As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  “You’re right,”said Bill without taking his eyes away from the silhouettes outside as they laboured through the thick snow.“They’ll have to dig themselves in,”he said.

  “Or us out,”said Lisa.

  “Well, that as well,”said Bill having to raise his voice over the excited children.“Quick,”he said,“I’m sure there’s an old snow shovel in the store cupboard in the cloakroom. We can pass it out through one of the windows.”Before he finished saying windows he’d started off to the cloakroom to dig out the shovel he was sure was there.

  The children started to knock on the windows trying to get the attention of the adults, calling out for their mum and dad.

  The emotion in their little calls tugged at Lisa’s heart strings and she saw it was having the same effect on Mandy when she caught her wiping away a tear.

  Mandy was trying to calm the kids down telling them not to knock too hard for fear they’d hurt their little knuckles against the cold glass. One little boy already had, Lisa saw him wiping his bloody hands down his creased uniform, yet despite all the noise the children were making none of the figures seemed to react. Not one of them turned to look. It was as if they couldn’t hear them!

  “Please calm down kids,”pleaded Mandy still having little to no effect.

  Lisa tried to help in urging some of them away from the windows. The ones at the front were being squashed by the ones at the back and two little girls started fighting because one had stood on the other’s foot.

  Lisa thought she was having a positive effect by urging them back a little, but as soon as she took her eyes off them, they darted straight back up against the windows.

  Bless the little poppets,she thought.They’re all just so excited.

  She just hoped that all the parents were out there. There seemed to be the right number of adults, maybe even too many.

  Strange how they’ve all come at the same time, she thought.

  Then she heard Bill from out in the hall way. He was shouting!

  “I’ll pass it through the window in the dining hall next door, we won’t get the doors open and these windows don’t open wide enough to pass it through. It’s better than nothing, you’ll be in, in no time, just head back over to the dining hall windows and I’ll pass it through to you now, c’mon.”

  Bill re-emerged from the corridor. He smiled at Lisa and waved the shovel in the air.

  “Told you,”he called over, and as he finished there was a loud thump from behind him making him jump!

  He spun around looking back the way he had come and after a brief moment he looked back at Lisa shrugging his shoulders passing it off as something falling down in the cloakroom and carried on when there was another loud thump!

  He glanced at Lisa confused. Then after a second’s pause he trotted back to the dining hall doors and looked back through.THUMP!

  Someone’s doing that, thought Lisa watching him.

  “Hey! Don’t do that!”called Bill along the corridor,“I’ll pass the shovel through to you right now, you just need to come to one of the dining hall windows. C’mon. I’ll pass it through right now.”

  He turned and trotted back across the dining hall towards the windows shooting Lisa a confused look.“God,”he said,“some of them just don’t listen do they. I see where the children get it from.”He paused for a moment and then said,“That was wrong of me. I suppose they’re just desperate to get to their children.”

  Lisa nodded not entirely convinced.

  “Mind out of the way children. Watch out!”he said weaving through them towards the windows.

  He reached one of the windows and started tugging at the latch.

  He tugged it this way and that way, trying to break it free from the cold frost that held it in place. It was hard going on his hands and he had to keep swapping them over to save his palms.

  While he struggled with the latch the children carried on calling for their mums and dads and he wondered why none of the parents had come over. They still hadn’t done what he’d asked either, no -one was waiting on the other side for the shovel.

  The latch finally gave way with a satisfying crack as the brittle frost gave way and Bill tried to open the window but it was frozen in place as well!

  He tried pushing against the window with his shoulder, but it still wasn’t budging so he started gently bumping his shoulder against it not wanting to break the glass or injure himself.

  “Its frozen shut,”he called back to the others as an almighty bang erupted from down the hall! Several of the children jumped, Lisa included. She felt uneasy!

  The parents could clearly see Bill was trying to open a window to pass them a shovel so they could clear the snow from the main doors. But they still tried to smash their way in through the front doors!

  And why hadn’t any of them come over to their children banging against the windows, she wondered.

  Mandy called over to Bill,“Try using the edge of the shovel, you know, use it like a blade to prise the window open. Bill looked at her with raised eyebrows and nodded.

  “Why didn’t I think of that?”he asked himself and started trying to angle the shovel blade between the window and the frame as more loud thuds echoed from down the corridor.

  Bill worked quickly, digging the shovel’s blade into the groove between the frame and the stubborn window and then levering the shovel backwards and forwards. After a few minutes of struggling the shovel suddenly slid in between the window and the frame and broke the icy seal.

  Bill used his shoulder to press against the window and open it letting in icy cold air that rushed in through the gap and chilled him.

  The children cheered their headmaster and called even louder for their parents as Bill pushed the window as far open as it would go. He lifted the shovel up and through the window. But there was no-one there to take it!

  “Maybe they haven’t heard me over the wind,”he said glancing back at Lisa. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded towards the kids crying out louder than ever.

  Bill puffed out his cheeks, rolled his eyes then turned around and started shouting through the window for someone to come and take the shovel from him, but even as he did so the loud bangs continued from down the hall.

