by Rich Hawkins
As dawn approached, he wandered through dead streets and went down to the seafront. On the way, he had been certain he could hear orchestral music in the distance, but dismissed it as his damaged mind playing games with him.
Now, he stood on the beach, pistol in one hand, tempted to listen to a little voice in his mind which promised peace and escape if only he had the nerve to raise the gun to his head and pull the trigger. He had plenty of time to consider the option.
The sea horizon was empty. The ships were gone. Abandoned belongings and trash scattered around him. Handbags, suitcases, and toys. A shoe. A guitar. Empty soft drinks cans. The blackened remains of campfires, all ash and charred wood. All the things the refugees left behind.
A Union flag drifted in the frothing surf, and there was silence save for the whispering waves. Guppy sat on the sand and watched the water for a long while as the sun rose from beyond the sea. His mission was over. This was journey’s end. And despite his anger and despair, he wished Colleen and Alfie well and hoped they would survive an uncertain future in a world of hungry monsters.
The sky was turning from black to grey to something like the shades of bruised skin. The arrival of first light as gulls wheeled high overhead and lamented the birth of another day.
The cries of approaching infected from within the town rose above the sound of the sea. He wondered how many there were, and then realised he didn’t care. A feeling of ambivalence washed over his exhausted body. It was good to finally let go of the things he had lost.
Face your accusers, John.
The infected were almost upon him when he stood and turned to them with a trembling smile and his last few bullets.
THE END
ALSO BY RICH HAWKINS
The Last Outpost (Crowded Quarantine, 2015)
The Last Soldier (Crowded Quarantine, 2016)
Deathcrawl (2016)
King Carrion (Sinister Horror Company, 2016)
The Plague Winter (Infected Books, 2016)
Ruin (Dark Minds Press, 2016)
Scavengers (2016)
Under the Red Meadow (2016)
Black Star, Black Sun (Black Shuck Books, 2018)
Maniac Gods (Sinister Horror Company, 2018)
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