Run from the Dead: Book 2: A Zombie Apocalypse, page 17
Lights!
“He’s here. Sandra, open the door, and be ready.”
Christina hurried through to the hallway and gripped her sharpened broom handle. Sandra was opening the door as she got there, holding her meat cleaver in the other hand. She stormed the outside world like a true warrior, not fearing the dead. She was a worthy person to lead the group outside into the unknown.
They filed out of the bungalow, and Christina’s eyes darted about the open space, wondering where the first threat would come from. Not if; a definite when.
Sandra flung the campervan door open as soon as it stopped and pushed Mel, Elsa, Frank, and Lisa inside whilst standing sentry. Her back was to one side of the small door, which prevented her from seeing the first of the dead reaching out for her.
Christina’s eyes went wide as she saw greying fingers reach for her friend. “Sandra!”
Sandra must have heard the snarls and spun to face the danger at the same Christina screamed. Christina launched herself forwards as fast as her baby bump would allow. No, please, no. Sandra got her hands up in front of her and held the zombie back as it growled into her face and latched on to her shoulders. It’s disgusting spittle flew at Sandra’s face. Christina caught sight of it raining down on the older woman and making her crinkle her nose. Its fingertips squeezed her ample shoulders looking like it would never let go.
Sandra squealed, but she couldn’t raise the cleaver to swing at its head. She was trapped between its strong but scrawny arms. Skin flapped from its face from where the bottom lip used to be and hung to the side. She squirmed to get out of its grasp but there was nothing she could do.
Christina closed the distance between them. Within two seconds and three strides down the path, she had her makeshift spear raised. She white-knuckled the wooden shaft and set her sights on the ugly zombie attached to her friend.
She ran at the beast and thrust her spear up under its chin to the side of its neck. She felt the soft skin break as her sharpened point poked its way in. She didn’t hold back, though. She pushed it upwards hard. She wanted to make sure.
It didn’t die—or die again, anyway. She must have missed the brain, because she now pinned the zombie to the side of the campervan. Sandra twisted out of its grasp, pulled back her meat cleaver with a grimace spread across her face, and struck the dead thing in the middle of its forehead. A massive gash opened up, parting the grey skin and bone beneath the dark blood. But the beast still moved. Christina watched her friend pull her weapon away and force it down again on top of the thing’s head. This time, the blade penetrated the bone fully and entered the brain.
They both pulled their weapons free, panting heavily and sharing a look. Christina grabbed hold of Sandra’s arm and smiled at her as her heart rate tried to steady.
“Come on, let’s get inside before anything else—” Christina stopped talking when growls and pounding feet reached her ears. “Shit. Move now!” she shouted.
Sandra rushed into the campervan, but before Christina climbed in, she looked over towards the source of the noise. Fucking hell, looking was a mistake. Around thirty pairs of feet stormed the tarmac, looking for the hum of an engine. The night concealed most of the dead barrelling towards them, but what could be seen was the pushing and shoving as they all ran at full speed. Arms flung left and right, legs were forced forwards fast, and bodies shoulder barged each other out of the way. Christina struggled to tear her eyes away from the hoard of dead tearing towards them. Is this how it is now? Running and hiding from gangs of the undead? She pulled herself up into the van.
“Go!” she shouted at Marcus.
The engine roared but didn’t move at the speed she had hoped for. Christina stepped away from the door and slammed it shut, hoping to God they would be safe in there. Can we escape the suburbs? God only knows what the streets are like, but if they’re anything like this one, we might be in trouble.
Christina tried to make her way up front, but it was getting harder with every second that passed.
“Christina, sit yourself down,” yelled Sandra.
“I will.”
She used the walls to make her way to the front passenger seat and swivelled it to face her. She had just placed her bum in the seat when the van swerved to the right. Christina turned her seat to the front and watched as Marcus manoeuvred the van around the burnt-out vehicle.
“Do you think I should turn off the headlights?” asked Marcus.
“Apparently they see less well in the dark, but then I don’t want us to crash either.”
“No, that’s kind of the thought process I’ve been going through.” Marcus looked over at Christina. “Buckle up, please, I need you to be safe.”
Warmth spread through Christina. He’s caring for me. I am so not used to this. She clicked her seat belt in place and returned her eyes to the road ahead for any potential dangers. But when she glanced across at Marcus, his face remained in an angry scowl. His powerful hands gripped the steering wheel, and the muscles in his arms flexed every few seconds. If it wasn’t for the life and death situation they were in, she would be horny as hell.
Christina looked behind her into the main body of the campervan. Frank and Lisa huddled together at the back, Mel and Elsa were on the floor, and Sandra sat nearest to the front on the bench seats. All looked tense, eyes darting around the darkened interior.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Small whimpers spread around the campervan at the sudden noises.
“That’s just the dead hitting the sides, I’d guess,” said Marcus, never tearing his eyes from the road.
“Yeah, I thought so,” replied Christina.
Marcus slowed a fraction and fought to turn the steering wheel, bringing the large vehicle around a tight corner.
