“But David’s back there.”
“Richard…” She wanted to tell him that David wasn’t back there, that he would never see David again, but she could not. “We need to carry on.”
For the time being, nobody was going anywhere. They were just standing, looking around at each other. Some of the children began to cry. “I’m going back,” Richard said.
“No, please. Think rationally. Whatever happened is over now. It is dangerous not to obey the demands of these people. We must carry on, all of us.”
Richard looked at Talikha and Kirsty then turned back to the direction the gunfire had come from. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to see for myself.” Without even waiting for a reply, he started to charge down the coast road to the layby where he had last seen his friend.
✽ ✽ ✽
Mike and Wren finished adapting the last of the bolts and walked out into the slowly setting sun. The majority of the fleet were now crowded into the harbour, leaving the tall ships out in the bay. The cemetery gave them the perfect cover. They were high up enough to get a good overview of the village and dock through the woodland but close enough to be able to gauge the size of the foe they were about to face.
“So, this is it then?” Wren said.
“Not quite.”
“What do you mean?”
“They won’t have reached the North Ridge yet.”
“How are we going to know when they have?”
Mike twitched involuntarily. “We need to get hold of one of their radios.”
Wren looked towards the one clipped to Mike’s belt. “Can’t we tune in using that one?”
“I’ve been through all the bands and haven’t heard a peep.”
“Okay, so how do you propose we get hold of one of their radios exactly?”
“I’m working on that.”
“You do realise that, as far as plans go, this is one of the worst in history?”
“In my defence, yes I do.”
“And yet you seem so proud of it.”
“Look, Wren, when I came here, all I knew was that I had to do something. I was going to piece the rest of it together as I went along.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“Pretty well. At least I’m not going to die alone.”
“Well, we’re not going to get hold of one up here are we?”
“I don’t suppose we are.”
The pair of them collected their belongings and started out along the stone path that led back to the road. “I don’t understand why they didn’t build a proper road to this place. Why do the coffins have to be carried so far?”
“When I meet the guy who designed it, I’ll be sure to ask him.”
“Smart arse.”
“Sorry. I know up until we got here that cemetery hadn’t been used in at least twenty years, probably for that very reason. Plus, it was getting a little crowded. The one near the community hall was where most village burials took place.”
“So how come you started using this again?”
“I suppose…” Mike stopped in his tracks and turned towards the sea. “Look at that view.”
“Yeah, it’s beautiful, but the people who are buried here don’t really get the benefit of it, do they?”
“I know what you mean. We buried my gran near the house, but you can understand why people would want their family to spend eternity here. It’s kind of like carrying the coffin all that distance from the road is the toll, the price you pay for your loved ones being allowed to rest here.”
“Y’know, for an atheist you sound very spiritual sometimes.”
“Maybe I can just appreciate other people’s viewpoints.”
“Oh yeah, like you appreciated that priest’s viewpoint? The one you put in intensive care.”
Mike laughed. “I draw a line in the sand when it comes to people spewing hate-filled nonsense, regardless of what they believe in.”
“Yeah, you’re a real Renaissance man.”
“That’s me.”
They continued along the path with Wolf following, ever vigilant. Finally, they reached the gate and the small parking area.
“If we turn right, we could climb the trail to Dead Man’s Pass, avoid the lookout point at the East Ridge and escape to safety. If we turn left, we head down towards the village, imminent danger and an excellent chance of premature and fairly brutal death. So, what’s it going to be?” Wren asked.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a really dark side?”
“Coming from you that is saying something.”
“We need to head across the road. Get into the trees and not break cover.”
The three of them stepped out onto the tarmac, checking in both directions to make sure the coast was clear before proceeding to the other side. They carried on into the woods for thirty metres before turning left and heading down the incline towards the village. Mike stopped and thrust his hand out, taking hold of Wren’s arm.
“What is it?”
“It’s not too late, Wren. You and Wolf could head up the pass. You could get out of here. Nobody would blame you.”
“I’d blame me, knowing that I could do something and instead doing nothing. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
“There’s something else.”
“What is it?” Wren noticed that Mike looked a little edgy … nervous.
“I know you were uncomfortable with some of the things I did in Loch Uig.”
“That was a long time ago, Mike.”
“Yeah, that may be so, and I’m the first to admit I’ve changed a lot since then, thanks to Lucy. But make no mistake, Wren, there is nothing I won’t do to try to save her … nothing. If you’re coming with me, you need to understand that.”
Mike’s nerves were gone, and he set a steely gaze upon Wren. In a heartbeat he had changed, and it was Wren who now felt nervous. “Okay. Okay, Mike, I understand.”
✽ ✽ ✽
It was a little less than a mile to where Richard had left David. He had never been much of an athlete, but there was no part of the route where he was not running flat out. Back in Skelton, he, David and Ruth had been best friends, oddballs, always on the periphery of normal society. They were the geeks who parents were eternally grateful to for introducing their children to reading. They organised Harry Potter theme days at the library and had floods of eager children and enthusiastic middle-class young mother volunteers to help out. People were happy they were there doing the job they did but not so happy that the three of them would be accepted into the fold, that they would be invited to book clubs and social events outside of the library. People liked them … but there was a limit.
