As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  Andy stood bolt upright and held a finger up in the air signalling to the others to be quiet.

  They heard shouting.

  It was faint. Not too far away but it was muffled by the wind.

  Andy took off again, sprinting across the overpass and along the dark aisles towards the other side of the shopping centre. Leann and Collin followed close behind.

  Andy ran passed the Starbucks’outlet they’d made their home on the corner of the joining aisles and turned right and headed straight towards M&S at the end of the aisle.

  He called back to the other two as they neared the end.“I’m sure it came from this direction.”Outside the upper ground entrance to Marks & Spencer’s there was a glass bodied lift and a wide stairway split by a wooden banister that lead down to the ground floor where there was an entrance that fed out on to the upper end of the High Street.

  The entry doors and the wall they were embedded in were constructed from lightly tinted glass, and from the upper level balcony they commanded a wide view along Inverness High Street. The glass continued all the way up in to a neat point at the tip of the narrowly pitched roof, high above their heads. Andy had covered over most of the glass around the lower level, but the view from the balcony was clear. The three of them looked out from the upper level, straining to see any movement through the relentless snow, and they listened hard. Andy moved around the balcony trying to gain a better view along the High Street.

  A slapping noise caught his attention. He looked around and saw that the canopy over the Turkish kebab shop just opposite was flapping in the wind. The weight of the snow had burst through.

  Collin looked too and seeing the place automatically brought back a fond memory for him, one he had of a time when he and his granddad had both had the house special burger, the burger was so big that his granddad couldn’t open his mouth wide enough to take a full bite. A faint smile crossed Collin’s face when shouting from outside shook him from his memory.

  “LOOK, LOOK!” shouted Andy pointing through the glass.

  Collin and Leann both stared trying to see what had his attention. He was pointing away from the High Street and up towards Stephens Brae, a steep little cobbled road that led off from the High Street. Leann saw what it was before Collin and gasped!

  “What!What is it?”he said.

  “Look at the overpass that crosses over to Stephens Brae,”she said, and Andy took off again sprinting back along the aisle they’d come down.

  “C’mon,”he called as he disappeared.

  Collin didn’t budge. He wanted to see what they saw.

  Just another second, he thought desperate to see what they had.

  “C’mon!”said Leann. She hesitated when he didn’t leave straight away. Then when he still didn’t move when she called him, she reached out and grabbed his collar.

  As she pulled him away from the glass Collin caught a glimpse of a faint silhouette swimming at the very edge of his vision near the end of the overpass.

  There was a definite outline of a person, and they had a child with them!

  He turned with Leann and they both raced after Andy....

  CHAPTER 35

  Ann thought she saw the outline of the Eastgate Shopping Centre emerging through the fog of polluted snow ahead of her. She prayed that it was, if only for Sara’s sake.

  Lightning flickered high up over head illuminating her murky surroundings, and it confirmed what she’d prayed she’d seen. The Eastgate Centre was just up ahead. Its form poked through the dirty snow at wide and narrow angles that fed off long clean lines.

  Hope wanted to wash over her, but her heart jumped and pumped irregularly as a maddening panic tried to take over. Her mind told her that she wasn’t safe. None of them were!

  Close, but not nearly close enough! she thought.

  Just ahead of them drawing closer and closer was their salvation.

  But just as close. If not closer behind them, the black tide of death closed in. Slowly but surely reigning them!

  Ann pushed on, both mentally and physically exhausted from running through the deep snow while trying to breathe through clogged up dust masks, and occasionally having to carry Sarah when she tired. She used every last ounce of strength she had left in her body to keep on going, practically dragging Sarah through the snow beside her when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. With one quick glance she saw figures coming out of buildings or standing up from behind abandoned cars. She didn’t look again, she just ran!

  Behind her she could hear Sam’s savage barking and the men shouting and screaming at each other, and the sound of David’s gun. Every time he fired a shot her ears throbbed and above all that, she heard the squealing, gurgling infected. It sounded like there must be hundreds of them hunting them down like a heavily polluted wave coming to wash them away in their own blood, coming to rinse their bodies of their flesh.

  Ann swerved around and squeezed between abandoned vehicles hoping to a God she didn’t believe in that she didn’t run in to an infected person hiding behind one of them, ending up dragging Sarah to her to her death. But she had no other option, the cars were blocking the road and they needed to get passed,had to get passed.

  Ann went first, checking it was safe for Sarah before she followed. They were making good going until suddenly they came up against a road block. The road was walled off by a line of crashed cars.

  “SHIT!” Ann cursed glancing along the line of cars. There was no quick way around. Sarah whimpered by her side.“Don’t worry sweetie, we’ll go over, c’mon,”said Ann as she hurried Sarah towards one of the car bonnets knowing they’d have to climb over.

  Ann climbed on to the first crumpled bonnet they came to, and trying not to slip on the cold snow covered metal she checked behind the line of cars. It was clear. She reached back and lifted Sarah up on to the bonnet with her and they both climbed down on the other side together, then looking around, checking that they were still alone Ann stopped.“Wait,”she told Sarah, and she looked back, ducking behind the cars using them as a barrier.

