Another kick and Rhys managed to dislodge the bottom of the window. He then leaned forward, grabbed the screen, and wiggled it to work the bottom corner by Larissa free. It finally came loose and he pulled the window away.
The wind continued to push against the large sheet of glass, but Rhys managed to move it across inch by inch. Once he’d shifted it far enough out of place he pushed it around the side of the car.
The whoosh of the window hit the ground and skidded across the road surface before it vanished behind them.
The breezed flapped in Rhys’ ears and ruffled his hair. Gone ten in the evening the wind had a sharp bite that it hadn’t had earlier that day.
Rhys looked to his right and watched the city burn. He looked ahead again and the coast seemed clear, although they’d lost one of the headlights when they hit the diseased so he couldn’t be sure.
Rhys looked to see Larissa’s hair tossed about by the strong gusts. She gripped the steering wheel as if it would stop her blowing away. As she stared into the oncoming gale she blinked repeatedly and maintained their fast pace.
Rhys had to shout to be heard. “Well done, ’Rissa.” He reached across and stroked her forearm. He’d not called her that in a very long time. “Well done.”
Chapter 18
About twelve hours ago
Before the six people in the lift emerged, their screams filled the foyer. Everyone turned to see the nightmare that had just entered their world. As one, each ravenous once human exploded from their confined space and attacked the first person they could. The slap of bodies smashed together and seconds later, they each hit the ground with a series of thuds that ran vibrations through the soles of Vicky’s feet. The victims’ cries were amplified by the large open space.
The security guard next to Vicky pulled a small black pole from his pocket and snapped his wrist. It turned into a baton as long as his arm. Balled at the end, he raised it above his head and ran forward.
When the second security guard followed the first, Vicky saw her opportunity. She dropped her clipboard and ran out of the tower.
Sure to close the door behind her, Vicky looked out over the quiet square. Many people sat on or around the benches and enjoyed a lunch in the summer sun. After she’d looked back into the Alpha Tower at the chaos that tore through the place, she removed her phone from her pocket and called Brendan.
The wet pulse of the connected phone rang in her ear and Vicky shook as she continued to watch the insanity inside the tower. It had already gotten to the point where she couldn’t tell who had the disease and who didn’t, although it seemed abundantly clear which side would win. Before long, the entire city would be overrun.
Brendan answered the phone. Out of breath, she could hear his feet hit the ground as he ran.
“Hello?”
“Brendan! What shall I do?”
Vicky listened to him run but he didn’t reply. “Brendan? Where shall I meet you? Where do you want me to go to?”
A loud explosion shook the ground beneath her feet and Vicky heard it through Brendan’s phone too. He was closer to it than her. “Brendan, what’s happening? Are you okay?”
Vicky heard Brendan stop running and a car door slammed shut a second later. He gasped for breath down the phone.
“Brendan?”
Vicky heard the screech of tyres both on her left and through Brendan’s phone. She then saw a black car with darkened windows as it accelerated away. “Is that you in the car? Where are you going to pick me up from? Where shall I meet you?”
Once his breath had settled he finally responded. “Meet me?”
The screams from the foyer grew louder and Vicky stepped away another pace.
Brendan laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You didn’t seriously think I was in love with you, did you?”
The words hit Vicky like a gut punch and a shot of acidic bile lifted up her throat. “But … what?”
“Come on, Vicky, don’t be a fucking moron. You were hand selected. We picked you because you were vulnerable. You think it was a coincidence that I was there when you were at your lowest ebb? I didn’t have a grandma, you stupid idiot. That was just a ruse to make you trust me. Truth be told, I was waiting for your mum to die so I could be that shoulder to cry on. I made sure I stood next to you in the queue in the hospital’s coffee shop for that very reason.”
Sweat lifted on Vicky’s skin and her breaths grew shallow. “But … but …”
“Listen to yourself, will ya? Have some self-respect woman. Jesus. Women are so fucking weak. And you know what else?”
So numb she couldn’t even cry, Vicky let Brendan continue.
“That night of our first date, the one where you nearly got on the train that blew up. Who do you think blew the train up?”
Vicky gasped as she moved around the side of the Alpha Tower, away from the front door.
“It served two purposes. It killed some of The West’s citizens, and it made you believe in fate. We knew you’d be useful once I had your complete trust. It also helped that I wanted to fuck you. You were like my own private whore. Instead of money, I paid you with faux affection. God, you’re gullible girl.”
Still unable to speak, Vicky held the phone to her ear and stared into space. She heard the screams spill out of the Alpha Tower. The collective sound of mass panic lit up the air.
“The only advice I have for you now,” Brendan said, “is run like the fucking wind. You’ve helped us turn this virus against your own people. If you want to survive, at least you have a head start on everyone else. At least you know what you’re up against. I’ll even give you a little hint if you like; there’s only going to be one bridge that won’t blow up and that’s the drawbridge. If you want to get out of the city that’s where you need to go.”
Vicky heard the screech of tyres from Brendan’s side of the phone call.
“I’m crossing it now. Bye, Vicky, it’s been emotional.”
