“Alright, I’ll tell you, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Johnny get this thing on the move again. We will do it your way O.K?”
Johnny nodded his agreement and turned back towards the front. After a moment the van was moving forwards again.
Briggs removed his glasses and pinched his nose again. He put his glasses back on again and he leaned forwards towards Lorna. “O.K. I, or should I say we, work for the British government. We work in the special sciences department, as they like to call it, but the reality is that we work on some pretty revolutionary stuff. There have been a number of studies over the years that look at the whole theory of nurture versus nature, I’m sure you have read about it before in one of the broadsheets.”
Lorna nodded, she had heard of it but she couldn’t ever recall reading much about it. It didn’t matter to her, she just wanted to get to the bottom of everything that was going on.
“Now, most of those reports state that it is all about nurture. For example, the son of a serial killer can grow up to be a well-balanced and positive member of society right? Well, the powers that be reckon that all of this is exactly right. But they never tested the subjects properly. They never put them into a situation where they were reaching breaking point. It would be at that moment when they would go back to their basic programming, the nature side of things if you like. It was only recently that they managed to test the theory out and see if there was a dormant side of their nature that could be activated by extreme stress. It took so long to get done because of the human rights convention and laws about torture etc. But it was all done on the quiet. One hundred test subject were used, all of them with at least one parent who exhibited psychopathic tendencies. Every single one of them had a reaction. Every single one of them exhibited signs of the same nature as the psychotic parent. The government funds for prisons alone could be enough to bankrupt the entire country and so they had to come up with something to change it all.”
Lorna was silent. There was one thing about Briggs that she had learned very quickly, when he talked you listened. Briggs went to the fridge and pulled out two cans of cola. He handed one to Lorna, popped the tab on his own and drank deeply. He uttered a stifled belch and set his can down on the table. He leaned forwards again.
“The government put together a team of scientists and they gave them the same assignment. It was to try and come up with something that could be mass produced so it could change the genetic makeup of humans. It would make them a less aggressive species, less inclined to go to war, less inclined to get pissed and start a brawl in a pub, less inclined to go bat-shit crazy and batter their family to death with a hammer. Most of the team fell by the wayside, but there was one scientist who managed to come up with something. It was a virus, an evolutionary virus and it was named after the people who could talk down a psychopath in full flow. It is called The Whisperer. That virus exists right now but the only way it can be stored is in a living host. Soon, that virus is going to start rolling out and we as a race are going to become as docile as a litter of kittens. But, then another problem arose, the problem of the bee population being eaten by domestic spiders. If that problem wasn’t solved then there would be no planet for the new generation of humans to inherit. The same scientist was given the task of changing the genetic makeup of spiders with a similar virus, but it all has gone horribly wrong. If we don’t put it right, then mankind as we know it will fall.”
There was silence for a moment. Lorna swallowed, her throat made an audible click as she did so. She opened her own can and took a long drink from it. “How do you propose to do that exactly? Are you just going to walk into that sea of monsters and just grab the queen? They will cut you down before you get ten feet,” she said.
Briggs stood up and went to one of the tall cupboards. “We have these for when the time comes,” he said and opened the door. He pulled out a suit which looked like it was made for a nuclear apocalypse. The helmet looked like a beekeepers hat except for the fact that it had a visor and an attachment that resembled a gas mask. “These should keep them at bay whilst we look for the queen.”
“It seems to me like you had this all figured out before it even happened,” said Lorna.
This pissed Briggs off. He slammed the cupboard door and sat down again. He leaned forwards until he was on the edge of his seat. He was nearly nose to nose with Lorna. “Now you listen to me. If I had done nothing, if I had refused this assignment and it had been given to someone else then this situation could have been a whole lot worse. Yes, there is always a risk when you monkey around with genetics, but I had no idea that things were going to turn out the way that they were. If I had sat back and done nothing and the bees died out, then we all would have been in some pretty deep shit right now. Our only chance is to do it the way that I said. We find the queen and we capture it, then we lead them to an open space and let the army deal with it. Then I go back to the drawing board and try and find a new solution to the problem. You remember that you are a guest in here, a civilian and we are under no obligation to protect you. If you would rather get out and find your way home then please be my guest.”
Lorna stood up, her hands balling up into fists, “My home is Newtown you ignorant bastard. Or should I say, what’s left of Newtown. I have nowhere else to go, it’s all gone thanks to you.” She stopped, her eyes fixed on Briggs. She was breathing hard. She could never remember being so angry in all her life.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we have a small problem here,” said Johnny. The van slowed and then it came to a stop. Briggs stood up. He eyeballed Lorna one more time and then he went to the front of the van to look out of the window. Ten feet ahead there was a road block. There were two soldiers stood at either side of the block, both of them were carrying rifles. Behind the blockade was an army jeep.
