“I found the gate.” He said, smiling.
I ran over to the opening and slipped in through the gap and Spirit followed in behind me. As soon as her tail cleared the opening, Matthew closed the gate and fastened the latch. From where I stood, the gate looked like any other part of the fence. I turned to look at where we were. It was the pub’s beer garden and had the usual flat grassed area with picnic tables and benches.
We threaded our way through the benches and tables toward the rear of the pub. There were four large windows along the rear facing the garden and a set of French doors. I tried the doors and found that they were unlocked.
I turned around and looked down at Matthew and said “Look, we don’t know what is inside. The best bet is for you and Spirit to wait out here while I slip inside and check it out.”
“When do I get to help out?” Matthew asked with a confused look on his face.
I smiled and looked at him before saying “Look, I haven’t any doubts that you can look after yourself, but I also haven’t seen you in action. So for the time being, let me have a look round first.”
He grunted and stomped off to the corner of the garden. Spirit followed him and cast a look over her shoulder as if to say ‘I’ll keep an eye on him’. I shook my head and opened the door.
Stepping inside, the smell of stale beer and sweat hit me full on in the nose. I stood there for a few minutes as my mind was cast back to when I used to drink in a pub like this. A small smile crossed my lips but it faltered when I remembered that there may be infected inside.
The room I was in must have been a small side bar that catered mostly for the beer garden. A few tables and chairs stood between the bar and the walls. At the far end near the front of the pub there was a single half glass door with the word ‘BAR’ engraved on it. The bar itself was only about half the length of the room. I leaned over to have a look behind. Nothing jumped out at me so I headed to the door leading to the bar.
Slowly pushing on the door I saw that it actually lead to a small entrance hall with a large wooden door which must have lead out the front of the pub. I tried the handle and found it locked tight. Opposite the door I had come through was another half glass door. I peered through the glass and saw that it lead into the main bar which was at least three times the size of the smaller garden bar. The large bar stretched out into the bar and then curved back toward the rear of the pub and cut off my view to the rest of the room.
Putting my ear to the glass I hoped that if anything was moving in there I would hear it. Pushing the door, I stepped quietly inside. The first thing I noticed was the way my boots stuck to the tacky carpet. Beer spills was the thought that jumped into my head.
Looking down, I saw a large dark patch just next to the door. It wasn’t beer that my boots were sticking to.
Lying just inside the door was a headless body that was hanging half in and half out of the booth in the corner. From the small amount of light I could see that what I was standing in was a pool of sticky blood that had come from that body. I crouched down near the door and listened for any kind of movement in the bar.
The saying as quiet as a grave came to mind and I shivered. Slowly walking in between the tables and chairs in a crouch was hard but I was trying to keep the tables and chairs between myself and whoever or whatever was in the pub with me. It stood to reason that there was someone or something in here with me because of the sticky blood pool near the door.
The bar curved away from me and toward the rear of the building. There was a tinkle sound that came from the other side of the bar and I froze. Turning my head, I tried to pick up where the noise had come from. There was a dark shape that moved on the other side of the bar. I slowly pulled my crowbar out of my belt and held onto it tight with both hands. Again I heard the tinkle sound but this time it came from behind me. Slowly looking back toward the door I saw a dark shape move out from a dark booth that was opposite the one the body had been in. I really do need to start paying attention to my surroundings. The dark shape lurched like all other infected. Looking back the other way I saw another lurching figure stumble from behind the bar and head toward me.
I gave up on the stealth approach I had been using and ran toward the bar. The two infected let out their usual low moan and stumbled after me, knocking tables and chairs left and right. I hit the bar and quickly climbed up on top. The infected that had come out from behind the bar reached me first. As it reached for my legs I caught the heavy smell of alcohol. My crowbar speared through the top of its head and jutted out under its jaw. I pulled back and lost my balance falling back behind the bar. I had kept tight a hold of the crowbar and there was a wet cracking sound. I nearly pulled my shoulder out of its socket but I managed to keep hold of the crowbar and had an added extra. The infected head had been ripped clean from its neck and the puss and black blood streamed from the ragged neck down on to my clothes. I heard the other infected stumbling around on the other side of the bar. Rolling over, I got to my knees and used my foot to push the head off of the crowbar. It hit the floor and rolled over to where the bar owners had kept the soft drinks.
Standing up, I had to lean back quickly as the other infected lunged across the bar in hopes of grabbing me. Swinging the crowbar like a bat, I hit it on the side of its head with the usual meaty smack. The infected turned to look at me and I swear its expression was one that said ‘Why the hell did you do that?’ right before it toppled out of sight. I was breathing hard and placed both hands on the bar top and shook my head. Staying on this side of the bar I headed for the door marked private. This must lead upstairs to where the landlord or lady lived. I put my ear to the door and again there was no sound coming from the other side. I slowly turned the handle and pushed against the door. The other side was a dark stairwell that lead up to the second floor. I stood in the darkness at the bottom of the stairs and looked up the stairs and into the darkness above me.
