“It is good,” Mila said, picking up a sturdy waterproof rucksack, “that we can maybe find things to help us here; but it is bad that so many people were in this camp. It means there will be a lot of infected out there.” She looked towards a light green tent that had been discoloured with arterial spray.
“How many people do you think lived here?”
Mila turned slowly. “Some of these were family tents. The compound is fifty metres by maybe twice that. I don’t know, a hundred and fifty, two hundred maybe.”
“Why would they come out here? Why build this?”
“Think about it. There are deer, rabbits, birds, and squirrels all in ample supply. There are mushrooms, wild veg and herbs, and look,” she said, pointing to a well-tended area of ground. “They were growing vegetables too. They were also near the river, so they had access to fish and fresh water. It was a good idea.”
“Not that good,” Robyn said, looking towards the fallen tree.”
“No, not that good, sadly. I’m guessing it happened at night during the storm and before they got a chance to repair it, some infected found them.”
“But what would infected be doing out here?”
“I’m sure the infected are everywhere. Wandering aimlessly from sounds to sights to smells. For all we know, Braemar could have fallen, and some of them may have come this way. We always have to have our wits about us, even in the forest.”
“Well … yeah,” Robyn replied, thinking back to the forest around Pear Tree Farm. “I suppose.”
“Ah, yes, look who I am telling this to.”
They spent the next hour rifling and rummaging, keeping one eye on the surrounding landscape. They kept their voices down and always stayed in sight of each other. When they were done, they had found food, multi-tools, clothes, a sleeping bag, a compass and a new mess tin.
“Well, at least that’s something.”
“I was hoping we might find a camping stove and a map maybe.”
“If they’ve been here a while, I’m guessing that gas would have been used up first before they moved on to the barbecue pits.”
“Yes, probably.”
“At least you’ve got some kit together now.”
“You are right, of course.”
They both took one final look around the camp and left. They carried on along the river until the trees finally gave way to grass and then the road. They stared at the big gap where the bridge used to be. “Oh well, there’s no going back now,” Robyn said.
“At least we can’t get lost on the road.”
“How long do you think it will take us to get there?”
“Maybe five hours.”
“Ugh!”
“The exercise will do us good.”
“I’m sure the exercise will be great. It’s the five hours out in the open with God knows what lurking around every corner that I don’t like.”
“We have a good line of sight, and we will stay quiet.”
They had only been walking for ten minutes when they saw the first creatures. It was a group of four meandering aimlessly until they locked their gaze on Robyn and Mila.
The small pack began to charge, and the two women nonchalantly slipped their rucksacks off and drew their swords. The fight was over before it had begun. They cleaned their blades and placed the weapons back in their scabbards.
“I like these samurai jobs, but I still miss my bow.”
“But you are becoming quite a swordswoman, yes?”
“Nothing like you.”
“I’ve had longer to practise.”
They came across two more groups of creatures on their journey to Braemar. Both were dispatched with the same level of efficiency. As they reached the outskirts of the village, they slowed. They moved across to the trees and ate a late lunch of granola bars and tinned peaches while they observed. They sat on a big black rock just behind the tree line for forty-five minutes and saw not a soul, living or dead.
“What do you think?” Robyn asked.
“I think I prefer tinned pears to tinned peaches.”
“Not really what I meant.”
“We won’t know anything until we head in there.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
They repacked their rucksacks and emerged from the trees once more. Their eyes darted from side to side as they crept past the road sign welcoming them to the village. For the briefest of moments, it looked like the picturesque highland hideaway had somehow managed to avoid the catastrophe that had befallen the rest of the planet, but then tell-tale signs began to appear. Without saying a word, Robyn and Mila drew their swords and slowed their pace even more.
A small quaint shop painted white with black sills and door frames had a beach ball-sized patch of red decorating its wall. Further along, a car lay abandoned six feet from the kerb. As they continued down the main street, two more shops had their windows smashed. They followed the curve of the road around to find more than a dozen buildings including guesthouses and small businesses had been gutted by fire, turning them into nothing but hollow black shells.
“This all happened some time ago.”
“How can you tell?”
“The shops with the broken windows. The weather damage and mould that is not just from the last few days. It wouldn’t surprise me if this place fell soon after the start of the infection.”
“You think it was the Loch Uig gang?”
“Most certainly not.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Use your eyes, Robyn.”
Robyn looked around again; then it dawned on her. “No bodies. The shops that are in one piece still have all their stock. The fuel caps are still all in place. Duh! Sorry. I was being dumb.”
“It is horrible that this should happen to such a beautiful place, but at the same time, it is good for us. It means we will be able to find more supplies and hopefully a working vehicle.”
“Oh yeah. I knew there must be an upside to a beautiful highland village being torn to shreds by a horde of flesh-eating zombies, and there it is.”
“Yes, see, there is always a silver lining.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Robyn, it is what it is. We don’t have time to mourn for every lost soul anymore. This is life now.”
“Granted, but maybe just a little respect.”
