Collapse: Book four of Beyond These Walls - A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

by Michael Robertson

  About ten feet away, William said, “Now don’t worry, Goliath, we’ll be back.”

  The same twitching of Goliath’s white and brown ears met William’s soothing words.

  “Take care, boy. Thank you and we’ll see you soon.”

  If horses could talk, Goliath would impart an encyclopaedia of wisdom. His deep brown eyes spoke of an understanding William could only dream of attaining. But what he could read in his horse’s kind gaze was that he would be there for them when they came back.

  As William walked away, the splash of shattering glass pulled his shoulders into his neck and he froze. Hugh stood over the skylight he’d just smashed, using the heel of his right boot to kick more of the glass out. It excited the diseased around the large building, but revealed none of them inside. It might have been a clumsy entrance, but at least it served a purpose. They now knew the labs were clear.

  Hugh already had one leg hanging into the building when Matilda said, “I’m not going in until we have a way out.”

  After leaning his head inside, Hugh pulled himself back up and pointed. “There are some ladders in there. See?”

  And good job they could see them because Matilda needed proof. When she saw the wooden A-frame ladders leaning against a wall, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s set them up before we go exploring.”

  The smile on Hugh’s face should have triggered a warning for William. A sane mind would be approaching this with dread. The boy then dropped into the room below, Matilda and William following after.

  The large windows muted the diseased’s hammering against the glass. Many of them pressed their faces to it, leaving the tick of enamel from where they tried to bite through the transparent barrier. While Hugh set up the ladder, William stood frozen, his skin alive with revulsion to take in so many bleeding eyes, yellow teeth, and trails of crimson smeared on the other side. Even with the glass between them, he could smell the things, their scent embedded in his sinuses like it would never leave.

  William jumped when Matilda appeared beside him. “You think the glass will hold?”

  As he took in the decaying panorama, many angry fists desperate to get at them, he shrugged. “Maybe?”

  “It will,” Hugh said. “It’s extra thick, designed to contain the diseased in case of an outbreak. Although it was meant to keep the infected in, it’ll work both ways.”

  The diseased, William had seen a thousand times before. As he spun on the spot to take in the sparse interior of the building, he shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “It has to be clean and empty to make it a viable environment for experimentation. We can’t do tests if it’s messy or dirty.” Hugh walked over to a small cupboard and removed two full jugs of water.

  Just the sight of them made the saliva in William’s mouth turn into a paste, and his voice croaked. “I didn’t realise quite how thirsty I was.”

  Hugh handed one jug to William and one to Matilda.

  Although room temperature, the water soothed William’s throat. As much as he wanted to drink the lot, he passed the half-emptied jug to Hugh and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  Hugh took a sip, sat down, and untied his boot laces. “Elizabeth and I had a blast on national service. I really got to know her well. She told me things she hadn’t ever told anyone.” He smiled, his eyes glazed. “She told me she loves me, and I love her too. We were planning to spend the rest of our lives here. She’s smart enough to get in. Shame the city has fallen.”

  When Hugh removed his boot, the stench hit William like an uppercut. He covered his nose and mouth with the back of his hand and heaved, stepping away from his friend. “My god, Hugh.”

  A mixture of blood and pus had gathered in the hole in Hugh’s foot. The wound weeped a pink, milky substance.

  “It’s okay,” Hugh said while pouring water on it. “It’s just a scratch.”

  No more than a glance between William and Matilda. As long as Hugh could walk on it, they didn’t need to point out the obvious.

  “It’s a shame the labs have fallen.” Hugh slid his sock back on, his tone light. “Elizabeth and I will have to find somewhere else to live.”

  Matilda drew a breath and William glanced at her. She paused for a moment before taking another swig of water.

  “Anyway,” William said, “I’d say it’s about time we move on, yeah?”

  Hugh drained his jug in three deep gulps, got to his feet, and clapped his hands together. “Follow me.”

  The same low-lying buzz of anxiety he’d had with him since they’d re-entered Edin, William walked with Matilda beside him, drawing his sword at almost the same time as her while Hugh took the lead. The stocky boy kicked the first set of double doors wide and led them deeper into the long wooden building.

  The next room as empty as the one they’d left, Hugh reached the other side and kicked open the next double doors with another loud crack!

  They moved from one room to the next, tracked by the diseased outside.

  Another set of double doors, Hugh still hadn’t drawn his sword as he strode ahead of them. William spoke so only Matilda heard him. “He might still think Elizabeth’s alive, but at least he knows his way through here. As long as it’s not doing anyone any harm, I say we let him believe whatever he wants.”

  The next room must have been the canteen. Clusters of tables and chairs dotted the place; it all looked very civilised compared to the dining hall from national service—that place had been a trough away from feeding time at the farm. His sword in one hand, William reached out to Matilda with the other, her warm grip responding to his. “How amazing is this place?”

  Although she didn’t reply, her scowl had left her, her jaw hanging slightly open as she looked around.

  “We’ll get to Artan, I promise.”

  She squeezed his hand before leaning across and kissing him on the cheek. “You were right about saving Max.”

