The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit (17 page)

Fuck it,
if he died he died. What was left for him anyhow? He walked out of the shadows and towards his daughter. She looked up and hissed but no blood sprayed out this time. Roger could see Jess was getting weaker, had the crack to the head from the stock of his gun disabled her in some way? He wasn’t sure, but wanted to look after his little girl, whether she took his life too or not. He knelt down beside her and for a split second she stopped. He could swear her eyes became less bloodshot and focused on his face, and then a clear tear fell from the corner.

‘Noooooo!’ Roger screamed and held his daughter, squeezing her tight. ‘Please come back to me my baby.’ He sobbed releasing a massive breath of air, he almost fainted.
Was she coming back? Was she cured from this dreadful unspeakable disease
?

As he moved her slightly away from himself he looked to see if her beautiful hazel eyes had fully cleared, they hadn’t. Bloodshot and weeping crimson tears she snapped her broken teeth and lunged at her father’s neck. Roger managed to grapple her to the ground but her struggle was getting weaker by the second, the lack of blood was disabling her. He put his hand over her nose and mouth and he could feel her trying to open her jaw to chew his fingers. He brought his knee up to stop this by jamming it shut and after a minute her body stopped struggling, then after a further minute, Jessica finally fell limp. Roger released his grip and held her tight rocking her back and forth. He kept shaking his head and wailing but no tears would fall, he had cried himself dry.
Had he really killed his child?

Chapter Nineteen

‘Jesus, how long have they been?’ Archie asked Gold.

‘Long enough for us to move our precious cargo, to a safe distance.’ He looked across the road to where Harry James had marched the women to the seclusion of a farmer’s field.

‘What the fuck is she doing to him?’ Archie wandered around to the front of the lorry.

‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ Gold chuckled.

‘Not really, she’s fucking rotten.’ Archie pulled a face of disgust.

Lonny Gold burst out laughing. ‘She is a bit of a munter I’ll give you that.’

‘Boss, here they come now.’ Archie moved back out of view.

‘Remember the plan? I don’t want any more cock ups, okay?’

Archie nodded.

‘Private Bradshaw, have that one on the house.’ Gold smiled as the returning couple joined them. ‘It’s the least I can offer our brave boys keeping our roads safe.’

‘Thanks.’ Bradshaw mumbled, adjusting his trousers.

‘Elizabeth, my dear, perhaps now we should show the Private what our cargo is and then we can be on our merry way.’ Gold led everyone around to the back of the lorry.

‘I should really wait for the Sergeant.’ Bradshaw looked around for two returning figures, but saw nothing.

‘We don’t need to bother the Sergeant, do we?’ Gold placed a hand on the Privates shoulder. ‘I’m sure he is a very busy man.’

‘I don’t know.’ Bradshaw moved back a pace releasing Gold’s hand.

‘Imagine how pleased he will be to see you have taken the initiative.’ Lonny Gold smiled and opened his arms. 'You are the type of young lad that will soon be climbing the ranks. In these times of trouble and lawlessness, guys like you will soon be leading your own garrison. You’re a born leader my son, anyone can see that.’

Bradshaw liked the sound of that, what the hell anyway, there was nothing these people were hiding and he had been given a complementary shag, even if the woman was a bit rough. ‘Okay then, open her up.’

Gold rubbed his hands together. ‘Good lad, good lad, you know it makes sense.’ He then gave Archie the nod.

The boy scurried to the thick strap and untied the canvas, inside was pitch black.

Bradshaw walked to the opening with Gold and Elizabeth but couldn’t see anything. ‘What’s in there?’

‘Climb up, take a look.’ Gold invited him warmly. ‘You will laugh when you see.’

Levering himself up, he slid into the abyss, the stench wasn’t good, but he could only see darkness. ‘Still nothing.’ He shouted going in a little further.

Gold then hopped up and put his hand out to Elizabeth, she took it and pulled her into the back of the lorry. ‘Over there Private, over there.’ He pointed to the rear.

Bradshaw edged closer and then through the gloom he could make out steel bars. ‘What the hell are they?’

Without answering Gold shoved the Private full force in the back and he stumbled forward into the makeshift cage hitting the steel bars at the back of the first holding pen. Gold then closed the door and locked it.

‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Bradshaw was startled and looked around for Gold and the woman. He was dazed and confused.

Again, saying nothing Lonny Gold pulled on the chain to release the inner door to where the infected were watching licking their lips. Something was wrong though, it was sticking and the doors wouldn’t open.

On realising this, the four naked and bleeding torsos became frustrated and started spitting and pulling at the door, the one naked man began howling his bloodshot eyes bulging out of their sockets.

Bradshaw screamed as he clapped eyes on them and clambered to his feet. ‘Get me out!’ He screamed. ‘Please get me out!’

Gold tried again to tug on the chain but the mechanism had jammed tight and the door wouldn’t open. He turned to Elizabeth. ‘You’re going to have to open it by hand.’

‘Am I fuck.’ She answered.

Gold cracked the side of her face with his ringed hand and she dropped to the floor. ‘Open the fucking door, bitch!’ He yelled.

Looking up at him the woman shook with fear. ‘But I will die.’

‘No you won’t.’ Gold marched to the door of the cage to where the Private was trying to get out, shoving his arm through the gap he caught hold of the young Private around the neck, and with one tug of his huge forearms he pinned the Private to the steel bars. ‘Now get in there and open that fucking door.’

Elizabeth moved slowly to the steel barred door, unlocked it and pushed it open. The young Private was struggling with Gold to escape but he had no chance, Gold was far too strong. She ran past Bradshaw to the second door, there she was greeted with arms stretching out between the steel bars trying to grab at her clothes. ‘I can’t get near!’ She screamed trembling with fear.

‘Use the club!’ Gold shouted back.

Elizabeth saw the baseball bat lying on the ground, she picked it up.

‘Fucking hit them!’ Gold barked.

Looking at the four naked savages jumping up and down and screaming, she suddenly realised what her life had become. She remembered finding her dad dead in his bed, then her son in the room next door and then finally in the kitchen diner, her daughter lifeless lying on the leather couch. Now she was reduced to sleeping with random strangers to stay alive. The four figures in front of her represented all that was bad with this crazy disgusting new world and her anger boiled over. She hit and clubbed every hand and arm that came near her and she could hear the bones breaking and snapping. ‘Come on then!’ She screamed ‘Come and fucking get some!’ She smashed the bat against the steel bars and tried to shove it through into their faces.

‘Open the door.’ Gold could see the savages backing off.

Elizabeth ripped open the steel door and stood there looking at them. ‘What are you waiting for!’ She yelled.

Gold looked on, had she gone completely mad?

The three naked women walked towards her first and it suddenly hit Elizabeth where she was. Her anger had subsided and the adrenaline had vanished, she dropped the bat and turned towards Gold and the Private. She managed four steps when the first woman grabbed her denim jacket and pulled her back. She managed to spin her off, losing her jacket in the process and stumbled closer to the main opening and freedom.

Gold could see what was happening and released the soldier who fell to the floor. He wasn’t going to take any chances, he slammed the barred gate shut and locked it.

‘Nooooo!’ Screamed Elizabeth as she neared it. ‘What are you doing?’

Gold shrugged and smiled. ‘Sorry, I don’t need you anymore.’

The fear erupted in Elizabeth’s eyes as she realised that she had been played all along, she looked behind and realised she was seconds from death.

Gold stayed to watch the naked man pounce on Private Bradshaw and bite through the main artery in his neck; he went down without a fight too weak after being half strangled. Then he could see the two bloodied women pull Elizabeth to the ground and that’s when he turned and left the lorry. All he could hear was the crunch of bones and the gurgling of blood, she was definitely past her sell by date.

***

Roger took another sip of water, digging three graves had been emotionally draining and thirsty work, he was glad of the water butt he had set up in his back garden. Should he dig a fourth? That was the question racing around in his head. There was nothing left for him to live for, nothing worthwhile. He had found the remains of Emily around the side of the house, he guessed Jessica had dismembered her, and prayed that she was actually dead before her elder sister had got to her. The thought of anything else was too much to bear. The three bodies were lying next to each other on the grass a few feet away from their fresh graves.