Starting up any staircase in the dark is daunting to say the least, but throw in a world of infected and the chance that you step on the one fucking stair that creaks and you’ll forgive me for being slightly scared. Putting each foot down carefully, I slowly climbed the now pitch black stairwell. Getting to the top was nerve wracking and I had to stand and take a few deep breaths before looking around.
The landing at the top of the stairs had six doors leading off of it. The first two were open and I just glanced inside each. They were the kitchen and bathroom of the landlord’s apartment. Both were clear and I could see everything from the open doorways.
The next door was a small bedroom with a single bed, wardrobe and desk. From the looks of things it might have been only used occasionally. I closed the door and headed to the next two rooms. They were the master bedroom and another large size room. I took my time in these two because they both had a lot of large furniture that could have hid anything. Both were clear and that left the last door, which, if my sense of direction was right, looked over the front of the pub and the main road.
I pushed the door open and slipped in as the door swung in. It was the living room and from the looks of things either the landlord had left in a hurry or this place had been robbed. The door to a small safe in the corner of the room hung open and the drawers on the units had been pulled out and the contents scattered all over. I quickly looked round and found nothing to be worried about and headed back downstairs. As I walked into the bar I realised that I hadn’t checked the public toilets and looked round for the sign to tell me where they were.
I spotted them in the corner of the large bar area. Each marked with the little stick man and woman. I listened at male door, then pushed it open and I wish to God I hadn’t. The smell that came through that door had me gagging for breath. I doubled over and my stomach started the heave. I stumbled away and the door slowly closed and the stench gradually faded. Holding onto a table I was sucking in air as quickly as I could. The last thing that I wanted to do was throw up. I moved a couple of tables over and blocked off both
doors. If the men’s had smelt like that there was no way I was opening the women's.
I was still sucking in fresh air when I opened the door to let Matthew and Spirit inside.
Matthew looked at me with his head tilted to one side and said “What happened to you?”
“Nothing. Just be careful where you step when we go through the main bar. Okay.” He replied.
“Fine. I just want to get some sleep.” He said heading off inside the dark pub.
I looked down at Spirit and said “Kids!”
Spirit let out a low woof and followed Matthew inside the pub. I really didn’t know how to take that so I just shrugged my shoulders and followed them both back inside. I closed the door and looked for a way to bar them or at least give us some warning if the infected or anyone else came to visit. In the end I pushed some tables and stools in front like I had for the toilets and went looking for Matthew and Spirit. I found them both sitting in the main bar at one of the tables eating snacks. Matthew had some salt and vinegar crisps and he had given Spirit some pork scratchings, they were probably bad for her but she was wolfing them down at a large rate.
I walked past them and looked out through the front windows and out into the street. There was no movement out there and night had well and truly set in. I heard a yawn come from behind me. Turning around I saw Matthew slumping down in his seat as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
“Listen, mate, why don’t you get some sleep in one of the booths?” I said.
He looked up at me and rubbed his eyes and said “Ok!”
Standing up, he rubbed his eyes and slowly walked over to the booth in the corner of the bar and lay down on the bench. Spirit looked up from the floor, shook her coat and followed behind him and lay down on the floor. It looked like Spirit had taken to making sure Matthew was kept safe. I smiled and looked back out of the window.
My mind then turned to what was I going to do with the Matthew situation. I still had the rough idea of going to Hull and trying to track down Benton’s other ship. But there was no way I was going to be able to sneak through a city teaming with infected by myself, let alone with Matthew. There was the idea of taking him back to the bunker. Again, that thought was dropped as soon as it entered my tired brain. The chances that any of the people in the bunker ever letting me go anywhere on my own again would have ended up being non-existent.
I sat down in the booth and closed my eyes. The thoughts of Amy and the others came without me even having to think of them. They were my family and this little trip of mine was the only way I could think of keeping them safe. Lifting my feet up, I rested my head on my arm and tried to sleep.
Chapter Three
The light that flooded the windows in the morning was muted so I looked out of the window and saw a deep grey fog outside. I could hardly see more than about ten feet in any direction. I could make out the large, grey shapes of the buildings opposite the pub. I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands and looked round the room. The two infected bodies were laying where they had fallen the night before and I could see Matthew's feet hanging off the end of the bench he had fallen asleep on the night before.
Again, the silence of the world after the infected hit home. I stood there looking out into the grey when I felt the wet nose of Spirit nudge my hand. She was sitting on her haunches looking up at me.
“Hey, girl, you hungry?” I said, bending down to ruffle the fur on her head.
She uttered a single low woof and headed over to where I had dropped my rucksack the night before. I uttered a soft laugh and headed over and opened the bag.
Reaching inside, I pulled out three MRE’s; two were breakfast and the third was stew dinner. Now, I like stew dinner but there was no way I was going to be eating it first thing in the morning. Tearing it open, I tossed it in front of Spirit who for the sake of thanks cast me one look before wolfing it down. I grabbed two bottles of water and headed over to where Matthew was lying down.
I nudged his foot with my knee and said “Matthew, mate, I’ve got some breakfast here for you.”
He just grunted.
I nudged his foot again.
“Look, mate, we’re going to have to get going soon.” I said.
