chapter 14
“Back there!” Matthew shouted as he watched the first of the bright red flares rise into the sky.
“That’s her. That’s Wren!” Robyn said excitedly.
“Here,” Matthew said, taking the oar from his mother. “I’ll take over for a while.”
He and Robyn manoeuvred the boat around and began to row frantically as a second, and then a third flare lit up the dark sky.
“I told you. I told you she’d find a way,” Robyn said. As elated as she was to see the flares, she was also the only one on the boat who understood the true implications of what sending a signal flare into the night sky meant. She knew the creatures would be drawn to it and she just hoped that they could get there in time.
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“Come on, Ruth,” Wren said as she appeared back around the corner. She placed the box of flares into the bag, and the pair of them ran down the side of the hotel to the delivery bay. Wren turned on the torch, and two large rats scurried away from the mountain of discarded wooden pallets, crates, and boxes that littered the bay. Ruth let out a high-pitched scream, and as much as Wren wanted to join her, she swallowed her reaction. She had to be the brave one.
Wren shone the torch over the ugly, brown brick exterior of the hotel building. There were a pair of wooden fire doors with peeling green paint and a row of narrow frosted windows about eight feet off the ground. She wheeled over a large bottle recycling bin and engaged the brake. “Don’t wander off,” she said to Ruth, as she slipped the flare device into her pocket, pulled the hammer out of the bag, and climbed on top of the bin. She smashed the glass of one of the windows. “Pass me the torch,” she said, and the young girl obediently passed the heavy red torch up to her. Wren switched it on and shone the beam around the hotel’s laundry room. She tapped the remaining shards of glass from the window frame and hoisted herself in, disappearing out of sight.
“Wren,” called the little girl as her friend disappeared inside. Ruth watched the dancing light as the torch panned around the interior before the room went black again. “Wren?!” Ruth said, more urgently this time. The little girl stood there with a quivering frown that was about to turn to tears any second, then she heard something from the front of the hotel. It sounded like a hundred running feet. Ruth looked up at the window where Wren had disappeared from view, and then slowly headed towards the side of the building. She walked along the wall in the cover of darkness to get a better view. Dozens of running silhouettes shot by, and now, Ruth realised she could hear another sound besides the pounding footsteps. She could hear growling, just like the creatures had made back at the monastery. She felt something warm against her legs, and Ruth began to sob as she lost control of her bladder.
“Ruth,” she heard a call from behind her. “Ruth!” came the voice again, louder this time, too loud, and one of the creatures stopped dead in its tracks. It turned its head and peered into the darkness.
It can’t see me, surely, she thought. She was in the darkest of shadows. But then, as it began to tear towards her and others followed, Ruth knew it had seen her and she let out a piercing scream, alerting the rest of the beasts to her whereabouts. She felt something pull on her arm. It was Wren taking a hold of her and making her run faster than she had ever run. Wren twisted round as they ran, and pulled the flare gun from her pocket. She aimed as well as she could and fired at the advancing horde. A ball of red fire exploded against the chest of the lead beast, lighting up the whole terrifying scene as an army of flesh-crazed monsters pursued them. The beast shot backwards, making more of its kind stumble and fall, giving the two girls the tiniest piece of respite. They turned the corner, and Wren shone the torch towards the open door. “Run Ruth!” she yelled as she swooped down to pick up the bag. Ruth dove through the door, slamming it behind her in panic. And Wren just stood there in a state of disbelief as a growling, stampeding horde began to round the corner.
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“I’ll take over for a while, Robyn,” Susan said, taking the oar from her. Robyn did not argue. She would need all the strength she could muster when they finally reached the shore. They were on the cusp of dawn, and the sea had calmed dramatically over the past quarter of an hour. The rain had stopped, and the wind had died to little more than a stiff breeze. She stood carefully and went to sit next to Elizabeth, who had gone very quiet.
“Don’t worry,” Robyn said, “you couldn’t ask for a better protector for your daughter than Wren.”
“If we saw that flare, how many of those things saw it as well?”
“Look, we’ve had a lot of experience dealing with these things. Wren knows better than anybody how to avoid them and how to fight them.”
“Maybe when it was you and her, that was true. But she’s having to look after a little girl who can’t run and can’t fight like you two. What happens if they get cornered? If they get into a tight spot?”
There was a long pause before Robyn spoke again. “Y’know Lizzy, I realised that, until all this started, I didn’t really know Wren at all. Don’t get me wrong; I knew a lot about her. I knew she was an amazing athlete who had been selected for the next Commonwealth Games. I knew she was a scarily bright nerd who devoured books and retained knowledge like some college professor. I knew she was well organised, freakishly punctual and obsessively tidy, but I didn’t really know her. Since all this began, she has never let me down. She is tough and relentless and loyal and brave, and she does not know how to give up. That’s why I know that when we finally get to shore, we’re going to find both of them safe.”
Robyn felt a cold hand close around her own. “You’re both sweet girls. I’m glad you found us, but if this last twenty-four hours has taught me anything, it’s that nobody is safe, and nobody can predict the future.”
