The Dust: Book Three - Sanctum (24 page)

Roger knew the young girl was right.

Naomi removed her shirt and tore off the sleeve. ‘Use this, tie it hard.’

‘I know what to do.’ Roger started to wrap the make shift tourniquet just above the gunshot wound. ‘Thank you.’

Naomi nodded, and then in the blink of an eye she was gone.

Roger slumped back into the longer grass. His battle was over.

***

Davis looked behind her for the Doyen, but he couldn’t be seen. She was glad of that; he would only slow her down.

Spraying bullets left right and centre; the infected were being felled like rotten trees.

‘You over there.’ She ordered the stocky man to her left.

‘You, big guy. Stay behind me.’ The large Welshman guarded the rear of Davis.

Moving across the rocks, she mopped up everything that came her way. She could see the small gorge where the infected were slaughtering the Purebloods, and she decided a full on offensive was needed.

Running like the wind she bounced from boulder to boulder, shooting on sight. The Welshman was behind her, crushing anything she left living.

The stocky scouser was struggling to keep up though. Twice Davis had to shoot infected filth that was close to him. The third time he wasn’t so lucky.

Just as Davis was in reaching distance of the gorge, the scouser slipped on the granite that was now drenched with blood. That was it, his guard slipped. Two young girls pounced, and ripped him to shreds. His skin was peeled from his skull, and his brains were tossed for the seagulls to fight over.

Davis was unaware of his demise, and she didn’t much care anyway. She littered the gorge edge with bullets, and they ricocheted their way down into the crevice, killing many.

‘Kill.’ Was all she yelled at the Welshman. That was enough.

He leapt into the air and disappeared down into the abyss. Davis was impressed. Single handily they had changed the course of the battle, once again to their advantage.

Naked bodies shattered onto the jagged rocks below; he kicked and punched them into oblivion. Those who tried to escape by getting out met Davis and her trusty machine gun.

A few paces behind, she was now joined by the Doyen. ‘I knew we could do it.’ He cheered. ‘Bravo Davis, bravo.’

***

Jeremiah Rosser scaled the north face of the giant rock and pulled himself onto the summit. There he could see her. In all her glory she was standing on the blood soaked stone, shooting the defenceless.

‘Right Leila K, your time has come.’ He slowly moved a little closer. He didn’t want to miss; he wanted to actually see her demise through his gun sight.

Crawling a few inches closer, Jeremiah shifted slightly to gain a comfortable position. He checked his rifle, is was loaded and ready to fire. The sun shone down on the back of his neck, and he could feel his skin tingling. He pressed the stock up to his shoulder and took aim.

His finger danced over the trigger, and he curled it around the metal pin.

He squeezed. The gun rang out over Haytor, but Davis was still standing.

Jeremiah found himself on his back, and he couldn’t understand why. He could feel pressure around his left ankle. He looked down. An infected female was just about to bite a chunk out of his shin.

‘Jesus Christ!’ He shouted. Fumbling with the gun, he tried to get it steady to shoot off his attacker.

It was too late. The teeth sank into his skin and bit hard. Jeremiah kicked out at the woman’s face, but she hung on like an Alabama tick.

Her teeth stayed locked to his leg, and her jaw kept tightening.

Jeremiah could feel his shin bone being scraped by her teeth.

He twisted and turned, but she was too strong for him. He could feel the pressure on his bone; the pain was too much. Jeremiah could feel himself passing out.

Angel sliced open the white overalls with her small kitchen knife. Before the Pureblood could advance any further she plunged it deep into the man’s chest.

Jake came down hard on the Pureblood’s head with the handle of his pistol. With one great heave, he then dispatched him off the side of Haytor rock and onto the granite below.

‘Shit, its Jeremiah!’ Angel could see her friend being attacked only yards away from them.

Before Jake could look, she was off.

One hard kick with her boot and Jeremiah’s attacker rolled off the farmer’s body. Another kick to the face and the infected female was spitting teeth. Before the woman could counter attack, Angel had sliced her throat.

‘You okay?’ She looked back at the old farmer.

He winced; the pain still searing.

Jake skidded across the granite and dropped to Jeremiah. He lifted up the old man’s leg and inspected the wound. ‘You’ll live, just.’ He winked.

‘Is it bad?’

