As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  ”I tried to get out when things went quiet but the fucking thing was just standing there waiting for me, and the poor guy he’d been trying to dismantle earlier was lying on the ground facing the door waiting as well. I thought he was dead! I mean he must have been, he was practically just a head and shoulders with two arms. But whatever he was, he was there waiting for me to come back out.”

  Steve nodded remembering the crawling figure and a shiver ran down his spine.

  “Anyway that was it, as soon as they saw me, the standing one fell against the door trying to get in and he nearly did. I only just got the door closed by the skin of my teeth.”Jen shuddered partly from the cold and partly from the shock of it all re-hitting her as she re told her experience. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against her seat.

  Steve gave her a minute and started rooting around in the survival kit under his seat, a few seconds later he came up with a reflective insulating blanket and handed it to her.

  “Thanks,”she said taking it and wrapping it around herself. When she’d fixed it around herself Steve handed her a bottle of water and feeling like it was ok to speak again he asked,“Do you think that the infection can be passed by a bite?”

  Jen nodded as she took a long drink.

  “It must be. Definitely! I think that’s why so many of them have their hands all torn up you know, people try to defend themselves with their hands and that’s the first thing that gets bitten. Then they run and hide and the infection or virus or whatever the hell it is takes hold, unless they eat you or crack open your skull before you get away, and tear out your brain!”

  “Yea!”said Steve lowering his head.“That’s what that fucking coward bastard Ken was trying to do to poor Katie the last I saw of him.”

  Jen leaned forwards and then back again in her chair feeling uneasy and she wished she hadn’t said anything.

  Then after a moment she said,“I’m really sorry. As you’ve probably noticed I can be quite straight to the point sometimes. I really am very sorry about your friend and I am truly grateful that you both came back to help me. I’ll never be able to thank you enough,ever!”

  Steve nodded without saying anything, he couldn’t even if he wanted too.

  Jen left him to himself and looked out one of the portholes at the wild churning sea. She couldn’t see much, but what she could see was black. Even the sea was turning black as the ash fell in to it.

  The thought of black seas unsettled her, she wondered if the ash would affect the sea-life the same way that it had the people on the rig. She wondered what waited back on the mainland UK for them and what waited at home for them both. She wondered how prepared the government were after what had started happening in Norway?

  How prepared could anyone be for this? she thought.

  All she knew was that the two of them would find out soon enough whether they wanted to or not, just as long as she kept them on course. She took another drink and pulled her blanket tight then shuffled in her chair trying to get comfy. It was going to be a long trip!

  CHAPTER 29

  Ann gasped for air as she struggled to keep up with the two brothers. It was nearly impossible trying to breathe deeply wearing two dust masks. Dean could hear her struggling and looked over at her and raised his thumb. She shook her head back at him. Dean nodded, then reached out and touched Gavin’s shoulder and gave him the thumbs down. They searched their surroundings checking that they were alone, then slowed down and came to a stop. Dean brushed ash off Ann’s masks cleaning them as best he could so that the air would flow a little easier through them; it was a fiddly job without taking them off, but Ann could feel the difference immediately.

  “Take a minute,”he told her,“but be ready to take off any second ok?”

  Ann nodded as she leaned back against a dark lamp-post grateful for the brief rest.

  They’d made it over to the south side of the River Ness having crossed over one of the narrow pedestrian suspension bridges five or six minutes back. The bridge had felt eerie, the ash was so thick that in parts even the barrier along the narrow sides disappeared in to the dirty snow forcing them to run blind, and with the bounce from the suspension bridge offsetting their steps and the sound of running water beneath them, it had felt like they were bounding through a heavily polluted cloud somewhere over the East Chinese Sea. At least that’s what Gavin’s vivid imagination came up with. They were glad to get off the bridge without meeting any infected people along its narrow path. On the southern bank they turned and ran along the side of the river until they stopped for Ann. Dean knelt down checking Sam was ok and brushed off his dust mask muzzle while Gavin kept a constant look out, he didn’t like being next to the river, it was too loud and he worried it would hide the sound of anyone coming towards them through the murk.

  After a few minutes Ann walked over to the two men.“Ok,”she said,“I’m ready to go.”

  They started off again following the railings along the edge of the river for a little while before crossing the road sure they must be opposite the hotels by now, and they were. As they ran along the hotel fronts they heard horrific noises from within and they quickened their pace, constantly looking in all directions until they reached a turn off to their right.

  They took it and passed between the hotels. Glass shattered nearby and an infected person called out croaking loudly. They joined the road that ran along behind the hotels and crossed over immediately and started running along the shop and house fronts towards another junction, a fork in the road that would take them up a short but steep hill on to Castle Street, aptly named due to the road passing right by Inverness Castle.

  From there the plan was to follow Castle Street down to the centre of town, cut across and run along the High Street until they came to the M&S outlet that was a part of the Eastgate Centre and then they’d get inside. If they couldn’t gain access to the Eastgate Centre there, they’d cut through Hamilton Street that ran along the side of M&S, then cross over Millburn Road and run across the expanse of flagstones that made up Falcon Square that gave on to the expansive glass front of the newer part and the main entrance of the Eastgate Centre.

