Dark of Dawn 4Horsemen: Book one in the Dark of Dawn Series

by Sebastien Woolf

  Eric, who had woken from his slumber in a daze turned to Siobhan and frowned. He was pissed off, but that wasn’t new to anyone. “We’ll sort out what to do with you in the morning,” he said in a surly tone.

  “Fuck off!” came her stern reply. “Just be fucking thankful that I’m not making you stay out in the truck.”

  Eric finally got the message. Her tone was firm direct and dismissive, this was one woman not to mess with. She had given him the ‘don’t argue’ and he didn’t any longer, her vicious tongue having torn him a new one.

  One by one they succumbed to tiredness, it had been a long, arduous day and each of them was fatigued. The over consumption of alcohol and the sugar overload from the copious amount of chocolate they had eaten slowed the sleep process somewhat, until now.

  Josh lay awake in the dark. He could not stop thinking about Siobhan and it was a long time before sleep came to him. Eventually, when he did manage to close his eyes and drift off he dreamed of her. It was a Viking tale, one where he was a king dressed in all the typical regalia and appropriate clothing – horned helmet, thick fur coat, fur boots and shiny breastplate. He was admired by all his people, hailed as a fair and just ruler.

  Siobhan came to him that night in his dream. Beautiful, sensual, powerful. His queen. His Warrior Princess.

  Typically thought his dream made no sense whatsoever. The plot was so confusing and mixed up that he struggled to determine whether it was a love story or a tale of plunder. It mattered not, for when he woke he was unable to remember much of it. All he knew was that his feelings for Siobhan had shifted to another level.

  His Warrior Princess.

  Eric moaned himself to sleep, cursed himself for joining this group. As far as he was concerned this girl was nothing but trouble, she did not need rescuing at all and if he had his way he would he would leave her here.

  He tried sleeping with one eye open, watching her but failed miserably. He had a terrible night’s sleep, tossing and turning.

  As she always did, Siobhan slept lightly. Later that night she dreamed of a lavish breakfast at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party where she was Alice, with a blue dress and a big white bow in her hair. Josh was there, as the March Hare. The other men were there too, as was Lisette who sat at the head of the table sipping wine and smiling. Siobhan smiled back at her soulmate, her heart all a flutter. Suddenly, without warning all the faces of the guests began to change, transforming into hideous and ghastly looking creatures. Baring their teeth they moaned, before attacking her.

  She woke in a start surrounded by darkness. The only sound to be heard was that of Stuart snoring loudly and the occasional tossing and turning of a restless Eric. Beside her lay her sword, she wrapped her fingers around the handle just to feel safe. Drifted off to sleep again.

  7

  Warrior Princess

  An eerie silence hung like a fog enveloping the deserted wastelands. The first light of day reflected from windows of buildings that stretched high up to the sky to greet the new dawn. Heavy overnight rain had cleansed the road of grime washing the city clean, puddles of water glistened in the morning sun shimmering brightly in every direction. A gentle breeze wafted through the empty streets rippling surface water, disturbing weeds and wild overgrown grass.

  It was still dark when Jon and Colin had set out to search for the missing men. Rising early, taking care not to wake the others in the house they had left a brief note before setting off towards the dump site. The location was well known to them and they moved quickly along the route that they believed the others would have taken.

  Jon had opted for the safest, quickest and most efficient mode of transport to roam the streets that morning. The sight of two grown men cycling alone on a deserted road in an abandoned city was an odd one indeed, no-one else remained in this sector of the city so they went unnoticed. Their pushbikes creaked and squeaked as they peddled onward at a steady pace, the sound was only slightly audible which allowed them to travel with the utmost of stealth.

  Morning rays of sunshine bathed the two men in light, warming their skin as they pushed on in silence. They had been riding for just on an hour, meandering through the countless amount of debris and obstacles that hindered their path. Jon guessed that they were now about half-way to their destination and decided they needed to pick up the pace. They started to push harder on their pedals.