“Well shit. Let me handle this one. All of you stay in here,” said Briggs. He made his way to the side door, unlocked it and then pushed it open. He stepped out on to the road and closed the door behind him. The two soldiers stiffened as if they were ready to draw their guns on Briggs.
“Hello gentlemen,” said Briggs. “Would you be so kind as to move the road block so I can get my crew past if you please.”
The soldiers exchanged a glance. “Sorry, but we are not allowed to let anybody pass,” said the soldier on the left.
Briggs rolled his eyes,” Listen my good man, I am under orders from the British government to go into Newtown and stop whatever is going on there. Now, please stand aside.”
The soldiers exchanged another look, “What’s your name sir?” said the right hand soldier.
“Doctor Michael Briggs.”
“Just hold on one moment please sir,” said the right hand soldier and then he went past the road block and to the jeep. He pulled open the passenger door and began talking to someone inside. They conversed for a few minutes, leaving Briggs to shuffle his feet awkwardly. Inside the van the other three watched the scene unfold from the front windscreen. The soldier came back to the front of the roadblock and resumed his position at the right hand side. Briggs heard the drivers’ side door open on the jeep and a set of feet clump to the ground. The feet came round to the passenger side of the jeep and Briggs saw that it was another soldier. His attire suggested that he was higher up the food chain than the other two soldiers.
“Doctor Briggs?” said the soldier. Briggs nodded. “My name is Major Cooper. I am under orders to arrest you under the counter terrorism and security act of twenty-sixteen. I am also going to have to impound your vehicle and any people on board are also under arrest. I suggest you get the rest of crew out here at once.”
Briggs didn’t move. He was fighting for control of himself. The words that he had just heard were still whirling around his brain and refusing to settle in.
“Terrorism? Security? What the hell are you talking about? I work for…”
“I know who you work for Briggs. But, right now your arse belongs to me,” shouted Cooper.
&nb
sp; “What have I done to warrant being arrested?” said Briggs. His fear was slowly morphing into anger. He had always hated the military, he had found dealing with them a headache even on a good day.
“Need I spell it out Briggs? Where shall we start? How about using a chemical weapon to cause everything that has gone on in Newtown over the last twenty-four hours. How about using a chemical weapon to kill around five-thousand people, including the inhabitants of Wythenshaw hospital. Need I go on?” said Cooper. He began to unshoulder his rifle.
“It was an accident. It was a virus designed to control the spider population, something went wrong with it and we are going in there to bring the spiders out of the town so you grunts can dispose of them. Those are your orders Cooper. You arrest me and my crew and those spiders are going to start migrating to every populated area in this country,” said Briggs.
“Spare me the stories Briggs. Nobody will listen to a terrorist, especially me. I eat little bastards like you for breakfast,” said Cooper. A sick smile spread across his face.
“Yeah? Well I ate your wife’s cunt for breakfast,” yelled Briggs, suddenly furious. Coopers smile dropped as if it had been slapped right off his face. He raised his gun at Briggs and cycled it.
“Give me a reason to blow you fucking head off right now, I beg you,” growled Cooper. Briggs bit his tongue and remained silent.
“That’s good Briggs. Now you lace your hands behind your head and get on your fucking knees,” said Cooper. Briggs did as he was told. He could argue with a grunt, but not with a gun. Cooper began to walk slowly towards him. His smile had returned to his face. Briggs cocked his head slightly. He could hear something that hadn’t been part of the ambience of the roadside before. It took him a moment and then he realized what it was. He thought about warning Cooper and telling him to run for his life, but he knew that if he gave him a chance that one day soon they would run into each other again. He stayed on his knees and closed his eyes so he could focus on the sound. It was getting louder and soon it would be upon them. He felt something cold press against his forehead. He opened his eyes and saw that it was the barrel of Cooper’s gun.
“I got you now you fucker. Now tell your people to come out of that van. They try anything at all and I will spread your brains right across this road,” said Cooper.
Briggs said nothing, he closed his eyes again and focused on the noise. It would be upon them any second now and he would have to move fast. He opened his eyes again and he could see that the two soldiers at the roadblock could hear it too. They were craning their heads around, looking for the source. Cooper was about to say something to Briggs when the sound reached his ears too. He started to look around him to try and work out where the noise was coming from.
“Can you hear it Cooper?” said Briggs. Cooper snapped his gaze back onto Briggs. He raised his gun at him again.
“What the fuck is it? Is it another one of your weapons. You tell me now or….”
“Or nothing. It’s out of my hands now Cooper. That sound is your death. It’s coming for you and your men. You had better run Cooper, or you had better fight…”
“Shut up,” roared Cooper.
