As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  Andy span on his heels and headed back to the cafe moving through the darkness as quickly as he could. Back at the cafe he sat quietly in the worn down wingback leather chair that he’d pulled from the coffee shop and placed in the middle of the cross section of the aisles allowing whoever was on watch a clear view in all directions. He sat back while the other two slept watching and listening and thinking, thinking about what could possibly lay ahead of them.

  CHAPTER 26

  Dean decided it was time to wake the others. Something was happening outside.

  He’d been on watch since five in the morning, and now it was just after nine.

  It took everyone a while to get to sleep, and when they did it was only light and broken, but as time went by without incident they all relaxed a little more, bit by bit and now they all managed to sleep soundly, and Dean let them. He knew they’d all need their strength to get home.

  The change from night to day hadn’t brought any significant changes outside and Dean reasoned that it wouldn’t matter if they left at nine in the morning or nine at night. It was more important they got some proper rest while they had the chance. As everyone slept he walked around poolside watching and listening. He’d been walking along between the still waters of the river rapids and the wall of windows when he caught a glimpse of a shadow outside. He stopped, frozen to the spot, and looked out in to the thick mixture of ash and snow and watched.

  The figure, (if that’s what he really saw) was gone in an instant. He stood there as still as he could and stared for a while, and after a few minutes when nothing else happened he carried on walking, passing it off as a trick of the light, feeling stupid.

  He scaled the diving tower and sat in silence on the top deck. From here he could see the others as they slept, he could see down the ramp towards their barricade and he could keep an eye on the ever shifting view through the wall of windows. It was a good spot. He stared at the view beyond the vast array of windows, watching as the view constantly shifted, moving this way and then that and sometimes both ways at the same time until suddenly he caught a glimpse of another shadow.

  He leaned forward and concentrated on it, sure that it wasn’tjust a trick of the light.

  He watched the small patch of unmoving darkness amongst the whirlwind of movement outside as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end. Then the shape he thought he saw, evaporated in to the wind. He breathed easy leaning back again passing it off as just another trick of the light thinking he was looking too hard, actuallywantingto see something that wasn’t there.

  He began to relax again when he saw another shadow, and this time there was no mistaking it for a trick of the light. He leaned forwards and watched as the distinct silhouette stood just outside the glass as if looking in. Dean was so scared to move in case he brought attention to himself that he could hardly breathe. He looked at the shape clearly able to make out the shape of the head followed by the taper of the shoulders, and then the silhouette abruptly turned away from him and started running along the outside of the building. Dean sucked in air and suddenly it was joined by another shadowy figure running along beside it, and then another!

  While they were facing away from him he took his chance and quickly dropped down to the next level, without taking his eyes from them. No change. They still moved away from him. They hadn’t seen him. He dropped down another level then froze again as more figures emerged through the dirty snow! They stood very still, unmoving against the howling wind like headstones in a secluded cemetery. They were looking in, watching, waiting for him to make another move.

  Sweat trickled down and over the small of his back.“Shit!”he whispered to himself through gritted teeth, watching them as they looked for him. His hands were beginning to hurt from holding the ladder so tightly.Can’t just wait here until they do something,he thought taking a deep breath,that might be too late!

  Knowing he had to warn the others, to give them all time to wake up and get ready to move if they had to, he dropped down the rest of the way to pool level moving swiftly, and then raced back to the others where they still slept soundly, oblivious to what might be happening. He sprinted up the ramp toward their makeshift camp as fast as he could; watching the windows as more and more silhouettes lined up against the glass all as still as the first.

