
One last hug and kiss on the top of his head, and Rhys opened the back door. “I love you, Flynn. I’ll be back with Mummy soon, okay?”
Flynn stared at him and nodded again. The same glaze returned to his brown eyes, and he didn’t look like he had the words in him. Did he want to ask Rhys to stay? It looked like it, but he undoubtedly wanted his mum alive more.
Rhys retrieved his baseball bat from the floor of the car and got out. “Now remember to do whatever Vicky says. She’ll look after you, but be good for her.”
Flynn nodded again.
With Vicky by his side, Rhys walked over to the control booth. En route, Vicky handed her card to Rhys. “That’ll get you into The Alpha Tower, even if the shutters are up.”
Once they’d reached the control booth, Rhys leaned inside and removed two walkie–talkies. The red power light showed when he turned them on. “I’d imagine these will have a good enough range if you’re close by.” He passed one to Vicky. “I’ll have mine turned off most of the time and only use it when it’s safe. You’ll need to leave yours on for the entire time, okay?”
Vicky took the walkie–talkie and slipped it into her pocket.
Rhys looked across the river into the city. “The coast looks clear.” A tremble shook both his words and his limbs.
Vicky obviously saw his doubt. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”
“All I want is to go to The Highlands with you two, but I’ll never be able to look my boy in the eyes again if I don’t try to save Larissa.”
A shimmer of sadness washed across Vicky’s face. “Just don’t get yourself killed, okay? I was starting to like you.”
Rhys tugged her toward him and the pair kissed. He tasted her salty tears. After he’d pulled away, he cleared his throat and said, “With you and Flynn as my motivation, I can survive anything. I promise you, Vicky, I’m coming back.”
Heavy breaths ran through Vicky as she held the map out for him. Her hand shook. “There are two identical rooms at the end of the corridor at the top of The Alpha Tower. The controls to shut everything down are in the room on the left.”
“And the room on the right?”
“Nothing; it’s currently empty.”
Vicky then went into the control booth and tapped on the computer that controlled the bridge.
A loud click and then a whir, and the bridge slowly lowered.
As Rhys stood and stared at it, his heart beat to the point where it felt like it would explode. What the fuck was he doing?
***
Once the bridge had been fully lowered, Rhys scanned around again for signs of the diseased. Although there were none, he could smell rotten meat and vinegar on the light breeze.
One last look over his shoulder and he saw both Vicky and Flynn staring at him through glass; Vicky, the glass of the booth, and Flynn, the glass of the car’s back window.
He then turned away from them and looked ahead. His tears returned with full force and his throat ached. Deep unease sat in his gut as if his intuition needed him to listen to it—it didn’t matter, Rhys had to do this. After one final, deep breath, he stepped onto the bridge.
Ends.
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***
Other Works Available by Michael Robertson
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About The Author
Michael Robertson has been a writer for many years and has had poetry and short stories published, most notably with HarperCollins. He first discovered his desire to write as a skinny weed-smoking seventeen-year-old badman who thought he could spit bars over drum and bass. Fortunately, that venture never left his best mate’s bedroom and only a few people had to endure his musical embarrassment. He hasn’t so much as looked at a microphone since. What the experience taught him was that he liked to write. So that’s what he did.
After sending poetry to countless publications and receiving MANY rejection letters, he uttered the words, “That’s it, I give up.” The very next day, his first acceptance letter arrived in the post. He saw it as a sign that he would find his way in the world as a writer.
Over a decade and a half later, he now has a young family to inspire him and has decided to follow his joy with every ounce of his being. With the support of his amazing partner, Amy, he’s managed to find the time to take the first step of what promises to be an incredible journey. Love, hope, and the need to eat get him out of bed every morning to spend a precious few hours pursuing his purpose.
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DEAD ISLAND: Operation Zulu
Ten years after the world was nearly brought to its knees by a zombie Armageddon, there is a race for the antidote! On a remote Caribbean island, surrounded by a horde of hungry living dead, a team of American and Australian commandos must rescue the Antidotes' scientist. Filled with zombies, guns, Russian bad guys, shady government types, serial killers and elevator muzak. Dead Island is an action packed blood soaked horror adventure.
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INVASION OF THE DEAD SERIES
On the east coast of Australia, five friends returning from a month-long camping trip slowly discover that a virus has swept through much of the country. What greets them in a gradual revelation is an enemy beyond compare. Armed with dwindling ammunition, the friends must overcome their disagreements, utilize their individual skills, and face unimaginable horrors as they battle to reach their hometown and make sense of life in the new world.
Owen Baillie
SIXTH CYCLE
Nuclear war has destroyed human civilization.
Captain Jake Phillips wakes into a dangerous new world, where he finds the remaining fragments of the population living in a series of strongholds, connected across the country. Uneasy alliances have maintained their safety, but things are about to change. -- Discovery leads to danger. -- Skye Reed, a tracker from the Omega stronghold, uncovers a threat that could spell the end for their fragile society. With friends and enemies revealing truths about the past, she will need to decide who to trust. -- Sixth Cycle is a gritty post-apocalyptic story of survival and adventure.
The Alpha Plague Page 17