“Not big enough with the way things are.”
The officer laughed with what seemed to be understanding, but he looked at Minty and moved his hand over his gun.
Finn's hand hovered towards his knife.
“There’s a lot of bad men out in the world right now,” the officer said, now addressing Minty again. “Not many are willing to offer food without wanting something in return.”
Minty seemed to grow pale as if the comment made full sense to him. “Finn is all right. He’s a good guy.”
Finn bristled at the words. There he goes again.
The officer eyeballed Finn. “Is that so?”
“No, it’s not,” said Finn. “I’m not a good guy, officer. In fact, I’m a pretty bad guy, even by today’s standards. It still doesn't make me someone who hurts kids.”
Finn thought of the little girl in the rubble.
At least, not any more.
“I gave Minty food because he needed it. In return, he is helping me find a warehouse called Latif’s.”
The officer was quiet for a moment while he digested what Finn had told him. Gradually, his hand moved away from his gun and relaxed by his hip. “Well, I suppose that’s the best I can expect nowadays. If you’re looking for Latif’s, you found it. It’s right at the end of this road. I wouldn’t advise going there though.”
Finn took a step towards the officer which made the man flinch and touch his gun again. Finn had to raise his hands to show no threat. “Why wouldn’t I want to go there, officer?”
“Because it burned down. I heard shooting last night, and when I went to check things out this morning, the warehouse was a blackened ruin.”
Finn ground his teeth. Had Dom set a fire, or had he been inside the building when it went up? Was he already dead? A twist of irony Finn would not appreciate.
I want that fucker to know who I am before I kill him. I want him to know he’s dying because of what he did to Marie. I want a confession. For my ma.
“I still need to check it out.” Finn turned to Minty. “You should stay here.”
“No way. I don’t know this guy.” He reached down and clutched Wonder Dog as if looking for agreement.
“He’s a police officer.”
“So? You know all those people I told you about? The ones who walked right on by while that woman lay on the ground begging for help? One of them was a pig.”
Finn winced at the slur, but the officer didn’t seem insulted. The time for sensitivity had long passed.
The officer sighed. “I’m sorry about that, son. Truth is, many of my colleagues who tried to do their duty when things went bad were beaten or stabbed to death. There's a lot more bad in this world than good, I'm afraid. I’ve been on my own for weeks now. A few of the junior officers took off early on, but most of the older guys stayed as long as they could stand. Police officers are human beings too—not all of them are good, I’m afraid. You’ll be safe with me though, son. Both of you, in fact. I have food, some water.”
Minty shook his head without even considering it. “I’m going with Finn.”
“No, you’re not!” Finn growled. “Look, kid, I appreciate you wanting to help me, but let’s not forget it was me who got you out of that room. I don’t owe you anything. Time to say goodbye. This fella is obviously the best bet for you.”
“I’m not staying here.” Minty moved to Finn’s side. Wonder Mutt followed, tail wagging. “I don’t know this guy.”
“No, you don’t, but you don’t know me either.”
“You’ve protected me instead of hurting me. That’s not something I’m about to give up.”
“It’s not your choice.” Finn walked away.
Minty and the dog followed.
“I’ll just follow you,” said Minty.
Finn turned, and was about to yell at the kid when he froze solid. Minty was oblivious to what was going on behind him and kept on arguing. “You saved me, so now you have to take care of me. I’m not stay—”
“Minty! Shut up and turn around.”
“No, I won’t stay—”
“Minty! Turn your empty head around.”
Wonder Mutt growled.
Minty frowned, but seemed to finally get the message. He turned around and saw the police officer pointing a gun at them.
“What do you want?” asked Finn.
“Tell the boy he isn’t going anywhere.”
Finn glared. “Why?”
“I’m taking him off your hands. He’ll be safer with me.”
Finn took a half-step forwards, but kept his hands above his head. “The kid doesn’t want to stay with you. I’m sorry, but he's coming with me.”
“You’re not taking him anywhere. Tell him to stay, and I might let you walk away.”
