The End of Everything | Book 9 | The End of Everything

by Artinian, Christopher

  Chuck froze, but the others all readied themselves. Robyn brought the sight window up to her eye and fired. The creature flew backwards and skidded along the tarmac road a few feet before finally falling still. Wren walked up to it and lingered for a for a few seconds, looking down, pondering what could have deformed the beast in such a way. She bent over and plucked the arrow from its forehead then wiped it off on its victim’s clothing. “Nice shot,” she said to her sister, handing her the arrow as she and the others walked over to join Wren.

  “What do you think did this to it?” Robyn asked.

  “It looks like acid or something.”

  “Acid? Why the hell would you throw acid at one of these things?”

  “Maybe this happened while it was still alive.”

  “Okay. That’s slightly more disturbing.”

  “Who knows, Bobbi, it might just have been an accident or something.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been walking down the street and I’ve had to dodge a jar of acid accidentally being flung towards me.”

  “Funny. We don’t know what it is though. It could be—”

  “The school had a science lab. Do you think it might have come from there?” Chuck interrupted.

  “It’s possible.”

  “None of this matters,” Mila said. “He was alive. He became infected, and now he is dead. What happened to him, what didn’t happen to him is none of our concern. We just need to get the vans and go, yes?”

  The others nodded as they spared one final glance towards the body. “Okay, well at least we know we’re definitely in the zone now, so stay alert,” Robyn said, nocking the arrow once more.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Tommy rocked back and forth on the bench as he read through the pile of scripts that Larry had collected for him. His fingers played scales in the air, but for the time being, his face was tic-free.

  “Quite a reader,” Emmy said.

  “You don’t know the half of it. He devours books, magazines, virtually everything,” replied Ruby.

  “I used to love reading. Not really had that much time for it since all this began though.”

  “Yeah, I can understand that,” she replied, looking around the camp. It was a hive of activity as everyone got on with their daily chores as if it was just another day. “Is there anything you’d like me to do? I could do with something to occupy my mind.”

  Emmy reached out and took Ruby’s hand. “Don’t worry; your friends will be okay.”

  “I know. I’ve seen what Wren and Robyn can do firsthand. From what I’ve gathered, Mila is cut from the same cloth.”

  “And Josh, he seems like he can handle himself.”

  “I don’t really know much about Josh.”

  “Josh is a liar. He lies. He’s a liar.” Both women turned to look at Tommy, who was still reading his book, but now his fingers were moving much faster, and a noticeable twitch had started on his face.

  “What do you mean, Tommy?”

  “Liar, liar pants on fire. Your nose is longer than a telephone wire.”

  “Tommy!” There was anxiety in her voice that sounded almost aggressive, and Tommy’s hand began to contort a little. She went over to sit beside him and placed her hand on his back reassuringly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. What do you mean he’s a liar?”

  “He said he was from Golspie. He said it. I heard him. He said he was from Golspie.”

  “What about it?” Ruby asked as Emmy went to join them.

  “Back at the house. Back at the house, Lizzy and Marcus. They said … I heard them say.”

  “Say what, Tommy?”

  “You were letting Wolf out, and I was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, and I heard them say. It was a private conversation. Shouldn’t listen to other people’s conversations, but I was in the doorway.” His fingers were flicking wildly, and his left eye was twitching rapidly as he relived the moment.

  “Look Tommy, that doesn’t matter. You were just there. Sometimes we all overhear conversations we don’t mean to. It wasn’t your fault.”

  His fingers slowed down a little, and the twitch gradually subsided. “You weren’t there.”

  “It’s okay, Tommy.” She rubbed his back gently. “Now, what did they say?”

  “Dornoch, Embo, Golspie and Brora fell to the infection soon after all this began. We wouldn’t find help there. That’s what he said. That’s what Marcus said. Those were the words. We wouldn’t find help there. Those were the words.”

  “I don’t understand. Why does that prove that Josh is a liar?”

  “Golspie. Said he was from Golspie. But Golspie fell to the infection, so Josh is a liar.”

  Ruby and Emmy looked towards each other as alarm spread over their faces. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

  He began to rock back and forth once more and tapped his head three times. “Nobody listens to a retard, Brick. Nobody listens to a retard.”

  “Did he say that to you?” Emmy asked, horrified.

  “No,” Ruby interrupted. “That was Jax. He was—”

  “Jax is dead. Jax is dead now. Wolf bit his privates. Don’t let Wolf bite your privates. Jax is dead now. He didn’t put ointment on. I told him to put ointment on, but he didn’t, and now he’s dead.”

  “What?” Emmy asked, baffled.

  “Long story. Let’s just say Wren and Robyn got us out of a bad situation with some lowlifes. The point is Josh is lying, but why?”

  “I don’t know. But I think we should find a way to confront him about it when he gets back.”

  “I…”

  “What is it?”

  “He knew about the army.”

  “So?”

  “How would he know about the army if his town wasn’t invaded?”

  “I don’t know. He might have heard—”

  “There were rifle shots. He said they were after him.”

  “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

  “Don’t you see? He knows about them because he’s one of them.”