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Wren’s stutter of disbelief cost her a valuable second, but as she heard the drumming feet get closer, she vaulted onto the top of the large recycle bin and tossed the bag through the gap in the window where glass had once been. She shot a glance to the side to see the throng of growling silhouettes was nearly upon her, and then paused again to see the one she had shot the flare at stumble around the corner, flaming like the Human Torch from a Fantastic Four comic. A shudder ran through her as she realised how relentless these hellish creatures were. As she followed the bag through the small gap, she felt the bin tip from beneath her feet. A hand caught the toes of her boot, and for a horrible moment, she felt she would be dragged back down, but Wren pulled with everything she had. She went through and fell heavily on top of an industrial washing machine and then down further onto the floor. “Ow!” was all she could manage as the sound of growls bled through the window and filled the room around her.
She stood up, winded and bruised, before grabbing the bag and heading into the hallway. She grabbed the torch from the bag and flicked it on to see Ruth standing there, tears running down her face. “I’m sorry,” was all she could say in between baying sobs.
Wren knew that there was no malice intended by the girl’s actions. Ruth was frightened and panicked, and with hindsight, Wren should not have left her to enter alone. “It’s alright,” she said, kneeling down and opening her arms for a hug.
Ruth embraced her tightly. “I peed myself,” she said before starting to cry even louder.
Wren could not help but smile. They had just come within a few heartbeats of meeting a grisly and bitter end, and yet the worst thing for this little girl was the humiliation of wetting herself. “It’s okay, Ruth. We’ll get cleaned up,” Wren said, taking her hand and guiding her up the hallway. The hotel had a musty smell like it had not been lived in for some months. They followed the beam of the torch up a staircase and walked through a large white door that brought them out into the foyer. Wren immediately switched the torch off, conscious of the fact that there was an army of creatures on the streets looking for whatever had shot those magic red sparks into the sky.
Dawn was finally breaking,
and it gave them enough light to navigate to the emergency staircase. Once through the fire door, it was dark again, and Wren took a tighter hold of Ruth’s hand until they reached the landing of the first flight, and she flicked the torch on once more, confident that she would not be seen from outside. They climbed all the way up to the top floor and headed along the corridor. Wren wanted a room on the front where they could see the sea, where she could keep a vigil for her sister. She tried the door, but it was locked, and with no electricity, she had no idea how to disable the chip card mechanism other than by brute force.
“Hold this,” Wren said to Ruth, handing her the torch and placing the bag onto the floor. She swivelled her neck and shoulders to loosen up before unleashing a powerful kick against the wood. The door did not budge, but Wren shot backwards like a bullet, into the wall opposite then slid down onto her buttocks. “Ow!”
She reached into the bag, pulled out the hammer, and smashed the card reader. Wren tried the door again, but it was still locked, so she began smashing the doorknob itself and the wood around it. The knob and fitting eventually came off, but still, the door didn’t open.
“I’m cold,” whined Ruth.
“I know...you’ve already said,” Wren snapped, and Ruth began to sob again. Wren let out a sigh as she started hammering the wood around the fitting. There was a crack, and the door swung open. “Finally!” she said, pushing the door inward. They both went in, and now there was just enough light to see inside the room without the torch.
Wren walked up to the window and looked out. It was going to be a calm, beautiful day. The storm had been and gone. But for a few hours, and she would have been safely nestled somewhere with Robyn instead of stuck in a musty hotel wondering if she would ever see her sister again. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the hot water tap. The pipe spluttered for a second, then a jet of cold water spat out. She turned it off again.
“I’m thirsty,” Ruth said, appearing at the door.
“Well, you can’t drink that. It’s been sitting in a tank for god knows how long. It could make you sick. Take your clothes off and wrap a towel around yourself, I’ll go see if I can find us something to drink.”
“Don’t leave me,” Ruth said.
Wren crouched down in front of her. “We’re safe in here. Climb into bed to stay warm. I’ll be back soon,” she said, picking up the hammer and heading out.
She flicked on the torch as she reached the staircase and made her way to the ground floor. She instinctively turned the torch off again as she left the stairwell. Wren headed into the bar area. There were a few drams left in the bottles, but they were unlikely to quench their thirst. Wren got the impression that this hotel had gone out of business some time before the outbreak, as there was no way for this much dust to have built up in such a short time. She walked behind the bar, bending low to see if there was a forgotten bottle of mineral water behind the glasses, but no such luck. The fridges were empty. It seemed everything had been cleared out.
Wren headed to the kitchen to find a similar story there. The walk-in pantry was empty but for one half-opened bag of flour that had gone mouldy. She went through a door behind reception that said: “Staff Only.” There were lockers against one of the walls. A feeling of déjà vu swept over her as she remembered back to the archery club locker room. Wren went back out to the desk to see if there was a box of locker keys, but she could not see one, so she began the arduous task of smashing each one open.
