"Looks like he's gonna be having company, whether he likes it or not."
Kelly asked, "Who's Jory?" Beating Lloyd to it.
Gordon sat down on the couch and nodded at Joan. "You tell them."
*
George Jeffers sat on the toilet on the first floor. He had his trousers around his ankles and had the feeling of wanting to go, but nothing was coming out of his back passage. Tenemisis, he thought it was called. He would call it a false alarm and had many of them.
His ears pricked up and heard his front door opening.
Had Gordon and Joan returned?
He stood up and pulled up his pants and trousers. He fastened his belt and left the bathroom. He looked down the stairs and stayed there for a while, waiting to witness some kind of movement. But all he could see was the front door.
He was going to have to check the ground floor out for himself, or maybe he should call out. He was stuck for a few minutes.
He was going to call out, but then suddenly decided not to. His nervousness had made him indecisive.
"Fuck it."
Feeling unusually brave, George Jeffers made the descent down to the ground floor.
Each step that he made, his breath became heavier with panic and his heart pounded harder. He was certain that by the time he had reached the bottom step he was going to have a heart attack.
With his carotid artery slamming underneath his skin, he walked into the living room to find it empty. He knew somebody was in the kitchen, he could hear them, and stood motionless, waiting for the uninvited guest to make an appearance.
Marvin Dickinson exited the kitchen and seemed startled to see Jory staring at him. The pair of them stood and stared at one another for four long seconds before any words were exchanged.
Marvin snapped, "And who the fuck are you?"
"You took the words right of my mouth." Jory smiled.
Chapter Twenty Two
Joan and Gordon were both sitting on the reception area's couch, talking about Jory. Joan brushed her hair behind her ears and sighed. She was alive, but the boredom was getting to her. She was also tired.
She had slept during the night, but her dreams were plagued with scenes of fleeing from the Runners, causing her to wake up on two occasions. She struggled to get back to sleep the second time she had woken up.
Lloyd was now at the bar on one of the stools. Sitting next to him was Junior, but Kelly decided to sit on her own. Both father and son were deep in conversation and Joan looked over to Gordon.
"You okay?" he asked her.
She nodded. "I think I'm gonna go for a nap."
"Lazy cow," Gordon laughed. "It's only the afternoon."
"I know." She smiled and added with sarcasm, "I should be ashamed of myself."
Joan stood up and informed Lloyd that she was going for a lie down. He stuck his thumb in the air without looking at Joan, still talking to Junior.
"What about you?" She looked over at Gordon, differently than she had done before.
"I'm okay."
She smirked. "I could do with some company."
Gordon thought for a moment. "I'm not really that tired. If I go for a nap I won't sleep tonight."
"Do I have to spell it out?"
Gordon stood up and his face went red. "Er..."
"You don't have to," she giggled, knowing that she had caught him off-guard. "But we could be dead next week."
Gordon could feel his face getting warmer and lowered his head, like a child that had been reprimanded by its mother. "I'm a bit out of practice."
"So am I." Joan held out her hand. "Come on. You never know. You might even enjoy it."
Gordon and Joan entered her room and wasted no time.
As soon as Gordon had closed the door she began to kiss him. She immediately went for his belt and took down his trousers. She squatted and took his shoes off, keeping his socks on, moved slowly back up and grabbed his shorts and told him to pull them down. He did as he was told and stood, a little embarrassed, with just his top on.
She felt his genitals and Gordon threw his head back and began to moan.
As she began to tug on his penis, she said to him, "Do I have to do everything for you?"
Gordon had no idea what she was talking about. Now that she had a hold of his penis, he couldn't think straight.
She sighed and grabbed his left hand and stuck it into her pants, his other hand now under her bra and squeezing her breast. At last he was doing something for himself.
"Shit," Gordon said.
Joan knew what was happening. Gordon was close.
"It's okay," she whispered. "Just come. You probably need it."
