They had reached Dartmoor Prison, England’s largest top-secret military base.
47
Red, Betty, and Lennie
Newton Abbot
On the Roof of the Old Peoples Flats
1:36 PM GMT
Betty did not know how much longer her grandson could hold the door against the onslaught. The creatures did not seem to be tiring. She had no idea how many were throwing themselves against the door. For all she knew, the stairwell could be full down all three flights of steps.
Lennie’s large feet would slide backwards an inch or so, as he pushed back each time the bodies slammed against the exit. Lennie was big and strong, but even he could only last for so long. He was soaked through to the skin. Every ten seconds or so he would spit out a mouthful of rainwater. His eyes were squinted tight as he used every ounce of his strength to stop the door from opening.
The little dog was at his side, barking continually, as if offering his support.
Betty was knelt on the wet gravel that covered the flat roof, with Red’s head on her lap, while she held a corner of the blanket on her shoulders over Red’s face.
Red had regained consciousness and was mumbling something. Her eyes flicked open, only to shut again due to the stabbing pain in her head.
Betty could not hear what Red was saying because of the screaming creatures, the pouring rain hammering on the roof, the wet slapping sound of the bodies hitting the door, and Charlie’s constant barking.
However, Betty would swear Red kept mumbling, “I’m sorry Jasmine.”
Two explosions rocked the roof beneath them. The screaming intensified.
The door was crashed into so hard an arm managed to poke through the gap. The owner of the arm seemed unconcerned when Lennie slammed the door back against it. The bloody arm franticly slapped against the door, searching for whatever was blocking the way.
Betty’s head jerked up, she could hear an engine approaching.
Lennie could hear it too, his head shot up, and his concentration lagged for just a split second. However, a second was all it took to give the creatures the edge they needed. The next slam jerked Lennie off his feet, sending him sprawling backwards to land next to his grandmother and Red.
Charlie sprinted over to protect them, barking at the open door.
The door hung open on broken hinges as five eaters ran out onto the roof, directly toward the three warm lumps of meat.
Betty instinctively used her body to protect the young injured woman, as the closest creature lunged like a wild animal, knocking Betty backwards away from Red. The crazed naked teenager then sunk its deformed teeth into Betty’s upraised forearm.
48
Noah and the Squad
Newton Abbot
In the Old Peoples Flats
1:38 PM GMT
Echo fired three bullets; each hit the back of a head, taking down three creatures. Coco’s shots stopped the two remaining eaters, one of which was crouched over an old woman. They both then fanned out to secure the area.
Noah ran passed them out onto the roof; he jumped the naked, twisted bodies that were still twitching and raced to Red’s side.
“Is she hurt?” Noah asked, thinking they had arrived too late, and Red had been bitten.
“Am I glad to see you,” Betty said, wincing in pain as she rolled the dead body off herself. She used the blanket to wrap over her arm to hide the teeth marks.
Lennie was slowly getting to his feet, while hugging Charlie. The dog was enjoying the attention.
“Red was knocked unconscious in a flat downstairs. A couple of poppers exploded in a room she had just walked into,” Betty announced. No one had noticed she was bitten; they presumed the look of pain upon her face was due to arthritis and old age, or being soaking wet and cold.
Noah and the two soldiers had just set a couple of poppers off themselves as they made their way up through the building, following the sound of the screaming creatures. They presumed the three had climbed down the demolished wall and went to hide in the closest building. The explosion on the second floor of the old people’s home had confirmed there was someone inside.
Echo had updated the Captain and Bull, and stated they were heading down over the remains of the back wall to check the structure.
Noah gave Echo directions to pass on to the Captain, so Bull could drive around to meet them.
Once they entered the closest block of flats – where the explosion had occurred – they heard the animalistic screaming coming from the stairwell.
“We have a vehicle outside; they are going to take us somewhere safe,” Noah explained.
Noah saw Betty physically sag from relief as tears ran from her eyes. Noah noticed she was cradling her arm.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a little bruised nothing to worry about.” She kept her arm hidden beneath the thick blanket. It did not feel right. It was not aching, as a savage bite should; rather, it was tingling as if a small electrical current was passing through it and working its way along her arm. She knew she was infected. She did not know how long she could hide the bite or the effects for, but she needed to make sure Lennie was safe first; she knew her grandson would never leave her side, so she had to try to keep it together until they reached the safety of the prison.
Echo was now knelt by Red. “Is she able to walk?”
“Lennie had to carry her up here because she was unconscious. She seems a little better now though,” Betty stated.
Red’s eyes seemed a little unfocused, but she smiled when she recognized Noah.
“Let’s get them all downstairs before more eaters arrive,” Coco said.
Noah picked Red up. It felt right having her body pressed up against his.
I will never let her out of my sight again; he thought, as he carried her down the stairs following Echo, with Coco at the back.
“Can someone grab that, it’s mine,” Noah said as they pushed passed his large rucksack.
“Sorry, I tried to carry it, but it was just so damn heavy,” Betty stated. She did not feel like talking, but she had to keep up the pretence that she was fine.