So, Richard, David and Ruth found solace in each other’s company, learning to mock the world outside, not care about how they were viewed, and just enjoy life the way they wanted to live it. When the outbreak began, their safe haven had been the Skelton library where they had spent the happiest days of their lives. They would have ended their days in that place too if it had not been for Mike. Richard knew in his heart that Ruth was already gone. Losing David too would mean he had nothing left, no more family.
Richard rounded the last bend. The sweat was pouring down his forehead, and he was getting shooting pains through his legs and lower back, but he did not care. He stopped in mid-stride, and his mouth fell open.
The layby up ahead where he had left David and the thirty or so other Safe Haven citizens was empty. For a little while he didn’t move, he just stared. He was still a hundred metres back, but it wasn’t as though they could all be hiding behind a rock waiting to jump out and say peek-a-boo. He cautiously advanced, taking in everything, anything that might give him a clue as to what had happened. His heart was still racing from the run, but as he noticed red streaks painting the road and shell casings glinting in the lowering sun, it began to beat even faster.
He walked across to the spot where he had said his last goodbye to his friend. There was a spray of red blo
od decorating the broken white line. He followed the thick smudges across the narrow carriageway to the edge of the cliff, pausing to take a breath before he dared look over.
“Oh, God, no!” he cried as he saw the hellish picture below. Wheelchairs, bodies, white wake turned pink with fresh blood and there, seemingly wedged between two jagged spikes of granite, was his friend. “Oh, God, no.” He whispered this time and sat down on the edge of the cliff, dangling his legs over the side. This was it. This was the end.
✽ ✽ ✽
The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, and although no one was dilly-dallying, Talikha was concerned that they would not reach Torridon before nightfall. This was a long stretch of coastline and people were tired, scared and hungry. Even Humphrey, over the moon that he’d been reunited with his pal Meg, kept casting worried glances towards his mistress. Making the trip to Torridon on foot in daylight was one thing, doing it at night with no weapons and God only knew what lurking in the shadows and tree line was something else completely. Ryan, April and Tabby had caught up with Talikha and Kirsty. Everybody’s mood was becoming grimmer by the minute.
After hearing the shots, after seeing the normally measured and reserved Richard sprinting back to the layby like a mad person, and after him not returning, everybody was beginning to wonder what horrors were still to be unleashed on them.
“Is there a plan for when we get to where we’re going?” Ryan asked.
“You’re asking me?” Talikha said. “Mike asked me to get everyone to Torridon. That is all I am trying to do. I don’t even know if our people based at the North Ridge will be waiting for us or whether they will have gone their own way. All I know is what I was told.”
“Okay, what’s at Torridon?”
“Not much. But I know it is one of the villages they swept. It should be free from infected. There is a freshwater loch there and a river with fish.”
“I suppose that’s something. Listen, the second we get out of this place I suggest we arm ourselves.”
Talikha turned towards Ryan. “You seem like you know what you are doing. Mike simply tasked me with getting his family to safety. I am not a leader, and I am more than happy for you to take charge of things.”
Ryan smiled. “Well, for someone who isn’t a leader I’d say you’ve got an awful lot of followers. All I’m saying is big branches, sharp sticks, jagged rocks, if everybody grabs something then at least we can put up some sort of fight if we’re attacked.”
“Yes! You will help with this?” Talikha replied.
“Certainly.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve known Emma quite a while now. She’s a pretty resourceful woman. I wouldn’t give up hope on her or on any of them while she’s around.”
Talikha smiled sadly. “You are right, of course.”
Tabby carried on walking in silence. She had lived among the people of Kyle for some months before Emma had come along. She knew how special Emma was, but she was a realist too and these invaders did not possess an ounce of mercy. In her heart she knew she would never see Emma again.
chapter 23
Wolf stopped dead in his tracks, making Mike and Wren almost trip over him as they halted too. The German Shepherd stared dead ahead, raising his head a little to sniff at the air.
Mike drew the two machetes from his backpack and Wren grabbed one of her crossbows.
“Give me the jar,” Wren whispered.
“No. It’s too soon.”
“So what then, we just let ourselves get discovered?”
“Keep quiet and keep your eyes peeled,” Mike said, crouching. They stayed in position for over a minute but heard and saw nothing. Mike glanced towards Wolf, who was still staring directly ahead. There had to be something there, dogs didn’t get this kind of thing wrong. “Stay here.”
Before Wren had the chance to reply, Mike had disappeared through the trees like a jungle animal. “How come you are the only man in my life who doesn’t treat me like I’m still in primary school?” Wren asked. Wolf turned to look at her and angled his head. “Come on, boy; let’s see what’s going on.”
Wren and Wolf glided through the trees like ninjas, barely breaking a twig as they went. It was only a few seconds before they stopped again. Mike was up ahead, kneeling behind a leafy shrub, watching something, but what?
Wren and Wolf advanced carefully, eventually nestling down by Mike’s side. “Keep quiet,” he said, almost as if he’d expected her.
