The End of Everything (Book 7): The End of Everything

by Artinian, Christopher

  She looked across to see Wren walking by her side. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this,” Robyn said, starting to cry.

  “We rarely get what we want.”

  “I can’t handle this. I lost you. I lost Mila, and now I’m playing mother hen to a bunch of scared kids.”

  “Tough luck. They need you. When we started our journey, you were just a scared kid too.”

  “Screw you, Sporty Spice, just ’cause—”

  “You know I’m right. But look at you now. You’re a fighter. You saved my life a hundred times over.”

  “Yeah, and you saved mine.”

  “Well, you better make sure it wasn’t for nothing then. So shut up, suck it up and get on with it.”

  “I’d forgotten what a pain in the arse you were,” Robyn said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  “That’s the difference between you and me. I’ll never forget what a pain in the arse you are.” And with that, Wren was gone.

  Robyn continued into the village with a greater sense of purpose. Her subconscious was right, she had to suck it up. She quickly discovered that the putrid smell was coming from already slain creatures. They appeared to have been chopped and hacked down by swords or some other type of long blade, a machete maybe. There were no bullet wounds, and the sheer quantity suggested that this was the work of a few people or someone with a real passion for what they did. The state of decay suggested that these things had been laid to rest a long time ago.

  The cars parked by the kerbs all had their fuel caps open. She walked up the garden path into one of the houses and tapped on the frame. Nothing came towards her. The house had been stripped of nearly everything but the carpets. It stank, just like the rest of the village. She walked into the kitchen in the hope that some morsel of food may have been left behind, but there was nothing.

  She headed back out and went to collect the others. “Is it somewhere we could stay for the night?” Candice asked.

  “Definitely not,” Robyn replied then looked towards the rest of the group. “Listen to me. Cover your noses as we head through. Don’t look at the bodies and walk quickly. We’ll be on the other side before we know it.”

  Robyn heard muffled sobs as they walked through the village. The sights and smells were things the youngsters had never had to endure before, but she felt sure they would see them again before this journey was done. Within ten minutes, Dounais was behind them, and they were back on a tree-lined road breathing fresh air.

  “How much farther do you think it is?” Candice asked, sidling up towards Robyn.

  “I don’t know. I’m sure there’ll be another sign when we get near. How are they all doing?”

  “They’re hungry, thirsty and terrified, but other than that, they’re fine.”

  They carried on for another two miles and then there it was, a big, brown, beautiful sign—“Rogie Falls.” For the first time in a long time, a relieved smile crept onto Robyn’s face. She stopped and looked towards the others. “Okay, we’re here.” They turned onto the short track leading down to the car park. A red two-seater Smart car was parked across in one corner, and for a second all their eyes were drawn to it.

  It was only when familiar, yet terrifying growls rose into the air that they looked towards the wooden shed at the other end of the car park.

  The smaller children screamed as six creatures stormed towards the group. “Run!” Candice shouted, pushing Tess to guide the youngsters out of the car park.

  “Stay here and be careful where you aim,” Robyn said to Aiden as she rushed forward, ensuring she was the sole focus of the pack’s attention and not the others. An arrow whistled by her and hit one of the advancing monsters in the shoulder, knocking it off its stride for just a second before it resumed its sprint. Robyn drew her swords and took a deep breath. Another arrow sailed through the air and in a virtual action replay entered a second beast.

  She heard footsteps and then felt a presence to her right. Candice had joined her. She was holding the homemade spear up, and she had a look on her face like she was about to burst out crying. “Do we charge or what?” she asked with a shaky voice.

  “We don’t do anything,” Robyn said and sprinted forward as another arrow flew by. This one cracked open one of the creature’s foreheads, and it collapsed to the ground. Great, now it’s just five against one.

  “Robyn!” cried Aiden, horrified, as he watched her bolt towards the beasts.

  The car park was on an incline, the infected were running uphill, and Robyn was running down. She leapt into the air as they closed in on her. Her right foot shot out hard, catapulting the lead creature backwards. She brought down her two blades in unison, slicing through the neck of one beast and the head of another. They instantly dropped to the ground. The other two creatures reached towards her, and she brought the blades back up with lightning speed, cutting the two nearest arms off at the elbows.

  She landed awkwardly, she was going to fall, there was no way to avoid it, but maybe she could use it to her advantage. The beast she had kicked was already trying to scramble to its feet, but Robyn twisted in mid-air, landing on the creature’s back, using it as a cushion and a springboard combined. She bounced back to her feet as the monster’s face mashed against the tarmac.

  The other two beasts turned; now each minus an arm, they charged again. Robyn was about to strike, but her eyes widened to the size of cricket balls as she saw an arrow heading straight at her. She dived to her right, cracking her elbow on the ground and letting out a grunt of pain. One of her swords went skidding across the tarmac. “Shit!” she cried, jumping to her feet again as the two one-armed attackers changed course. They pounced at the same time, and Robyn lurched to one side bringing her remaining sword up and chopping straight through the skull of the nearest one. It fell like a bag of stones as the other turned again.

