As the Light Dies (101 page)

Sam struggled with the guy for a minute avoiding his strong hands as he tried to catch him.

He kept on biting him, removing mouthfuls of infected human flesh. The guy did
n’
t notice. He gave up trying to catch Sam and rolled over on to his front and started pushing himself up. Sam jumped up on to the ma
n’
s back, crouched on all fours between his shoulder blades and clamped his jaw around the ma
n’
s thick neck and started tugging. He used all four legs to push against the gu
y’
s back while he pulled as hard as he could with his jaw locked tight around his the ma
n’
s thick vertebrae. The man rocked and bucked trying to throw him off and for a moment Dean thought he was going to get back up with Sam still hanging on. Sam must have felt the same way and he started to jerk and tug over and over. Then the neck snapped with a loud hollo
w
POP
!

The huge guy collapsed to the ground in a heap. Sam dropped the limp head and trotted over to Dean as he scooped everything back up after his rucksack went flying and poured everything out.

He and rammed everything back it in to the bag telling Sam what a good boy he was and how grateful he was that he had come back despite the pain that engulfed his face every time he spoke. As he zipped up the rucksack he told Sam that they had to make a run for it, then as he slid it on he held a hand up to his face for a second and it came away covered in bright red blood!

Sam barked alerting him as black hands finally reached all the way over the crash barrier and shadowy figures started to pull themselves over!

“
Time to go
,”
he told Sam reaching for his sword and tha
t’
s when he saw what h
e’
d been looking for all along. It was lying on the ground beside his feet. It had fallen out of the rucksack at some point. Dean dropped to his knees and snatched up the fire lighter. He could
n’
t believe it, the plan was still on!

He looked around; there was an infected wall along the crash barrier climbing over, but they were slow. They were all working against themselves now, as they slid and slipped on the top of the bank. They were reaching out and grabbing the infected person in front to keep from falling, and in turn held them back. They were stalling themselves.

Excellen
t
, he thought forgetting about his face. He shouldered his sword in a flash. He called Sam telling him to get back. Then he ran to the edge of the growing pool of fuel pouring out of the fuel tanker. The puddle of fuel surrounded the truck and several nearby cars but most of it was cascading straight down the bank.

Dean crouched down, held his hand down near the pool and squeezed the firelighter, sliding the rough steel over the flint. One tiny spark was all it took and the fumes in the air did the rest!

Dean turned and bolted calling Sam with him. They ran together without looking back.

Dean could hear the flames crackle as the infected caught light and yet despite that, their calls did
n’
t change. They did
n’
t scream with pain.

He risked one look back doubting himself, wondering if the fire had actually caught or if he was imagining things. He was
n’
t imagining thing. They were still coming for him fully ablaze.

They were climbing the crash barrier and emerging through the fire chasing after him like demons sent up from hell to collect his soul.

The entire embankment was alight along with half of the duel carriageway and now cars were starting to catch fire as well. The heat was tremendous, Dean could feel it blistering hot across his back even as he put more distance between himself and the blaze. He was beginning to worry that he was
n’
t fast enough. He knew there was more to come any second, and he needed to be as far away as possible.

“HOLY SHIT!”
yelped Collin watching with the others.

They looked on in horror as heads and shoulders bobbed up and down, and arms flailed through the flames in all directions. They looked like they were drowning in the flames.

But they still raced after Dean
.“
Oh God
!”
said Ann
,“
wha
t’
s he done
?
”

“
He mus
t’
ve opened up a tanker or something
,”
said Andy
,“
we better take cover
.
”

“
I ca
n’
t believe that the fire has
n’
t stopped them
,”
Said Leann
,“
It has
n’
t even slowed them down, wha
t’
s going on? I mean how is that even possible
?
”

“
Give it time
,”
said Andy
,“
n- on
e’
s body can withstand fire
!
”

Then with that he heard the telltale rush of air being sucked in to the fuel tank at an alarming rate, sucked in by the oxygen starved fuel.

“Get down!”
he snapped crouching, and the others copied him ducking down but not quite sure why until the tanker went up the next second.

Dean heard th
e
‘SWOOSH’
of air being sucked in to the tank. For him being much closer than anyone else, it sounded like a jet engine spooling up.

“TAKE COVER!”
he screamed ahead hoping Gavin heard him, then he grabbed Sa
m’
s collar and hauled him up in to the gap between the cab and the trailer of a haulage truck h
e’
d been aiming for.

He pulled Sam in close holding him tight in his lap and waited. He did
n’
t have to wait long. A fraction of a second later and he would have been too late.

Gavin heard his brother and after seeing the blaze he guessed it could only mean one thing. He grabbed Sarah and they both climbed in behind the thick steel plough on the front of an abandoned snowplough and they huddled down between the thick steel and the grill of the truck as their ears popped with the change in pressure as the shockwave rolled out a fraction of a second in front of the blast.

