Hell

by G G Garcia

  He looked out at the body and shook his head. Thousands of people must have suffered the same fate, Paul thought. He wondered how many people out of the six million had been killed, and how the rest of the country and the world were reacting to what was going on. He imagined that the country/world were split with what was happening. The rest of the UK must have breathed a sigh of relief that the problem had been contained and was being monitored, but were they thinking: why weren’t these poor people being helped?

  There must have been people in the West Midlands that had relatives outside the area that were concerned. And then there was the power cut. Why do it? Was the power cut mainly to affect the internet? Was it a pre-emptive or a reactive measure to prevent mass or potential public unrest, and to silence discontent?

  Paul moved away from the window and could see Mel staring at him.

  “Was it as bad as it sounded?” Mel asked him.

  “Yeah.”

  “What are you doing?” Mel could see Paul heading for the bar.

  Paul said, “After seeing that, I need another beer.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Maxwell was the first to flee. He ran straight into the bathroom and locked the door. Henry and Demi ran out of the living room and went into Henry’s bedroom. Once the door was shut, the pair of them sat against the door.

  “Whatever you do, don’t move,” Henry said in a whisper.

  “Why did Maxwell go into the bathroom?”

  “Must have panicked.” Henry hunched his shoulders “Forget about that now, just do as I say.”

  The two of them sat on the floor with their backs against the door, ready to push back if need be. Henry wasn’t sure opening a door was one of the skills that had vacated their mind, but he was preparing himself for the worst-case scenario.

  The set of feet could be heard in the hallway, but the door wasn’t tried. The sound of banging was picked up by Henry and Demi’s ears, and Henry was convinced that they were hammering the bathroom door, trying to get at Maxwell.

  “What do we do?” Demi kept her voice low, but her panic was picked up by Henry.

  “Dunno.”

  “We’re gonna have to leave.”

  “And what about Maxwell?”

  “He’ll be okay.” Demi looked at Henry and hunched her shoulders. “He’s a big boy. He has a gun.”

  “I’m not leaving him here.” Henry was incensed by Demi’s remark. “And I’m certainly not leaving all this food here.”

  “Then what?”

  “We wait.”

  The two sat with their backs against the door and could still hear the shuffling of feet behind them. The bedroom door was banged once, making Demi gasp, but after that the noise began to fade. It sounded like they were going back to the living room and the banging of the bathroom door started again and now escalated. It sounded like more hands were smacking the door, and Henry wasn’t sure how long the bathroom door was going to be able to withstand the pounding.

  More noises were heard and the splinter of wood suggested to the pair of them that the bathroom door was giving way. A cry of fright could be heard from Maxwell’s voice, followed by gunshots. Demi and Henry were convinced that loud noises attracted the Savs from afar and Maxwell was only shooting because he had no other choice.

  “We have to go.” Demi grabbed a hold of Henry, her eyes wide with desperation. “I’m sorry, but your friend’s finished.”

  Two more gunshots rang out and Henry Brown stood up, checked his pocket for his car keys, and grabbed his bed. He began to drag it and put it against the door, and Demi helped.

  Henry puffed out an anxious breath out and seemed reluctant to leave. Another shot rang out, followed by an anxious cry from Maxwell. Henry didn’t know if Maxwell was just scared or he was actually being attacked.

  “We need to go,” Demi cried. “There was about twenty of them coming through that living room, and with the gunshots there’s gonna be more.”

  She didn’t really know how many had come through that window, but she was certain that all three would die if they hung around for a few minutes longer.

  “Okay,” Henry sighed, and went over to his window. He peered out and it seemed clear. His vehicle was sitting on the drive, a matter of yards away. He opened the window and urged Demi to follow him. They both stepped out onto the drive and got into the vehicle once it was opened. Henry took a look to the side, at the bathroom window, and apologised to Maxwell under his breath. He hoped his death would be a quick one.

