As the Light Dies

by M. D. Woodham

  The greyhound’s most notable wound was around its already very narrow waist where deep bite marks gave the impression that its rear legs were only just holding on to the rest of the body via sinuous threads of flesh and muscle. All three dogs leapt to the road in unison.

  The three-legged dog landed short not having the same power as the others with its missing leg.

  It landed in the bank of ploughed snow along the edge of the road. David was quick to react. He swung his primed shotgun up under his arm using the shoulder strap and in to his hands and fired from the hip. He aimed a hand’s width below its head as it tried to climb out of the piled snow. Muzzle flare scorched the air and lit up the bank. There was an explosion of black snow as compacted buck shot sliced through the ploughed drift unhindered and the base of the dog’s neck simply disappeared dragged inwards in to its chest cavity by the buckshot as it raced in between its front legs on target.

  The dog dropped to the snow and rolled on to its side, the head rolled away from the body still attached by a slither of short haired skin. But that was all....the monster stayed down.

  Out of sight around the bend behind everyone, the noise alerted the mass of infected people trying to pick up a lead. They all turned towards the gunshot and formed a solid wave of morbidly discoloured bodies and began their charge.

  The group couldn’t see them yet but they heard them as their frantic calls rang in their ears and filled them with dread, and without realising it the group became separated by the dogs.

  The dogs worked so fast that it had already happened before anyone even realised what the dogs were trying to do, and by then it was too late!

  Andy Ann and Collin were confronted by the greyhound. Its teeth permanently exposed through its mostly lipless snout snapped at them sending black spittle flying everywhere.

  Andy and the other two pulled out their ice-axes and started swinging them out in front of themselves trying to ward it off.

  In the other part of the group Dean and Gavin drew their swords, Sebastian extended his security baton and Leann unfolded her pink ice-axe and they formed a protective square around Sarah while David who by sheer luck had avoided being herded at the last second tried to get a clear shot on either dog, but he couldn’t. The dogs were staying in too close. Any shot he took right now would definitely injure someone, and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take....yet!

  Gavin was the first to try taking a swipe at the large dog but the dog was fast and dodged him.

  Then as the weight of the sword and his swing’s momentum carried him around, the dog tried to come in at him behind his swing!

  Sebastian and Leann both called out but Dean was ready for it and he took a swipe. He missed the dog as it dodged him as well moving fast, but he saved Gavin from getting bitten. Just.

  The sound the dogs made was the same horrendous mix between an infected gurgle and a painful howl that the brothers and Ann had heard before. It terrified Sarah.

  David was shouting at everyone to try and draw the dogs out to give him a clear shot. He pointed the gun in all directions frantically trying to find a clear shot he could take, but it was no good. The dogs stayed in close almost like they knew he wouldn’t take the risk. As Andy swung his ice-axe he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and looked. The horde had rounded the bend!

  He saw them at the same time they saw him with the others and their gurgles deepened, they were coming fast!

  “SHIT!We’ve gotta move or we’re dead,”he said. Then he yelled out,“DAVID!” and he ran at the greyhound screaming and thrashing his axe from side to side trying to push it in to open ground.

  The dog dodged left. Andy went left. The dog dodged right. Andy went right.

  Andy kept on trying to chase the dog back only just managing to dodge the dog’s own advances on him as he did. The greyhound was fast. It stayed just out of Andy’s reach and pounced in behind every one of his swings gunning for him. Andy had a few close calls.

  “C’MON MAN!” Andy yelled at David urging him to move in and take a shot.

  David moved this way and that, trying to get in to a good position to take a shot but it just wasn’t working.“I’m fucking trying!”he said through gritted teeth as he jumped from one foot to the other. He decided to charge at the dog himself, hoping that if the dog decided to go for him, he’d have room to shoot.

  The dog backed away from him at the same time as it dodged a swipe from Andy and David managed to work his way up behind Andy. He took aim but Andy moved in his way flinching back avoiding the dog as it lunged at him!

