“I don’t know,” replied Robyn, “but it can’t be good.”
There was another distant boom, then another. “Whatever it is, every one of those things for miles around will be heading towards it.”
They continued their journey to the farmhouse, but at a more sedate pace. “Do you think we should just go back home? I mean, it’s obviously not the farmhouse, whatever it is, and I don’t think they’ll be happy to see me. I mean I—”
“Thank God!” shouted Kayleigh, running towards them.
“What?” Robyn asked.
“I was just heading back to your place. I’d been there once already.”
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“This morning when we got back, dad started drinking. I’ve never seen him so bad. He was absolutely hammered. Mum and I tried to get him to stop but he wouldn’t. Eventually he just seemed to pass out. Next thing we know, the car’s gone…so were Dad, Brendan, and the two shotguns. That’s when I ran to your place. In that state, I didn’t know what he’d do.”
“You thought he’d try to hurt us?” Wren asked, horrified.
“I didn’t know, Wren. Dad’s like a teddy bear, but when he’s got whisky inside him, he’s different…he’s not used to drink.”
“So, where is he?”
“Sound carries in the country; it’s hard to know. But like I say, he’s not used to drink. He’s probably headed out for a fight with those things,” Kayleigh said.
“That’s not good,” Robyn replied.
“Would you come with me if I went to look?” Kayleigh asked.
“Going out there to look for them isn’t a good idea. Those creatures are attracted to sound. If they’re firing the shotguns, anything in hearing distance is going to be heading straight for them,” Wren said.
“I know, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
“Who knows how far it is? It could take us forever to reach them, and by then it might be too late,” Robyn said.
“We’ve got another car, we wouldn’t be on foot,” Kayleigh replied.
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” Wren said.
“Okay. I understand,” Kayleigh replied, turning around and heading back home. “Do me a favour, stay with Mum until I get back.”
“Wait,” Wren said, catching up. “You can’t go by yourself.”
“I can’t not go, Wren! That’s my dad and my brother.”
“Okay, okay, we’ll go with you,” Wren said.
“Just a minute, this is a really bad idea,” Robyn said.
“I know,” Wren answered, but if Kayleigh’s determined to go, we can’t let her do it alone.”
Robyn looked angry for a moment, but her expression gave way to resignation. “Okay. Go get the car, Kayleigh.”
Kayleigh ran back towards the farmhouse. When Robyn was sure she was out of hearing range, she pulled Wren around to face her. “This is exactly what I was talking about. This isn’t smart. We need to look after ourselves. Nothing good can come of us heading out there.”
“They took us in, Bobbi.”
“I know that Wren, but these bloody idiots could end up getting us killed if we’re not careful.”
“We will be careful.”
They heard an engine rev wildly and looked in the direction of the farm entrance. A metallic blue VW Beetle convertible sped towards them, coming to a screeching halt just a few feet away. “Come on, get in,” she shouted.
Wren lifted the lever on the front seat, jumped in back, and set the seat up for her sister. Robyn climbed into the front, and before she had chance to put her seatbelt on, they were racing down the road. “Nice car,” shouted Wren, trying to make herself heard over the sound of the rushing wind.
“It’s my mum’s. She always wanted one and Dad bought this as a banger. He restored every inch of it himself; he’d do anything to make her happy. He’s like that.”
The bright blue car continued along the country lane. Despite the heat of the sun, the wind felt cold as the open-topped vehicle rallied onwards. Kayleigh slowed down a little as the road began to bend and wane. She brought the car to a complete stop when she saw her father’s Land Rover up ahead, stopped near where they had originally seen her Uncle John. The Land Rover had gone off the road, its nose pointing down into a ditch with its back wheels off the ground. Both front doors were left open, but there was no sign of either Thomas or Brendan. Kayleigh moved the Beetle forward until it was parallel with the Land Rover. She turned off the engine and climbed out, as did Robyn and Wren.
“I’m surprised he got this far in the state he was in,” Kayleigh said.