  He then started the engine, to Demi’s relief, and moved away.

  “I know somewhere where we’ll be safe,” she said. “That pub I left in Wolseley—”

  “I’m not leaving Rugeley,” Henry spoke up.

  “What?”

  “I’m not leaving all that food behind.”

  “Then what are we gonna do?”

  Henry exited the small village and was now moving along the dark country lanes. He said, “We’ll stay near Power Station Road, in Rugeley. But in the morning, I’m going back.”

  “But Henry—”

  “I’ll check out the damage, and if the place is unliveable, we’ll stack the car up with the supplies and plan on what to do next.”

  “So...” it took a while for the information to sink in. “...we’re coming back.”

  Henry nodded. “Providing the place is clear of those Savs.”

  “Do you think Maxwell is okay?”

  Henry looked at Demi as if she had just asked him a dumb question. “If I thought he had a chance of surviving that, then I wouldn’t have left. He’s gone. Let’s face it. Poor bastard.”

  Demi turned and gazed out of the window. Not one IO could be seen during the short journey to Power Station Road, and when Henry took a left, she faced forwards and could see the long, dark and eerie road. It was an industrial estate and had units on either side of it that were mostly occupied by businesses that people had set up.

  “Where are we going to stay?” Demi asked.

  “At the side of the road,” said Henry. “We’ll take turns sleeping.”

  “I won’t sleep.”

  Henry smiled and said, “Neither will I. But we should relax and see what happens. Maybe we’ll nod off for a bit. We’re gonna wait till the morning, and then we’ll go back. Okay?”

  Demi managed a single nod, leaned her head back on the headrest, and gave off a depressed sigh. She had no love for Maxwell, but he didn’t deserve that. It had been the fate of many people over the last couple of days, and it was something that terrified her.

  Henry rubbed his face with his hands and also thought about Maxwell. With the amount of Savs in the house and banging on the door, he never stood a chance. Poor bastard, he thought. I hope you took a few out before you died.

  Henry was a tough bastard and had many episodes of violence, but the thought of leaving his friend to die, even though he didn’t have a choice in the matter, hardened his throat.

  He looked to the side, at Demi, and could just about see in the dusky light that her eyes were getting heavy.

  “Tired now, eh?” He released a small chuckle.

  “A little.” She yawned and rubbed her right eye. “I might dose off for a bit.”

  “You do that.” Henry patted the gun that had been placed on top of the dashboard. “I won’t be sleeping tonight anyway.”

  “If that’s okay with you.”

  “Of course,” he said. “You’re perfectly safe, here with me.”

  “I know I am,” she purred, closed her eyes and folded her arms.

  “Night, Demi.”

  “Night.”

  For Henry, it was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Half an hour had passed and Paul Newbold had finally sat down. He had been pacing up and down the lounge area, peering out of every window, and was getting on Mel’s nerves. Mel sat with discontent and decided that they should have a game of I-Spy to break up the boredom and pass the time, b
ut before he could open his mouth they both heard a sound from outside. It was coming from their left, outside the main door, which meant something was happening in the pub’s car park.

  Both men looked at each other with wide eyes, unsure what to do. They both slowly stood up and pulled out their knives, just in case one of them burst through one of the windows like what happened back at Melvin’s house.

  Mel was the first to approach the window and moaned, “I’m getting sick of this.”

  He looked out as Paul approached behind him, and couldn’t see anything. All he could see was blackness. Even in the days where they had power, the Wolseley Arms pub never had lighting in the car park.

  “Anything?” Paul spoke from behind the middle-aged man.

  “Not a thing.”

  Paul stood next to Mel and also looked out. For fifty seconds both men gazed into the blackness, and then figures to their right could be seen. It was dark, but the outline of the three individuals were noticed by both men. One of them ran at one of the windows, bounced off it, and fell to the floor.

  “Shit,” Mel cussed. “Is that people trying to break in, you know, like those bouncers earlier.”