  Robyn started to bring her blade back down then caught the rapid movement of the beast she had used to cushion her fall out of the corner of her eye. This was it. She couldn’t take out both with just one sword. She swiped, decapitating her target like she was chopping through a cabbage; she waited for the impending strike from the other creature, but suddenly the beast fell. She remained frozen for a second, not fully understanding what was happening, then looked down to see a homemade spear sticking out of the base of her would-be attacker’s skull. Candice was holding the other end of it. Her mouth was gaping open in shock. They looked at one another for just a second before Robyn rushed over to pick up her other sword.

  All the creatures were down, but this obviously wasn’t the safe place Robyn had convinced herself it would be. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Aiden called, running to Robyn. Robyn looked in the direction of the car park entrance. The children had not fled, they had started to run then become mesmerised by her heroics. She was about to turn to Aiden and rip into him for nearly killing her when a shriek sent a fresh shiver of fear running through all of them.

  chapter 31

  Robyn’s fingers tightened around her swords as every head in the car park turned to look in the direction of the small wooden shed. The jammed door let out another high-pitched woody shriek before finally bursting open. A man in his sixties stumbled out closely followed by a slightly younger looking woman. Robyn remained on high alert until the man put his hands up in a desperate effort to show they were no threat.

  “We’ve been trapped in there for hours. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along.” He had a kind face that reminded Robyn a little of her grandad. She placed the swords back in their scabbards and walked across to them.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “It’s a long story,” the man said.

  Robyn looked towards the shed. “I don’t suppose there’s any food or anything in there.”

  “No, just road signs, rakes, sweeping brushes, that kind of thing.”

  “But we’ve got food,” the woman said.

  “Really?” Rob
yn’s eyes lit up. “We haven’t eaten in over a day, and we used up the last of our water this morning.”

  “We’re happy to share,” the woman replied, heading across to the car while the man carried on talking to Robyn.

  “How did you manage to get trapped in there?”

  “They must have been around here somewhere and heard the car engine. We parked up, and we were only halfway across the car park when they came out of the trees. They blocked us off from the car, and we only just managed to make it to the shed before they got to us.”

  “You’re lucky it was open.”

  “Theft has never been a major issue around here.”

  “I suppose not,” Robyn replied.

  “I’m Arthur, that’s my missus, Sandra.”

  “I’m Robyn; this is Candice, and this is Aiden.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you.”

  They all ate and drank. There was not a huge amount of food, but it was enough to silence their grumbling stomachs for a while. Robyn told Arthur and Sandra the concise version of how they had ended up there, and the married couple looked at one another knowingly.

  “There were a lot of small settlements up and down the coastline. We had a cottage just a little inland. It was in a quiet area, and we used to head to the local village to trade the veg we grew now and again. Anyway, a few days ago, we heard mutterings about places further up the coastline getting raided and then taken over. Apparently, there was this large band of thugs from Inverness that decided the pickings might be a bit better along the coast. The other night, we were woken up by the sound of gunfire. It went on for a long time, and the next morning, we saw smoke rising from the village. Well, we knew what had happened. We packed together what we could and got out of there,” Arthur said.

  “How long have you been on the road?” Robyn asked.

  “A few days. This was our last stop.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Never mind,” Sandra interrupted. “He’s always had a flair for the dramatic. Where are you lot heading now?”

  Robyn looked towards Candice, Aiden and the children as they enjoyed the last of their meal. “Well, we’re hoping to follow the river, maybe find a house along the way that can provide a bit of shelter for us.”

  “That’s it? That’s your plan?” Arthur asked.

  “It’s not like we’ve got a lot of options.”

  “Look, we heard about somewhere that takes in refugees. Provided you pull your weight they’re happy to put a roof over your head and food in your belly.”

  “Yeah, right. I suppose chocolate cream eggs grow on the trees there as well.”

  “No, this place exists. We’ve met people who have met people who’ve been there. It’s called Safe Haven.”

  Robyn stared towards Arthur then at Sandra. “This isn’t a joke?”

  “No,” Arthur replied.

  “And where is this place?”

  “From what we’ve heard, it’s somewhere on the west coast between Ullapool and Kyle of Lochalsh.”

  “Err … you’ve only just met me, so you have no idea how bad I am at geography. I’ve heard of those places, but don’t know where they are.”

  Arthur smiled. “I’ll point you in the right direction.”

  “I don’t understand. Are you not heading there?”

  Arthur and Sandra looked towards one another then looked back to Robyn. “Have you ever seen Rogie Falls?” Sandra asked.

  “No, why?”

  “Let you and I take a little walk.”

  “What? Now?”

  “Yes. It’s not far.”

  “Okay.”

  Arthur brought out a large bar of dark chocolate, tore off two pieces for Robyn and Sandra and then went to share the rest of it with the group. Robyn placed the chocolate in her jacket pocket for later and followed Sandra. They walked along the dirt path, all the time the sound of running water got louder and louder. “Do you believe everything happens for a reason, Robyn?”

  “Eh?”

  “Life. Do you think things in life happen for a reason?”

  “Err … not really.”

