by Maxey, Phil
He knew what he had to do. He started to slow as the plane rolled forward. Just as he was about to completely stop, a pattering sound came from the shadows and Flint flew through the air, his teeth slicing through the throats of two vamps. Joel ran forward and scythed through another, while Flint did the same. He looked at the dog, then began running again, Flint running with him. “Come on!” he shouted to the animal as the plane began to pick up speed.
Joel could see it was going to cross paths with them, and he and Flint would get one chance each to jump aboard, or the plane would be too far ahead.
They both moved faster and faster. Joel could see the plane approaching from their right, thirty yards in front of them, and Marina hanging out of the side door shouting.
By now he didn’t care about the vamps behind them, if he didn’t make it, the vamps wouldn’t be able to stop the plane anyway, and he pumped his arms and legs.
“Come on!” shouted Marina, her voice just audible over the plane’s engine, which was increasing in volume.
Flint ran past Joel and leaped into the side door into the arms of Marina, as the plane moved past him.
Now or never…
Joel lunged forward grabbing hold of the wing strut, and instantly his feet left the ground due to the speed the plane was moving. He briefly looked back at the vamps who were swarming onto the airfield but were falling away not able to keep up.
As the plane started to lift from the ground, he pulled himself along the strut.
“Take my hand!” shouted Marina hanging out of the open door, with Anna holding her other hand inside.
He looked down as fields passed by, some of which were filled with more vamps, then back to Marina, and flung his hand out to grab hers. Anna and Evan heaved and pulled Joel and Marina into the plane.
“Someone close the damn door!” shouted Bill, trying to keep the plane level.
Evan leaned forward and pulled the door closed, as Joel fell back into the gap, behind the front seats. Anna immediately started looking at his wounds, but he held his hand up. “I’ll be fine. Just need to rest, to heal.”
“You got any particular destination in mind before we run out of fuel?” said Bill.
“Yeah, the same as before. North, to Salt Lake City.”
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The wooden boards across the windows on the Bellweather Hotel rattled, and a pane of glass fell and shattered on the sidewalk. An explosion of noise echoed across the streets, buildings, and forgotten places and the hungry beasts, now the town’s only inhabitants, all looked in unison towards main street, hoping a wayward visitor had wandered into their domain.
Instead, a column of headlights twisted around the narrow roads, until eventually coming to a stop outside the hotel.
Two mercenaries in full combat gear got out with night-vision goggles, and bursts of neon tore two vamps in half that were approaching.
An older third man got out in similar uniform, and scanned across the boarded up shops and homes, then rested his eyes on the hotel. He tapped on the roof of the vehicle, the rear door opened and out came a child. His face gaunt and pale. He pointed at the hotel.
The senior man waved towards Claire and Kelly’s former home, and the two mercs ran inside.
More vamps started to move up the street towards the convoy.
The man glanced at the Humvee behind. “Use the ultra.”
The boy reached into his pocket and placed some small round dark goggles over his eyes.
After a moment of silence an intense beam of blue light streamed from a box perched on top of the vehicle. The vamps that now littered the street let out screeches into the night as their skin boiled, then scurried away, looking for safe haven.
The torture device went dark, and the two soldiers emerged from the hotel, one of them carrying a white cloth covered in dark red smears. The older man, nodded towards the boy, and the soldier handed the cloth to him. The boy looked at it, then smiled.
“Let’s go,” said the man, as he stepped back inside the Humvee. The boy and soldiers did the same.
As the convoy pulled away, moving swiftly through the town, the man held a cell phone to his ear. “There’s no one here, but we found his blood, sir. Over.”
There was a long silence, then a gravelly, deep-toned voice replied. “Did the boy smile?”
“Yes.”
“Good…”
The End.
Thanks for reading The Scourge book 1: The Dead Don’t Turn, I hope you enjoyed it. Book 2 will be available in a few weeks!
If you would like news on my latest releases, special offers or free short stories, you can sign up to my mailing list on my website at www.philmaxeyauthor.com .
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About the Author
Phil Maxey is an author who resides in the UK. Formally a game developer he now spends his time putting his love of sci-fi and the paranormal into words.
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Acknowledgements
Book cover design by www.starbookcovers.com