  “I don’t think so.” Paul was convinced the three were infected. “I reckon it’s those same three that attacked that girl earlier.”

  “So what do we do?”

  Paul puffed out a breath and rubbed his eyes. “Just ... hope they go away.”

  They continued to watch and could see one of them running at the same window, and again, bouncing off it and hitting the floor. They didn’t know if it was the same individual or another IO was trying to get in.

  “They’re definitely infected,” Paul stated.

  “How do you know?” asked Mel.

  “They’re runnin’ at the windows. Why aren’t they tryin’ the door like a normal person?”

  “Why are they doing that?” Mel’s nerves were shot to pieces and his heart excitedly thumped the inside of his chest. “What can they see to make them want to get in?”

  “They must...” Paul had no clue and guessed. “They must suspect that there’s somethin’ inside.”

  “Can they do that?”

  “I don’t know.” Paul sighed impatiently, which was picked up by Mel. “I know about as much as you.”

  They both watched in aghast as the three of them lined up in a queue, and took turns at running at the window.

  “What do you think they’re doing?” Mel asked.

  “It looks like they’re tryin’ to find a way in.”

  Paul took in a deep breath and asked Mel for the keys to the door. “Wh-what?”

  “Give them to me!” Paul snapped. “Now!”

  Mel did as he was told and Paul quickly opened the door, turned to Mel and said, “Get ready.”

  “What about the others? We’ll need help.”

  “Don’t have time,” said Paul. “Need to go now, before they get in.”

  Paul grabbed the door handle and both stepped outside.

  Once Mel shut the door, he stood behind Paul like a frightened child and looked over at the three figures that had their backs to the men, and said from behind, “Maybe they’re people. Maybe they’re after some kind of sanctuary.”

  “Let’s find out, shall we?”

  Paul released a whistle and all three males turned around. Mel and Paul could hear growling and one of them began to sprint at Paul and Mel.

  Paul raised his knife and said, “Get ready.”

  By the time the first male had grabbed Paul, the other two began to run at them. Paul knew he didn’t have time on his side and threw his right hand, like a hook, and managed to embed the knife into the side of the attacker’s neck. It fell immediately, but the man had fallen to the floor with the knife still stuck in its neck. Paul was grabbed before he had chance to retrieve the knife, and the final IO went for Mel.

  The male that had a hold of Paul was strong, six foot, and he pushed Paul against the main door, hitting his back. The male then threw his head forwards and went for Paul’s neck. Paul grabbed the IO’s chin with his left hand, trying to stop his neck from being torn out, and began to punch the male. Paul’s punches weren’t making a difference.

  He could see Mel in the distance, on top of his own assailant and stabbing his attacker to death, three times in the chest. Paul tried to hit the IO in the face once more, but it wasn’t making any difference.

  Paul wasn’t sure that being this close to an infected individual could put him in danger. Apart from being torn apart, he also worried about how the infected became infected in the first place.

  If they had been affected by some airborne disease or radiation, could he also become one of them if he went too close to them? He had been bitten, although his skin wasn’t broken, and lived to tell the tale, but what happened if he was in close proximity with one of them for a few seconds or longer?

  Paul now used two hands to stop himself from being bitten and tried to push away his attacker, but the man was too strong. The man jerked suddenly, took a step back from Paul, and turned around. He ran for Melvin, who was just behind, and the pair of them fell to the floor with Mel screaming out as the contaminated individual fell on top of him. Paul could see a knife sticking out of the infected’s back and ran over for his own knife that was still sticking out of the first man he had killed.

  Mel screamed out again and told Paul to hurry up. Paul pulled out the blade from the man’s bleeding neck and ran the ten yards to Mel and his assailant and stabbed the man in his side. The IO cried out and stood up, and tried to attack Paul again, but it could be seen that he was struggling with the two wounds he had received. Paul could smell weakness, and instead of standing back, he ran at the man and front kicked him, knocking him over. The IO hit the floor, smacking the back of his head on the concrete, and Paul kicked him twice in the head before falling to his knees and stabbing the man in the chest multiple times. Paul screamed out and his frenzied violent action stopped once he had no energy left.