Sam whined in Dea
n’
s arms when his ears popped, he knew something big was about to happen.

He curled up as tight as he could as Dean held him tightly. The enormous fireball shot up and out in all directions engulfing everything within a hundred feet radius of the tanker. Pieces of tanker, car, crash barrier and even road, flew through the air smashing through the infected mass like giant pieces of shrapnel that flew straight through them unhindered as it sheared through their bodies. The fuel tanker jumped six feet in to the air as the tank burst open like a Christmas cracker giving birth to the fireball.

Flames raced passed Dean and Sam, as the second shockwave rocked the truck and trailer.

Car windows burst all around with the combined heat and pressure change, sending a shower of tiny glass diamonds whizzing through the air. Some peppered Dean and Sam as a car nearby lost its windows. Debris crashed down all around. Pieces of warped and burning metal clanged loudly as they landed. One piece even flew through the shattered windscreen of a bus in the opposite lane across from Dean and set the bus on fire from the heat of the metal burning in to the dashboard.

Then came the clumps of burning and charred flesh! Pieces of infected body thudded down all over the place like burning hail.

Dea
n’
s ears were ringing louder than anything h
e’
d ever heard, he could
n’
t hear Sa
m’
s whines but he could feel them as he held him.

“
I
t’
s gonna be ok boy
,”
he whispered over and over as Sam wriggled in his arms frightened by the noise.

The raining clumps of burning body parts seemed to go on and on. But eventually it eased. It had to, and when it finally stopped Dean slowly climbed down from the truck and dared to look back towards the tanker. He knew he had to start moving as soon as he could. The fuel tanker was nothing but a mangled unrecognisable mess that still burned. Several cars close by had been turned over by the blast and were burning fiercely along with dozens of others up and down the dual carriageway that had caught fire either due to the sheer heat from the blast or burning shrapnel falling in to them. The crash barrier had been blown out of sight down the embankment with a big chunk of the road. Dean stared for a moment trying not to feel guilty for what h
e’
d just done.

All those people, infected or no
t
he’
d
killed them.

What would happen if people started to recover once the ash disappeared he wondered?

What would that make him? What would happen to him if the government came up with a cure and h
e’
d killed all these people?

He felt sick to his stomach and he thought he was about to vomit when he saw movement by the edge of the embankment.

He jumped and spun round. Flames! It was just flames, burning brighter on a gust of wind that was all. He breathed deeply trying to calm his nerves. Dizziness washed over him, he needed to bring his heart rate down and get his breathing under control before he thought about running after Gavin and Sarah. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned over trying to calm down....then he gasped and every single one of his muscles locked up. It was flames h
e’
d seen but they had
n’
t flared up in to his view on a gust of wind, the flames were climbing up towards him clinging on to the infected people as they gained on him.

He looked on astonished as what looked like the same number of infected figures as before climbing up the bank towards him fully ablaze!

He could
n’
t believe his eyes, he did
n’
t want to!

The longer he looked the more he saw and not all of them were climbing up the embankment.

Some were already on the road with him wedged between burning cars and trapped by pieces of heavy shrapnel. They were still trying to move despite being on fire, still trying to come after him. Others crawled out from under burning wrecks where the
y’
d been blown to by the blast. Over to his left a burning torso without legs dragged itself towards him at speed.

Sam growled and snapped at it.

“
No, boy. No,
c’
mon
,”
said Dean, and he turned around and started to jog after Gavin and Sarah.

He jogged along the road heading north, heading home.

He stayed low to keep out of sight, the last thing he wanted to do was draw any more attention.

Sam darted along in front of him leading the way and took him straight to Gavin and Sarah.

After the explosion Andy and the others had to dodge a few pieces of flying debris that flew their way in the blast. They marvelled at the destruction caused and watched astonished as the rest of the infected horde continued to climb up on to the road fully ablaze.

Andy turned to the others and urged them onwards.

“
We ca
n’
t stay here any longer
,”
he said
,“
ther
e’
ll be God knows how many more infected on the way following the noise. Dean did this for us, to give us time so le
t’
s use it and hope to God that Dea
n’
s ok and they all make it to their folk
s’
place in one piece
.
”

“
Oh God I hope Dean is ok
,”
said Ann with tears in her eyes
,”
God bless you boys, God bless all of you. Good luck and look after Sarah
.
”

Then they moved on trying to trace the buried foot path up through the charred looking shrubbery and trees heading for An
n’
s house where she prayed her husband and children were safe and sound waiting for her
.
They’re probably spooked after that noise
,
she thought as they walked.

“
Thanks Dean. Yo
u’
ve got balls
I’
ll give you that
,”
said Andy
,“
and good luck
.
”