Roger looked skywards, it was dusk and soon the night would fall and he had decisions to make. To go back and help his friends, or to stay with his beloved family in his house he loved?

He sniffed back the tears, he had lost everything in one foul swoop. What he couldn’t fathom out was why or how this had happened. How could an ash cloud erupt in the earth’s atmosphere and cause such devastation? Had this happened before somewhere far back in time before records were kept? It showed what a knife edge our very existence is balanced on. We really are just here for a split second, and then we vanish, just like the dinosaurs.

Roger looked at the middle black bag which contained the body of Jessica, he shook his head. What had she become? He was convinced that for a split second, she could see it was her Daddy again, who had come home to look after them. He had failed!

The small bag contained the remains of his little pumpkin Emily, the images of the torn limbs and half eaten flesh entered his head once again. He needed a drink.

He wandered back into his house bumping into every door frame as he stumbled mentally and physically fatigued from his ordeal. He made his way into the dining room and over to the old antique dresser. Opening one of the old Beech doors, he took out the half empty bottle of Single Malt, he unscrewed the top. Roger took a big swig, but the alcohol burnt his dry throat and made him cough, he caught his breath and took a second swig, this one tasted good. By the sixth and seventh slug he could feel his head loosen up and his breathing became more relaxed.

He slumped down on a chair at the family table. He now knew it was a blood infection, it couldn’t be anything else. The racing heart, the over production of blood, it all tied in. Half an hour passed and Roger drained the bottle of Malt, he needed something else, he was on a mission. To get pissed, to numb the pain. All he could find was white wine, warm white wine. This wouldn’t have been his first, second or even third choice, but beggars couldn’t be choosers in the current climate. He grabbed a large photo album off the shelf and fingered his way through it as he drunk the tepid, sour tasting Muscadet.

An hour passed and his vision was starting to wobble, he had gone through the family holiday photos of the last four years and he was now wallowing hard in the depths of grief. The booze had stopped soothing his head and now madness and sadness had taken over. Tremendous highs were quickly followed by massive lows, he went to stand up, but fell back down in the wooden chair. Roger started crying and he didn’t stop for a full half hour, he had lost everything, nothing that mattered was left in his life. This time, he got up from the chair and made his way to the back door bumping from wall to wall, knocking off the painting of the charging elephant his grandmother had left him in her will. Then he reached his goal, the back door, Roger looked outside, it was dark.

He glanced over at the bodies neatly wrapped up, and the three holes in the lawn. He picked up his shotgun, he wanted to do this, he wanted to end it. What was the point anymore? What was he going to achieve by surviving? It was going to be like climbing Mount Everest with no boots on, you just won’t get there. He turned the gun around and stared at the black holes facing him, he had seen it done in the movies. He could do it, he had the strength and he had the nerve. Now was the time to join his family, his darling Suzanne, his little angels Jess and Emily. Now the long journey had to end.

Chapter Twenty

Yanto cleaned his knife on the wet grass and put it back in its leather sheaf. The pot boiled away and the lumps of chicken flesh were turning a nice milky colour. He was lucky this morning, a rouge hen must have escaped from a nearby farm or allotment, and by chance Yanto was on his morning stroll. It was too good an opportunity to miss.

‘Is that chicken I can smell?’ Jake sat down next to his companion.

‘Sure is Butty Bach.’ He then lifted up the dead chicken’s head to confirm.

Jake wanted to get up but his bravado stopped him. ‘Nice.’ Was about all he could say.

‘Your friends driving around in an old army truck?’

‘Christ, I don’t know. They could be on foot or even on horseback like us. Why do you ask?’

Yanto fished out a chunk of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth. ‘Junction eighteen is just across that field.’ He pointed in the direction of three old oak trees in the middle of a meadow.

‘What!’ Jake stood up and looked around. He thought he was familiar to the area but he didn’t recognise any landmarks.

‘Over the ridge, you drop down past an old pub and then another two hundred yards is the motorway.’ Yanto tossed Jake a piece of hot chicken. ‘We are on the opposite side of the Bath junction, about a ten minute ride.’

‘Let’s go.’ Jake swallowed his food and went to wake Angel.