Minty stood between the two men, mortified. He obviously saw some kind of safety with Finn. He looked terrified now that safety was being threatened.
Wonder Mutt barked.
“Tell that mongrel to keep its trap shut!”
“Don't shoot him,” Minty begged.
Finn shook his head in disgust at the officer. “I bet the end of the world is like winning the lottery for sickos like you. Are you even a police officer?”
The man sniggered, adjusted his grip on his gun. “Like I said, we’re all just human beings. Now walk away, Mick!”
Finn snarled and so did Wonder Mutt. “I swear to God, if I hear that word one more time today…”
“Get moving!”
Finn tried to take another step closer, but the officer waved his gun. “Uh uh, don't be an idiot.”
Suddenly, Minty got in the police officer’s face and laughed. “You don’t know who you’re messing with, you stupid dickhead. Finn will kick your arse if you try to take me.”
“Minty! Shut your mouth.”
“I’m right, though, aren't I? You won't leave without me, will you?”
Finn shrugged. “Sorry, kid. I have my own problems to worry about.”
The officer grinned like a cat standing over a mouse. “Clever man. Now walk away so I don't waste a bullet.”
Before Finn turned to leave, he leaned towards Minty. “First chance you get, run!”
Minty shook his head, his eyes wide and terrified. “Please, Finn. Don’t leave me. I need you to look after me.”
The words made Finn’s stomach turn.
I need you to protect me.
Marie's words echoed through two decades and came out of the mouth of the young boy he was about to leave in the oily clutches of a paedophile. Was he really so selfish?
Yes.
“Come to me, kid,” said the officer. He sounded like he was talking to a dog. Speaking of which, Wonder Mutt was finally out of Finn’s hair as he trotted to Minty's side.
Even that dog has more loyalty than me.
Finn tried to walk away, but his throat constricted and his chest pounded. He put his hands on his knees and bent forwards.
“I said keep walking, unless you want a bullet in your chest!”
Minty changed his tune. “Finn, just go. I'll be all right. I'll... be...” The kid couldn't even finish his own lie.
Finn straightened up, still facing away from the man pointing a gun at the back of his head. “Minty?” he asked. “That promise you made me make about not killing. That just applies to Dominic, right?”
“Right!” Minty shouted back.
“Thought so.” Finn yanked the Ka-Bar from his belt loop and spun around with it in his hand. He slung it underhand as hard as he could and it sailed through the air. The twirling blade missed Minty by a hairsbreadth and buried itself in the police officer’s guts.
A gunshot rang out.
Wonder Mutt yelped.
The officer slumped to his knees, staring at the large combat knife poking out of his belly like it was a puzzle. Finn marched up and seized the rubber grip. He twisted it fiercely before yanking it out with a sickening squelch. He stared into the sicko’s eyes, “Playtime’s over, you si
ck fuck,” and slashed open his throat. He slumped to the grass, clutching feebly at his torn neck.
Wonder Mutt yelped again, frightened by the sudden gunshot and the ensuing violence. No surprise the little hound was a walking bag of nerves. Finn ignored the dog and looked for Minty. “You okay, kid?” He found him lying in the grass. “Oh shit!”
Minty was facedown and not moving. Finn rolled him over onto his back and saw blood. “Damn it, kid.”
“F-Finn? I think I’ve been… shot.”
“Yeah, no shit. Just... stay calm. I’m gonna take care of it.” He patted Minty down, looking for the source of blood. It seemed to come from high up, and the bloodstain on his t-shirt was darkest over his shoulder. Finn grabbed the collar and yanked it, tearing the thin cotton apart.
A wound glistened over Minty’s collarbone.
“Wait a minute,” said Finn. “I… yes, I think the bullet hit your collarbone and deflected. The bullet never entered your body.”
There were tears in Minty’s eyes. “Then w-why does it hurt so much?”