THUD! THUD!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
They had slowed enough for the nearest dead to hammer on the walls. Christina gripped the armrests, feeling the plastic digging into her flesh. The tension in her body crept up her neck and throbbed at her temples. Shit, I’d better calm down. This can’t be good for the baby.
CRACK!
Christina screamed when one of the dead cracked the glass of the passenger window right next to her face. But as quick as it had smashed its face against the glass, it disappeared again.
“Shitting hell, I nearly had a heart attack,” said Christina.
“Are you ok?” Marcus’s head twisted towards Christina then back to the road again several times.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just jumped out of my skin, that’s all.” She clutched her chest. Jesus, I think my heart might just pound straight out of the front here. “Is it going to be like this all the way out of the housing estates?”
Marcus blew out a loud breath. “Probably. If we can get out like this, then I’ll take it. I just hope our luck will hold out.”
“Right! Ok, then.” Shit, shit, shit.
They carried on driving as fast as the roads would allow. Christina pointed out the odd zombie about to fling itself at the vehicle. Wherever he could help it, Marcus would avoid hitting them so as not to damage the front of the van or get one wedged in the tyre arches. Christina could imagine the zombies would be a nightmare if they slowed down too much or hit too many at once.
She narrowed her eyes as they travelled down the main road of a new area.
“What the…” said Marcus.
Christina had just begun to understand what her eyes were telling her. As they turned the slight corner, the whole street looked to be blocked at first. In the darkness, many shadows covered most of the tarmac in front of them. Then it became clear what was happening. A rather large group of the dead straddled the entire road ahead.
“Am I seeing around a hundred of the things?” asked Christina.
“Yes. Yes, you are. Maybe even more… Everybody, hold on tight.”
Chapter 23
“Put your foot down,” said Christina.
“What?” said Marcus.
“Now! Do it NOW!”
Marcus slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator, then moved it up into fifth gear as he was hitting forty-three miles per hour. He pressed his foot down hard again and gripped the steering wheel like he could snap it in two.
“HOLD ON!” he shouted.
He directed the front of the vehicle towards the thinnest part of the dead crowd and braced himself for the impact.
BANG! THUD! THUD! CRACK!
The campervan hit the dead bodies. Growls pierced the metal bodywork and glass, growing louder by the second. The entire vehicle vibrated with the sheer volume. They bounced up and down, driving over a few bodies, but carried on without slowing.
Marcus attempted to manoeuvre his way through the dense group, taking every hit to the vehicle as if it was his own body. He couldn’t go up onto the curb because trees lined the whole street on either side. He revved the engine and pushed it as hard as he could. Momentum was key here; if they lost their forward motion, then that would be it. Game over.
He grappled with the steering wheel, yanking it hard left then back right again whilst still travelling at around forty-five miles per hour. Come on, push. Get through them. Bodies flung themselves hard at every side of the van and pounded fists and heads against it. Grey, blood-covered faces flew past the driver and passenger windows and two had now attached themselves to the front of the vehicle.
Marcus kept on pushing forwards. They had only been amongst the dead for a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. They left the bulk of the zombies spread across the road and hit a much clearer area. The two clingers-on remained attached to the wiper and the top ledge of the bonnet. Fingers that were stronger than they were in life would not let go.
The campervan turned a bend in the main road and it opened up in front of them with none of the dead present. It won’t stay that way for long. If I’m going to get rid of these guys, I’ll have to do it now.
Marcus checked his rear-view mirror for any chasers, but with every second that passed, they got smaller. NOW!
“Hold on, guys!” yelled Marcus.
He slammed on the brakes and watched as both sets of grey hands uncurled and flew through the air. The two grotesque things hit the tarmac and tumbled over and over until they stopped in the middle of the road. Skin peeled away from their forearms and knees from the impact with the tarmac, adding to their already gruesome looks.
Marcus didn’t wait until they’d stopped moving. He gunned the engine once again, pushing it up through its gears—first, then second—before the things started to stand. He hit third gear as the engine whined, then he collided with the two of them. The first one went underneath the left wheels, and the second one was struck hard, discarded violently to the right like trash.
Marcus carried on moving up through the gears and kept an even forty miles per hour. His lungs started to work better, and his chest pumped hard. Jesus Christ, did I actually stop breathing there? My lungs are burning.
He looked across to Christina, who grinned back but looked equally traumatised. She raised her eyebrows at him and panted, matching his own breathing rate. Still looking as beautiful as ever… Stop it, Marcus. Just concentrate on getting everyone to safety.
“Everyone ok?” Marcus yelled into the back.
A few seconds passed before Sandra said, “Yeah. I think we are, anyway. Might need a change of underwear, but we’re all still here.”
Marcus chuckled at her assessment. Can rely on Sandra to keep things light-hearted. I barely know the lady, but I like how she operates.
He observed the road. Got to be cautious, Marcus. Do not fuck this up. We could be there in no time at all. He turned back to Christina and noticed her holding on to her tummy with both hands. She had her head dipped down, too, and was forcing out air in short pants. What is she…
Marcus didn’t need to finish the thought. “Holy shit. Christina, are you… is the baby…?”
Christina didn’t look his way or answer. She closed her eyes tight and nodded a very firm yes.