“Well, we didn’t pass them on the way here, so they can only have gone in one direction,” Robyn said, looking further up the road.
The three of them climbed back into the car, and Kayleigh turned the key in the ignition. The classic Beetle did not start at first, but eventually it spluttered into life. They moved off, but only went a few metres before stopping again. “Uncle John,” Kayleigh said.
“What about him?” Robyn asked.
“His body’s gone.”
“How do you know it was here?” Wren asked.
“‘Cos the other one we hit is just over there.” Kayleigh turned around in her seat to look at Wren. “Are you sure you killed him?”
“I know I did…. You know I did. You saw me,” Wren said.
“Then where’s the body?”
“I don’t know,” Wren whispered.
Kayleigh put the gear stick into first, levered off the handbrake and gently moved forward, eased up to second, and stayed there. They went along very slowly, looking for some clue as to where Thomas, Brendan, and the missing body might have gone. Kayleigh drove around another sharp bend and brought the car to a stop once again. It was just her that climbed out this time, and at first, neither Wren nor Robyn could understand why, but when they saw Kayleigh bend down and pick up a shotgun from the verge to the right of the road, their skin prickled.
“Oh no,” Wren said.
“Yep. I think we’ve safely fallen into the ‘beyond a bad idea’ territory now.” Robyn got out of the car and went across to Kayleigh. “Look, I don’t want to sound heartless, but we need to head back. Whatever happened out here, it’s done.”
Kayleigh looked at her blankly, then pulled one of her hands away from the shotgun. It was covered in blood, and tears appeared in her eyes. “I need to know. I need to know.”
“Is knowing worth dying?”
“Your mum’s at home alone,” Robyn said. She took a gentle hold of Kayleigh’s arm and guided her back to the car. The distraught young woman climbed into the driver’s seat. Robyn took the shotgun from her hands and placed it in the passenger footwell. Kayleigh sat there for a few more seconds before putting the gear stick into first and moving off once again.
“Hey. I said we need to go back.” Robyn reached across and placed a firm grip on Kayleigh’s arm.
Kayleigh looked at her with tears still running down her face. “I can’t go back without seeing it for myself.”
“What good will come of that? Think about it,” Robyn said.
“I need to see. They…they could still be alive.”
“Okay, you need to stop the car. My sister and I are going to head back on foot. We’re heading into danger for no reason.”
Suddenly, Kayleigh’s demeanour changed. “No reason?” she hissed. “That’s my family you’re talking about! Are you telling me you wouldn’t do anything for yours?”
Robyn and Wren looked as they passed the entrance for the Archery Club. Robyn knew they were running out of time because there was a village just beyond, and in all likelihood, that was where the creatures that had happened upon them the previous day had come from. In all likelihood, that was where Thomas and Brendan were now, and in all likelihood, they had joined the ranks of the undead. “Please, Kayleigh, stop the car.”
Kayleigh carried on driving for another hundred metres or so before stopping, pulling
on the handbrake, and turning the engine off. She stepped out of the vintage Beetle and fell to her knees, sobbing hopelessly.
Robyn climbed out of the car and went to her. She knelt down and put her arm around Kayleigh, pulling her close. “I’m sorry. Trust me when I say we know exactly what you’re going through.”
“We need to go now,” Wren said.
“Just give us a minute Wren,” Robyn said, still trying to console Kayleigh.
“No. We need to go now. They’re coming,” Wren said, more urgently this time.
Robyn looked down the road and saw at least ten creatures running towards them. From this distance it was impossible to make out faces, but one of the beasts was a giant whose one stride was like two of the others. It was obviously Thomas, and as Robyn stood up, her survival instinct kicked in. She forgot about trying to console Kayleigh and instead dragged her to her feet. The rough action was enough to temporarily snap Kayleigh from her grief, and sadness turned to shock on her face. Robyn guided her back to the car by her shoulders and pushed her down into the driver’s seat. “Get us out of here now,” she demanded.
