“But he does. He signed off on your fleet. Granted, he didn’t know all the details, but I think he figured out that we weren’t just being gifted food parcels by generous benefactors and when he learned exactly how we did it, he didn’t say anything.”
“I don’t mean that. I mean this,” Troy said, gesturing around him. “Taking over a settlement by force then leaving all his rich pals, all his flock.”
Angel was about to protest but then thought better of it. “His flock? Honey, have you been to one of his prayer meetings lately? He barely has fifty people in that auditorium most nights. I suppose you’re right. So, what do we do? We just going to sit in this tin can all day long?”
“No, we’re going to be model citizens, grateful to our new hosts. We’re going to get out there and be about as helpful as we can be.”
“Why?”
“We have three missions here. Figure this place out. Figure these people out. Figure their defences out. The next time we attack will be the last time, and you can be sure we’re going to win.”
“I still don’t understand. We’ve got that huge arms cache. We could outgun these people a thousand times over.”
“It’s all that simple to you, isn’t it? They aren’t making any more bullets. I want to keep that cache to defend this place for the next five, ten, twenty years. If we do this right, we can win with barely a bullet being fired from our guns.”
“Twenty years with you? I might just need to save one of those bullets for myself.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Mike and Hughes pulled the motorboat onto the narrow beach, while Ryan and Barnes held all the equipment. They were only going to climb the ridge to get an elevated view of Kyle before sailing into port, but experience had taught them time and time again that even the most straightforward missions could run into all sorts of problems. Hughes hitched the boat to a formidable boulder, and the four of them began their hike up the steep incline.
They travelled in silence, well aware that there was a chance they could run into infected at any moment. They eventually reached a plateau and shuffled their rucksacks and weapons from their shoulders.
“Oh shit!” Hughes said, staring through the binoculars.
“The attack was days ago, what are they still doing here?” Barnie asked as he looked down the sight of his L115A3 sniper rifle.
“What’s happening?” Mike asked.
Hughes handed him the binoculars and Mike aimed them towards the dock. There was a single fishing vessel at the end of the long pier. The vessel had a small crane on the deck, which had hoisted what looked like a modified shark cage onto the wooden dock. The door to the cage was raised, and directly behind it was a second cage.
Mike handed the binoculars to Ryan. “What the hell is this?” Barnes asked.
“I don’t know, but they’ve taken three of the larger fishing boats I was hoping would still be here,” Ryan replied, “and the town is swarming with those things.”
“I’m guessing that means the mission’s off then,” Hughes replied.
“Let’s just watch a minute, I’m curious,” Mike said, taking the binoculars back from Ryan. More than a minute passed.
“Come on,” Hughes said, “this is a waste of time. Let’s head back.”
“Hang on. I think I’ve figured this out,” Mike said.
“Figured what out?” Ryan asked.
“This is how they gather the RAMs. They lure them with live bait and probably something like loud music or maybe another siren. They have somebody in the cage behind the one with the open door. The RAMs walk into the first cage, someone lowers the gate, and, hey presto, they’re trapped. And that diagonal metal lip that’s been fitted to the back of the boat … that’s how they release them. They raise the cage, the lip angles it downwards, the door comes up, and they all fall out. Then the boat heads back out to sea and the infected head towards the lights and noise beyond the shallows.”
“So how come the gate’s open on that cage? And where’s the crew?” Hughes asked as Mike gave the binoculars back to him.
“I think this one didn’t quite go to plan. I’m guessing they got overrun.”
“That’s too—” A rifle crack thundered, echoing around the entire bay. “Jesus, Barney! What the hell are you doing, mate?” Barnes fired again and again. Each time another creature fell.
“Barney, what are you doing? This is just wasting bullets,” Mike said.
Barnes kept firing, and Mike, Hughes and Ryan all looked towards one another, not understanding what was going on. “Barney, mate, this is mad,” Hughes said.
“No more,” Barnes said under his breath. “No more.”
“Barney. What do you mean?”
Barnes turned towards Hughes. “No more,” he said again before returning his attention to the RAMs on the dock.
chapter 12
Mike grabbed the binoculars back and aimed them towards the boat on the dock. The bodies were really starting to mount up.
“Barney, what the fuck are you doing? For Christ’s sake, you’re scaring me,” Hughes shouted.
“No more.”
Hughes, Mike and Ryan all looked at each other again as Barnes fired another shot.
“Barney?” Mike said.
“No more,” Barnes said again, a little louder this time.
“Barney, come on, mate, what are you doing?” Hughes asked again.
Barnes did not answer; he took another shot then reloaded the weapon. Another full minute passed, and Barnes fired four more times, then he climbed to his feet. “There. We’re done,” he said, walking past the other three men and heading back down to the beach.
Mike, Hughes and Ryan all threw each other concerned looks then followed him.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Hi,” Lucy said as Emma appeared around the corner.
“Hi.”
“How come you’re not with Sammy and Jake?”
“I’ve left them with Tabby.”
“She seems nice.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“But I think after everything that’s happened, and you being away so long, they’d want to be with you.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right, and I’ve literally just popped out. I’ll be heading back there before they even realise I’m gone.”
