‘They think the Irish bitch is coming back to save them.’ It was Elizabeth who stepped forward from the group. ‘They think she will return with others to help them.’
Gold’s eye’s started to bulge, Harry James took a pace back as he knew what might be coming next.
‘I’m sick to fucking death of all this ungratefulness, who the hell do you lot think you are?’ He withdrew his pistol. ‘I’m not asking ladies, I’m telling you. Now get in the fucking trailer.’
One by one, they hauled themselves up and moved slowly inside. Elizabeth was just about climb inside when Gold stopped her. ‘You can ride up front with us.’ He called over to Harry James. ‘You, ride in the back with them, keep an eye on them. Keep an eye on our more interesting passengers too. I don’t want any more cock ups, okay?’
Harry James nodded. He knew this wasn’t a good thing, he was basically being demoted by the small woman who arse licked Gold to buggery. Maybe his time was getting close too.
‘Archie.’ Gold snapped. ‘Give Harry your gun, he will need some back up in there.’
Archie reluctantly gave his comrade his trusted rifle. ‘Look after it.’
Harry James said nothing, he was just glad to have the gun.
Chapter Sixteen
‘There, on the road!’ Hannah shouted.
‘What?’ Iris narrowed her eyes but couldn’t see anything.
‘There, another one.’ Hannah pointed.
‘Stop the truck, I can see them too.’ Roger called over to Iris.
Iris slowed the truck down to a standstill and applied the handbrake. ‘Right, what the hell have you two seen?’
Without answering Roger jumped out of the cab and onto the track below. He spotted another yellow message ahead of him and jogged up to read it.
‘Are you going to tell me what is going on?’ Iris arrived at his shoulder.
‘A message from Jake.’ Roger pointed at the floor.
‘What the hell does that mean?’ It looked like a load of jumbled numbers to Iris.
‘They're going to wait for us at the Bath junction of the M4.’
Iris then spotted the wisps of smoke rising into the air ahead of them. She turned around to see the advancing girls. ‘Get back in the truck!’ She shouted.
Roger could see the smoke and realised what Iris was doing. ‘Lou, get back in the truck and take Alice with you.’
Hannah could see the panic in Iris’s eyes and realised that she didn’t want Alice to see the burnt ruins of her home. She grabbed the girls and ushered them back to the cab of the truck.
Roger looked over at Iris. ‘Good call, I didn’t even think.’
‘That’s the last thing the poor little mite needs to see, she’s been through enough.’
Both Iris and Roger walked to the brow of the hill and looked down at the blackened shell that used to be Wisteria Hall.
‘Christ what a mess.’ The last time Roger saw the huge mansion house he had enjoyed a bacon roll in the orangery.
‘It was awful, total madness.’ Iris’s thoughts went back to the small boy killed in front of his father, evil had been at work that day. ‘At least you know your friends are safe, that’s something.’
‘Yes, that is great news, not too much of that around at the moment.’ Roger really hoped he would find his house and family intact when he finally got back home. ‘We need to head straight for the Bath junction.’
‘After you help me.’ Iris didn’t mean to rain on his parade but he'd promised her. ‘I’m saving my friends first from that mad man.’
‘He won’t be there.’
‘You don’t know that.’ Iris was a bit put out on how this man presumed to know the whereabouts of her friends and Lonny Gold. ‘You know nothing of them, or him.’
‘I know he will be heading south.’ Roger turned and walked back slowly down the small incline.
Iris pulled at his arm to hold him back. ‘If you know something you had better tell me.’
Roger stopped walking. ‘He's after her.’ He motioned to the truck.
Iris was confused and her eyebrows squished together.
‘He's after Lou Pepper and Angel, they escaped from him about two weeks ago.’
‘Oh my God fathersm, that was them?’ Iris now understood.
‘You've heard of them?’
‘Only that they escaped at some racecourse. We knew he was obsessed with getting them back but not to this extent.’