Kayleigh looked towards the throng of beasts heading towards them. She saw what could only be her father, and as she turned the key in the ignition, the tears began to flow again. The engine coughed but did not start. She turned the key again and this time tapped the accelerator, but still the engine did not come to life, and now the creatures had gained significant ground. She tried it a third time, and for a third time, the vintage Beetle just spluttered.
Robyn opened the passenger door and jumped out. “We need to run now. Wren climbed out and the two sisters dragged Kayleigh from the driver’s side.
“Run, now!” Wren said, handing Robyn the second javelin. The three girls started running back down the road. Wren turned to see the creatures were only about twenty metres behind them and still gaining ground. “We need to go faster,” she shouted.
“The archery club,” Robyn said, and the three girls veered from the lane and began to run up the windy road to Anderson’s Archery.
It was the first time Kayleigh had heard the growls of the creatures, and as the primal, guttural sound from their throats resonated through the air, her very bones began to chill. Tears were still running down her face, but they were tears of terror now. She did not want to look back. She did not want to see her father chasing her down, hoping to feed on her flesh, she just wanted to escape.
They reached the car park to see the burnt out remains of the van and the two dead creatures. The girls sprinted through the entrance and Wren looked back. They had gained a slightly bigger lead, but the horde were still in hot pursuit. Robyn, Kayleigh and Wren ran past the reception desk, through the shop area, and burst into the locker room. Without pause, Wren and Robyn threw their weapons to the floor and shifted a bench against the door, just as the thundering against the thick wood began. Not waiting to catch their breath, they moved the second bench against it too, then hoisted one of the lockers on top. If the latch mechanism broke, the weight against the door would give them a little more time.
The banging suddenly amplified and Robyn and Wren looked towards one another, both knowing that Thomas’s gigantic fists had joined in the heavy drumming. “We need to wedge it,” Wren said, still trying to catch her breath.
“How?” Robyn asked.
Wren looked around frantically. “We’ll put a couple more lockers end to end.” She tipped another of the tall lockers onto its side, and the two sisters dragged it into position, pushing it hard against the end of the benches. They did the same with another locker, sliding that one into position at the end of the first, leaving a narrow gap of just a few centimetres between that and the end wall. Wren looked around, then remembered the collection of adult magazines in one of the lockers. She ran to it and grabbed them, stuffing as many as she could between the last locker and the wall. “There,” she said. “There’s no way anything is getting in here.”
“Yeah, and there’s no way we’re getting out,” Robyn replied.
Suddenly, they heard a clatter from the toilet cubicle and both girls dived for their javelins. They picked them up and pointed them in the direction of the toilet door.
“Oh god,” whimpered Kayleigh, “is it one of those things?”
Robyn took hold of the door handle while Wren raised her javelin, ready to strike. Robyn pushed the handle down hard, but the door did not give. “It’s locked.” She banged on the door. “Who’s in there?” There was no response so she banged again. “Who’s in there? We’re safe for the moment—all those things are stuck outside.”
They heard the bolt slide across and both girls stood back a little as the door swung open. “Brendan!?” cried Kayleigh as she ran into the arms of her brother.
Brendan had clearly been crying. His eyes were swollen, and his shirt had blood on the front of it. The two siblings hugged, and it was the best part of a minute before they ended the embrace. They looked at one another through their grieving eyes, and Kayleigh took hold of both his hands in hers.
“What happened?” Robyn asked, as she and Wren walked over to join them.
He tried to talk but his voice did not come at first. It was just a dry, scratchy rasp, but finally the words came out. “Dad was way too drunk. He lost control of the car and we went off the road. I tried to get him to head back home with me, but he wouldn’t. He wanted to see Uncle John’s body. We walked along the road, and we finally came across it. Dad picked it up and started walking around in circles with it. He was singing a song, like a child’s song. I don’t know, maybe one that Nanna sung to them when they grew up or something. All the time, I’m telling him we need to go back. But he wasn’t there anymore, he just wasn’t there. I looked in his eyes and it was like he’d gone out of his mind.” Kayleigh put a reassuring hand on her brother’s arm.