A man and a woman were up against a tree. Neither was clothed below the waist, and if World War Three had broken out at that moment in time, it was doubtful that they would have noticed. Even from this distance, the sheen of sweat and the joyous looks of ecstasy emanating from their faces proved that not everyone was having a lousy day.
“I knew you were a lot of things, but I never had you pegged as a perv,” Wren whispered. “You enjoying yourself? You want me to ask if you can join in?”
“As a matter of fact,” he said, crouching down further and turning to look at Wren, “I am enjoying myself. Look what’s next to the guy’s trousers.”
Wren raised herself slightly to look above the branches of the shrub. “It’s a radio,” she said excitedly, ducking back down to join Mike.
“Well done. There’s obviously nothing wrong with your powers of perception.”
“How do we get it?”
Mike didn’t answer; he gave Wren a look that made her arms prickle with goosebumps despite the warm weather. “So, do I have to guess?”
“Wait here,” Mike said calmly. He kept in a low crouch and speedily circled the perimeter of the opening in the trees where the two lovebirds were reaching greater heights of euphoria.
Wren watched; that was her job, after all, to make sure whatever happened she was ready to spring into action. She watched as the khaki shirt turned darker as more sweat poured down the man’s back. She watched as his smooth olive buttocks thrust, again and again, driving the woman to a level of bliss Wren did not even think humanly possible. She watched, her eyes growing wider, her heart beating faster, and then she saw movement from the opposite edge of the clearing. Mike sprinted out, carrying a heavy branch, a few inches longer than the average baseball bat but just as thick. The woman’s eyes were closed; the man’s lips were excitedly sucking on her neck and shoulder.
“Don’t stop! Don’t stop!” she moaned loudly.
Mike took the branch in both hands, wound it back around his shoulder, and then, coming to a stop next to the tree, swung with all the power of a jackhammer. There was a loud noise that shot around the clearing like a rifle crack. In an instant, the man’s head caved in, his upper incisors and canines sunk into the woman’s shoulder and a jet of blood exploded over her face, then the man crumpled to the ground. The woman screamed first in pain then in shock. Her khaki shirt was open, revealing her bloodstained breasts and torso. Instinctively she threw her hands up. Tears came quickly. A few seconds before, everything had been right with the world.
Mike dropped the branch, balled his fist, and punched the woman hard in the face. Her head ricocheted off the tree, and she fell unconscious on top of her already dead lover.
Wren emerged into the clearing in a state of bewilderment. “What … what did you do?”
“I did what I had to.”
“But … couldn’t you have…” She stood there with her mouth agape as more blood pooled from the man’s head onto the forest floor. “Is he dead?”
“I’m pretty certain I felt his skull cave, so if he isn’t, he soon will be,” Mike replied matter-of-factly.
“And her, you killed her too?”
“Not yet.” But then he pulled out one of the machetes and brought it down hard and fast through the woman’s skull.
“Oh, God!” Wren said, looking away, horrified. It was a full minute before she turned around. “We could have done this differently.” Her voice quivered as she spoke.
“What, and give them time to get to the rad
io to put out a distress call?”
“They’ll miss them soon enough anyway.”
“You’ve seen it down there. There are hundreds of people; they can’t keep tabs on everyone.”
“If he’s got a radio, he must be someone important.”
“He doesn’t look important to me. Go get Wolf, we need to move.”
Wren didn’t like taking orders, but Mike’s tone had changed, and now he was that man she had feared back in Loch Uig—the man who had no problem killing someone in cold blood. He walked across to the radio and smiled as he saw two pistols, both with spare magazines, still in their holsters. He bundled them into his rucksack and then clipped the other radio next to his own.
Wren beckoned Wolf and knelt down to give him a hug. The dog licked her face with his broad tongue, sensing she needed reassurance that he would protect her no matter what. He always knew how to make her feel better. She sighed and looked over at Mike, who was perched on a log with his back to her. “Part of me daren’t ask, but what now?”
Mike looked up through the canopy of the trees towards the sky. “Now we wait a while.”
✽ ✽ ✽
It had been a long hike up the coast road. Talikha did not even want to think about what had happened to Richard, David and the others. She didn’t want to think about Raj, the council members, and what would happen now. The end of the first leg was in sight. They were coming up to the checkpoint and they could already see a good number of armed guards waiting for them. Sammy slipped her hand into Talikha’s as if the child could sense her despair, sense her sadness. “Don’t worry; Mike will make sure nothing happens to Raj.”
Talikha looked down at the little girl and swallowed hard in an effort to hold back her tears. Eventually, she managed to smile. Even after all this, after everything they had been through, this young girl still had faith. “I’m sure you are right, Sammy.” She squeezed the young girl’s hand and smiled then looked across to Jake, who was holding Sammy’s other hand, and smiled at him too. It felt like a betrayal, a betrayal to her beloved husband to humour such fantasies, but what else could she do? Shatter a child’s hope to make herself feel better just so she wasn’t the only one feeling like this?
Safe Haven (Book 6): Is This The End of Everything? Page 19