  CHAPTER 13

  The road continued to weave around bend after bend, and slowly the familiar song of the dead began to rise into the air as the group approached their final destination. The hedgerow on one side gave way to an ivy-covered black stone wall, and Chuck tightened his grip around the axe he was carrying.

  “This is the place,” he said, slowing down to a stop. “There’s an entrance around the corner. The road widens out into a big car park. The vans are around the side of the building next to the kitchen.”

  “Before we do anything, we need to know what we’re facing,” Wren said. “We need to figure out the best place to take them on.”

  “How?” Josh asked.

  Wren looked across to the opposite side of the road to an ancient oak tree. The sound of the creatures was unmistakable, but without laying eyes on them, there was no way to get an accurate fix on their location. “Fancy a climb?” she asked, walking across to the tree.

  “Sure,” Josh replied.

  The two of them scaled the tree like kids on a climbing frame. Wolf stood at the base, looking up attentively. They reached a small nook and huddled down. Their eyes travelled across the road to the wall and beyond to the car park and the school building. It was not anything like what Wren had expected. Her own school was clinical in design, brick and glass, easily forgettable. This was like something out of a Dickens novel. Despite only being a fraction of the size of her school, it was impressive nonetheless. It looked untouched by the tragedy that had befallen the rest of the planet, and even though there was not a single creature in sight, their voices still heralded an eerie warning.

  “Is everything okay?” Wren asked as she looked at Josh, whose face was just a few inches from her own.

  “What, you mean other than us being on the verge of doing battle with a load of flesh-craving zombies?”

  Wren smiled. “Yeah, other than that.�
��

  “Fine.”

  “Oh. Okay. It’s just that… Never mind.”

  “What?”

  “You kind of went quiet soon after we reached the camp yesterday. We were talking most of the afternoon, and then you went into yourself a bit.”

  “Just thinking, y’know?”

  “About what?”

  “About the people I left behind.”

  Wren reached out and took Josh’s hand. “I know what it’s like. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but it doesn’t. I can’t promise you eternal happiness, but things will get better. When we get to Safe Haven, you’ll see.”

  A sad smile broke on Josh’s face, and he pulled his hand away. “Right now, Safe Haven’s a long way away. How about we just deal with one thing at a time?” he replied, turning back to look at the school.

  A deflated breath left Wren. She had been so sure that things were going well between her and Josh. He had been interested in everything she said. He had paid her compliments. What had happened since the previous afternoon that had changed things so much? “Yeah, you’re right, whatever,” she said, sliding back out of the small groove in the tree and jumping the last few feet to the ground.

  “Everything okay?” Robyn asked.

  “Yeah, fine,” Wren replied, gathering her spear once more. “They’re obviously in there somewhere, but they’re not around the front.” She leaned down and ruffled Wolf’s collar as he brushed up alongside her.

  “Great, so we’re playing hide and seek as well now.”

  “We can hear them clearly enough, so they’re in there somewhere.”

  “That helps.”

  “Look, y’know what, I’m sorry. I don’t have all the answers.” They both watched as Josh climbed down from the tree and collected his weapons.

  “Have you got any thoughts?” Robyn asked.

  “I’m not really the hero type.”

  “You were the one who was almost pleading with us to come yesterday.”

  “I just wanted to do my bit, that’s all. I didn’t think it was fair that you should have to do everything. That doesn’t mean I want to run into battle against a small army of those things.”

  “This talking does us no good. We need to make a decision,” Mila said.

  “What decision?” asked Chuck.

  “Do we go to them or do we get them to come to us?”

  “Getting them to come to us would give us more time. I’d be able to get a few shots in before they reach us,” Robyn replied.

  “Ja, I was thinking this. I was thinking maybe you stand on the wall, Robyn. Take your shots from higher ground, yes?”

  “Okay. I could do that.”

  “You’re not seriously thinking about taking on an unknown number of infected, are you?” Wren said.

  “I do not understand. Like you said, we have dealt with big groups before.”

  “Yeah, when we were on that rooftop, we didn’t have a choice.”

  “If we want to get to those vans, we don’t have a choice now.”

  “Well, we don’t have to fight them, there is another way.”

  “Oh no. Not again. I’m not having you leading those things off and me having no idea where you’ve gone or what’s happened to you. No way,” Robyn said angrily.

  “It’s the only way of doing it without getting into a full-on scrap.”

  Robyn let out a sigh and looked down towards Wolf. His big, soulful brown eyes stared back at her, almost as if they were pleading with Robyn to do something. “Even your dog thinks this is a bad idea.”

  “Yeah, well, he took to you the first time he met you. He doesn’t always have great judgement.”

  “Thanks,” Robyn said. She turned towards Mila. “I’m going with Wren.”

  “No, Bobbi. They need you here,” her sister replied.

  “Nein,” Mila said. “Robyn is right. If you lead them away, there will be far less danger for us than for you. Any stragglers I can take care of.” She raised her swords menacingly.

  “If it helps,” Chuck began, “there’s a little church a bit further down the lane. We went in last time we were here. If you can lure them there, you’ll be able to slip out of the rear entrance and then find a way back.”

  “How does such a small place have a church and a school?” Mila asked.