“Sorry. I was being flippant. Of course I am sad for these people, but I am also thinking how we can avoid suffering their fate.”
They carried on down the street. “How many people do you think lived here?”
“More than I thought,” Mila replied. “On the map, it is just a little dot, but judging by the streets leading off from this and the amenities here I think we could be looking at several hundred.”
“Several hundred?” Robyn almost shrieked.
“Relax. I think whatever danger there was left a long time ago. I think they all probably drifted into the forest when the food dried up here,” Mila said as they turned onto a residential street.
“You think?”
“Well, I have not seen anything yet, have you?”
“No. Suppose not.”
Mila began looking into the cars lining the street as she walked by, hoping one of them may have the keys in the ignition, but none did.
“Stop!” Robyn said.
“What?”
“When Wren and me were at The Manor, we used to clear houses.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’d get rid of the previous owners then grab what we needed from the house. The keys to these cars are going to be in the houses.”
Mila stopped and looked up and down the street. “That one,” she said, pointing to a Renault Clio.
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a Mercedes over there.”
“Yes, and it is a monument to brilliant German engineering, but we need something very economical. Finding fuel from here onwards will probably be
tough.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
Robyn and Mila walked up the garden path to the house that the car was parked in front of. Weeds had run riot in the flower beds returning what was once a small and beautiful enclosure into a wilderness. Robyn withdrew her swords and tapped on the door. She held her breath, waiting for the sound of running feet, but was greeted with nothing but silence.
Mila placed her fingers on the door handle and pushed. The door swung inwards, and they paused a few more seconds before entering. She sniffed at the air and closed the door behind them. “There is nothing for us to worry about in here.”
“There might not be any infected, but—”
“Nobody has lived in here for a while. It smells very musty. No air has come in or left.”
They carried on through the house to the kitchen. There was a small bowl full of keys in the windowsill and Mila rifled through until she found the ones belonging to the Renault.
“I wonder if they’ve got any Pop-Tarts,” Robyn said, opening one of the cupboards.
“I’m sure they will have. It is the first thing anybody does when they hear of a coming apocalypse, they stock up on Pop-Tarts.”
Robyn shrugged. “You never know,” she said, opening one, two, three cupboards then stopping suddenly. “Okay, that’s weird.”
“What is weird?”
“No food.”
“What?” Mila asked, bending down and opening the lower cupboards.
“Nothing. Not even a box of salt or a bottle of vinegar.”
“So maybe these people packed everything up and fled.”
“What, on foot?”
“They may have had two cars.”
“Maybe,” Robyn said, heading out of the kitchen door into the garden.
“Where are you going?” Mila asked, following her.
Robyn walked a few feet and then turned around, looking in both directions towards the neighbours’ houses. There were no signs of anything untoward. She climbed over the fence to the one on the right and withdrew her swords, tapping on the UPVC frame of the door. Mila climbed over the fence after her, and they both stood there, peering into the shadowy interior.
When nothing emerged, Robyn tried the handle, and the door opened. She stepped inside, closely followed by Mila. Both women immediately started rifling through the kitchen cupboards. “It’s the same here,” Robyn said.
“Like I said, there is no way this is the Loch Uig men.”
“Okay, but somebody has taken the food from these houses. I bet if we went door to door, we’d find the same thing everywhere.”
“Possibly, but look, we have got enough food for the time being. Whoever took these supplies has no reason to come back. Let us take the car and head out of here.”
“It’s already afternoon. Don’t you think we should just stay here the night and get a fresh start tomorrow?”
“We will head to the outskirts of the village, find something there. I don’t like being stuck in the middle of a street.”
“Fair enough.”
They walked through the house and opened the front door. As they stepped into the garden, they both looked up and down the street. Now it did not seem as safe as it had before. Somebody had certainly been here after the village had fallen. Were they still here? Were they just like them, trying to survive? Or were they like the Loch Uig men?
Neither Robyn nor Mila said the words out loud, but they both felt the same thing. They headed down the garden path and walked along the pavement to the Renault. Mila tried the door; it was locked. The diagrams on the key buttons had faded, but she hit the top one, and there was a clicking sound signalling the locks had disengaged. She tried the door again, and this time it opened. Suddenly a shrieking alarm sounded.
“Scheisse!” she spat, pressing the buttons repeatedly until the eardrum-piercing sound stopped. Mila looked across at Robyn who was suddenly in fits of laughter. “What is so funny?”
“Ever since we entered the village, we’ve practically been on tiptoes. We haven’t spoken in anything more than a whisper, and then the noisiest car alarm in the world goes off. You’ve got to see the funny side.”
Mila smiled and then she laughed too. “I suppose we would make lousy secret agents.”
“Yeah. I don’t really think that’s something we have to worry about anymore, do you?”
“My name’s Gossmann, Mila Gossmann. Licence to—” The smiles left their faces in an instant as another sound snatched their attention. It was not the high-pitched howl of a siren but the low rumble of more than a hundred charging feet.
chapter 21
Robyn and Mila glared at each other. Their eyes were wide, their faces bereft of colour as the ground vibrated beneath them.