Marcus cemented his eyes back on the road, all the while murmuring, “No, no, no, no, no…”
“What’s up?” shouted Sandra.
“I think Christina is having her baby.”
“WHAT!” Sandra’s voice rocketed through the van interior. “You need to pull over.”
“We can’t here, we’ll be swamped in two seconds tops, and even if they don’t get in, we won’t be able to get moving again.”
“It’s ok for the time being… We have a little time yet…” Christina panted in between sentences.
“Right, ok. Let me think for a second,” said Marcus.
He kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead. We’re not that far from Bilton, then the countryside. Keep driving, and we should find somewhere. We can’t go looking for a suitable house, there’s no real time for that. So where could we go?
Marcus turned left and looked down the full length of the road. There were a couple of stragglers who were now running straight for the campervan.
“Everyone keep a hold. I might need to dodge the odd zombie here and there.”
That’s exactly what he did. He dodged the first beast with ease and clipped the second one. They neared the next roundabout, and Marcus craned his head to view the turn they needed to take.
“Shit,” he said. Another crowd straddled the road there. I do not want to risk it a second time; we were lucky as hell we made it through the other one. We had no choice then, but we certainly do now.
Marcus took the second exit, sending them straight on instead of right; this road would lead them to Coniston. There’s a turnoff just before Coniston, but maybe the pub at the beginning of the tiny village might be the place to go. Marcus nodded to himself.
“Where are we going?” asked Christina.
“A pub in Coniston. I’m thinking we should hole up in there, get you sorted out, then move again once you’ve had the baby. There shouldn’t be too many of the dead there, as there are very few residents to start with.”
“Uh-huh. Sounds good.” She paused for a moment, grimacing. “I have no idea how long we have, but as long as we are there soon, then that’ll be great.”
“Marcus? Marcus? Where are we going? Are we nearly somewhere safe?” shouted Sandra.
“Just up here, Sandra. Going to the pub.”
“Ok, just get a move on, please.”
Marcus smirked at the care Sandra naturally had within her. She’s right. From looking at Christina, we have to settle somewhere fast, then we can help her as best as possible.
A few minutes later, Marcus pulled up in the pub’s car park and turned off the engine. He grabbed hold of his hammer and watched for any dead coming out of the woodwork towards the sounds they had just been making.
“Everyone, stay put for a couple of minutes just to make sure there are no dead,” said Marcus.
No one said a word, but Marcus could hear someone moving towards the front. He looked over his shoulder to see Sandra now standing behind Christina, rubbing her shoulder. He returned his gaze to the tiny village, squinting through the night. No light shone from any of the nearby buildings, and the pub was also in complete darkness. That doesn’t mean it is empty.
“I’m going to look around. Everyone stay quiet and keep a lookout if you can.”
Marcus eased his door open, then clicked it back into place, trying to avoid the usual thud of a car door slam. He made his way around the vehicle to check the vicinity, keeping his eyes wide open and his footsteps slow.
He marched over to the pub doors and wondered how the hell they were going to get in. He looked around at the windows, then back to the heavy duty double doors and noticed a doorbell just off to the right. It’s worth a try. Maybe if there’s someone home, they might take pity on us and invite us in.
Marcus pressed the buzzer, but could hear nothing at all. Hardly surprising through those doors, but does it even work? He stepped back from the pub and double checked there was nothing running at him from behind, then looked up at the building’s windows.
A curtain twitch! Marcus waved his arms and wanted to shout out to whoever was up there. Instead, he pointed to the campervan and mimed a pregnant belly. This is ridiculous! Will they even understand or will they just be freaked out by some guy standing at their door holding a fucking hammer?
The curtain moved back in its original position, and they were alone once again. Well, seeing as there are clearly people already in there, I can hardly break in, can I? Marcus looked around him for the millionth time since they’d stopped. Maybe there’s somewhere else we could try…
He’d just turned to walk back to the campervan when the pub door was unlocked and opened just a crack.
Marcus hurried over to it and whispered through the gap, “Hi. Erm, we have a pregnant woman inside here and her contractions have started. I know this is an odd thing to ask of a stranger, but is there any chance we can come in and make sure she’s safe whilst she delivers her baby, please?”
The door opened farther to reveal a woman in her sixties and a man of a similar age. They must run the pub.
“Please. We can’t get stuck out here with the way things are. We only just escaped the housing estates in Hull.”
The couple looked at each other before the lady turned back to Marcus and nodded. “Ok, come on in. But better make it quick. We don’t want any of those things knowing we’re in here.”
“Thank you so much. Thank you.”
Yes, yes, yes, yes. It was all Marcus could do not to fist pump right there and then. He ran to Christina’s door, pulling it open and said, “We’re in. Let’s move, quickly and quietly.”
The side door opened, allowing Sandra, Mel, Elsa, Frank, and Lisa to all file out and head towards the pub. Marcus helped Christina climb down and, wrapping his arm around her waist, guided her inside. The usual pub smells hit him as soon as he was through the heavy double doors. That delicious beer scent, along with a hint of frying chips. I wonder if they served a good fish and chip meal in here?