“Okay,” Lucy said, placing a few bottles in her doctor’s bag and fastening it up. “So what can I do for you?”
“I wanted to go and see Beth and Annie. I know Barney’s with them, but—”
“Barney’s not with them. He went down to Kyle with Mike and Hughes.”
“Whoa! Back up. They’ve gone to Kyle?”
“Yeah, with Raj, Talikha, Ryan and April. Ryan thought that a few of the small boats down there might be useful for us.”
Emma’s brow furrowed for a moment. “Err … okay, but Barney going with them. That’s a bit weird, considering what’s just happened.”
“Shaw told me that he thought Beth and Annie needed some alone time and he needed to stay busy.”
“Okay, well, alone time or not, I want to pay my respects. Beth, Annie and John were with us from the beginning, and it’s only right—”
“I’m heading up there now. You can come with me if you like.”
“Yeah. That would be good.”
The two of them left the ward and climbed into Emma’s Jeep. “Look, I’m sorry if I was a little frosty with you the other day.”
“Don’t worry about it. I deserved it.”
The car left the outskirts of the village and wound along the coast road. The sun was shining, and as Emma drove, she remembered why this had been such a special place to live.
“Pull the car over,” Lucy said.
“What? Why?”
“Just pull the car over; I need to talk to you.”
Emma looked confused but carried on to the next passing place and pulled in. “What’s all this about?”
Lucy took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m not meant to be telling
you this, but … I…”
“You’re starting to worry me.”
“Listen, Mike is the most important person in the world to me, and he wanted to keep this a secret for a while because of everything that’s gone on, but I’m scared to death about your reaction. I’m worried you won’t take it well and that will just kill him, so I need to tell you now so you can get used to it.”
“Okay. Now you’re really scaring the hell out of me. What is it?”
“Mike asked me to marry him, and I said yes.” There was no joy in Lucy’s face as there had been when she had spoken to Jenny, only apprehension.
For a moment, Emma’s expression was unreadable. Then she broke out into a big, beaming smile, took her seatbelt off and leaned across to hug Lucy. She didn’t let go for a full minute. “I couldn’t be happier for either of you.”
“You mean it?”
“Of course I bloody mean it,” Emma replied, wiping her eyes. “Nobody deserves happiness more than you two, and I’ll finally get to be an aunt.”
“Ha. Just hold your horses there.”
“I should probably start knitting some little booties. What do you think, blue or pink?”
The pair of them laughed. “Thank you. I was worried.”
“I understand why, but I am seriously okay with this. Better than okay. It’s wonderful news.”
“Just remember to act surprised when you’re told officially.”
“Mum’s the word … hopefully.”
“Oh, God.”
They both laughed again, but the smile soon disappeared from Lucy’s face. “Are you okay?” Emma asked.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I just started thinking about Charlie.”
“Hey, look, if Charlie was still around, I know she’d be happy that you’re happy and I’m sure there’s nothing she’d want more than a little brother or sister.”
Lucy looked across to Emma and smiled sadly. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. If she came from you, then she had a good heart.”
Lucy reached her hand across and squeezed Emma’s. “Thank you.”
Emma squeezed back before starting the car again and resuming their journey.
They were travelling for less than five minutes before they took a right turn into the well-hidden driveway. Beth and Barnes had taken great pride in restoring the once ramshackle fisherman’s cottage. Barnes had even scavenged enough white paint to cover the outside of it, making it gleam in the afternoon sun.
Emma pulled on the handbrake and turned off the engine. Both of them remained in their seats for a moment, staring towards the bottle-green front door. “This isn’t going to be easy,” Emma said. All joy from the previous conversation now dried up as she contemplated seeing Beth.
“No, no, it isn’t.”
They climbed out of the car and slowly walked towards the door. Lucy tried the handle and stepped into the kitchen. “Beth, it’s Lucy,” she called as Emma followed her in. “Beth!” There was no reply and Lucy and Emma looked towards one another.
“She’s probably asleep. I slept for days after Mum died.”
The two of them made their way through the house. When they reached the master bedroom, Lucy knocked on the door. “Beth. It’s Lucy. I’ve brought someone to see you.” Still there was no answer. She knocked once more. “Beth?”
The door swung inwards revealing Beth and Annie sitting up in bed. Beth had a cradling arm around her younger sister. There was no colour in their faces, and their eyes were closed.
“Beth? Annie?” Emma cried as she and Lucy ran to the bed.
Lucy immediately placed her fingers against Beth’s neck, withdrawing them just as quickly before doing the same with Annie. Emma started to sob, and Lucy slumped down onto the bed, taking a tight hold of Annie’s cold little hand in hers. There were two empty pill bottles on the floor and two mugs containing a powdery residue of something mixed with drinking chocolate.
“Such a sweet little girl,” Lucy said as tears began to pour.
