As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

Within an instant he was surrounded as the infected figures slid up against him from above and below him and excitedly tore in to him smiling at him with their exposed jaws as they pulled him inside out! As the others screamed his name wanting him to jump Keith’s nervous system took over once more and he kicked and punched and slapped and jerked, he even spat! From the ground it looked like he was having a seizure of some sort as he twitched out of control banging against the fiberglass like it was a drum. Ann looked away horrified that this was happening so close to her and yet so far away, she was guilt ridden that she couldn’t help.

  Keith disappeared below the jagged edge of fiberglass screaming over and over as his silhouette merged with the writhing shadow of the infected as he was consumed by them.

  Tears streamed down Ann’s face fogging up her goggles. Dean looked at her and clasped hold of her shoulder, looking at him she saw that he was crying as well. Tears were catching inside his goggles and pooling against his cheeks.

  “C’mon,”he said,“we’ve gotta go. We’ll grieve later.”

  Then in silence they ran away from the screams of their friend as he occupied the rabid flesh hungry infected.

  They ran as fast as they could across the Bught Park playing fields making sure to avoid the rugby posts on a pre determined route they’d decided on in the night. They were heading straight for the Eastgate Shopping Centre. They’d all agreed the previous night that if there was anywhere else in town that could have been commandeered as a rescue centre other than the leisure centre, then it would be there, and knowing they’d be passing right by it on their way through town, they thought it an ideal midway point to aim for....

  CHAPTER 27

  Leann opened her eyes slowly, and as they adjusted to her darkened surroundings they fixed on the twisted tube of dark green glass that was the dead neon Starbucks’sign. She stared at it confused.

  Everything was dark. Everywhere she looked was dull and grey and hidden in shadow. For a split second she couldn’t figure out where she was. She’d forgotten what had happened. She wondered why she wasn’t at home, until she remembered and it all came rushing back, all at once, and it hit her hard. She remembered what had happened the night before, the hiding, the running, the fighting, more running, and Thom!

  She felt ill and her thoughts turned to her mum and she sat up on her sofa thinking,I need to get home.She hoped that her mum was ok, that she was safely locked away in their little flat. Then Collin started to sit up on his sofa just along from hers. He looked at her and she forced a smile and said,“Morning.”

  Collin nodded rubbing his eyes.“Morning,”he said sitting up fully, swinging his legs over the edge. Looking around he noticed that Andy’s stately looking high backed wing-chair was empty.

  He nodded towards it and said,“Do you know where Andy is?”

  Leann shook her head.“Dunno,”she said,“I’ve literally just opened my eyes.”

  Collin sighed and said,“He’s probably patrolling eh!”Leann nodded, and then as if right on cue.

  Andy appeared behind them from around the corner coming from the main aisle startling Collin slightly.

  “Hey guys,”he said,“you’re finally up!”

  “What time is it?”asked Leann.

  “Ten past ten,”replied Andy.

  “What!Why didn’t you wake us?”said Leann,“I’ve got to get home to my mum.”

  “Yea, and I’ve gotta get back to my grandparents.”said Collin.

  Andy raised both his palms in a friendly manner.“Whoa guys, hang on,”he said,“I only woke up five minutes ago myself with something or someone banging at the doors down stairs. That’s where I’ve just been. I was gonna wake you both when I got back but now I don’t need to.”

  Leann frowned and said,“Hmm. What was the banging?”

  “I don’t know! It stopped by the time I got there, but I did see a couple of figures through the ash. It was probably them!”

  “Them as inTHEM!” said Collin.

  Andy nodded.

  “SHIT!” said Leann,“they’re still out there?”

  “I’m afraid so,”said Andy,“but at least there’s been no more action from the other end of the overpass. It’s been quiet all night on that front.”

  Andy didn’t tell them that the infected guy they thought he’d killed was still crawling around in there. He reasoned that telling them would just make things uneasy for all of them. For now Andy was at peace just to leave him there. He was certain that the guy wasn’t in pain.

