Dark of Dawn 4Horsemen: Book one in the Dark of Dawn Series

by Sebastien Woolf

  Tyler gritted his teeth ominously, rising slowly to his feet. The loss of yet another innocent life angered him terribly, causing something to burn painfully inside of him. He had been analyzing the situation carefully and had been left in no doubt as to who was responsible for Nikita’s death. Purposefully he turned his attention towards the corporate boxes.

  With his hands still clutching the railing the Commissioner stood on the balcony observing the chaotic events that were now unfolding before him. Pockets of hysteria had broken out everywhere and were threatening to erupt into full scale mayhem. Resentment levels and frustration rose to a critical level amongst those on the playing surface. In an attempt to quell the tension amongst the crowd the Commissioner immediately dispatched extra guards into the arena.

  Josh and the other two men arrived back, out of breath they buckled over gasping for air. They had sprinted from the base of the stairwell back to the others when they heard the news of Nikita’s suicide.

  As far as Tyler could tell the Commissioner appeared unmoved and strangely calm given the circumstances. There was no sign of grief or concern whatsoever which infuriated him greatly. His heart had grown heavy with sorrow, burdened by the memories of so many who had fallen along the way. Images of those he had lost flashed through his mind – Rory, Raj, Stuart and now Nikita. However, it was one memory above all others that cut right to the bone affecting him deeply. He sighed heavily when the face of the little girl who had died in the carpark came to him.

  It was time for him to avenge the fallen. Releasing the safety on his rifle he peered up towards the corporate boxes, staring, snarling at the Commissioner. The muscular man on the balcony caught sight of Tyler in the crowd, returning his scowl with one of his own. He then shrugged his shoulders arrogantly.

  Tyler controlled his emotions, kept them in check.

  Dead is dead.

  Raising his rifle he fired a single shot. The bullet pierced the morning air, passing over the throng who reacted with screams of terror to the sound of the gunshot. The force of the impact sent the Commissioner reeling backwards, he clutched at the wound to his throat as blood seeping through his fingers. Struggling to breathe he collapsed in a heap, his smirk vanishing in an instant.

  Ashley screamed hysterically as she ran to her lover’s side. Desperately she fought to keep him alive applying her shaking hands to the gaping wound in his throat. The shot had been clean, executed with the utmost of precision ripping though his neck and piercing his windpipe. He did not stand a chance and the Commissioner convulsed violently, thrashing in a desperate attempt to breathe. Inevitably, he expelled his final gasp of air on the balcony.

  Four armed men burst onto the balcony at Ashley’s command. She demanded one simple, yet unimaginable task. Revenge! She screamed an order for every single person in the Stadium be annihilated.

  Driven by duty the guards complied without hesitation. A shot rang out and two tents away from Olivia’s shelter a man clutched at his chest. Amidst screams from his family and loved ones he collapsed to the ground, dying instantly. A barrage of indiscriminate gunfire ensued as those on the balcony let loose a hail of bullets. One after another bodies fell all around the arena.

  Panic gripped the masses. In the mayhem that followed people everywhere scrambled for cover with most making a mad dash for the safety of the lower concourse. Carnage lay everywhere as men, women and children fell victim to the massacre. Bodies littered the playing surface from goal-line to goal-line. The ground ran red with the blood of the innocent as volley after volley of bullets burst from the balcony.

  Running for their lives people hurriedly fled the arena. The stampeding throng flooded into the Stadium’s underbelly quickly filling the cement hallways, passages and tunnels to the brim. Progress slowed as the funneling effect of the narrow interior restricted progress to a shuffle. Screams and the sound of people crying echoed through the murky shadows.

  Corralled, the terrified crowd pushed forward in a futile attempt to evade their attackers. In the ensuing chaos more lives were lost as people stumbled and fell, only to be crushed under the enormous weight of the masses who trampled over them.