  He reached the others but didn’t wake them, not yet. He peered over the balcony for a moment, he didn’t want to alarm the others and wake them in to a mad panic for nothing, they were all well aware of the sick people outsideandnext door. And besides, this could be the military, come to set up a rescue centre. They could be out there looking in trying to see if it was safe to enter, trying not to move as not to draw attention to themselves. He walked along the edge of the balcony watching figure after figure emerge through the ashen snow and Sam suddenly joined him waking from his sleep. He looked up at Dean with his ears flat against the side of his head and his shackles up! He sensed it already! He hopped up beside Dean resting his front paws on the balcony railing and looked over. Then he started to growl!“I know boy, I know. It’s ok,”said Dean, trying to keep him from barking.“It’s time to wake everyone up boy!”

  Sam responded with an understandingWOOF.

  As Dean turned towards the others he saw some of the figures out of the corner of his eye, maybe eight or nine, suddenly sprint around towards the back of the building at incredible speed and disappeared out of view!God, I hope they are military, he thought.

  He opened his mouth to call out and wake the others when a thunderous bang down below stopped him. He spun his head around and looked down towards the flumes where he thought the noise had come from. Sam quickly swapped sides with Dean, dropping down, running around him and jumped back up a little further along the balcony trying to see what was going on.

  There was another thud and Dean gasped,“Holy shit!” He was looking in the right direction and his first thought was,it’s not military.

  He saw the clear outline of two widely spread palms thump against the turquoise outer shell of the fiberglass flumes, they were missing most of their digits.

  Trying to find a way in, he thought.

  Dean woke Gavin first. All it took was for him to kneel down beside him and Gavin opened his eyes wide.

  “What is it?”he asked.

  “I’m not sure, but there’s lots of activity outside! I hoped it was help at first, but it isn’t.”

  Gavin stood up and went to the balcony.

  “Shit!”he said,“they know where we are.Exactlywhere we are!”

  “What!” said Ann sitting up wiping sleep from her eyes.

  “There’s movement outside,”said Dean.“At first I thought it might be the military, but that was wishful thinking. They know that were in here, well,exactlywhere we are, and I think they’re searching for a way in.”

  “What!How?”she blurted waking Keith.

  He stood up so fast he nearly tripped over the towels he was using for blankets.

  “What’s happening, what’s going on?”he blurted when there was an almighty bang that made them all jump, and Sam barked.

  “Sounded like the offices,”, said Dean and he spun around and took off for the door that led through to the offices. The bang sounded again as he pushed the door open.

  “Shit!”he said pausing for a second as Sam snarled bearing his teeth and barked. The sound boomed louder as he opened the door. He was right, it was definitely coming from through here.

  “Be careful Dean,”said Ann as he walked in to the darkness with Sam by his side and Gavin right behind him.

  Gavin glanced back at the other two and told them to pack up and be ready to leave any second. They both nodded and set to it as he let go of the door letting it close behind him.

  As the two brothers and Sam walked along the dark corridor they heard what sounded like doors being rattled in between the loud bangs. As they moved along, the sounds got louder telling them that they were headed in the right direction. Sam’s growls rev
erberated along the corridor in to the darkness ahead of the two brothers until they heard the strange calls start up and he started barking like a wild dog!

  “Shit!” said Dean.“What the hell are they doing now?”

  “Soon see,”said Gavin, and Sam darted ahead of them howling like a mad thing.

  “Sam! Sam stop!” Dean hissed running after him but Sam wouldn’t slow down, he ran straight to the fire door that led in to the rear stair well and leapt up against it barking uncontrollably and started scratching the door with both front paws.

  “Whoa boy,whoa, Sam be quiet,”said Dean taking hold of his collar.

  “Here,”he said, handing Sam’s collar to Gavin.“Take him for a sec will ya?”

  Gavin took a hold of the collar and gripped it tight as Dean opened the heavy fire door and looked in to the stair well.

  The calls were louder than ever, they echoed up to them through the darkness from the fire exit below them that opened up on to the staff car park. Dean looked back at his brother.

  Gavin shrugged and puffed out his cheeks, as the onslaught continued.

  ”They’re trying to bust in through the fire exit down there,”said Dean.

  “Yep,”said Gavin nodding.“They know exactly where we are now.”

