As the Light Dies (60 page)

Then Thom muttered something that Collin could
n’
t quite hear but guessed it was something similar so he moved on slowly. Thunder crashed overhead despite none of them seeing any lightning and Collin felt Leann flinch behind him through her hand on his shoulder, it made him smile and for a welcome split second he forgot all about his frozen fingertips and the cold wind battering him and blushed, until he realised that And
y’
s silhouette was on the move again bobbing up and down faster than before, and getting bigger.

“
I think h
e’
s coming back
,”
said Collin.

“
What
!
Why?”
said Thom.

As Collin opened his mouth to answer Leann said
,
“Listen
!
H
e’
s saying something
!
”

They all tried to listen but it was nearly impossible with the wind rushing passed their ears, all they could do was watch as And
y’
s outline jerked frantically from side to side as he approached them. Collin thought he caught something on the wind but could
n’
t quite make it out. He cocked his head to one side and cupped his ears to block the wind but it was no use, the wind was to overpowering. Andy was on them in seconds bounding towards them, and just before he reached them Collin saw movement behind him.

Leann saw it too!

It almost looked like a huge pile of dust had been disturbed and it was rushing towards them like a wave of smoke!

“
RUN!
”
Andy screamed catching up to them.

“
What
!
What’s wrong?”
said Thom and then the noise hit them. That weird sound the
y’
d all struggled to describe earlier reached their ears louder than the wind and coming from all around them.

“Oh no!”
said Leann realising what was happening and she turned and launched herself in to a sprint and headed back to the store. Andy raced passed Collin and Thom screaming at them to run.

He tried to slow down but skidded and nearly tripped over his own feet forced on by his momentum so he kept on going shrieking at them to run. Behind him they both saw the disturbance rushing towards them like a giant polluted tidal wave. They both spun around and ran!

Collin stumbled nearly falling in the snow. He reached out and caught hold of the wall just managing to keep his balance. Thom turned to help him and slid himself.

“I’
m ok, keep going
,”
yelped Collin, and he actually passed Thom as he struggled with his own balance. Thom slid and slipped in the snow thrown off balance when he slowed to help Collin.

“C’mon!”
said Collin
,
“HURRY!”
seeing Thom struggle out of the corner of his eye.

Thom was only a few feet back but behind him the wave had made up ground and was bearing down on him roaring like a hurricane!

As the wave closed in it began to take form, it was made up of dozens of figures, a torrent of them chasing towards them all screaming their strange call!

Collin looked up ahead and saw Leann opening the door back in to the store with Andy just behind her half way up the steps, he was looking back at him and Thom.

“C’MON, RUNNNNN!”
he bellowed.

Collin looked down at the base of the steel stairway and leapt for it, and as soon as his feet left the ground he realised it was a bad idea. H
e’
d jumped too soon and the steps were icy cold and slippery. It was too late now though and he bit down grinding his teeth together as he came down anticipating the pain when he slipped. To his surprise he landed firmly and leapt up the steps two at a time hardly believing his luck. Goosebumps crawled over Andy as Collin landed, he was certain he was in for a tumble
.
Thank Go
d
, he thought relieved. Then he looked up for Thom and saw the figures closing in on him!

“C’MON, THOM, HURRY, RUN!”
he hollered and Thom attempted to copy Collin. Andy cringed as Thom lunged through the air reaching out for the banister confident h
e’
d be ok after Colli
n’
s success. Leann was calling for everyone to hurry up and get inside, seeing how close the charging figures were, and she reached passed, Andy grabbed Collin and pulled him inside to safety. Collin thanked her and looked back just in time to see Thom land awkwardly!

Tho
m’
s leading foot slid across the icy step and he smacked his shin against the lip of the next step up and collapsed in a heap screaming in pain.

The others flinched as he fell and Andy ground his teeth certain Thom had snapped his shin, and he started dropping back down the steps as fast as he could to help him, Collin joined him squeezing passed Leann. Thom saw them both coming for him and felt relief wash over him despite the pain, and then the first figure crashed in to him!

It hit him hard and forced him down against the cold steps acting like a rabid animal as it started pulling and tearing at his clothes! Tho
m’
s dust mask and goggles were first to go followed by his hood and then a sleeve - then he was engulfed!

Leann screamed backing in to the stores looking away holding her hands over her ears trying to block out Tho
m’
s horrific gut wrenching screams. Andy stopped short of reaching him. He had to. There was nothing he could do, absolutely nothing. He was still too far back to even hope of reaching out for Thom and he was completely surrounded. Leann started crying, she could
n’
t bear the sounds. She actually thought the infected calls sounded excited! Andy thought the same as he pushed Collin back up the steps.