Vicky let go of her phone and watched it crash to the ground with a crack. For a moment, she stood numb with the sounds of insanity just metres away. When a particularly high-pitched scream cut through the madness, she snapped out of her daze and peered around the corner to the front of the Alpha Tower. The carnage of the foyer had already moved outside of the building. She saw blood and open mouths. She heard snarls and roars. She looked across the square. The quickest way to the drawbridge was straight through the middle.
When she glanced down at her phone, she saw the screen had cracked. A picture of her and Brendan stared up from it. Vicky clenched her jaw and crushed the thing beneath her heel.
After one last look at the growing pandemonium, she took a deep breath. The metallic stench of blood filled her sinuses and pushed her tongue up against the roof of her mouth. She half-heaved but managed to cough it away before she ran into the square and in the direction of the drawbridge.
Chapter 19
You only miss a windscreen when you don’t have one. Hunched in the front passenger seat, Rhys squinted into the strong wind as he tried to see ahead. The air had cooled to the point where it now burned into his skin. A fly or some other bug tinged against his face every few seconds.
The cold gusts forced Rhys to hold his entire upper body locked tight. He looked across at Larissa who seemed to struggle with the gales as much as he did. He had to shout to be heard over the noise. “Are you okay?”
She looked across, a frown fixed on her face.
Every time Rhys breathed, air rushed into his mouth. “Why don’t you slow down a little?”
As if the words gave her the permission she’d sought, Larissa eased off the gas.
Rhys circled his shoulders and rolled his jaw to try to release some of his tension. He then sat up straighter in his seat so he could get a clear look at the front of the car. Only one headlight worked and the bonnet had been dented in several places.
“It’s buckled pretty badly, you know.”
Afte
r Larissa had straightened her back to take a look, she accelerated again and a shudder ran through the car.
Rhys’ heart twisted as he watched her pat the steering wheel and say, “Come on, girl, you can keep moving. I trust in you.”
The one headlight seemed ineffective against the wall of darkness in front of them. Night closed in from every side as if it would consume the pathetic beam. The wind, although considerably reduced from where Larissa had slowed down, still burned Rhys’ eyes as he looked into their inky surroundings. “The fuckers could be anywhere.”
“At least we’re in a car,” Larissa said. “We can outrun them in this if we need to. As long as the roads aren’t blocked, we can drive all the way to Biggin Hill Airport.”
She’d failed to hide the uncertainty in her words, but neither of them mentioned it. What was the point? If the car broke down, they’d just have to deal with it. A look behind and Rhys saw more darkness. “So they’ve dropped the virus into London, but where else do you think they’ve hit?”
Larissa continued to scowl out of the window and Rhys saw her flinch occasionally. The bugs evidently peppered her face like they did his. “How the fuck would I know?” she said.
“Hopefully it’s much clearer south. I think the worst is behind us.”
Even in the face of the wind’s onslaught, Larissa dropped her scowl to raise an eyebrow at Rhys.
Okay, so he had no idea how clear the south would be. Another look behind and, other than a faint red glow from their own car’s taillights, he saw nothing. “Vicky will make it through, you know.”
Larissa didn’t reply. Instead, she wrung the wheel and stared straight ahead. Even now, after Rhys had spoken to Vicky, the mention of the woman obviously got under Larissa’s skin. After a deep breath she finally said, “I hope she does.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want to live in a world that doesn’t have Flynn in it.”
“Hey,” Rhys said as he reached across and stroked her back, “don’t say that.”
“But it could happen.”
“We can only deal with what we know, and we know Flynn’s still alive. Vicky’s canny; she’ll find a way through. I know she’ll protect him.”
“But you don’t even know her, Rhys.”
“I know her well enough. You learn a lot about someone when you have to fight for your life next to them.”
Another shudder snapped through the car and the vehicle bucked forward.
Rhys looked down at Larissa’s feet. “Was that you?”
The car lurched again.
Rhys watched Larissa pump the accelerator, but the car’s speed didn’t change. A continuous tone then whined from the dashboard and a series of amber, red, and blue lights lit up along it.
Another lurch coughed through the vehicle.
Then the car slowed down.
Unable to penetrate the darkness as he stared into it, Rhys looked for the silhouettes of the diseased nonetheless.
The car continued to lose speed.
“Turn the lights off,” Rhys said.
“What?”
“Turn the lights off. If you do that, we’ll be able to see our surroundings better. This car hasn’t got much left. We need to be ready to get out and we don’t want to be attracting attention to ourselves.”
Just before Larissa flicked the lights off, Rhys reached into the back seat and retrieved the stool legs. The metal poles, cold to touch, chinked against one another as he pulled them into the front.
The car continued to slow down and more lights popped up on the dash.
After one final lurch, the engine cut out with a clunk. The tone that came from the car’s dashboard ceased, but the vehicle continued to roll down the road. Rhys listened to the hum of the tyres against the asphalt. The pitch deepened as the car slowed down.
About fifty metres farther along and they’d slowed to a crawl. Rhys sighed. “Just stop the car. We need to get out and walk. At least outside we’ll have the room to fight the fuckers.”