"Sorry," he said, and as soon as he said that he released semen all over her pants. He threw his head back and moaned for maybe a little too long.
She stopped stroking him, pulled his hand out of her pants, then wiped her messy hand on the bed's quilt.
"Well," Gordon puffed out his cheeks, "thanks for that. Sorry I couldn't ... perform."
"That's okay."
"It's been over a week since..."
"You don't have to explain."
Gordon put his hands on his roasting cheeks and sat on the edge of the bed. Joan pointed at the half naked man's penis. "Gordon."
"What?" he said in a daze.
"You're dripping over the carpet."
"Shit. Sorry." He made the short brisk walk to the bathroom, peed, then returned. When he entered the main part of the room he saw Joan lying on the bed, legs opened. "What are you doing?"
"You're not leaving me hanging," she laughed. "Eat me out."
"Jesus, you don't mince your words, do you?"
Gordon could feel a twinge in his groin as he got to his knees at the end of the bed. He placed his hands on each of her thighs and did what she asked.
Joan moaned in delight, but Gordon was struggling. Joan was hardly fresh. He moved away from her and began to masturbate her, which she seemed to approve of, and began to get erect once more after a minute had passed.
Whilst his fingers did the work, he kissed the inside of her thigh, getting off on her moans. He was now fully erect.
"I'm hard again," he announced.
"What?" she groaned.
Gordon repeated himself.
"Then what are you doing down there?"
"What?"
Joan snickered, "Climb on."
Chapter Twenty Three
Marvin had been conversing with Jory for the last five minutes and had already come to the conclusion that he didn't like the guy, even though he had imposed himself on the poor man. He thought he had seen him before somewhere. Maybe Jory reminded him of someone from his past. Nevertheless, Marvin played friendly and thought about moving to another one of the vacant houses. Nah, fuck it.
After taking a piss in the upstairs toilet, Marvin went into the front bedroom that looked on the main road that ran through the village. "Eerie as fuck," he muttered.
He heard Jory call from downstairs to see if Marvin wanted a drink. Marvin replied, "No," and continued looking out.
This was the kind of place, back in the old world, that would have drove him potty if he had to live here. There was one pub/hotel, a church, and that was it. No cinema, no other pubs and it was in the middle of nowhere. A place that most of England had never heard of.
"Blanchland," he scoffed.
He couldn't understand why people would want to live in such a quiet place. Sure, it was peaceful, but the monotony would have killed someone like Marvin. He needed booze, the occasional wrap of coke and, of course, a woman.
He opened the window and peered his head out. He looked up and down the main road, noticing that it was empty, and laughed to himself. He imagined that Blanchland was like this on a normal day. How people coped in this monotonous environment he'd never know. Maybe they did drugs in their spare time, he wondered. Swapped partners.
Marvin smiled as he saw Junior sneaking out of the main door of the hotel.
&nb
sp; Junior looked suspicious and Marvin said under his breath, "What are you up to, little nephew?"
He watched as Junior put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a roll-up and a lighter. Marvin smiled. He knew straightaway that it was a joint that Junior had. Marvin hadn't had a joint in over a week.
He called out as Junior began to spark up, "Save half of that for me!"
Junior nearly dropped the joint in fright and put his finger to his lips, telling his uncle to be quiet.
"Where did you get that from?" Marvin queried further, in a much quieter voice.
"Somebody had left a small block in my room, in one of the drawers. There's also cigarettes behind the bar and papers." Junior was paranoid and looked behind him, expecting the main door to open any second. "Don't tell dad."
"If your dad had found it he would have flushed it down the toilet."
"I know."
Marvin laughed and said, "Fuck it. Your dad hates me anyway. Give us a second and I'll come down. We can take a walk and roll another one."
"I don't know."
"Junior. Life's short. And besides, if you refuse I'll be forced to tell your old man about your new hobby."
"It's not new."
"Oh?"