  Sixteen stabs later, Mel called out Paul’s name. Paul Newbold stopped stabbing, and was panting hard and looked at the mess he had created. His adrenaline was beginning to wear off and he looked down on his shirt and could see the splatters of blood from his ‘victim.’

  Paul dropped the knife and got to his feet. Still panting, he looked down at the three bodies, and then looked up to Mel.

  “I think I need a change of shirt,” Paul said, panting hard. His smirk looked menacing with the blood over his shirt and face, and Mel didn’t even crack a smile.

  “You’re a mad bastard, Paul. But I’m glad you’re here.”

  Paul said, “I think I’m gonna need another drink as well.”

  “Okay.” Mel nodded. “Let’s get inside. I’ll go upstairs and get you another shirt, and wash that face of yours with a bottle of water from behind the bar.”

  Paul went in first, and Mel stepped inside and locked the door, heart galloping. “What about the three outside?” Mel asked.

  “We’ll move them in the mornin’,” said Paul. “They’re not goin’ anywhere, are they?”

  Chapter Forty

  Henry yawned and looked to the side. Demi had nodded off over twenty minutes ago, and now he was bored. He checked his magazine from his Glock, even though he knew that it was full. He had loaded it back in the flat, before it was attacked. He wanted to go back to his flat, despite the place being exposed with now two shattered windows. Even if he was convinced that his pal was dead, he needed to go back for the food, water, and the other magazines for the Glock that were stashed away in his bedroom drawer.

  He rubbed his eyes and checked his rear view mirror for the thirtieth time. The road behind and in front was clear. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

  “No.” He sat up with a jolt and shook his head. Tiredness nearly had its way. “Don’t be an idiot, Henry.”

  He looked to the side and could see the outline of Demi. He couldn’t see her face, but he c
ould hear her gently snoring. His eyes moved to his wing mirror and he saw something move. He quickly turned and looked in his rear view for the thirty-first time and could see a lone figure appearing from around the corner.

  “Shit,” Henry hissed. Calm down, mate. It might be some desperate survivor.

  His eyes never left the rear view mirror and he released a moan once three more individuals appeared from around the corner and were behind the other male, walking and heading down the road, towards the car. Another four appeared, and now there were eight of them.

  Henry fired the engine, quickly slipped the vehicle into first, and took off the parking brake.

  He quickly moved through the gears, and Demi woke up with a start and wondered what the fuck was going on.

  “What’s happening?” she cried.

  “Fuck.” Henry didn’t realise she was awake, and her voice gave him a fright. “There’s a load of Savs behind us.”

  “What?”

  “Savs! IOs, as you call them!”

  Demi looked in her wing mirror and could see a group of people getting smaller as the vehicle increased its speed along Power Station Road.

  “Do you know for sure they were infected?”

  “Of course!” he snapped. “Why would eight people, especially now, be taking a walk at this time of night?”

  “So where are we going now?” she asked.

  “Fuck knows.” Henry shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll go to Hazelslade, near the woods, and get some rest.”

  “Near the woods? Isn’t that a bit creepy?”

  “Maybe, but we need to avoid all towns and villages, if we can help it.”

  The Audi turned right into a junction, went by a pub called the Hope and Anchor, then two minutes later they were out of town and now on a country road.

  The dark road spiralled upwards. It was a road Henry had been on before, and it was a treacherous one even in the daytime. The road would straighten up eventually, but he had to reduce his speed because he knew there were no crash barriers on either side. The road finally straightened up and now they were travelling on a flat surface. Darkness was all around them and neither driver or passenger could see a thing, but they knew the woods were on either side.