A gentle squeeze of the brake and Larissa brought the car to a halt. She then popped her seatbelt free.
The lit up dashboard gave a red highlight to her worry lines. The glow would call to the diseased like proverbial moths to a flame. Rhys handed her two of the stool legs. “Come on, we haven’t got far to go.”
Larissa opened the door and the car’s interior light dazzled Rhys. It took him three swipes before he’d managed to flick it off. When they both got out into the quiet night, he whispered to Larissa, “Leave the doors open. The less sound we make the better.”
Once out of the car Rhys paused for a moment to let his heart rate settle. When he’d calmed down a little, he listened to the lapping water next to them and the sound of crickets. Summit City still burned on their right and the smell of molten plastic hung heavy in the air. “I think we’re ahead of them,” Rhys said.
“You said that last time.”
He looked to his left at the dark woodland area. A thick wall of black stared back. “I know, but Vicky said the disease got spread by the helicopters. Why would they have gone to Biggin Hill when they had somewhere like London to infect?”
Larissa snorted a laugh. “Biggin Hill’s already full of the undead, anyway.”
Despite the severity of their situation, Rhys couldn’t help but smile. In the few seconds they’d been out of the car, his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. The moon, although not full, provided enough light for them to see. If a diseased appeared nearby, at least they’d see its silhouette. Better than not being able to see it at all. With Larissa still close to him, he watched her chew her bottom lip as she looked around. “We’ve come this far,” he said. “We’ll get all the way.”
Larissa didn’t look convinced. She then gasped and froze. “Hear that?”
“What?”
She didn’t reply and Rhys strained his ears. Although far away, he caught the briefest sound as it rode on the wind. He heard the cries of the diseased. With a quickened pulse and shallow breaths he said, “It must be the mob that’s chased us from London. Better behind than in front of us, I suppose.”
“It’s a small fucking consolation, Rhys. Did you see how many there were?” Larissa walked away.
A shudder snapped through Rhys as the image of the shambling horde that raced down the hill came back to him. He heard another call from the diseased and the toxic smell of Summit City took on the slightest vinegar reek of rot. For a moment, he froze and watched the darkness before he spun on his heel and ran after his ex-wife.
Chapter 20
About ten hours ago
As Vicky stood in the control booth, sweat coated her entire body. It set her skin alight with itchiness, but she remained still, shocked as she watched Rhys walk back across the drawbridge into the city. When presented with a chance to run for freedom he’d decided to head back into insanity to rescue a woman he hated. Maybe if she had a child she’d understand. By the end of the day, she may have a child; someone would have to look after Flynn if Rhys didn’t come back. She could still call after him and refuse to take care of the boy. Sure, he’d hate her, but it would keep him and his son together.
But she didn’t move. Instead, she stood there and did fuck all to stop him from throwing his life away.
Vicky sank into the seat in the warm car. After the long day, the heat soaked into her sore muscles and her body turned limp. Her eyelids grew heavy and each blink lasted longer than the previous one. With a deep sting in her tired eyes, she looked at the control booth and the surrounding area. No diseased. Another long blink and her eyelids stuck together for a second before she pulled them wide again. She looked up the road that led to Flynn’s primary school. It seemed clear.
The diseased on the other side of the river groaned and roared. The background noise of fury had been so consistent that Vicky had almost stopped hearing it. A huge river and raised drawbridge kept them at bay. If the diseased were to come from anywhere, it would be from Flynn’s school. But with the heavily p
opulated South London so close, why would they head back toward Summit City?
Vicky straightened her back and rubbed her face. The warm air seemed to stick to her and no matter what she did, she couldn’t shake the lethargy it brought with it. When she looked into the back of the car, she saw Flynn curled up and asleep in the foetal position. Were it not for him, she would have been on her way to The Highlands by now. She should have learned from Brendan that she needed to look after herself and not let anyone take advantage of her. Yet here she was again, a sitting duck while some man went off and became a hero. Or, more likely, got himself killed.
The walkie-talkie hissed on the seat next to Vicky and her pulse surged as she looked down at it. She straightened in her seat as Rhys’ voice blared out of the small speaker. Clumsy with tiredness, she fumbled for the handset. She finally grabbed it and pressed the talk button down.
“Hi.”
“How’s my boy doing?”
Flynn opened his eyes on the back seat and Vicky kept her voice low. She turned the volume of the walkie-talkie down by a few notches as she checked her surroundings again. Just because she couldn’t see them, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hear her. “He’s good. We’re both good. It’s all quiet here. Well, I say quiet but the diseased are still waiting on the other side of the bridge thinking they can get across. Stupid fuckers. Hopefully they’ll be gone when you come back. How are things with you?”
When no reply came back Vicky drew a breath to speak again, but Rhys cut her off.
“I’m doing fine. I’m making good progress. Anyway, I don’t want to run the battery down. I just needed to check everything’s all right. I’ll contact you again soon, okay?”
“Okay,” Vicky said.
“I love you, Flynn.”
The groggy boy on the back seat stretched, sat up, and spoke into the walkie-talkie. “Love you too, Daddy.”
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