Dead Ahead (29 page)

“Who....” Caleb asked but it suddenly dawned on him, “How many of them are there?”

“All of them, I think...?”

Jim handed the rifle over for Caleb to take a look, it took a while to get his eye down the scope properly but the image jumped into wobbly view, he had to step out of the Argo and use the bonnet as a rest to hold the image steady enough to actually see the scale of the problem.

And there they were; thousands of them, Caleb scanned along the fence to see if the crowd thinned out somewhere along the line but it only got worse, there was a writhing mass of undead around the outer fence of the power plant, great swathes of brain dead bastards all rubbing against each other in an attempt to get to the front line, it was like a Beyonce concert down there, and more of them were coming!

Caleb felt a tap on his shoulder, he looked up to see Ethan with a worried look on his face, “Do you mind if I take a look?” he asked.

“Be my guest.” Caleb answered and handed him the rifle.

“How does it look?” Greg asked. Everyone was looking decidedly peaky as Caleb glanced around.

“It’s uh.... busy.”

“How busy...?”

“Black Friday at the Apple store busy...!”

“I’m not sure I understand that reference!” Sarah said quietly from the back.

“Half price sale at John Lewis busy?”

“Got you!” she said with a smile, which quickly faded as she realised the levity of the situation

“It means we are fucked!” Greg said visibly deflating.

“It doesn’t mean we are ‘fucked’, Greg!” Cassie said, “It just means it’s not going to be quite as easy as just strolling in there!”

“Exactly!” said Ethan lifting his eye from the scope, “And luckily for us we have someone who knows their way around the place! Caleb?”

All eyes turned back to Caleb as he looked around; all but Brandon’s that were transfixed on to Zoe, it was good to see that he wasn’t the only one going loopy over a girl.

“Well....” he said, “there
is
a small river that runs through the plant dividing it into the north and south, it’s more of a stream really, we are only interested in the north plant and Thorp isn’t too far away from the river; just a couple of car parks away. If we approach from the beach we should be able to skip over the railway line and up the river bank. I would suggest doing it at high tide too, a boat would be real handy but I don’t hold much hope for that!”

“Right...!”  Ethan said, “As we don’t have any time for reconnaissance we are going to have to wing it! We should be able to approach from the beach on an Argo so long as the sea isn’t too rough, it’s only a mild breeze and it’s blowing from the east so we should be fine there. Jim and I will approach on foot to try to clear the beach as best as we can with suppressed gunfire. Sarah,” the poor woman jumped at the mention of her name, “en route to the target we will find a rendezvous point, I want you to hold this point with Brandon and Zoe,” Ethan didn’t leave enough time for either of the kids to object, though they clearly wanted to, “here we will leave one of the Argo’s as an escape vehicle should we lose the other one, we can’t guarantee that out exit will be the same as the entrance point. Caleb, Cassie and Greg will approach in the first Argo from the south giving the plant a wide birth to avoid contact with any Firsts. Take the Argo as far out from shore as you feel safe, but don’t take any risks. Caleb, I would suggest that you drive as you know where you are going, Jim and I will meet you on the shore side of the railway tracks, but if we are not there when you arrive continue without us, try not to fire any rounds unless you
absolutely
have to, the less the enemy know about our whereabouts the better!

“Any questions?”

“Yeah!” Greg said with genuine concern, “How do we get out if the entrance point is

Compromised?”

“As best as we can, another point along the beach if possible. As I said, we are very much winging it! Is there anything else?”

“What do we do if the rendezvous point is compromised?” asked Cassie.

“I would suggest heading north,” Said Ethan, “an island seems to be our only chance of refuge from these creatures and the north is less populated. if we get separated we can leave markers for others to follow, but keep them cryptic, we don’t want anyone following us that could be a threat. Anything else...?”

Brandon and Zoe both moved to say something but Ethan held up his hand to them.

“Before you ask, you two both have shotguns, and shotguns are
loud
, if you get into trouble at the rendezvous point we will hear you! You are
not
being babysat;
you
are protecting Sarah, not the other way round! But again, and I cannot stress this enough,
no gunfire
unless completely necessary!

“Ok then...! Jim, you take Sarah, Brandon and Zoe; Caleb, Cassie and Greg, you’re with me.

“Let’s roll out.”

Chapter

22

Last Chance

Waves lapped gently against the hull of the Argo as it floated along across the shore, small droplets of rain made ever increasing circles on the calm waters around them; it could have been quite a pleasant day if it weren’t for oppressive feel in the air. Several gulls cried shrilly as they circled in the muddy yellow overcast sky above them, there were a lot fewer gulls than Cassie had remembered seeing last time she had spent a day at the beach, but they were no doubt suffering without man’s leavings to scavenge from any more. The current was carrying them northward so they had decided to cut the engine to avoid being detected, they weren’t sure if it was even working. The shore was too far away to tell, though they could still see the bottom of the sea bed beneath them, they had been forced to take the Argo much further from the plant than intended due to the tide being out so far. It was very disconcerting.

“Okay! I think that’s us, if we head for shore now we should land right at the river” Caleb said.

