As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  No-one said anything, they all understood and they set to finding more suitable clothing and started changing as fast as they could.

  *****

  David made sure his shotgun was reloaded and ready to go before he even thought about scavenging the shop. When he did, he gathered up everything he needed in to one neat bundle and changed as fast as he could and then repositioned his cartridge belts for easier access to the cartridges he had left, now that he’d used all of the easy to reach ones, his supply was dwindling.

  As the others changed down the shops aisles beside the racks of clothes the new guy with the baton introduced himself. He said his name was Sebastian, and he was a security guard for the Eastgate Centre and its multi-storey car park. He told everyone within hearing distance how he’d been stuck in the centre’s car park unable to get back up in to the main building after the power died and all the doors auto locked and the security keypads stopped working. He’d been eating out of the vending machines by the lifts trying to find the courage to venture out after seeing dozens upon dozens of people brutally attacked while they tried to re start their cars or escape. He’d seen it happen all around him.

  “The rabid people,”he said.“They came out of nowhere, from everywhere. All at the same time, making that strange sound! And they were all a weird greyish kind of black colour. Like rotting fruit, and their eyes were black!”

  The others were nodding between trying on clothes as he told them what had happened to him.

  “I didn’t know what to do. My radio wouldn’t work. The phones wouldn’t work, I was stuck down there alone, apart from those damn people with rabies. And it all happened so fast, too fast for me to do anything. I mean, I came running around the corner hearing the screams and there were dozens of people being attacked by their cars.Dozens of them!There was blood everywhere! It was over the cars, it was pooling across the floor. I just didn’t know what to do so I hid.I hid because I just didn’t know what else to do.”

  Dean saw that he was working himself up and he said,“We’re all in the same boat buddy, don’t worry about it, at least not right now. Nobody knew or knows what to do.”

  Everyone listening nodded and voiced their agreement.

  Sebastian nodded gratefully and continued.“I was starting to think I was stuck down there for good. I didn’t think I was ever going to get back out. I mean, I live with my old man and he’s not well if you know what I mean. He needs a visit from a carer on the days I’m working you know and I thought I was gonna have to leave him to fend for himself.”

  Sebastian’s voice started to waver a little. He stopped and coughed to clear his throat before he carried on.

  “That is until just now when I heard you guys coming. And that’s when I decided it was now or never, and I hoped that I mightactuallybe able to help someone. Maybe even get home to dad.”

  Gavin told him that they’d all do what they could to help him get back home and how grateful he was that he’d been there when he was.

  “If you weren’t there,”he said.“I’d be dead right now, no question about it. You saved my life.”

  Sebastian nodded blinking away tears and said,“I only hope that my dad’s safe.”

  He only just managed to finish talking as his voice tailed off and the tears started to flow.

  “We’ll help you get home,”said Gavin,“don’t worry about that.”And he ran through the getaway plans with him.

  *****

  After Ann finished helping Sarah change in to her new clothes leaving her looking like she was going on a skiing trip Sarah sat beside Sam holding on tight around his neck quietly crying as Ann joined the others and finished changing. Sam licked her cheek, relieved of his muzzle, then he drank some water out of the upturned mountain climbing helmet Dean had utilised using one of the shops plastic bags pushed down inside it to stop the water from pouring out through the ventilation slits, and then he ate an energy bar that Dean had opened and thrown over for him.

  “Listen to that,”Leann said to Andy, hearing the infected calls echo through the shopping centre.

  “I don’t think we have much longer!”

  Andy shook his head.“Me neither,”he said. Then he cleared his throat and raised his voice and said to everyone,“Take anything and everything you think you’re likely to need out there. Think for the long term. Think like you’re going to have to live out there for a while. There’s camping food and bottled water over there,”he said pointing.

  Leann stood up and said,“I’ll show them.”And she walked over to the two brothers as Ann joined them and they each set about packing rucksacks working as fast as they could as the morbid echoes grew louder. Dean packed a rucksack for Gavin while he pulled on a support for his ankle.

