by Ian Woodhead
She placed the glass on the bar and marched over to Thomas. “Look lad, just leave the bloody cleaning for one minute and come and join me for a drink.”
He shook his head, “I can’t, Marlene, my shift isn’t over yet.”
Marlene grabbed his cloth and threw it over her shoulder, “Have you any idea what’s going on?” she cried.
He shrugged, “I’m just keeping my head down, Marlene. I do know that Bernard lied to those old people about the beer running out.”
He picked up a couple of empty glasses and carried them to the bar. “I think it’s about that body I found. Somebody has grassed us up, they’ll shut the club down and I’ll end up in prison.”
Marlene gave the lad a reassuring smile, she didn’t have the heart to tell him that the situation was far worse.
“Why did Dominic get on that coach?” he asked. “Is he going to heat up the pies for them when they get home?”
She pulled back a chair, “I think you’d better sit down. Oh, wait, grab my drink before you do, I think you’re going to need it.”
How was she going to explain to him that they stood on the edge of Armageddon?
Something in the kitchen crashed to the floor, it sounded like a pile of plates. Her eyes darted over to the doors, “Please tell me that you saw Bernard going in there.”
He shook his head, “No, he went upstairs.”
His face changed to the colour of sour milk. “Oh shit, I think the fire door is still open.”
Thomas ran to the bar and ducked under the serving lid. He emerged holding Bernard’s baseball bat. “Some guy attacked the driver a bit back.”
Marlene jumped up and hurried to the doors, she heard Thomas gasp then realised that she had the pistol in her hand.
“Where the bloody hell did you get that?”
“What do you mean by attacked?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“He bit him.”
“Oh, Jesus.”
“It was a right mess as well. I told him he needed to go to the hospital to get it looked at.”
Marlene tried to imagine her gentle cook trying to defend himself and a coach full of pensioners from some rampaging zombie, the picture just wouldn’t surface. She wanted to throw up, he was going to die because of her.
Another loud crash exploded from the kitchen.
“What the fuck is happening?”
Marlene then heard gunfire outside. Could that be Dominic? She had to help him. She rushed to the door then turned around, intending to tell Thomas to follow her but he wasn’t there. The idiot must have gone into the kitchen.
Marlene groaned and doubled back, she pushed through the doors and collided into Thomas’s back.
“This had got to be a fucking dream,” she heard him say.
She stood to the side and gasped in absolute horror at what was slowly shuffling toward them.
That corpse must have been dead for months. At each ponderous step, ragged pieces of wet flesh fell to the floor, it raised one skeletal arm and pointed at the woman as if accusing her of being responsible for its unwanted reanimation.
“Shoot the bloody thing,” cried Thomas.
It took one more step, the stench from it made her eyes water. She pointed the business end at the corpse and pulled the trigger, nothing happened.
“The safety catch, Marlene!”
Her mistake almost cost the woman her life, the thing literally threw its body at Marlene. It wrapped both its foul arms around her neck in an obscene embrace. In a blind panic, she dropped her gun. Marlene lashed out, desperate to get this disgusting monstrosity off her.
She yelped in horror and revulsion as both her hands sank through the cadaver’s ice-cold jelly like flesh. Marlene groaned in revulsion as she pulled her hands out of the thing’s chest.
“Thomas!” she shouted. “Oh god, get it off me.”
Marlene jerked her head backwards to avoid the thing’s snapping teeth.
Thomas’s baseball bat came flying down, narrowly missing her own head. The bat smacked into the top of its skull, but it still didn’t relinquish its grip. He hit the thing again, the corpse’s hand’s loosened. Marlene grabbed its arms and pulled them off her shoulders.
It dropped to the floor, she jumped away, hitting her hip on the table behind her.
“Kill the bloody thing, Thomas. Jesus Christ.”
He stood over it, watching the corpse struggling to get up like a floundered turtle. Thomas growled and brought the bat down hard upon its head. Thick, black fluid pooled across the white floor tiles. Marlene looked away, desperately trying to keep her stomach contents inside her. Then she noticed how much of the things remains were still stuck to her fingers. She stumbled over to the sink and vomited out vodka and pie.
“Here you go.”
She smiled in appreciation as Thomas passed her a clean towel. Marlene wiped her mouth and cleaned her hands as best she could before throwing the towel at the creature’s head.
“That’s a zombie, isn’t it.” He said, shakily. “A fucking zombie.”
She nodded, unable to speak. Marlene spotted the pistol lying under Dominic’s desk and bent down to retrieve it. Fat lot of use she had been, if it wasn’t for Thomas, bony boy would have been munching its way through her face by now.
“Oh shit! Marlene, look out!”
She spun around and saw another one shambling through the open fire door, “Oh my God, no, not you as well, Ernest.”
The cleaner responded by rushing the woman, she whimpered and staggered back, Marlene brought the gun up, remembering to flick the safety catch and squeezed the trigger. The gun bucked violently in her hand. Ernest spun around as the shell caught him in the shoulder and erupted from his back, spraying the wall with pieces of crimson coated bone fragments.
She aimed again, trying to aim for the thing’s head. Ernest discarded the injury as if it was of no consequence and continued approaching her. Marlene fired again, this time the round only nicked the top of his left ear.