“Because you took a bullet to the collarbone, you eejit.” He prodded the area with his finger, making the kid cry out. The wound was horrid, and the bone felt chipped, but there was definitely no bullet hole.
Minty's eyes rolled in their sockets. “It hurts.”
“You gotta move, kid. We have to get out of here.”
“I… I can’t…”
Finn looked around—didn't see anyone. The police station was in an empty part of town. There was only the retail park they had left behind them and the industrial section up ahead where Latif's was. “Jesus wept! You're a pain in the arse, Minty. Do you know that?”
“Sorry.”
Finn clambered over to the fallen officer and grabbed his gun, adding it to his bloody Ka-Bar. He placed the knife in Minty's trembling hands while keeping the gun for himself. “Hold this.”
Minty moaned as Finn grabbed him around the waist and started dragging him towards the police station. They needed to get into cover before the next sicko appeared and had a go at them. Minty was half-conscious and in no state to move or go anywhere.
How the fuck did I end up having to play hero to this kid?
I’m supposed to be a killer.
Not a hero.
“I guess Dominic will have to wait,” Finn muttered.
Minty didn’t reply because he had passed out. He still clutched the knife Finn had asked him to hold.
Ruins
The police station was cool due to its lack of carpeting and soft furnishings—a welcome relief from the dust and mugginess of outside. It was also dark. Many of the interior corridors lacked windows. A sense of echoing laced the building, and scenes of drunken arrests and interviewing suspects played out in every room.
Finn dumped Minty down on a swivel chair behind a desk in the waiting room. The kid was out cold, the proud owner of a nasty flesh wound, but his bleeding had slowed to a trickle. Finn remembered his own first flesh wound. He’d been drinking at a pub on the southern bank when a bunch of British Paras came in. Finn's buddies took offence to the squaddies, and a fight broke out at last orders. At twenty years old, Finn was no match for a British Paratrooper. Before he even managed to land a punch, he’d found himself lying on the ground with a broken bottle lodged in his thigh. Today, the scar ran an inch long, thick and ugly. It served as a reminder of that day and taught the lesson not to get into fights he couldn't win. It also stoked his ongoing hatred for the British Army.
But the British Army was gone now. It had been weeks since Finn saw a man in fatigues. It didn’t bring him much closure though. In fact, seeing no presence of the Army during a time of such insurmountable crisis was disconcerting.
“Everything will be okay,” Finn said as he wheeled Minty down the corridor. The kid couldn't hear him, but Finn felt a need to keep talking. It was unlike him, but he felt rattled. The kid had taken a bullet because of him.
Wonder Mutt ran on ahead but didn't go more than a few metres without stopping and looking back. Finn assumed the police station would have a medical bay somewhere, or at least a supply closet. They had to be first-aid-ready, right? No telling when a drug addict would seize and start choking on their own tongues.
Minty mumbled and went silent again.
Finn continued wheeling the kid along the corridors, shoving doors on either side until he found what he needed. The fifth room contained a raised bed and several cabinets. On a counter sat a green box with a white cross on it—a first aid kit.
Finn wheeled Minty into the room and hoisted him up onto the bed. The kid's lightness disturbed him. Then he pulled up the safety rails on either side and searched the room’s cabinets. Besides the first aid kit there was an ample supply of bandages, gauze, and even over-the-counter medications. Finn got a trickle of water from the room's barely functioning sink and crumbled two strong painkillers into a plastic cup. Gathering up bandages and antiseptic, he placed everything on the bed beside Minty.
“I’m just going to strip your top off,” he said.
Minty didn’t respond. Finn peeled his T-shirt off and over his head, then wiped away the blood with the antiseptic wipes. Once he could see what he was doing, he sprayed the kid's wound with antibacterial spray and placed gauze over it. The wound cleaned and dressed, he finished by wrapping bandages under Mint’s left arm and around the right side of his neck binding tightly. He used a strip of medical tape to tie-off the bandage.
“Not bad, if I say so myself.”