  “Well, that’s something,”said Collin yawning.

  Andy nodded and said,“There’s still running water in this place. It’s cold, but it still running. If you two go and freshen up, we’ll go and rustle up some breakfast and discuss getting out of here ok.”

  They both nodded wearily and headed off to the toilets. Watching them go Andy sat down in his chair to wait for them and thought about leaving. He played out some of the various scenarios in his head that he’d thought about continuously throughout the night and he was doubtful.

  He knew they both had family, and he understood that they wanted to be back at home with them, and know that everyone was safe. But he couldn’t help wondering what was left out there,or what waited for them.

  He thought they’d be safer staying put at least for the time being.

  The others returned looking a little more awake and with their eyes fully adjusted they made their way down to the sandwich bar they’d had the good fortune of finding open the night before. Andy looked over what was left and figured that they had enough for lunch and dinner, and maybe even breakfast tomorrow as well if they stretched it out and the food was still edible. After that they would have to source their food from somewhere else. He knew that wouldn’t be a problem as there were lots of food outlets in the shopping centre that would have pre packaged food and the likes that had a much longer shelf life. He just didn’t want to go around breaking in to them until he absolutely had to.

  The three of them sat around a plastic table on the ground floor and ate sandwiches for breakfast.

  Andy noted how hard the bread was becoming already, and thought making the sandwiches last until tomorrow might not be an option after all.

  After a short while of sitting in silence as they ate Andy spoke up,“Listen guys, how well prepared were your families? I mean did they stock up on longer lasting foods and bottled water and all that like the news advised people to do?”

  Leann swallowed her mouth full and said,“Me and my mum only live in a tiny two bedroom flat, so we don’t have room for loads of stuff but we got in what we could. Mum was able to take home a giant tub of beans and some jumbo packs of macaroni from the school where she works in the canteen,oh yea,and a sack of some sort of flavoured rice that the kids don’t really eat. The headmaster was letting the staff and any parents that wanted it, take it. It’s going out of date anyway, and I used my staff discount to buy a couple of cases of bottled water from work and that’s all we really had room for. We both thought that the authorities or whatever would have it all under control pretty quickly seeing as they knew what was happening in Europe you know. We thought they’d be ready for the ash and the power cuts you know. Besides we don’t have much spare cash to be buying lots of food, our rent’s really expensive and mum doesn’t get paid that much, and nor do I and....”

  Andy nodded and raised his palm stopping her, he could hear she was getting defensive.

  “That’s cool,”he said,“it sounds like you both did what you could with what you had, and it sounds like you’ve both done pretty decent job.”

  Leann nodded.“Yea, we did,”she said.

  Then Andy turned to Collin and asked,“What about your grandparents Coll?”

  “Yea,”he said looking up,“they stocked up a bit. Probably not as much as they could’ve, because they weren’t using the car to go shopping. The weather’s been pretty bad, and my Granddad’s driving isn’t that good anymore you know. Andy nodded.“So they were using t
he bus to go shopping, so they had to carry everything from the shop to the bus stop, and then from the bus to the house, and the bus stop’s quite a walk from the house, for them at least, especially trying to carry the shopping in the snow you know. So they could have had....”

  Andy cut in,“It’s ok Collin, it’s not a competition. I just want to know how well stocked up they are seeing as things are much worse than anyone thought.”

  Collin nodded understanding.“Yea, ok, sorry,”he said and continued.

  “Well they stocked up ok I suppose. All the kitchen cupboards were full to bursting with tins of stuff. They always are, plus Gran had tins across the counter stacked three high or something like that, and there were a couple of crates of water in the garage. My Granddad loves cream soda so he’s been cleaning the bottles and refilling them with water as well.”

  Andy was nodding. He said,“Sounds like they’re pretty well stocked up to me, the way you started I thought you were going to say that they hadn’t stocked up at all.”

  “What’s your point?”asked Leann.