  Mandy looked at Lisa frowning, she was worried. She felt stupid for feeling that way, after all why should she be worried; frightened even.

  It’s just eager parents. That’s all, she told herself. But it didn’t feel right!

  Still looking at Mandy, she said,“Sounds like they’d rather kick the doors down!”

  Lisa didn’t quite know what to say, or think. Part of her actually believed that they wanted to smash the doors down as strange as it seemed.“Bill?”Lisa called,“tell them to stop banging the front doors, they’ll crack the glass or something.”

  “Or shatter it more like.”said Mandy,“the glass’ll be brittle with the cold.”

  Lisa looked back up at Bill still waving the shovel and calling out. She was just about to call out again when Bill beat her to it.

  “Finally!”he said,“some of them are coming over.”

  He yelled out of the window,“Over here, over here. Take the shovel.”

  He turned and looked back in to the hall at every one.“They’re coming over, it won’t be long now.”The children buzzed with excitement, all of them trying desperately to see their parents through the murk. Some pressed their little faces up against the cold glass for as long as they could bear the chill, straining hard searching the figures for a familiar face.

  As Mandy watched trying to keep her emotions in check she noticed something strange!

  “What are they doing over there Bill?”she asked.

  Without paying her much attention Bill said,“They’re coming over for the shov....”

  Mandy cut him off,“No! Over there,”she blurted and pointed.“They’re up ending one of the picnic benches!”

  “What!” Lisa gasped. She could feel the situation turning sour, the banging intensified at th
e front doors and none of them had seen a single one of their faces!

  “Maybe they’re planning using it like a ladder to climb through the window,”said Bill.

  “What window?”said Lisa,“they’re higher than us out there anyway, because of the depth of the snow.”

  Bill knew she was right; the depth of the snow and ash outside put the figures two and a half to three feet higher up than them. They’d actually have to reach down to Bill for the shovel, whereas he was on his tip-toes trying to push it up through the window.

  Lisa saw four silhouettes, maybe more approaching Bill.“Bill I’m not sure about this,”she said.

  “Me neither,”added Mandy.

  A cluster of innocent little faces looked up at the women worried. The children could feel their uncertainty.

  “Stop it you two,”Bill snapped,“you’ll scare the children.”

  Lightning arced across the dense sky bathing the playground with its faint blue light. Lisa didn’t like what she saw. There was something wrong with the picture and the children saw it too.

  Every one of the fourteen children went silent!

  “The bench,”said Mandy,“they’re trying to run with it.LOOK!”

  Bill tried to glance back at Mandy frowning but someone was approaching him, he didn’t have time to confront her right now.

  “Stupid woman!”he said under his breath,“she’ll just scare the children.”He looked back to the person coming for the shovel squinting his eyes against the bitter cold pouring in through the open window.

  “Here,”he said,“use this....”then he gasped!

  “Mrs Clark? Mrs Clark? Is that you? My God Gail what happened to you?”

  On hearing Bill say Gail’s name Lisa heard Gail’s voice whiz around and around in her head.

  People are attacking each other like animals! Like animals!

  Lisa and Mandy and the children watched as the figure closest to Bill reached out to him!

  They watched as the hazy hand stretched down towards the shovel in Bill’s hands. It passed by the wooden handle not interested in it.

  Within an instant the hazy looking figure grabbed a hold of Bill’s arm, gripping firmly around his wrist. The hand looked black from what Lisa could see of it.

  “Oh, no!”said Bill, with a forced chuckle.“Here, uh, you’ve got me instead of the handle.”

  And in that instant he was hauled up off the floor as the figure hauled him up, trying to pull him through the window!

  Mandy and the children screamed. The combined squeal was so loud that it hurt Lisa’s ears.

  Then before she’d taken another breath Lisa leapt towards Bill to try and help but before she’d even taken three paces the other figures that had been approaching reached him!

  They dropped to their knees beside the first one and each grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled!

  Together they hauled him up off the ground and pulled his head and shoulders right through the narrowly open window popping the hinges as his shoulders were forced through the narrow gap.

  Bill’s grunts and gasps turned in to gut-wrenching screams!

  Lisa saw the silhouettes through the dirty glass pulling at and tearing his clothes. They were ripping them off him. Exposing his body!

  The children lost control; they knew something was desperately wrong. They screamed like never before, louder than any child should ever have to!

  Mandy started trying to herd the scattered children, trying to lead them across to the other side of the hall away from the windows. It was hard work, they all ran in different directions screaming and crying for their mummies and daddies. Some even screamed for their mummies and daddies to stop hurting Mr Harkness.

  The sound of shattering glass exploded from down the hallway making Lisa jump. Fearing the worst she started running towards the hall doors, she needed to close them and fast.

  The words, like wild animals, screamed at her inside her head.

  She shot a glance at Bill as she re-diverted and ran for the doors feeling like she was running in totally the wrong direction. Feeling like she should be running to help Bill.

  But no! Her first instinct was to secure the hall and protect the children. She had to protect the little ones first.