  Dean stopped ahead of them just on the verge of disappearing through the ash. He pointed.

  Ann instantly skidded to a stop fearing the worst, Gavin hesitated a second thinking the same but saw that Sam was still relaxed by Dean’s side. He looked at Ann.“Don’t worry,”he said,“Sam would let us know if we needed to worry.”

  They carried on, and joined Dean.“Sorry,”he said,“I didn’t mean to scare you. Here’s the junction. Castle Street’s up there.”He pointed upwards into the swirling darkness and they all started their scramble up the steep hill slipping in the dirty snow and on the compacted ice underneath.

  Ann found an extremely icy part and started to slide backwards.

  She cried out instinctively without meaning to just as she managed to catch hold of a fence railing. Dean and Gavin stopped where they were and searched the area, making themselves dizzy they stared so hard into the swirling black snow trying to check the coast was clear. It was.

  Ann quickly started making her way back up knowing time was of the essence, telling them that she was unharmed. The two brothers waited at the top for her, there was no point descending and risking slipping themselves while she was making steady progress on her own.

  As Dean watched, he felt bad for Ann, she was really struggling. After their initial sprint from the leisure centre she just couldn’t regain her breathing, couldn’t get it under control.

  He wished he had a rope to throw down to help pull her back up.

  Slowly but surely she made her way back up audibly panting, badly out of breath again.

  “We need to get proper foam masks as soon as we can,”said Dean,“we’ll fucking suffocate wearing these for much longer.”

  Gavin nodded his agreement and Dean added,“Ann’s gonna need another minute to get her breath back after this.”Gavin nodded again.r />
  As Ann made it back up to them she leaned against a road sign trying to breathe and Dean patted her on the shoulder.“It’s all downhill from here,”he said.

  Ann nodded between gasps and he stood back to give her some space and looked out in to the ashy snow searching for threats with his brother.

  Normally from here he’d be able to look back the way they’d just come and look across the river at the north bank lined with hotels with grand fronts that faced on to the river Ness. A little further along he’d be able to see St Andrew’s Cathedral in all its gothic glory with its steeples and high gable ends laced with intricate stone carvings and a roof-line surrounded by gargoyles with menacing faces forever frozen in time waiting eagerly to spew out the Highland rains when they fell. The imposing building of worship looked somewhat out of place sandwiched between the well lit hotels and the modernised, angular and futuristic Eden Court Theatre.

  Then turning around and facing in to the heart of Inverness City he’d normally be able to see Inverness Castle standing proud above the City Centre in all its pink sandstone glory. Below it the streets were usually packed with busy people crisscrossing this way and that going about their own business. But right now there was nothing. All he could see was the railing his hands rested on and several feet beyond sometimes further if he was lucky, when the ash and snow shifted for a moment.What’s happened, he wondered as Sam suddenly leapt to his feet beside him and faced back down the hill they’d just climbed.

  Dean looked down at him and saw that every single hair on his back was standing tall, and then he started to growl, grumbling from deep from within his chest. Dean felt the rumble against his leg.“Shit!” he said,“we gotta go!”

  Gavin saw what was happening and turned to tell Ann who was still hunched over the road sign looking the other way totally oblivious.

  He touched her shoulder and said,“We gotta go. Something’s got Sam worried!”

  Ann stood bolt upright,“Oh shit! What is it?”she said.

  “Shush,”said Dean,“I don’t know yet and probably don’t want to! C’mon, let’s get a move on.”

  Ann nodded and lined up with the two brothers and followed them keeping as close to them as she could while Dean tried his best to keep Sam quiet as they hurried on to and along Castle Street.

  They only took several paces before Dean stopped dead in the centre of the road. The others stopped with him!

  Dean held a finger up over his dust mask signalling for them to be quiet as he listened sure that he’d heard something! He passed Sam’s lead to Gavin and held his hands up to his ears to deflect the wind, and just caught what he thought was a shuffle in the snow, but he couldn’t be certain, it was too faint!

  He moved between the other two taking a step back the way they’d came and held his breath, concentrating, listening as carefully as he could. Thunder clapped making him flinch and rang inside his ears.Useless now,he thought lowering his hands as his ears continued to ring. He took a well needed breath as he was about to turn back to the others when a lightning fork raced over their heads illuminating the immediate area.“HOLY SHIT!” he cursed as Sam started barking.

  He spun around to face the others. They’d seen as well, and they were both pushing off like sprinters out of their starting blocks having waited to see what way Dean was going to go.

  They ran down Castle Street with their hearts in their mouths. Gavin checked back on Dean as he struggled to pull Sam with him as the big dog dug his paws into the snow growling and barking wanting to wait for Dean to catch up.“Just let him go!” said Dean. And he did.

  Sam bounded over to Dean then spun around and ran with him by his side almost trying to push him along by nudging Dean’s thighs. Lightning struck again illuminating the army of infected people scrambling up the icy hill behind them.

  In the split second that Dean had glimpsed them he saw that many of them had on camouflaged army gear, the patterns were clear, their uniforms were clean. And he remembered that there was an army introductory training centre somewhere along from the bottom of the hill they’d climbed.Must’ve heard us pass and come out after us, he thought.

