One More Dawn

by John Riley

  ‘Sarah come on!’ Miles yelled. Then she realised she was sat on the floor, dry heaving and weeping uncontrollably. She tried to stand up, she really did. Miles sprinted to her and got her onto her feet. With one hand, he held her to his waist and with the other he grabbed her hammer.

  ‘RUN!’

  12

  They forced themselves to keep going. They’d pushed through the hall, stumbled through the store room and tumbled out of the window. Then they had run -or more correctly limped- through the old centre of town, passing a myriad of empty factories and closed down businesses. Now they were tired, broken and… bloodied?

  ‘Sarah, Stevie’s bleeding!’ Laura called shrilly. Sarah looked back and down at Steven. Laura was holding him in front of herself and forcing his right arm out. There was a cut, an inch or more long and judging from the blood steadily pulsing from it, pretty deep. Miles had stopped with the call and reacted faster than Sarah, tearing a strip of cloth from his already battered shirt he deftly held the wound together with one hand whilst tightly winding the cloth around the boy’s arm with the other.

  'We’re going to have to get this seen to.’ Miles shot Sarah a worried look, where did he think they could go?

  'There’s a health clinic not far from here!’ Laura blurted suddenly, 'I don't remember exactly where… But I do know that it's just outside of the industrial park, off towards the houses.’ She pointed off in pretty much the exact direction they had come from.

  'What do you think?’ Sarah asked, looking to Miles. His eyes hadn't left Steven's arm, he shook his head.

  'We don't have a choice,’ He replied, 'not to worry anybody but it needs stitches.’

  'Will it even be open?’ Sarah wondered aloud,

  'If it isn't,’ Miles straightened and started off back the way they had come, 'we might consider ourselves luckier.’

  They made the journey back to “their” factory, knowing every step of the way that they could be walking to their death. To everyone's relief the mother’s car was gone, obviously she had found Laura's phone -which they had dumped- and decided to look elsewhere. By now it would be safe for Sarah to go in and get her bag… theoretically. In reality though she didn't want to chance it, couldn't face going in there alone and nobody had mentioned it so instead she skulked past like the others. She still had her phone, but she didn't think Daniel would use it to find her. She turned the GPS tracking off anyway. Steven had gone white as a sheet in the few minutes since discovering his cut. Laura was fretting over him, holding him tightly to herself and darting glances around like she would find a nurse on the side of the road. Miles was leading the way, no more knowledgeable of the area but Sarah felt better with him in front anyway. He exuded calm, quiet competence and these were things Sarah desperately craved.

  ‘We’re going to start coming up on life before too long.’ Miles called back to them, ‘We’re not going to be able to fight anything off, so it’s probably best if we start being quiet and getting low.’

  Sarah looked around, they were on a wide path next to the road leading out of the industrial park. A fair distance down the road was a large gate, one side of it was open just enough for a car to pass. Before the gate there was absolutely no cover, after it the road became a T and they could already see the occasional car passing the entrance. The road to the left and right was blocked from view by bushes and trees lining it on either side, from where they were it was impossible to tell which way would lead to the health centre.

  ‘Which way is it when we get past the gate?’ Sarah asked. Laura shrugged and looked apologetic,

  ‘I only know that it’s not far from the houses…’ She shielded her eyes with one hand and stared down the road, ‘Right maybe?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter which way it is if we can’t actually get there.’ Miles grumbled, ‘This way, stay low and from now on we keep silent.’ He gestured to the right, they all followed, crossing the road and moving across the open concrete until the T junction was hidden from view. From everywhere but the gate they were completely visible, if the kids’ Mother had decided to move her car and stalk the industrial park she would find them for sure. Sarah felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise as she was sure that this was exactly what the monster had done. Fighting to keep from scanning the dark empty buildings behind them she followed Miles in a crouch. Steven couldn’t lower himself, shook up as he was, but Laura managed to keep low whilst holding him up. Like this the group found its way to the fence on the right of the gate. Behind the fence was a path, behind the path were the bushes, an eight-foot hedge riddled with trees that blocked all but the sound of cars on the road behind them. For mid-morning on a Sunday the road beside the “abandoned” industrial park was too busy for Sarah’s liking.

