There was a momentary pause. Only the sound of the crackling fire outside could be heard. Eyes darted everywhere as the upper echelon of the 4Horsemen looked at each other for answers, they feared Martin more than they feared God, so they bit their tongues, hard.
In a low slow menacing voice Martin broke the silence. “I want that bitch’s head brought to me on a silvery tray.” He eyed everyone in the room. “Do you hear me – on a tray!”
Heads nodded.
“Martin,” said Lucas, with caution. “How do you propose that we do that?” He felt the burn from his leader’s glare. Dropped his gaze to the floor.
“How many men can you muster?”
“Most are fighting fires, clearing the undead. So not a lot.”
Martin thought for a moment, blinking his malevolent eyes allowing the venom and hatred he had for Siobhan to course through very vein in his body. “Assemble our best trackers and scouts. I want you to send them out with this message, they are not to return without her. Alive, or dead!”
“As you wish.” Lucas bowed. “With respect, we do not know where they are heading or where they might be.”
Martin turned to him slowly. Gritted his teeth. “Start at the 4Horsemen Bar & Grill.”
Colin eased off the accelerator, slowed them to a crawl. Through the truck’s headlights he could see that the way ahead was blocked by a wall of metal. “Damnit,” he said, coming to a stop.
“We need to keep moving,” said Josh. “Back it up. Maybe take the side street we passed back there.”
Gears crunched.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“We can’t just keep driving around in circles like this,” said Colin, peering into the side mirror. “Hurry up and give me a bearing.”
None of them knew where they were. This was a part of town that none of them had ventured into before and everything looked foreign, more so in the dark. Nothing familiar stood out and they remained lost, on the run in the wastelands of the dead city. Little did they know that this was the seedy side, an undesirable neighborhood both before and after the turn. Newton Hill.
“Stop!” yelled Rory from the rear.
Colin braked.
“What is it?” Josh asked.
“I thought I heard something out there.”
Each of them trained their ears to the sounds of the city. The truck’s engine chugged quietly as it continued to send black smoke puffing out the exhaust.
Suddenly, a scream! It came from somewhere close, but it was impossible to know precisely where it originated. Another scream came, that of a male echoing through the surrounding buildings. Everyone, Colin included spun around to investigate.
Seconds later a man appeared at the rear of the truck. He was grossly overweight, his chubby cheeks wobbling on his fat face as he was wunning. This was a crude term Tyler and Josh used to describe the actions of overweight or unfit people where they were neither running nor walking – more engaging in an ungainly combination of the two. It was obvious that the man was scared of something, petrified in fact for he was as white as a ghost. His high forehead was dripping with sweat as he shook with fear.
“Take me with you!” he demanded, gripping the tailgate with his sausage fingers. From over his shoulder he heard moaning, instantly he knew what was coming. “You have to help me! Please!” Panic resonated loudly in his voice.
Before anyone in the truck could move creatures emerged from the shadows. Desperately the fat man bounced up and down several times in a pathetic attempt to climb aboard, but try as he might he could not even lift himself off the ground. The sanctuary of the truck eluded him.
There was nothing those inside could do but accept the inevitable. The first bite took him on the shoulder as rotted, infected teeth sank deep into his plump flesh, tearing succulent skin from the bone. Another bite ripped into the flabby flesh under his arm, whilst another snapped his Achilles tendon in two, crippling him. With a blood-curdling scream his chunky fingers released their grip and he slid from view.
“We have to move!” yelled Josh. “There is nothing we can do for him. More creatures will come quickly. Let’s go!”
Crunch!
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Colin slammed his white gumboot on the accelerator. The axle raised up high as they drove over the fat man and his attackers.
Crunch!
As quickly as they could they sped off down the side street away from danger. Behind them Josh saw many more creatures pouring out from the shadows to join in on the feast behind them.
“What a seriously fucked up night,” said Siobhan.
“You’re not wrong,” Josh replied. “Hey, by the way, what you did back there at the arena, pretty damn heroic aye.”
“It had to be done,” she said, modestly.
“It had to be done, true, but you did it. We owe our lives to you.”
“Well, we are far from safe. Mark my words they will be coming for us. Martin will leave no stone unturned to hunt us down, trust me on that. He hunted me for months when I left, sending so many search parties after me. We are not safe anymore – he will be pissed!”
Siobhan’s chilling words left them all on edge. They sat in silence pondering their fate as the truck rolled on into the night. Not long afterwards Josh finally spotted a landmark, put two and two together and got them back on track. Soon the truck was slowing, rounding a corner and pulling up outside the 4Horsemen Bar & Grill.
“We’re here,” Siobhan said, with relief in her voice.
In the headlights Tyler and Stuart stood on the road before them. They had been busying themselves by packing boxes of goodies into their vehicles, taking as much as they could from the bar. As soon as the truck came into view they stopped what they were doing, smiles lighting up their young faces.
The two Armstrong boys hugged. They had never been this pleased to see each other.
“What the hell happened?” Tyler asked the first of a million questions he had. “Where did you get the truck?” came next and without taking a breath he followed that up with, “Who the hell are these guys?”
