probably the result of some construction site accident before the swathe hit.
Without lifting his head from the floor, the man turned his head to face them, scraping it slowing across the tarmac as he did so and letting out an animalistic howl so loud that it made Brian instinctively take a step back and grab Marius.
The man slowly began to move, fingers twitching as if he’d found them for the first time. He howled again, a terrible sound; part pain, part anger, part sadness. It made Brian think of the time when as a boy he’d seen a rabid dog hit by a car. Its back had been broken and its back legs dragged behind it like useless rags; half yelping in pain its foaming mouth was snarling and attempting to bite flesh from anyone who drew too close. A policeman’s bullet ended its suffering but Brian could remember the terrified savage look in its dying eye. The man had that same look – he looked half at them and half through them, reaching out to them with his nailed and bloodied hand.
A blood-curdling scream from behind them made them turn. A young nurse had regained consciousness and was beating her fists and kicking her feet against the ground, like a demented overgrown child throwing a tantrum. More groans and wild shouts started to emerge from the now moving sea of bodies.
Brian didn’t know which threat to face. “Marius what the fuck is going on?”
“They are waking up, but what bits of them are waking up I am not sure. We should leave, now. Get the girl.”
Tabby had been kneeling by her mother twenty yards away and by the time she started screaming her screams were masked by those of a hundred others.
Brian jumped over groping hands and ran towards her, “Tabby! We have to go!”
“But Mom!” she screamed, “We have to bring mom!” She opened her mouth to say more but was silenced by a heavy hand grabbing her by the hair and yanking her head violently backwards. Brian saw the velour sleeve before he saw her mother’s grimaced face. Still lying down she had a fistful of her daughter’s hair and was shaking the girl’s head back and forth like a doll.
“Marius!” he shouted as he tried to restrain the arm while plying the fingers, “Marius help us!”
Marius ran over and grabbed the mother’s arm while Brian wrenched the hand from the girl’s hair, already bleeding at the scalp. They both jumped back out of the woman’s reach and stared at her. The mother was still grasping and rocking her bulk back and forward to try and reach them, she was crying hysterically like a baby but swiping viciously.
“Mom!” cried the girl, “Mom?”
The mother didn’t seem to recognise her daughter, but was grasping for her as if she was a toy they had taken away.
“Your mother is,” Brian paused.
“Is very sick,” said Marius, “We need to all go now and find her and these other people some help, OK, but we have to go right now.”
The girl tried to push Marius away. “I’m not going! I’m staying with Mom!”
Marius grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder. “We are leaving,” he shouted so violently that the girl was momentarily stunned into silence, before screaming and beating him on his back. He took off across the car park and Brian ran after him. The cries and screams from all around them grew louder; people waking from a nightmare to find they are somewhere far, far worse. They ran aimlessly down streets, not knowing where to turn. Some people were burning; screaming but not running from the fires that were starting to consume their bodies. The town smelled like a BBQ. Brian felt sick to his stomach and his head was starting to spin. He heard Marius shout, “To the river!” but couldn’t sense which direction they were headed. He could barely see Marius and lost sight of him altogether at times but finally the smoke cleared and they arrived at the river bank. He choked on the fumes. “Now what?”
“Now we
Without lifting his head from the floor, the man turned his head to face them, scraping it slowing across the tarmac as he did so and letting out an animalistic howl so loud that it made Brian instinctively take a step back and grab Marius.
The man slowly began to move, fingers twitching as if he’d found them for the first time. He howled again, a terrible sound; part pain, part anger, part sadness. It made Brian think of the time when as a boy he’d seen a rabid dog hit by a car. Its back had been broken and its back legs dragged behind it like useless rags; half yelping in pain its foaming mouth was snarling and attempting to bite flesh from anyone who drew too close. A policeman’s bullet ended its suffering but Brian could remember the terrified savage look in its dying eye. The man had that same look – he looked half at them and half through them, reaching out to them with his nailed and bloodied hand.
A blood-curdling scream from behind them made them turn. A young nurse had regained consciousness and was beating her fists and kicking her feet against the ground, like a demented overgrown child throwing a tantrum. More groans and wild shouts started to emerge from the now moving sea of bodies.
Brian didn’t know which threat to face. “Marius what the fuck is going on?”
“They are waking up, but what bits of them are waking up I am not sure. We should leave, now. Get the girl.”
Tabby had been kneeling by her mother twenty yards away and by the time she started screaming her screams were masked by those of a hundred others.
Brian jumped over groping hands and ran towards her, “Tabby! We have to go!”
“But Mom!” she screamed, “We have to bring mom!” She opened her mouth to say more but was silenced by a heavy hand grabbing her by the hair and yanking her head violently backwards. Brian saw the velour sleeve before he saw her mother’s grimaced face. Still lying down she had a fistful of her daughter’s hair and was shaking the girl’s head back and forth like a doll.
“Marius!” he shouted as he tried to restrain the arm while plying the fingers, “Marius help us!”
Marius ran over and grabbed the mother’s arm while Brian wrenched the hand from the girl’s hair, already bleeding at the scalp. They both jumped back out of the woman’s reach and stared at her. The mother was still grasping and rocking her bulk back and forward to try and reach them, she was crying hysterically like a baby but swiping viciously.
“Mom!” cried the girl, “Mom?”
The mother didn’t seem to recognise her daughter, but was grasping for her as if she was a toy they had taken away.
“Your mother is,” Brian paused.
“Is very sick,” said Marius, “We need to all go now and find her and these other people some help, OK, but we have to go right now.”
The girl tried to push Marius away. “I’m not going! I’m staying with Mom!”
Marius grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder. “We are leaving,” he shouted so violently that the girl was momentarily stunned into silence, before screaming and beating him on his back. He took off across the car park and Brian ran after him. The cries and screams from all around them grew louder; people waking from a nightmare to find they are somewhere far, far worse. They ran aimlessly down streets, not knowing where to turn. Some people were burning; screaming but not running from the fires that were starting to consume their bodies. The town smelled like a BBQ. Brian felt sick to his stomach and his head was starting to spin. He heard Marius shout, “To the river!” but couldn’t sense which direction they were headed. He could barely see Marius and lost sight of him altogether at times but finally the smoke cleared and they arrived at the river bank. He choked on the fumes. “Now what?”
“Now we
Similar Books