Her attacker launched himself at Marlene, knocking in to her with the force of a raging bull. They both fell back against Dominic’s desk. The back of her head bounced off the tiles, dazing her. Ernest crawled across the woman’s prone body up toward her neck.
Oh god, this was it, she was done for.
“Lift its fucking head as high as you can.”
Marlene jumped, Bernard’s commanding voice helped her regain her clarity. She put both hands around the throat of the slobbering, groaning monster and used the last of her strength to push the thing up.
Ernest’s head disappeared in a wet, welter of scarlet and grey confetti, she moved her head away to avoid the rain of flesh hitting her face. Marlene pushed the decapitated body off her and used the table to help get her back on her feet.
She slowly turned to face her saviour, Marlene’s words of gratitude died on her lips at the sight of Bernard pointing a huge, black pistol at the side of Thomas’s head.
“Be a dear, Marlene and get that fire door shut now.” He chuckled, “We don’t want any more of those things getting in now do we.”
Marlene couldn’t move her legs.
“Do it!” he roared.
She looked into her boss’s eyes and saw madness staring back at her. Oh Jesus, he meant to shoot that kid.
Marlene ran to the door, grabbed the metal bar and slammed it shut.
“I’ve never touched you, Marlene, despite how many times over the years, I’ve wanted to.”
Bernard’s arm fell to his side, she wished she’d picked up that gun now, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him to save Thomas.
“Each envious glare you directed at my girls, cut deep into my heart.” He said smiling.
That comment frightened the hell out of her. The deluded old fucker actually believed that as well.
“You see, even though I’ve always desired to take you upstairs and into my bed, Marlene. I just couldn’t do it. You know how I op
erate, it’s got to be business before pleasure and you, my sweet, are the best accountant who’s ever worked for me.”
She took one step forward then stopped as Bernard put the gun back against the side of the boy’s head. Thomas let out a tiny moan, she saw tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Please, Bernard, let him go. What’s he ever done wrong to you? Look, I’ll let you do anything you want to me. If you want sex then I’ll be happy to oblige.” She attempted to smile whilst resisting the urge to vomit again. Marlene couldn’t believe she had just offered herself to that vile bastard. “Those other girls are nothing compared to me.”
He nodded whilst running his tongue along his top lip. “I knew it! You really are a true raver under that no nonsense attitude, a real dark horse. We are going to have so much fun.”
With her trembling fingers, she attempted to undo the top button on her blouse. If he wanted to seduce him then that’s what she’d do and as soon as he closed his eyes, Marlene would drive a knife through his heart.
“Now please, let him go.”
Bernard shook his head, “I’m sorry, it’s too late for plea bargaining. I’ve been watching the carnage from upstairs. We are seriously fucked. By the way, Dominic is dead.”
Marlene felt as though she’d just driven that knife through her own heart.
“We’re going to be here for a long time and there’s not enough food to last three of us throughout the siege. No hard feelings, Thomas. I’ve got nothing against you. I just don’t want you to be a drain on our resources.”
Marlene screamed when Bernard pulled the trigger.
Chapter twenty
As Talbot moved past the front of the coach, Dominic made a startling discovery. All those dead people now packed into the carpark were only interested in the scary man. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? He figured that he’d probably be able to get away from this nightmare if he didn’t have a vice like grip on Dominic’s arm.
Talbot dragged Dominic over to the front of the club and pushed him into the doors. “Knock please and hurry up about it.”
Dominic pulled his cheek away from the cold glass and quickly nodded, but the gesture was wasted, Talbot now had his back to him, staring at the slowly approaching horde. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry now to catch them, perhaps they knew they’d cornered their prey. Dominic raised his hand to knock, surprised to still discover that he still clutched the gun.
He pointed the pistol at the big man’s head, how easy would it be to pull the trigger? If the scary man was no more then maybe the dead people would lose interest and disperse. Dominic got the shakes, he just couldn’t blinking well do it. He lowered the gun then banged his fist on the glass.
“I don’t get it, you were given the opportunity and yet you threw it away. Why the fuck didn’t you take it?”
Talbot snatched the gun out of Dominic’s hand, a youth wearing a dark red baseball cap lumbered out of the crowd, Talbot brought the gun up and put a bullet between the boy’s eyes.
“I couldn’t do it,” whispered, Dominic. “It’s cowardly.”
He gave Dominic the gun back and burst out laughing, “Oh that is just priceless. You know, for that I may not feed on everyone in the club.”
The door flew open, Dominic spun around and fell into the arms of Marlene. “Oh, thank God. Bernard told me that you were dead.”
“We’ll all be dead if you don’t move out of the fucking way,” growled Talbot as he pushed past the woman.
Dominic grabbed the front of the woman’s blouse and swung her into the vestibule just as an old woman lunged forward. Dominic screamed and shot the woman at point blank range.
Marlene pulled him over the threshold and slammed the doors shut. They pushed the top and bottom bolts home.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re alright.” She said. “I’m sorry for letting you go, we should have stayed together. You won’t believe what plans, Bernard had for me.”
