Winter Smith (Book 1): London's Burning (33 page)

              Michael pulled open the door and strode out into the hallway. They heard his feet banging off the floor in temper.

              “Go and stop him!” Violet said to Zach. “If he leaves now he’s going to alert the government.”

              Bang!

The light that was not in use above them smashed, showering them in glass.

              Winter turned to look at Deana, who held a small pistol in her hand. She pointed it straight at Zach.

              “You’re not leaving here.” She whispered. “You’re staying here.”

              “Put the gun down, Deana.”

              “Don’t you dare tell me what to do.” She growled, turning slowly to Violet. “I’ve had enough of being told what to do. Now you’ll all do as I say. Get up, Judy!”

              Winter jumped. Her words rang around the room as a clap of thunder boomed outside. Winter thought she heard shouts in the night, but it was too hard to tell over the sound of rain.

              As Judy got to her feet, clutching her bruising cheek, they heard footsteps in the hallway. Winter wanted to shout, warn whomever it was to turn back. They were clearly in a room with people who had gone mad, locked up in a building for so long. Nobody trusted each other.

              Michael appeared at the door. He looked at Winter, unable to see Deana with the gun from where he stood. He was about to move in to the room when Deana walked around the table and fired.

              Michael screamed. His whole body seemed to break away around the wound in his chest. His eyes rolled back into his head, while the colour of his skin drained away with his life. He lay on the ground in a heap, non-moving.

              “Deana, what the hell?” Judy wailed. “You’ve killed one of our own!”

              “Do you think I fucking care?” Deana asked, so politely it was almost comical. “Do you think I liked any of you? Do you think I was truly sad that people were sent to their deaths? No. And do you want to know why, Judy?”

              She clicked the gun in her hand and lowered it so it was placed at the back of Judy’s head. Judy froze.

              Deana leant forwards so her mouth was inches away from Judy’s ear.

              “Because none of you helped me when he was raping me.”

              Winter suddenly saw bitterness in Deana. She saw a hurt girl that would always be scarred. Whatever she was like before had been replaced with someone so hollow, so achingly dead, it was too late to save her. She was broken, and whatever she did now would not be any worse. Winter didn’t know what had been happening in these walls, but it was enough to break everyone still remaining.

              Judy’s head exploded in a burst of blood. Winter screamed, her knees buckling. She had to steady herself by holding onto the wall.

              They were suddenly stood in a bloodbath. The stench of death was too much to take in.

              “Now, what do I do with you?” Deana asked of the three teenagers, stood against the wall, unable to move. “You could help me send the dead to the dead. It could be our little experiment.”

              Her eyes shone. The excitement was there for them all to see.

              “I wonder if the dead will already eat the dead. It would be good to know, as well, if they eat the fresher of the dead, wouldn’t it? How long do you think this bastard has been dead? Ten minutes?”

              She glared at Jason, hatred burning into the back of his skull.

              In one fluid motion she raised the gun, pulled the trigger and grinned as the bullet went straight through his head. Winter winced.

              “Don’t just stand there.” Deana snapped. “Take one each to the sports hall.”

              “We can’t get to the sports hall. It’s all blocked off.” Zach spoke.

              Deana stared at him for a minute or two. She seemed to be working out what to do after he had spoken. She was deciding if she could accept he had spoken to her, working out if he was scared or if he was planning something.

              “I know another way,” Deana said.

              A few moments later, in some surreal and disgusting nightmare, they were pushing open a small, blue door that led up a flight of narrow, dark steps. Winter was carrying Judy, trying not to breathe in and trying to ignore the blood that dripped down her clothes. Violet was carrying Jason with the help of Deana, while Zach carried Michael past mops and buckets and cleaning supplies that were long forgotten.

              Deana pushed open a door and the sounds of the storm, falling rain and echoing thunder intensified. The cold, harsh wind pushed past them. They stumbled slightly, Winter almost dropping Judy.

              Deana walked out onto the roof of the building as if she couldn’t feel the strong winds and the freezing rain lashing at her skin. Winter was first out, following quickly behind. Her gun banged into her hip over and over, but she couldn’t move it for fear of dropping Judy’s body. Deana didn’t even seem to be worried that they all held guns. She didn’t seem to worry that her back was turned and she was open to being killed by the people she was keeping here.