  “It’s not unusual,” Robyn replied. People will come from miles around to go to the church and the school. Makes sense to have them both in the same place.”

  Mila raised an eyebrow, impressed by her friend’s knowledge. Robyn turned to Wren and winked. They both shared a smile, well aware of the fact that it was Wren who had told Robyn the exact same thing a few months earlier. “Well, at least we’ve got our plan in place. You guys should probably go hide across there,” Wren said, nodding to the hedgerow across the narrow road.

  “Well, looks like you’ve got the hard part of this deal. Good luck to you,” Chuck said.

  “Trust me; the last thing you want to be is overconfident. It’s all hard until we’re out of here,” Robyn replied.

  “Be careful,” Mila said.

  “You too,” Robyn replied, and they both hugged.

  Wren looked at Josh, hoping for a kind word or gesture, but a second before her eyes met his, he turned and headed across to the hedges. “Prick,” she whispered under her breath.

  “What?” Robyn asked.

  “Nothing. Come on then. Let’s get this over with.”

  They waited until Chuck, Josh and Mila were out of sight then followed the wall along to the entrance. The tall, painted wooden gates were wide open, and they paused briefly before continuing. They both looked down at Wolf. “He won’t go tearing off, will he?” Robyn asked.

  “He’ll stay with us. Trust me; Wolf and I have had our fair share of fights with these things.”

  “I don’t doubt it. What’s going on between you and Josh?”

  “Seriously, you really think this is the time?”

  “Fair point.”

  “I’m finished with men.”

  “I didn’t realise you’d even started.”

  “Well, I’m quitting while I’m ahead.”

  “He’s just being a typical man.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “He likes you, you like him, but now he’s being a dick you want him even more, don’t you?”

  “No.”

  “Liar. He’s just playing to his strengths. Trust me; I know what I’m talking about.”

  “Normally I’d argue with you, but there are Edinburgh taxis that have been around the block less times than you.”

  “Hey! I’m not that bad.” The pair of them giggled.

  “Love you, Bobbi.”

  “Don’t!”

  “Don’t what?”

  “When we go into a dangerous situation, you always say that.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s just so you know if anything happens to me.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to either of us.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Love you too,” Robyn snapped. “Now can we get on with this, please?”

  The three of them advanced slowly through the gates. The noise of the infected immediately became louder. They continued a little further and then stopped just as the road widened into the car park. “Okay, you stay here. I’m going to run to the edge of the building, get their attention, leg it back here, then we both lead them out and to the church.”

  “All understood except I’m coming with you.”

  “No. This makes more sense. While I’m running towards you, you’ll have time to take a couple of the frontrunners out, maybe make some more stumble.”

  Robyn exhaled deeply. “Okay, but be careful.”

  “You know I will,” Wren said, smiling.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  “What should we do?” Ruby asked, wringing her hands with worry.

  “I think the point we could do anything has come and gone,” Emmy replied. “They’ve been gone over two
hours already.”

  Ruby flopped down onto the bench. She looked across at her brother, who was engrossed in another script. “Maybe he was running from them. Maybe that’s why the drones were out looking for him because he was some kind of deserter.”

  “Yes. Yes, that makes sense, a deserter, and he didn’t want to say anything for fear of being ostracised.”

  “That’s the only thing that makes sense. I mean it’s not like he can overthrow an entire camp or something by himself, is it?”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” Emmy said, taking a seat beside her.

  “I have to be,” Ruby replied, taking hold of Emmy’s hand. “I have to be.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Wren and Wolf edged nearer towards the corner of the old school building. With each pace they took, the sound of the creatures increased in volume. Wren threw a glance back to her sister to see her with the bow already raised. They finally reached the corner and Wren bent down, laying a hand on Wolf’s neck. He stopped dead and immediately sat.

  Okay, Wren, you can do this. Three, two, one. She stepped out from the cover of the wall and the drainpipe into the middle of the driveway that led to the back of the school. The two vans were there just as described. The majority of the beasts were pushing and barging against the side entrance. For the time being, she remained unnoticed. She could feel her heart beating faster the further she moved out into the open. She clutched her spear tightly, knowing full well that if she needed to use it this early, it would already be too late.

  Now or never, I suppose. “Hey! HEEEYYY! YEAH! OVER HERE!” She waved her arms about as she shouted, but there was no need. As soon as the first word came out of her mouth, the creatures began their hunt. She lingered for the longest second of her life before Wolf’s fearful bark snapped her into action. Oh shit! There are an awful lot more than twenty.

  Wren turned and began to sprint towards Robyn. Wolf let out another yelp then joined her. Even from a distance of twenty metres Robyn could see the concern in Wren’s eyes. “What is it?”

  “There are a lot more than twenty, Bobbi,” Wren replied, thrusting the spear back and forth through the air as she ran.

  At that moment, Robyn could not see what Wren had seen, but she could hear them. Their feet pounded against the ground like a hundred timpani drums. The echoes reverberated around the school grounds, but more than that, the closer they got the louder and more feverish the growls became. Before it had just been the familiar constant dirge, but the introduction of live prey to the equation had instilled a fresh and chilling energy into the sound as they chased Wren down.