‘Well I worked it out yesterday, that’s how I know they will be heading south.’ Roger held the top of Iris’s arm. ‘I promised I would help and I will. Just trust me on this one, he's after the girl’s.’
Iris nodded and they continued to walk towards the truck.
As they neared something caught Roger’s eye hanging in the tree. ‘What is that?’
Before Iris could reply he was off climbing up a hedge and reaching into the small Lilac tree. There he plucked out a small teddy bear that had been secreted amongst the green leaves.
‘Oh my, how did you spot that?’ Iris helped Roger come down from the hedge.
‘It’s Lou’s.’ Roger looked at it with some sense of hate. ‘This is why they came back.’
‘For a teddy?’
‘Don’t ask.’ Roger shook his head. Then he could feel a stiffness beneath the stuffing of the teddy bear and on a closer inspection he noticed a small hole in its back. ‘It has a present for us.’
‘A present?’ Iris thought Roger was losing the plot.
He reached inside and pulled out a small piece of cardboard. He unscrewed it and started to read.
Roger and my dearest Lou Pepper. If you find this then all is good and you can see by Jake’s crude attempts at a secret code that we are heading south to meet you both. We have found another survivor who is helping us, please stay on course and we will see you both soon. Love, Angel X.
Angel and Roger had never quite hit it off but the note warmed his heart. They were safe and had found a new fellow survivor. This gave Roger hope, they were all finding more people who hadn’t been infected, he so hoped Suzanne and the girls would be safe and well.
He handed the note to Iris to read but most importantly he ran to the truck and gave Lou the teddy bear that she had thought she would never see again. Was he becoming soft? He didn’t care, to see the glee in the little girl’s eyes was tonic enough for anyone.
Chapter Seventeen
For the next two days Jake, Angel and Yanto trekked from Tickhill via Ravenshead to Coalville.
Just over forty miles a day was enough for any horse laden with an adult and kit. Yanto explained they could have probably gone for a few more miles, but you must look after your horse. One day of excursion could set you back days if your animal picked up an injury. Besides, he wanted to stop at Ravenshead. According to him it was where the ancient pilgrims used to stay in the Middle Ages, so it was good luck.
The second day was fraught with avoidance of the infected. There weren’t armies of them marauding across the hills, but rather small isolated groups, picking off farm animals and rotting corpses. Instead of attacking them and making an issue out of their appearance, the threesome trekked around these incidents, bypassing the grisly scenes and staying under the radar. Yanto was keen to get to Bath as quickly as he could, he had decided he might venture across the border into Wales and over to Pontypool to look for any of his family that might have survived. They decided to set up camp just outside Coalville on the side of a small hill for protection. Yanto kept watch for most of the night while the other two slept soundly in the makeshift tent of rope and a large canvas sheet. Just as the sun rose he decided to ride into Coalville to look for fresh supplies.
Jake rolled over onto his right side and was greeted with a smiling Angel. ‘Good morning.’ He whispered half under his blanket not too sure how his morning breath smelt.
‘I bet you hoped waking up next to me like this would be in a very different situation, didn’t you?’ Angel giggled.
‘That was one of the hardest night’s sleep I have had for a long time.’ Jake rubbed his eyes.
Angel said nothing but pulled a face which was followed by a laugh.
Jake laughed too as he realised what he had said. ‘That’s your filthy mind.’ He paused for a second. ‘You’re not far wrong though.’ He laughed again.
Angel playfully hit his arm and the two settled down on the one pillow that Jake had given to Angel. She looked into his eyes, he looked so settled lying there, as if nothing was wrong with the world. He even had a small twinkle in his eyes and she noticed his dimples as he smiled.
