The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit (12 page)

The day was spent looking for transport to shift Gold and his harem out of the small village and to head south after Angel and the girl. Nothing could be found apart from an old motorbike. Gold was increasingly frustrated and his mood was getting darker with each passing minute.

‘Did you find anything?’ Harry James asked a returning Archie.

‘Jack shit.’ He spat on the dusty floor. ‘This place is a one horse town and the horse died a long fucking time ago.’

‘All the cars are dry, we need to sit and wait for something to turn up.’ Harry James looked over to Gold. ‘He’s gonna explode soon, I’m keeping my head down and I’m keeping him at arm’s length.’

‘Archie!’ Gold shouted.

‘Yes boss?’

‘Get the fuck over here.’

Archie ran across the hall to Lonny Gold, sat in his chair, his fists clenched tight. ‘I drew a blank boss.’

Gold got up and kicked his chair across the hall ‘For fucks sake!’ He bellowed. ‘This is your fault, you fell asleep and let that Irish bitch get away.’

‘And the girl I liked.’ Archie moaned.

Gold slammed a fist into Archie’s stomach, the young lad let out a deflated yell and fell to the floor. ‘Do I look like I give a shit, do I?’

He stormed over to Harry James, eyes bulging. ‘You.’ He pointed at the boy who was trying to make himself as small as possible. ‘What the fuck were you doing this morning? Did you help those fuckers get away.’ He grabbed the boy by the arm.

‘No boss, I went to try and collect fresh meat.’

‘Fresh meat!’ Gold blasted. ‘You’re a fucking faggot, you haven’t taken any interest in any woman since we met.’ He forced Harry James down onto his knees, the boy cried out in pain. ‘You helped them get away! Didn’t you?’ Gold placed a hand around Harry James’s neck.

‘No boss I swear.’ He could feel his life getting shorter and shorter by the second.

Gold started to squeeze.

‘Leave him alone.’ One of the women in the group shouted.

Gold let the boy go and Harry James fell to the floor. He pulled his pistol from his belt and pointed it at the group of women. ‘Who said that?’

The women started to move, realising Gold had lost the plot and was going to start shooting at any moment.

‘Who the fuck said that?’ He unclipped the safety catch.

‘She did.’ A small woman with bedraggled black hair pointed towards Naomi Hardcastle.

‘No I didn’t.’ the girl screamed as the gun pointed towards her.

‘It was her, shoot her.’ The small woman again pointed at the girl, egging Gold on.

Sarah Hardcastle then stood in front of her daughter. ‘No it was me, shoot me.’

Naomi screamed at her mother to stop but Sarah wouldn’t let her step out in front of her.

‘Shoot her.’ The small woman now grinned at Gold, turned on that her captor was listening to her. A couple of the other women were shouting at her to be quiet.

Gold pointed the gun at Sarah Hardcastle and started to squeeze the trigger, he had about enough of these women for one day.
They needed a show of strength, they needed to know who the real daddy was.

‘Boss, boss!’ Archie Stanton ran from the window over to Gold who had now turned to face the boy.

For a split second Gold thought about shooting the kid. ‘What?’

‘A truck, a truck is coming, I can hear it and I saw the big roof.’

Gold said nothing, brushed past the boy making his way to the door. He kicked it open and walked out into the road and there before him was the answer to all his dreams. Parked up opposite the church just where the truck had been was a huge, gleaming, articulated lorry. A massive double cab truck, towing a double axle trailer with a huge canopy pulled tight. Gold smiled, maybe his luck was changing.

The door opened and out jumped a slim man in his early fifties. Drain pipe, denim jeans and a black shirt open to the chest. The driver took off his aviator sunglasses and looked at the village hall. He walked across the road, keeping his hand on the massive carving knife he had stuffed down the back of his jeans.

‘The name is Lonny Gold, welcome to my village.’ Gold stepped towards the advancing stranger, open armed as if to welcome the stranger to his large empire. ‘What’s mine is yours, my friend.’

The slim man looked shiftily around, he could see a teenage boy stood in the doorway and another lad in the window watching his every move, he was outnumbered and out gunned. ‘Hello my friend.’ He spoke in a thick Manchester accent. ‘The name is Freddie, Firefly Freddie.'

Gold then noticed the massive firefly painted on the side of the truck.
These drivers had all sorts of ridiculous code names.

‘Well Mr Firefly Freddie would you like to come in and take the weight off your feet, I’m sure we have something inside that would interest you.’