  ‘Ok, what now?’ She whispered. Miles also seemed to be worried by the amount of traffic,

  ‘We’re going to have to be able to see the cars coming,’ He began, listening intently to them, ‘I’m guessing this path links back up to the one down there,’ He pointed back to their factory, ‘so it’s useless following it down. We’re going to have to get to the road.’

  They all agreed, then Miles set off, hugging the fence as he crept towards the gate.

  The gate itself was supported by two concrete structures, one to either side. Before the fence reached the structures the hedge behind them ended and left the fence in full view from the junction. They decided silently that they should run for it and in a terrifying moment of uncertainty they did, covering the small distance all at once, ending in a crouch beside the closest structure and panting with fear. They all waited then. Each of them with their hearts in their throats, each of them trying to steady their breathing. To be able to hear.

  Absent was the sound of screeching tyres. They were safe.

  Sarah leant her back against the wall and slid to a sitting position, she let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

  ‘I’m going to see if I can get through and to the hedge.’ Miles stated quietly. Sarah turned her head sharply to look at him and was about to offer to go instead when,

  ‘No, I’m doing it.’ Laura pushed herself to her feet and put a hand on Miles’ shoulder before he could straighten, ‘I’m smaller and faster. Watch Stevie.’

  She was gone. Whether she had been listening for a lull in the traffic Sarah couldn’t be sure, but she had seemed to pick the perfect moment to run for the gate. She made it through whilst the road beyond was quiet. Sarah shuffled to the fence side of the structure and peeked out in time to see Laura rushing towards the hedge at a crouch. The unmistakable sound of a car approaching the opening reached Sarah’s ears but all she could do was pray that it was coming from the right. The sound got louder. Laura was halfway to the hedge, abandoning her crouch to sprint. The girl was running flat out, her hair streaming behind her in a dark wave as the car appeared from the right. Laura passed it and jumped the remaining distance into the safety of the hedge’s shadow. Sarah pulled herself from view with a start and looked to Miles who had one arm around Steven and his head level with the gate to see.

  Miles pointed a thumbs up to her and Sarah sighed in relief.

  Scooting back to the fence, Sarah looked out and saw Laura push herself a little way into the hedge. After a few seconds she pulled herself from the foliage and waved.

  ‘I guess that means we’re safe to go.’ Sarah muttered, turning to find Miles already moving. Not wanting to wait and be left behind she scurried out from around the gate and hurried after him.

  ‘Oh, Stevie you look awful, are you ok?’ Laura drew her brother to her and hugged him. He smiled weakly, but tears glistened on his cheeks.

  ‘Ok, so we’re out.’ Miles started, he stuck his top half into and presumably through the hedge for a few moments, then pulled it out with a grin on his face, ‘I can see it, it is to the right.’ He looked down the path, Sarah followed his gaze and saw that the hedge ran perpendicular for quite a way before the path turned off back across the
edge of the industrial park and the hedge ended at a wall.

  ‘We should be able to follow the hedge, then squeeze out at that wall onto the road.’ Laura nodded down the path.

  ‘How far is the clinic?’ Sarah asked, ‘from the wall I mean.’

  ‘Not sure,’ Miles patted Steven’s shoulder and the boy stood shakily, ‘c’mon, not far now.’

  It was Sarah’s turn to poke her head out. They had all walked the length of the hedge and now the others stood waiting as Sarah squeezed her way through the gap. The bush was much thicker at this end, assumedly to prevent just this kind of shortcut. The branches were to her back, which she was thankful of now as it turned out the bush was some type of holly. With greenery scratching at her exposed flesh she scraped her way slowly to the other side and very carefully peered out onto the stretch of road.

