As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  Leann saw it too!

  It almost looked like a huge pile of dust had been disturbed and it was rushing towards them like a wave of smoke!

  “RUN!”Andy screamed catching up to them.

  “What!What’s wrong?” said Thom and then the noise hit them. That weird sound they’d all struggled to describe earlier reached their ears louder than the wind and coming from all around them.

  “Oh no!” said Leann realising what was happening and she turned and launched herself in to a sprint and headed back to the store. Andy raced passed Collin and Thom screaming at them to run.

  He tried to slow down but skidded and nearly tripped over his own feet forced on by his momentum so he kept on going shrieking at them to run. Behind him they both saw the disturbance rushing towards them like a giant polluted tidal wave. They both spun around and ran!

  Collin stumbled nearly falling in the snow. He reached out and caught hold of the wall just managing to keep his balance. Thom turned to help him and slid himself.

  “I’m ok, keep going,”yelped Collin, and he actually passed Thom as he struggled with his own balance. Thom slid and slipped in the snow thrown off balance when he slowed to help Collin.

  “C’mon!” said Collin,“HURRY!” seeing Thom struggle out of the corner of his eye.

  Thom was only a few feet back but behind him the wave had made up ground and was bearing down on him roaring like a hurricane!

  As the wave closed in it began to take form, it was made up of dozens of figures, a torrent of them chasing towards them all screaming their strange call!

  Collin looked up ahead and saw Leann opening the door back in to the store with Andy just behind her half way up the steps, he was looking back at him and Thom.

  “C’MON, RUNNNNN!” he bellowed.

  Collin looked down at the base of the steel stairway and leapt for it, and as soon as his feet left the ground he realised it was a bad idea. He’d jumped too soon and the steps were icy cold and slippery. It was too late now though and he bit down grinding his teeth together as he came down anticipating the pain when he slipped. To his surprise he landed firmly and leapt up the steps two at a time hardly believing his luck. Goosebumps crawled over Andy as Collin landed, he was certain he was in for a tumble.Thank God, he thought relieved. Then he looked up for Thom and saw the figures closing in on him!

  “C’MON, THOM, HURRY, RUN!” he hollered and Thom attempted to copy Collin. Andy cringed as Thom lunged through the air reaching out for the banister confident he’d be ok after Collin’s success. Leann was calling for everyone to hurry up and get inside, seeing how close the charging figures were, and she reached passed, Andy grabbed Collin and pulled him inside to safety. Collin thanked her and looked back just in time to see Thom land awkwardly!

  Thom’s leading foot slid across the icy step and he smacked his shin against the lip of the next step up and collapsed in a heap screaming in pain.

  The others flinched as he fell and Andy ground his teeth certain Thom had snapped his shin, and he started dropping back down the steps as fast as he could to help him, Collin joined him squeezing passed Leann. Thom saw them both coming for him and felt relief wash over him despite the pain, and then the first figure crashed in to him!

  It hit him hard and forced him down against the cold steps acting like a rabid animal as it started pulling and tearing at his clothes! Thom’s dust mask and goggles were first to go followed by his hood and then a sleeve - then he was engulfed!

  Leann screamed backing in to the stores looking away holding her hands over her ears trying to block out Thom’s horrific gut wrenching screams. Andy stopped short of reaching him. He had to. There was nothing he could do, absolutely nothing. He was still too far back to even hope of reaching out for Thom and he was completely surrounded. Leann started crying, she couldn’t bear the sounds. She actually thought the infected calls sounded excited! Andy thought the same as he pushed Collin back up the steps.

  “Go back,”he told him,“we’re too late!”

  They ran back up the steps and from the top Andy looked back down at Thom completely engulfed, buried beneath discoloured infected flesh hungry figures.

  All Andy could see was Thom’s face as his head was pulled back so far that Andy thought the back of his head must be touching his shoulder blades.

  Thom’s eyes met with Andy’s for a split second and Andy saw the pain and the terror in them, but he was helpless there were hordes of them fighting over him like a swarm of warrior ants!