“
Go back
,”
he told him
,“
w
e’
re too late
!
”

They ran back up the steps and from the top Andy looked back down at Thom completely engulfed, buried beneath discoloured infected flesh hungry figures.

All Andy could see was Tho
m’
s face as his head was pulled back so far that Andy thought the back of his head must be touching his shoulder blades.

Tho
m’
s eyes met with And
y’
s for a split second and Andy saw the pain and the terror in them, but he was helpless there were hordes of them fighting over him like a swarm of warrior ants!

Andy bit down on his bottom lip feeling so utterly useless as tears ran down his cheeks.

Right then a figure leaned in and bit down on Tho
m’
s right cheek!

The figure pulled and tugged stretching Tho
m’
s skin as he screamed and literally pulled away half of his face as the skin finally gave way and the figure disappeared back in to the group and another took its place burying its face in the wound left by the other as another leaned in and tugged and pulled at his left cheek with its jaw firmly clamped down on his flesh. Hands groped all over him, pulling, tugging, tearing and scratching. Some almost pecked like chickens repeatedly biting at his bald scalp until they broke the skin and tore flaps of his scalp off! Then he was buried, completely enshrouded by infected figures and Andy slammed the door and started ramming the security bolts in to place as frantic feet stomped up the stairs and the pounding started, so hard that the door shook! He turned away clawing at his mask and pulled it off just in time as he puked.

*****

Tho
m’
s screams were slowly drowned out behind the closed door by the frantic pounding and the strange calls. Without any time to lose Andy started walking through the dark stores trying to pull himself together, telling himself he did
n’
t have the time to grieve right now.

“C’
mon
,”
he said calling the others and they followed close behind.

“
What are we gonna do
?”
said Leann
,“
we ca
n’
t go out the front
!
”

“
I do
n’
t know yet
,”
said Andy coming to a stop beside a pair of swing doors for pulling pallets of goods out on to the shop floor. He eased one open and peeked through.

After a few seconds Collin asked
,“
Wha
t’
s happening
?”
having to raise his voice a little over the drones coming from outside.

Andy said
,“
I
t’
s too dark too see much, but the
y’
re still there! I can tell that much
.”
He leaned back from the door and made a gesture for Collin to take a look.

He took a step closer then leaned in against the doors and looked for himself. As his eyes adjusted he was able to make out a moving darkness against the shop front.

He leaned back and looked at Andy with raised eyebrows. Andy nodded knowingly and Leann pushed between them impatiently and looked for herself.

“Oh God!”
she said and pulled back almost instantly.

“
Ther
e’
s no way out, w
e’
re trapped are
n’
t we
?”
she said.

“
No, not yet
,”
said Andy
,“
the supermarkets joined to the Eastgate Shopping Centre remember, across the overpass. We could try and break through
.
”

“
You think
!”
said Leann sounding the tiniest bit hopeful.

“
I do
n’
t see why not
,”
said Andy
,“
right now w
e’
ve got nothing to lose
.
”

“
And nowhere else to go
,”
added Collin.

Trying to ignore Colli
n’
s comment, Leann asked Andy
,“
Have you got keys for the connecting doors
?
”

Andy nodded already rummaging in his pockets.

“I’
ve got the key for our doors, the ones for the supermarkets doors. But ther
e’
s doors from the other side as well at the other end of the overpass and there the responsibility of the shopping centre. The
y’
ll probably be locked so w
e’
ll have to try and break through those ones
.
”

The keys jangled as he lifted them from his pocket and he said
,“
Help me look for the crowbar
.
”

As soon as he finished speaking there was an explosion of crashing glass.

“FUCK!”
he said flinching, then he peeked out through the swing doors. The murky line of figures was moving now! They were all walking along the front of the supermarket in the direction of the main doors that were just out of sight.

“
What is it? Wha
t’
s happened
?”
asked Leann just as the three of them heard the first of the frantic rabid calls ring out inside the shop!

“
Shit
!”
said Andy
,“
w
e’
ve gotta go, an
d
NOW!”

Then as he turned he realised he could
n’
t see Leann!

“Where’s Leann?”
he asked looking at Collin.

“
Uh, I do
n’
t know. She was just here
,”
he said, looking around confused.

She was
n’
t anywhere to be seen!

“SHIT!”
said Andy
,“
we need to go! Where the hell has she gone
?
”

He called after her trying not to be too loud
,“
Leann? Leann we gotta go,
c’
mon
.
”

There was no reply. Trying to see her in the near pitch black store was impossible.

“Where the fuck!
”
he said worried that sh
e’
d gone and hid, when suddenly she reappeared through the darkness holding a long steel pole with a pointed end and he understood right away.