“Think? Should? I’m glad you are so positive!” Greg said sulkily.

“Oh, I’m sorry captain Greg.... what is your last name by the way?”

“Does it matter?”

“Naw, not really...! Captain Greg Gobbledygook! When would you like me to head for shore, Sir?”

Cassie laid a hand on Caleb’s arm to calm him, she could already tell that he tried to cover up his insecurities and fears with humour, which was fair enough, it was better than panic, “Let’s just head in shall we?” she said receiving a smile from him.

Caleb started up the engine and gently tried to ease the Argo forward without too much commotion; unfortunately the Argo was driven through the water by the spinning of the wheels, so the water was stirred up no matter how you drove it. Caleb just shook his head and went for it, opting for speed rather than grace, typical man!

“I suppose you’re right, Greg!” Caleb said over the noise of the engine, “Why shouldn’t we get to choose our own names now? I mean it won’t be on record or anything so why the hell not? I want to be called ‘Caleb the Conqueror’ from now on!” He said proudly, puffing his chest out.

“Ha,” Cassie laughed, “and what exactly have you conquered?”

“Why, your heart my dear!” he said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Ha, and don’t I get any say in this?”

“You can
say
what you like, but the heart wants what the heart wants!”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Yup!” he said with a smile.

“In that case you can call me ‘Cassie the unwilling’ from now on!”

“Oh, that’s cold, ain’t that cold Greg? Greg the what, though? I won’t make you stick with gobbledygook; you can pick your own!”

“How about nauseated?” Greg said coldly

“Greg the Nauseated, you feeling a bit seasick, Mate?”

“Something like that!”

“Well we are nearing the shore now, not long before it’s just blood and guts we are swimming through!”

Cassie gave Caleb a cheeky punch on the arm, “Be nice!” she said. He rewarded her with a broad smile. Cassie had to admit that it was nice to be around someone who wasn’t so serious all the time.

The front wheels hit the sand with a bump and spun a little before the second set of wheels gripped suddenly and they shot forward across the beach. There were still quite a few Seconds milling their way across the beach towards the Argo, but not nearly as many as at the other side of the plant; Cassie hefted the heavy pistol in her hand.

“Here,” Caleb said, “take my machete, it doesn’t run out of bullets! And Greg, if you could spear any Husks that get to close to me with that blade on a stick beside you; that would be great!”

Cassie took the dirty wooden handled machete and held it ready to strike anything that came near. Caleb was trying his best to avoid the limping husks of people heading towards them but he couldn’t avoid them all, the throng was too thick. A disgusting wretch of a man was headed for Cassie’s side and there were three on Caleb’s, he had to head towards the man, Cassie knew this. She locked eyes with him and gripped the machete handle tightly, ready to strike.

Suddenly the Second’s head popped open in a crimson shower and his body fell limply to the ground; Cassie released a breath that she hadn’t known she had been holding and watched as more heads erupted in their path.

“Looks like Jim found himself a good spot!” Caleb said with a broad smile on his face, not taking his eyes from the metal grill beneath the railway tracks that the river was pouring through: they had come ashore a couple of hundred meters south of the river mouth and were just starting to skirt the edge of the stream now, they had almost reached the halfway point to the railway tracks and Cassie was happy to see the bodies dropping between them and the grill, clearing their way. She tucked the pistol back into her belt but held on to the machete just in case.

The river exploded before them. Caleb swerved to the right, almost dropping Cassie out of the Argo in the process. Water and sand rained down on them along with pieces of the bodies that Jim had shot. Another explosion erupted in front of them, closer this time; and Caleb swerved back to the left.

“Just what the fuck is going on?” Caleb screamed over the commotion.

“I don’t know!” screamed Cassie, “Just keep driving. It must be...”

“Michaels!” Greg shouted.

Cassie turned to see Greg pointing up the beach to the north. In the distance she could make out a large truck thundering down the sand towards them; the truck lurched as a plume of white smoke came from the top of it. “Steer!” Cassie shouted and grabbed hold of Caleb’s arm forcing him to steer sharply to the left. Another explosion ripped open the sand where they would have been had they not moved and they splashed into the river crossing its shallow water quickly.

“When I say move,
move
,” Cassie shouted, “but to the left again; Michaels will aim for the right this time!”

“Got you...!”

Cassie watched the truck intently, waiting for the plume of smoke and the lurch, they were nearly to the railway lines; the truck lurched.

“Move...!”

Caleb swung the Argo to the left and straightened up again, the ground erupted to their right with a deafening ‘boom’. Cassie was starting to think they might actually make it. She kept watch on the truck again, waiting patiently for the telltale signs of another attack.

“Just keep going straight this time!” she called.

But the truck didn’t lurch and there was no plume of smoke, just random flashes from the top of the truck, then some from either side; Cassie thought that maybe they were trying to signal them, right up to the point where bullets peppered the sand around them.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Cassie shouted.

Just as she spoke the words a hail of bullets ripped through the back of the Argo and Greg disappeared over the side.

“Oh no, Greg!” she cried.