  Dean shook his head thinking when suddenly Ann shrieked at them from down the corridor,“GUYS! GUYS COME BACK! HURRY!”

  Dean backed out of the stairway nodding to Gavin to back up.“COMING!”he yelled and the three of them hurried back. Ann was waiting for them all geared up and ready to go with Keith who was just pulling on his goggles.“There’s a lot of them out there guys, she said, they’re trying the front doors.”

  Both brothers could hear the front doors being attacked.“Shit!”said Dean as he trotted down the ramp a little way.“Already looked,”said Keith,“there’s loads of them!”

  Dean saw that Keith was right; there was a group of silhouettes hustling around the front doors making all sorts of strange gurgle noises thumping and banging the doors, moaning with frustration when they couldn’t get in. Dean ran back up to the others, he was about to tell Gavin to grab his stuff, but he’d already started.

  Dean started grabbing his own gear and asked Ann if she could start fitting Sam’s makeshift dust mask. She said she would and set to it, and Sam stood perfectly still for her until she clicked the last clip in to place and he went back to growling and barking like a mad thing. Dean told the others as he pulled on his gear,“Ok guys, the rear fire exits out and so are the front doors,obviously!So we’ll take the fire exit off the diving column ok.”

  They all understood and agreed. Dean shouldered his rucksack.“You ready Gavin?”he asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Ok then, let’s go!”

  They ran down the ramp with Dean in the lead and at the halfway mark Dean climbed over the banister and dropped down on to the lower ramp that led to the pools cutting their descent in half. He didn’t want to get any closer to the main doors than he had to with all the infected people, they’d only stir them up even more and speed their onslaught.

  He helped Ann over next and then Keith as Sam made the jump with ease and then Gavin followed taking the jump in one go.

  “Careful!” ordered Dean cringing.“None of us can afford an injury.”

  Gavin nodded looking sheepish and they ran towards the pools. Behind them the figures at the main doors went ballistic catching sight of them.“They’ve seen us now,”said Dean,“we gotta hurry.”

  They ran passed the leisure pools and cut straight across the knee-deep waters of the toddlers’pool. Ann glanced across at the windows.“Oh God!” she said seeing the figures pressed up against the glass, peering in with their dark faces. She felt like they were looking straight at her!

  Dean slid and nearly went over but Gavin caught him as he landed on one knee and stopped him from falling any deeper in to the water. They reached the bottom of the steps that led up to the first diving board and ran up them two, sometimes three at a time to the first level where there was a bright red fire exit that opened onto a short steel fire escape that led down beside the entry road in to the leisure centre.

  Keith was the first to reach the door just ahead of Ann with Dean and Gavin taking up the rear after being slowed down by his slide. Keith pulled his mask up over his chin looking back at the others, Ann was just behind him doing the same, he looked at the two brothers and saw they were already masked up and ready. He saw Dean nod at him indicating for him to go for it. He turned and pushed the locking bar down and shoved the door open and jumped back crying out in terror!

  Coming up the small fire escape straight towards him were a group of mottled and badly mauled figures. Seeing him the one in front opened its mouth and let out a deep sounding gurgle alerting others and they sped up clambering up the steps towards him with their arms outstretched desperately reaching out for him! Keith stumbled backwards with shock and bumped against the banister.

  “FUCK!” cursed Ann. She ran full pelt at the door despite her mind telling her to turn and run for her life. Both Dean and Gavin’s hearts in their mouths were just a couple of steps behind as they saw things beginning to unravel in front of them. Sam bolted from Dean’s side barking.“SAM!” yelled Dean not wanting him in harm’s way but he had no effect! Ann neared the door, fear was eating her up inside as she saw the figures rushing up the fire escape towards her, reaching for her as she reached for the door.

  She was too late. She knew she was!

  They were too close, the figures were going to get in before she could shut the door.