  She saw Bill wriggling and jerking. Now he was half in and half out of the window and his feet were several inches of the floor. Then she saw blood. Lots of blood!

  The sticky red life giving fluid ran down the middle of his back staining his shirt. It ran all the way down to the waistband of his corduroys that absorbed his liquid; becoming saturated.

  Even as she glimpsed at him the darkening stain grew, working its way down his trousers giving the impression that he’d wet himself.

  Maybe he has, she thought.

  Then with that thought her foot caught in the strap of an abandoned school bag.

  She tripped on it and flew through the air carried by her own momentum in to a pile of stacked up dining chairs. They toppled over falling on top of her and one falling stack caught another like dominoes and they smothered her completely as she landed, banging her head on the hard wooden floor. Between the tumbling grey plastic chairs Lisa saw with fuzzy vision the first outlines appear in the doorway.

  She was too late!

  They were in!

  The people who entered the dining hall looked like shadows. They were dark in colour, covered from head to toe with black and dark grey blotches. Some shuffled and limped along hunched over and others stood tall and were quick and nimble on their feet.

  Lisa watched helplessly as two small children broke away from the group Mandy had managed to herd together. Mandy screamed after them but it made no difference. A brother and sister ran hand in hand towards the figures. Lisa tried to shout but couldn’t, the falling chairs had winded her.

  The children ran towards the figures wanting desperately to find their parents and to be swept up by them. Two of the quicker figures broke away from the pack of shadows and darted towards the children with outstretched arms.

  Wild animals! Wild animals! WILD ANIMALS!Lisa’s mind screamed at her as they pulled the siblings apart from each other, breaking their bond for ever.

  ANIMALS! WILD ANIMALS!cried Lisa’s mind.

  Simultaneously the children’s captors dropped to their knees in front of the hysterical siblings. Their little heads were yanked violently over to one side exposing their necks and the figures leaned in fast and bit down hard on the soft and innocent flesh.

  Blood spurted from their necks leading a long red arc through the hall. When it wasn’t gushing straight in to either of the figures faces it rose up high like a fountain as their youth left them.

  The little bodies went limp and buckled under their own small weight. They fell to the ground, and the dark figures dropped down with them and started opening up the little bodies, tearing them open from their neck wounds.

  Lisa still buried and unable to take a breath or move, closed her eyes unable to watch any more. She wished to God that she hadn’t seen what she had. She knew that for as long as she lived, she’d never ever be able to un see what she had seen. Then she started to vomit.

  The rest of the children huddled around Mandy squealing like baby bunnies that had been trapped in a corner by a rabid Rottweiler; Mandy included.

  The figures approached and Mandy backed up with the children but they had nowhere to go, nowhere to run. They’d backed in to a corner.

  Lisa squeezed her eyes tight as the discoloured figures closed in around them.

  The last thing she saw was Mandy throwing herself at the blackened horde fists first and screaming!

  *****

  Eventually Lisa’s body forced her to breathe between vomiting. She still held her eyes shut but she couldn’t stop her hearing, no matter how deep she pushed her fingers in to her ears.

  Her head swam with horrific images that she tried her hardest to push from her mind but it was a losing battle. Surely they would find her soon she thought and she
waited to feel a hand clasp around her ankle or around her neck, or suddenly grasp and pull at her hair.

  Her thoughts made her clench up in to the smallest ball she could possibly form.

  She felt wet. Was it blood running along the floor she wondered? Was she lying in the blood of those innocent little children? Or had she been bitten, but not realised it with all the adrenalin rushing through her veins.

  She could feel her thighs getting wetter, and then her side that lay against the floor. She vomited again bringing up dark green bile. There was nothing left in her to come up.

  Still she held her eyes shut. She tried to focus on Leann; nothing else but Leann. The first thing that she thought of was how as a little girl she was always asking when she could colour her hair. The girl had a fascination with colouring her hair and as soon as she turned fifteen her hair had seen all the colours of the rainbow, sometimes all at once. Tears ran down Lisa’s cheeks and she flinched with the sound of more breaking glass. It was extremely loud, and nearby.

  More of them entered the hall through a newly broken window and icy cold air poured over her, chilling her body and freezing her where she was wet with innocent blood.

  As more entered she was certain that she would be found any second and dragged out from under the chairs. Agonising cramp gripped her stomach as she tried to curl up even tighter, she wanted the ground to swallow her.

  There was a clatter above her then and she felt the chairs on top of her shift.

  Instinctively she opened her eyes expecting to see figures descending on her, but she didn’t.

  Instead she saw the shovel lying across the chairs above her! Now her eyes were open and she saw that she wasn’t under attack she glanced around quickly, deliberately not focusing on anything for fear of what she might see.

  She could make out figures lying on the ground and what she knew had to be body parts scattered across the floor. She didn’t stop moving her eyes, didn’t let them settle on any one thing.

  Feeling the cold breeze Lisa looked around to see where it was coming from and saw that one of the patio doors had been shattered.Probably with the shovel, she thought.