Abruptly there was a cataclysmic ‘boom’ and the world erupted in light, the sound echoed through the hills surrounding them and back again; Cassie could feel the static in the air.

“Fucking hell...!” Caleb said, “Lightning just struck the tower above the main reactor!”

Cassie strained to see the tower but it vanished quickly behind a wall of what looked like mist. Another barrage of bullets smattered in the sand around them. The wall of mist moved towards them with frightening speed; but it wasn’t mist, it was hail, hail the size of marbles battered into the front of the Argo and then into their faces. Cassie hunkered down trying to use her arms to save her head from the sting of the hail but it was no use: the hailstones got down the back of her neck and shoulders. She had no idea how Caleb managed to keep driving trough it but suddenly they crashed up against the steep slope of the railway embankment.

“Get out! Go!” Caleb yelled at her. She launched herself over the bonnet of the Argo and started crawling her way up the soft sandy banking; the hail was still stinging her eyes and face as she scrambled desperately for the top; she could hear Caleb behind her and gaining fast. Just as they got to the top the Agro exploded in a huge fireball behind them, throwing them over and onto the railway tracks.

The next thing she knew, Caleb was dragging her to her feet and pulling her across the sharp stones between the tracks, picking up the machete on the way they both pretty much fell down the other side, Caleb used his bladed staff as a brake but Cassie didn’t have the luxury and so skidded down on her behind. The hailstones bounced off of the ground around them so heavily that it looked as if they were wading through milk as they made their way under the road bridge on the other side of the tracks. They dived for cover and tried to shake off the cold in the moderate shelter of the bridge.

“What do we do now?” Cassie asked.

“Now we run!” a voice came from the shadows.

_________________________

It had already been too long.

Brandon stared out from the upstairs window of the farmhouse: they had a perfect view overlooking the power plant from the south; he had watched patiently as the Argo had driven away and disappeared between the houses, it had been almost an hour now.

It looked like a storm was brewing; clouds whipped quickly across the sky though it was quite still on the ground, the hills must have been protecting them from the worst of it.

Brandon desperately wanted to be down there helping his father. How many times had he saved him now without his father even noticing? His father
needed
him!

“Hey!” Zoe said from behind him.

“Hey,” he said without turning.

“Guess what I found?”

“I dunno,” he said sombrely, “faith?”

‘Tsk!’ she sucked on her teeth, “No! It’s in the bedroom, come see!”

Brandon felt something stir inside him; he grabbed his shotgun and followed her quickly out of the room in a much lighter mood.

“See!” she said pointing to a large telescope that was aimed out of the window towards the sea, “I was following them down but they disappeared for a bit. You can see them out on the water now, look.”

Brandon rushed towards the telescope and put his eye to it scanning the water for them, it wasn’t easy to find them he had to take his eye away several times to locate the tiny black dot on the water before he found them with the scope. He spotted them just as they were turning in the water and heading for the shore.

“Thanks, Zoe!” he said turning to see her sitting on the bed with her legs crossed smiling at him; he turned back quickly to the scope in embarrassment.

“I thought you might be worried about your Dad,” she said, “I’m worried about them too: I hope they make it back ok.”

“Yeah, I’m worried he will do something stupid. He always does something stupid when he’s trying to impress a pretty woman.”

“Oh! Do you think Cassie is pretty?”

“Well.... yeah, I’m sure without the black eyes she is very pretty. She’s a bit old for me like, but she is just my dad’s type.”

“And what’s your type, Brandon?”

Brandon took his eye away from the scope but couldn’t bring himself to look round at her, “I like, uh....” what the hell should he say? What would his dad say?
‘Be forward; if you like a girl, just tell them, Brandon!’
His father’s words came back to him. “I like girls with Irish accents!” The words slipped from his lips before he could stop them, and once they were out he instantly regretted them. The silence afterwards seemed to last an eternity.

“I like older guys,” Zoe announced as if she hadn’t even heard what he said, “like Ethan: I bet he really knows how to treat a woman. If Cassie ends up with your dad I might just try my luck with him!”

“
Ethan?
” Brandon spun round, “He’s like
fifty!
”

“Yeah...!” Zoe said dreamily whilst staring up at the ceiling bouncing one of her legs up and down; she was still wearing Brandon’s jacket which was revealingly open half way, “But, what a man though! A girl needs a man like that nowadays, a man that can protect her.”

“I....” Brandon said but thought better of it.

“Yes?” she looked at him with her eyebrows raised.

“Nothing.” he exasperated and turned back to the telescope, trying to find the Argo again; they were moving up the beach now, between a whole load of Husks. He heard Zoe hop off the bed and walk slowly over.

“Unless you know someone else who can protect me?” she softly whispered into his ear.

Brandon slowly turned his head from the scope to face her; she was standing so close he could feel her breath on his lips. Did she want him to kiss her? She looked like she wanted him to kiss her, but he didn’t know for sure. She looked so beautiful right now.

It was only a small flash but it caught in the corner of his eye, not enough to draw his attention away from Zoe as she slowly closed her eyes. It was the
sound
of the explosion that turned his head.