The smell was almost overpowering.
The room had its curtains drawn, which made the bedroom dark and shadowy. He could just make out the large double bed. It looked like something was resting on it. Then, there was a movement on the floor.
Noah reached in and fumbled along the wall until he found the light switch. With a flick, the room’s occupants were laid bare.
On the bed, under blankets with just their head’s showing, were two adult-sized bodies and one child. On the bedside cabinet was a collection of prescription and over the counter medication bottles; all were empty. They rested next to a tipped over bottle of red wine and a small orange juice carton with a straw. The parents chose their own death rather than waiting to be rescued. They took their son with them.
Noah’s attention drifted to what had made the growling sound. On the floor, protecting the bodies was a dog. It was a small scruffy terrier type mongrel, and considering the door was wedged shut, for God knows how long, since they committed suicide, it did not look in too bad a condition.
Noah knelt down.
“Come on. There’s a good fella. No need to be scared,” he said in a soothing voice.
The little dog’s tail started to wag. It inched along the carpet then dropped back down onto its belly.
“Come on. No need to be afraid buddy.”
The little dog looked up with frightened eyes. Its tail wagged across the carpet. It inched forward another couple feet, before dropping back down just out of Noah’s reach.
“Come on, no one’s gonna hurt you.”
Its little tail wagged faster as it inched the last few feet to Noah’s side. It rushed straight in, wedging itself against Noah’s knee. It twisted to press as much of its body up against him, while burying its head. Its tail was a blur.
“There you go. You’re safe now buddy.” He rubbed the little scruffy dog. The dog relaxed against him.
Noah scooped the little dog up. The dog looked up with large watery eyes. It started to lick his chin and face.
“Good boy. Stop that. Good boy.”
With the dog in his arms, Noah checked the rest of the room. There was a large walk-in closet. Inside he found a set of golf clubs.
Perfect.
Noah pulled out four clubs of different sizes. Some with metal ends, others with large wooden ends. He had never played golf, and he did not have time to check what type of clubs they were. Now it did not matter. Now they were weapons.
He noticed a large plastic container on the floor half full of water, and one quarter full of dried dog food.
In one corner was where the little dog had gone to the toilet. The carpet was soaked in urine and lumps of excrement were scattered everywhere.
The little dog rested unmoving in his arms, simply happy to have physical contact once again. It stared around the room and gave a whine when it spotted its dead owners.
The room contained nothing else of use. With a strong tug, Noah wedged the door shut; once again, sealing their tomb.
Red moved a telephone cabinet and some chairs from the kitchen to wedge them against the door. It did not look like it would stop anything from getting through, but it kept her busy.
A low snoring drifted from the front room, and Betty muttered to herself in the kitchen.
“Here,” Noah said as he passed the dog to Red.
“What the... Where the hell did he come from?” Red said as she took the terrier in her arms.
“He was locked away in the bedroom.” Noah rested the four golf clubs against the wall. He leaned in a little closer. “Just make sure no one goes in the master bedroom, there are some bodies in there.”
Red gasped. “Are they safe?”
“Don’t worry, they’re dead.”
Red relaxed.
The dog wiggled in her arms. She twisted the collar and checked the nametag. “Charlie,” she muttered. She then put the dog down. It ran straight into the front room.
Noah picked up the club with a medium-sized metal end. He gave it an experimental swing. It would do just fine. He carried it into the kitchen.
Betty had the gas stove on with a large pot resting on top. She continued to add tins to the mix. She hummed to herself as she prepared the food.
“I shouldn’t be any longer than twenty or so minutes.” He checked the knife on his thigh and grabbed the gasmask off the table.
“If I run into any problems, and I think I am going to be longer; I will text you via Whatapp.” He turned to look at Red. “Have you got Whatapp on your phone?”
“Yes.”
“The app doesn’t use mobile networks, rather it uses the internet, and because that’s working at the moment, we can still send messages to each other. Well, so long as I can find another wi-fi area, which shouldn’t be a problem.” He grasped the golf club in his right hand after slipping the gasmask on.
Red stood by the table. “You be careful out there,” she said. She did not know what else to say.
“Once I’m gone, lock the door.” Noah watched Betty pour a tin of sweet corn into the pot. I hope the smell doesn’t attract anything; he thought. He wondered how sensitive the creature’s sense of smell was, but he knew they needed hot food to keep them going.
“Keep the doors and windows locked and the curtains drawn. Try not to make too much noise.”
Red stood motionless.
Noah stood opposite.
“Be careful,” Red said, as she raised a hand and rested it on his arm.
Luckily, due to the mask, she could not see Noah blush. Without another word, he slipped out the back door and across the small back garden.
“Be safe,” Red muttered, as she watched him climb up the back wall using a bench and shed, and then run along the top, out of view.
“Oh, don’t worry about him, he will be back with those army boys before this has even finished cooking,” Betty said, while stirring the large pot.
