The Dust: Book Two - Pursuit (21 page)

Precariously sliding each foot onto the rung he inched his way nearer to the top. There was a small ‘crow’s nest’ at the summit where he could sit and take a few seconds to catch his breath.

‘He’s close to the top.’ Hannah had her hand on her forehead shielding her squinting eyes from the sun. ‘Rather him than me.’

‘I’m with you there kid.’ Yanto was also watching Jake’s every move. ‘It’s my Achilles heel.’

‘Heights?’ Iris asked

‘Yep, can’t stand them, I feel dizzy when I stand on a chair.’ Yanto smiled.

‘He’s there.’ Hannah was almost as excited as Jake.

‘There will be plenty to see up there.’ Iris looked across at the horizon, trails of smoke found their way into the sky like cracks on a pavement.

Jake clasped a hold of the metal railing. He gulped and then took in a deep breath; he paused for a minute and then stood up. At first he could hardly open his eyes and his legs felt as though would buckle beneath him. Gradually though as the view opened up in front of him his fears slowly eroded and he became more engrossed in what he could see.

At least twenty of the houses he could see were on fire, another dozen where already shells. He took the binoculars from around his neck and took a closer look. He couldn’t see the road leading into Hawkins Crescent from the tower but could just make out the roofs and then the top of the bedroom windows. All of the houses looked intact, he couldn’t tell what was going on at ground level though.

Jake then slowly turned around looking at the rest of the view, it was a pretty sorry sight. The motorway was littered with bodies and dogs scooted from the hard shoulders over to the central reservation. Behind him the motorway interchange went up a raise before dropping down to the Severn Bridge and then Wales. The hill itself blocked that view but smoke also danced high into the sky from that direction. It was if the whole country was on fire.

‘Can you see your house?’ Angel shouted up.

Jake looked down and gave her the thumbs up. ‘It looks okay.’

Yanto then waved for Jake to come down.

He remembered the big Welshman telling him before he ascended the tower not to stay up there too long as it bring attention to him and then eventually everyone else. He was of course correct but now Jake was up there and actually getting used to it he found it strangely relaxing. The solitude he felt was something he hadn’t endured since he had woken up in his hotel room back in Melrose. That seemed months ago when in fact it was only weeks, his thoughts then went back to Roger. He had been his first companion, his mate that had got him through some very sticky situations. Now he was nearly at the zenith of his long journey but his mate was no longer at his side. Jake hoped and wished that Roger was safe, that his family was safe ad they were now all together.

A crash and huge bang from the centre of Bradley Stoke brought Jake out of his musings with a sharp jolt.
What the hell had that noise been?

Then he could see figures darting from the shadows of the streets. Or could he? Was his mind playing tricks with him?

‘Quick come down.’ Angel called out.

Jake could see the urgency in his girlfriend’s eyes. ‘Okay.’ He shouted back. Slipping out of the crow’s nest he swiftly descended the tower but nearly fell as another explosion rocked the ground beneath him.

Were they under attack?

***

‘Bloody hell look at that.’ Archie pointed from the lorry to a huge fireball that lit up the sky.

‘Fuck me that’s a big one.’ Lonny grinned as he turned off the motorway to Avonmouth. ‘Some big factory is going up my son, must be gas canisters or something.’

Harry James ducked as another huge clap echoed across the sky and was followed by a huge fountain of flames. ‘I think we are safe.’ He looked behind but couldn’t see any vehicles following them. ‘I’m not too sure about where we are going though.’

Lonny Gold pulled up about half a mile from Severn Beach. He looked over across the M5 and another fireball leapt into the air.

‘Boss, boss I saw someone on that tower thing.’ Archie was bouncing up and down on the passenger seat like a kid just entering a drive thru!

‘Where?’ Gold looked around.

‘I saw it too.’ Harry James jumped off the foot plate and onto the road. ‘They were getting off it pretty fast.’

‘Probably one of those naked nutters.’ Gold opened the driver’s door.

‘No boss it was clothed, whoever was up there was clothed.’ Archie slid across the seats and followed Gold out of the driver’s door.

‘You sure?’

‘He’s right, the person up there was wearing clothes.’ Harry James nodded over to Archie.

On that tower thing?’ Lonny Gold pointed over to the tall mast stood beside the motorway. He then made out the RAC sign.

