Suicide Run (The Infected Book 5)

by Gowland, Justin

  “Who says we need to get on board?” I said.

  “What do you mean?” Amy asked.

  “Let me think some of this through. I might have an idea that might save us having to get on the platform.” I said, smiling in the

  darkness.

  Chapter Twelve

  I didn’t know if it was Amy or Spirit but there was a huffing sound and then silence from the other couch. I lay there considering as many of the angles of the mad plan that I could think of. If we managed to pull it off, then we might actually survive. During the night I had the first nightmare of my adult life. I had been running on the sand outside of the lifeboat station. A large shadow was cast over me and I knew that if I stopped, the creature the shadow belonged to would grab me and drag me to the floor and devour me. As the dream carried on Chris, David and Mike ran past me, and as they did they shouted out encouragement. The longer I ran, the softer the sand got and the harder it was for me to lift my feet out of it.

  This carried on till I was wading through the sand and I could feel warm breath on my neck. It smelled of rotten flesh and decay. I screamed when the first fingers felt for my neck. Bursting from the sand, I ran so hard that my heart felt like it was trying to burst free. It was then the soft moan of the infected reached my ears. The sweat was streaming into my eyes blurring my vision. Again, the sand started to pull me down. My body was tiring and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep this going for much longer.

  The lifeboat station stood off to the left and I headed for the doors. There was a menacing gloom around the building giving it a blurred outline. Running hard, the sand slowly became harder and I began to put more distance between myself and the shadow. Hitting the door, I shoved it open with my shoulder and ran inside slamming it closed behind me. As the door closed, I heard the slamming of a body against it.

  Backing away from the door, I ran up against something that swayed away from me in the darkness. I spun around to see what it was and out of the darkness the infected face of Amy peered back. Her eyes were gone and the green slime oozed out of the empty sockets. Her teeth had been smashed out of her mouth and only jagged yellow stumps remained. One cheek was shredded down to the bone and about half of her hair had been ripped out leaving the blackened muscle underneath showing. She reached out for me with withered grey hands that looked more like claws than fingers. My breath caught in my chest, I couldn’t scream as she dragged me to the ground and buried her head into my neck. I could feel my flesh getting torn away from my body and my warm sticky blood stream down and pool under my back.

  Gurgling I asked “Why?”

  The infected Amy raised her head, I saw pieces of my flesh and muscle caught in those yellow stumps and my blood running from the sides of her black lipped mouth. Amy smiled and said “Because you had to be the hero!”

  Her head whipped forward again and my lungs filled with enough air for one last scream.

  I woke up drenched with sweat and the sleeping bag gathered in a pile at my feet. I sat up and looked around the moon lit room. Spirit was still lying down with her new friend and Amy, the non-infected Amy, was softly snoring on the other couch. Swinging my legs around, I sat up and looked toward the window. I could see the moon behind wispy grey clouds. Standing, I walked over and looked outside. Nothing had changed except for the position of the moon in the sky. The nightmare had shaken me because I had never thought of myself as hero, let alone the thought of Amy as an infected. I had always been told that nightmares and dreams were the mind's way of telling you things that during the day it usually ignored.

  Standing there I heard a soft knocking noise coming from outside the room Amy and I were sleeping in. I opened the door to where the lifeboat was and the knocking was slightly louder.

  The clicking of nails on the floor had me turn round and I could see Spirit and her little friend following me. Spirit stopped beside my right leg and the pup on my left. I knelt down between them and placed a hand on their backs. I could feel a rumbling coming through my hand from Spirit and realized that she was growling, albeit very quietly.

  I whispered “Is it the infected, girl?”

  Spirit turned her head and a small huff escaped her lips.

  My first thought was ‘Shit’ quickly followed by how the fuck I am going to wake everyone without alerting the infected? Standing slowly, I walked back to where Amy was sleeping. Spirit and the pup headed toward the reception area and stood together at the door. Crouching down beside Amy, I placed my hand over her mouth. Her eyes flew open and she tried to pull my hand away.

  “Try not to make too much noise. There are infected outside.” I said, letting go of her mouth.

  “How many?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t had time to look outside.”

  “Ok, I’ll look. You go and tell Chris and the others.” She whispered.

  Heading toward the gantry that allowed access to the lifeboat I quickly looked down the steep ramp and saw shadows moving around the sides. Clambering on board the lifeboat, I headed for the nearest door and pushed it open. I had to feel around with my hands because inside the lifeboat was like being inside a black hole. Stopping still, I used my ears and I heard Chris’ snoring.

  Using that as a reference point, I headed in that direction. After bumping into God only knew what I was at a hatch that took me into the bowels of the boat. It was then just a case of following the rumbling noise. Stopping at a door, I slowly pushed it open and my nose was hit with the pungent smell of three sweaty men.

  “Chris!” I whispered into the darkness.

  “What?” A sleepy voice answered.

  “Infected!” I replied.

  There was a rustle of noise from three directions followed by three separate curses.

  Standing in the doorway, I was suddenly blinded when someone turned on a flashlight.

  “Turn that fucking thing off.” I hissed.

