Once she’d caught her breath, she limped down the road toward Ted’s truck. He had told her to check in the back for something. That intrigued her now.
The truck came into view after a few minutes of limping along the side of the road. On the ground, beside the rear tyre, she found Ted’s nail gun. It had been an effective weapon when he’d used it and would also be useful for building work back at camp. She placed it inside her rucksack, pleased that her ordeal had at last started to bear fruit. She then leant over the flatbed and searched for the lockbox Ted had spoken about. It was welded against the rear of the driver’s cabin, a small, metal compartment with a padlock threaded through its latch. What was the code again? She searched her mind.
2-0-0-6
She rolled the padlock and snapped it open. Inside was a small nylon bundle that she took out and unwrapped. “Holy mother!”
The Ka-Bar was beautiful, a perfectly weighted military knife, perfect for both close-quarter killing and bushcraft. She had no idea how Ted had got the blade—a Ka-Bar was favoured by the US Navy and Marines—but it overjoyed her to receive it as a gift. Maybe Ted wasn’t heartless after all. He certainly knew how to put a smile on her face.
The euphoria wore off, and she got back on task. Now she had to focus on the larger task of finding supplies—medicine at the very least. Which direction should she go? Ted had told her to head past his truck, and that she would find a village.
So she set off in that direction, pain jolting her ankle with every step. Tomorrow, she’d be unable to walk on it, so she needed to grab whatever she could today and head back soon. It wasn’t ideal, but she was sure she could find something and head back into the forest by nightfall. Longer sorties could come later. They only needed a band-aid to buy them some time.
Heading down the road, she thought about what Vamps had told the group in recent weeks while he’d been working amongst them—that there was a massive human army in the South that would one day reclaim the country. It felt like a lie. She had seen an entire army massacred in Derby and found it impossible to imagine any other outcome. Yet, Vamps seemed to know way more than everybody else did about what was going on
Her mind turned down dark alleyways, ones where humanity was ashes blowing on the wind, and she, along with the people at the camp, were dangling over a flame and becoming ashes themselves. Was anybody else out here? Anyone at all? She tried with all her might to believe there was, and that salvation might truly lie in Portsmouth.
She heard moaning.
The noise came from the long grass at the side of the road, and it reminded her of a zombie. The smell of burning clung to the air, but she saw no fire. After what had happened with the dogs, she was ready to shoot first and ask questions later, so she raised her rifle and stepped away from the road and into the grass.
A tractor sat parked in the field, but there was no one behind the wheel. The driver’s door was ajar and a vast network of cobwebs filled the opening. A trailer sat behind it, full of rotten, damp hay.
“Salam alekum,” muttered a man slumped up against one of the tractor’s giant tyres. He had a light-brown complexion and dressed in Middle-Eastern clothing. Hannah wanted to describe him as Arabic but was unsure whether it was an appropriate way to label someone—he could just as easily be Indian or Turkish or Tunisian. Then she realised such things probably didn’t matter anymore.
She pointed her rifle at the man’s face. “Who are you?”
“My name…” The man took a breath, visibly exhausted. “My name is Aymun, and I am looking for my friend.”
“Who?”
“He is a young man who goes by the name of Vamps. Not his true name, but the only one of which I know.”
Hannah tried not to show any recognition at the name. She didn’t know this man from Adam and wouldn’t share information freely until she got a read on him. “Stupid name. What is this Vamps guy to you?”
“As I say, he is just a friend.” The man shifted position and winced in pain. “He is in much trouble and I am hoping to help him.”
“Well, not sure I can be of help to you there. Do you need aid? I have water.”
The man sighed and looked down at the grass. “No, thank you. My challenges are great it seems. I travelled many miles, and yet nothing do I find. Are you alone, kind soldier?”
“Haven’t seen another person in weeks, pet.” She worried she might have lied a little too eagerly.
“A dire reality in which we find ourselves, indeed.” The strange man grunted and pushed himself to his feet, using the giant tyre at his back.