  Andy answered quickly and dropped his bombshell,“I think we’re better off staying here for as long as we can.”Leann started shaking her head before he’d even finished.

  “Wait a sec Leann, just let me finish,”he said wanting to get his reasons across before she started to protest.

  “It sounds like your mum, and Collin’s grandparents have all got enough food and water to get by for a good few days on their own, probably a lot longer....”

  Leann butted in,“Uh uh no way I’m not leaving my mum alone with those infected people, or whatever they are out there running around.”

  Andy sighed taking a deep breath then said,“I know how it must be for the both of you. Being stuck in here knowing that those people, infected orwhatever’swrong with them, are out there in the ash, and your families are stuck at home. But Iseriouslythink that we’re safer staying in here for a few more days.”

  “And eat what?” blurted Leann.

  “There’s other food outlets in here,”said Andy.

  “Oh yea!” said Leann.

  “Yea,”said Andy,“we’ll have to break in to them, but they’re here. And I think that given the circumstances it’s understandable. I can do it carefully causing as little damage as possible. Then we can fend for ourselves for a few more days and see how things turn out. If the ash starts to clear, that’ll change everything. Being able to see will make it so much safer to go outside again, and by then the military might have arrived, or at least help of some kind. The fire brigade maybe or the police, maybe even the coast guard for all I know. Then we’ll all be able to go home safely.”

  Collin shook his head timidly.“I can see your point,”he said,“but the ash still hasn’t cleared at all since last night like we all hoped.”He waved a hand in the general direction of the windows that were heavily clouded over.“My grandparents are both old and frail. If they decide to come looking for me at the supermarket it’ll be really hard for them, and if they even get that far I’m not even there anymore. The sooner I’m home the better, so that they don’t have to come looking for me.”

  “Yea, I have the same problem with my mum,”said Leann.“She’s not old and frail, but those sick people are out there, and, uh, well....NO!” she blurted.“I need to get home as soon as possible, and so does Collin.”

  She stood up about to leave the table, and the main doors started shaking violently!

  “SHIT!” she gasped and spun around to look. Andy was up in a flash and ran passed her, headed for the front doors.

  “Stay out of sight,”he said as he ran up behind one of the thick pillars that littered the ground floor of the shopping centre using it as cover.

  If it was a group of infected he didn’t want them to see him and draw others.

  Andy ran between pillars working his way towards the doors as they continued to rattle with the occasional thump thrown in. As he got closer he saw a man, an uninfected man in jeans and a black hooded jacket hiding his face. Andy watched as he worked his way along the doors shaking them, trying each one individually, leaning against them, trying to force them open.

  Andy slid around the pillar he was hiding behind and raced up behind the last one, the one closest to the doors as another three men dressed similar to the first, emerged through the ash to join him.

  Andy looked at them wide eyed. One of them held a long piece of wood in his hands that he swung occasionally, and another constantly swung what looked like a cycle chain. He didn’t like the look of them. Collin traced Andy’s steps, he was one pillar back from Andy, and he saw them too, and the sight of them unnerved him. Then without warning one of the new arrivals ran at the row of glass doors as fast as he could and jumped at the last second. He kicked the doors hard with both feet and made them shake violently as he fell to the ground flat on his back. Andy heard the others laugh at him.“Fuck you!”he said getting back up.

  Andy looked back at the others, he saw Collin peeking around the next pillar along and Leann was across from them hiding just inside the doorway to a Travel Agents. They both looked at him and he mimed back to them to be quiet by pressing a finger over his lips. They nodded.

  The same guy ran and kicked the doors again, they shook again but that was all.

  He stumbled back managing not to fall this time as the others jibed him again.“You stupid prick,”one said.

  “Shut it before I fucking deck you!”said the guy who’d kicked the doors.

  Then the guy with the long shaft of wood walked up to the doors.“This is how you do it you fucking idiots,”he said and he swung at the glass as hard as he could. Andy cringed as the wooden shaft raced towards the glass.THUD!