  Andy bit down on his bottom lip feeling so utterly useless as tears ran down his cheeks.

  Right then a figure leaned in and bit down on Thom’s right cheek!

  The figure pulled and tugged stretching Thom’s skin as he screamed and literally pulled away half of his face as the skin finally gave way and the figure disappeared back in to the group and another took its place burying its face in the wound left by the other as another leaned in and tugged and pulled at his left cheek with its jaw firmly clamped down on his flesh. Hands groped all over him, pulling, tugging, tearing and scratching. Some almost pecked like chickens repeatedly biting at his bald scalp until they broke the skin and tore flaps of his scalp off! Then he was buried, completely enshrouded by infected figures and Andy slammed the door and started ramming the security bolts in to place as frantic feet stomped up the stairs and the pounding started, so hard that the door shook! He turned away clawing at his mask and pulled it off just in time as he puked.

  *****

  Thom’s screams were slowly drowned out behind the closed door by the frantic pounding and the strange calls. Without any time to lose Andy started walking through the dark stores trying to pull himself together, telling himself he didn’t have the time to grieve right now.

  “C’mon,”he said calling the others and they followed close behind.

  “What are we gonna do?”said Leann,“we can’t go out the front!”

  “I don’t know yet,”said Andy coming to a stop beside a pair of swing doors for pulling pallets of goods out on to the shop floor. He eased one open and peeked through.

  After a few seconds Collin asked,“What’s happening?”having to raise his voice a little over the drones coming from outside.

  Andy said,“It’s too dark too see much, but they’re still there! I can tell that much.”He leaned back from the door and made a gesture for Collin to take a look.

  He took a step closer then leaned in against the doors and looked for himself. As his eyes adjusted he was able to make out a moving darkness against the shop front.

  He leaned back and looked at Andy with raised eyebrows. Andy nodded knowingly and Leann pushed between them impatiently and looked for herself.

  “Oh God!” she said and pulled back almost instantly.

  “There’s no way out, we’re trapped aren’t we?”she said.

  “No, not yet,”said Andy,“the supermarkets joined to the Eastgate Shopping Centre remember, across the overpass. We could try and break through.”

  “You think!”said Leann sounding the tiniest bit hopeful.

  “I don’t see why not,”said Andy,“right now we’ve got nothing to lose.”

  “And nowhere else to go,”added Collin.

  Trying to ignore Collin’s comment, Leann asked Andy,“Have you got keys for the connecting doors?”

  Andy nodded already rummaging in his pockets.

  “I’ve got the key for our doors, the ones for the supermarkets doors. But there’s doors from the other side as well at the other end of the overpass and there the responsibility of the shopping centre. They’ll probably be locked so we’ll have to try and break through those ones.”

  The keys jangled as he lifted them from his pocket and he said,“Help me look for the crowbar.”

  As soon as he finished speaking there was an explosion of crashing glass.

  “FUCK!” he said flinching, then he peeked out through the swing doors. The murky line of figures was moving now! They were all walking along t
he front of the supermarket in the direction of the main doors that were just out of sight.

  “What is it? What’s happened?”asked Leann just as the three of them heard the first of the frantic rabid calls ring out inside the shop!

  “Shit!”said Andy,“we’ve gotta go, andNOW!”

  Then as he turned he realised he couldn’t see Leann!

  “Where’s Leann?” he asked looking at Collin.

  “Uh, I don’t know. She was just here,”he said, looking around confused.

  She wasn’t anywhere to be seen!

  “SHIT!” said Andy,“we need to go! Where the hell has she gone?”

  He called after her trying not to be too loud,“Leann? Leann we gotta go, c’mon.”

  There was no reply. Trying to see her in the near pitch black store was impossible.

  “Where the fuck!”he said worried that she’d gone and hid, when suddenly she reappeared through the darkness holding a long steel pole with a pointed end and he understood right away.

  “Oh shit!”he said,“I forgot about that! Nice one Leann,”he said taking it from her. It was the heavy steel pole used for breaking up the build up of ice in the freezer.