  Andy looked at David as he finished packing a rucksack and asked,“Where are you and your niece heading? We’re heading for Leann’s place up in Birchwood Estate to pick up her mum and maybe some more supplies before we head over to Collin’s place where he lives with his grandparents in Culloden. They sound pretty well stocked up and they’ve got room to spare by the sounds of it.”

  David looked at Andy utterly bewildered and suddenly realised he hadn’t thought about where he was going to go. Where he was going to take Sarah to keep her safe?

  After all he hadn’t planned on even leaving the shop.

  “I’m not sure.”he said.“We weren’t going to leave where we were. We, uh me and my niece were staying in the flat above my shop. The pawn shop on Castle Street you know?”Andy nodded.

  “I let these guys in with their dog when they ran through my backyard escaping from a group of infected people.‘I thought they were looters at first. But anyway, I didn’t think we’d have to leave the shop. I hoped the government would get things back under control you know. Seeing as they had a heads up with Norway and the rest of Europe you know.”

  Andy nodded and wondered how many other people felt the same way, and were holed up right now oblivious to what was really happening, and for how long this might actually go on for.

  “I had no idea what was going on outside, at least not really.”said David.“Not with the infected people and that, or whatever they are. I know that Dean and Gavin are planning something similar to you guys. They’re gonna drop Ann off with her family then head home themselves, to their parents near Cromarty someplace I think.”

  “What about Sarah’s parents?”said Andy.

  David shook his head,“They’re down in Aberdeen. My sister and her boyfriend went down for some last minute Christmas shopping.”He looked at Andy and nodded towards Sarah and whispered,“I haven’t heard from her since they dropped her off with me yesterday morning.”

  Andy nodded. He knew by the look on David’s face that he knew there was very little chance he’d ever see her again and he said,“Maybe you could both come with....”then he was cut short by the sound of breaking glass.

  Everyone froze as an enormous crash echoed through the shopping centre.

  Andy jumped out in to the aisle looking back the way they’d come.

  The primitive gurgling calls rose up loud jumping a hundred decibels at once!

  “We need to go, andNOW!”he said, as he unfolded his ice axe.

  “Leann, Collin,everyone,” he said.“We need to get out of here.”

  Sam joined Andy outside the shop and trotted along the aisle a little way ahead of him with his head down and his hackles up. He growled quietly looking in to the darkness.

  David grabbed Sarah and finished zipping her new jacket up for her and tightened her backpack that Ann had packed for her.“It’s ok,”he told her.“Just don’t panic ok, panic is bad ok?”

  She nodded.

  Collin joined Andy with his ice-axe in his hand.

  “Don’t wait with me,”said Andy,“start moving, I’ll catch you up, I’m just keeping watch.”

  Collin nodded about to answer Andy when something crashed loudly down the aisle!

  They both looked in to the darkness, ri
gid with tense muscles.

  The calls were clearer than ever, they were louder. Closer!

  Something else crashed somewhere.

  “Where do you want us to go?”said Collin as Sebastian emerged unrecognisable in his new clothing. He heard Collin and said,“I know where there’s a staff fire exit that leads up on to the roof. From there are several options we can take to get back down to street level.”

  Now that he had an escape plan to follow the others to a certain point before heading off on his own, Sebastian seemed more with it, energised even now that he had a valid way of getting back home to his dad.

  “Good,” said Andy.“Take the others with you. I’ll follow you. I’m just waiting until everyone’s out of here.”Sebastian nodded and started off down the empty aisle leading the others as they rushed out of the shop pulling on packed rucksacks and zipping up new jackets. Dean was last out making sure no-one and nothing was left behind. He told Andy the shop was clear and called Sam who spun around and ran to join him. Andy turned and joined him in running after the others as one singular gurgle droned above all the others vibrating along the aisles behind them.

