by Ryan Casey
Gav pulled his head forward. He held the sides of it, squeezing so tight that Cody thought it might just burst open like Maryam’s.
“See, Stevey-boy over here’s actually got something. He’s got a location. A place to go. What’ve you got? What the fuck have you got?”
A punch, this time. More searing pains in Cody’s head. Ringing in his ears.
“We’ll take Steve with us. We’ll let him show us where we’re going. If he leads us there, we’ll let him live. If he doesn’t, we’ll still let him live. And then we’ll find his family. And the moment we know he’s been lyin’ to us, we’ll put this fucker’s family through so much pain they’ll be begging us to end it all.”
“Please,” Steve said.
“And if his family’s already dead—if this is all some kinda trap… well. I’m sure we’ll find some very fucking creative ways to make you suffer, huh, Stevey-boy?”
Cody saw the defeat on Steve’s face. The total dejection and acceptance of his fate. He’d arrived at the fort with good news and information that should’ve spelled so much positivity.
And this is where he was now.
This is what it’d come to.
Two of Gav’s friends picked Steve up. Dragged him over towards the door. Steve struggled, tried to break free, but that was no good. He was trapped.
Gav stood over Cody. “Any last words?”
Cody spat out a load of phlegmy blood. He tried to speak, but all he could do was wheeze.
“No. That’s good. We can get on with finishing you off, then.”
Gav pulled back his boot.
“Trust—him,” Cody said.
Gav lowered his boot. Narrowed his eyes. “What you fucking say?”
Cody leaned back. Breathing grew trickier. But he had to tell Gav what to do. He had to make sure Gav didn’t stray from the path and that he got the remaining survivors of this group away to safety. “Trust—trust him. What… what Maryam wanted. Trust him.”
Gav tilted his head to one side and smiled. “Beautiful final words. Very fitting.”
He pulled his foot back.
“Goodbye, friend.”
Cody waited for the final blow. The blow that ended his life.
But it never arrived.
When he opened his scabbed eyes, he saw Gav standing by the door.
“Don’t follow us. Don’t even try to escape. Just stay here and die. It’s best for you. It’s best for everyone.”
Then Gav turned around and walked out of the house. He left Cody all alone, tied up in this boarded-up room.
Cody wanted to fight his way out of here. He wanted to find the strength to break free of the ties around his wrists. He wanted to summon the courage to escape this hell.
But he didn’t have the strength.
So he sat there and battled for his next breath.
And when he couldn’t battle anymore—when the blood filled up his throat, and his eyelids became too heavy and tired, he closed them.
He shut off.
He dreamed of a world where people believed in each other again.
And then he dreamed of nothing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Riley watched as Chloë tumbled over the edge of the multi-storey car park and his whole body turned to jelly.
He gripped on to Kesha and tried to understand what he’d just witnessed. Behind, he heard Jordanna cry out. And beside her, he heard people running over to check Chloë was okay. That everything had worked out.
Because she was just a little girl.
She was just a little girl and they couldn’t watch a little girl die. They couldn’t allow it.
Riley rushed over to the edge of the rooftop, three, four people beside him, all of them with weapons.
“Where’d she go?” one man asked.
“She dropped. She fucking dropped down.”
Mattius looked on, puzzlement on his face, as the rain lashed down heavier. Riley’s execution had, it seemed, been postponed.
Riley saw it, then. He saw what Chloë had said to him just moments ago, heard her words in his ears.
“I can make the drop. Just trust me.”
And as he backed away from the edge of the wall, looked at the four people—armed people—standing there and staring into oblivion, he knew what he had to do.
The horrible thing he didn’t want to do.
But the horrible thing he had to do.
And from the look in Jordanna’s eyes, she saw it too.
Mattius’ eyes widened. “No—”
Riley grabbed a gun from the man on the left then pushed him and another of the men off the edge of the building. He watched them fly down below.
And just seconds later, Jordanna pushed the remaining two people off the edge of the building too.
Everyone froze in horror, in silence.
It was only when the bones of the falling people cracked against the concrete below that the silence truly broke and the chaos began.
Riley lifted his gun and pointed it at the crowd behind him.
He watched as they ran away, as they fled in total fear. He saw what they were. Who they were. People. Just normal people trying to survive. Good people just looking out for protection.
And they were looking at him like he was the monster.
Like he was the ghost in their town.
By his side, Jordanna fired a few shots into the air.
The screams erupted some more. Everyone fled. And as they did, Riley knew right then that he had to get out of this place. He’d wanted to stay here, as much as he couldn’t believe he was admitting that. He’d wanted to protect Kesha and find a home for her. Settle.
But he saw the truth now in all its horrifying glory.
He couldn’t settle here. Neither could Jordanna. Neither could Chloë.
He’d caused this mess. He’d caused these people to turn on him in the first place.
Now they were all paying—all his people—for Riley’s past actions.
The rooftop soon cleared, and it was just Riley, Jordanna, and Kesha standing there.