  Squeak!

  Creak!

  Rounding a bend Jon abruptly gripped his brake and skidded to a stop, leaving a long black tire mark trailing behind him on the road. Seconds later Colin instinctively did the same. They had been cycling so fast trying desperately to pick up the tempo they had failed to scan the road ahead for danger. As a result they had ridden straight into trouble.

  Ahead of them spread all the way across the street, a pack of meandering, moaning, lifeless souls were shuffling towards them. Despite their diminished capabilities, the sense of smell was still strong amongst the savages and it did not take long for the undead to detect the presence of the two men. The scent of human flesh wafted in the crisp morning air. Menacingly they turned and began to ramble towards the morning meal that had appeared before them.

  Jon did not panic, he was good like that – cool and calm under pressure. Ignoring the incoming creatures he turned his attention for the moment to the surrounding buildings. Studying and scanning he took a quick-fire lay of the land, his eyes widening when he found what he was looking for.

  “There!” he exclaimed, pointing to the side of the road.

  Ahead of them in the direction of Jon’s outstretched finger stood a McDonald’s restaurant, located roughly half-way between the men and the advancing pack of creatures. A large white hashtag painted across the front window stood out and had far greater meaning to the two men than the golden arches.

  “Colin!” yelled Jon. “Let’s go!” He propelled his pushbike forward as fast as he could go.

  Jon set a cracking pace, Colin had to work hard to keep up. Adrenaline coursed through their veins fueling them with the energy they needed to escape. Their hearts beat rapidly, sweat beaded on their foreheads, muscles ached.

  Behind them the pack roused, accelerating to a stagger as they picked up their pace in pursuit.

  Reaching the restaurant first Jon turned to encourage his colleague on. “Come on!” he yelled. Dropping his pushbike he sprinted inside.

  Not for the first time Colin’s large white gumboots proved to be a hindrance, they were cumbersome and awkward especially on a pushbike. Despite this the butcher found them comfortable and insisted on wearing them in every battle or situation such as this. He pushed on regardless, feet slipping off pedals as he rode for his life. Leaping from his pushbike when he arrived he sent it clattering to the ground as he too made a bee-line for the counter inside.

  They had beaten the pack, but only just.

  Jon dragged a large canvas bag from under the register, removed two semi-automatic rifles and slammed a full ammunition cartridge into each. Handed a weapon to Colin the moment he arrived. Drawing in deep breaths they nodded to each other and prepared to engage.

  For some time now the Armstrong’s had maintained various locations around the city where they had stored weapons, ammunition and medical supplies. These caches were spread out every few blocks from the compound in a ten block radius.

  Jon had insisted that each of these strongholds be strategically placed at easily accessible and defendable backdrops, thus allowing them to travel lighter and faster through their district when foraging for supplies or searching for survivors.

  Many of these caches had not been used before such as this one, there had not been just cause up until now. As it had been checked recently the cache was fully restocked and equipped with everything the two men needed on this particular morning to make a stand. Jon had never been more thankful for his good ideas than today.

  As the first of the creatures burst through the front door Colin jokingly said, “Welcome to McDonalds mother-fucker
!” Gritted his teeth. “Can I take your order?” Depressing the trigger of his rifle he sent the first customer of the day packing and it collapsed lifeless to the floor.

  Multiple shots rang out as each head appeared at the door, eager and desperate to quench their thirst. It did not take Jon and Colin long to eradicate the entire pack, firing their weapons with absolute precision, neither of them missing a target. It was a staggering display of marksmanship, the funneling effect of the narrow doorway made it easy work, ensuring that fracas ended quickly.

  Their gunshots echoed out onto the empty streets, rolling off into the distance. Within seconds the restaurant fell silent, yet the two men still waited to confirm that the coast was clear. Satisfied that their work here had been done they reloaded their weapons returning them to the hiding place under the counter and got to their feet.

  “Nice job,” said Jon, making his way to the door. “Seems like there are a lot more of these things in our neighborhood at the moment then we initially thought.”