“Long story bro,” replied Josh, “but there’s no time to tell you now. We probably need to go.” There was urgency in his voice. “It’s not safe here.”
“What’s all this?” asked Colin, stepping from the truck.
“Supplies and food.” Tyler looked at Siobhan. “It just seemed a waste leaving it all here, now that you’re with us. Hope you’re ok with that.”
“Don’t give a toss,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Probably a good idea.”
Raj joined them. “Why don’t we don’t have long Mr. Josh.” He asked. “What have you done?”
“Never you mind. We just need to hurry Raj.”
“If you say so then.” With a nod the Indian man dropped the subject and carried on, placing his box in the rear of the army transport.
Tyler knew better than to question his brother. He busied himself along with the others loading the truck.
Josh clapped his hands together shortly afterwards, geeing the group on. “Let’s go everyone!” He stood there, peering down the road into the darkness, expecting to see headlights coming around the corner at any moment. When none came he exhaled loudly and clambered back into the cab of the truck.
18
Debriefing
Rebecca wrapped her arms tightly around her husband squeezing him tightly. She loved him with all her heart and had been worried sick ever since he left the compound to look for the others. Caressing his face with her soft slender fingers she smothered him with kisses.
Whilst he loved the attention Eric still could not help but pull his head back in embarrassment. “Alright, that’s enough now,” he said, glancing around to see who was looking.
“Oh come on,” said his wife “you’ve faced all those creatures out there and you’re worried about a little kiss?” She rolled her eyes at him. Before Eric could reply she placed her lips on his, kissed him passionately.
The
re was a lot of warmth in the Armstrong house that night. All those who had stayed behind were overjoyed that their friends and loved ones had returned, the fact that no-one was injured was a huge bonus. Spirits were high that night with hugs, kisses, handshakes and feelings of relief all round.
Jon felt the need for a full debrief, but Olivia had overruled him insisted that the best thing to do would be for everyone to simply get some rest. The new couple who had arrived back with the group were briefly introduced, for that was all the pleasantries Olivia would allow. She felt there was plenty of time for all of that tomorrow and ushered the couple out of the lounge in the direction of the rear of the house. Zoe joined them in the spare room and helped Olivia to make up the beds for their new guests to sleep on.
“This is all we have for now,” said Olivia, gesturing towards the two mattresses on the floor. “We can make up something a bit better for you tomorrow.”
Nikita took Olivia by the hands and in a soft gentle voice replied, “This is most hospitable of you. Thank you so much for everything.”
Olivia smiled, then she and Zoe left the room closing the door behind them. They both tried to place Nikita’s accent, felt it was quite possibly Russian or Romanian, but neither of them were quite able to put their finger on it precisely.
The only people still up when they walked back into the lounge were Jon, Josh and Tyler, everyone else had gone to bed. The men were in a huddle by the fire, Josh was talking quietly whilst the other two were listening intently.
“Boys that can all wait until the morning” said Olivia, defiantly.
“But mum,” pleaded Josh, “this is important.”
“You and your brother need to rest, Olivia insisted. “As do you mister,” she said, glaring at her husband.
Jon shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “Better do as we are told lads,” he said with a smile.
Reluctantly the men wished each other good night and retired to their rooms. Zoe too headed off to bed. Sleep did not come easy for most in the Armstrong house that night, for despite their weary and aching bodies many lay awake for hours thinking.
It was mid-morning before everyone roused again. The morning dew had long since burned away and the sun was now beating down on the compound. The light that poured in through open windows was warm and bright. One by one the waking residents made their way into the lounge room, squinted as they rubbed their eyes.
“Good morning,” Jon said, welcoming everyone to the debriefing session. He was a stickler for formality and had insisted on a morning muster. “As you all know, the past twenty-four hours or so has been pretty tough and there have been some big developments that have come to light. These affect us all and we need to talk about them here and now. Let me start by saying how pleased we are that everyone has returned safely.”
A short round of applause followed. Smiles and backslaps.
“We would also like to welcome our two newcomers Nikita and Rory who came back with the groups last night. Please make them feel at home.”
The couple nodded in gratitude.
Jon continued on for their benefit as well as to drill home a point to everyone. “We have simple rules here, designed to keep us all safe. Firstly, no-one is to leave the compound alone. Ever! We keep noise to a minimum and we chip in to help wherever and whenever it is needed. We try to respect each other in every way that makes sure there is no bitching or bickering amongst the group. There are more rules, but those are the basics.”
“Fair call,” said Rory.
Jon turned to Siobhan who sat alone in an armchair, her body was covered in cuts and bruises from the previous night’s ordeal. With her sleeves pushed they revealed the colorful tattoos that adorned her arms, making her look every bit tough and menacing.
“From what I hear,” said Jon, “if it wasn’t for your quick thinking and bravery, my boy here and the rest of you might not have made it back. We are all indebted to you.”
Everyone in the room praised her, none more so than Josh who was trying hard to hide his emotion. He was finding it incredibly difficult to suppress the feelings he had for her.