And Mattius.
Mattius stood his ground, like a captain refusing to abandon his sinking ship. He shook his head. Riley swore he saw tears in his eyes.
“It’s over,” Riley said, raising his gun.
“Riley, you don’t have to,” Jordanna said.
Mattius laughed. It made the hair on Riley’s arms stand on end, as the wind grew stronger. He knew he had to hurry. The people here had more weapons, so they could be re-arming and getting ready to fight back.
“But you do, don’t you, Riley? You do.”
“Don’t listen to him. We don’t need any more death here.”
“You need to kill me because you need to know you’ll be safe. You need to know my people won’t come after you. You need more than my word. Don’t you?”
Riley heard Mattius’ words and their truth hurt, as he held on to Kesha, who cried uncharacteristically.
“Get to the side,” Riley said, not looking Mattius in the eye.
Mattius shook his head and laughed. Raised his hands.
In his right hand, Riley saw a pistol.
“Put that down.”
“And why the hell should I put it down?”
“Just fucking drop it, okay?”
Mattius’ grin grew. He shook his head. Turned the pistol. “And you think just because you’re holding onto a baby that I won’t shoot?”
“She’s not just a baby.”
Mattius frowned. “What?”
“Riley, don’t—”
“She’s not just a baby, okay?”
Mattius’ frown deepened some more. He lowered the gun a little like he was curious to hear exactly what Riley meant, what he was talking about. “If she isn’t just a baby, then what is—”
Blood splattered out of Mattius’ mouth.
His eyes rolled back into his skull.
He fell down onto his knees, then slammed head first onto the rooftop.
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Chloë stood there, some kind of sharpened blade in her hand.
“Come on,” she said, as the blood trickled out of Mattius’ back. Footsteps echoed around below. “We need to get out of here.”
Jordanna rushed over to Chloë and held her. “How did you—”
“Good thing about a multi-storey car park is all the car parts lying around. I made good use of the snow chains. Thought I’d make us a secret exit, just in case. Nobody looks twice at a little cripple kid. Now come on. There’s something else.”
Riley shook his head, marvelling at Chloë’s brilliance. She’d created an exit. She’d saved them all.
She’d nearly died in the process, but she’d done what she had to do.
Before they climbed down the snow chains, Riley looked at Mattius’ blood drifting across the car park concrete.
He took a deep breath, shook his head and climbed.
Another safe place lost.
WHEN THEY WERE A MILE AWAY, on much higher land, Riley looked back at the cloud of thick, black smoke emerging from the multi-storey car park, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a real sense of guilt over what he’d done.
When they’d climbed away down the snow chains, they’d peeked around the dining area, where all the petrol canisters used as chairs were stacked together. The dining area where people hid as a place of safety; as a place of congregation to figure out how they were going to fight back.
And as they’d climbed down, Riley had flicked the lighter and thrown it right into that dining area.
As they stared back through the trees, over towards the burning fumes of the multi-storey car park, Riley tasted vomit. They’d betrayed these people. They’d used their good nature against them.
The smoke grew even higher.
The flames lifted up the side of the car park.
The screams of innocent people erupted all around them.
“Come on,” Jordanna said. She took Riley’s hand. “Let’s… let’s find someplace else.”
Riley swallowed a lump in his throat as the flames and the smoke grew thicker.
As the screams grew even more pained, even more terrified.
As another town of life—another town of hope—became another ghost town in a world of ghost towns.
He took a deep breath.
Turned away.
And together with his people—with the very last people on this earth he could trust—he walked out into a world of ghosts.
ON THE TOP storey of the burning multi-storey car park, Mattius opened his eyes.
“Never lose your faith in life. Never lose your faith in life.”
EPISODE FORTY
COLLISIONS
(FOURTH EPISODE OF SEASON SEVEN)
PROLOGUE
Kane felt the urge to deal with this one himself building up. The desire to finish her filling his body while Spud finished the other three downstairs.
He gripped onto the machete.
Closed in on the ugly yet beautiful little thing, scars across her face, one weak little arm dangling by her side.
Maybe he would have his fun.
Maybe he’d have it right now.
“Don’t worry, little bird. It’ll all be over soon.”
He pulled back the machete and he swung it at the girl’s head.
CHAPTER ONE
Kane kept his eye on Spud at all times.
And his hand on his machete.
Just waiting for the right moment.
They were quiet, the pair of them. Everything around them was quiet too, except for the crunching of the fallen leaves under their feet. Kane’s body shook. He hadn’t slept much last night, back at the hot dog stall. He’d considered doing what he now knew he had to do back then.
Ending Spud’s life, once and for all.
But instead, he’d stitched himself up with some of the crossbow cunts’ supplies. Cleaned the wound on his hand, then rested. It wouldn’t stave off infection permanently, but it’d do the trick for now.
So many times in the night, he’d heard the voices in his head begging him to go ahead with it, urging him to do what he had to do—to put an end to Spud’s miserable little life.