“Knowing him, I could take a good guess.”
“He tried to kill Thomas but his gun jammed, the man is a monster.”
Dominic spun around with his gun held high at the sound of the door into the lounge shutting. Talbot had gone.
“Thomas? Where did the other one go?”
The boy shrugged, “I don’t know, he just pushed past me.”
“Oh crumbs, I’m so sorry, Marlene but Bernard is a child compared to this man. He really is a monster.”
He turned back round and gazed through the doors. They’d closed the gap; a dozen hungry faces were now pressed up against the glass.
“I’ve seen him before at the club, he works for Bernard. Our boss sends him to people who owe Bernard money. He’s a real creepy son of a bitch.”
“Those things outside followed him, he’s worse then creepy now, Marlene. I don’t think he’s even human.” Dominic shuddered when he thought of what he did to that old woman. He watched their faces drain of blood as he recounted how Talbot had eaten into the woman.
“We need to get out of here,” said Marlene.
“How?” asked Thomas, “Just look at them, there’s hundreds of them out there.”
Dominic sighed and moved away from the doors, “Where is Bernard, is he dead?”
The boy shook his head, “We tied him up, he’s still in the kitchen.”
“And in the kitchen he can stay,” replied Dominic, “He sent me and all those poor people out there to our deaths, he must have known that Douglas was hiding in that coach.”
“Thomas is right, look at them all, how do you propose we leave?”
Dominic smiled, “Through the kitchen fire exit, of course. We get into the yard, over the bins and into the street. If half the town are in our carpark then the roads should be empty.”
Marlene nodded, “Sounds like a good plan,” she said, walking toward the door. “Come on.”
Dominic took one last look at that horde before turning around. He stiffened, when he saw a large shadow behind the woman. “Marlene!” he shouted.
Talbot’s arm snaked through the open doorway and grabbed her hair then pulled the shrieking woman away.
Thomas and Dominic both rushed out of the vestibule but found the lounge deserted.
“Talbot? Please don’t hide, let’s work this out,” shouted Dominic. “We can come to some arrangement. We need to work together, we’ll all die otherwise.”
“Do we split up?” whispered Thomas.
Dominic shook his head, “No way, if he catches you, he’ll rip your body apart.”
He stopped and put a finger to his lips and pointed to the kitchen, Dominic had heard movement in there, that where he’d taken her, he was sure of it. He raised his gun and pushed open the kitchen flaps with Thomas a couple of paces behind.
Bernard lifted his head and glanced around the kitchen. “When I took over the running of the Stockholm club, this kitchen had been shut down by environment health. I spent a bastard fortune turning it into the best equipped kitchen in the city.” Finally, he looked at Dominic. “Once, I’d got the kitchen I wanted, I then hunted down the best god damned chef in Bradford. I did all this for you, Dominic and you know it.”
He choked back the torrent of emotions that threatened to overpower his already battered psyche. Oh Jesus, in his own way, Bernard was pleading to Dominic. He wanted him to untie the horrible man.
Bernard sighed, “I know what you must be thinking, I heard what he told you and I won’t lie. Yes, I did put a gun to his head but only to kick him into action.”
“Like you did to me upstairs?” spat Dominic.
“Yes!” he cried. “Just like that. For crying out loud, Dominic, you haven’t got an aggressive bone in your body. If I hadn’t kicked you up the fucking arse, you’d be dead by now.”
“You sent me out there to blinking die!” he screamed. “You knew Douglas was on that coach.”
“If sent you to die, why did I allow you to keep the gun? I told you that I needed people around me who are strong.” He
smiled, “And you are strong, you’ve proved that.”
“Don’t listen to him, Dominic.”
“Talbot’s been here. Untie me and I’ll tell you what he wants with us.”
Dominic shook his head, “I don’t believe any of your words, you are only saying what you think I want to hear.” He walked past the man, heading for the fire exit. “I don’t think you know anything, Bernard.”
The door behind Thomas opened and Marlene fell in, she looked into Dominic’s eyes, “He’s letting us go,” she said. “If we stay here, Talbot will eat us.”
“Untie me!” shouted Bernard, “Get me the fuck out of here.”
“You ain’t going anywhere,” snarled Talbot, following Marlene through the door. “I need more of my kind and you are my next candidate.”
Talbot grabbed Thomas and threw him over Bernard’s head. “Open that freezer door and stand back, lad. It’s time to reunite the lovers.”
Thomas did as he was commanded. He fell back as the door was pushed wide open when he pulled the lever. Dominic watched in horror as a naked girl dived on the screaming club owner. Talbot laughed aloud when she sunk her teeth into his cheek.
“That should do it, let’s not get too carried away.”
He grabbed her hair and pulled the groaning woman off Bernard, Talbot then pressed the side of her head against the wall, the man giggled like a child when the palm of his hand broke through her skull.
“It feels like I’ve just pushed my hand into a bowl of non drip paint, how weird.”
Dominic silently wept for the poor girl.
“Amazing,” breathed Talbot, “did you see how she went ignored all of you and went straight for him?” he licked his fingers then looked down at Bernard, he wasn’t moving. “You’d best go now. I made a promise and I intend to keep it.”