Emma flopped down on the bed next to Beth. She placed her head in her hands, and a heaving rasp left her as she began to cry too. They had all been through so much together. Beth and Annie had lived through that terrifying ordeal back in Leeds. Beth had stood up to Fry in Candleton then she had lived through the torture he had inflicted on her when she was taken hostage.
She had lived through it all and come out fighting, but this was obviously one tragedy too many.
The two of them sat crying for more than five minutes before either could talk. “I understand. I do, I understand if she wanted to leave, to step out, but why take Annie? She was only twelve for God’s sake.”
Lucy blew her nose. “I’m guessing she just didn’t want her to grow up in a world this cruel.”
“Barney’s going to be devastated.”
“Em, at a guess I’d say this happened last night. Barney already knows.”
“But…”
“I know.”
chapter 13
Barnes had already got the boat in the water as Mike, Shaw and Ryan reached the beach. They were all apprehensive about Barnes’s state of mind. It was only when they heard the motor start and saw the dinghy begin to chug away that they realised just how bad the situation was.
Mike burst into a sprint, tearing across the sand, through the shallows, and managed to dive into the small craft before it picked up speed. Barnes tried to manhandle him overboard as the motor continued to chug. “Get out,” he shouted. “They need to pay. They need to pay for what they’ve done.”
Mike fought back, grabbing hold of his friend’s wrists. “Barney, they’re dead, they’re already dead, what else are you going to do?”
“I’m going to kill them … kill them all.”
“I understand. I understand, but there’s no justice or vengeance to be found here. Those things don’t think or feel; they just are.”
“They killed them. They killed them,” Barnes screamed as the boat moved into deeper waters still. His eyes were wild, and Mike suddenly realised that there was something else behind Barnes’s motivation.
“Barney, what is this? What are you talking about?”
“They killed them all,” he said again through gritted teeth then finally stopped struggling.
Mike loosened his grip around Barnes’s wrists. “You need to calm down, mate. You can’t take stupid risks. Beth and Annie are going to need you more than ever now.
Barnes looked at Mike and began to chuckle, then laugh, until the sound was so loud it could be heard onshore. “You don’t get it, do you? They’re gone. Beth and Annie are dead.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Noah had his suite, but as the front for this entire operation was The Noah Jackson Evangelical Church, he had an office as well. In the early days, when there was still a minute hope that things would get back to normal, he used it quite frequently, but as time went on, he realised that things would never get back to normal, and but for one night in the last twelve months when he’d had enough of Angel’s shenanigans and made it his bedroom, he had not set foot in it. Now, though, he had been summoned to a meeting with the CEO of IFG Shipping and Holdings.
“We’ve been more than patient, Noah. We’ve been drifting around this same stretch of goddamn coast for the last two weeks, now what the hell is going on? We’ve got a right to know.”
Noah knew that the “we” he was referring to was the group who had put the money together for this venture. They were a collection of the most immoral, avaricious, scheming, self-centred people he had ever met, and now, as fully self-aware as he had become in recent months, that was saying something.
“Everything’s in hand, Thomas.”
“Everything’s in hand? Everything’s in hand? You’ve been saying that to me for the last goddamn six months. If I have to eat one more fish dinner, I’m gonna puke. We want to see results.”
“Listen. We might have found somewhere. That’s why we’ve been in this a
rea for so long.”
“Might have found somewhere? Might have found somewhere? What in hell and damnation does that mean?”
“We’re establishing whether it’s suitable right now.”
“Establishing whether it’s suitable? You’re not establishing shit. You’re in this office talking to me, and from what I can tell, when you’re not in here, you’re doing diddly squat.” Thomas Madison had brown eyes but rarely did anyone see more than just slits. He seemed to scowl most of the time, even when he was happy. Right this minute, though, he was not happy. Not by a long way.
“Look, I’ve got people on it.”
The smile that crept onto Madison’s face was a mocking, cruel one. “Listen to me, and listen good. We want results. I’m not interested in your wife and one of her boyfriends going on an early honeymoon before she dumps your ass once and for all under the guise of a scouting mission.”
Jackson looked shocked. “That’s not what—”
“Thought I didn’t know? I know everything that goes on here. I have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“If that’s the case, you’ll know that it’s not just anybody over there, it’s Troy.”
It was Madison’s turn to look surprised now. “That I didn’t know.”
“You should have a little more faith.”
“Well, regardless, we want to start seeing results. If you think we don’t know what our fuel and supplies situation is, you’re very much mistaken. We emptied the last JKC supertanker two months back. Time’s running out, Noah, for all of us.”
“I have a good feeling about this place.”
“Feeling? I don’t give one damn about your feelings, good or not. Listen, this is getting us nowhere. When Troy and Angel get back from their trip, I want to see them. ’Bout time I started talking to the organ grinder and not the monkey.” Madison stood up and marched out of the office, swinging the door closed behind him.
Noah remained seated, just staring at the empty chair that had been occupied by Madison a few seconds before. These people were truly abominable. For so long Noah had been there to do their bidding, but just being in the same room as them sickened him now. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a bottle of scotch and a glass. He poured a double and took a drink.
Safe Haven (Book 6): Is This The End of Everything? Page 11
