It'll Come Back... (8 page)

‘We’re going to have to run for it,’ said Kate. She turned to Edith. ‘Just one last push, okay? Are you up for it?’

‘Am I ever,’ said the old lady. ‘Let’s go, dears.’

‘I can’t,’ said Lucy.

‘You can,’ said Louie and he grabbed her hand, the fingers of his free hand entwining hers.

Kate grasped Edith’s thin, papery hand and felt the old lady’s arthritic fingers squeeze hers. As they emerged from behind the building, out into the junction, the Dead’s gaze found them. The creatures staggered towards them, while the survivors ran on as fast as Edith’s frail body allowed.

The frontrunners would cut them off, Kate realised.

‘Go!’ yelled Phil as he broke from the group, speeding up towards the Dead. He swung his hammer into the head of the first one, taking out a chunk of skull. On to the next. And the next.

Kate sped on with the others. They reached the other side of the road. Lucy and Louie darted ahead and grabbed a trolley, pulling it out from the ones in front. With Lucy gripping the handle and Louie pulling it from the front, they wheeled the trolley back to Kate and Edith. Lucy held it steady while Louie and Kate lifted Edith up so that she could get her feet inside it. It was one of those small trolleys – about half the depth of a regular trolley, but there was still plenty of room inside for the tiny old lady. She settled herself down with her knees slightly bent in front of her body, and Louie grasped the handle beside Lucy.

‘Go!’ said Kate, glancing back to the junction. ‘I’ll catch up.’

As Louie and Lucy sped off pushing the trolley, Kate turned. Her eyes searched out Phil from within the crowd of Dead back the way they’d just come.

‘Phil!’ she cried.

Then she saw him, staggering along within the mob of Dead that approached her. Exhaustion had taken its toll on him and he dragged his feet, the hammer looking heavy in his hands. He raised the hammer and smashed out a chunk from a Dead’s head as it drew up beside him.

‘Come on!’ she called to him. ‘Run!’

But Phil didn’t run. He swung his hammer at a Dead to his left but his legs gave way beneath him. Kate dived towards the junction, fearing that the creatures around him would descend on him. She slammed her knife through the head of Dead, pulled the blade free and swung it to the left, through the ear of the next Dead. She kicked another one back, and stabbed another through the eye, clearing the way around Phil. There were more coming up behind but she ignored those and held her hand out to Phil, who grabbed it and she pulled him to his feet.

‘You okay?’ she said as they jogged away from the Dead that lurched after them. ‘Or do I have to get you a trolley?’

Phil managed a small smile as they ran, him only managing a loping trot. ‘I’m good,’ he said, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of a hand. ‘This has been a bit of a challenging day.’

‘You’re telling me.’

Kate and Phil jogged on, until they caught up with the others. Louie and Lucy had slowed their pace and Kate looked ahead to see why. Staggering towards them on the pavement came a group of around ten Dead. Kate glanced over her shoulder to see the rest of the Dead from the junction staggering up the road behind them.

‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ said Kate. ‘Are we not going to get a break today?’

With buildings to their left, a gridlocked road to the right, and the Dead in front and behind, the situation looked to be just about fucked.

‘I am not dying today!’ said Louie. He turned to look Lucy in the eye. She must have understood his intention because Kate saw the young girl nod at him. They grinned at each other before turning to face the way ahead. With their fingers clenched around the trolley’s handle, the pair broke into a run and sped forwards towards the oncoming Dead.

‘Louie! Lucy!’ yelled Kate as she and Phil darted down the pavement in pursuit.

‘That’s right,’ Kate heard Edith shout as she sat in the trolley, two chopping knives held either side of her body. ‘I’m ready for you, you dead bastards!’

Louie roared as he and Lucy rammed the trolley into the Dead, scattering them sideways. Edith managed to skewer one through the eye with one of her knives. In their wake, Kate and Phil stabbed and swiped the dazed Dead. The way ahead now clear, the group sped on, down New Dover Road and towards the outskirts of the city.

The gridlocked traffic stretched on until they reached the edge of the city. The right hand lane, with cars heading into Canterbury, began to clear first, but the left hand lane remained jammed with cars attempting to flee the city. Some of the drivers in the right hand lane had been in the process of trying to turn their cars around to ease into the left hand lane, only causing more problems. Finally, the group were able to see a clear section of road beyond a pile up.

‘That one,’ said Kate, nodding towards a blue Ford Fiesta across the road from them that wasn’t hemmed in.

Phil trotted towards it, opened the door and ducked his head inside. ‘No key,’ he said, pulling his head out and addressing the team. ‘Anyone know how to hotwire?’ No one spoke.

‘This one,’ said Lucy. She stood next to a silver Renault Scenic that had veered off the road and crashed into a hedge on the other side of the pavement. The driver’s side door stood open, and Lucy rested her right hand on top of it as she gazed inside the vehicle. ‘There’s a key in the ignition. Lots of blood too. But a key – yay!’

‘It’s perfect,’ said Kate, sidling up to her. ‘Can anyone actually drive because I can’t?’

‘No,’ said Lucy.

‘Yeah, me,’ said Phil.

