The Dust: Book Three - Sanctum (7 page)

It’s funny how quickly you can bored of life’s edible treats. He remembered a holiday to Ibiza about ten years ago, just before Amber was born.

An all exclusive extravaganza. As much as you can eat and drink for two weeks solid. By day eight he had enough of lobster, enough of steak. He had his fill of pizza and French fries. Enough of the endless cocktails and pints of lager. All he had longed for was to get back to Blighty and a nice cup of tea and a piece of toast.

He smiled to himself.
Holidays were now a thing of the past.

‘Right my little one; it’s time to make tracks.’ He kissed Amber on the cheek. ‘Same as before.’

‘Yes I know, stay close and shout if I see anything.’ Amber interrupted him.

Jake nodded. ‘You’re getting cheekier by the day.

‘Young Red!’ Amber called out.

The small terrier scarpered out of the kitchen and ran around her feet.

Jake walked outside into the car park. He looked skyward, dark clouds were moving in. It hadn’t rained once since he woke up in Scotland, nearly two months ago. Maybe the season was turning; summer rain beckoned.

They walked briskly across the parking area and onto the sandy road, which made its way up to the main road.
Vehicles, they needed some transport.

‘We need a caravan park.’

‘Why?’ Amber quizzed.

‘Where there are caravans, there are cars. Where there are caravan parks, there will be keys to the cars.’ It was a long shot, but it was the only shot they had.

Walking in the centre of the roads, away from the doorways and alleys, Jake never kept his eyes away from the shadows where danger lurked. The quicker they got out of these narrow streets, the better.

As they reached the crossroads at end of the main road, Jake had to make a decision on which way to go. Right led them back down to the beach, and left looked as though it doubled back up to another road, full of shops that sold postcards and sticks of rock.

Straight on it was then.

‘Psssssst.’ The noise came from the alleyway next to the butchers. At first Jake thought it was Amber.

‘Did you say something?’

Amber shook her head.

Jake looked down at Young Red who was sat on the pavement, wagging his tail waiting for the next move of his new owners.

‘Psssssst.’ The noise came again, and this time Jake knew he wasn’t hearing things.

‘Let’s go.’ He wasn’t going to hang around to find out who, or what, it was. Yanking Amber’s hand he crossed the road.

‘Look Daddy, look.’ Amber suddenly started to pull in the opposite direction.

‘No, this way.’ He tried to tug her but the little girl showed fierce resistance.

She started to laugh. ‘The man’s naked.’

The word
naked
rang alarm bells and Jake searched for his knife. Spinning around, and keeping Amber well and truly behind him, he faced the unclothed monster.

‘I mean you no harm.’ The wild haired man cackled. ‘I’m a friend.’

Jake held the knife out. In front of him was a naked man in his late fifties, long scraggily grey hair and a beard to match. His teeth were nicotine brown; his naked body was smeared with what looked like mud.

Amber popped her head from around Jakes legs and screamed when confronted with the nakedness.

‘Oops.’ The crazy man jumped in the air and cupped himself as he landed. ‘So sorry, didn’t see the ankle biter.’ Again he let out a cackle.

‘Who are you?’ Jake shouted. Confused at a naked body that was actually talking, he didn’t know whether to run or attack.

‘Pip.’ The man jumped into the air once more.

Jake stepped back. ‘Pip?

The older man moved closer.

Jake thrust out his knife. ‘Stay where you are.’

Young Red started to bark at the stranger.

‘Friend, I’m a friend.’ Pip danced on the paving stones. ‘Follow Pip.’ He waved his arms. ‘Bring the doggy, too.’

Jake stood still and watched the wrinkly man trot down the street.

‘Come now, follow Pip.’ He stopped and beckoned them with both arms, forgetting about Amber. He apologised once again and quickly covered his modesty.

Jake and Amber didn’t move.

‘Come follow Pip.’ He was more insistent this time. ‘Danger out here.’ He looked up at the shops and the first floor windows. ‘Everywhere.’

‘Let’s go with him, Daddy.’ Amber pushed her dad in the backside. She didn’t like the dark streets, and she could feel them closing in.

‘Pip wants to look after you. Would you like some food? Hot food.’ He turned away again.

This made Jake think. He hadn’t eaten anything hot since dining with Yanto. They had taken a chance on him and it had paid off.