‘Thank you, I might have something for you too in my truck.’ He then smiled and revealed two black front teeth, the only ones it seemed left in his head. He giggled as he spoke. ‘I’m sure you will find it a pleasant surprise.’

Gold led him into the hall, more intrigued than he wanted to be. He was just going to kill Firefly Freddie outright but he might amuse him for an hour or two, a last supper so to speak before sending him to his death.

‘Harry James, get this man a beer. Do we have any beers?’

‘Yes boss, I found some in a house over the road.'

Gold smiled at Firefly Freddie, he was nearly as odious as himself. ‘The residents are very friendly in this village, they give us whatever we like.’

Freddie laughed. ‘Yes, this new strange world does have its advantages.’

Harry James came back out into the hall with a bottle of lager. He passed it to the new visitor. ‘Warm I’m afraid, electricity isn’t back on yet.’

‘You need a genny, and a jerry of fuel.’ Freddie swigged the lager and savoured the sweet taste.

‘Is that what you have in the back of your lorry, generators and fuel?’ Gold knew they would come in very handy.

‘Wait and see, wait and see.’ Freddie sniggered. ‘Something much more exciting than that.’

Every nerve ending in Gold’s body just wanted to shoot Firefly Freddie stone dead, take the keys and get out of this shit heap but he kept to his plan and thought he might have some sort of important information he could prize out of him. ‘Do you fancy a little company Mr Firefly?’

‘You’re not my type, Mr Gold.’ Freddie giggled at his own joke, looking over at Archie. The young lad said nothing, he was certain his boss would cut his throat for such a quip.

Gold forced out a small laugh. ‘Very funny, very funny.’ He then went very serious. ‘Would you like some
female
company?’

Freddie looked around, he could see the ten or so women sat in a huddle. ‘Ah, so that’s your game.’ He nodded towards Gold. ‘The oldest industry known to man.’

‘The penny has dropped Mr Firefly.’ Gold then whispered over to Harry James. ‘Get the small dumpy woman, the grass.’

Harry James looked confused.

‘The woman who pointed her finger at the young girl.’

Harry James then remembered. He walked away from the small group and over to the women.

‘Why do they call you Firefly?’ Archie asked the truck driver.

‘Because I’m here, and then I’m there, I’m everywhere sonny.’ He waved his arms about laughing. ‘Always buzzing about from place to place, picking up this and delivering that.’

‘Very good.’ Lonny Gold was more interested where he had buzzed from and what he was keeping in his hive. ‘Have you met many on your travels? Or any of the mutants that seem to be roaming the land?’

‘Now that would be telling.’ Freddie chuckled. ‘You will see, all in good time.’

Gold wanted to know now and was getting tired of all Freddie’s playful pretence. ‘Well, have you seen anyone?’

‘A few, a sorry state most of them I’m afraid. Those naked savages pick off most who have survived this dreadful curse. A few camps have been set up though.’

‘Camps?’

‘Army camps, in the loosest of terms mind. Some are trying to make something out of this mess.’

‘Think we will stay away from them.’ Gold laughed.

‘Well keep heading south, nothing down there apart from marauding crazies and anarchy.’

‘No camps?’

‘Nope, none that I have seen. Just mayhem, blood lust and good old fashioned savagery.’

‘The small chick, boss.’ Harry James reappeared with the woman in tow.

‘Give me two minutes please Freddie.’ Gold turned and led the woman in question away from the others. ‘My darling, what is your name?’

‘Elizabeth.’ She said in a lower tees accent, she looked up at Gold and flashed him a smile.

‘Well my dear, I would like you to do me a favour, would you do that?’ He slipped his arm around her and moved over to the window.

‘Well you have been really nice to us, saving my life and all that.’

‘At last, a bit of gratitude. You should try telling some of them.’ He motioned over to the women behind them. ‘Well, I would like you to show some of that gratitude to our new visitor, what do you think?’

Elizabeth looked over at Firefly Freddie and wasn’t readily impressed. ‘I would rather show you some gratitude Mr Gold.’

Lonny looked down at the podgy five foot two Middlesbrough lass and decided he would pass on her invitation. She was too old, too small and she actually smelt a little bit, or that could have been the stench coming from Firefly’s truck he wasn’t too sure. ‘I would be most honoured if you could do this for me, I can make it worth your while.’

‘In what way?’