“Now,” there was a seriousness to Jon’s tone, “we are facing our greatest challenge since the world turned to crap. Up until now we have managed to survive on our wits and with some careful planning. We’ve had some good strategies that have served us well and allowed us to live in peace for the most part but this, this is something much greater, much more sinister.
Expressions changed. Murmuring broke out.
Jon put his hand in the air and the room went quiet. “I know you are all concerned, but we need to really think this through. It sounds like this 4Horsemen group will be looking for us, which means we are now at risk. We need to come up with a solid plan that will allow us to either stay here and remain inconspicuous, or pack up and relocate somewhere else.”
“We shouldn’t have to run!” exclaimed Tyler, angrily.
“I agree,” said Eric. “Surely we can stand up and defend ourselves.”
Worried that things might get out of hand quickly Jon gestured for silence. “What we need to do, is firstly come to terms with who, or what we are up against. Once we understand that and what firepower and numbers they have, then we can paint a better picture.” He paused and surveyed the room. “Agreed?”
They all nodded.
Jon looked at Siobhan again, she was unmoved in her chair. “We have many unanswered questions and little knowledge of the 4Horsemen, perhaps Siobhan if you Josh and Colin could share with us just what happened we might get a better understanding.”
Josh turned to the woman who had saved their lives, his Warrior Princess. Wondered if he should wait for her to speak, or to open up proceedings himself. Thankfully that decision was made for him.
Siobhan cleared her throat and started to speak. Over the next hour she told of their encounter with the 4Horsemen. The other two chipped in and together they shared in graphic detail with the group how they had escaped the bank, only to run into trouble at the rear. Some winced when Josh told of how Shaun had been killed and the subsequent beating Siobhan had taken as a result. They told of their experience of being caged like animals at the zoo and the one-side trial. Everyone in the room was shocked at the revelation of the arena executions, this was by far the most disturbing part of their story.
An uneasy silence filled the room. For the first time since being forced into a world where survival was paramount, those at the Armstrong compound felt under threat. As they digested the information that had been shared that morning, each of them swallowed hard, as if a bone was stuck in their throat. With this insight the group now fully understood just who they were up against and how dire the situation was.
Slowly Rory got to his feet. No-one had been expecting him to contribute, especially as he and Nikita had only just arrived the night before. When he stood some in the lounge room wondered just what he could add to the discussion. It would turn out to be quite a lot.
“You should not even think about taking them on,” the well-dressed man said, “honestly. They have twenty times your number, maybe more and they are very well armed. You will not stand a chance if you try to take them on in a gunfight.”
“What is it that they want?”
“Well their philosophy is simple, if you do not join them then you will die. No ifs, buts, or maybes, you die! The way they justify that is by claiming that they are killing in the name of God.”
Eyes boggled.
“This is how they recruit new members to join them. They scour the city for survivors and offer them salvation but for those who refuse like Nikita and I did, they are sentenced to death in the arena. The public spectacles they put on are used to keep everyone living there in a constant state of fear. It is fear that gives any religion or cult its ultimate power and control.”
“That is a sad truth,” agreed Jon.
“Not all religions are like this, I must say,” Raj added calmly.
Looking around the
room Rory continued. “We are ever so grateful for you rescuing us and inviting us to join you. We had been on our own for some time before running into those lunatics. Honestly, we are so thankful to be here. It is hard to find good people like you out here.”
Nikita cupped her husband’s hand with hers. She was so proud of him.
“But I have to say this,” his voice expressed concern, “we were all very lucky to escape that place. Very lucky indeed. They are incredibly well armed and they do not care if you are one of the undead or a survivor. If you are in their way, they will destroy you.”
Rory took his seat again next to Nikita. She squeezed his hand tighter and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
Jon took the floor once again, sighing heavily before he began. His look of concern was shared by most in the room. With his mind clouded with thoughts he did not have the foggiest idea to start. His daughter saved him the trouble.
“Are we safe here Dad?” Rebecca asked. This was a question everyone wanted to know the answer to.
“I... I honestly don’t know. But it’s fair to say that they don’t know where we are just yet. If they did they would be banging on our door already.”
“That’s true,” said Josh. “We are pretty certain that we weren’t followed. Besides, the zoo is a fair hike out of town.”
Rory interjected once again. “That doesn’t mean we are safe, not by a long shot. We have stirred a hornet’s nest,” he continued, standing and walking to the front window. Peered out onto the road in front of the house. “And with that truck out there it won’t be long before those hornets come buzzing around here.”
“Agreed,” said Jon, “that should be our first priority, getting rid of that thing. We also need to become invisible, just in case they pass by.”
“What do you mean by invisible, Mr. Jon?” asked Raj, who had been sitting quietly all this time.
Jon paused for a moment before answering. “We need to make the front of the house appear derelict and deserted. It will be important that we keep our noise levels to a minimum and from now on, no-one will be permitted in the front yard or on the porch. Those spots are visible from the road, we will just keep to out the back. Ok?”
Dark of Dawn 4Horsemen: Book one in the Dark of Dawn Series Page 20