As Red stood leaning against the counter, watching the top of the wall, in case Noah came back, she let her mind wander. So much had happened in only a couple of short hours, she had not had chance to let her thoughts catch up.
Red closed the curtain that hung on the back door.
Noah had asked her to stay to look after Betty and Lennie. She had not had anyone counting on her for a long time. Not since her little sister looked to her to keep her safe from their stepfather. She had failed then, with devastating consequences. The ultimate price was paid for her mistake.
Red was pulled back to the moment at hand, when she could just make out the sound of gunfire starting up again in the distance. She was just about to mention it to Betty, when the sound of the front room window shattering made her spin around and run down the hall. She could hear the small dog start barking, and the sound of furniture smashing. Red snatched a golf club from against the wall as she entered the front room.
13
Doctor Lazaro and the Squad
Dentist Clinic
Courtney Park, Newton Abbot
11:49 AM GMT
Gunfire filled the building, reverberating off the walls and filling all the space with its deafening tattoo of sound.
The Captain shouted orders while shooting through the broken window that looked out onto the dentist’s small car park.
They were down three men – who had gone off looking for transport. That left six people capable of defending their location, and an injured doctor with concussion.
The Captain knew the three gunshots could draw attention, but he had no other option. After securing the building, and shooting the three in the storeroom, they had stayed away from the windows and kept the sound to a minimum, hoping they had gone unnoticed after the first initial onslaught. But no such luck, it seems karma caught up with them.
The creatures filled the car park, pouring through the large iron gates. Their naked bodies bounded over abandoned cars, and slammed against the building like a tsunami. Frantic hands reached through broken windows; the jagged glass ran red with their tainted bl
ood.
They were now all wearing military-grade gasmasks with built in communication devices. When they first crashed, and were attacked, they did not have time to retrieve them from the containers.
“Fall back,” the Captain shouted over the sound of the gunfire and screaming creatures. Even though they could all hear perfectly well, due to the earpiece they were all wearing, force of habit made him shout.
“Get up the stairs. I want everyone on the third floor as arranged.” The Captain walked backwards as he fired his handgun into the throng of thrashing arms that reached through the window.
Bull stood to the Captains left, with a machinegun resting against his large shoulder. He peppered the mass of bodies. However, just as one body fell below the window line, another took its place. The only reason they were not churning through was that too many were trying to get in at once. Even though they charged together, they were not organized.
There were only two windows in the large Waiting Room. Rogers and Spice covered the other window. Both conserved bullets by double tapping the trigger, and concentrating on headshots.
The animalistic, guttural screams filled the building, almost drowning out the gunfire.
The main entrance was a thick oak door. There was only a small pane of glass, which had an arm thrashing about through it. The door shook as bodies repeatedly slammed against it.
Jimmy piled more furniture up against a door that went into a large office. The creatures had obviously climbed through the window because they started to bang their bodies against the adjoining door.
“Captain they’re in the office,” Jimmy said.
Echo was running up the stairs two at a time to double-check the packages were in position.
“Everybody up the stairs now!” the Captain shouted, as he tapped Bull on the shoulder.
Bull stopped firing, then turned, and ran up the stairs.
Spice and Rogers gave another blast of gunfire into the window for good measure, and then followed behind Bull.
Jimmy tossed one more chair onto the pile of furniture and quickly gave chase.
The Captain was the last up the stairs, just as the first couple of naked bodies managed to squeeze past all the others and jump in through the window. Soon a steady stream was climbing in.
“Is everything ready Echo?” the Captain asked, as he raced up next to her.
“Ready for your word,” she stated.
They were all up in the top tower, on the third floor, in the room with the doctor.
They all put on their backpacks.
Bull helped Melanie put a gasmask on, and then he picked her up.
Rogers and Spice carried one large bubble container between them. The Captain and Jimmy carried the other.
The creatures could be heard running up the stairs, filling the rooms, looking for warm meat. They were only momentarily stopped by the chairs and desks crammed down the second-floor stairwell, tossed down by Bull and Rogers just moments ago.
“Now!” the Captain said.
Echo nodded, and then shouted, “In three, two, one.” She turned the switch on a device she held in her hands.
The blast shook the foundations of the whole building.
14
Noah
Newton Abbot
Between King Street and Fair Field Terrace
11:51 AM GMT
Noah stood on a garden bench, and then jumped onto a small shed, which he used to climb the ten-foot wall at the bottom of the short garden, which was awkward while holding onto a golf club.
On the other side were two large apartment buildings, each with grass around them and a winding road, with lots of parking spaces.
The drop on the other side of the wall was further than the side he just climbed. Scanning the wall, he noticed a lamppost twenty feet away. Noah ran along the top of the wide wall, dropped the golf club down first, and then shimmied down the lamppost.
The place seemed deserted. A few abandoned cars littered the road and a couple on the grass. Suitcases were left were they fell. Some were open, with clothes and belongings spread around them.