Again, he just lay there and grunted.
I shrugged my shoulders and put the MRE on the table beside him.
“Look, I’ll leave it on the table. But we really do need to get going soon.” I said, turning back and heading toward my rucksack.
Spirit looked up from her meal and growled at me. Now, this was a first. I couldn’t remember when she had growled at me last. It was then that I heard it and the hairs on my neck started to stand up. It was a lower, quieter moan than I had heard from the adults. Slowly turning around I saw Matthew trying to sit up. It was like his hands and arms couldn’t support the weight of his body. He turned his face and I saw the usual green slime running from his eyes, ears and corners of his now open mouth.
The moan was so quiet it could have been a whisper. I heard the clicking of Spirits nails as she walked up to stand beside me. Matthew's head turned to look at her and then towards me. His face showed no form of recognition. My hand scrabbled at my waist for my crowbar, but it wasn’t there. I looked over to where I had fallen asleep last night and saw it lying on the table. Another low moan had me turn toward Matthew or what I was still thinking was Matthew.
I reached down and pulled the 9mm Sig that was in the holster on my hip. My hand was shaking as I lifted it and pointed at Matthew who had finally clambered to his small shaking legs. Spirit growled even louder than before and Matthew’s head snapped around to look at her. The moan that came from his small frame grew louder and more agitated. His hands came up and he lurched toward us.
Spirit launched herself up into the oncoming boy, her jaws wide and a howl issuing forth as her jaws snapped on the boy’s neck. A spurt of black and green blood and infection covered the tables beside them. They hit the floor, and as they did, Spirit jumped away and circled the creature that had been Matthew.
The boy’s body slowly struggled to push itself into a sitting position. As it sat up, Spirit quickly struck from behind and clamped her jaws around the boy’s neck and started to shake. It looked like the skin and muscle were slowly being shredded the more she shook him. The moaning continued until I heard a sickening crunch and Matthew's head lolled to one side and the hands stopped moving. Spirit released the body and let it fall to the ground.
Matthew’s foot twitched a few times before the body stopped moving completely. Taking my time and keeping my pistol pointing at Matthew I walked over. I needed to find out how he had gotten infected. Spirit was still circling the body as I got close by. She looked up at me and whined.
“Yeah! I know, girl. I was hoping we could get him somewhere safe.” I said.
She came over and nudged my hand and I stroked her head as I knelt down to look at Matthew’s body. She gave my face a quick lick with her large and very rough tongue.
I knelt there on the floor looking at the child I had just killed. Last night he had been ok, so what had changed during the night? How had he managed to get infected? All these thoughts were rushing around inside my head. I decided that the only way I could make sense of what had happened was to check his body. I slowly reached out and started to remove his clothes and then stopped. I suddenly felt dirty all the way down to my soul. The fact that he had become infected was enough and I left like that. Leaving his dead body just lying there on the floor also felt wrong.
Standing up, I headed upstairs to the landlords rooms and grabbed a sheet from one of the wardrobes. I headed back down and saw Spirit sitting beside Matthew’s body. I don’t care what people say animals have feelings just like us humans and I could see that she was hurting just as much, if not more. I walked across the bar and laid the sheet over his small body.
“Come on, Spirit, let’s get out of here.” I said, picking up my rucksack and I headed over to pick up my crowbar.
Ju
st as I was bending to pick it up, a movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Sliding the crowbar into my belt, I looked out into the fog-filled street and saw dark shapes moving in the grey light outside the window.
I leaned forward slightly trying to make out any of the shapes when a large infected walked out of the fog and headed straight for the pub. It must have seen me moving behind the glass. Stepping back away from the window I was aware that the large infected was actually starting to pick up speed. I wasn’t exactly running flat out but it was a sort of lumbering jog. I was sort of hypnotised by this large creature heading towards me. It struck the window with enough force to shake it in the window frame. The infected staggered back from the rebound and lumbered at the glass again. The window shook and I heard a sharp crack which made me jump back a foot. Looking up at the top of the window, in the right-hand corner a large crack had appeared.
I looked over the shoulder of the large lumbering infected and saw others walking out of the grey mist. Now I was concerned and the large infected lumbered into the window and this time the crack spread further into the center of the glass.
“Spirit, move!” I shouted and ran for the doors to the smaller bar.
Not stopping, I slammed through each door only stopping for enough time to let Spirit through. I heard the glass give-way with a huge crash. I stopped at the patio doors and let Spirit out into the beer garden and followed her through. I ran for the gate and stopped just before opening it and listened out for anything on the other side. All the noise seemed to be coming from the front of the pub and I couldn’t hear anything.
Opening the gate Spirit slipped past and out into the side car park where the truck was parked. The fog had cut all visibility down to five or so meters. The crash of more glass came from the pub. Looking around, I saw the shape of the truck and headed for it. The dark shape of the truck slowly came out of the fog and I sighed in relief. I heard a growl and Spirit shot out from the fog and head straight passed my legs. Spinning around, I yanked the crowbar from my belt and I saw Spirit with her jaws around the shin of an infected.
Suicide Run (The Infected Book 5) Page 2