‘Come on.’ Pip waved again, this time one handed. This was followed by a giggle. ‘Apples. I have fresh apples.’

Jake looked down at Amber.

‘I like him.’ She said, smiling. ‘He’s funny.’

Jake looked around, the clouds were getting darker and lower. The whole place was starting to feel oppressive. ‘Come on then.’ He started to follow Pip. ‘Only for some hot food though. Then we leave.’

Jake, Amber and Young Red disappeared down the side alley of the butchers shop and into the shadows.

***

Emma Davis slowed down as she reached the check point. This was the fourth one today, and she had only travelled from Bristol to Cirencester.

The man in white overalls pointed his gun at the car. ‘Open the window.’ He shouted.

Winding the window down of the Land Rover, Davis handed over the laminated card that had been on the dashboard.

Willoughby had the idea of identification cards for every member of the Purebloods. This was to make it easy for each of them to travel the country and impossible for those without one. With the right equipment and know-how they were easy to make, but without any power and organisation it was nigh on impossible.

The Purebloods had the upper hand at the moment and they knew it.

The checkpoint guard looked at the ID card and passed it back. ‘Okay you’re free to go.’

Davis released the clutch and wound the window up. It would take another fifteen or so minutes to get to Bourton on the Water, and a meeting with the Doyen and Willoughby.

She was supposed to be meeting him back at base camp in Bristol, but everyone had moved to Bourton where a large clan of Infected had gathered. It was going to be
Showtime
and Davis couldn’t wait. The thrill of the fight turned her on, and she felt invincible with a gun at her side and men to order about.

Christ I love this new world.
She couldn’t stop smiling.

Leaving the Land Rover with the many other vehicles on the outskirts of the picturesque town, she was escorted into the battle area by two young guards.

‘Over there.’ One pointed.

Emma Davis looked over at the small crowd gathered by the memorial statue, just in front of the shallow river.

Willoughby noticed her marching towards the gathering and met her half way. ‘Emma my dear.’ He shook her hand. ‘Sorry to drag you out here.'

‘What’s going down?’ She looked over his shoulder at the many armed Purebloods chomping at the bit.

‘We pushed about fifty or so of the Infected up to this town. Little did we know that about the same number had ransacked the town, moving south from the midlands. Now we have a hundred or so mutant savages creating holy hell.’ Willoughby handed her some ammunition. ‘You’ll need some of this.’

Davis was delighted, she wasn’t sure if she was going to be asked to join the hunt. ‘Thank you sir.’

‘You wanted a meeting with the Doyen?’

‘Just an update as to what is happening down at Taunton.’ Davis rolled her eyes.

‘Trouble?’ Willoughby asked.

‘Doctor Robert; he is a law unto himself.’

‘That he is.’ Willoughby laughed. ‘The trouble is, he is the highest ranking medical officer we have. That means.’

Davis cut in, knowing what the next part of Willoughby’s sentence would be. ‘We have to turn a blind eye.’ She sighed. ‘But I honestly think he isn’t doing his job correctly. He is spending way too much time saving people that are of no use to us, and ignoring the other task.’

‘To try and control the Infected?’

‘Yes. The whole facility is overcrowded, and four of our staff have already been killed in the past three days. It’s a catastrophe waiting to happen.’

Willoughby took on a more serious stance. ‘Well that’s different, we can’t have that. Maybe we need to visit Doctor Robert for a little chat.’

‘If you think that would help.’ She paused. ‘I doubt it though; the man seems to enjoy antagonising anyone who tries to tell him what to do.’

‘Okay, we have a problem, I can see that.’ He smiled at the young, exuberant Emma Davis. What he was about to say next was only going to add to her on-going problems at Taunton. ‘We have more bodies to send down to Robert.’

Davis said nothing, she just slowly nodded.

‘They need to be looked at. Infected bodies that seemed to have died from natural causes.’ Willoughby looked behind him as screams could now be heard.

‘Okay, I can see that is urgent. Perhaps you or the Doyen could come with me. Back to Taunton.’

Willoughby was about to answer when more screams and some shouting were followed by pushing and a few gunshots.

Davis could see something was happening; steel pipes and planks of wood were flying through the air towards the front line.