Jake moved closer, this was too good an opportunity to miss. Angel couldn’t make any excuses now and there wasn’t any outside distractions to waylay them. He kissed her gently, she kissed him back. He slipped his arm around her and the kissing became more passionate, Jake wished for it to never stop, it didn’t need too and he let his emotional guard down and threw himself into a lustful embrace. Angel pushed his arm back and moved herself around him so he was now underneath her. She had waited a long time for this. She had fought with herself on what to do, but she had made up her mind a few days ago. Jake was not a convenience, or a small ray of sunshine in a bleak world, she actually really liked him. He was a positive man, a strong man, a man with a good moral compass, plus she fancied the pants off him. She pushed his arms back as she straddled him, she wanted him now more than she could remember wanting any man she had ever been with. Angel bent down and gently kissed him, teasing him with her tongue.
‘Get out of the tent!’ A welsh voice called out in the distance, it was Ianto and it sounded very urgent.
Jake's first thought was that it was some sort of sick joke and pulled Angel closer. He was nearly at the point of no return. And desperately wanted to slip out of his clothes.
‘Quick, get out of the tent!’ The voice was louder and nearer and this time Jake knew it was no joke.
Scrambling to the opening he popped his head out and was hit by the fresh air and the morning light.
‘For fucks sake, get out!’
Jake could see the whites of Ianto’s eyes. He was sat on Thunderchild, screaming at him and letting off a volley of arrows from his large wooden bow. They flew over the tent and he turned to see the small spears pierce their targets as what looked like more than a hundred naked savages sprinting up the hill towards their makeshift camp. Without speaking, Jake grabbed Angel and hauled her out in the open and they both ran to their horses.
Ianto fired another four arrows in the direction of the marauding horde and then withdrew his two side swords. The group of bloodied crazies suddenly stopped, all stood in a single file, staring and growling at the three healthy humans, sat on their horses.
‘What the fuck is going on?’ Jake shouted over to Yanto. ‘I thought you were on look out?’
Yanto shrugged. ‘Sorry boyo, it was all quiet on the western front so I went into to town to get supplies.’ He held up a small plastic bag and smiled. ‘I found some black pudding too, I was really looking forward to it.’
‘No time for that now.’ Angel called out. ‘We need to split.’
‘Where too?’ Yanto pointed behind him, more infected had arrived from the rear.
‘That little band of survivors we came across were right, the infected are everywhere.’ Jake looked all around him.
‘Why aren’t they attacking?’ Angel asked.
‘Remember York, they study before the big fight.’ Jake had hoped that he wouldn’t have to witness this again.
For a few seconds, silence shrouded the countryside. Yanto rode up to Jake and passed him a sword and a small dagger.
‘Thanks.’ Was all he could muster, he wished they had some fire power.
Yanto then rode over to Angel. ‘When they attack we will try and separate them, you ride your horse through the gap and try and get some help.
Angel looked at him, was he mad? What he was suggesting wasn't only suicide for himself, but more importantly Jake. She had only just discovered her true feelings for him, and she was damned if she was just going to let him be killed.
‘Give me that bow.’ She snapped.
‘What?’ Ianto was taken aback.
‘Give me the fucking bow, and arrows. The three of us will fight, and the three of us will get out of this shit storm.’
Yanto grinned, he liked her spirit. ‘Okay my lady, it’ll be a pleasure to fight next to you.’
Angel grabbed the large wooden bow off him. ‘I fought at York and I’ll fight again.’ She shouted.
Before Ianto could reply a strange low humming came from the infected.
‘Jesus, a war cry.’ Jake whispered.
‘More of a hum really.’ Yanto replied.
‘Whatever, get your sword ready my friend, it’s time to fight.’ Jake held his metal blade aloft like a knight in the crusades.
***
‘This place is like a desert.’ Lance Corporal Davey Grace moaned to his mate.
‘Stop whinging and just get on with it.’ Lance Corporal Steven George gripped his SA80 assault rifle, scouring the horizon for any movement.
‘Will you two Herberts stop chattering and get on with the fucking job.’ Captain Bob Foster was getting fed up to the back teeth with all the distracting banter from the two lance corporals. It was a shitty situation, in a shitty environment, but the country relied on them to maintain some form of order and bring back some sort of normality, and he was just the man to do it. He had been stuck behind a desk for the last four years and hated every second of it. He wanted to be at the sharp end and now the big balloon had gone up this was his chance to shine. The army had trained men for this type of catastrophic event and he wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
George looked over to his mate and shook his head. Grace had to get his head into gear, it was bad enough carrying three territorial privates around, without having to wipe his arse too.