‘You look like shit,’ said Kate. ‘No offense.’

Phil grinned at her, but it looked like it took effort to do so. ‘I’m okay,’ he said, wiping his pale, fevered brow with the back of his hand. Kate noticed that his fingers trembled.

‘I’ll drive,’ said Louie. ‘I can drive,’ he added when the others stared at him with wide eyes. ‘I’ve had loads of lessons.’

‘Okay, you’ll do,’ said Kate. She slid her knife through her belt then she, Edith and Lucy climbed into the back, while Phil took the passenger seat and Louie went round to the driver’s side. Lucy and Edith both stashed their weapons inside their backpacks which they placed down by their feet.

Louie, like Edith and Lucy, placed his hammer in his backpack, which he stowed in the foot space by Phil. He then turned the key in the ignition. The engine spluttered, stalled, then juddered to life.

‘Whoa… careful!’ said Kate, hanging onto the back of the passenger seat as Louie backed up too fast and threatened to crash into the vehicles behind. He reversed sharply to the left, then, with a screech of tyres on tarmac, the car speed off to the right and followed the road round to the left and towards Folkestone.

Kate glanced out the back window to catch sight of the Dead as they staggered up the road towards them.

‘Too late, fuckers,’ she muttered under her breath.

They travelled in silence for the first few miles, the car weaving in and around the stationary traffic on the A2. When they turned off the A2, the narrow county road they turned into was, for the most part, clear of other vehicles.

‘You-you been with your fella long?’ Lucy asked Kate after a while.

Kate turned her head to the left and eyed the young girl. She looked so small with her body pressed against the window and her eyelids heavy, like a child determined to stay up past bedtime even though they can hardly keep their eyes open. ‘Oh, uh, seven years.’

‘You must be happy together to last that long,’ said Lucy, managing a tiny smile that failed to brighten her pale, tear stained face.

Kate saw Louie cast a quick glance over his left shoulder towards Lucy. Kate had time to catch the smile they gave each other before Louie turned back to the road ahead.

‘Seven years, that’s nothing. Me and my Albert – God rest his soul – had forty glorious years together,’ Edith cut in before Kate could reply.

‘Awww bless, that’s sweet,’ said Lucy. She leaned forwards in her seat slightly, reached her right hand across Kate, who sat between them, and gave one of Edith’s hands a little squeeze, before settling back in her seat once more.

‘By “glorious years” I mean I talked too much and he was half deaf. We were the perfect match,’ added Edith and Kate couldn’t help a sad smile forming on her lips.

With tall trees flagging either side of the road, the interior of the car grew dim. Kate allowed her heavy eyelids to close, unable to fight the weariness the madness of the day had evoked. Small breaks between the branches of the trees allowed in shots of sunlight that beat rhythmically on her eyelids, creating a strobe effect that further induced a trance-like state in Kate. Just a little rest – just to gather strength for what might be waiting for them back in Folkestone. She wasn’t home yet.
Home
.
Was it home anymore
?
Was it
–

‘Mate – you okay? Mate…’

The panic in Louie’s voice forced Kate’s eyes open and she shot up in her seat. Kate saw Phil slumped forwards with his head lolled to one side at an awkward angle.

‘Is he asleep?’ she asked.

‘He was awake a second ago,’ said Louie. ‘Then he just sort of flopped.’

Kate leaned forwards and placed a hand on Phil’s shoulder from behind.

‘Phil? Phil, are you okay?’ she said. ‘Phil?’

‘Mate… Phil, you okay?’ Louie took his eyes off the road to glance at the older man. ‘Mate…’ Louie shuffled forwards in his seat a little, trying to get a good look at the unconscious man’s face.

Phil sat up – bolt upright. He turned his head to glare at Louie. Kate caught a glimpse of his profile; she saw the bared teeth as Phil – it – snapped at the young boy.

‘Fuck me!’ shrieked Louie. He lost control of the wheel in his shock, but tried to right it.

In order to stop Phil, or what used to be Phil from attacking Louie, Kate lurched forwards and grasped Phil’s shoulders from behind, holding the dead man back in his seat and away from the young boy as he struggled to control the car.

‘Lucy, Edith – one of you stab him in the fucking head or something!’ said Kate as she strained against the writhing dead man.

‘It’s Phil–’

‘Lucy, it’s not Phil anymore!’

‘But what’s happened to him?’ sobbed Lucy. ‘He was fine–’

They sped around a corner and Lucy screamed as around eight to ten Dead blocked the country road, some of them feeding from two mangled bodies in the left hand lane.

‘Watch out!’

Louie turned the wheel to the right sharply and the car swerved and hit a tree at the side of the road. Louie flew forwards and slammed into the wheel, while Dead Phil was propelled out of Kate’s grasp. The dead man’s head smashed into the windscreen, leaving a spider web-like crack in the glass before he turned and lunged at Louie. The boy had his back rammed up against the side window, trying to put as much space between him and Phil as possible. There was no escape and Phil sank his teeth into Louie’s throat. The boy screamed, the noise becoming a gargle as Phil tore through his flesh and into his windpipe. Lucy screamed – the noise filling the confined space of the car and piercing Kate’s eardrums.