  Eventually the first of them reached the front gates. There they faced a formidable decision, stand their ground against their armed attackers, or flee the Stadium. Opening the gates would mean running the gauntlet, having to face the creatures who were gnashing their teeth at the wire in anticipation. For many, as dangerous as it was this proved to be the lessor of the two evils in this situation. At least there was a chance, albeit slim of survival.

  A ripple of protests from the undecided rang out, but their fate was sealed as the chains were torn down and the gates flung open. The two opposing forces met head on. Of all of the battles waged at this arena over the years this was to be the most one-sided of them all. From the very moment the gates were opened the slaughter began, teeth bit and tore at exposed flesh as the creatures quenched their hunger and thirst for blood. Those at the front of the pack fell swiftly, this was a mismatch of epic proportions.

  38

  Spread to the Wind

  “What the hell do we do now?” Eric screamed in a panic.

  A fresh wave of terrified screams echoed loudly, gushing past the Armstrong group who were huddled together in the lower concourse. Spines shivered. It had become clear that moving forward would result in certain death and looking behind them they could see that a similar fate was lumbering after them. They were now trapped.

  Josh stopped dead, signaled for his group to wait. They had arrived at the exit door that Jon had spoken of, which was their one chance to escape from the mayhem at the Stadium. Motioning to his dad with his head, Josh took a deep breath then pushed with all his might. The door failed to budge.

  Colin and Gerard offered their support. Together the three of them heaved in a desperate attempt to force the door open. It was wedged shut and held firm.

  “Hurry!” yelled Siobhan, seeing that their foe was bearing down on them on all sides.

  “Heave!” demanded Josh. The men responded. Creaking, the door began to slowly open, it had been wedged shut since the turn. With a loud click the door finally burst open, sending Josh tumbling to his knees outside. Hot on his heels the others followed, bright sunlight burning their eyes as they fled the darkness that consumed the lower concourse.

  Before long the small opening in the Stadium wall began to hemorrhage, expelling a steady stream of frenzied escapees. With fear in their eyes they aimlessly ran for their lives bolting in all directions. As far as they were concerned anywhere was safer than where they had been, with most simply prepared to take their chances on the run rather than spend a minute longer at Tent City.

  “Follow me guys.”

  Shielding his eyes from the glare Josh looked up to see his younger brother standing above him. Clutching his rifle to his chest he motioned with his free hand for everyone in their group to make haste. He had taken charge, it was survival and had nothing to do with the fact that it was he who had set this chain of events in motion. The unexpected change in Tyler’s demeanor was not lost on others. Josh saw it, as did Jon.

  Getting to his feet Josh dusted himself off and collected his thoughts. As Tyler walked he picked up his pack and his weapons and followed on behind, relieved to be free from the chaos inside the Stadium. Screams reverberated from inside the walls as the carnage continued.

  It was a long and lonely afternoon on the road and after several hours desperately trying to gain separation from the Stadium, bodies began to tire. Fearing they might be pursued, Tyler had set a cracking pace, pushing them hard and they were near exhaustion.

  What they had made up for in pace, they lost in stealth. Their fully laden packs clanked and rattled as they trudged on, announcing their presence at every turn and juncture to stray creatures within the city. They dealt with each encounter swiftly and efficiently eradicating everything in their path.

  Sweat darkened Colin’s t-shirt, he spat on th
e road ahead of him and wiped his mouth. It had been tough going for the butcher thus far. Desperate for a break he convinced himself that it would come soon, but had no choice but to wait. Wiping his sweaty brow he pressed on.

  At the front of the pack that was snaking along in single file, Jon joined his youngest son. The two men marched on in step surveying their surroundings.

  “These are troubled times,” Jon said, matter-of-factly. “Terrible things have happened.”

  Silence.

  Trinkets clinked.

  “A change has come over you son.”

  Footsteps.

  Tyler exhaled audibly. “I am so ashamed of myself dad,” he confessed, shaking his head without breaking stride. “Ashamed of who I was and of what I was. I never stood up.”

  “Well, we’re all lucky to be alive son. You know that right?”