  The flashlight clicked off and I heard Mike say “Why?”

  “Because you have just ruined my night vision.” I said.

  I moved out in the hallway as my eyes watered and I saw nothing but flashing lights and colours. After a couple of minutes the blooms of light and colour had started to ease. A hand came down on my shoulder.

  Chris whispered “How many are we looking at?”

  I shook my head “I’m not sure. There are a few out next to the ramp, but there are some near the front door. Amy said she would get a count.”

  “Ok, let’s get back to the rest room.” Chris said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Quietly I headed back the way I had come and headed off the boat. Chris and the others followed me, and by the way they were walking each had a rifle with them. I’d left my weapons beside the couch and felt like an idiot for doing that. We filed into the coffee room and I saw the outline of Amy stood at the window. She turned as we entered and I suddenly had a flashback to my dream and saw he face as an infected again. I shuddered.

  “There’s about thirty infected out there. I couldn’t get a clear count.” She said.

  “Fuck me.” Mike whispered.

  Chris walked over to the window and peeked round the frame.

  “Are they trying to get in?” He asked Amy.

  I saw her head shake “No, but from the looks of things they have wandered up the beach line from somewhere.” Amy said.

  “Do you think they will keep on going?” David asked.

  “Hopefully, but there is at least one at the main door. I don’t know if it’s trying to get in but if it is then they know something is in here.” Amy answered, walking over to me.

  She handed me my pistol.

  “You might need this.” She whispered.

  I gave her a light kiss on the cheek and said “Thanks.”

  Chris moved away from the window and leaned against the back of one of the couches. The moonlight gave everyone a silvery outline and I could see the worry outlined on each of their faces. I walked into where the lifeboat was and look
ed down the ramp toward the sea and I could see the infected gathering at the sides of it. It wouldn’t be long before they had gathered up enough to climb on top of each other and on to the ramp.

  I walked back into the coffee room “They are piling up at the sides of the ramp and sooner or later they are going to be on top of it.”

  David walked over and glanced out the window. Turning back around he said “There are more coming down the beach. Where the fuck have they come from?”

  “Look, we can worry about where they had come from after we figure out how to get away. Right, everyone get their gear and get on the lifeboat. It looks like that might be the only way to get away.” Chris said.

  The room burst into activity and I grabbed my rucksack and followed Chris and David out to the lifeboat. David flicked on the lifeboats internal lights. If the infected knew we were inside it now made no difference if we had lights. Outside, the moans grew and the banging on the reception door became so loud it echoed throughout the building.

  “Marc, help me get Spirit on board.” Amy shouted.

  Helping Spirit on board was harder than I thought because she squirmed in my arms. Carrying her into the bridge I gently set her down on the floor. She scampered into the corner and cowered against the wall with large eyes. The pup raced past my legs and lay down next to her. David and Mike carried a couple of large bags on board and I looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

  “Food and other stuff we scavenged on the way here.” Mike said as he disappeared down the hatch.

  David paused and said “Is Amy not coming?”

  “What the fuck?” I shouted running out of the bridge.

  I saw Amy heading back into the room we had slept in. Climbing off the lifeboat, I ran after her.

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  She turned round “You need to get going.” she said pulling on her rucksack.

  “Yeah, we need to get going and I mean all of us!” I replied.

  She walked over and placed a hand on my cheek. She wore a sad smile on her face.

  “I need to get back to the Bunker.”

  “The only thing that is going to happen is you’re going to get on that fucking lifeboat.”

  “Marc, someone needs to get back and help run the Bunker.”

  Grabbing her hand I said “Amy, there is no other way for you to get out of here. If you stay, it’s a death sentence.”

  “I’ll get out.” She said, letting her hand drop.

  “We need to get going, guys. The infected have managed to get on the ramp.” Chris said, sticking his head through the open doorway.

  “Amy says she isn’t coming. She’s decided to head back to the Bunker” I said, turning to him.

  Chris walked into the room with a shocked look on his face “Amy, that’s fucking suicide.”

  Turning her back to us she said “It’s no different to what Marc was wanting to do.”

  “Look, we haven’t got time for this.” Chris said, looking at me.

  I shrugged and walked after Amy.

  “Amy!” I said.

  As she turned to face me I lashed out with a closed fist and landed a blow to the side of her face. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell sideways, bouncing off the back of one of the couches and landed with a thump on the floor.

  “Marc? What the fuck, mate?” Chris cried running to Amy’s fallen body.

  I stood holding my hand and replied “Let’s get her on the lifeboat and get the fuck out of here.”

  Grabbing her feet, Chris looked shocked and I grabbed her shoulders. With her wearing all her gear she was at least the same weight of Chris. Struggling through the doorway we heard a rifle fire and we both looked at the lifeboat. Mike was at the bow of the boat with a rifle pointing down the ramp.

  “What happened to Amy?” David called out.

  “Look, just help us get her on board and then we can get the fuck out of here.” I shouted back as another rifle shot echoed around the large room.

  David helped to pull Amy’s limp body onto the boat and into the bridge. We laid her down next to Spirit who licked Amy’s face.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here” I shouted.