“Get in the car,” Mila screamed as the first beasts appeared at the top of the road.
“Where the hell did they come from?” Robyn cried, throwing her rucksack and swords in the back and diving into the passenger seat.
“I’ll be sure to ask them before they eat us,” Mila replied, doing the same before diving into the driver’s seat. She placed the key in the ignition, and the engine coughed and spluttered. “Nein! Nein! Nein!”
“What is it?” Robyn screamed.
Mila tried again, but this time the engine laboured even harder to start before choking its way to silence. “Damn it. We need to run.”
“Too late.”
“Aagghh!” Mila screamed and pressed the central lock on the door as the first of the flesh-craving monsters flung its body against the car. Others quickly joined it, and within a matter of seconds, only thin slivers of daylight peeked through the scrambling horde.
“Oh, craaappp!”
Fists, bodies and heads all hammered against the vehicle, making it sound to the two women like they were stuck inside a giant timpani drum. Mila’s shaking hand reached towards the ignition once again as tears started streaming down her face. She turned the key once more. One cough, two coughs, nothing. A loud thud drew her eyes to the windscreen directly in front of her, and she could just make out a grey face staring back. Its eyes seemed totally black in the subdued light, and a terrified chill ran down her spine. “This is it,” she sobbed. “It is all over.”
Robyn was not crying, but inside her heart was breaking. She would never get to see her sister again. Wren would never know that she had survived that night and that she had come looking for her. Robyn heard her friend weeping and reached out to comfort her. She took Mila’s hand and held it in her own as the sounds of the creatures grew. “Thank you for everything you did for me,” she whispered.
A loud ripping sound made them both scream as a crack appeared on the windscreen. Neither could tell how many creatures surrounded the vehicle, but it shifted and swayed like a dinghy in a squall. Another crack appeared as the relentless banging and smashing intensified further. The frightened cries of the two young women fuelled the beasts’ purpose, almost as if they fed on fear like it was some magic elixir.
Another startling noise made them both spin in their seats to look towards the hatchback. A fracture had appeared at the top of the glass and was developing even faster than the one on the windscreen. Bloody smudges decorated it, and suddenly the hellish chorus became even louder.
“Maybe we finish this before they get to us,” Mila shouted over the terrifying sounds.
“What? How?”
Mila reached for her knife and gestured at slitting her throat. “It is not a nice way to go, but it beats the alternative.”
“No. No. I…” Tears began to pour down Robyn’s face too as it all became too much for her. “I’m only seventeen. This isn’t how it’s meant to be.”
The back window caved even more, and Mila’s eyes looked towards the blade in her hand. How hard could it be? Just a few seconds of pain, a few tormented, crying seconds and then it would be all over. The life would slowly trickle out of her, and that would be it. She brought the knife up to her throat and rested the cold
metal against her neck.
“I’m glad I met you, Robyn,” she said as the tears fell from her cheeks onto the back of her hand.
“I’m glad I met you too.”
Mila brought the knife back down and leaned across to embrace her friend. There was another loud crack as more glass splintered, but they did not look up. It would tell them nothing new. They were only too well aware of their fate now, so they would savour this one final hug. They had become so close over the last few weeks and, as horrific as all this was, there was a tiny streak of comfort for Mila too. Her biggest fear had been dying alone. That night when she had gone down to the river to kill herself, she was more scared than she had ever been. At least now she wouldn’t be dying by herself. She was with someone who cared for her.
Their embrace eventually ended, and Mila brought the knife back up to her throat. “Goodbye, Robyn.”
A different sound ripped through the air and Mila stopped. It was not like anything else they had heard that afternoon. “That’s an engine,” Robyn said.
“That’s a motorbike.”
It revved noisily, and the car began to sway a little less as one by one, the creatures went in pursuit of different prey. More and more light bled into the Renault as sixty beasts became forty, then twenty and eventually just a dozen remained as the noise of the motorbike travelled away. The gap in the broken glass of the hatchback was almost big enough to squeeze a body through now, almost, but not quite. One of the creatures pushed and struggled, carving flesh from its arms and chest as it desperately tried to get inside the car.
Realising that there might be some small glimmer of hope, Robyn dived into the back seat and grabbed one of the swords. The creature thrust again, and its outstretched fingers were almost touching Robyn’s tear-stained face when she plunged the weapon through its left eye socket. The beast immediately stopped struggling. It wedged like some bloody, stinking cork blocking entry for any more of its kind.
A bang made Robyn whip around to see the screen at the front start to cave. She was about to lunge forward when the sound of another motorbike rumbled close by. The two women peered out of the side windows and even through the bloody smudges they could see someone on a yellow Yamaha pulled up on the pavement across the street. The biker revved the engine and slowly started to move forward, enticing the remaining creatures to follow. The small horde began their chase, and the bike gradually picked up speed as it disappeared down the street.
The End of Everything (Book 7): The End of Everything Page 15