  “Yeah, I do, but what I did back there…,” Tyler stopped mid-sentence, bit his lip and sighed regretfully.

  “We have to do what we must do sometimes son,” Jon said, in a comforting tone. “Men can do evil things you know. What you did at the Stadium was the right thing, do not ever think otherwise. When dealing with evil, oftentimes the only course of action is to stand up to it and that can feel just as wicked. It is making that distinction that separates good men making tough calls from evil sons of bitches like that Commissioner. They were committing sinful deeds son, you were in the right.”

  Tyler thought hard for a moment about his father’s words, he loved the wisdom and guidance he always received from him. Grimaced in an awkward smile.

  Suddenly, a shape burst from a doorway to the left of the two men, the creature’s eyes gleamed and teeth gashed menacingly as it launched a hostile attack. Caught slightly off-guard they reacted slower than they should have, clumsily and sluggishly.

  Tyler responded first intercepting the attacker in two bounds. Instinctively he drew a weapon from his belt and lunged, with all his might he plunged the dagger into the creature’s face. As it fell under his weight he felt the blade crunch through brittle bone, blood spurted from the eye socket, forming a red tear line as it ran down the undead creature’s pale cheek. Hands desperately clutched at air then the body went limp.

  Tyler got to his feet. “I ‘m not scared of death,” he said to his father, with purpose. Wiped the blade on the creature’s shirt. “Not anymore, it’s inevitable.”

  Jon looked at his son with a puzzled expression on his face. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “They were already dead,” Tyler replied, sheathed his weapon. Pointing at the corpse at his feet he added, “I was not the cause of their death, I just freed their soul.” With a sigh he added, “Up to this point they never actually die, they just reprogram themselves.”

  Hearing his son speak like this was new to Jon. He struggled to find the appropriate response, came up totally empty and just stood there with his jaw hanging open.

  Placing a hand on his father’s shoulder Tyler spoke calmly, with insight. “We cannot escape our fate Dad, so there is no point fearing it. The way I see it is that we will all end up dead like this sooner or later, it’s only a matter of time.” He fired one final glare at the lifeless body that lay before him. “It is our destiny now, best we all accept it rather than run from it I say.”

  Stepping over the corpse Tyler ran his gaze down the lonely stretch of road ahead, it appeared to be all clear. He turned to look at his companions who had now gathered around behind him. Through tired and weary eyes they started back at him.

  “We can only rest when we’re safe.”

  Colin cursed under his breath.

  “Ok,” Tyler responded. “I get that we’re all a bit knackered. We’ll look for somewhere to stop up ahead, off the main road. Until then we should pick up our feet and push on.”

  With that Tyler collected his rifle, turned and headed off down the deserted street. Jon joined him and the two men walked on in silence, both consumed by thought. There was so much to say, but not a word was spoken.

  Under the enormous pressure the chains that had afforded safety to so many for so long, snapped and the gates were breached. Wave after wave of the undead poured inside, hideous and grotesque in appearance the ghastly creatures numbering in their hundreds flooded into the Stadium. An unrelenting and savage attack was unleashed and those trapped at the gates did not stand a chance. Death, in its first form, came quickly. Resurrection followed.

  Moving at a ferocious speed this tidal wave of destruction coursed rapidly through the lower concourse before eventually spilling out onto the arena. Having had their hunger suppressed for so long, they were simply ravenous and the undead feasted. Rotted teeth bit and tore violently into flesh.

  Nowhere was safe and no-one was spared. Cornered like animals those inside the Stadium faced total and immediate extinction. The scene quickly resembled that of an out of control riot, as pandemonium and fear reigned.

  Panic spread like wildfire. Screams bellowed from all four corners of the arena creating a haunting echo that reverberated out through the streets of the city. Creatures everywhere gorged themselves as they devoured life.

  Death came to the masses that day!

  One by one fallen friends rose again as foes, reanimated, immediately joining the throng and adding to the carnage. Brother turned on brother and entire families were obliterated within an instant.