  Sandra smiled. “I do. I think Arthur and I were meant to get stuck in that shed long enough for you to find us.”

  “Err … okay.”

  “I think we were meant to get trapped there so we could meet you.”

  “Why?”

  “So you could eat, so we could tell you about Safe Haven.”

  “Okay.”

  Sandra let out a small laugh. “I know you think I’m a mad old woman, but I’ve seen a lot of things in my time, and God works in mysterious ways.”

  “Well, I’ve seen a lot too, but I’ve not seen anything that says God had a hand in any of this.”

  Sandra laughed again. “I’m sure we’ll all understand one day.”

  “I’m sure we will.”

  They finally reached the falls, and both stood in silence for a few minutes marvelling at their beauty. “Robyn, Arthur and I aren’t leaving this place.”

  “What?”

  “We’ve come here to die.”

  “I don’t understand. You could have managed that pretty easily by just letting those things get you.”

  “Not really what we had in mind. We were going to have our last meal, take some tablets and drift off to sleep, hand in hand, looking at these falls. We came here on our first holiday together. It’s one of those places that has always been with us.”

  “But why? Why not come with us to this Safe Haven place if it’s so great?”

  “Robyn, I have cancer. Before everything turned bad, I was due to start treatment, but it never happened. I’ve been managing the pain, but it’s gradually been getting worse, and the tablets that Arthur got for me are running out. We decided this would be a perfect way to end things.”

  “But all the food. Why would you have all that if you were going to end things?”

  “We really didn’t know how long it would take us to get here. We didn’t know if roads would be cut off, if we’d have to take massive detours, if we’d have to travel on foot. All we knew was this was what we wanted.”

  “I was hoping you’d help me,” Robyn said sadly.

  “You don’t need help, Robyn. Can’t you see how strong you are?”

  “Look, this isn’t me. It’s an act I’m putting on. I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just winging it.”

  “Well, I’d say you’re doing an amazing job. I’d like you to take our car.”

  “What?”

  “It’s still got over half of a tank of petrol. It’ll get you to the west coast with plenty to spare. You could use it to scout ahead, make sure the way is clear for you and the little ones.”

  “That’s nice of you, but please think about this. This plan of yours, the suicide pact. If you say God does everything for a reason, couldn’t the reason be that he wanted you to lead us to safety?”

  Sandra smiled. “No. He brought us here. He brought us together. That was his plan.”

  “No offence, but if this was him, you don’t really know what his reason was.”

  Sandra smiled again. “True enough, but I feel it in my heart.”

  “Great. You feel it in your heart, and I’m stuck leading a bunch of kids cross-country.”

  “I understand you’re upset—”

  “Trust me, Sandra, you have no idea.”

  Sandra cast a final look towards the falls then turned to Robyn once more. “Come on then, let’s head back to the others.” They did not talk for a few minutes. It was only when Sandra stumbled and Robyn caught her that the ice broke.

  “Thank you.”

  Robyn could suddenly feel how frail Sandra was beneath the baggy jumper. There was virtually no flesh on her bones. A spasm of guilt shot through her. Sandra really was dying. “Where is it?”

  “Where’s what?”

  “The cancer.”

  “It’s all over, Robyn. I’m riddled.”

  “I’m sorry.”<
br />
  “I can’t complain. I’ve had a good life. I spent it doing what I wanted with the man I love. Not many can say that.”

  “I suppose not. Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I just—”

  “No apologies needed. I understand, it’s a lot of responsibility, but there’s a spark in you, Robyn. You’re special.”

  “Ha! That’s the first time anybody’s ever said that to me and meant it as a compliment.”

  Sandra laughed. “And funny too.”

  “Are you serious about the car?”

  “We’re not going to need it.”

  “Can I ask one thing from you?”

  “Try me.”

  “Do you think you could watch the group while I check out the road ahead?” Sandra looked at Robyn for a long time. “Don’t worry, I swear on my life I won’t run out on you. I’d just be a little happier having an idea of where we’re going.”

  “Okay, Robyn. I hope we can trust you.”

  “You can.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Aiden had protested the most about Robyn heading off by herself, but she just wanted a few minutes alone. As she travelled along the leaf-strewn road, she realised how easy it would be to keep on going. She looked at the mileometer. She had zeroed it before she set off and she had travelled over seven miles already. What if she was to keep going? Would that really be such a bad thing? Yes. No way could she do it. As much as she did not want this burden, it was hers.

  She slowed down as she approached a roadside food stop. It was a small building, maybe twice as big as her living room back at home. She pulled up and climbed out. She peered through the dirt-encrusted serving hatch to see the place had been gutted, it was nothing but an empty shell. She headed around the side of the building to find the door had been jimmied and a large rock had been leaned against it. She moved the rock to one side, and the door slowly swung open.

  The place smelled like chip pan fat, but it was dry. It was already afternoon, and this would give them somewhere to bed down for the night before planning the next part of their journey. Robyn climbed back into the car. It was only a few minutes before she was pulling back into the Rogie Falls car park. Even before she exited the vehicle, she could see the looks of relief that had swept over Sandra’s and Arthur’s faces.