  Torn up fleshless hands reached for her, she saw flapping skin and gnarly bone covered in black blood, she grimaced squeezing her eyes shut knowing this was the end! She felt something brush passed her!My God,she thought,the first one’s gone for Keith!But the strange thing was that it came from behind her, not in front.Keith!she thought, it has to be! Then through her squinting eyes she saw the black and ginger pattern of Sam’s coat flying past her straight towards the first figure! Ann’s eyes snapped open as Sam collided slap bang in the middle of the first attacker’s chest at full speed like a six stone sledge hammer.

  The figure, a well built male, mauled beyond any recognition buckled under Sam’s impact and fell back into the other infected figures behind him forcing them back down the steps. Sam spun back around in mid air as he dropped back down, and as soon as he touched down he bolted back inside and Ann reached out and slammed the door shut gasping for air as she hyperventilated. Dean and Gavin reached Ann and Keith as the door slammed shut. Dean patted Sam and praised him, quickly checking him for any wounds as Gavin clapped Ann firmly on the shoulder and Dean said,“Nice one Ann. That was close! You did great. Just gotta find another way out now.”

  As he finished he shot Keith a look frowning at him and Keith looked away ashamed.

  “Where the hell do we go?”said Gavin.“We gotta think of a new escape plan, and fast. All the others are used up. If this one’s mobbed then the fire exit at the back of the main pool will be as well.”

  Dean was already looking around the leisure centre searching and thinking. They all heard the tingling sound of breaking glass!

  They all looked towards the reception area and the main doors as more glass shattered making them all flinch.“Oh God!”uttered Ann, but even though the sound was coming from that direction they couldn’t see anything.

  “Where’s the noise coming from?”said Keith and before he’d finished speaking a chair fell down from the piled up barricade, followed quickly by another! Then a mottled hand thrust through from the other side punching through one of the small supposedly shatterproof windows in the blocked doors and reached through between the debris and clasped at the air!

  “OH SHIT! THEY’RE COMING THROUGH!”blurted Keith looking back at the others, he could feel his hands start to shake.

  “The flumes!”said Dean and he started back down the steps taking as many at a time as he could.“C’mon,”he sa
id urging the others to hurry just as the door from the office corridor burst and a stampede of infected troops roaring their gurgle war cry poured out in to the Relaxation Suite over their heads!

  “Oh my God!” said Ann.

  “The flumes!” Dean repeated,“C’mon,” he urged again as he led the way.

  The others followed him puzzled, terrified and desperate as they dropped back down to pool level, passed under the diving tower, then ran along the edge of the wave pool towards the flume run off pool. Dean raced up to the edge of the run of pool and dropped down on to the edge and quietly slid in to the waist deep water!

  “What the hell!” started Keith but Dean spoke over him.

  “Justfuckingslide in, and don’t splash. Don’t make any noise, just hurry we don’t have much time!”

  The others understood what he wanted them to do but not why he wanted them to do it. They each slid in to the water without making any noise while Dean lifted Sam and walked with him cradled between his arms to the mouth of the smallest flume, the Twister and lifted him in.

  Keith piped up again,“What are....”

  “We’re gonna climb in,”said Dean cutting him off.

  “Why this one?”

  “It’s the smallest.”said Keith, and Dean said,“Yea, and it’ll be the easiest one to climb, coz we can wedge ourselves against the sides as we go.”

  He pushed Sam further up the flume giving himself room to climb in behind him. Keith raised his eyebrows impressed, he’d never have thought of that. The others huddled in close behind Dean as morbid gurgles called out above them between the multiple crashes as the Relaxation Suite was ransacked. Dean climbed in behind Sam pushing him a little further up the flume, reassuring him, telling him it was all going to be ok and that he needed to be quiet. When he was far enough in he turned and helped Ann in behind him as Keith lifted her out of the water, then he started to shuffle up the flume pressing his back against one side and his hands and knees the other. It was claustrophobic but it was the only option he could think of.