  “Thank you. Although I didn’t expect it to be this simple to get into the labs. Goliath has made our lives a hell of a lot easier. We’ll get Max and then get the hell out of here.” He smiled as he watched Hugh march towards the next door. “Hopefully the rest of our journey will go as smoothly.”

  Chapter 29

  “The holding cells are on the other side of this door,” Hugh said, the confidence of his swagger so infectious William let his own frame unwind a little. But could he really trust his friend? His actions had put them in jeopardy too many times already. What had he seen in the last few hours that had proven Hugh to be a reliable guide through anything? Although, the boy could fight; he still had that going for him.

  Just as William opened his mouth to question their brash approach—the diseased still tracking them outside—Hugh kicked the door like he had all the others. It swung wide with a loud crack!

  A much darker corridor than any they’d been in so far opened up before them. No windows—which at least meant no diseased beating to get at them.

  So the door wouldn’t close, William and Matilda halted, keeping them open to let the light in from outside. The hairs stood up on the back of William’s neck when even Hugh stopped. He let go of Matilda’s hand, wrapping a double grip on his sword’s handle. The air had thickened, the sense of foreboding tangible.

  Just as Matilda sniffed next to him, William also caught the scent. Rot. Vinegar. Disease. For a second time, he opened his mouth to speak. For a second time, he failed to get his words out.

  The open door let in enough light to illuminate about thirty feet of the corridor before it turned ninety degrees to the right. The sound started quietly, distant as if it might not have been in the same corridor. Although, maybe that was William trying to kid himself; it was definitely in the same corridor. As it drew closer, the general hum gained definition. Snarls. Screams. Shrieks. A stampede of clumsy steps.

  Matilda went first, spinning around and sprinting back the way they came. A second later, William followed, Hugh on his tail.

>   Matilda had always been faster than William, but when she reached the first set of doors, she stopped and held them open for him, and then Hugh a second later.

  The diseased outside ran with William as he headed for the next doors. His turn to let his friends out, he pulled them wide, taking the moment’s pause to recover. At least, he’d planned to. Matilda and Hugh were nowhere near him. Matilda lay sprawled on the floor, an upturned table in front of her.

  Hugh closer than William, the stocky boy turned back and ran for Matilda. But he didn’t stop. Instead, he charged at the double doors Matilda had held open.

  “What are you doing?” William said. “You can’t fight them all.”

  If Hugh heard him, he didn’t show it.

  “Hugh!”

  The labs damn near shook with the diseased stampede bearing down on them. Hugh probably couldn’t hear him over the chaos. William let go of the doors and ran to Matilda. His attention divided between his fallen love and Hugh, he caught up to her and reached down.

  As William helped her up, taking her weight from where she couldn’t stand by herself, Hugh took off his shirt. Like every jumped-up idiot William had ever met, Hugh appeared to be getting ready for a fight by baring flesh—like that would help save his life. Matilda had been right about him; he’d lost his mind and they couldn’t get dragged down with his insanity.

  William led Matilda away to the next set of doors, his love leaning on him as she limped at his side. “You’re too slow with me,” she said. “You need to save Artan.”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “You have to. We can’t beat the diseased to the ladder.”

  Stumbling through the doors from where he supported Matilda’s weight, William shook his head. “No.”

  A second later, Hugh joined them. Shirtless, he said, “I tied the doors shut. It will give us more time, but I’m not sure how much. I don’t see that shirt holding for long.” He then took Matilda from William and led her to the next room.

  They got back to where they’d started, and Hugh took Matilda to the ladder before helping her climb.

  After getting her to the roof, Hugh came back down, his muscular body exposed and glistening with sweat.

  “What are you doing?” William said. The diseased hadn’t yet broken through.

  “Just get out on the roof. I’ll be up in a minute.”

  They didn’t have time to argue. William scaled the ladder and climbed out to safety. His entire body rose and fell with his deep breaths. He left Matilda rubbing her ankle and walked over to Goliath, the diseased whipping up at the sight of him. “Well done, boy. We’ll be out of here soon.” As he reached down to the creature, the horse leaned close and sent warm snorts against the back of his hand.

  Back to the skylight and Matilda, William said, “Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “It’s not much. Just a twist. I can feel it getting better already.”

  “Good job we had Hugh with us, eh? I wouldn’t have ever thought to tie the doors.”

  Before they could say any more, Hugh emerged from the skylight dressed in a white lab coat. His face red, he cleared his throat as he looked down at himself. “It was the only thing I could find.”

  William and Matilda laughed.

  “Thank you for saving me, Hugh,” Matilda said.

  “It was nothing.” Hugh scratched the top of his head. “It looks like the labs didn’t avoid the diseased, then. So how are we going to help Max?”

  “Is there any other way to get to the cells?” William said.

  Hugh shook his head. “The cell walls are lined with metal. They were made to contain the diseased, so the only access is through the cell door, which is locked with a special combination.”

  “And you know the code?” William said.

  “As long as it hasn’t changed.”

  “Seems like a gamble. Besides, we still need to access the cell by going in that corridor filled with diseased?”

  “Yeah.”