  David aimed again ready to pull the trigger any second. Then as he flexed his trigger finger certain he had the dog a safe distance from Andy, when Andy jumped back again avoiding the dog as it lunged at him and he only just avoided a bite as the dog’s snout brushed over the cuff of his jacket. David threw the gun high certain he’d pulled the trigger but it didn’t fire. He knew he had to take a shot soon or it would be too late, someone would get bitten sooner or later.

  “C’MON DAVID!” hollered Andy under his breath oblivious to how close he’d come to being shot. Then he swung at the dog again. David inched closer moving around with Andy trying his best to mirror the smaller man’s actions until he saw his chance and he fired as Andy suddenly threw himself back narrowly avoiding a bitten face as the dog jumped up on its back legs.

  David threw the barrel high just in the nick of time and the muzzle flare blazed bright just over Andy’s head!

  “FUCKING HELL!” yelped Andy realising how close he’d come to being shot this time.

  The dog glanced up at the muzzle flare. Andy saw his chance and swung his ice-axe as fast and as hard as he could putting all his weight in to the swing but the dog flinched back at the last second, moving back just far enough for the blade to brush some of its hairs and swing passed. The force of the swing spun Andy around and he slipped in the snow and fell face down. The dog recoiled from Andy’s swing and pounced straight back!

  Ann screamed seeing how things were playing out right in front of her. Andy heard her and guessed what was about to happen. He held his hands up to protect his face and throat and tensed up flexing every muscle in his body waiting for the attack when he was deafened by a gunshot far too close by for comfort.

  His eyes shut tight in reflex and the wind was knocked out of him as the dog fell on to his stomach. Andy opened his eyes fast and saw the dog on top of him. Its gnarly snout was inches from his face. He reached up and grabbed the dog’s snout lightning fast and forced it back.

  His arms locked out easily.

  There was no resistance. The dog didn’t try to fight back. It didn’t snap at his face and it’s paws hung limp.

  He dared to look up and he saw that the back if the dog’s head and some of its mane were missing, blown away with the blast. Relieved he rolled the dog off and started to get back up a little shaken.

  Ann was standing nearby still screaming and looking at him in terror, she was certain he was a goner.“Hey,”he said getting to his knees.“Hey it’s ok....”then the gnarled head suddenly spun around!

  It was so close that the dog’s torn up snout thumped the toe of Andy’s boot.

  Andy’s eyes opened wide and he kicked himself away as the dog started pawing at him with its two front legs and it tried to bite him.

  David was already in motion. He rammed his shotgun’s barrel down against the remains of the dog’s snapping head and jammed it against the ground. Then he pulled the trigger and blew it to smithereens.

  David helped Andy back on to his feet. He was splattered all over with black and infected spittle and blood.

  “Thanks,”said Andy unable to hear himself over the ringing in his ears and they ran to help the others still struggling with the other dog.

  As Andy, David and Ann ran over to the others they saw the infected wave coming for them. It was getting close!

  “Shit, we’re in trouble,”said Andy. David nodded, he was busy reloading.
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  Dean and Gavin were still fighting with the big dog with Sam circling them trying to protect them. He leapt back and forth barking and howling but was handicapped by his muzzle.

  Sebastian and Leann held Sarah between them while the brothers tried to strike down the dog with their heavy swords. Dean did manage to catch the dog with the tip of his sword as it recoiled from one of Gavin’s swings and he sliced its shoulder open. But it wasn’t enough, the infected dog didn’t even flinch, nor did it slow down. It just turned its attack on to him!

  It came in close at lightning speed nearly nipping his knee before backing off again as he swung at it but missed again, and as the big dog recoiled it turned towards Sebastian, Leann and Sarah. It was too fast for the brothers to react and it darted around them, easily dodging their heavy swords and ran straight for Sebastian and Leann and Sarah and pounced!