“Then what happened?” Robyn asked.
“Then I saw...those things. They were heading towards us. They were still quite a way off, but they’re fast. I tried to tell Dad. I tried,” he said as he broke down in tears once again. When he had finally calmed down, he continued. “Dad put Uncle John’s body on a verge, then he picked up the shotgun and started shooting. He was well out of range, but that didn’t matter. Those things just kept coming. I picked up my gun too, but it was no good. There were too many of them. They were on top of us before we knew it. Three of them dived on Dad, but he stayed standing, even with three of them on him. One of them bit into his neck, but he managed to turn to me and tell me to run. In that instant I could see it was Dad again, that he understood.”
“So what happened then?” Wren asked.
“Part of me wanted to help Dad, but I could see by the look in his eyes it was already too late, and I’d used up all the ammo. I was about to start running when one of those things grabbed me. It bit into my arm, but I managed to kick it away, and it fell over one of the feeding creatures. I started running as fast as I could and when I looked back, they were more interested in Dad than me. I got around the bend and ran as fast as I could to this place. I thought if I could stay here a few hours, maybe the way would be clear to get back home.” Kayleigh threw her arms back around her brother. It’s my fault. I should have hidden the keys when he started drinking; I should have done something.
“Wait a minute. You were bitten?” Wren said, as a particularly loud thud came against the door, and all their heads shot round for a second.
“Yes, but I got free, and I’m here, aren’t I? I feel fine,” he said.
“Let me see,” Robyn demanded.
He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a large bite on his upper arm around the bicep area. The teeth had broken the skin and there was bruising around it, but no huge amount of blood. “See. It’s not going a funny colour, I feel fine.”
“That’s not how it works,” Wren said. “If you get bitten, you turn.”
Kayleigh spun around, knocking the javelin out of Wren’s hands before she could even react, and fo
rcing her back against one of the lockers. She pinned the younger girl there with her forearm and moved in close so their faces were just centimetres apart. “You have brought us nothing but misery since you showed up here. You killed my uncle, now my dad’s dead and now you’re trying to convince my brother he’s going to turn into one of those things. You’d better keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to hear another word from—”
Robyn grabbed hold of Kayleigh and heaved her against one of the lockers on the other side of the room, making a deafening crash which further riled the creatures banging against the door. Now Robyn launched at her, grabbing her shirt with one hand and her neck with the other. “You ever lay a hand on my sister again and I will end you. None of you know what it’s like out there. Your uncle was already dead. Your dad was weak and your brother’s been bitten. These are the facts—get used to them.” Robyn let go of her as quickly as she had seized her, and Kayleigh slid down the metal locker onto the floor, broken. She sobbed to herself until Brendan sat down beside her and took her hand.
“Don’t worry, sis, I feel fine. You’ll see, I’ll be fine.”
chapter 5
Isabel looked across the green and golden fields as they gently swayed in the breeze. She loved where they lived; she always had. And as she stood now at the back of the house, she could almost forget what was going on in the world outside. She could forget the fear and the anxiety, the not knowing. She could forget that her husband, her son, and her daughter were out there, in a world she no longer knew, and no longer wanted to. If she couldn’t forget, then it was all over. Madness would consume her. So, for this briefest of moments, this place was frozen in time. There was not another building in sight, just fields, hedgerows and trees. She breathed in the clean air and cast her doubts away. That’s all she could do, because thinking about what her husband and family were doing made her far too anxious. She would do what she always did when those nervy and uncertain feelings threatened to consume her: she would work.
Thomas and she had dug over a vegetable patch which she now tended every day. They had first done it when the compulsory purchase order for their stock had come through, and they sensed there might be a few tough months ahead, but now it was more important than ever, until they got the polytunnels up and running, at least.
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