‘A flesh wound. Down to the bone, but nothing a good wash and a bandage won’t sort out.’ Jake looked over at Angel. It would need stitches, but it was pointless in worrying the old man too much.

Gun fire broke out once again. Shards of rock flew through the air, and the trio ducked for cover.

‘Leila K!’ Jeremiah shouted out, pointing in the direction of Emma Davis.

Angel fired back, but couldn’t see anybody.

Jake snaked his way to the left to get a better view. He could just about make out two figures with guns firing generally in their direction.

He fired a few shots over but there were too many rocks in the way. That had been a big mistake. Gunfire now rained down on him hard.

‘Over here!’ Angel shouted across to Jeremiah. ‘Can you move?’

Ignoring the pain, Jeremiah shuffled towards Angel who had found shelter behind a craggy boulder.

Jake turned to reload his gun when he came face to face with a set of white overalls.

‘Don’t shoot!’ The man yelled. ‘I mean you no harm.’

Jake ignored the pitiful pleas, and grabbed the man wrestling him to the ground. He looked into his eyes. The man was petrified. He was also unarmed. Knowing that the end result might mean the man’s death, Jake made a conscious decision not to talk to him. He didn’t want to make any connection to a man he would murder.

Pulling the man to his feet, he dragged him from behind the cover of the rocks.

‘Over here!’ He cried out to the other Purebloods. ‘One more shot and he gets it.’

Jake had one arm around the man’s neck. His other hand was gripping a pistol that was pointed at the man’s head.

‘Please, please don’t kill me.’ The hostage spluttered.

‘Shut up!’ Jake shouted. He started to move slowly in the direction of Angel and Jeremiah.

Then the two figures that had been firing at him stood up.

Jake stopped. ‘I will shoot him!’ He yelled.

The taller figure lowered his gun.

Jake started to move again. He looked over at Angel who was beckoning him to move faster.

Jeremiah, who had been inspecting his wound, looked up at Jake and the prisoner. ‘Bloody hell, it’s the doc.’

Under Jake’s arm was Doctor Robert.

Emma Davis, who hadn’t lowered her gun, stood firm. She then took aim.

***

‘Harry, slow down.’ Naomi shouted. She then shot an infected woman at point blank range. Blood sprayed everywhere, drenching her in the process.

‘Harry James!’ She again shouted after him.

Harry James had the bit between his teeth. Using a gun he had found in throes of battle, he shot his way to the gorge.

Purebloods, infected; whoever stood in his way fell.

Slamming another bullet into a naked body, he started to climb the rock face.

‘Harry James!’

He instantly recognised the female voice from below. It was Naomi. He assumed she had stayed with Roger.

‘Wait for me.’

He could see her running to the small opening.

Harry found a good place to rest his feet. He looked down again to see if Naomi had started climbing. He couldn’t see her, his heart raced. Then he could hear her scream.

He scrambled back down the rock face calling out as he went. ‘Naomi, hang on!’

Naomi was pinned to the floor. A naked male pensioner held both her wrists, his teeth snapping together as he drew closer.

Trying to kick out, she wriggled and heaved with all her might. It was no use; the man was too big and heavy.

Drool fell from the side of his mouth and landed on Naomi’s cheek. He gazed at her eyes, twinkling in the sunlight. They looked delicious, he imagined them bursting in his mouth.

As he opened his jaw, the foul stench of his breath hit Naomi’s nose. She twitched as the foul acrid air filled her nostrils.

Their noses touched, he sniffed her skin. It was pure, unsullied and divine.

As he about to strike Naomi closed her eyes. This was it, she would soon be in her mother’s arms again. Then the weight of the body pinning her down had disappeared.

She opened her eyes; the man had gone.

Harry James rugby tackled the man as he tried to slip away. Using his foot to pin the savage to the floor, he drew his gun and fired. The pensioner was dead.

Harry looked over to Naomi. She gazed back over to him, he had saved her life.

He wiped the blood from his hands and started to walk over to her.

‘Are you okay?' She asked quietly.

Harry nodded as he was too out of breath to talk.

‘Thank you.’ She smiled. ‘Shall we try again?’

‘To climb the rock?’ Harry James puffed.

‘I mean us.’

Harry looked confused. ‘Us?’ He ushered them both into the shadow of the gorge.