  Colin frowned, his face spoke for him. As he stepped over the corpses on his way out of the restaurant he stomped his boot down hard onto the head of a fallen creature, still alive and crawling towards him. Skull shattered releasing a crimson ooze of blood and brain across the linoleum floor.

  “Thank you for your order,” he said, stopping momentarily to address the lifeless room. “Don’t come again.” Sniggered to himself.

  Resuming their trek the two men cycled off down the now silent and serene empty street. Behind them a dark cloud descended. Crows. Dozens of the large black birds, the personification of evil, landed at the restaurant and set about pecking at and devouring the carrion.

  Eric yawned and stretched, he was a little hungover and his tongue was dry. It had been quite some time since he had drunk so much and today he knew he would feel the effects of his over-consumption. Through bleary eyes he could see that the others were starting to stir, one by one they were going through their awakening rituals.

  Kicking off his blankets Josh sprang to his feet, an energy flowed through him as he woke. For some reason he felt invigorated, excited. Taking a moment to reflect on his dream he smiled as visions of his Viking Warrior Princess flashed through his mind. Stretching, he turned to where Siobhan had been sleeping. Her bed was empty.

  A concerned frown creased his brow. Stepping over to the window he rubbed his eyes and focused as he turned his attention to the road peering outside into the bright morning sun. The truck was just where they had left it. Nothing stirred outside.

  “Wake up guys,” Josh said, shaking his brother by the shoulder.

  Tyler yawned, loudly. “What’s up bro?”

  One after another, yawns echoed around the room.

  “Have you seen Siobhan?”

  Tyler shrugged his shoulders. Gave his brother a blank look.

  “She’s gone hasn’t she!” accused Eric. As he got to his feet he danced around checking his pockets and searching for his belongings.

  Josh stared at his brother-in-law. He knew what was coming.

  “I fucking knew it!” Eric threw his hands in the air to accentuate his point. “I knew we couldn’t trust that little bitch.”

  Stuart stirred. “Wha… what’s going on?” Rubbed his eyes and gave a full mouth stretched yawn.

  “She’s nothing but an ungrateful pain in the arse,” continued Eric, on yet another rant. “I say we just grab what we can and get out of here.” He turned to Josh and glared. “You seriously weren’t thinking about taking her back to the compound with us were you? Please tell me you weren’t.”

  Josh was immediately angered by Eric’s outburst. He was just about to defend his stance and speak up for Siobhan when a voice from the stairwell did it for him.

  “Well boyo… you really are a horrible piece of work aren’t ya. A real arsehole if you ask me.”

  Eric’s face dropped.

  Siobhan emerged from the stairs, stepping through the entrance where the door was once hinged.

  “Don’t mind him,” Josh said, beaming. He was visibly pleased to see her and couldn’t hide it.

  “Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that, he is of no concern to me. None in the slightest. I’ve dealt with worse and put them right in their place too. Trust me on that.”

  Scowling at Eric, Josh decided that it was best to say nothing further that might inflame the situation. His Warrior Princess seemed to have it all in order.

  Siobhan stood there for a moment. She was wearing a black pleated short skirt, black stockings with holes in them, crimson colored Doc Marten boots laced up mid-calf and a fresh tight-fitting black t-shirt which contoured her large, well-proportioned breasts. She had a splendid bosom and the top she wore accentuated her delightful figure.

  Josh liked what he saw, he was totally smitten as he looked her up and down. In the dark of night he had not noticed all the tattoos that adorned her body, her arms were covered with dark tribal ink and up the side of her neck the words of a Celtic saying had been imprinted.

  “Take a fucking photo gentlemen, lasts longer!” Siobhan laughed, striding confidently to the center of the room. She tossed five paper bags onto the table, each had the 4Horsemen Bar & Grill logo emblazoned on the side. “I thought you might be hungry,” she said in a sarcastic tone. Turning to Eric she added, “How’s that for selfish huh!”