After finding the first three empty, she thought about conserving her energy and giving it up as a bad job. She struck the lock on the fourth one hard, shattering it with one hit. She pulled the cheap, flimsy door open to reveal a wool cardigan, a packet of chewing gum, some matches and cigarettes. She left the packet of cancer sticks but took everything else. The cardigan smelled like tobacco smoke, but it would be warm for Ruth, and that was the most important thing. The next two lockers were empty, but then she hit the jackpot. There was an unopened one and a half litre bottle of Pepsi Cola, an unopened packet of fig biscuits and a sandwich box. Wren nearly gagged when she lifted the lid and saw something resembling a science experiment adhering itself to the plastic, but there was a Mars Bar nestled by the side of it, still unopened. She fished it out without touching the green mould and quickly replaced the lid.
Wren went through the rest of the lockers and found some more matches and a gift basket of shampoos, conditioners and soaps that were left in the rooms for guests. She carried the haul back out into the foyer. Even though this was classed as ground level, it was raised from the pavement outside, and a sturdy, stainless-steel roller shutter protected the front door from any attacks. Wren glanced out of one of the windows to see the street awash with movement. The noise and furore at the back of the hotel had attracted a crowd at the front. She and Ruth were under siege, but safe for the time being. The creatures were not going to get in, but then again, there was no way they were going to get out any time soon.
She headed back up the stairs, bundling everything into the cardigan. When she arrived in the bedroom. Ruth was in bed. The stress of the night had knocked her out, and she was in a heavy sleep. Wren stripped off her wet clothes, and rubbed herself down with a towel, before wrapping another towel around herself. She ran some water into the bath and poured in some of the shampoo so she could rinse first her own clothes and then Ruth’s before ringing them out.
She hung them over the shower rail to drip dry. Wren walked back into the bedroom. She envied Ruth. She would give anything to sleep right now, but she could not. She headed over to the window and stared out towards the sea.
“Please tell me you saw the flare, Bobbi, please.”
chapter 15
The creature continued to burn even after the flare was extinguished. It heaved and thrust against the other beasts in an effort to make its way through the double doors to the prize that lay beyond. It had no concept of pain, only want…only need. Its skin began to char and crisp, and as other bodies pressed into it and it pressed into other bodies, their once wet clothing sizzled before catching fire as well.
Its muscles slowly became useless as the fire took a greater hold, and its ability to jostle for position left it. Instead, it collapsed into the midst of a pile of boxes and crates at the side of the door. For a while, the wet cardboard and wood just sizzled, but slowly, the odd flame caught, and as more creatures began to burn, the heat in the delivery bay became fierce.
The cardboard, wood and paper dried more with each passing second, and more of it began to catch. It was not long before scraps of glowing ash drifted into the air; some of it floated straight up, some of it swirled around, and a few pieces drifted through the broken window like fiery moths.
The beasts that could, continued to batter against the door, but as the crowd became more fully consumed by the flames, their motor abilities diminished, and they flopped onto the ground one by one. Demonic kindling for a hellish inferno.
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Wren kept looking from the road below out to the ever-calming waters. Her tired eyes sometimes played tricks on her, and what was just a few seabirds swimming over the sea’s surface resembled a boat, and her heart immediately began to race faster. It was a large window, and she kept switching sides to check in both directions, but then she saw it, right at the corner of her field of vision. It was about half a mile down the coast, but this was definitely not a flock of birds.
Wren looked back at the bed, tempted to wake Ruth up to give her the good news, but then she realised she was enjoying the peace and quiet too much and there was a long way to go yet before they were safe.
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“This isn’t exactly a small town; it’s going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Melissa said, as Susan and Matthew rowed the boat into shore.
Robyn kept a careful eye on the surrounds. The town was to the right of them, but they were about to pull the boat up on a narrow, sandy area covered in detritus from the storm. Rolling
sand dunes surrounded them, and fans of yellowy-green crabgrass lined the edge of the sand before it met the wreckage of a long-forgotten pier which had given way to the ravages of time. Beyond that lay a pebbled beach separated from the town by a giant, black stone wall that led up to the seafront road.
For the time being, Robyn could not see any creatures, but then her eyes closed in on wisps of smoke that were climbing into the sky from behind a building at the far end of the town. “Found them,” she said.
“What?” Elizabeth asked. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know what it is about my sister and fire. But wherever she seems to go, it follows her.”
The five of them looked towards the rising smoke. “We’ve got no way of knowing that’s them. That fire could have been started by anyone,” Melissa said.
“True, but it’s a bit of a coincidence don’t you think?”
Melissa opened her mouth to say something back, but then realised, it was a big coincidence.
A smile, the first one for some time, appeared on Elizabeth’s face. “I hope to God they’re both okay,” she said.
“They will be. I told you; Wren doesn’t know how to give up.”
“How do we do this?” Elizabeth asked.
“We need to get closer. If there’s smoke, those things are going to be around there. We need to see exactly what we’re dealing with and come up with a plan,” Robyn replied.
“Why would she have started a fire?”
“It’s a signal. She won’t be there, but she’ll be close. She’ll have started it to let us know she’s in the area. Her and Ruth will be safe, trust me. When we get out, I’ll lead, but make sure you all keep your wits about you, and keep your weapons at the ready.”
A concerned look appeared on Elizabeth’s face. “The weapons…the table legs.”
The End of Everything Box Set, Vol. 1 [Books 1-3] Page 48
