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

by Artinian, Christopher

  Wren pulled the door open, silently praying that they would not see a throng of creatures waiting to pounce. “Shit,” Robyn whispered as she saw five beasts at the turn for the church. They were not looking at them. Instead, they were staring down the road. Her eyes moved along the railings, and she saw another. “They’re spread out. This is going to be awkward.” She looked in the other direction and saw one more. “Shut the door, shut the door.”

  Wren eased it closed once more. “What’s wrong? What are you thinking?”

  “I’m guessing that, when we heard that shot, some of them headed in the direction of the school. The van probably spread them out.”

  “Okay, so?”

  “So, I think we’ve got a fight on our hands.”

  “Mila might be in trouble. Like you say, there’s no way she’d have left us.”

  “I was kind of hoping Chuck and Josh wouldn’t have left us either.”

  “We won’t know what’s happened until we get back to that school. Fight or not, we need to go.”

  “When we step out of here, there’s no going back. You realise that, don’t you?”

  “I understand, Bobbi,” Wren replied, staring into her sister’s eyes.

  “Love you, Sis,” Robyn said, smiling.

  Wren laughed. “I understand what you mean now. Love you too, Bobbi.”

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  “Remember, Rosie, stay behind us.”

  Wren opened the door once more. Robyn stepped out first. The sight window of the bow was raised to her eye before she even moved over the threshold. She crept down the steps like a ninja, immediately sensing her sister’s presence. Wolf manoeuvred himself in front of the two of them, sensing danger, wanting to protect his pack.

  Robyn kept the bowstring taut as they continued from the steps and along the tarmac driveway that led back to the road. The five creatures at the end had still not noticed them, and Robyn slowed to a stop.

  Rosie was confused, she did not understand what was happening, but Wren knew. Robyn breathed deeply. In, out, in, out as Wolf continued towards the five beasts. Wren did not like the thought of him carrying on without her, but she knew it would not be for long.

  Remember dummkopf, focus … focus. Mila’s words when she had been training Robyn how to use the swords came back to her now. Focus … concentrate … breathe. In … out. In … out. In … out. She released the bowstring. The arrow glided through the air, and as it came into Wolf’s line of sight, he began to run towards the creatures.

  Before the missile had even reached its target, Robyn plucked another arrow and nocked it. The first one entered the back of its target’s head, and the beast collapsed face down on the ground. The second arrow went straight through the temple of another creature, who folded like an old ironing board. A heartbeat … two … three, and finally the rest of the small pack turned.

  Wren caught movement out of the corner of her eye to see the creature further up the road was now charging back down. She looked in the opposite direction to see the other one was also on the move as the remaining three beasts at the foot of the church’s driveway began to charge. She glanced at her sister, who was almost in a zen-like state. She had never seen such concentration on her face. Robyn released another arrow, immediately plucking a fresh one from her quiver.

  “WREN!” screamed Rosie.

  Wren turned to see two more beasts had appeared around the side of the small church. She ran, placing herself between them and the young girl just as Wolf’s ferocious growl rose to a crescendo. She risked a quick peek to see him in midair, flying straight for one of the undead attackers. At the same time, her sister launched another arrow.

  Wren pulled her attention back to the two approaching monsters, blocking out the terrified whimpers of the child she was protecting. She had been here before; she knew how to handle two at once. Sweep, strike, strike, just keep your head.

  She paused, knowing that timing was everything. Now! Wren brought her spear around hard and fast aiming for the ankle of the creature to her right. She flexed her biceps as she took the strain of the beast’s force, but then time stopped as the sound of the spear snapping in two filled the air around her like a cannon’s boom. Oh God!

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Mila and Chuck retraced their steps back down the first-floor corridor. Mila continued to thrust and swish with her new weapons, getting used to the weight of them in her hands. “I thought my mum used to look terrifying with a rolling pin in her hand. She was nothing on you.”