  They both stopped and glanced back with their hearts in their mouths, it sounded close, too close! The aisle was still clear. Relieved, they hurried along behind the others and caught them up.

  The group ran along the dark aisles aided a little by the frequent lightning that shone in through the roof-lights. They followed Sebastian turning corners left and right checking it was safe to do so first before exposing themselves.

  “How far?”said Collin.

  “Not too far now,”said Sebastian keeping the pace up until they reached a cross junction where their aisle crossed paths with another one. They stopped to check the joining aisles were clear.

  Dean took the left corner and Sebastian took the right. Dean indicated that his side was clear with a silent thumbs up. Sebastian nodded and returned the gesture, and the group started to cross the void. Suddenly Sam lurched in to the mouth of the left aisle and started barking. Everyone jumped and Leann yelped out without meaning to. Sam looked down the aisle Dean had checked barking hysterically. But when Dean looked, it was clear. He couldn’t see what Sam was barking at. None of them could.

  Dean grabbed a hold of Sam’s collar wanting to quieten him before he drew too much attention, and as he wrapped his fingers around Sam’s collar that singular infected call he’d heard with Andy, boomed out at them all from the darkness making Sarah cry out. Before anyone said anything one lone figure appeared from the shadows halfway down the aisle.

  It stepped out of the darkness and stood in the middle of the aisle.

  Sam jumped and bucked going wild as Dean held on to him and the figure slowly raised one arm and pointed at them both as it called out, making that bellowing, almost thunderous noise alerting the other infected people elsewhere in the centre.

  “SHIT SAM, C’MON WE GOTTA GO!” yelled Dean pulling Sam back, trying to turn and run after the others who’d already taken flight following Sebastian.

  But Sam was hysterical and Dean couldn’t budge him.

  “Sam, for fuck sake, let’sGO!Everyone’s ok, they’re all running away look.LOOK!”he said forcing Sam’s head around to see the group leaving as Gavin screamed back glancing over his shoulder.“C’MON DEAN, FUCKING RUN!”

  Sam groaned snapping out of it and looked back at Dean.

  He gave Dean an urgentWOOF and tugged towards the others.

  Dean let him go knowing it was safe to and that they’d both be quicker running solo, and they sprinted after the others as an army of infected figures poured in to the aisle behind the shrieking one, following its call to arms. Dean chased after the others as fast as he could, knowing his life depended on it. The heavy sword swung madly from its shoulder strap, thumping the wall one second and scraping the floor the next. Members of the group constantly looked back at him, checking he was still there. The look on their faces when they saw what was coming after them, bounding along behind him told Dean all he needed to know. He ran like he’d never run before, repeatedly telling Sam who kept pace with him to keep on going. He was scared that he’d try to stand his ground again. But he didn’t, not yet at least, his close encounter with the terror dog had taught him enough to know that the discoloured noisy people weren’t normal anymore.

  Raucous gurgles and thunderous footsteps chased them, echoing and bouncing off the aisle walls and shop windows. To Sebastian up front, it felt like they were being surrounded.

  Suddenly Sam spun around and barked like he was out of control, bouncing up and down on his front paws spitting strands of saliva everywhere. His outburst only lasted for a few seconds before he span back around and ran after Dean but Dean now knew that the infected were gaining. He knew that he was losing ground to the monsters.

  He yelled at Sam, telling him not to stop again when ahead of him the group darted right and disappeared around a T junction. As they passed the turn several of them glanced back at him to make sure he was still running and making sure he saw which way they were going.

  “Go on!”he yelled.“I’m coming.”

  They disappeared around the corner of a perfume shop at break-neck speed with squealing trainers struggling for grip on the linoleum floor. Dean took the corner a few seconds behind them. He looked at the window of the clothes shop opposite the junction using the plate glass as a mirror. A chill raced down his spine!