Minty mumbled again, but this time his eyes flickered. Finn propped the kid up into an angled seating position and tried offering him the dissolved painkillers. Even half conscious, Minty sipped at the liquid until it was gone.
“There you go. Good lad.” Finn laid Minty back and slumped against the counter while he let out a deep sigh. Exhaustion had set in, not just from exertion but from the anger and hate he’d been holding on to.
Would he ever find Dominic?
How long before the grey ooze got here? It was like working against a ticking clock. Only a matter of time before the horizon disappeared and the creeping, relentless death started to devour the ground like a rising tide.
Clatter!
Finn leapt up from the counter, starling Wonder Mutt who ran underneath the bed and cowered.
Somebody moved out in the corridor. The only question for Finn was whether to hide out in this room or rush out and catch whoever was sneaking around.
He decided on the latter.
Finn rounded the bed and shoved his way out into the corridor. He was surprised to find a young woman frozen on the spot and terrified. The clatter had been from her foot stumbling into an empty water canister from a nearby dispenser.
“Please don’t hurt me,” the woman begged. The panic on her drawn sickly face was difficult to watch.
Finn put his hands in the air and took a step away from her. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just taking care of my kid.”
“Are you a friend of Edward’s?”
Finn frowned. “Who’s Edward? If you mean the sick fecker who likes to mess with kids, then I'm afraid he won’t be coming back.”
The woman seemed to tremble, her legs wobbling all over the place. “He’s gone?”
Finn nodded.
“Oh.” The woman pitched forward and collided with the wall. Finn was just quick enough to catch her before she fell to the ground.
“Easy, love. I’ve got you.” Finn eased her into a sitting position and looked at her. “Who was this Edward to you?”
The woman needed a moment before speaking. She had to catch her breath. Eventually: “I came here a few days ago for help. My house burned down during the riots, and I had no place else to go. Edward was a police officer. When I found him I trusted him. I thought he would protect me. Instead…”
Finn rubbed her shoulders, but moved his hand back when she flinched. “All right, love. I understand.”
She looked at him, an
d the panic returned to her eyes. “Are you…?”
“No,” said Finn. “I’m not going to hurt you. I really am just here to help my kid.”
The woman nodded. “Did you kill Edward?”
“Only to stop him killing me. D'you think you can get up?”
The woman nodded and pushed herself up off the floor. Finn grasped her arm to help her, but once again it was clear his touch was unwelcome. He backed off.
“Where’s your kid?” she asked him suspiciously.
“In here.” Finn pushed the door open and led her into the sick bay. Minty still lay on the bed, but was awake now and staring at the ceiling in confusion. Wonder Mutt had somehow leapt up onto the bed and was stretched out over his legs.
Finn rounded the bed until he was standing in front of Minty. “Kid, you’re awake?”
“W-What happened?”
“You got shot.”
Minty’s eyes went wide. “I’ve been shot?”
Finn wrapped his fingers around the kid’s ankle and squeezed. “You’re going to be fine. The bullet bounced off your collarbone. Just about the luckiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”
Minty glanced sideways. “Who’s she?”
Finn looked at the women in the room. “Actually, we haven’t introduced ourselves. My name is Finn, and this is Minty. What’s your name, love?”
“Katie. G-Good to meet you both.”
“She was hiding out in here,” Finn explained.
“Was she with the guy who shot me?” asked Minty.
Finn shook his head before the woman could speak for herself. “She was no friend of his, kid.”
“We need to go.” Minty tried to sit up, causing Wonder Mutt to hop to the ground, but he ended up yelling and falling back.
Finn moved forward and put a hand on the kid’s chest. “Take it easy. We’ll stay here tonight and see where we stand in the morning. It might be best if we part ways.”
Katie moaned. Minty did too.
Finn put his hands up. “I’m just saying we think things through, okay? You two might be better off staying here than coming with me. The world ain’t getting any better.”
“You’re not leaving me,” said Minty. “I took a bullet for you.”
Hell on Earth Trilogy: The Complete Apocalyptic Saga Page 87
