by Ian Woodhead
Lee scrambled to his feet and hurried over to the cage, seeing the cut away part of the metal fence hanging down. This made it a rescue. He was not sure whether this was good or bad. He had apparently stumbled into the middle of some sort of revolution.
“What the fuck happened here, Geoff?”
He closed his eyes, willed his overactive mind to chill, and concentrated, trying to locate his remaining companion, the fucker had to be around here somewhere.
He suddenly saw a bare brick wall directly in front of him. A rat scurried along the base of the wall, dodging missiles of glass splinters and chunks of plaster. He saw the shadows in the corners created by the single bare bulb above his head.
“So, you have found me, Lee. It is a little weird this, you know. I mean, I’m looking through your eyes while you look through mine. Man, I can even smell you, and you do not smell too good, man. I notice you’ve found Geoff. It’s a bitch what happened to him.”
Lee watched through James' eyes as he got to his feet and walked over to a wooden panelled door. The rotting wood showed through the peeling layers of multi-coloured paint. A bloodied hand reached out and grabbed the door handle.
“Lee, I think it would be best if you came to me, buddy. I’m not sure I can walk up these stone steps. Besides, it’ll be a good idea to get out of sight. Geoff was not kidding when he said those fuckers are good shots. Well, you can see that for yourself. Walk across the square, heading for a butchers shop. I’m in the house next door, in the cellar.”
The connection broke and Lee jerked forwards. He noticed that James mentioned nothing about the caged food. He got to his feet and looked forward, locating the butcher’s shop immediately. He would just have to ask him directly, that’s all.
As he hobbled over the cobblestone on his painful foot, he brought back the image of his friend’s bloodied hand. Just what had he been doing? Come to think of it, why did Lee get the impression that he was hiding away? James’ thoughts were stronger, far stronger than Lee’s but under that false veneer of confidence, he was sure he felt something else; it felt like fear, or maybe resignation.
He sighed, hoping that he was wrong about that. Lee needed his companion’s strength, now more than ever. He pushed open the door and walked into the hallway. There was no need to shout out James’ name, he knew exactly where the guy was hiding. The man leaned against the whitewashed wall. That was exactly what he was doing. James was hiding.
“What the fuck has happened?”
He ran into the kitchen towards the only other door in the room. Lee pulled it open and hurried down the stone steps.
“James? Where the fuck are you?”
The dark bundle of clothing half hidden in the shadows at the back of the cellar moved.
“I’m sorry, buddy. We should have listened to you.” The hunter threw off a couple of coats and slowly got to his feet.
It took Lee a moment to notice the dead rat in James’ hand. He felt a surge of hunger as James lifted his hand, put the rat’s head between his teeth, and snapped his jaws shut. The crunch of thin bone sounded so pleasant. Lee was about to ask James to share until he noticed some else.
“You look surprised, Lee.” James looked down at Lee’s rotting foot. “That really does fucking stink.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” he whispered. The hunter’s face looked as though someone had thrown a cup of very strong acid over his face. He could physically see the stuff eating through the hunter’s flesh.
James shrugged. “I think we can discuss that as we start moving.”
“Move where?”
“We are now both in the same boat—if we don’t eat, it’ll be doubtful that we’ll survive the next few hours.”
“I fucking know that piece of information already!” growled Lee. “I just don’t have a clue where they are!”
James threw the dead rat to the floor and kicked it behind him; he tried to smile, then gave it up as a bad job.
“Yeah well, I do…at least, I think I do. Their scent is so strong, it’s driving me fucking bat-shit.” He ran over to the wall and placed his ear against the brick. “I can almost smell the bastards. They are underground, that bit, I do know. As soon as I came down here, I could smell them. Lee, I was thinking that if we both shared our thoughts, we’d be able to find them in seconds.”
Lee nodded vigorously, “Let’s get this done then. I’m so hungry.”
Chapter Sixteen
She cast her eyes up, gazing in shock at the tiny hole punched through the thick plastic. Maddie’s head had been there, just a few seconds ago.
“We need to move!”
Maddie just looked at David, wondering if he had caught stupid disease.
“They’ll try to box us in,” he continued.
Maddie did not bother replying with the 'I told you so' that would have been completely justified at that moment. It had been his idea to run over to this overturned ice-cream truck in the first place. So far, Maddie had counted four separate muzzle flashes. It wouldn't be long before one of the shooters got lucky. Not that they would even have to try, just keeping them pinned down would suffice. Both of their backs were exposed. All it would take was for one of them to sneak up from behind and they would both be dead.
Had the healing trauma messed with David’s head? He knew the basic tactics of street fighting. Why the hell had he taken cover here? Come to think of it, why hadn’t it stopped her from following David like an idiot?
She hit the floor as another shot rang out. If they survived this, Maddie promised herself a huge bar of chocolate.
“Can you see that terraced house with the bright yellow door?” he shouted, making his voice heard above the gunfire.
Maddie nodded as she checked her gun and found she only had three rounds left.
“That’s where we need to be.”
Now Maddie knew that he had lost his mind. “Are you insane? That's where one of the muzzle flashes is coming from.”