  It turned out the wall she was against was the divide between the abandoned factories and the very much not abandoned housing estates that she could only assume spanned from this point to the edge of the new centre of town. This side of the road was housing, seemingly all quiet. The other side had a field hidden behind more hedges, a tarmacked area followed further to the right and then finally there sat a medium sized square building, taller than the houses opposite. The building had the word “clinic” in backlit white letters above a door with a “closed” sign. Checking to either side Sarah focused her attention on the clinic and managed to make out a second door to the side closest to her; from where she stood it looked as though it were ajar and a light seemed to be on behind it.

  ‘I think we can make it,’ She whispered back to the others, ‘Not too many cars coming past anymore and there’s a side entrance that’s open.

  ‘How do we get Steve through?’ Laura asked. The boy answered by squirming from under her arms and picking his way carefully to Sarah. He was much smaller than her and had no difficulty dodging the sharp foliage.

  ‘Ready?’ she asked him, he looked tired and held his injured arm to himself carefully whilst trying not to show he was crying, but he nodded. She felt Miles push in after her and steeled herself for the run,

  ‘Go!’ She whispered, pulling Steven out and into the street.

  They ran again, one last burst of energy propelling themselves across the path and down into the road. She heard a blood-curdling scream from somewhere down the street and fought the urge to look. Run, she screamed in her head, run and run and don’t stop until you get to that door!

  Blood pounded in her ears, her feet slapped against the road and she slowed as they reached the other side, pulling Steven onto the path and urging him on. She couldn’t hear Miles or Laura, couldn’t worry about them as more screams and boiling-kettle hisses reached her ears. They were running down the path now, running towards the screams and she could see them. A handful of beautiful, terrible caricatures of people, all beginning their charge from their personal front doors, some hammering on the glass from inside cars or behind the windows in their homes.

  They were past the fields. Breath coming in hard gasps as they sprinted across the tarmac. The creatures disappeared from view as the clinic building loomed up. Sarah saw the door. It was still open. She pulled Steven a little further and managed to push the door open whilst simultaneously swinging him inside.

  Now she turned. Miles and Laura were practically on top of her and before she could shout they were inside. She threw herself through the doorframe, hearing the enraged bellows of the monsters just around the corner. The door pushed shut, Miles hastily slamming home a deadbolt. Sarah was on her hands and knees on the floor, sweat dripping from her face, breaths coming in great heaves. She heard the clacking of heels on laminate flooring and looked up at a door-less portal across the room. A woman in a smart formal shirt and skirt with near practical high heels was stood with her hands on her hips just outside.

  ‘What the fuck!?’

  13

  The place they were in had no windows, it was bright only because of the lights. It was obviously some form of filing room, cabinets ranged across the walls and almost up to the door leaving room for a small work space in the form of a little table with some stationery supplies on it off to the side. It was tight but not cramped, Laura and Steven were nearest the woman, Miles at the door furthest away and Sarah somewhere between, still on all fours.

  ‘Oh sorry, I mean,’ The woman had just noticed the children, ‘What the heck!?’

  Miles held his hands up placatingly. There was the sound of snarling from beyond the door which faded away to silence and he visibly relaxed,

  ‘The boy is hurt, we just need him looked at,’ as he spoke the woman’s eyes locked on him and Sarah saw her note the blood, sweat and general shabbiness of the man’s clothes. The woman’s own clothes were clean and ironed, her hair was artfully pulled up and her nails were professionally short but painted a deep red. Sarah would have thought the woman was one of the monsters, if not for the fact that the bags under her eyes were almost but not quite covered by makeup and she hadn’t tried to rip their throats out. Yet.

  ‘Oh no, what happened?’ The woman immediately ignored Miles and Sarah, rushing to the children. She knelt down to Steven’s level as she got close and he smiled as she playfully blew a curl of hair that had fallen into her eyes.