Junior said arrogantly, waving the joint at his uncle, "How did you think I managed to roll one so good? Beginner's luck?"
Marvin left the room and galloped down the stairs. He popped his head through the living room and told Jory he was popping out for a few minutes. Jory hadn't even invited him to stay, but was too scared to tell the rough-looking man that he didn't want company and was more than happy being on his own.
Marvin stepped outdoors and went over to his nephew. He clicked his fingers and Junior passed him the half a joint that was left. Marvin took a long suck whilst Junior began building another. He started burning the hash block with his lighter.
Marvin took the toxic fumes into his lungs and slowly blew it out. It was a feeling he had missed. "Not bad," he remarked. "I've smoked better."
Marvin made light work of the joint and by the time he was finished, Junior had another one ready. Marvin grinned as Junior twisted his head from side to side, paranoid that he was going to get caught. He was under the legal limit for smoking a cigarette, so what was his dad going to say if he caught him with drugs?
"Don't worry about your old man," Marvin cackled.
"Easy for you to say."
"If you get caught I'll tell him it was my idea. I'm hardly flavour of the month anyway."
Junior's paranoia wasn't helped by Marvin's announcement, forcing the forty-eight-year-old to release a sigh. He said, "I'll tell you what. Why don't we go for a walk. You shitting yourself is getting on my tits."
Junior nodded and walked alongside his uncle, both males now walking away from the hotel. He sparked up his second joint. Junior took a drag, then passed it. "So what do you think?" he asked.
"About what?" Marvin took in a heavy drag and passed it back to Junior.
"About what's going to be the overall outcome of what's been happening?"
"I think we'll be fine," he said confidently.
"You reckon?"
Marvin nodded. "When I say we, I mean ... people. Can't say if we're gonna survive or not, or get infected. As far as I'm concerned, if you're infected you're as good as dead. Don't care what the TV says. Once you're bitten, you're not you anymore."
Changing the subject, Junior asked his uncle, "How come you and my dad didn't see each other for years? What happened?"
"I'll tell you one day," Marvin sighed, his eyes closed as he walked. "But not now. I want to try and enjoy this moment."
"Fair enough."
"I feel fucking great." Marvin began to cackle.
"I feel a bit sick, to be honest," admitted Junior, and began to rub his head.
"Pussy."
Junior gasped and gave his uncle a gentle slap on the chest to get his attention. The fourteen-year-old gazed ahead and dropped the joint on the floor from shock.
Marvin looked up. "Don't move," he whispered.
Both man and boy looked ahead to see two figures, around twenty yards away, outside the village, standing on the other side of the bridge. They weren't running at all. But both Marvin and Junior could tell they were both infected.
"Where did they come from?" Junior asked in panic.
"Dunno. Wanna ask them?"
"Really?" As soon as Junior asked the question, he shook his head, realising that Marvin was being sarcastic.
"No, you stupid prick." Marvin turned to the side and spat on the floor. "Whatever you do, don't run away, especially towards the hotel. You'll put everyone else in danger."
"Since when have you been bothered about other people?"
Marvin laughed gently. "Don't you listen to them. I'm not as bad as they think."
"Do you have a weapon on you?" asked Junior.
Marvin shook his head. "You?"
Junior pulled out a six inch blade, his hand shaking like a leaf in high wind.
"Give it here." Marvin took the knife off of the teenager. "You're no good to anyone in that state."
"Uncle," Junior said with a tremor, "they're staring at us."
"I can see that."
Both the middle aged man and the teenager gazed and wondered what the next move of the two infected was going to be. The two by the bridge started to move towards them and then began to pick up the pace.
"Get in the house where I'm staying," Marvin ordered. But Junior was gone. By the time Marvin had finished his sentence, Junior had ran back into the hotel.
"Little shit."
Marvin gulped and clasped the knife's handle tight. He had killed two at the same time before. Why not again?
