The Grave: A Zombie Novel (22 page)

“M
aybe they found another food source?” said Tug, his hands on his hips. The rain gushed behind him and filled the street. Small rivers were forming and running through the town, swamping the roads and pavements.

“Maybe they’re like magic and
don’t have to eat to keep going,” said Tricia. “They were never properly studied as you say.”

Tug snorted and waved away Tricia’s comments dismissively.
“We need to find the scientist’s base further south to get any real answers. The speed you lot are moving at, it’s a good job we didn’t decide to head in their direction, it’d take us weeks. I guess they would know though if you want some real answers. They certainly should by now, since they’ve been at it for years now.”

Will leant
over the sofa as Mark slowly flicked through images he had captured. Will found the variety and intensity captured, both frightening and fascinating in equal measure. He saw the Deathless pouring from the hills, bloodthirsty faces snapping at the camera, bright coloured flowers growing amid decayed buildings and the ramshackle homes. Then there was one of him cradling the pregnant Weta. Maybe Rasmus had a point; life always seemed to find a way.

Mark continued scanning his images until he was stopped.
“Wait,” said Will as Mark was about to press to move onto the next image.

“What is it?” Marks studied the picture to see what had captured Will’s attention. It looked horrific yet ordinary. He had taken it as they were driving away on the golf cart. Several of the Deathless were loping after them, and a couple of them were lying o
ver something on the ground.

Kelly
leant over and drew in a sharp breath as she saw what Will had seen. “There, you see those two on the ground.” She pointed a delicate finger at the screen.

“Yeah, they look like they’re eating something,” said Mark. He still hadn’t seen what they had
and wasn’t sure he wanted to.

“They’re eating something all right,” said Will. “But it’s not one of
us, is it? We know it’s not Rasmus, he was nowhere near us.”

“
So...so who is it?” Mark zoomed in on the hideous image, reluctant to go too far, but inquisitive about what was under those two dead things.

“One of their own would be my guess,” said Kelly. “Je
sus. If they’ve turned cannibal that would go some way to explaining their longevity. I mean, perhaps they find other Deathless who aren’t as...decayed, and feast on them; a bit like in the wild. There are some animals, crocodiles for example, who will eat their own. It’s not unheard of. It’s quite natural in a way. If the Deathless are doing the same then they’re going to be around a hell of a lot longer than we are.”

“There’s nothing natural about them
. They don’t obey the laws of the universe like you and me. You know, we really do need to get going,” said Tug. He rolled his head on his shoulders, flexing all his tendons and muscles.

“Maybe they’re just thinning out the competition. Kill off the weaker ones so there’s more food for the stronger ones?” Will stood and stretched, his neck making cracking sounds as he extended it. He chose to ignore Tug.
Hunching over the sofa had not been comfortable. Neither had looking at the vivid images Mark had taken.

“Whales can go several months without eating and a crocodile over a year. Who knows what these things can do.” Kelly looked away from the screen too, unable to look at it anymore. The Deathless had been covered in gore. Red muscle and tissue had been torn from the body and thrown all around them. The contrast to the bright and deep greens of the trees and bushes next to them only served to heighten the image’s power.

“They’re not things, they’re people,” said Suzy. “Their biology is the same as ours.”

Claire had recovered and taken some sips of water from Suzy. She sat listening to the morbid conversation, feeling lightheaded and so not really taking anything in, just happy to hear life around her. Her life in New York now seemed like a dream
and her mother only a vague memory.

“
The Deathless are black, white, Asian, African, European; a mixture of the whole world. These unfortunate people were castigated by the whole world. They were brought here from all over the globe, wherever they were not wanted.” Suzy paused. “Maybe it would’ve been better to exterminate them all.”

“
An extermination on that scale? That’s up to God, not man.” Mark turned his camera’s viewfinder off. “Tricia knows more about it than I do, but there are things we shouldn’t go messing with.”

“Perhaps we should start thinking of them as something else then,
looking for answers elsewhere? God created many things and science does not have all the answers,” said Tricia. She remembered her old Bible classes at Sunday school and the sermons she regularly enjoyed on a Sunday; the values they had taught her held strong. Despite her scientific brain, she still believed in a higher power. On the road, she had prayed to Him silently, hoping He would hear her and send a message soon, ideally in the form of a large ship headed for New York.

“God d
idn’t create the Deathless,” Will shook his head. “Man did. It was tinkering with science that got us into this mess. It was well intentioned, true, but we got in over our heads and look what happened. As much as we’d like to think we have all the answers we don’t. I doubt if...”

“For fuck’s
sake, you lot are having a fucking wet dream over this place, aren’t you?” Tug kicked a brass pipe on the floor and it clanged into the road, echoing loudly around the furniture store. “I see five minutes has turned into ten. How much longer do you want to sit around debating this bullshit? I’ve had it with you. I’m off. If you care to join me, I’ll see you at the coast where I’ll be sipping on a nice cold one waiting for you.”

“Tug
wait!” Kelly jumped up out of the sofa. She could see the anger and frustration on his face. She knew they needed him. Whilst he was not part of the museum staff, he had still helped them this far. He had a logical way of thinking about things. He was far more grounded than Tricia and more focussed than Mark. Kelly couldn’t rely solely on Will and Suzy to help her with Claire. She needed Tug.

Standing just under
the edge of the building’s wall, Tug picked up the backpack and slung it on before taking a step outside into the pouring rain. “No. I’ve had enough of this bollocks. I’m outta here.”

Tug stepped out into the street and from behind the wall of the adjacent building came a tall man. It staggered a few feet through the puddles of rain, his approach hidden behind t
he wall of water drenching Tug.

