Alex leaned against the kitchen counter for a second, and then his knees began to buckle again. Mike and Emma caught him.
“We’ll get you to bed,” said Mike, realising this was the beginning of the final decline for Alex, and taking immediate charge. He took most of the weight as they half walked, half carried Alex through the living room. Sammy and Jake burst out crying. Alex’s eyes were fluttering wildly and there was a steady stream of blood dribbling from his nose. Mike and Emma struggled up the stairs with him and placed him on the bed. “Go see to Sammy and Jake,” said Mike to Emma.
When she was out of the room, in between laboured breaths, Alex said, “I do feel very… peculiar.”
“Come on, mate, let’s get you into your PJs.” Alex could barely lift the various bits of himself long enough for Mike to take his day clothes off and put his night clothes on. Like everything else in Alex’s wardrobe, the pyjamas were a very loose fit on him now.
The older man kept catching glimpses of Mike as he helped him. There was sadness, shock, pity, as well as a multitude of other expressions he couldn’t identify on Mike’s face. A stabbing pain jerked through Alex’s entire body, and he convulsed. Mike placed his hand on him and tried to steady the violent body movements.
“Arggghhh!” screamed Alex.
“It’s okay mate, it’s okay Alex,” said Mike as he began to sob. “It’s okay Alex,” he said again, desperately trying to sniff back his tears. “It’s all going to be fine. It’s all going to be fine,” he said as his words were drowned out by another shriek of pain. When the convulsions had subsided, Mike carefully lifted Alex’s legs and placed them into the bed, covering them up.
He opened the bedside cabinet drawer and pulled out a bottle of morphine tablets. Mike lifted Alex’s head and put one of the tablets in his mouth, before picking up the half glass of water from the night before and making Alex take a sip. He put his head back down to rest, and put the tablets back before going to refill the glass.
Cries drifted up from downstairs and Mike shifted the blankets over Alex’s chest. “Thank you son,” said Alex, turning his head slightly.
“You should sleep now,” replied Mike, wiping away the tears from his face.
“I think I will,” he replied.
Mike closed the curtains, left the room, and Alex heard the padlock being fitted into place and clicked shut just before he drifted off to sleep.
Day 220
There was a long pause between the sound of the padlock being removed, and the sound of the hinges creaking. “Alex?” said Mike quietly through the crack in the door.
Alex tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. Eventually, he coughed and managed, “Yes, Mike.”
Mike walked into the room. The curtains were still closed, the air smelled stale. He put the knife he was carrying on top of the dresser by the door. Alex pretended not to see it, but he was glad he did. It actually gave him comfort to know that Mike was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure the family was safe.
“How do you feel this morning? Can I get you anything?” Mike asked as he opened the curtains letting in the bright sun. Sadness was still in his eyes. His idol had fallen. Once a fit, strong man, now a frail shadow of what he had been.
Alex shook his head. He had managed to lift himself up to take another morphine tablet earlier. It helped with the pins and needles, the pain, pretty much everything. Everything except the darkness. There was something else in him now. Something else living inside him. Another organism? Another entity? He felt like he was becoming a guest in his own body.
“Listen,” he whispered, “come here a second.” Mike crossed the room and sat down on the bed. “I need to tell you something,” said Alex.
“You can tell me anything, Alex,” replied Mike.
Alex opened his mouth to speak, and suddenly heard not words but a growl leave his lips. He had no control over his body and it lurched towards Mike. His fingernails dug into the younger man’s chest and Mike let out a cry of pain like a wounded animal. He dug his fingers in deeper as blood began to trickle down them. Panic and fear overwhelmed Mike, he froze. He began to cry, any hope of defending his family gone, and Alex bit into his stepson’s neck. He pulled back his head taking a chunk of bloody flesh from the gushing crater he had created. He caught a reflection of his grey, lifeless eyes in the bedroom mirror, before letting out another blood curdling growl.
“Arggghhh!” he screamed as he woke. The shout hurt his throat. Sweat made his pyjamas cling all over his body, and Alex began to cry. The thought of him turning into something that could hurt his family terrified him. He looked to the window through his tears. The curtains were still closed, but early morning light was bleeding through. “Please, God! Give me strength,” he said before beginning to drift to sleep once again.