  Sarah crouched down and leaned against the car’s wheel doing exactly what Ann told her to. She didn’t look back. She daren’t, she was terrified of what she’d see, so she leaned back against the wheel listening for Ann and staring in to the distance wide eyed with a scream on the tip of her tongue in case she saw any of the dark people.

  Ann held back a gasp for Sarah’s sake as she looked back desperate to see how the others were.

  She saw infected people bearing down on the three men and Sam from all sides. Gavin was the furthest ahead, and wasn’t too far behind her and Sarah. He saw her and waved at her to go on, shooing her like a dog between glances over his shoulder yelling at the other two to hurry.

  Dean and David were a little further back.Too far back, Ann thought, and she clenched her fists in to nervous balls. She noticed that Dean was carrying David’s backpack as well as his own, trying to help the big guy keep up she thought. Sam bounded along beside them barking like a wild thing trying to ward off the infected but it had no effect on them. Ann was sure she saw the closer ones reach out for him when they got close enough to him. Then David spun around and fired in to the oncoming tide. Ann flinched at the noise even though she knew it was coming. She couldn’t see what difference it made. She expected a couple of infected people to drop to the ground, but she didn’t see any fall.

  Any tiny slither of hope she might have had disappeared and she reached out and gripped Sarah’s shoulder tightly.

  As David turned back around and started running again the strap for his face mask snapped and it fell off. He let it go. He didn’t have time to stop and pick it up, and within a heartbeat it was trampled in to the dirty snow by the stampeding feet of the infected. Ann visibly shook seeing and realising how close the mottled people were. Gavin weaved through the cars like Ann and Sarah had until he reached the road block. He asked Ann between gasps why she hadn’t ran, and before she could answer he told her to h
ead for the overpass and see if they could get in to the Eastgate Centre before they all committed themselves to crossing the narrow overpass.

  “We don’t wanna get trapped on that overpass if we can’t get in,”he said.

  Ann nodded understanding and she grabbed Sarah’s hand.

  “C’mon,”she said.“We’re going again.”And they started running again as Gavin climbed between the cars taking up her position and drew his sword. It was heavy, he had to hold it with both hands. He felt silly holding it. Holding a sword of all things and actually meaning to use it for defence.

  Looking back, he saw that David had caught up to his brother and that they’d both picked up their pace.Probably able to breathe easier without the mask, he thought. It was good, but still not good enough.

  “C’MON!” Gavin screamed. “RUN!”

  He saw new figures coming through the dirty snow from just about everywhere. They just seemed to emerge from nowhere!

  He called after them again screaming so hard he hurt his throat.“HURRY UP, THEY’RE FUCKING EVERYWHERE!”

  Dean heard his brother, he knew things were bad. He drew his sword on the run and without knowing he even meant to, he swung the heavy blade blindly to his left. It was like a nervous kick as his nerves got the better of him, and the tip of the overly long blade swiped right passed the nose of an infected man he hadn’t realised was even there. He didn’t have time to react. He kept on running.

  David fired another shot, and this time the damage caused was obvious.

  An infected person came out of nowhere and headed straight for him. The gun was already primed. All he had to do was point and shoot. The muzzle flared bright orange and yellow, and the approaching figure flew backwards threw the air as the buck-shot blasted them point blank in the chest dissolving his rib cage. David didn’t look twice, he kept on running trying to keep pace with Dean and he primed the shotgun again ready for the next murderous flesh greedy infected person who got too close. He was relieved when he heard the next cartridge enter the chamber; he’d lost count of how many shots he’d fired since his last reload but either way he knew he had at least one in the chamber.

  Gavin saw an infected figure appear just off to Dean’s left. He yelled at Dean warning him, and Dean swung his sword with both hands. He didn’t even aim, he simply swung trusting his brother’s judgement and he smacked the figure he hadn’t seen right across the chest sending it stumbling backwards and off their feet. But the sword had hit the figure flat sided not causing any lasting damage and before the momentum from Deans swing had even dissipated the discoloured infected man was back up in a second and coming after him again!

  They’re getting faster, thought Gavin, when a noise behind him suddenly grabbed his attention!

  He spun around half flinching horrified to see an infected dog like the blackened abominations he’d fought earlier flying through the air straight towards him!

  Gasping he instinctively lifted his sword and pointed it towards the mutilated dog. The dog flew in to the end of the sword and the blade pierced through the flesh between its front legs at the base of its neck. Half of the blade disappeared in an instant as it sliced deep inside the dog, and it’s weight forced Gavin to lower the sword, letting the dog back on to the ground. The dog was completely unfazed by the wound. It snarled and snapped its jaw ferociously, spraying black spittle everywhere. Gavin couldn’t believe what was happening. He held the sword’s thick handle with white knuckles staring at the infected dog completely terrified as it crazily bucked and kicked, thrusting itself up the blade towards him. It pushed against the blade, straining as if it was pulling against an invisible lead. It was strong! It forced Gavin backwards as it inched further up the blade, working its way closer and closer to Gavin! As Gavin backed up he tried twisting the blade, trying to kill the infected dog but it had no effect, the terror dog kept on pushing. Gavin backed up until he bumped against the side of an abandoned van. He was trapped!