  Embarrassed and humiliated Eric was forced into submission, remaining quiet from that moment on. He was also hungry, beginning his breakfast meal by swallowing his pride.

  Tyler moved to the table. “Morning,” he said, acknowledging their host.

  “Oh, morning,” she said with a grin.

  Tensions eased a little.

  “Wow!” Stuart joined his friend in opening their packages. “Thanks.”

  All four men, Eric included nodded in gratitude.

  “You’re all welcome. Enjoy.”

  They ate heartily, washing down their dried food, biscuits and muesli bars with bottled water. It more than filled a hole.

  “Now Siobhan,” Josh said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “Why don’t you come with us? There’s ample room back at the compound and I’m sure you’d be a great fit there.”

  Eric bit his tongue.

  “I mean it can’t be any worse than living out here on your own can it. We have food, safety and space to do stuff so as to not go stir crazy.”

  Siobhan gave a duck face. Thought for a moment. “Are you sure. I mean absolutely sure. All of you?”

  Heads nodded.

  In a deliberate dig at Eric she added, “I wouldn’t be putting anyone out would I?”

  “There’s not many of us, just enough to have decent human interaction on a daily basis though,” Josh added with a laugh. “Trust me, no-one would be put out. No-one at all.”

  Momentary silence.

  “So, do I take that as a yes then?”

  “What about all my things?”

  “Pack whatever you need. We can come back another time with another vehicle to get the rest of what you want. Supplies, weapons and other stuff. Cool?”

  “Yeah cool. Sounds like a bloody good plan.”

  Siobhan had already made her mind up and had politely been waiting for an invitation. She did not want to be on her own anymore and it was time she was back living with people again. Moving to the compound made sense, especially after everything she had heard the night before.

  “Alright, I’m in. Let me get my things together.”

  “Take your time, we’ll just …”

  Josh was interrupted by the sound of gunshots. They were faint, but close enough to be a concern. A quick volley, then another. Rapid fire.

  “Sounds like someone might be in trouble out there.” Siobhan had heard gunshots out here many times before. It usually meant someone was warding off attacking creatures and fighting for their survival.

  Tyler turned to his brother with a look of concern etched across his young face. “You don’t supp
ose that dad would have come out to look for us do you?”

  “Shit! I don’t know. Sure as hell hope not.” At that moment Josh’s voice was filled with dread.

  “We should go bro, just in case.” Tyler was now worried. He would do anything for family, especially for his brother or his dad.

  “Ok. Yeah. Sorry Siobhan, change of plan. If that is dad then he’s in trouble, better for us to be safe than sorry. Grab what you can carry, we can come back for the rest of it.”

  “No probs,” she said. Quickly she started to stuff her possessions and clothes into a large duffle bag. “I just need to get a few other things and I’m ready. Feel free to grab and take whatever you guys want.”

  Tyler and Stuart smiled at each other. Sometimes, quite often in fact, they acted like spoiled naughty schoolboys. As quick as they could they polished off their breakfast then, grabbing the tea chest they began filling it with as many bags of junk food they could find, not stopping until it overflowed.

  As soon as the truck was loaded they left the 4Horsemen Bar & Grill. Josh jumped behind the wheel, spun the heavy transport around and headed towards the main road. Stopping at the intersection he let the engine idle for a moment as he got his bearings, scratching his head as he looked in both directions trying to make up his mind which way to turn.

  “Left or right?” he yelled out of the window.

  “They sounded closer to home don’t you think,” came Tyler’s reply from the roof of the cab.

  Truth be known none of them had any idea as to where the gunshots had come from. The empty streets often played tricks with echoes and they were at a total loss as to which direction to head.

  “They have to be closer to home don’t they?” Josh muttered to himself unconvincingly.

  “Yeah bro, think about it. If it is dad then he would have come out this morning, there is no way he would have risked coming out last night to look for us. If that’s the case, then he would not have gotten this far yet.”