He slowly nodded. “I know, I’m not blind, Maddie. Nevertheless, that is where we have to be.”
“You are blind, and apparently you’ve lost your mind as well. They’ll cut us to bits before we even manage to get halfway.”
The officer leaned over and kissed Maddie on the nose.
“Don’t you think I know that?” David peered around the overturned van; he fired off a couple of shots then ran around the side of the vehicle.
“What are you doing?” she screamed. Maddie ducked as another shot rang out and thudded against the side. She scrambled over to his old position and saw David running across the road. She cried out as another gunshot exploded from the building in front of the man. He fell to the floor, screaming in agony.
“You dumb bastard!” she sobbed. Maddie could not leave him lying in the middle of the road. Those bastards would use him as target practice.
“Don’t you dare die,” she said rushing around the vehicle. Maddie whimpered when a bullet smashed into the ground just in front of her. He was only a few metres away now. Would she be able to heal him? Another bullet thudded into the path by David’s head.
She reached the man’s feet and unceremoniously pulled him backwards over to the door that he mentioned, just waiting for another bullet to turn the officer’s face into a mangled and bloodied mess.
“Please don’t you die, you stupid fucker,” she said, pulling him into the dark house. Maddie took the pistol out of David’s cold hand and rushed up to the window. The officers must have seen them come in here, but none of them had followed.
Maddie pulled David into the living room, shut the door and slid a bookshelf in front of it. She ran over to his side and placed her hands on the man’s leg; he was freezing cold.
“Why the fuck did you have to pull a stunt like that?”
“Just heal me,” he whispered. “Hurry up, this really does hurt.”
She heard footsteps directly above them. Maddie dropped the gun on the carpet, put her hands on the side of
his head, and closed her eyes. Almost immediately, David gasped out. He grabbed her hands and squeezed.
“You’re doing it again! Oh my God.”
Maddie nodded. Unlike him, she felt distinctively under-whelmed,
“Great, whatever. Come on,” she hissed, handing him the gun. “We have to leave.”
“No,” he replied. “This is where we need to be.”
Those bootsteps were now coming down the stairs. Her head darted over to the window; it looked large enough to squeeze through.
“David," she whispered, “stop fucking about, we need to move!”
He slowly shook his head.
“Maddie, fucking stop this. Have some faith,” he growled. “Have you any idea just how much getting shot hurts? Our Lady told me that the bastards would shoot me, and then the bitch calmly mentioned that they’d do it again.” He grabbed her blouse and pulled her to his face. “Just think what was going through my mind when I ran out from behind that fucking ice-cream truck.”
The woman jumped when they slammed into the door. She raised her weapon. The wood could not be that thick, Maddie was bound to hit something.
“Will you put that down!” he said, grabbing her arm. “She said everything will be alright. They are not are enemy.”
Maddie moved back when the door began to splinter.
“Don’t fret, Maddie. They won’t shoot us.” He looked over to the window. “Events are about to become very interesting in a few seconds.”
She backed away, almost tripping over David’s body when a hand poked through the opening in the wood. David snatched the gun out of Maddie’s hand and laid it on the floor. The intruders moved the bookcase out of the way. She watched four officers pile through the narrow opening. The lead man ran across and kicked Maddie’s gun out of her reach.
“Hello there, guys,” said David. “Glad you could make it. This is just like one happy reunion.”
Maddie had seen the lead man swanning around the community. He had the 'all guys look good in a uniform' attitude down to a tee. He walked with a swagger that betrayed the look of nervousness in his eyes.
Maddie knew of several women who the idiot had invited into his house. According to gossip, poor Kevin Albright was not as well endowed as he frequently boasted about.
“Kevin, you do know that the Magistrate doesn’t have a clue about what’s happening. He’ll kill us all.”
“You can shut your dirty mouth, you traitor!” Kevin raised his gun, pointing his shaking hand at David. “He’s saved us all, man.”
David just sighed heavily. “Andy,” he said, gazing at the young black haired boy at the rear. “Do you really believe that your Trudy is some sort of Monster?”
Kevin jammed his gun into David’s side, “I told you to shut up!” He raised his gun and pointed it at David’s head." I shot you. I saw you fall. Where is the wound? I know I didn’t miss.”
“She healed me,” he said. David looked at the boy.
“Andy, we’re not tainted, just a little different. Your girl is so worried about you.”
“I told you to shut the fuck up, you fucking freak!”
David looked at Kevin, “If I do shut up, you’ll be able to hear them.”
Maddie gasped at the sight of numerous shadows passing the window. The dead had gotten through the fences again. She saw her pistol lying just behind Kevin.
He swung his gun and pointed it directly at Maddie.
“I swear to God, if you move again, I will put you down.” He looked back at David. “So, you say our Magistrate has been talking bollocks and your dirty witch had seen everything?”
Kevin grabbed Maddie’s arm and two of the other officers picked David off the floor. The black-haired boy stood and watched, unmoving. Kevin turned and shouted at him.
“I’m not an idiot, Andy. I can see that this fucker’s dirty words have got into your head. You need to see just how wrong they are.”