Kelly watched in horror as, almost in slow motion, she saw the tall, dead man, take hold of Tug and sink h
is teeth into Tug’s neck. She could see Tug trying to free the knife from his pocket, but it was too late.

T
ug collapsed to the ground and the Deathless fell on top of him. Bright spurts of blood were flying through the air, mingling with the rainwater that puddled around him. Tug died quite quickly, his arms flopping uselessly at his side as his life drained away. It had all happened so quickly that he had not had time to react.

Kelly frantically tried to run to
Tug to help him, but Will held her back. “Let me go!” she screamed, but Will held onto her tightly. She struggled and kicked, but he refused to let her go and held her in a bear-grip from behind.

“Wait!” Will
barked. “We don’t know how many more are out there. It’s too late for Tug now. He’s gone.” Will felt the guilt rising again. Wilfred, Rasmus, and now Tug. Should he let Kelly go? Should he run out there to help? He looked at the man feasting on Tug. No, he wasn’t going to feel guilty this time. Tug had gone out there unprepared, letting his emotions cloud his judgement. This time, Tug had no one to blame but himself. Will had thought that if only one of them survived the island, it would’ve been Tug.

Another figure appeared in the street.
Will strained to see, but couldn’t make out any features. The figure walked slowly toward Tug and then stopped. It looked down briefly and then looked through the curtain of rain into the furniture warehouse. It began shambling forward, its arms reaching out. The figure bent over Tug stood too and followed its compatriot. A low moan reached Will’s ears and the grey figures increased their speed.

“Okay, time to move, now,” said Will
urgently. He released Kelly who instantly turned around and glared at him. They hadn’t the time to discuss the finer points of Tug’s demise now and Will set his eyes firmly back at Kelly’s. “
Now
.”

“Oh God.”
Mark pointed outside at the figures emerging from the rain. There were three headed for them and more behind.

“Oh fuck,” said
Suzy, grabbing Claire’s limp hand and forcing her to stand. She could see Tug’s lifeless body staggering to its feet, the Deathless now ignoring him. His face was a mangled mess; scraps of flesh hung in shreds and dark, black blood oozed from his mouth. “Claire, keep up with me, honey.” Suzy was worried that Claire might pass out again, but there was no way she would leave her behind. She couldn’t do that again. She knew she couldn’t leave anyone behind again.

“Let’s hope this place has a back door,” Will
said quietly as he led them through the warehouse, winding his way between the scattered furniture.

At the far end
of the building, there was a metal door. Will glanced behind him as he tried the handle. Mark, Tricia, Kelly, Suzy and Claire were right behind him. Past them inside the building were two of the Deathless and a newly reanimated Tug. He would probably be leading the hunt. His body was still strong; his muscles had not weakened by time and his senses were still attuned. He knew exactly where the others were and Will knew Tug would catch them soon if they didn’t hurry.

Will shoved the door open and was surprised to find himself back outside in an alley. He had assumed the door led into an office or staffroom of some sort, but the alley would do just fine. He looked left and right
. Both ends led back out into the streets they had just been walking on and there were none of the Deathless in sight. There was a large graffiti covered wall opposite with a lone rusty door implanted into a recess, which was probably the back entrance to another warehouse. Will tried it, but the handle refused to budge. He pushed and pulled, but there was no movement. It was still locked. Perhaps it was for the best, he thought. It would probably only lead them into another building where they would be cornered.

“This way.”
Will held the warehouse door open as the others filed through, out into the alley in silence. He wondered if he should try and put Tug out of his misery. He was an asshole, but he didn’t deserve to spend the rest of time wandering The Grave. Will watched as Mark and Tricia walked past looking like they were in shock; Kelly just looked furious.

As Suzy pushed Claire past
him, she pulled the door shut thereby forcing Will out into the alley. “Don’t even think of being a hero now, Will.”

Kelly led the way down the
alleyway, which stretched barely ten feet wide and thirty feet long. “Where did they come fr...oh shit.” She stopped and held her arms out so the others wouldn’t go beyond where she was standing. At the end of the alleyway, there was now four of the Deathless: four scrawny women, utterly naked, their bodies rotten and filled with a lust for raw meat, staggered down the alleyway. Behind them, Kelly saw more. Though the rain still fell from the dark sky above, she could make out the undeniable figures of death in the gloom.

Kelly felt nausea rise in her belly. She turned around. “We have to go back. Go the other way. Go, go,
go!” She literally pushed Mark and Tricia around who came face to face with Will.

“We can’t
. Look.” Will pointed down the other end of the alleyway where more of the Deathless were congregating.

Just
then, the door from which they had just left the furniture warehouse began rattling in its frame. The Deathless were banging on it from the other side.

“
Fuck, how long will that hold?” said Mark. “Screw that idiot Tug. I am not fucking dying like this.” He spied a dumpster and jumped up to look inside. It was empty. “Damn it.” He crouched down onto his belly and dragged a piece of drainpipe out. It was about ten feet long and he tipped it up to empty out the rainwater. It was difficult to hold its entire length and he used both hands to wield it in front of him like a baton. “Let’s...fuck it.” The wet, dirty piping slipped from his grasp and it clattered to the ground.

“What are we going to do, Will?” Suzy looked up at him and again he was struck by her beautiful face.

Her skin was soaked and Will couldn’t tell where her tears ended and the rain started. Her face was imploring him for help, but he didn’t know where to start. Stand and fight their way through the Deathless seemed to be their only option. Yet he knew that one scratch, one bite, was enough to kill them. They wouldn’t make it. After all, they had been through they were going to die out here in a dirty alley; him and his friends would be eaten alive. He would never see his mother again. She wouldn’t understand what had happened to him and he hoped nobody would ever tell her. She didn’t need to know. He would never get to know Suzy as he wanted to. He knew she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, but it was never going to happen now.