‘George.’ Captain Foster barked. ‘Take privates North and Jefferson and cover the lower area. I will take Grace and Edwards and stay on the ridge. You know the protocol, any infected we take down, any survivors we take in. Got It?’
‘Yes sir.’ Lance Corporal George grabbed the two privates and made his way down the grassy slope. This was a long way from what he had planned a few weeks ago. He was supposed to be skiing in Germany followed by survival training in Norway. Steven George loved the army, every bit of the three years he had been in. He was already planning to extend his career after his fourth year, he was in it for the long haul. George had already been earmarked for Corporal and he would continue to rise swiftly through the ranks, what he didn’t need, was this crappy dust episode messing everything up.
‘What’s the brief, Corp?’ Private Frank Jefferson asked,
‘Just stay quiet and look for anyone walking.’
‘If you can see cock or cunt, waste them, if they have clothes, save 'em!’ Private Nick North laughed.
‘Something like that.’ George didn’t mind Jefferson, he had been in the army and due to circumstances had left, but North was full on Noddy Army and acted like a prick.
Both groups marched for half an hour across the hillside, the early morning dew ran off their well polished boots and Lance Corporal Davey Grace could hear his stomach rumbling.
‘I need something to eat.’ Private Ched Edwards whispered to Grace.
‘Stop talking and keep those eyes peeled.’ Captain Foster growled at both men.
How the hell had he heard him whispering? Edwards swore the Captain had some sort of inbuilt radar.
Davey Grace marched ahead of the small group, then, as he got to the end of the highest part of the ridge, his mouth dropped opened. He looked back at the two men and Captain Foster could see the concern in his eyes.
Foster locked and loaded, ran towards Grace with Private Evans in close pursuit. ‘What is it man?’
Corporal Grace just turned and looked back down into the small
valley.
The Captain was soon at Grace’s side and was greeted with the sight of around eighty naked savages descending onto a small camp. ‘Good God.’
Private Edwards soon forgot his hunger pangs as he too joined the Captain and Corporal. ‘Shit a brick.’ That was as all that fell out of his trembling mouth.
Lance Corporal George looked up onto the ridge and could see the three men grouped together. It didn’t look right, they were standing still, observing something. He held up his right hand for the other two men behind him to stop marching. He pulled his flash light from his jacket and turned it on and off twice towards the group on the ridge. Nothing came back.
‘What’s happening, Corp?’ Jefferson shouted from behind.
Before George could answer, the group on the ridge ran down the slope out of sight and it was soon followed by automatic gun fire.
‘Follow me.’ He ran towards the slope with Jefferson and North, hot footing it through the damp grass right behind their Lance Corporal.
***
Yanto dug his heels into Thunderchild as the baying mob moved forward, caterwauling with every step. ‘Stand easy.’ He shouted.
Angel pulled back on her bow and let off an arrow straight into the head of a teenage boy who’s blood soaked mouth cried out as he slammed back into another naked torso that was standing directly behind him.
Jake looked over at Angel who was loading another arrow onto her bow. He gripped his sword and directed his horse at the bloodshot eyes getting ever closer.
‘Come and get it!’ Yanto yelled as he rode Thunderchild towards the rabble, his sword pointing forward, ready to taste the blood of the infected.
Jake followed suit, but without the war cry. His heart was pounding and he swallowed hard as he met his first victim, he swung the blade low, slicing the old woman, who had been gripping a wooden club, into two. He went to jab his blade at a large muscular man who had a ferocious battle face on, but before he could attack him an arrow flew into the side of the ogres angry neck. His bloodshot eyes rolled into the top of his head and he silently fell to his knees coughing up dark, congealed blood.
The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit Page 11