‘Incoming!’ One of the Purebloods shouted.

‘Willoughby.’ The Doyen called over to his number two.

‘Come on,’ He took Emma’s arm. ‘It’s all going to kick off.’

Emma cocked her automatic rifle. Now was the time to forget about Doctor Robert and his insubordination. The time had come to scalp some of the filth that had ruined their sacred land.

***

Jake gazed around at the dark dank stone walls of the cellar. The stench of rotting food was almost unbearable, but Pip had insisted they move deeper into the tunnel where he had
something special
to show them.

Young Red had sat in the doorway, crying. He refused to go any further. His nose twitching, he could smell danger. He lay down on the floor, whining after the little girl.

‘I don’t like it, daddy.’ Amber felt the cold wet stone as she put her hand out to feel her way. ‘We should stay with Young red.’

Jake was beginning to think this was a massive mistake.
Why follow this stranger into a tunnel?

It was a major bad call so he stopped. ‘Shall we leave?’

Amber nodded her head.

They both turned around when Pip suddenly sprang back into view. ‘We have something for you.’ He scampered around them both, now facing them and grinning like a crazed madman. ‘Look.’ He held out his wrinkly hand; in the middle of it was a fresh, cold apple.

Jake’s eyes widened. ‘Where did you get that?’

‘Follow me, follow me.’ The wild looking stranger tugged at his arm and led them back in the opposite direction.

They only walked about twenty paces around a sharp bend and they found themselves in a large room. Twenty or so white candles hung on the wall, the hot wax dangling and dripping below each one. Jake could see other figures moving in the murky corners.

‘Who’s that?’ He asked.

‘Meredith and her baby, she’s feeding it.’ He pointed to a bundle of rags where Jake had seen the initial movement. ‘And that’s big Mike the butcher. This is his shop.’ Pip pointed to another dark corner of the room where the shadows seemed to move.

Jake could see a very large man, in height and weight. He was lying on a dirty duvet, scratching his stubbled face as he stirred in his sleep. ‘Anyone else?’

‘Nope.’Pip jumped into the air again as if receiving an electric shock. ‘Just us.’ He leaped over to the boxes of food and threw Jake an orange. ‘Catch!’ He shouted.

Jake caught it one handed and immediately started to peel the skin off. ‘Where exactly are we?’ He looked around, squinting through the candlelight. It was like one of those underground bunkers you would see in an old black and white war film.

‘Under the shops.’ Pip grinned again, his rotting teeth on full show. He sniggered and moved closer to Jake. ‘Where the rats used to live.’

Jake could hear a rumble, as if a tank was passing on the road above. ‘What’s that noise?’

‘Pitter patter, pitter patter. The rain comes today.’ Pip started to dance.

Amber laughed as she ate a segment of juicy orange. ‘You’re funny.’

‘You might as well live with us now.’ Pip pointed a bony finger at Jake. ‘You don’t want to go out there. The rain; it will burn, it will sting. Full of the devils fire.’ He twirled around as if he was a magician about to pull a white dove out of a top hat.

Jake looked above at the stone ceiling. It sounded as if the rain was hammering down, bouncing off the cobbles. The crazy old man might have a point.

Jake had never heard of the
devil’s fire.
It might be the acid in the rain from the volcanic ash fallout. He wasn’t sure and he wasn’t going to find out. For now, in the short term, he and Amber would remain underground. As soon as the rain passed though, they would be out of this cellar and moving south.

***

Emma Davis ran through the shallow stream in pursuit of the two naked figures; only moments before they had been attacking one of her fellow Pureblood soldiers. If it wasn’t for her short burst of gunfire above the melee they would have surely killed him.

She stopped, steadied her aim and fired again. Both the infected bodies burst like water balloons; the water beneath them filled with blood and shattered bone.

‘Davis!’

The shout came from her right and she immediately looked across.

It was Waters. A shaven headed, six foot three, mean, lean fighting machine. They had met a week earlier, when they had been clearing out the centre of Bristol. The guy was an animal; an arrogant, cold blooded murderer who, like herself, relished this new harsh world where the Purebloods were kings.

Emma Davis could see him pointing over at two white buildings that lay on the left hand side of the stream. She nodded. Stepping out of the cold water, she ran up behind him to give covering fire.