Coco picked it up and swung it over his muscular back.
They reached the Husky without any incident. There was not enough room for everyone inside the vehicle. Lennie sat in the open flat bed with the bags, with Coco and Echo stood next to him, leaning against the roll bars that wrapped around the flat bed. Red, Noah, and Betty sat in the back of the cab, with Bull driving and the Captain still in the command seat.
A group of four naked creatures ran from around a corner. They did not bother wasting ammo. The Husky drove off leaving the creatures running behind. They soon lost them at the first corner.
“Next stop, Dartmoor,” the Captain announced.
49
Doctor Lazaro
Dartmoor National Park
The Helipad at Dartmoor Prison
1:44 PM GMT
Melanie was unloaded in the pouring rain along with the rest of the passengers and hustled over to a squat building on the roof of the prison next to the helipad.
She watched as Jimmy was placed on a stretcher and rushed to the prisons hospital by a hectic group of military doctors and nurses.
The passengers moved in silence along the corridor, disappearing through some double doors following a group decked in military attire.
After all the commotion, hustle, and bustle, the corridor seemed too quiet and abandoned now they had all gone.
Melanie was left standing with an armed escort in the eerie silence, with a puddle of rainwater gathering around her.
The tall soldier said nothing. He stood ramrod straight with his hands behind his back, with a pistol at his hip.
She was left waiting in the corridor for half an hour. There were seats, but she was too pent-up to relax. She tried to engage the soldier twice in conversation. She was beginning to think he was a mute.
“Am I at least allowed to use the to
ilet?”
The soldier nodded once and pointed to a door three doors down the corridor. He followed her to the toilet, and waited outside.
The toilet was eight feet by eight, with a toilet and a sink to one side. There was a large cabinet. Inside were green surgical scrubs.
Melanie stripped out of her wet clothes and left them in a pile. She used the soap dispenser and washed her body as best she could. She filled the sink with warm water and washed her hair. She then used a couple scrub tops to dry her hair and body. She tossed them onto her wet clothes. She used the toilet, and then dressed in warm dry scrubs. They felt so good against her skin. For the first time in hours, she was warm and dry and felt almost human again.
Melanie picked up the folder in the sheath; it was the only possession she had on her, apart from a thin gold necklace. Her purse and mobile were still resting on her desk in the university.
She gazed into the mirror and saw a bedraggled twenty-three-year-old female dressed in green medical scrubs. Melanie did not recognize herself; she looked like she had aged ten years in half a day. She unlatched the door and returned outside.
If the soldier was confused by seeing her in different clothes, he said nothing.
“Ah, you must be Doctor Lazaro?” A man said who had just pushed through a door that required a pass card. He wore a long white lab coat over faded brown corduroy trousers and an old olive-coloured cardigan over a brown button-down shirt. He was deathly thin and looked about fifty, with a terrible brush over of white hair, and pale loose skin.
There was a racket outside as a group of technicians finished refueling and checking the helicopter. It took off and disappeared into the hazy thick clouds.
“My name is Doctor Albert Hall; I am responsible for the bio lab. Then, as an afterthought added, “I know; my parents had a strange sense of humour when it came to naming their children.” He held out a hand.
Melanie was having the worse morning of her life. She was confused about the people on the flight and worried about the soldiers she had left behind. With everything that had happened, and how long she had been left around waiting with a mute guard; she did not feel like being polite and shaking hands while enjoying chitchat. She ignored the outstretched hand.
“Who were those people on the helicopter with me?”
“Ah, I see. I understand; you’ve had one hell of a morning,” Doctor Hall said as he shouldered the heavy door open that led outside.
Melanie followed.
The soldier stayed in the warm building.
Doctor Hall lit a cigarette. He lifted it up as he said, “You’d think with everything that’s happened that I would be allowed to smoke inside. Nope. People still get upset about smoke drifting into their airspace. Anyone would think I was blowing spores in their direction.” He gave a chuckle. He blew smoke out of his nose as he pressed his back against the concrete wall, while trying to stay dry under the inadequate covering over the door.
The doctor gave Melanie a quick side-glance. “So you’re Doctor Melanie Lazaro. Born May 2 1990 to Edward and Margery Lazaro.
“It was soon discovered, after you took the Cattell IIIB Test that you have an IQ of 157, and considering the world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawkins is 160; it’s not too shabby. You also aced the Cognitive Ability Tests. You excelled at school and were years ahead in all your classes. At the age of ten, you were recognized by the National Association for Gifted Children and Children of High Intelligence and moved to a specialist school for the gifted in Manchester. You passed all your exams with a string of A+’s and at the mere age of thirteen, you were accepted into Cambridge University where you studied three years for your BSc degree in Biomedical Science, and three and a half years for your PhD. I might add that you are one of only four people ever to be accepted into Cambridge at such a young age.” He blew a plume of smoke out his nostrils.
“And while others in your classes – who were many years your senior – were struggling to simply fulfill their coursework, you wrote extra papers on subjects such as DNA sequencing, which were published by science journals the world over.” He took another long drag.