  ‘I cut my arm on the window.’ He said thickly, Sarah looked alarmingly at him, it had been the first time he had ever spoken any way other than carefully. She was almost sure he’d said “winnow”. She stood slowly, looking to Laura and saw the girl frowning down at her brother.

  ‘What window was that sweetheart?’ The woman held her hands out and Steven placed his arm gingerly into her grasp,

  ‘In fac’tree.’ Steven’s voice was muffled behind his other hand, which he had put over his mouth in a fist.

  ‘What were you doing in the factories?’ The woman asked, directing her question at Miles as she slowly unwound the makeshift bandage.

  ‘We were hiding.’ Miles answered simply.

  ‘From who?’ She took the last of the cloth off and hissed from between her teeth, ‘this is going to need proper care young man.’

  ‘Is he going to be ok?’ Laura blurted. The woman looked her up and down, obviously seeing the familial resemblance,

  ‘He’ll be fine as long as I can get him to be big and sit in my special chair?’ She smiled down at Steven and he nodded absently, staring at the slowly dribbling cut on his arm.

  ‘Then I think maybe your… friends?’ She shot Sarah and Miles a disdainful look, ‘Should leave. I’ll call your parents for you when we’re all done, sound good?’

  Miles took a step forward, a look of concern and annoyance on his face,

  ‘Wait a minute.’ He started,

  ‘I’m expected in an hour.’ The woman straightened, gently guiding Steven behind her with one hand whilst the other tugged insistently on Laura’s arm. The girl wasn’t having any of it.

  Laura slapped the hand away and yanked her brother toward her. He squeaked in pain and the woman held her hands up before her,

  ‘They are our friends,’ The girl said scornfully,

  ‘Look, we just need Stevie’s arm stitched, we can tell you the whole story if you like or we can just sit quietly and leave when you’re done.’ Laura gave the woman a quick once over and added, ‘if you can even do it, are you a doctor or anything?’

  The woman paused, seemingly weighing her options. Her eyes darted to the door behind them, noting the deadbolt.

  ‘I’m a nurse.’ She stated suddenly, her eyes darting around the room for escape routes, ‘I’m only here doing paperwork.’

  For some reason Sarah hated this woman. Whether it was the jumping to conclusions or the way she seemed to look down her nose at them she couldn’t tell. But whatever it was she had the sudden urge to pull the snobbish bitch out into the street by her hair and let the monsters get her. Miles however immediately put his own hands up,

  ‘Woah, we aren’t going to hurt you,’ He shook
his head emphatically, ‘we aren’t criminals or anything close!’

  ‘Well what’s going on then?’ The woman demanded,

  ‘Fix Stevie’s arm,’ Sarah spat, then calmed herself a little, ‘we’ll explain everything.’

  Steven had acted like an ordinary five-year-old, squirming and wincing as the nurse injected the anaesthetic. Laura managed to hold his attention during the actual closing of the wound and within half an hour the boy’s arm was bandaged.

  'We should probably start with names.’ The woman said, pulling her gloves off and dropping them into a waste bin. 'I’m Mary.’

  Sarah quickly introduced everyone,

  'So, who are you hiding from?’ Mary asked, sitting back in a swivel chair and laying her hands over her crossed legs. Sarah looked to Miles, he shrugged and she sighed. How the hell could she start without sounding crazy?

  ‘We think people are becoming… things, monsters.’ She tried, ‘they get attacked and then later they turn up and start attacking other people.’

  'You mean zombies?’ Mary snorted, her eyebrows raised.

  'No,’ Sarah replied through gritted teeth, 'we don't know what they are. All we know is they're fast, strong and desperate to kill anybody who's not already one of them.’

  'Yeah and they act completely normal if they can't see you.’ Laura added,

  'And they heal,’ Miles stated.

  ‘That’s why we couldn’t go to the hospital to get Stevie seen to.’ Laura said, ‘When you’re first attacked you could look really badly hurt. Dead even. But then you’d heal and start attacking people in the hospital, it’s probably completely over-run.’