  Gavin turned to Dean as he caught up and said,“They haven’t seen us, they’d be screaming like hell right now if they had.”

  Ann went to say something and tripped up on a kerb, she just managed to catch herself as she reached out and touched a wall.“Shops,” she said looking up to see what she’d just touched.“Maybe we can hide.”

  “Yep,”said Dean and they started searching for and trying doors, but they were all locked.

  Dean thought about the outlets along Castle Street and remembered that they were a mixture of small cafes, restaurants, barber shops, book shops and even an art gallery. He thought that many of them probably hadn’t been open in days due to the horrendous weather before the ash came, and he knew he had little hope of finding an open door.

  The ash thinned out a little and Dean expected the crowd of infected would see them any second. They all heard one fractured moan call out through the bleak murkiness and the shuffling behind them increased as more calls rose up.

  Seen us now,thought Dean,or heard us.

  He tried another door and found that one locked as well. He thought about breaking in using his oversized wrench but it would be far too noisy and he’d draw the infected horde right to them. Then Ann whispered,“Over here guys,quickly!”

  Dean and Gavin followed her as she led them through the dirty snow to a small cafe come restaurant. The big front window had been shattered.

  “Great,”said Gavin,“C’mon.”

  He stepped over the sill but Dean grabbed his collar holding him back.

  “Tread carefully,”he said,“the broken glass will be noisy as hell.”

  Gavin nodded and thought again about where he was to place his foot.

  “Shuffle,”said Dean,“don’t step through the broken glass!”

  It worked, Gavin barely made any noise as he moved through the brittle glass. Ann went next copying Gavin and then Dean followed cradling Sam in his arms to save his paws. They moved as quickly and as quietly as they could to the back of the restaurant constantly searching for anyone else that might be inside, infected or otherwise.

  “Shush boy it’s ok,”said Dean reassuring Sam whining quietly in his arms and they all sat down on a red vinyl bench behind a table at the back, facing the front of the restaurant.

  They sat quietly watching the front of the restaurant as the shuffling and the moans drew closer! Ann grew uneasy, she was sure they’d been seen, she felt like a sitting duck. She looked around for another way out but saw none.

  The shuffles were loud now!

  We’ll see them any minute,thought Gavin staring back through the wrecked restaurant. Dean noticed Ann fidgeting with her hands, he reached out and held them.

  “Shush boy, it’ll be ok,”he whispered in to his ear and then the infected people started to walk passed.

  Every last one of them was badly discoloured, black with grey blotches or a very dark shade of grey with varying patches of darkness. On some, veins were clearly visible running all over them like little black highways on a road map. As they passed the trio noticed the mauled hands and forearms, nearly all of them had wounded hands.

  Some of them wore clothes that were fully intact and unscathed while others were torn to shreds and others were half naked exposing horrendous wounds.

  Ann couldn’t believe what she was seeing, none of them could, not even Gavin after his earlier experience. A man walked by in the horde then and caught their attention; he was a hefty man and he was completely naked. He was dark grey from head to toe, almost black but not quite. He was covered with black blotches and black veins criss-crossing his entire body and he looked like he’d been eaten alive. His groin and abdomen had been devoured, his hands were fingerless and both of his meaty upper arms had been gnawed to the bone. He turned towards them knocked by one of the others and Ann caught sight of part of his ri
bcage where his fatty sagging chest had been cannibalised. She shut her eyes tight and fought the urge to vomit only just managing to hold it in, she had to, their lives depended on it!

  Their discoloured faces distorted as they called out their weird and primitive call, nearly all of them were smeared with blood.Red blood!

  It covered their necks and chests and ran from their mauled hands up passed their forearms. They looked like they’d been diggingthrough bodies.

  Dean was astonished that they were all still mobile despite their wounds. They all seemed oblivious to them. He thought to himself that if their wounds hadn’t killed them, which in nearly all cases he saw should have done, or at the very least incapacitated them, then by now most of them should have bled to death. He couldn’t get his head around it! It was all out of kilter, unnatural.

  I’m stuck in a nightmare,he thought.We all are!

  With no choice but to wait they did. Hating every last little detail of what they saw but unable to take their eyes off what they we’re seeing in case one of the de-humanised figures should happen to look their way.

  Eventually the droning gurgles began to lessen and gradually the group began to thin out. The horrific looking figures passed by in less bulk, taking up less and less of the street outside until after several long minutes they passed by in small groups. The groups began to shrink until they were passing in twos and threes, and then in twos and ones, and then just in ones until they were all gone.

  After a moment of frozen silence Ann let out a deep breath that she had been holding for what felt like forever and drew in air through her gritted teeth. She felt ill and stunned at what she’d just seen.

  “What’s happened? I mean what on earth’s wrong with them?”she asked, more to herself than to either of the brothers.

  “I think this problem’s bigger than we thought!”said Gavin,“bigger than anything we could ever have thought of!”

  Dean nodded and said,“Most of them shouldn’t even be alive with those wounds, never mind up and walking around looking for us!”