  “I’m hoping your mutter did not have nails hammered through hers.”

  “No. Can’t say she did.”

  They descended the narrow staircase and headed back to the open window where they had initially gained access. Chuck was about to climb through when Mila put her hand out to stop him. “Listen to me. Do not allow your concentration to lapse. Remain vigilant. Do not hesitate to strike. Keep hitting until these things stop moving, yes?”

  “I’ve been in a few scraps before. I pretty much had to do all the fighting.”

  “Gut. But you will not have faced this many before, and you will not have willingly walked into harm’s way.”

  “I can’t really say I’m doing it willingly, but it’s not like I’m just going to leave those two lasses to fend for themselves, is it?”

  “Trust me; I am less worried for them than I am for us.”

  “Aye well, nevertheless, we came as a group, we leave as a group.”

  “Already we are one less.”

  Chuck let out a long sigh. “Yeah,” he said, looking out at the small playground and playing field beyond, “about that.”

  “About what?”

  “Well, it’s obvious we can’t go to that Safe Haven place now. So are you going to stop with us … in the forest?”

  It was Mila’s turn to stare out of the window now. “I will do whatever Robyn does.”

  Chuck suddenly looked confused. “For someone who’s so happy to stick her oar in at every available opportunity I’m surprised you’d let someone else make such an important decision for you.”

  “I owe Robyn my life. She is my best friend. Living or dying, I choose to be by her side.”

  “Well, let’s hope she’s got some sense. Come on then,” Chuck said, sliding his buttocks onto the window sill and manoeuvring his legs over the ledge. “Let’s go find them.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Wren stumbled to her right as the makeshift spear folded. The creature she had aimed for stumbled too and went crashing to the ground, but the other monster pounced. Its outstretched arms seized Wren’s shoulders, and its momentum made her lose her footing. “Waahh!” She flew backwards, twisting in midair and landing heavily on the ground. The fast, jerky movement made her attacker lose its grip, and it landed face down beside her.

  Wren sprung back to her feet, glancing at the broken spear still in her hand. The duct tape she had so carefully wrapped around it was all that was keeping the two pieces together. She took hold of the bottom part of the snapped weapon and pulled with all her strength. There was a ripping sound as the already torn tape finally gave way.

  The monster that had first stumbled was back on its feet and lurching towards her once more. She brought the bottom half of the spear, which was now merely a baton, around with lightning speed, smashing it against the side of the creature's skull. The freshly gathered beast went flailing just as Wren’s second assailant rose. She unleashed a mighty wallop, causing it to falter too. In the split-second respite, she looked at Wolf, who had his victim pinned to the ground by its neck. The other beasts all lay still with arrows sticking from them. Robyn was readying herself to fire again as the two infected that had been on opposite ends of the road suddenly converged in the entrance at the same time.

  Wren brought her head back around and kicked out hard using her left foot to cause the already staggering creature to tumble to the ground. She spun around to face the other, swapping the baton for the pointed end of
the spear; she thrust forward like a fencer, and the sharpened wooden point disappeared through the beast’s left eye. It fell instantly. It was a feeling more than anything that made Wren whip the baton around. Her senses did not fail her. One more second and the other creature would have been on her. The solid wood cracked against the side of the monster’s head, stunning it for a moment, but a moment was all she needed. She kicked out once more, causing the stunned monster to fly back.

  Wren risked another glance over her shoulder. The two beasts that had met in the mouth of the driveway were down, and Robyn was walking up to where Wolf was still in battle. Wren brought her focus back to her own situation and dived forward, adjusting her grip on the sharp half of the spear as she moved. Just as the fallen beast started to regain its footing, she stabbed down. The point of the half spear cracked through the top of the monster’s skull, and the battle was over.