“You could have worked anywhere. You had offers of jobs from all over America, Europe, and South America, and yet you picked Exeter’s University of Biomedical Sciences Department, to be close to your parents, and even moved back in with them.” He scratched at a mole next to his eye.
“You were a golden ticket for Exeter University. They were swamped with grants once word spread. You–”
“I know my history,” she snapped. Melanie was a little taken back that he knew so much about her. “What’s my past have to do with anything?”
Doctor Hall stood silent. He continued to blow smoke out into the pouring rain.
Melanie stood under the covering; she did not intend to get wet again after just putting on dry clothes. She noticed the large yellow stains on his two fingers that held the cigarette.
They stood in silence for a minute.
He obviously was not going to tell her why he knew so much about her, so she asked the same question from a few moments ago. “Who were the people on the flight with me? One said something about Adam and Eve.”
Doctor Hall pulled long and hard on the cigarette. He flicked it into the rain. For a moment, he just looked straight ahead. The only sound was the thrashing rain hammering against the helipad.
“They are part of a secret that dates back over one hundred years. A secret our government, and many others the world over, has been hiding from the general population.” He turned to look at her. “Those people are our last hope and our species salvation.”
50
Noah, red, Betty, Lennie, and the Squad
Between Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracy
In the Husky Heading Towards Dartmoor
1:52 PM GMT
Bull kept the Husky well under the truck’s maximum speed of 70 mph. He did not have a choice; the roads were congested with abandoned vehicles and littered objects, and numerous corpses.
The noise of the truck caught the attention of the naked creatures that were wandering, looking for food. Even though the truck was way too fast, they still tried until they were left behind.
Noah sat hugging Red, whose head rested against his shoulder. She was still groggy from being knocked unconscious, but her strength was gaining with each passing mile.
Betty looked like she was sleeping, with her head covered over with her blanket and resting up against the thick bulletproof window. She looked her years, curled up to one side.
Lennie sat hugging Charlie, keeping the small dog dry with his body. There was a large piece of tarp in the back of the truck, and Lennie had it wrapped around him. He had his head uncovered though, because he liked to see the scenery around him, and he liked the sensation of the wind and rain blowing through his hair. He had never been allowed to sit in the back of a truck before. He did not want to miss a thing.
Echo and Coco were knelt next to Lennie, with their rifles ready to be used at a moment’s notice.
The Captain sat with a small device on his lap; it looked like a controller for a game’s console, with a screen on it. It was, in fact, the remote for the large machinegun on the roof.
It did not take long to reach the A38, a four-lane dual carriageway, which was deserted. There were plenty of vehicles wedged up against the embankment or middle reservation, but none of them was moving. All the cars that had been packed weeks before, and drove away from their homes had either reached the destination they intended, or were abandoned along the way when the petrol tank ran dry. Petrol stations ran out of fuel during the first week of the pandemic.
Bull pulled off the motorway up onto an incline leading to a large roundabout. Drumbridges roundabout led to Bovey Straights, a long stretch of straight road over a mile long, with woodland to each side.
In one field, as they passed, Noah could see a group of six or so naked creatures eating what looked like a horse. There was so much blood i
t was hard to tell. He looked away. He could also see naked blurs running through the woods to either side of the road, attracted by the unfamiliar sound of the large engine.
On the outskirts of Bovey Tracey, or otherwise known as the Gateway to the Moors, there was an industrial park with a large building in flames. It had been set alight within the last few hours, or something had eventually broken-down from lack of human intervention. The flames danced along the roof. Windows shattered as thick black smoke poured from every broken window. The air smelt of burning plastic.
Bull kept on driving, navigating around groups of abandoned vehicles. Sometimes he had to use the truck’s powerful four-wheel drive to go over grass embankments, or over curbs and along pavements. On a few occasions, he had to reverse and find an alternate road.
At one such point, where about twenty cars all seemed to be in one large collision, Bull was reversing to go up over and around a grass verge, when a group of about thirty creatures seemed to appear from nowhere. The group was a collection of all ages and sizes, from a female child who looked about nine, up to an old man in his eighties.
“Shit!” Bull said while jamming the gear in place. He was not worried about those in the truck, because the armoured shell and windows would deflect even a landmine; he was worried about the three in the back without protection.
The Captain could hear Coco and Echo firing into the mass of surging bodies.
Lennie pulled the tarp over his head.
“Down,” the Captain shouted into the microphone in his gasmask, as he used the remote to spin the automatic machinegun around on the roof.
Coco and Echo ducked as they heard the guns motor kick in.
On the handheld unit, the moving creatures were outlined in red by the most up-to-date military technology. Within seconds, it marked the targets, their speed, and their predicted trajectory. With one simple press of a button, the 12.7 mm bullets ripped into the flesh of the charging mass, starting with the closest and fastest. They were literally cut in half. In was over in less than a minute. The hot bullet casings pinged down onto the wet tarmac.
The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks & The Squads First Three Weeks Omnibus [Books 1-10] Page 16