  Both brothers yelled out in panic, and Sam leapt at the infected dog howling like an attacking wolf! He crashed in to the side of the infected dog in mid air, stopping it in its tracks. They both tumbled to the ground but with his mouth bound by his muzzle Sam couldn’t fight, and the infected dog threw Sam off, readied itself and pounced again screeching its morbid cry!

  Leann pulled Sarah behind her still screaming and winced waiting for the impact as she held her ice- axe out in front of her watching as the dog started to descend towards her and Sarah after reaching the highest point of its jump. Then its insides spewed out through a shotgun’s blast sized hole in its side that turned the terror dog inside out before it hit the ground.

  From where Leann was the muzzle flash seemed to burn straight through the dogs body for a split second before the force of the shot threw the dog in to a sideways barrel roll before it landed in a tangled heap.

  Sebastian exhaled a deep breath he’d been holding, he looked like he was about to pass out.

  He looked around at the others glad to see everyone was ok especially David, the man with the gun, as he ran to Sarah and lifted her up and hugged her. Sarah disappeared in his meaty arms for a second as he held her tight before letting her back down.

  “RUN GUYS!”yelled Andy.“WE DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME!”

  They all turned to run when Leann screeched at Sebastian,“LOOK OUT!”

  He turned to look as David fired again almost aiming right at him. He flinched to the side feeling buckshot peppering his rucksack. Next he felt a nipping burning heat against his arm. He looked and saw some tiny holes in the sleeve of his jacket. Buckshot had torn through his sleeve and was starting to burn his arm.

  “SHIT!” he said as he started patting his arm to stop the burning.

  Wanting to see what David had shot at he looked around as Andy yelled,“YOU’RE OK, NOW RUN!”

  Before he did he saw that just a foot behind him lay the headless front legs and meaty shoulders of the dog. He only needed one guess to what had happened. He turned and ran after the others sprinting for his life. David let off a few more shots as he ran but they were back to the same situation as before where his shots didn’t make any visible difference.

  The infected crowd chasing them down was huge. It was far bigger than before. It had been constantly growing as more and more infected people heard the calls and came to join in the chase for living meat. They came up against abandoned traffic on the road and had to start weaving around it.

  There were cars and vans and even an abandoned snowplough along with some haulage trucks.

  Through the lightning flashes they could see that they were nearing Millburn Roundabout.

  Andy yelled over to Dean,“We should split up at the roundabout. You and Gavin can turn left and climb up on to the dual carriageway and head home. We’ll go right and cut through to Raigmore Estate for Ann and then we’ll take the rest as it comes.”

  He barely managed to finish between gasps for air.

  Dean glanced at Gavin wanting to know what he thought. Gavin nodded and said,“Thatwaskinda the plan to start with. Get Ann this far. Maybe a little closer if we could, but this far at the very least. And then head home. Those fuckers might even slow down or something when we go our separate ways. It might confuse them or something you know.”

  David fired two more shots one after the other before his trigger clicked on empty. He cursed himself for losing count and started reloading on the run dropping a hand full of cartridges as he slid in the snow and with only one cartridge left in his hand, he loaded it and fired aiming for the closest runner he saw and managed to take down two of them with the shot as the buckshot sprayed out. Amazed at his luck, he spun around and carried on running, trying to load more cartridges.

  The group weaved through the abandoned vehicles with ease, they were fast. They were breaking away from David a little more every time he turned to shoot. And even though Ann was carrying Sarah she kept up a good pace, darting between vehicles managing to keep her footing. The little girl was no heavier than her own rucksack in her arms.

  “It’s the best thing we can do,”called Andy,“and like Gavin said, they might even slow down or something. At the very least they’ll have to split up.”

  Dean was nodding.

  “There’s no point you guys heading up to Raigmore Estate, it’ll just hold you both back from getting home for even longer. I’ll get Ann back home, I promise.”