‘Yes.’ Both Harry James and Archie answered in unison.

‘Get me those bins.’ Gold pointed back inside the cab.

‘Bins?’ Archie frowned.

‘Binoculars’ answered Harry James, ‘it’s short for binoculars.’ He pulled himself up into the cab and grabbed them from behind the driver’s seat.

Gold looked over to Archie, he slightly smiled, it was good to have Harry James back on board. Archie was loyal but he wasn’t the brightest of bulbs.

Harry James handed over the bins.

Gold walked over to a small opening in a fence and then pointed his binoculars towards the tower. Moving left and right he couldn’t see anything apart from decaying bodies and scavenging dogs.

Another blast lit up the sky and all three of them instinctively ducked.

‘Christ it’s the end of the fucking world.’ Archie looked across at a crouching Harry James.

Gold stood back up and continued to scan the area by the tower. Just as he was about to give up he could see movement on the far side of the building. Then his mouth opened, he couldn’t quite believe what he had just found.

‘Get back in the cab.’ He said calmly to Archie and Harry James without lowering the lenses.

‘Why boss?’ Archie tugged at Gold’s arm for the binoculars. ‘What’s there?’

‘Get in the cab.’ He shrugged Archie off.

Harry James jumped in and called over to Archie. ‘Come on let’s do as he says.’

‘Boss, let me look.’ Archie tugged again.

Gold turned around and grabbed Archie by the scruff of the neck and dragged him back to the lorry.

‘Boss, you’re hurting me.’ He tried to fight him off but to no avail.

‘Get in the fucking cab!’ He threw Archie against the open door. ‘We need to get over there fast.’ He virtually kicked Archie back inside and onto the passenger seat.

‘What’s over there?’ Harry James winced as he asked expecting a doughboy around the ear.

Lonny Gold ground the gears and pressed down hard on the gas. His eyes were bulging and his teeth were gritted. He then spat out his words. ‘The fucking truck, I have just seen our fucking truck over there by that fucking tower.’ He slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

‘I’m going to fucking kill ‘em, all of em.’

Chapter Twenty three

‘Over the roundabout and then take the next left.’ Jake was sat on the edge of the truck ready to pounce out and get to his house. He whirled his house keys around his finger. He kept these babies safe and sound all journey in his jeans pocket.

‘Be careful Butty Bach.’ Yanto patted him on the shoulder. ‘Remember they are everywhere, don’t lose your focus.’

Iris turned left into Hawkins Crescent.

‘Stop by here.’ Jake pointed to his house which on the outside still looked intact.

‘Shall I come with you?’ Angel put her hand on top of Jake’s larger one.

‘No, I won’t be long.’ He kissed her on the cheek. ‘In and out in two minutes.’

‘Not a second longer mind.’ Yanto said as Jake got out of the truck. ‘I don’t like leaving the horses unattended.’

‘Two minutes.’ Jake replied as he jogged over to his front door,

He stepped inside onto the carpet and instantly the familiar smells hit him, he was home. He headed straight upstairs and into the small bathroom. He pulled his top off and unbuttoned his jeans. Putting the plug in the sink he turned on both taps, he had been waiting for this for a few days now. Jake knew that there should be enough water in the system to fill the white porcelain sink, there was.

Cupping his hands he brought the cold water up to his face and he washed the grime off his skin, then he continued with the rest of his body. It felt fantastic, the dust turned to black silt and he washed it from his body. Jake walked to the airing cupboard and took out a clean towel, he dried his body and then sprayed himself with deodorant. That was the first time he had felt clean for nearly a month.

He grabbed his canvas kit bag from his spare bedroom and took a few items of clean clothing, he also put on a clean pair of combat trousers and a hoodie. Jake then took the photograph of Amber from his bedside cabinet and placed it on top of the clothes, he also unclipped the photo of his mother and father and slid the picture out.

He ran down the stairs and into the kitchen and opened the drawer directly under the hob. There he found his parents’ house keys and the keys his uncle gave him for ‘Old Mill’. Opening the door of the large American fridge he picked out an opened bottle of coke and unscrewed the top. It hissed into life and with four large gulps Jake drained the bottle of its liquid. He let out a burp and then wiped his lips,
that tasted mighty fine,
he thought to himself in an American accent.