Maddie struggled and received a sharp crack on the back of her head for her troubles. She continued struggling as Kevin and the other two officers dragged them to the door. He put the woman in a neck lock while he pushed it open.
“Look at them all!” cried Kevin.
The road outside was packed with the dead things. Maddie watched in shock and fear as more of them piled through the broken fence near the house.
“It’s time to make peace with your maker.” He turned his head to address Andy. “Just you watch them, they’ll all go for these two and we’ll get the fuck out of here.”
He pushed her out of the house roughly. She spun around and lost her balance, falling into the middle of the sea of dead bodies. She hit the ground hard and immediately felt a hand gripping her. She knew this was her end. Maddie shut her eyes tight and tensed herself for the inevitable feeling of teeth on her tender flesh. Another hand grabbed her and pulled her backwards.
It was David who had grabbed her, and now he passed her a large knife. He pressed a finger to his mouth in a gesture of quiet. She couldn't believe it, but he actually smiled and winked at her. Her bewilderment was interrupted when she heard gunfire. David stood up, not taking his hand off her arm. The officers in the house were firing at the approaching dead. The things surged forward and Maddie saw one of the officers fall shrieking.
The corpses were paying absolutely no attention to Maddie or David. She couldn’t believe what was going on; it was as if they didn't even exist.
She watched David push his own knife into the head of one of the corpses.
“We have to save the other officers,” he whispered.
David stabbed another one.
Maddie took a deep breath and slammed her blade into one of their eyes. She ran forward and took out another one that was laid out on top of an officer. She grabbed his weapon and launched herself into the crowd, slicing her way through the horde. Not one of them was even noticing she was there. Was this another one of Our Lady’s tricks?
“It’s time to work your magic!” he shouted. David pointed behind her.
She spun around and saw three of the things on top of Kevin. The officer shot one through the head. He lifted his gun to shoot the next one, but the corpse jerked forward, clamping its teeth over the officer’s wrist, and bit down.
He screamed out and ripped his arm back, looking in disbelief at the lump of his own flesh still in the thing’s mouth. Kevin screamed again and shot it in the face. Black gore and chunks of rotten flesh sprayed across the front of his uniform.
Maddie ran forward and decapitated the remaining dead thing.
She looked around, panting. The fuckers were all dead. She noticed a few others drifting away, but she didn’t think they would be a danger. Maddie turned and saw Kevin looking in shock at his mutilated arm, weeping.
“No, this isn’t fair. I don’t want to die.”
Andy looked at Maddie then walked forward and raised his pistol, pointing the barrel at Kevin.
“You know the rules, man.” Maddie thought that she saw a tiny smile on Andy's lips.
Kevin whimpered and closed his eyes. David ran over and pulled the gun away.
“No. Maddie, you have to save him.”
She shook her head. “No fucking way, this tiny dick bastard tried to kill us both, he’s getting exactly what he deserves.”
“He’s got to live. Our Lady said so.”
“No way, she allowed my Bruce to die and yet she says he has to live? She can fuck right off.”
She saw David's expression change.
"I have to tell you something, Maddie."
She looked into his eyes, waiting to hear him out. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks as she watched the turmoil on his face.
“It was him." She turned to Kevin. "It was you who pulled the trigger? You killed my Bruce. Why?” She felt as though she might pass out.
All of this was too much to handle. Her pain and confusion morphed into a rage that threatened to send her over the edge. She snatched the gun out of the astonis
hed officer’s hand and put it to Kevin’s forehead. He whimpered like a whipped puppy, looking at both of the barrels pointed at his face.
“Death is too fucking good for you!” she snarled. “I’ll enjoy watching you turn.”
“Be the first to break the cycle of violence, Maddie.” David looked over at the other officer.
“We really are just like you, Andy. We are not monsters.” He pointed to the dead things wandering further away. “They are the monsters, those and the remaining hunters.”
Andy shook his head. “No, you’re wrong, those things are all dead. The hunters are all dead.”
David shook his head. “There’s a pack of about twenty of them and they are all heading this way.” He leaned forward. “They are all very hungry.”
Maddie saw the look that David gave her and everything started to fit into place. Our Lady had seen everything, including what she was about to do. God help her.
Maddie lowered the gun and placed her hands on both sides of Kevin’s head. She closed her eyes and immediately felt the power flowing from her hands into the bitten man. He closed his eyes tight, waiting for the pain to come. When he felt the flow of electricity through his temples, his eyes flew open.
“I don’t believe it!” he said, running his fingers along the healed tissue. “I'm alright? Oh Jesus, how can I thank you?”
“You can thank us by helping the people that are left,” said David. “Those hunters will be here soon, we don’t have much time.”
“They are all in the courthouse,” Andy said, “but they’ll be guarded.”
David shook his head. "Not anymore.” He looked at the others. “We are the only officers left alive.”
“What about the magistrate?”
David smiled at Maddie.
“Our Lady hasn’t forgotten about that fat bastard.”
Chapter Seventeen
It had taken just two minutes for the forehead crease to develop into a full-blown grimace. It went without saying that Gavin was not enjoying the experience.