  She remained there for a few seconds. Sweat dripped from her brow. The flesh wound from the gunshot she had suffered the day before throbbed a little, but she had always had a high pain threshold, and it was nothing she could not handle. She eventually turned to see her sister already collecting arrows as Wolf bounded across to join her. His teeth and face were painted red with blood. The sooner we get that washed off you the better. “Good boy. Good boy, Wolf,” she said, bending down and stroking his coat lovingly.

  “I … I thought they were going to kill you,” Rosie said quietly.

  Wren had almost forgotten that she was there. She turned to look at the young girl whose tear-streaked face told her she had lived through every second of the fight with her. “We’ve done this before. Come on, that was the easy part,” she said, beckoning the young girl to join her.

  They walked down the drive to join Robyn who was now on the road, looking in each direction. “Seems clear for the moment,” she said quietly.

  “Yeah, I’m sure we’re fine now,” Wren replied.

  “We’d better not waste any time.” Robyn turned to Rosie. “Remember, stay quiet. There could be more of these things anywhere.” She nocked another arrow and looked at the two halves of the spear Wren held.

  “Don’t worry; I actually quite like these as they are,” she said, swishing the baton and what was now essentially an arm-length wooden spike through the air.

  “Oh yeah, I feel so much safer knowing that you’ve got my back with your two sticks if the worst comes to the worst.”

  “Hey, I managed to take those two out okay, didn’t I?”

  “I suppose. I just preferred it when I knew you had your crossbows covering me.”

  “Yeah, well, you and me both.”

  “Your dog’s pretty cool,” Rosie said suddenly. “It’s weird how they don’t get infected.”

  “No animals seem to get infected. I’ve seen rats eating the remains of these things and nothing happens to them.”

  “Rats?” Rosie said, with panic in her voice. “Where?”

  “Don’t worry; it was when I was in Inverness.”

  “I hate rats. I really, really hate them.”

  “Like I said, you’ve got nothing to worry about. The ones I saw were a long way from here.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure we’re totally safe here. You never see rats in the country,” Robyn said with a smirk.

  Wren gave her a chastising look. “Anyway, you don’t need to worry ’cause you know who else doesn’t like rats? Wolf. And trust me; there aren’t any rats out there that would want to tangle with him.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Rosie said, pushing the glasses back up her nose.

  They continued slowly along the lane for a little while longer then Robyn put her hand out stopping the others.

  “What is it?” Wren asked.

  There was a bend in the road ahead of them and the wild hedgerows on either side prevented them from seeing what was around the corner. “Do you hear something?”

  For a short while, all they could hear was one another’s breathing; then, suddenly, panic crept onto all their faces as the sound of pounding feet got louder and louder. Robyn looked at Wren, and Wren looked back at her sister.

  “What do we do?”

  “RUUUN!”

  CHAPTER 17

  In the short pause between Wren asking the question and her sister answering, Mila and Chuck had appeared around the bend sprinting at full pelt. “Are you bloody deaf? She said run, for Christ’s sake,” Chuck shouted.

  Accompanying the pounding feet was now the familiar sound of growling creatures in pursuit of prey. “How many?” Robyn asked, turning with Wren, Wolf and Rosie to flee.

  “Ten, eleven maybe. I don’t know,” Mila replied.

  “Where’s Josh?” Wren asked.

  “Long story.”

  “We don’t want to get stuck back in the church,” Robyn said, slowing and spinning back around.

  They were about thirty metres from the bend, and the first of the creatures was just rounding it as she raised her bow and fired. “You’re not thinking about bloody fighting?” Chuck said, baffled as the others slowed.

  Before the rest of them knew what was happening, Robyn had launched an arrow and was nocking another. The first monster dropped like a slab of concrete. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Robyn,” Mila said. Five more infected emerged around the bend at once, and Robyn released her bowstring again. Another dropped, this time causing several behind it to stumble.

  Wren looked at her sister. There was no panic on Robyn’s face, only concentration. A third, then a fourth arrow flew. Each time they found their targets as if there was a divine hand guiding them. Wren caught movement to her left. It was Wolf, only he wasn’t facing in the same direction as everyone else. Despite the noise of the advancing pack, Wren could hear the familiar low, menacing growl beginning in the back of his throat.