“….they will bite you and kill you, or perhaps use you to grow more of them whist you are still alive….”
“Shut up, shut up,” growled Cooper through gritted teeth. A wad of spittle flew from his teeth and landed on Briggs’ cheek. Cooper pressed the barrel of the gun painfully against his temple.
“We had our day Cooper, now it’s their turn,” whispered Briggs.
Cooper gripped the barrel of the gun and went to swing it at Briggs’ skull. Briggs managed to duck the swing, but he knew he was in no position to dodge another one. He braced himself for the inevitable blow, but instead one of the roadblock soldiers began to shriek. Briggs looked up and saw that Cooper had turned his head towards the road block. His mouth was hanging open in shock. The right-hand soldier was lay on the floor. A large spider had its fangs dug into the left side of his face and another one was biting his abdomen. The soldiers paralyzed body shook and twitched and it looked to Briggs like he was trying to scream again. Only the smallest high pitched squeak was escaping his lips. His eyes were frantic with pain and fear. Cooper let out a yell and aimed his gun at the soldier. As he did so three shots rang out. A bullet hit the spider on the soldiers abdomen causing it to explode in a shower of pink fluid and broken legs. The left-hand soldier had fired the shots and he was advancing on the spider that was still alive. Cooper took three steps towards the fallen soldier and aimed his gun. A moment before he fired, the soldiers face suddenly caved in. His eyes fell out of their sockets, the lack of bone structure causing them to come loose. Cooper discharged his gun. The first two shots tore the spider to pieces, throwing chunks of its broken body up into the air. Cooper kept on firing, the rest of the bullets slammed into the fallen soldier tearing holes into his chest and legs. The last bullet hit the soldier in the deflated remains of his head causing it to explode. The road was splashed with a yellow and red slime that made Cooper want to puke. The left-hand soldier looked behind him. There was a large hoard of spiders coming out of the grass and onto the road. The soldier let out a shriek and began to fire his gun at them. He managed to take out three of them before they overwhelmed him. He felt the first three bites and then the paralysis clouded his body. He fell to the floor, squashing some of the spiders as he did so. Then they were upon him and they began to feed. Briggs took the opportunity to scramble to his feet and to race back to the door on the van. He tore the door open and climbed in, slamming the door behind him. Cooper was screaming a string of curses at the spiders. His attention was drawn back to Briggs when he heard the door of the van slam shut. He turned his torrent of abuse onto the van. He began to raise his gun at the windscreen.
“Shit, everyone get down,” bellowed Johnny, throwing himself out of the drivers’ seat and onto the floor. The others followed suit and they waited for bullets to come flying through the glass. Nothing happened and Johnny went to his knees and had a peek out of the windscreen.
“Christ almighty, they’ve got him,” he said. The rest of the crew all came up off the floor and saw through the glass that Cooper had four of the spiders attached to his body. Each one of them were biting down on him and Cooper was trying to beat them off with his bare hands. He managed to smash one of them with his fist before his legs gave out on him. He went down into the hoard and was enveloped into the mass of writhing bodies.
“All of you, stay low, don’t let them know we are here,” whispered Briggs. Everyone went flat to the floor. The clicking from the spiders was loud enough to be heard clearly even inside the van. The van rocked as the spiders bumped it or climbed over it. The windows temporarily went dark as the spiders made their way down the road. After a while the clicking noise was all but gone and the daylight had returned to the windows. Briggs was the first one to stand up. The road was clear except for the mutilated remains of the soldiers.
“You can all get up now, they’re gone,” said Briggs. One by one they all got back to their feet.
“What do we do now?” said Shannon.
Briggs shrugged, “We carry on as planned.”
“But that soldier, he said you were a terrorist. They tried to arrest you,” said Lorna.
“The way I see it is that things have fucked up and they are looking for someone to blame for everything. If I don’t stop it then they will continue to blame me for the whole thing. If I stop it then there is nothing to blame me for,” said Briggs.
“If we don’t do anything then more people will die, what about that?” said Lorna.
“Exactly,” said Briggs.
“Well then, I had better get this mean machine all fired up,” said Johnny returning to his seat behind the steering wheel.
17.