Hannah shook her rifle at him. “Easy there!”
Aymun smiled, subtle amusement in his eyes. “Surely, you would not shoot a man for getting to his feet? Now, I do not know you, woman, for you have not shown me the politeness of sharing your name. Yet, I know you are not alone in this world. Your pack is empty. If you are a lone traveller, as you say, then where is your blanket? Where are your food supplies? No, your pack is empty because you are looking for resources to bring back to your camp.”
“Yes, but the camp is just me.”
“No. A camp of one is not a camp. You are clean, fed, and your eyes lack the desperation of a lonely traveller. You are not alone.”
She moved her rifle’s muzzle closer to his face. “If I shoot you in the face, I’ll be alone again. We don’t know each other, so dial back the familiarity.”
“Have you seen my friend? That is all I ask.”
“What do you want with this Vamps guy, anyway? You said he’s in trouble?”
“He is. Great danger surrounds him.”
“What danger?”
Aymun smiled and placed his hands out in a gesture of defeat. “Alas, you claim not to know this man, so I shall share no more.”
“Then I wish you the best of luck, pet. Hope you find him.” She stepped back, keeping her rifle raised so he couldn’t get a jump on her. She didn’t trust this man with the strange accent and odd clothes, but she hoped it wasn’t old prejudices making her feel that way. The world had moved on, for better or worse. No, she just got a bad feeling, that was all.
“What is it you seek, woman? What supplies does your camp need?”
Hannah stopped retreating and shoved her muzzle closer to the man’s face again. “Call me woman one more time. I dare you.”
Aymun chuckled. Then he moved like a whipped vine, grabbing her rifle strap and twisting it around her neck until it was squeezing her throat shut. Before she could fight back, he kicked her legs out from under her and put her on her back. The pommel of her stowed sword butted the base of her skull and sent stars through her vision.
Aymun grabbed her rifle and twisted it, tightening the strap around her neck. The more he twisted, the more the strap tightened. He glared into her face, long nose touching hers. “I call you woman because you continue to show rudeness by refusing to offer your name. Now you have a choice. Unclip your rifle, and the strap around your throat will loosen. Or continue to fight and strangulate to death. Fight or think. Up to you, woman.”
Hannah gritted her teeth and tried to throw the man off her, tried to force her rifle around to shoot him. She could do neither. Reluctantly, and angrily, she reached for the clips on the rifle straps and thumbed them open. A solider giving up her weapon was no soldier. Her second failure of the day.
Aymun snatched the rifle and pointed it at her chest. “You may stand.”
Hannah did so gingerly, brushing dirt off her butt and rubbing at her sore throat. Yet another wound to add to the list. As she stood, her damaged ankle buckled and reminded her that this was not her first failure of the day. “What do you want?” she demanded, glaring at the son-of-a-bitch. “I knew you were bad news.”
“I only wish to hear your name.”
“Hannah.” She growled. “My name is Hannah, okay?”
“You are a rude woman, Hannah.” He glared at her a moment, then altered his expression and smiled. “But I am most happy to meet you.
Forgive my direct way of doing things. I have had a most difficult journey, and it has been many months since I saw my homeland. I miss it greatly.”
“And where is that exactly?”
“I am from Syria. Damascus. A most ancient and illustrious city. It was in ruins even before the damned got there. I fear for it greatly now.”
“Syria? How did you get here?”
“I went through Hell.”
She rolled her eyes. Had this guy and Vamps worked on a story together or something? “Look, just let me go or shoot me. I’m sorry I took a hard line with you, but I’ve had a pretty miserable journey too.”
He pointed back across the fields behind him. There is a post office in the village beyond this farmland, you see? Behind those distant hedges. I came from that direction.” He shocked her then by handing her back her rifle. “So long as you do not point this at me, I shall allow you to keep it.”