  Dean thought about it as he dodged cars and hoped over drifts. He really wanted to make sure Ann got home before he and Gavin headed home. That was the plan.

  But what choice did they have now, he thought.

  “OK,”he yelled, then asked,“where’s your final destination? So we can find you, if we need to.”They hadn’t gone in to specifics earlier, there wasn’t time.

  Collin called over hearing him,“My grandparent’s place at the top of Burn Brae. Biggest bungalow there, double garage with green doors.”

  That was enough info for Dean, he’d find it if he had to.“Ok,”he yelled.

  “And you?”yelled Andy, all he’d heard about where they were going was that it was near Cromarty, and that was from David.

  Dean yelled across,“Small holding looking over the Cromarty Firth. Turn right at the Cromarty Bridge and follow the....”gut wrenching screams cut him short!

  It was Ann and Leann. They’d stretched out their lead ahead of the men and they were screaming hysterically! They were screaming over and over for David to shoot, but he was too far back having fallen behind the group.

  Sarah held on to Ann so tightly she was nearly stopping Ann from breathing, she was screaming and shaking with fear. The women were pointing at something that none of the men could see! Whatever it was, it was around the other side of an abandoned bus that had skidded part way across the road. Collin was first around the front of the bus and he fell back instantly, holding a hand up to his dust mask like he was covering his mouth.

  The gut wrenching screaming and yelling continued until it began to turn to gurgling shrieks!

  An infected man in nothing but a dirty red dressing gown had bolted straight in to Sebastian!

  He’d appeared through the ash too fast for Sebastian to do anything about, and they slammed in to each other. Sebastian was knocked off his feet and sent flying backwards on to the ground. The infected man was on him in the blink of an eye!

  Sebastian tried beating the infected man with his security baton but it was no use, they were on the ground and he couldn’t get in a decent swing.

  Sebastian thrashed wildly, trying to push the infected man off but he was too fast and too savage. He bit Sebastian’s fingers off as he tried to defend himself by pushing the infected man back. The man bit down on anything close enough to bite. The man forced Sebastian's arms down against the ground pining him there, then leaned in and bit down hard on Sebastian's neck and started tearing out mouthfuls of neck muscle and windpipe. Sebastian screamed as blood gushed from his neck saturating the infected man as he fidgeted around on top of him excitedly. Sebastian’s blood ran back in to his torn wind pipe and turned his scr
eams in to gurgles!

  The infected man thrust Sebastian’s head to one side and buried his face in the wound practically drinking the gushing blood. The women were helpless to do anything, they were frozen with fear.

  The man leaned back with a long shaking piece of Sebastian caught between his teeth, some piece of his body never meant to see the light of day!

  Sebastian’s body shook and twitched underneath the man. The women could hear him still trying to breathe through his semi-eaten windpipe. Air whistled through the jagged hole and bubbled and popped as blood poured in restricting the air flow.

  The man’s attack was relentlessly brutal. It was almost like he was trying to dig a hole through Sebastian with his teeth. Then he pulled back and turned his attention on to Sebastian’s face.

  First tearing back skin and flesh from the Sebastian’s gaping neck wound, clawing at it with his hands stretching and pulling and tearing skin and flesh. For a sickening second it actually looked like he was trying to peel Sebastian’s head!

  David reached the scene just in front of Dean, Gavin and Andy. He’d sprinted all out, frantic with worry that something had happened to Sarah.

  When he arrived he gasped behind his mask when he saw Sebastian.

  He searched the scene making sure it was safe to fire, raised the gun and pulled the trigger....click! The cartridge jammed!

  “FUCK!” he cursed and started furiously rattling the gun as Dean and Gavin came bounding around the other side of the bus with Andy.

  “Holy shit!” said Gavin as Andy swung his ice-axe over his head and brought it down hard, sinking the jagged blade deep in to the infected attackers back just below his right shoulder blade.