Laurence managed to snore himself awake again. He had flaked out in front of the television, the combination of whiskey and a poor nights’ sleep the night before takin
g its toll on him. He snapped fully awake, his hand reaching out for his trusty spider-killing bat. He found it and felt the familiar feeling of relief wash through him. The room was still in semi darkness. The spiders had not got bored of waiting for him to exit the house and throw himself onto their dinner plates. They were still occasionally shaking as if being hit by a stiff breeze and emitting the odd click now and again. He began to wonder if the spiders had their own version of the grapevine and that they kept each other up to date with the goings on of the prisoners inside the house. He checked his whiskey supply. There was perhaps a quarter of a bottle left and then he would have to face his terrifying new world without the benefit of being pissed out of his mind. He got to his knees and checked on Chloe. She was asleep with her head turned to the side and her mouth wide open. A thin trail of slobber was making its way from the corner of her mouth down to the cushion under her head. She was snoring, but this time more naturally. Her snores were gentle and regular rather than the snorting that she had done when the spider had first bitten her. He stroked her face gently. He felt a sneaking pride about bringing her home the night before. He began to hope that they would get out of this alive so he could have the opportunity to take her to bed again. That was a good thing to focus on rather than tying up the loose ends with Lorna. He supposed that he would be getting divorced from her. He supposed that she would want to sell the house from under him. He wondered whether or not he would fight her on the issue, or just cash in his chips and start again somewhere else. Perhaps there was a future for him and Chloe. Perhaps splitting with Lorna was the best thing that could happen to him. He had no idea and he wouldn’t know until he had won back his freedom from the eight-legged bastard that were covering his house. He left Chloe to her sleep and slumped back down onto the floor. The television was still going on about what was happening. There was still talk of a bio-terrorist being behind it all. There was also an interview with a high ranker in the army who was talking about a rescue mission in Newtown. He wondered how he could possibly get a message to the outside world. His mobile phone was out of commission, so that was no good. Then something struck him. Perhaps Chloe had a mobile. He tried to think if he had seen her using one last night. After a while a foggy memory started to bleed through of him making them both cups of tea. She was using a phone then, he could see it with his minds’ eye. She had put it somewhere when she had finished, he could remember that. But, he had been so drunk that it was impossible to remember if she had put it in her pocket, or in her bra. Whichever it was, he had to have a look. He got to his knees and pulled the cover off Chloe. She sniffed in a long breath but remained asleep. He decided to search the bra first. Chloe’s top was a v-neck so it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to put his hand down there. He paused for a moment, wondering what he would say if she woke up to find him with his hand down her top and then he decided that the truth would be the only way to go. Once she saw the situation they were in, she would surely understand. He comforted himself with the thought and then reached out a hand. He glided it into her top, liking the way that her smooth, warm skin felt under his palm. He felt the wired laciness of her bra and then he plunged his hand inside. There was no phone in there and his hand had brushed her nipple as he felt around for the phone. He felt muscles in his crotch begin to jerk and twitch and he bit down on his tongue to try and stop himself becoming aroused. He swapped hands, lifted the other cuff of her shirt and pushed his hand into the other side of the bra. Again, there was no phone and his fingers brushed her stiffening nipple. Chloe shifted position slightly and let out a soft moan. Laurence pulled his hand out of her bra and paused a moment to dig at his underwear. He was aroused, despite the situation he was in and despite the fact that there was a fair bit of alcohol coursing through his veins. He decided to check her hip pockets. The jeans were elasticated and they hugged her figure closely. There was a part of his mind that knew there wasn’t a phone there but wanted him to check anyway. He worked his hand into her left pocket first, his arousal becoming more and more painful as he felt the cotton line of her pants underneath the lining of the pocket. He was about to check the other pocket when he realized he was losing his focus. If he lost focus then they could both end up dead. He needed to deal with the problem that had arisen in his trousers and was pressing painfully against the material. He decided to masturbate and to just get it out of is system, but his mind was telling him that perhaps, just perhaps, she had stashed the phone in her pants. His mind had decided that he needed to at least check it out to rule out the possibility. He unbutton her jeans and unzipped the fly. The edge of her pants was visible in the v shape of her open jeans. He sat back on his knees and dug at his crotch again. He looked at her from the tip of her head right down to the ends of her feet. She was probably the best looking woman he had ever been with. He had an uncontrollable urge to smell her hair. He leaned in again and nuzzled his nose into the crook of the far side of her neck. He reached down, undid his fly and unfurled his erection into his hand. He started to kiss her neck whilst he began tugging on himself gently. He didn’t see her eyes suddenly fly open and he didn’t see her open her mouth. He did feel the bolt of pain when she suddenly bit down on his neck with all her might. He scrambled off her, a piece of the skin on his neck was torn off by Chloe’s clamped teeth. He fell to the floor, his hand going up to the bite on his neck. He checked his hand and saw there was blood, a lot of blood, his blood. He could feel it running down his top and onto his chest. Chloe was up off the sofa. She was spitting blood and the chunk of Laurence’s neck onto the floor. She stood in front of Laurence, unable to register what Laurence had done to her.
Dawn of the Spiders: Special Edition Page 10