  “Good thinking,”he said,“just don’t disappear again ok, I got worried for a second there.”

  “Ok, sorry,”she said and Andy continued,“Ok, so they’re inside, we gotta be fast and we’ve gotta be quiet. C’mon.”

  Nodding in the darkness Leann snuck in behind Collin as Andy eased open the swing door and looked out. The only figures he saw were the other side of the glass, outside. He leaned back and said,“All clear. Go straight across to the first aisle ok. Stay close and be quick and quiet, those fuckers are fast!”

  Andy stood watch for Leann and Collin as they scurried straight ahead in to the end of the empty pet food aisle, then he followed. Safely across Andy looked at them both and said,“We’ll skip along the aisles one at a time to the end of the shop ok.”

  They both nodded.

  “Then we’ll run up the end aisle, pass between the tills, hop the barrier and run for the stairs ok. The lift won’t be working so don’t even think about it. Just get up those stairs as fast as you can and get to the overpass, and we’ll use it to get next door.”

  Both Collin and Leann nodded in agreement; they knew exactly what Andy meant.

  Something clattered to the floor an aisle or two behind them making them all jump.

  Andy nodded at them both and said,“Ok. Time to go!”

  He got up and looked round the edge of the aisle, it was clear. He rounded the end of the shelves and disappeared in to the next aisle holding the steel pole up defensively and whispered back to them almost instantly telling them that it was safe. Leann went next and then Collin copying Andy’s every move. The gurgling calls were horrendous, they were rebounding off the walls and aisles inside the supermarket. Loud crashes started to ring out as the infected people poured in looking for them, banging in to things and knocking things over.

  Andy Leann and Collin hurried along hopping from aisle to aisle in silence as the noise followed them. They reached the second to last aisle, once they turned around the next one it was a straight run up the aisle, cross over to the tills, hop the barrier, then run for it along the glass shop front to the stairway that led up to the overpass across to the Eastgate Shopping Centre.

  The loudest crash yet reverberated through the shop followed by a crescendo of calls as Andy attempted to check the coast was clear to hop the last aisle.

  “Jeez!” he said and jumped back.

  “What the hell was that?” whispered Leann.

  “I dunno, but it was too close, were running outa room! Are you guys ready to go for it?”he asked. Leann and Collin nodded as more glass smashed nearby. As it did Andy took out his key fob and pulled out the longest key and held it up for the other two to see and said,“Ok, anything happens to me, I’ll throw the key to whoever’s closest to the doors ok? So be ready for it.”

  “We will,”said Leann.

  “Good! Now get ready to absolutely leg it once we pass the tills. It’ll only take one of them to see us and that’ll be it. No second chances. Whatever happens run like hell and don’t look back ok! No matter what happens. Whatever you can hear or think you can hear you just keep on going OK!”

  Both of them nodded their understanding then he stood up and peered around the corner of the aisle again. It was clear so he looped around to the last aisle in silence and whispered back to them that it was clear. Leann checked the way was clear and followed right behind him and joined him. Collin took a deep breath and peered around the edge of the empty shelves looking down the length of the supermarket. It was clear. He moved out watching as he backed up and the swing doors they’d just come through burst open and slapped against the walls as they flew open and a group of discoloured figures rushed out into the shop and continued straight ahead down the same aisle they had. Collin froze!

  He was scared more would pour through any second and he’d give himself away by moving. He couldn’t believe what he’d seen, some of them had terrible wounds while others looked perfectly normal apart from their mottled discoloured skin. Andy’s hand clasped around his arm and pulled him round behind the next aisle.

  “Christ Collin!C’mon!” said Andy,“you can’t do that, you can’t just stop out in the open like that and watch!”

  “Sorry,”said Collin nodding.

  “Right!”said Andy,“let’s go!”

