Domain of the Dead
Page 22
Sarah’s cold and tired muscles couldn’t struggle any longer. She tilted her head up to see a bright light floating down towards her.
Her lungs were scorched.
Her energy was spent.
An angel coming to take my soul, Sarah thought.
The flare sank past Sarah’s face, quickly followed by a hand that grabbed the fabric of her vest.
The strong hand yanked Sarah’s motionless body free of the zombie’s grasp. The creature descended down into the depths, arms outstretched in a vain attempt to seize back its prey.
With gritted teeth, Bates heaved Sarah’s limp body above the water. Angel hung over the side of the life raft and added her own strength. They laid her down in the middle of the raft.
“How the fuck do you do CPR with one arm in a fucking rubber dingy?!” Bates shouted.
The rubber raft gave way with each blow, dampening the force of the compression. Bates knelt forward and placed his lips around Sarah’s.
The flesh was cold and tasted salty. He pinched her nose and sent a breath down into her lungs. He lent back, ready to try again, but before he could Sarah’s eyes jolted open.
Bates whipped round, and grabbing his gun, thrust it into Sarah’s face.
Sarah’s mouth opened and she vomited seawater.
“Thank fuck!” Bates proclaimed.
Sarah coughed and spluttered, trying to get her breath as Bates cradled her in his arm.
She looked up at the sky. The rain had stopped and the clouds were lit pink from the sunrise. In the raft with her, Bates, Angel, Jennifer and Nathan looked weary and wet.
“I’m okay,” Sarah finally managed to whisper out.
Bates rocked her as he sat clasping her tight to his chest.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered back to her.
“Look!” Jennifer shouted. She pointed towards the rising sun.
The survivors looked out across the ocean, past the burning hulk of the Ishtar. Gradually the sound of rotor blades brought their eyes to what Jennifer had spotted.
The ship’s helicopter was on its inbound flight.
“Idris! He’s back!” Angel said in amazement.
“We’re saved! Here’s the rescue!” Sarah said.
Jennifer stood up in the rocking raft and started waving at the chopper.
Sarah looked over at Nathan, who was lying at the far corner of the raft. He looked exhausted.
“You hear that, Nathan?! We’re saved!” Sarah said, a little louder for his benefit.
Nathan let out a soft moan.
Jennifer looked down at Sarah. “Nathan is sick, Sarah.”
“I know, honey. It’s the sea.” Sarah pulled herself up to join Jennifer in waving. She croaked, “Over here!” before starting another coughing fit and spitting out leftover seawater.
“No, real sick,” Jennifer said, plaintively looking back at Nathan’s necrotic hand. But her fear was lost to Sarah’s coughing and the noise of the chopper.
Bates sat rubbing Sarah’s back to help ease the coughing.
“We’re saved!” she said looking at him with a smile.
The expression Bates wore wasn’t quite as cheerful.
“‘Fraid not,” he said apologetically. “That’s our chopper and we burnt down their landing pad. He’s going to have to ditch.”
Sarah’s smile melted. “What?”
“There’s nowhere in three hundred miles for him to land, and even if he could there’s nowhere to refuel.” Bates reached over and picked up an oar. “Grab a paddle. We’re going to have to rescue them.”
Behind them, Nathan let out a last laboured breath, his fight against the spreading infection lost.
After a few moments, slowly edging closer to the waves, the helicopter touched down on the water. Its top-heavy engine pulled the craft sideways and it started to sink.
Bates, Angel, Sarah and Jennifer paddled furiously to reach the sinking helicopter. As they watched, the tail rotor sunk out of sight beneath the ocean. In the distance thoug,h between the rise and fall of the waves, there could be seen objects floating in the water. Buoyed on by the hope of survivors, all but one of the life raft’s crew paddled.
Behind them, Nathan’s body lay still and lifeless.
Then his eyes sprung open.
The story continues in
REMAINS OF THE DEAD
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