‘Well I need a woman who I can rely on, a second lieutenant so to speak.’ He clicked his gold rings together on his hand and ran a finger down her cheek.

This excited Elizabeth, she knew that to survive this living hell she needed to be on Gold’s side. ‘Okay, what do you want me to do exactly?’

Gold smiled, the plan was coming together. ‘Take Mr Firefly outside around the back, don’t worry Archie will stand guard and make sure nothing bad happens.’

‘And?’

‘Well, make him feel welcomed, make him feel special.’ Gold needed to buy time to brief Harry James in what to do when they returned, this was the ideal opportunity.

‘Go out the back and give him a blow job you mean?’ Elizabeth was fed up of going around the houses.

Gold laughed out loud. ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I want you to do my girl.’

‘Okay, but you will look after me won’t you?’

‘Of course I will.’ Gold, his arm still around her shoulders led her back to the small group of men. ‘Just a little blow job and then you and me can whip the rest of the women into shape, you, of course, will get preferential treatment.’

'I like the sound of that.’ Elizabeth purred.

Gold smiled, it was like having a pussycat lapping cream out of his hand.

‘Mr Firefly, let me introduce you to Elizabeth.’ He pushed the woman forward towards the truck driver.

Freddie looked slightly disappointed, he then glanced over to the group of women who were now watching. ‘I would rather her.’ He pointed over to the much younger Naomi Hardcastle.

‘Sorry, out of the question.’ Gold answered instantly, stopping him dead.

Freddie started to laugh. ‘Oh I see Mr Gold, keeping the sweetest candy for yourself.’ He grinned, his black teeth standing proud. ‘That’s okay though.’ He took Elizabeth by the hand and she led him out of the hall, Freddie turned around to look at Gold before he vanished into the backroom. ‘Any port in a storm.’ He laughed.

‘Archie, go and stand on top of the fire escape and watch over them, make sure no savages attack.’ It took every instinct in Gold’s body to stop him from ordering Firefly’s death, he really was a little worm.

‘Okay boss.’ He grabbed his gun and walked away.

‘And Archie.’ Gold called over.

‘Yes?’

‘No peeking.’

Gold then briefed Harry James on the plan and handed him the air rifle. ‘Don’t fuck up this time boy, you are already skating on thin ice.’

Five minutes later, Firefly Freddie returned grinning from ear to ear doing up his zip. ‘Most agreeable Mr Gold, most agreeable.'

‘So young Freddie.’ Gold patted him on the back. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s so interesting about your cargo?’

Freddie laughed. ‘Mr Gold, you have been very kind to me so, yes, I'll tell you.’ He moved ahead of Gold to the door. ‘Come on, follow me.’

Gold followed Firefly Freddie out into the sunlight and they walked over to the truck without talking, Harry James followed closely behind.

Freddie stood at the back of the trailer swirling his heavy key ring on his index finger. ‘Are you ready for this?’ He giggled. ‘It’s quite a show.’

Gold looked behind to see if Harry James was there, he was.

Freddie unlocked the back of the trailer and lifted the steel handle that opened the door. ‘Are you ready?’ He asked looking at Gold and Harry James. ‘Well? Are you?’

Gold nodded slowly, unimpressed.

‘Welcome to the freak show.’ Firefly Freddie opened up the large metal door with a creak and both Gold and Harry James peered inside, they could see nothing, it was too dark.

‘Christ what a stench.’ Harry James held his hand up to his nose.

Freddie opened the door wide to let the light in.

‘Jesus Christ.’ Lonny Gold shot back and nearly fell over as he did. ‘Are you fucking crazy?’

Freddie sniggered. ‘Aren’t they beauties?’ He jumped up onto the trailer and pointed into the cage. ‘Look at the blonde, look at the big titted blonde.’ He jumped up and down. ‘I would ask her to suck your cock Mr Gold but I know for a fact she'll bite it clean off!’ He let out a huge belly laugh.

Gold and Harry James walked a little nearer to the trailer and carefully looked inside. There in a self-made cage were four naked infected humans. Gold shook his head,
this man was as mad as a box of frogs.
Three women all about the same age, twenty something and a young adult male. All were bleeding from continually attacking each other, all snarled and hollered as they clapped eyes on the three men studying them.

‘This is madness.’ Harry James concluded. ‘How the hell did you catch them?’

Firefly Freddie danced about on the edge of the trailer laughing like a mad man. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know, wouldn’t you like to know young 'un?’