  He nodded towards the tills and started jogging towards them. The noise of trampling feet thundered along close by sending goosebumps over all three of them. Leann was certain they were in the aisle behind them, and expected the hoard to round the end of their aisle any second and cut them off. Collin felt the same but in reverse, he kept looking back waiting for the dark figures to pour around the bottom of the aisle and chase them down. They reached the end of the aisle and faced the tills just ahead of them across more open ground. Andy crouched down edging forwards and looked around the edge of the aisle and quickly flinched back. He took a breath and without saying anything to the others he leaned forwards again.

  Three tills down from them a group of the badly discoloured people were pulling apart one of the tills. They were smashing it to pieces with their bare hands like psychotic maniacs. He leaned back and looked at the others just as what sounded like an entire aisle crashing to the ground rang out close by followed by a sudden gust of air that blew passed them!

  Andy leaned back and said,“They’re tearing a till to shreds for whatever reason three aisles down, and the rest of the shop by the sound of it! We’re just gonna have to take our chances guys. There’s nothing else for it. If we wait here they’ll find us before too long, probably within minutes!”

  Collin and Leann nodded.

  “We’ll crawl across to the tills one at a time. Then we’ll all run for the stairs together, as fast as we possibly can. As soon as any of us stand up behind the tills, they’ll see us, if they haven’t already. So we’re best all going at once, all together, ok!”

  Collin and Leann nodded again.

  “It’s the only way,”said Andy,“when we’re seen we already want to be running like the wind ok? And never mind making any noise, it won’t matter after that, just run as fast as you possibly can.”

  Another almighty crash rang out making Leann flinch, she looked at Collin and he saw the sheer terror on her face and could only imagine that he looked the same. Andy pulled out the keys and handed them to Leann pulling out the key she’d need to open the doors to the overpass deciding it best she took them. He told her that he’d try to fend off any attackers with the steel pole if he had to, so it was best if one of them could get ahead and get the doors open while he tried to buy them time. Then he looked at Collin and told him to use the ornamental plant pots that lined the corridor and stairs in their defence if he needed to. Collin and Leann listened carefully to Andy and when he finished said they were both as ready as they ever would
be. Andy thought they looked like scared mice that had just been cornered by a big cat, and he sympathised with them because he felt exactly the same.

  “Ok,”he said,“you go first Leann, then Collin, and then I’ll follow. That’s the way we’ll go all the way ok! And Leann, you just concentrate on getting to that door ok. Nothing else, just keep running ok. Don’t hesitate and don’t look back,ever!”

  Leann swallowed hard and nodded trying not to think about Thom, dreading that it might happen again. Then Andy looked at Collin,“You ok?”he asked.

  “Yea,”said Collin with a nod.

  “Ok then let’s go,”said Andy and Leann moved up front and looked around the corner.

  She was scared to her core at what she saw. She leaned back again, she didn’t want to go, she couldn’t!

  “Don’t think about it,”Andy whispered,“just look straight ahead. Focus on the till and nothing else ok. Then just go for it. I’ll be watching them the whole time, and if they make a move I’ll let you know. You don’t have to worry about that. And if I yell run, you know what you’ve gotta do.”

  She nodded and tried again.

  She looked at the tills that she was aiming to crawl between trying her best not to look at the group of infected people demolishing the till just along from her. A shiver run down her spine and that was her trigger. With one deep breath she went for it!

  She slid herself out from the aisle looking at nothing but the tills. Part of her was unable to believe what she was doing while the other part still couldn’t believe the situation.

  She was out in the open - vulnerable!

  She pushed all thoughts away and kept going, inching forwards bit by bit, little by little. Andy kept an eye on the infected people as they carried on tearing the till to shreds as she reached the other side unseen. She pulled herself in to a crouching position between the two tills and looked back at Andy as white as a sheet. Andy gave her the thumbs up using both hands and turned to Collin who was already in place ready to go shaking like a leaf. They both nodded at each other and then without hesitating Collin took off just as Leann had, his heart pounded hard in his chest feeling like it was trying to bounce him up off the floor as he crawled across aiming for Leann. When he was close enough Leann reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled, sliding him the rest of the way in between the tills and out of view.