  The reflection was a mass of movement chasing after him and Sam. The aisle was packed from wall to wall and nearly from floor to ceiling with infected people as the faster ones continuously scrambled over the top of the slower ones, trampling them without a second thought. Some were even deliberately knocking others to the ground to get one step closer to the front, kicking legs out from under the ones in front, or ramming them against the wall.

  Dean rounded the corner and looked ahead at the others following Sebastian and he hoped that this fire exit he was running for wasn’t much further.

  The infected were gaining and he was sure that this aisle, as long as it was, was a dead end. He was sure of it!

  Panic nipped at his heels telling him that this was all wrong, telling him that Sebastian had taken a wrong turn. Telling him that they were all about to become trapped!

  He knew that if they had doors to go through and locks to fiddle with, they were done for!

  He was so caught up with this thought that he didn’t realise he was gaining on the others, and fast! Beginning to realise, but doubting his eyesight he thought,If they have stopped, they’d better be damn fast with those keys!

  Gavin stepped away from the others and waved at him confirming his thoughts.

  “HURRY!” he yelled. Then movement caught Dean’s eye.

  He looked passed Gavin and up. Someone was climbing the wall! As he ran and he watched he realised they were all climbing! He couldn’t understand it. Climbing on what he wondered.

  As he ran he saw them climb one after the other following Sebastian. Then David caught his attention as he walked towards Gavin leaving the group. He stepped passed Gavin, he worked the pump action mechanism priming the gun. Behind him Dean saw Andy lift Sarah up to someone before starting to climb up himself.

  Gavin yelled for Dean to hurry again as David urged him to start climbing.“You’ll only slow us down if we have to wait for you to climb up in front of us,”he told him. So Gavin started his climb constantly looking back at his brother.

  “C’MON!” yelled David.“You’ve got some space behind you, but not much.”

  Then he raised the gun.

  Dean pumped his legs as fast as he possibly could practically kicking the ground with each stride as the noise behind him gradually crept up on him, reeling him in. As he came closer Dean realised how they were climbing. There was a cluster of small letterbox shaped alcoves in the wall where multi coloured LED lights usually shone, constantly changing colour. There were sets of them scattered about the building that he knew in
that instant, he’d walked passed countless times oblivious to what they really were. They formed a ladder in the wall that led up on to a ledge that ran along the line of roof- lights. One of the roof-lights doubled up as a door and Sebastian had opened it, letting everyone out on to the roof.

  As soon as Dean and Sam were within a close distance David started firing passed them, lighting the place up with the muzzle flare and completely deafening them in the confined space.

  “Sorry boy,”Dean told Sam.“You aren’t gonna like this.”And as he neared the camouflaged ladder he leaned down and grabbed hold of Sam’s mane. He gathered up as much flesh and fur as he could with one hand and lifted him up, half swinging him using their forwards momentum to send him up towards Gavin’s open arms. Sam didn’t utter a single sound as Gavin reached out and caught him.

  “START CLIMBING!” David hollered between shots backing up.

  Dean started climbing, concentrating hard on where the foot-holes were when hands reached down and grabbed the loop on top of his rucksack. They pulled hard and simply hauled him straight up on to the ledge. It was Andy and Gavin. Then without a word they pushed him through the open roof- light on to the roof where the others were waiting, all masked up and braving the freezing wind and the pelting black snow.

  Sam let out a triumphantWOOF seeing him as Sarah cuddled in to him.

  Behind him Andy and Gavin reached down and hauled David up and out still shooting. Andy shut the roof-light and turned the handle down in to the locked position.

  “Where to now?”he said looking at Sebastian.“We can’t hang around, those things are already climbing over each other to get up here.”

  “This way,”said Sebastian turning around, and he started walking.

  Everyone followed him as he trudged through the deep snow that had settled on the large roof, leaning in to the bitter wind as it rushed passed nipping at any exposed skin.

  Andy saw where the roof followed on over to the supermarket, across the roof of the overpass and he thought of Thom and instantly felt an enormous guilt for not being faster. For not saving him.