Windows were broken on the apartment buildings, with the curtains hanging out of some of them. It was hard to believe that all this could happen in a mere three weeks. It looked like the area had been abandoned for years. The scene reminded him of old war movies, where people had deserted areas quickly, due to an advancing army.
Noah knew someone who he used to work with who had a grandmother that lived here. The two buildings were small old people’s apartments. Somewhere they could still have their own independence, but someone could keep an eye on them.
Noah raced across the road, onto the grass, and along the side of the closest building. He glanced into a couple of windows as he ran past. The first few were empty. The third had someone lying on the carpet, next to a tipped over TV; they were bloated beyond recognition.
Noah did not stop; he kept running at a steady pace.
The road led around to the complexes entrance out onto Fair Field Terrace. Noah crouched down next to the wall, while checking the road was clear.
Behind him, a loud explosion destroyed the window – and part of the wall – of where he had just glanced into. He could see the cloud of black spores pouring out of the hole.
His breath was deafening inside the mask. Sweat poured down in the inside of the faceplate.
With another quick check each way, Noah sprinted across the road, down a small alleyway, next to an electrical hardware shop. He came out in a small back alley, behind a row of houses.
A screaming sound made him stop. He crouched down behind a wheelie-bin, with the golf club held across his chest. Noah peered around the large green bin and saw a naked middle-aged man running up the alleyway, chasing a dog.
Noah ran across the short alley. He kicked at a gate, making it fly open. He sprung inside and swung it shut. He rested his back against the wooden gate. He was now inside a small concrete patio area, at the back of another house. Staring through the windows, he did not see anyone. The back door was open and swinging back and forth in the wind.
Inside there was blood everywhere. It looked like a few people had bled out. However, there were no bodies.
Noah did not stop to check any rooms; he ran straight through and out the front door and onto Prospect Terrace.
He crouched down behind a new shaped yellow beetle. A commotion drew his attention up the road. A group of eight or so naked creatures was gathered around something in the middle of the road, feasting.
Noah searched across the street. A couple of houses had their front doors open. One house, halfway up the road, was on fire, belching thick smoke high into the air.
Noah sprinted straight across and into the closest, jumping over the skeletal remains of a man while doing so. He did not stop, but charged straight through, jumping over a chair and around a table. He rammed the backdoor with his shoulder; it flew open, taking one hinge off the door. Once again, he was in a small courtyard at the back of a house.
Movement caught his attention. A naked, dirt covered teenage girl was crouched in the corner, with her back to him. She was ripping apart a small animal of some kind that she had pulled from a wooden hutch.
In a few leaps, he ran along a raised flowerbed, up onto a large water container, which had a pipe from the gutters running into it, and then he jumped onto the wall, and without knowing how far a drop it was, he soared over, before the creature realized he was a bigger, warmer meal.
Noah landed hard, knocking the wind from his lungs. It was only about eight feet, and he rolled as he hit the ground. He did not stop to catch his breath; he simply scooped up the golf club he dropped and carried on running.
Noah could hear gunfire start up in the distance again.
It started to rain, hard and fast. It cut visibility down due to saturating his mask. He had to keep wiping the faceplate with the sleeve of his coat.
Noah realized he was in some kind of large yard, with an
old wooden building to one side. A road led out onto Devon Square. Without a backwards glance, he raced along it.
Across the road was a large church, with a towering steeple that could be seen right across the valley. Around the church were grass, trees, concrete, and parking spaces.
Noah darted across the road and into the bushes.
The gunfire was continuous now, and louder, which was almost drowned out by the pouring rain.
Noah was soaking wet and cold. He looked around. There were larger open spaces here, so he would be more vulnerable, but he had to risk it to get to the park. The rain was in his favour, because it was so heavy.
A roaring sound drew his attention. It was a large, white lorry, driving along at the end of the road, heading towards the park. He was too far away to catch their attention, or to see who was driving it. It did not look military; it looked like the sort you would rent for the day to move house.
The sound of the lorry was drawing the attention of some naked creatures that were running behind it. They could not catch it, but continued to follow in the same direction.
Noah ran around the circumference of the church grounds, keeping to the tree line, giving him plenty of cover to duck down behind if he needed to.
Suddenly, a naked figure appeared directly in front of him; he did not see him approach. The eyes caught his attention first, how big they were, and bloodshot, with veins mapping out from them across the checks. Then he noticed the wide stretched mouth, with twisted broken teeth jutting out in all directions. Time seemed to slow down as he soaked in every detail.
Noah did not have time to think; his reflects took over, as he swung with the golf club with all his strength. He hit the old man directly in the head. One minute the naked creature was lunging with outstretch arms, the next he was flying sideways as if being hit by a speeding car. Blood splattered his faceplate, which was washed clean by the pouring rain within seconds.
Without a backwards glance, Noah ran full pelt across the grass, onto the road, and down a junction. The road opened up onto Courtney Park.
The Sixth Extinction 2: An Apocalyptic Tale of Survival. (Part Two: Ruin.) Page 4