  The dog forced onwards bucking and kicking using its weight and kicking hard with its powerful back legs to thrust itself further up the blade closer to Gavin.

  Gavin could feel himself starting to panic. He’d lost control of his breathing and was only just able to keep a hold of the sword’s handle as the monstrous looking dog continued bucking and twisting like a fish out of water threatening to tear the handle from his hands.

  Gavin searched frantically for his torque wrench that he’d wedged between his back and rucksack.

  He reached around as fast as he could, feeling for it for a split second before grabbing a hold of the sword again. His fingers brushed over the end of it a couple of times but it was wedged in tight.

  He shimmied around pushed up against the van grabbing for it until he was sure he had it, and he did, for a second before it slid from his grasp and dropped to the ground.

  *****

  Ann ran over the overpass without looking back. Simply hearing it all was more than enough.

  She and Sarah reached the glass doors that fed in to the shopping centre only to find that they were locked.

  No big surprise, she thought as she wiped the filthy ash covered glass and peered through.

  The place was in darkness. There was no sign of life.

  She quickly rubbed another area of glass trying to get a better look, trying to keep her faint glimmer of optimism alive.

  It looked normal, like it had only just been locked up for the night. She couldn’t see any sign of reinforcements or barricades.Nothing!

  Definitely not a rescue centre, she thought feeling that sinking feeling start to wash over her.

  Through the doors there was a short entrance and amenities corridor. Ann could see vending machines just along from the men’s and ladies’toilet doors. Further along was a third door marked staff only that stood opposite an open stairway that lead both up and down to different levels of the multi-storey car park and beyond that and the end of the corridor she could just about see in to the shopping centre proper through another set of glass doors. It was too dark for her to tell if they were barricaded or not. She didn’t think they were.

  She stared for a moment letting her eyes adjust, and was just able to make out the edge of a jewellery shop at the end of the corridor that she knew was there. Knowing it was there helped. If she didn’t, it could be the edge of any shop, just another set of straight lines.

  She took a deep breath and sighed. There was no-one here. That was for sure.

  Sarah tugged at her arm and said between sobs.“Can we go in please? I don’t like it out here. Can we get Uncle David and the others and go in please?”

  Ann’s heart could’ve cracked right there. She didn’t really know what to say. She didn’t want to say anything and risk crushing the little girl’s hopes. She just couldn’t!

  “Stand back Sarah sweetie,”she said.“No-one’s in, so I’m gonna break the glass so we can all get in, ok.”

  Sarah nodded as Ann moved her a little further back from the doors. Ann kept Sarah facing the doors. She didn’t want the little girl to see what was coming for them.

  “Keep your eyes shut tight ok,”she said.“We don’t want any glass getting in them.”

  Sarah nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. Then Ann pulled out the socket wrench that Dean had given her back at the leisure centre and started hammering at the reinforced glass.

  It wasn’t the best tool for the job, it was a bit small and too light, but it was better than nothing.

  On her fifth all out strike Ann looked up to see what impact she was having. She yelped out with fear and jumped back from the door. There was a face looking back at her!

  *****

  Gavin slid down the side of the van to the ground to try and grab his torque wrench but he couldn’t reach it. He tried kicking the infected dog back without getting bitten but it was nearly impossible. The dog was completely wild and lightning fast. His grip on his sword was fading fast as the dog bucked and wriggled, relentlessly forcing itself f
orwards, oblivious to any pain. It looked terrible! Some of its spine was visible in places, it had missing paws that had been chewed down to the bone and its tail had been hacked or bitten off, leaving some tail-bone exposed, and its whole body was littered with deep bite marks that oozed inky black blood that made everything slippery.

  Gavin was running out of options, and he knew it!

  He yelled out with rage and fear trying desperately to kick the dog back with one almighty kick.

  The dog dodged to the side and Gavin missed. Low on energy he was slow pulling his leg back and the dog bit down hard on his ankle and shook it violently, like a feral dog would shake a rat. Gavin tried to scream but he started choking. He tried to catch his breath but couldn’t, he tried pulling his ankle free, but it was no use, the dog had him in a death grip! It tugged at his ankle and pulled him away from the side of the van trying to shake his bones out of their sockets and Gavin’s head hit the ground as he lost the support of the van behind him.

  The pain was excruciating. As the dog bit down incredibly hard it felt like his ankle was trapped in a vice that had teeth.

  Gavin tried to sit up. He wanted to kick the dog with his other leg but every time he tried, he was thrown back again as he was jerked and pulled along the ground by the hideous dog as it tried to shake his ankle a part. Gavin gasped for air as he fell back again, he knew his chances were disappearing fast!

  Thrusting himself up, he managed to prop himself up on his elbows. He pulled back with his free leg and kicked with his other, but there was no strength left in him.

  He tried again. Still not enough force. Not by far!

  The dog didn’t even notice his attempts at escape. He tried reaching for the wrench again, thinking it was his only hope now and not being sure where it was he let go of the sword with his left arm and fanned his arm out beside him, searching for it, ready to snatch his arm back and grab a hold of the sword any second if he had to.