She snatched it back and almost pointed it right back at him again. Allow her to keep it? That was rich. Yet, she didn’t tempt fate. The man could have shot her, but he had given her weapon back. That had earned him a little trust at least. “You saw food?” she asked. “Medicine?”
“I saw a post office sign and a large window. I did not search inside. My priority is to find my friend before I expire.”
Hannah frowned. “What do you mean, expire?”
The man lifted his flowing cotton shirt and showed her a bloody bandage. “I had hoped to find safety before danger, but danger found me first. A pack of fiends fell upon me. I barely made it out with my life. They were not so fortunate.”
“You fought them off bare handed?”
“I am not as defenceless as I appear, Hannah. However, I lost all my supplies and most of my breath. I sat down to rest here and… It may have been some time.”
“That wound looks a couple days old, but if we can clean it up, you should be okay. It doesn’t seem infected.”
He nodded as if he understood all this. “You truly do not have a camp? Someone who might offer me aid?”
Hannah took a breath and held it before letting it out and answering. She almost told the truth, but still couldn’t quite trust the man. Not yet. “No, I’m sorry, it’s just me—but if I find anything to dress your wound in the village, I’ll bring it back for you, I promise. Just stay here.”
“No,” he said. “I shall search with you.”
Hannah was about to argue, but then considered it might be useful to try to find out more about Vamps, and why exactly this odd Middle-Eastern man was looking for him, so bringing him along might not be a bad idea. “Fine, but once we find something to help you with that wound, we go our separate ways.”
“As you wish. Although, have you considered our separate ways may lead to the same place?”
Hannah shouldered her rifle and started walking. “I’m going this way, pet.”
28
HANNAH
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the edge of the field and spotted a row of cottages beyond. Sure enough, the last building in the row featured a red and yellow ‘Royal Mail’ sign, and it peeked at her through the trees. No one else seemed to be around, and her fear of ambush slowly bled away. While Aymun was an oddball, he had told the truth about this.
She hobbled through a gap in the hedges while Aymun stayed close behind her. A wooden bus shelter with a bench stood at the side of the road, and she took a moment to rest her ankle there.
“It appears bad,” said Aymun, peering at her wound. “How did this happen?”
“Dogs,” she said ruefully. “Might be man’s best friend, but not mine, apparently.”
Aymun folded his arms and hid his hands inside his sleeves. “It is not just humankind affected by this calamity. If the Red Lord succeeds in scouring the earth, even the smallest of insects shall plummet into the abyss.”
“The Red Lord?” Hannah enquired as if she had never heard the name before.
Aymun shrugged. “A creature I cannot fully comprehend. A destroyer of worlds. A great Evil. The Red Lord erases all so that he may one day create. He is God’s adversary.”
“Isn’t that the Devil?”
Aymun chuckled. “One would think so, but no. I spent my entire life studying the Quran, and the knowledge contained within was a mere thimble-full of water taken from an ocean.”
“I was an atheist, so it’s always been a load of rubbish to me.” She pulled a face. “Guess I was wrong.”
“We were all wrong,” said Aymun. “Shall I search the Post Office while you rest, Hannah?”
She hopped up from the bench. “No, I’m good. Let’s see what we can find.”
They crossed the road and mounted the opposite pavement. Good fortune had left the Post Office’s heavy glass door unlocked, and Hannah shouldered it open easily before stepping inside. The place had been ransacked, but not emptied, and many goods still littered the shelves. Her boots crunched on bags of crisps, and she kicked aside sprouting potatoes.
“A cornucopia,” said Aymun. “Is this what you required?”
She turned to Aymun and nodded. “It’s a good start. Thank you.”
“A joy to be of service. What is it you need precisely?”
“We need seeds to grow…” She stopped herself from continuing. Damn it!
Aymun smiled knowingly. “We?”
Hannah grumbled. She kicked her way through the debris and leant on the Post Office counter. Perhaps she could just ignore the fact she’d dropped her pants and given up Intel.