He fell in and out of sleep most of the day. Sometimes when he woke, Mike and Emma were there, sometimes they weren’t. He remembered all of them being there on one occasion when he had opened his eyes. Alex had no idea of the time. The morphine was working better and better. He felt his head being lifted, and he managed to open his eyes. It was Mike. Alex smiled a little as the tablet was put in his mouth, and he sipped some water. Mike put his stepfather’s head back down on the pillow. “Y’alright, mate?” he asked gently, stroking the hair from Alex’s brow.
Alex had virtually no strength left in him, but as Mike began to head back out, Alex reached for him, grabbing hold of his wrist. Mike stopped and was about to speak, but Alex spoke first. “Don’t say anything, Mike, just listen... You and I got off to a shaky start. In the beginning there were times when I thought it might be better if we just stayed out of each other’s way until you left home. I’m glad we put the effort in. You know... all I can think of now... is how I want Jake to grow up to be just like you. You have to look after him, Mike. You have to look after all three of them. You’re the only person left in the world I would trust our family with. You’re the only one who can get them through this nightmare. Trust your instincts, be strong, and never ever give up.” Alex let go of Mike’s wrist and took hold of his hand.
Mike held it for a while before realising Alex had closed his eyes again. “Alex? Alex?”
Alex wanted to respond. There were other things he wanted to say. But he was going on a journey now. He could feel it. As much as he wanted to be with his loved ones. As much as he wanted to comfort them and hold them one last time, there was something taking a hold of him. It was cold, and dark. In fact, now he realised, it wasn’t just taking hold, it was taking over. The things in his head. They were not all his anymore. The flashes of Mike and Emma and Sammy and Jake and Sandra. Old photos. Happy times. Now sprayed with bloody urges as the pangs of hunger for their flesh began to rise within him. How long? How long before he woke again. A different man. A different creature. “Run, Mike. Please, Run! Take our family and go. Please.” But no words left his lips. “Please Mike, run. Please.”
THE BEGINNING
Acknowledgements
First, last, always and forever, I want to thank the missus, Tina. We are a team, and she is my Safe Haven.
I want to thank the members of my fan club. Their support and loyalty never fails to blow me away. I couldn’t ask for more amazing people to share this journey with.
I have to thank my editor and friend Roma Gray – a great person, a great editor. Thank you for all you do. Of course, I can’t forget my cover artist, the amazing Christian Bentulan. His work never ceases to amaze. I am lucky to work with them both.
And finally... A massive thank you to all of you. Even after three books and a novella, I still find it difficult to believe that people want to spend their time reading my work. It is as magical as it is humbling. Thank you all.
A Note from the author
I really hope you enjoyed this book and would be very grateful if you took a minute to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
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Other books by Christopher Artinian:
Safe Haven: Rise of the RAMs
Safe Haven: Realm of the Raiders
Safe Haven: Reap of the Righteous
A Zombie Novella – Before Safe Haven: Lucy
Anthologies featuring short stories by Christopher Artinian
Undead Worlds: A Reanimated Writers Anthology
Featuring: Before Safe Haven: Losing the Battle by Christopher Artinian
Tales from Zombie Road: The Long Haul Anthology
Featuring: Condemned by Christopher Artinian
Treasured Chests: A Zombie Anthology for Breast Cancer Care
Featuring: Last Light by Christopher Artinian
christopher artinian
Christopher Artinian was born and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Wanting to escape life in a big city and concentrate more on working to live than living to work, he and his family moved to the Outer Hebrides in the north-west of Scotland in 2004.
He released his debut novel, Safe Haven: Rise of the Rams in February 2017. This was the first instalment of a post-apocalyptic zombie trilogy. Book two, Safe Haven: Realm of the Raiders continues the fast moving and often terrifying story and book three, Reap of the Righteous concludes the first chapter in the gripping saga. In July 2018 he released A Zombie Novella – Before Safe Haven: Lucy, featuring one of Safe Haven’s most loved characters. With four more works in progress, there is going to be no shortage of material for Safe Haven fans in the coming months.
In October 2017, he won the prestigious Zombie Book of the Month Award for Rise of the RAMs. In December 2017 he was also awarded with the prestigious, "Best New Author" prize by the Reanimated Writers group. In addition, Safe Haven won the "Best Series" award in the popular Good Morning Zompoc members poll.
For fans of the Safe Haven books, a standalone short story featuring one of the main Safe Haven characters was published as part of an anthology (Undead Worlds). Christopher was also featured in the Treasured Chests anthology and another of his stories, "Condemned" was released in the Zombie Road anthology.
Safe Haven (Novella 2): Before Safe Haven [Alex] Page 8