By the time the two crazed male beings were seconds away from him, he lost his nerve and began running towards the front door where he and Jory were staying. By the time he had reached the main door, he had already been grabbed and pulled to the floor. Marvin was on his back, and desperately kicked out at the two that were trying to crouch down and take a bite out of him.
He drove the knife into the chest of the nearest one. He immediately pulled out the blade, soaking his top with crimson, pushed the body off of him and then kicked out at Runner number two, making it fall to the floor once his foot connected with its knee.
Marvin managed to stand as the floored beast tried to get on its feet, then booted it in the face. The contaminated thing collapsed onto its stomach and lay motionless, but Marvin wasn't taking any chances. He didn't know whether it was dead or not, so he bent over and stuck the knife into its back, piercing the heart.
He stood up straight, the bloody knife in his right hand, and was trying to get his breath back.
"You alright?" Lloyd's voice called out from behind him.
Marvin turned around and could see them all, standing outside the hotel: Lloyd, Junior, Gordon, Joan and Kelly.
Marvin nodded, then looked over at the two bleeding bodies. "I've had worse days."
Chapter Twenty Four
Marvin had been invited back in to the hotel for a drink. He accepted the offer, but went to his old room first to wash the blood off his hands and change his shirt.
Once he left the room and walked into the reception area, he could see Joan and Gordon sitting on the couch, making idle chat, looking a little flustered. Kelly was reading a paperback that she had found behind the bar, a novel by Blake Crouch, and Lloyd was standing up.
The youngest of the two brothers held out a glass of lemonade and urged Marvin to drink it.
"Thanks." Marvin took the glass and made light work of it. He belched softly after finishing it and asked Lloyd where Junior had got to.
"He went for a lie down." Lloyd smiled. "I think he had a bit of a fright. We all did."
"Me too." Marvin placed the glass on a table by the side of him and added, "I'm many things, but I don't enjoy killing those ... whatever you call them."
"If you hadn't, they'd probably be smas
hing their way through the hotel to get to us."
Marvin nodded. Lloyd was right.
Lloyd continued, "Junior had snuck out for a walk and you joined him. If he had been on his own..."
"Don't let the ifs and buts torment you, bro. He's still here."
"Thanks to you. You want something to eat?"
Marvin waggled his head and told Lloyd that he was heading back to the house, and told him about a survivor called Jory that was living there.
Lloyd said, "Joan and Gordon told me about him. Might pop over and see you both later."
"Cool." Marvin walked away, but before he had chance to leave the premises, Joan called him back.
"What is it?" asked Marvin.
Joan gulped and was almost embarrassed when she said, "Thanks."
Marvin gave her a quick nod and headed for outside.
"What are you gonna do now, man?" Lloyd asked him.
"Gonna move the bodies."
"I'll help." Lloyd went after him and both siblings stepped outside.
They both walked across the road, both bizarrely looking both ways before crossing, and headed over to the two dead bodies. Marvin walked over to the man he had stabbed in the back, his second victim, and took his arms whilst Lloyd went for the legs, doing his best not to step in the pooled blood.
They picked up the body and took it round the back of a vacant house that was near where Jory was staying. The body was placed in the back garden, on the patio, and both men wordlessly went round the front to pick up the second body. Once the other body had been placed on the patio, next to the other Runner, Marvin told Lloyd that he was going back to the house where Jory stayed.
"Sorry, man, about..." Lloyd said as Marvin walked away.
"Don't worry about it. It's kind of nice to be away from the group." Marvin then paused and asked, Lloyd, "What are we gonna do when the food's gone from the hotel's kitchen?"
"I'm trying not to think about that just yet," Lloyd admitted.
"You're not thinking that the country can get back on its feet soon, are you?"
"I know it's clutching at straws..."
"Just a bit."
Lloyd nodded over to the house where Marvin was staying. "Right, I'm gonna go back to the house with you and see what this Jory fellow is like."
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