  She heard the twang of the bowstring as another missile launched then followed Wolf’s glare. The road behind them was clear. “What is it, boy?” she asked as Mila and Chuck moved forward, finally acknowledging that fleeing was now off the agenda and a battle was already underway whether they liked it or not. Suddenly, six more creatures appeared. “Crap, Bobbi, they’re behind us too,” Wren said, immediately heading to the rear of the small group to cover them.

  Rosie began to sob. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”

  Wren had no comforting words to give her. All she could do was focus on the half a dozen beasts heading straight at them. She heard a sound to her left and saw Chuck’s imposing figure shuffling into position. He held a claw hammer in his right hand and wore a look that wasn’t that far removed from Rosie’s. The growl in the back of Wolf’s throat got louder, and he hunched, slowly beginning to edge forward.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Robyn released the bowstring once more, causing another of the beasts to drop. Two more tripped over its fallen body as the remaining three continued towards her and Mila. No more time. She dropped her bow and heard it bounce on the tarmac as she reached to her belt for the knife.

  Mila blurred into action, rushing forward to meet the lead creature. She kicked out hard with her left foot, letting out a barbaric battle cry. The beast went flying backwards, and she leapt through the air at the second creature, bringing her twenty-first-century homemade mace up as she went. The monster’s arms reached for her, but she parried them then brought her weapon down like a jackhammer. The protruding nails smashed through the beast’s skull with an echoing crack, and it crumpled to the ground. Mila desperately tried to pull the modified rolling pin back out of the creature’s head, but it was buried too deep. Before she had time to respond, the next monster pounced.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Wren and Chuck heard what was going on behind them, but as the other pack drew nearer, all they could do was focus on their own battle. The six creatures were just twenty metres away as Rosie’s sobs became louder. Wren looked at the two halves of the spear in her hands then across to the hammer that Chuck held. “Didn’t you have an axe?”


  “Don’t get me started.”

  This is madness. We’re about to fight half a dozen infected with a hammer and two sticks. This is absolutely mental. Wolf began to charge, and as much as Wren wanted to stop him, she knew this was literally a fight to the death and they needed every advantage they could. If he could take out or delay just one of them, it might make all the difference. Her heart started beating faster and faster as the German Shepherd sped towards the advancing beasts. Wolf launched for the head of the pack. It had been a man not too dissimilar to Chuck. Its tall and burly frame housed a network of powerful muscles, and as Wolf flew at it, it batted him away as if he was nothing more than a small buzzing insect.

  Wolf let out a short and surprised yelp as he landed heavily on the grass verge at the side of the road and went tumbling into the small gulley.

  “WOLF!” Wren screamed. In all the time they had been together, no creature had ever got the upper hand on her beloved dog. Panic consumed her not just for Wolf’s welfare but for her own too. Wolf was down, and the creatures were nearly upon them. Oh God!

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Before the beast managed to get a grip on Mila, it became airborne. Robyn had fired like a bullet towards it, tackling it around its waist. The creature’s flailing arms tried hopelessly to grasp onto its blonde target, but it was too late. It slammed onto the ground, its head thudding heavily against the wet tarmac. Robyn dragged her arm out from underneath it and immediately plunged her knife through its head. The tiny modicum of relief she felt for having rescued her friend dissolved in an instant as the creature that Mila had booted away in the initial attack suddenly tackled her.

  It was Robyn’s head that cracked on the tarmac now as the vile-smelling, gurgling ghoul loomed over her, blocking out the sky. She could feel every item in her rucksack push against her back as its knee inadvertently pinned down her arm and its mouth raced towards her face. Where did it come from? How did I let my guard down? She screamed and tried to twist away, tried to knock it off balance, but it was no good. I’m dead.

  ✽ ✽ ✽