  The wood met with the safety glass and bounced back twice as fast as the guys swing and bounced out of his hands as the vibration buzzed up his arms like an electrical charge.

  “Arrgh fuck!” yelped the guy shaking his hands and rubbing his wrists as the others laughed at him.

  “Oh yea, that’sreallyhow to do it,”said the one who tried kicking the doors.

  Still rubbing his wrists and shaking his hands, the guy with the wooden shaft took a step back and started kicking the door repeatedly in a rage but had no effect.

  “C’mon,”said the first one to arrive.“We’ll come back later with something that’ll definitely break the glass.”

  There were a few moans of discontent among them and then one spoke up,“Let’s check out the hardware place down the street and come back with some fucking sledge hammers.”

  Some of the others chuckled, the one swinging the chain said,“Nowthat would be cool, I’m gonna pick up a new TV when we get inside, seeing as there’s a sale on eh!”

  He laughed at his own comment and his ample belly bounced up and down, the others laughed with him.

  “Yea c’mon let’s do that,”said the one who’d jump-kicked the doors and he took a few steps back limping slightly.

  Feeling relief that they were about to leave, for now. Andy started to relax already trying to decide if he was going to wait for them and let them in, or leave before they came back. Then he heard a gasp from Leann. He turned to look. Leann was looking wide eyed straight across the foyer, out through windows that Andy couldn’t see from where he stood. Collin was trying to see as well but he couldn’t see either.

  “What is it?”said Andy quietly. Collin looked back at him shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. Andy looked at Leann,“What is it Leann? She still didn’t answer. She just shook her head repeatedly.

  “Pssst, Leann, what is it? He tried again and finally she shot him a glance.

  “THEM!”she blurted.

  Andy looked back out at the thugs. They were leaving, making their way across Falcon Square towards the High Street kicking up the black snow as they went like they didn’t have a care in the world.Off to see what they can steal the little opportunistic pricks,he thought.But still, we can’t leave them out there.He ran up to the front d
oors calling over his shoulder to the others.“C’mon, we gotta get them inside.”

  “What!” said Collin.

  “They’re gonna get killed,”said Andy,“c’mon, they’re just little pricks out for what they can get that’s all, there’s more than enough room in here for all of us.”

  He reached the doors and yelled through the glass while trying to pull out the frozen floor bolts.

  “GUYS! HEY GUYS!Over here, c’mon run!”

  Collin joined Andy trying to loosen the bolts but they were frozen solid. The group of young men turned and looked back at Andy and Collin trying to open the doors. They stood and watched for a moment and then started back towards them, staying close to each other and leaning in occasionally as though talking to each other.

  “C’MON GUYS HURRY!” yelled Andy managing to pull up one of the floor bolts.

  “GOT ONE!”he shouted and moved on to the next. Each door had four bolts, two along the bottom that sank in to the floor, and two along the top rising in to the ceiling. Andy was confident that if they opened all of the bolts on two joining doors they’d be able to force the centre lock open by pushing against both of the doors. Andy looked up at the four young men. They were getting close now. He opened his mouth to call back to Leann when she shrieked,“ANDY! THERE’S LOTS OF MOVEMENT!”

  “Nearly there,”he called back, then he said to Collin,“They can’t know about the infected people!”

  “I don’t think so,”said Collin managing to pull the last of the ceiling bolts free.

  “All done along the top,”he said.

  “One more here,”said Andy tugging madly at the last floor bolt when the jump kicker suddenly performed his two feet flying kick against the door Andy was working on and pinched his fingers between the door and the bolt.

  “ARRRGH!” Andy yelled out in pain reeling back holding his bloody fingers. He looked up at Collin,“Quickly!Get that bolt up,”he said. Collin turned and looked doubtfully at the group at the doors, the one who had kicked the door was sniggering and pointing through the doors at Andy as the others laughed. He saw Collin staring.