But he hadn’t.
He hadn’t because he couldn’t.
Only today, he would.
“Think we’ll find water soon?” Spud asked.
They were the first words either of them had spoken for some time. Hearing Spud’s voice created a cocktail of contradictory emotions inside Kane. “Sure. Not far.” He was trying very hard to keep his cool until the right moment came.
The George and Lennie moment.
Only a twisted version. A version where Lennie looked George in the eye while he butchered him. A final look of knowing—the knowing of total betrayal, like pigs going to the slaughter.
Kane knew he owed Spud. After all, Spud saved his life. He’d killed the second crossbow cunt, and for that he was grateful. Very grateful.
But the truth was, he would never have had to kill the crossbow cunt if he hadn’t got himself kidnapped in the first place. And as much as Spud tried to convince Kane he’d run away with them to intercept then kill them, Kane knew that was bullshit. Total lies.
He’d seen the look in Spud’s eyes as he stared down at Crossbow Cunt #2’s fallen body.
He’d watched Crossbow Cunt #2 come seconds away from putting Kane down for good.
The murder Spud committed wasn’t a planned decision. It was a rash decision. A last minute change of heart.
Kane owed Spud for that, sure. And he’d repaid it already.
Spud had survived the night. That was repayment in itself.
Kane tightened his grip on the machete as his stepdad’s many voices swirled around his mind. He heard his dad screaming at him, begging him to do something he really did not want to do.
And then he heard groans up ahead to the left.
There was just one zombie. A boy, barely older than Spud. He was wearing a Chelsea FC shirt, which made Kane wonder how long it’d taken this kid to get to the north of England, or whether he’d been a rare northerner who supported a southern team.
He looked into the grey eyes of the boy’s rotting face. Looked at the exposed shin bone, which had been bitten away.
“I’ve got it,” Spud said.
He pulled out his knife and stepped towards it.
Kane saw a chance, then. A chance to push Spud into the arms of the zombie and watch him struggle.
A chance to watch him get bitten; to watch the realisation cover his face in that amazing way.
And then Kane would stand over him and watch him die. Watch him turn.
And only when he finally passed out and turned would Kane put him out of his misery.
Maybe.
But then Kane saw Spud step back from the boy.
He watched him slam the blade into the top of his rotted scalp.
The skull cracked and fell apart upon impact. The zombie boy’s decomposing brain fell to pieces the moment Spud’s knife touched it.
The zombie stopped.
Fell to the ground.
Went still.
Spud stepped away as the sound of the breeze filled the silence. He looked back at Kane, a little smile on his blood-splashed face. “I did it,” he said. “Did another. That’s twenty now. Did I do good?”
But then Kane saw Spud’s face turn.
He saw his eyes widen with fear.
Not even Kane was certain why until he realised he was holding his machete out in front of him.
There was a silent moment of realisation then. A moment where no words needed to be spoken to know what this was, to know what was happening.
As they stood there, Spud staring back at him, fear growing, Kane felt the urge for the short-term release of a kill getting to the point of no return.
“Are we at the water soon?” Spud asked.
Kane heard the innocence cracking through his voice. And just as loudly as he heard it, the truth of
his entire situation dawned on him. Spud wasn’t strong. Spud wasn’t a potential protégé. And Kane was never going to have someone like-minded by his side.
Spud was just another Sam.
Just another Amy.
Just another Brian.
And we all know what happened to Sam, Amy and Brian…
Well. We don’t. But you can make a damned good guess.
Kane stepped towards Spud, the machete gripped in his hand.
Spud stumbled back. “Please. Please don’t—”
“Kid, realise that when you beg, it just makes me want to hurt you even more.”
Spud backed towards a tree and Kane saw all this playing out just like his past killings. The cowering away. The begging. Weak. That’s all humans were—weak.
They weren’t like him.
They weren’t strong.
They…
Kane realised something had happened. Something strange. Something… unfamiliar.
Spud had stopped backing away.
He was standing completely still, holding his ground.
Sure, tears were falling down his cheeks. Sure, he looked terrified.
But he was standing his ground.
“I’m strong,” Spud said.
“You aren’t strong—”
“I can kill. I—I showed you I can kill last night.”
“I know you thought about letting me die last night,” Kane said. “I know you thought about it. But I know you probably stood there and knew I had something planned, ’cause you’ve seen how I work. So you figured you’d have more of a chance of surviving if you killed Crossbow Cunt 2. You didn’t want to risk not killing him to see what I had planned for you. Hmm?”
Spud’s head didn’t lower. He didn’t look away. “I did want you dead. I do want you dead. I hate you. I hate you ’cause you killed my mum and dad.”
Kane felt the hate in Spud’s voice, but it didn’t make him want to kill Spud. Quite the opposite.
It made him want to spare him.
“I hate your guts and I hope—I hope you die.”
Kane smiled. He felt his hand shaking. This was good. Spud was getting angry. He was getting taken over by anger.
Think how good his little arms’ll slice away.