Jake looked around, he felt safe, he felt as though he didn’t want to leave. He needed to collect one more thing, something for Amber. He ran back up the stairs and into her room, then it hit him. He was overcome with emotion, the sight of his little girl’s bed and fact he was actually in his house after such an arduous journey his feeling boiled over.

Kneeling at Ambers bed he cried, Jake kept looking up to see if anyone else had entered the house, he didn’t want anyone to see him in this state, especially Angel. Finally he composed himself and stood up, he could see what he had come upstairs for. On the shelf was a glass paperweight with a picture of him and Amber on holiday. She loved this and carried it with her when she visited her mother or went to friends for sleep overs. She liked it so much she made Jake buy two so she could keep one in Caldicot too at his parents’ house. He wasn’t sure what he'd find there so he was making sure he had one to give to her. He placed it carefully in his kit bag and zipped it up.

Jake got to the front door and opened it, he then looked back inside his house, he was sure he would never see it again. He closed the door behind him and stepped out onto his small front lawn. Before he could move the blast of the truck horn sounded and made Jake look up to where it was. Yanto then jumped out of the cab with a sword in his hand, Jake knew the Infected were close by.

‘To your left.’ The large Welshman shouted

Jake turned but it was too late, he was knocked to the floor and a naked woman was on top of him trying to bite his nose. It was only the kit bag that separated them and Jake pushed with all his might to dislodge her.

She fell off and rolled to the right and before she regained her footing Yanto sliced her in two with one almighty swipe.

‘More over there!’ Yanto shouted as another three naked figures appeared. ‘It’s too dangerous in these built up areas.’

Jake got up and ran towards the cab.

Yanto ran at the advancing figures and speared one as it pounced towards him. Just as he was about to slay the other two they fell to the ground arrows sticking out of there torsos.

‘Come on!’ Angel her bow in hand waved Yanto over. ‘We need to retreat.’

Yanto nodded and ripped the two arrows out of the infected bodies and made his way back to the truck.

‘Let’s get out of here.’ Iris O'Neil swung the truck around over someones flower bed and back onto the road. As she sped out of Hawkins Crescent the cumbersome vehicle smashed into two more bodies running at the big metal beast. They both exploded on impact and Iris needed to use the windscreen wipers to remove the blood and bits of brain.

‘Let’s get back to the horses and then down to the bridge.’ Jake handed out bottles of coke to everyone.

Yanto handed his back. ‘I don’t drink that muck Boyo.’

Jake smiled to himself,
he should have known.

***

‘Oh my God, are they tied up?’ Archie could see three horses tethered to a telegraph post.

‘Yep.’ Lonny Gold brought the massive lorry to a halt. ‘That’s not a bad way to get about is it?.’

‘I can’t ride a horse.’ Archie pulled a face disgusted at the thought.

Lonny laughed. ‘Neither can I. As soon as I could walk and get out of mother’s sight I was stealing cars.’

‘Whose are they?’ Harry James opened his passenger door.

All three walked over to the horses with a bit of hesitation.

‘Go and have a closer look.’ Lonny pushed Archie towards them.

‘What, me?’ He stopped moving forward. ‘They might bite.’,

‘For fucks sake.’ Harry James strode forward irritated at his companions continuous moaning,

‘See look, Harry’s a country boy, he knows what to do.’ Lonny clapped his hands. ‘Ride em cowboy!’

‘Boss take a look at this.’ Harry called him over.

‘What?’ Lonny looked at the bags and discarded coats.

Harry James picked up a small leather jacket.

‘That’s hers!’ Archie snatched it off his mate.

‘Who’s?’ Lonny still didn’t know what they were on about.

‘Hannah, the girl I like, it’s her coat.’

‘What!’ Lonny then grabbed it off Archie. He looked at the horses and then to the mud beneath his feet. ‘Look at these.’ He pointed to the big tyre tracks imprinted on the soil.

‘They are all here.’ Harry looked at Lonny.

‘Fucking bastards!’ Gold threw the coat away and walked back to the lorry. ‘Kill the horses!’ He yelled.

Archie glanced across to Harry James. ‘Did he say kill the horses?’

Before Harry could answer, Lonny Gold had opened up the lorry and the women came out one by one followed by the man himself holding his pistol.