  On the upper levels the few remaining survivors had barricaded themselves into the large corporate suite that was once home to the Commissioner. They were mainly executives and security personnel from the besieged Tent City. Hurriedly they shoved the last obstruction securely in place across the door, unwittingly sealing their own fate. With their only exit blocked they were now entombed.

  Realizing their plight it did not take long for them all to start to lose their nerve and as panic gripped them they began bickering and squabbling amongst themselves. A small group wanted to leave, willingly prepared to risk their lives in a mad dash for freedom. Goliath moved to the door in an attempt to subdue the raucous crowd.

  Meanwhile below mayhem ensued. Living corpses had amassed at the stairwell at on the lower concourse, their numbers had swollen dramatically since the onslaught began, to the point where movement had slowed to a shuffle. With nowhere left to go many creatures were pushed in all directions by the mob. Sluggishly they continued on, clambering upward.

  Through the open door on the balcony of the suite the sounds of moaning ominously replaced those of laughter and frivolity that had been ever present since the Tent City had been established. The noise grew so loud that Ashley marched to the glass door and slammed it shut, the glass shaking as the frame rattled loudly. The haunting echoes from outside in the arena were immediately muffled.

  Fear gripped them tightly and quickly became infectious. All around her Ashley saw nervous and terrified faces staring back at her. Time seemingly stood still. A blanket of silence eventually settled over them, heartbeats pounded, no-one spoke as they sat there shaking with fear.

  Without warning the barricaded door rattled loudly.

  Moaning.

  Screams.

  Death had arrived.

  Narrowing somewhat the thoroughfare turned and turned again before opening up to a large cobblestone square. At its heart lay a large ornate fountain which came into view immediately. The focal point of four intersecting roads this elaborate water feature had once served as an important junction and it now lay in ruin.

  “Hold up guys,” announced Tyler. “Take a breather.”

  His worlds came as welcome relief to the group and as they reached the fountain people collapsed everywhere from exhaustion. It had been a hard slog, muscles ached and many simply slumped over their packs gasping for air.

  “How many of our people got out?” Vincent asked. Genuine concern laced his voice.

  Getting to his feet Bryan did a quick headcount. His heart sank. “There’s twenty-three of us in total.”

  Vincent closed his
eyes tight, his thoughts raced to the others they had left behind. “Let’s hope and pray that the rest of them got out safely. We’ll keep our eyes open for them on our way to the docks.”

  Bryan nodded. He was not as optimistic, but kept his feelings to himself.

  Splashing sounds came from the fountain where Siobhan had begun to cool herself off. Ignoring those around her she removed her shirt, doused it in the cool water then rang it out over her head. Droplets of water glistened on her skin in the hot late morning sun, she shivered as moisture and beads of perspiration ran down her back.

  Zoe bit her bottom lip as her eyes locked on her friend, her lover. She stared, admiring the dark tribal tattoos that adorned her body which accentuated her milky-white complexion. Pound for pound Siobhan was perfect, Zoe was convinced of that. She was strong and fit, sultry, sensual and totally desired.

  Ever since their first encounter Zoe had found herself falling hard both for her and for Josh. There was an amazing chemistry that the three of them shared, they just worked. Siobhan caught her eye and smiled, Zoe could not help but grin back. Her heart raced and she took a deep breath as lust and passion swept over her.

  Sweat leaked from every pore on Colin’s body, he stripped off his shirt and threw it in the fountain. His beer gut wobbled as he tossed cold water over his bald head and refreshed himself. There was no time to worry at all about one’s outward appearance in the new world and Colin simply could not give a shit what anyone thought.

  Shortly afterwards others followed suit. Their hasty getaway from the Stadium had caught them unprepared for such an arduous journey and the pace had been draining. Overhead the heat was oppressive and they were all quite exhausted. The cold refreshing fountain water provided much needed respite.

  “What now?” Josh asked his brother.