“I am no threat,” said Aymun. He remained standing where he was, over by the door. “You wish for seeds to grow crops, yes? That means there are many of you, and that you are safe. I am glad. There is safety in Portsmouth too, but our fight is not yet over. I must find my friend. Vamps is not only in danger. He is a danger to those around him.” Hannah couldn’t help but betray her emotions now. This man seemed so earnest. Her bottom lip quivered, and Aymun saw it right away because he titled his head and sighed. “Please, trust me, Hannah.”
She looked at him, wavering back and forth, both physically and mentally. It was hard to stand on her ankle, so she continued to lean against the counter. “I might know something about this Vamps guy you’re after.”
“I am no threat,” Aymun repeated. “Vamps and I, along with many others have been fighting to ensure mankind’s survival. Every human life is precious, more than you can ever understand. My only hope is to see the threat to God’s garden extinguished.”
“Yeah… Right, okay, well, um just help me find what I need and maybe we can trade info. Later. Maybe.”
Aymun sighed, unhappy at the prospect, but seeming to understand that this was a negotiation. “Time is not something I have a lot of.”
“Then you better get a move on and start searching, pet.”
He sighed and began sulkily piling dried noodles into a blue shopping basket. Hannah went behind the counter to a display behind the tills. The cigarettes and booze were all gone, but she found other prizes. She waved a fist in the air and declared, “Back of the net!”
“You have found what you need?” asked Aymun.
She grabbed the bottle of TCP and held it up like a trophy. Antiseptic might not reverse an infection, but it was perfect for preventing one in the first place. It was what she needed for her ankle, and what Dr Kamiyo would need in the days ahead. “Like I said earlier, it’s a good start.”
Along with the TCP, she also found bandages, plasters, painkillers, cold medicines, and a shit-tonne more antiseptic. It wasn’t what they desperately needed, but it was better than what they had. Along with some food, matches, and sanitary towels, it might be enough to make life easier for a while. She was hurt, and every step made it worse, but this supply run had been successful enough to call a win. She would heal up and then go out again. Maybe by that time, the fabled Portsmouth Army would have arrived to save the day.
Hannah looked at Aymun. “There’s really a push-back going on i
n Portsmouth?”
He had picked up a pack of sanitary towels and was examining them curiously but put them down now and looked at her. “Yes, General Wickstaff, a great woman, led many men to victory. They closed the gates and killed the Fallen.”
“The Fallen?”
“Fallen angels. Those of God’s chosen who turned away to serve the Red Lord. They attacked London and the surrounding areas. There will be many more to face in the days ahead, but we know they can be vanquished.”
“You’re talking about the giants? You killed some of them?” It was exactly what Vamps had claimed. Was this some elaborate confidence trick, or the crazy, impossible truth?
Aymun seemed to sense her cynicism because he moved a little closer. “When one who is living passes through a gate, it weakens the damned greatly. I did such a thing myself in Syria and exited in London. I did so again in Portsmouth, and this time came out of a gate many miles from here. I seek my friend. The friend who I believe you have met, no? His name is Vamps.”
Hannah studied Aymun and considered it possible that he was one of the good guys. Just being human made it more likely than not. Was she being hard on him? On the road after Derby, she’d been ready to embrace the first stranger she met, but now she had people depending on her. People she needed to protect.
She sighed. It was time to take a chance. “Yes, I’ve met Vamps. He was hurt, but our doctor brought him back to health. For a while, he was… I dunno, possessed or something. He attacked some of us, and we had to restrain him.” She nodded at her rifle, which she held onto more tightly since having it taken off her once. “He almost got a bullet in the skull.”
Aymun nodded but grew weary. He had to steady himself against a fridge filled with spoiled ice cream. “He is indeed possessed, as you put it. The Red Lord resides within him, an unwanted passenger.”
Hannah shook her head. “Vamps is fine now though. This Red Lord or whatever, went away. He’s been helping us back at the camp for weeks.”
Hell On Earth Box Set | Books 1-6 Page 98