‘Oh my!’ cried Edith.

Louie fell silent and still. But only for a moment. His eyes shot open.

‘Fuck! Get out! Get the fuck out!’ cried Kate.

She reached for her knife but at that moment, Louie launched himself over the back seat. He landed across Kate’s lap, and she thrust her hands up to fend him off. He ignored Kate, wrapped a dead hand around Edith’s neck and bit into the side of her face. He tore out a chunk of flesh. The old lady screamed in agony and raised a hand to her cheek, feeling around the hole in her face while blood poured from it. Louie snarled and went for Edith’s throat but Kate shot out the palms of her hands, grasping Louie’s shoulders to hold him back.

Phil had wedged himself between the passenger door and his seat as he attempted to squeeze through to get to Lucy while she fumbled with the door. Phil had one arm through the gap but, try as he might, he couldn’t get his head through. His teeth snapped at her while his hand grabbed and pinched at her flesh and Lucy had no choice but to give up on opening the door in order to hold his stray hand off.

Beside Lucy, Kate held the dead boy’s jaws away from Edith’s flesh, while the old lady flailed around in the back seat, trying to wriggle out from beneath him.

‘Open the door, Edith!’ yelled Kate.

But at that moment, Edith caught Kate in the side of the head with her bony elbow. Kate lost her grip on Louie and the dead boy lurched forwards, sinking his teeth into Edith’s jugular. The old lady tried to scream but all that came out was a wet gasping sound. Her frail body was pinned beneath Louie as the dead boy tore at her crepey skin.

Now that she had the chance, Kate slid her knife from her belt and rammed her blade through Louie’s head. Edith’s body had already gone still beneath the boy, and Kate knew it was too late for her.

Phil gave up on trying to get to Lucy by his current method and launched himself through the gap between the two front seats. Kate raised a foot, placing the sole of her boot on Phil’s chest to keep him back while she pulled her blade free from Louie’s head. Lucy had the door open and Kate felt the young girl’s fingers on her arm, tugging at her.

‘Come on, Kate!’ she cried.

Kate kicked Phil back but before she could manoeuvre herself to get out of the car, Edith’s eyes shot open. The old lady sprang out from under Louie’s body.

Kate swung her knife at Edith’s head at the same moment as Lucy stuck her hands beneath her armpits and pulled. Kate’s blade missed Edith’s head and went through the back of the seat while the old lady landed on her lower body. Phil launched himself over the seats and into the back of the car. Kate pulled the blade free and kicked her feet, lashing out at the two Dead with her knife and the fist of her free arm as she slid backwards over the leather seat.

She flailed wildly but can’t have hit her mark as both Edith and Phil kept coming at her. Her arm hit something – the door frame, maybe – her leg scraped against something. She felt a pain somewhere on her body. Then, as she tumbled backwards out of the car, she knocked Lucy to the ground and the pair sprawled onto the tarmac. For a moment, she didn’t know which way was up and which was down.

As Edith and Phil both made to dive out the door after them, Kate used her foot to kick the door closed, and the two Dead hit the window head first. They slammed their dead hands against the glass.

The Dead on the road outside staggered towards the two women.

‘Shit,’ said Kate as she lay on her back on the tarmac. She felt around for her knife but had lost it in the fall from the car and she couldn’t locate it. ‘Move!’ she said to Lucy.

Exhausted, the two women scrambled on their hands and knees until they reached the cool, ivy covered dirt at the side of the road. Kate used a tree to help her battered body up onto its feet, before helping Lucy up. The women clung on to each other for a moment, the Dead approaching ever closer. Kate pulled back.

‘Come on, through here,’ she said, indicating the trees, and the field beyond. But Lucy’s foot caught on the exposed roots of a tree and she sprawled to the ground before she even got going. One of the Dead lurched forwards in a rugby-style tackle and caught her by the ankle.

‘Kate!’ she cried.

Before Kate could get to her, another Dead launched itself onto the young girl’s back and bit into her shoulder. Lucy screamed in agony as the Dead ripped her flesh from her body.

‘One bite. Just one bite and you’re infected,’ said Kate as she backed away from the sight of the Dead swarming Lucy.

‘Kate! Don’t leave me!’

‘Just one fucking bite…’

‘KATE! KATE! Please, don’t leave me! KATE!’

‘Just one fucking bite and it’s over. Shit.’ Kate put her hand across her mouth as she stifled a sob, Lucy’s screams ringing in her ears.
That’s what happened to Phil
, she thought,
he got bitten hours ago, and because he’d not been killed outright, the infection itself killed him. Only those killed by their attackers turn straight away. Others are ticking time bombs
. ‘Shit. Shit. Shit.’

She stood for a moment and watched as two of the Dead lurched through the trees after her, while the rest feasted on Lucy, her screams becoming less as the life was torn from her. Kate took a deep breath, though it came out ragged and shaken. She considered giving herself to the Dead, just giving in, but she thought better of it. She turned and, with renewed desperation to be home with Andrew, she ran towards Folkestone – towards home. She would make it. Nothing would stop her, not now. Not now.