‘Shall we start again?’ She wiped the drops of blood from his face. ‘I haven’t been fair on you; none of us have. You have tried so hard to fit in.’

‘It’s okay, I understand.’ He looked up at the rock face.

‘I’m sorry.’ Naomi held Harry James’s hand.

He looked at her and smiled.

Then blood poured from his mouth, and he slumped into Naomi’s arms.

She screamed, and nearly buckled under the weight.

‘Harry! Harry, what’s happened?’ She then stopped asking, as the large metal spike protruding from his back answered her questions.

Naomi went to the ground, cradling him in her arms. ‘Harry, Harry, please don’t die.’

Harry James said nothing. He was dead.

***

‘What are you doing?’ The Doyen could see Davis sizing up the man holding the doctor.

‘The time has come.’ She squeezed the trigger.

‘Jesus!’ The Doyen recoiled in horror as the head of the man in white overalls exploded.

‘You have shot the doctor!’ He yelled.

Davis took another shot at the renegade, but he had vanished.

‘You idiot!’ The Doyen couldn’t believe what she had done.

‘No sir, you’re the idiot.’ Davis loaded another full magazine.

Before he could do anything, they came under heavy fire.

The renegades were launching a counter attack

Davis fired back, but stumbled on the wet surface.

The Doyen was joined by the large Welshman, who also started to shoot in the direction of the attack.

Jake went right, using quick bursts he made good headway. He was still in shock at losing his hostage. He was sure the female Pureblood had shot him on purpose.

Angel was now in reaching distance of the gorge. Spraying bullets, she kept the enemy at bay.

Davis could see this was a situation with only one outcome. There would be no way back if she stayed and fought.

'What the hell are you doing?’ The Doyen asked.

‘Getting the hell out. And if you have any sense, you will do the same.’ She waited for a lull. Davis then got up and ran.

‘Over there!’ Angel screamed at Jake.

He immediately opened fire.

They both watched as the woman just jumped into the ravine. There was no way anyone could have survived that.

Angel focused back on the others. Suppressing fire was useless, but she got a glimpse of one of the Purebloods.

‘Yanto!’ She called out excitedly.

‘What?’ Jake called back.

‘It’s Yanto.’ She pointed at the rocks.

‘Yanto!’ They both called out.

It was no use. The two Pureblood’s just kept firing back.

‘Yanto!’ Jake called out. ‘It’s us, Angel and Jake.’

Still no shouting came back in their direction.

‘Yanto!’ Angel took a turn to call out to her former friend. ‘It’s me, your little Cariad.’

The firing stopped.

‘Remember Thunderchild.’ Angel knew how he loved that horse.

The Doyen turned to the large man who was kneeling next to him. ‘Concentrate on the job, soldier.’ He barked.

Yanto had his hand on his forehead. He was rubbing it vigorously. Then, with the palm of his hand, he started to slap his forehead. It was if he was trying to bring back his memories.

‘Soldier!’ The Doyen was now yelling in his face. ‘If you don’t start fighting, I will shoot you myself.’

‘Remember the Severn Bridge. The big battle on the beach.’ Angel was trying to think of the last things he did, before being struck down.

‘Your friend Mags. The café on Newport station. You worked there with him.’ Jake was trying to remember all the tales Yanto had told him.

The Doyen stood up and blasted everything in front of him. ‘Come on!’ He cried, as the gun started smoking.

Yanto looked over to the man firing the gun. He then looked at himself.

Why was he wearing white overalls? Why was he with a man shooting at other people? Why wasn’t he with his friends?

He stood up and looked over the Haytor rocks.
How the hell had he got here?’

The Doyen was now out of control. Foam excreted from the sides of his mouth. A look of crazed bloodlust gripped his face.

Yanto could see Jake taking cover from the other side of the rocks. He was confused, but he knew this wasn’t where he wanted to be.

‘Fire your fucking gun.’ The Doyen growled at him.

Yanto looked at the automatic rifle in his left hand.

‘Fire it, you fucking Welsh freak!’ The Doyen screamed.

Yanto was confused, but he remembered the country he came from. ‘That was a mistake.’ He said quietly.

‘What!’ The Doyen could hear the man next to him mumbling, but the roar of the gun muffled his voice.

Without saying one more word, Yanto threw down his gun. He then grabbed the Doyen and lifted him up.