  David went to the bridge console and started pressing buttons and we heard the rumble and the vibrations of the large engines starting up.

  Chris crossed to the doorway “Mike, we’re leaving get your arse in here.”

  We heard three more shots and then silence. Mike’s grinning face appeared at the doorway and slipped inside closing the door behind him. He then saw Amy’s body lying on the floor and looked at Chris and me.

  “She wasn’t going to come.” I said, trying to defend what I had done.

  Chris tutted and said “He fucking punched her.”

  “What else was I supposed to do?” I said rounding on him.

  David said “Hold on to something. I’m releasing the chocks.”

  The lifeboat jerked and we felt it slide forward. We were about ten feet from hitting the waves when the boat came to a sudden stop.

  “Jesus.” I said climbing up off the floor.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I headed for the door and out onto the gangway that curved along the side toward the bow. Holding onto the railing, I walked along and looked over the side at the bow and saw a huge pile of infected. We must have gathered them up as the boat slid down the ramp and they had built up enough to halt the boat.

  “We have a pile of infected stopping us.” I called back.

  Chris and Mike came out and looked down at the pile.

  “What are we going to do?” Mike said.

  “The only thing I can think of is that someone has to go down there and clear them away.” Chris replied.

  I could see arms and legs moving and that meant that some of the infected were not fully dead yet.

  “There’s movement down there and not to mention the other infected that are heading this way.” Mike said.

  Looking over the side I could see at least fifteen infected heading toward our stranded boat. Looking around, I saw a large pole with a hook on the end of it. I guess it must have been used to pull the lifeboat closer to other boats or ships.

  Pointing at the hook I said “Look, if someone uses that they could try and pull enough infected out of the way so that the lifeboat can shift. The only problem I see is that the person doing the clearing won’t be able see other ones heading this way.”

  “We could keep an eye out and cover them from up here with the rifles.” Chris said.

  “Sounds like a plan.” I said, running over and grabbing the large hook.

  “Hold on.” Mike said.

  “We don’t have time to hold on, mate.” I said running over to the side of the boat.

  I threw the hook over the side and looked down. The drop was at least ten or twelve feet to the sand. I looked at Chris and Mike then vaulted the rail. Landing on the sand wasn’t as bad as I expected. Bending my knees as my feet touched the sand and rolling took the wind out of me but I didn’t injure myself. I quickly picked up the pole and ran to the bow of the boat. The first infected was an old lady. The prow had nearly cut her in half and she still tried to reach for me as I leaned over the ramp and shoved the hook through her eye and yanked hard trying to pull her free. I suppose that was a mistake because I landed on my arse and on the hook dangled her severed head. Shaking the hook, the head flew off into the darkness.

  Using the hook, I drove it into what remained of her chest and managed to pull the top half of her body free. The next body parts I could see were a pair of legs dressed in striped pyjamas. The hips and backside were the largest area that I could get the hook into. Whilst yanking hard, I ended up dropping the pole as the first shots were fired from the deck. The body with the pyjamas slid out from the jumble of body parts. The green slime and black blood oozed down the ramp in a slow river. The moans of the infected started to grow as I pulled and pushed each body or part of body out of the way.

 
; “Get a move on, Marc! There are too many out there and we can’t see them all.” Mike shouted between shots.

  Pulling out the small body of a young girl had me thinking of Matthew, when I heard a low creaking sound and the lifeboat moved slightly. I was just about to yell up and tell them that it was working when the lifeboat started to slide down the ramp. I heard the crunching bones of the infected and saw spurts of infected fluid come from the prow as it moved down the ramp.

  Dropping the pole, I ran after the life boat hoping to find some way to get aboard before it hit the sea. Chris and Mike were leaning over the side waving for me to catch up. But there was no way I could keep up with the lifeboat. With a huge splash the bow of the lifeboat entered the sea sending a white spray of sea water into the air. Well, it looked like I was going for a swim.

  I jumped on to the last few feet of the ramp and ran into the sea following the lifeboat. The water hit me and my chest instantly clenched up. The water was so cold I could hardly breathe. Pushing myself through the cold water, I could feel all the strength I had seep out of me. The lifeboat bobbed on the water about twenty meters from the shore, but it might as well have been twenty miles because of the cold water. It felt like I had been swimming for hours, but was probably only a few minutes, when I hit the side of the lifeboat. Chris and David helped to pull me over the side and on to the deck. I collapsed on to my knees in my wet clothes.

  David draped a blanket around my shoulders and said “Come on, we need to get you out of those clothes.” Getting literally dragged inside cabin of the lifeboat by Chris and David.

  Mike was standing at the wheel and he turned to look at me “You must have a fucking death wish.”

  My jaw was shaking with cold, but I managed to say “It worked.”

  I was pushed and dragged down the hatchway and into one of the small rooms. David told me to strip and left the room. Pulling off my cold wet clothes was hard work. My fingers were stiff with cold and would hardly do as they were told. I sat on a chair in the small office like space with the blanket wrapped round my now naked cold body. David opened the door and came in carrying a large mug. I could smell the coffee wafting from its brim.