  Matilda remained focused on her ankle, her cheeks flushing red. “I … I hate to say it … but I’m not sure we can help him.”

  Neither William nor Hugh replied.

  “I mean, I need to rest my ankle, and as much as I want to rescue Max, Artan is still my main concern. Hugh, you want to get to James, right?”

  Hugh stared at her.

  “And, William, we need to go through agriculture. I worry that it’s suicide to try to rescue Max. It sounds awful, but someone needs to say it. Max isn’t a priority. Besides, if—and it’s a big if—we find a way to get to his cell without dying, who’s to say Max is still in there? What if they’ve moved him already? What if he wasn’t in there when the city fell? There are too many things we don’t know.” She looked up. “Am I wrong?”

  William didn’t have a counterargument, and if Hugh did, he kept it to himself.

  Chapter 30

  Once again, Goliath passed through the diseased as if he were invisible. William lay on his front, his hands sweating from gripping the leather reins. He had Matilda on his left and Hugh on his right.

  Hugh said, “I think Max is still in his cell.”

  Matilda had been the one to make the point, but William wholeheartedly agreed. He’d backed up Hugh when they decided to go and look for Max; now he needed to back her. “I can’t die trying to find that out,” he said. “We don’t know where he is. The risks are too high for us to fight our way through the labs to find an empty cell. We all have people relying on us.”

  If Hugh replied, William didn’t hear it, his attention taken away by the person on the roof in textiles. “Olga?”

  Both Matilda and Hugh lifted their heads, Hugh saying, “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  A gentle tug on Goliath’s right rein, William guided the horse and carriage across the wide road towards their friend from national service.

  Olga’s jaw hung slack as she watched their approach. “Holy shit! What are you three doing here?”

  Deep, black bags beneath her eyes and her skin paler than usual, Olga glistened with sweat. “You look like you’ve had a rough morning,” William said.

  “You don’t want to know. But, like I said, what are you three doing? Where are you going?”

  Now they were close, Hugh sat up and held his hand out to Olga so she could step onto the carriage with them. Several diseased gathered around, their pallid faces turning up at them.

  William shifted over, pressing up against Matilda so Olga had space. “You need to lie down. If the diseased can’t see us, they forget about us.”

  Following his instruction, Olga said, “So, where are you all going?”

  “Tailoring to see if we can find Hugh’s brother. Agriculture for my parents. And the political district for Artan.”

  “And you think you’ll find them?” Before anyone replied, Olga shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound cold. It’s been a rough morning. I’ve been on the rooftops for hours. There’s not much left of the city.”

  “We have to see if they’re okay,” William said.

  “And Artan’s locked in a cell in the political district.”

  Olga raised her head so she could look over William at Matilda. “Artan?”

  “My brother. It’s a long story. My dad tried to kill my mum several months ago, and Artan stopped him by killing him first. They put him in a cell to evict him from the city when he got old enough, and … well, he never got old enough. I’m hoping the fact he was incarcerated might mean the diseased can’t get to him.”

  “Max is in a cell too.”

  Olga’s words silenced them, William’s pulse quickening.

  “What is it?” Olga said.

  Matilda stared at the road ahead. “We went to the labs for Max.”

  “And?”

  “We did our best, but we couldn’t find him.”

  Tears swelled in Olga’s eyes. She looked like she wanted to say more but couldn’t. “Oh.”

  William pulled Goliath away fr
om where they’d picked up Olga, and guided them back down the main road towards tailoring. Olga hadn’t said she wanted to go with them, but she hadn’t said she didn’t.

  Woodwork on their left, trails of black smoke rose from deep within the district. Maybe Hugh noticed him stare over, because he said, “At least woodwork’s fallen. I hope the innocent families are safe.”

  After she’d drawn a stuttered breath, Olga said, “From what I’ve seen this morning, no one’s safe.”

  His attention still on woodwork, Hugh said, “In that case, I hope the fire’s taken the gangs down with it.”

  Olga wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Me too.”

  Chapter 31

  William leaned into Matilda, not through a desire to be close to her—despite that being a permanent need—but more due to his discomfort at his proximity to a grieving Olga. If they returned to the labs, they might find Max. If they returned to the labs, they might not come out again. Goliath swayed as he plodded down Edin’s main street.

  Ceramics on their right, woodwork and tailoring on their left. The fires in woodwork had spread, the district belching thick clouds of black smoke across their path. The acrid stench and thick air forced William to pull his shirt across his mouth as a filter.

  As they drew closer to tailoring, Goliath following William’s tug on the left rein, Hugh gasped. It took a few seconds for William to see why.

  While watching them, Olga said, “I passed a few survivors as I made my way out.”

  There looked to be at least ten people gathered on the roofs in ceramics. William’s heart sank to meet the traumatised stare of several children. As desperate as those they’d left in the national service area, but what could they do? It might feel like they were playing God by deciding who lived and who died, and maybe they were, but they couldn’t fit everyone on Goliath’s carriage.

  Olga shrugged. “We can’t kill ourselves saving others.”

  Matilda squirmed against William as they drew closer to tailoring and farther away from the group who needed them. Unlike Trent and his crew, no one called out.