              Winter didn’t know what was going to happen next as they walked across the slippery roof. One side of the roof was taped with orange material, denying access. The tape pulled on the metal poles it was attached to, fluttering in the winds.

              Deana came to another door; similar to the one they had walked through. She pulled it open, pushing it against the wind that battled to close it. She moved to one side and smiled at Winter, waiting for her to walk past.

              Winter did, her hair by now dripping wet and her clothes sticking to her body. She walked down another set of steps identical to the ones they had walked up, and came to a door, which she opened.

              She gasped.

              She was stood on the top of a balcony that overlooked the sports hall. She could see the basketball hoops mounted to the walls, shelves holding footballs and rugby balls, rackets tied to the walls and tennis courts, which were not constructed. Violet and Zach followed her in and Deana was last to enter.

              “Come and look at this.” She beckoned for them to follow her to the edge.

              Winter exchanged looks with Violet and Zach. Surely they would be mad to follow her further in. Winter thought they should shoot her now, leave her to die, escape while they could.

              Violet moved forwards first and looked over the balcony edge, still carrying Jason. Winter didn’t know how she was doing it. He was twice her size and not the skinniest of people.

              Winter and Zach walked forwards, hovering just behind Violet and Deana.

              Below them, cast in light shadows, were zombies, so many of them it made Winter’s skin chill. They slumped around, walking back and forth, dully gazing anywhere but upwards. The air was chilly looking down at them. Winter found she wanted to move back, that she wasn’t safe.

              “Drop the first body.” Deana spoke.

              Zach struggled with Michael. He lifted him up awkwardly, stumbling towards the edge. Winter moved forwards and gripped the back of Zach’s top, afraid that he would fall with Michael.

              Zach threw Michael through the air and they watched his body fall. As he fell, the zombies below seemed to sense food was coming. They began screeching, making noises that only they could make, and when Michael fell into their midst they began running towards his body.

              The sound of clothes tearing, blood drawing and flesh being ripped filled the room, making Winter want to throw the body she held and leave. The zombies fought it out amongst themselves to get the best part.

              “They liked that one. We’ll have to keep an eye on him, see if he wakes up. That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? Can the dead rise again?” Deana said, more to herself than the others. “Next body.”

              Winter moved forwards and threw Judy down.

              They were quicker to pounce this time. They tore and attacked her body with much more enthusiasm than they had Michael’s. Winter watched, unable to tear her eyes away. She was glad the room was cast in shadows so she couldn’t really see anything too gruesome.

              “And finally, the king himself.” Deana grinned.

              Violet edged forward, standing next to Deana. She lifted Jason with the help of Zach and let his weight and gravity pull him down; so far he seemed to float before falling. The zombies below looked up in apprehension, and when the body hit the ground they didn’t go to him for a few moments.

              Then, one by one, they began to inspect him, biting at his flesh.

              “So there you have it.” Deana spoke. “They eat the most recently dead quicker. I was right. If only Jason had learnt that. He could have written that down in his books.”

              Deana smiled, patting the bar of the balcony affectionately.

              “Thanks for helping me with that part of my experiment, guys.” She lifted the gun and pointed it at Violet. “Now let’s see how quick they pounce on someone living. Jump.”

              Violet didn’t move. With a gun pointed to her head she could do nothing. Winter suddenly realised that this had been Deana’s plan all along. It wasn’t shocking. It was expected. A clap of thunder outside echoed, making the scene terrifying.

              As Violet began to climb the balcony, Winter thought fast. She knew Violet was going to give up. She could see she was going to jump.

              Winter ran forwards. Deana still had her back turned when Winter grabbed the back of her legs and lifted them. Deana screamed as her feet were pulled from under her and she toppled forwards, over the balcony and down into the sports hall.

              She landed on her back and didn’t move. The height was so high that Winter was sure she had broken her back. The zombies jumped, attacking Deana’s paralysed body quicker than Judy’s. They seemed to sense she was helpless. In seconds they had bitten into major arteries. She began to scream, and even though she was partly hidden Winter could see she was convulsing. The infection was taking place.

              “Look!” Violet gasped.

              She pointed at Michael, who was rising to his feet. He looked left to right, his eyes falling on the commotion, and with speed that was too fast for any living human he was upon Deana in seconds.

              As they watched the attack, they saw Judy rise, followed a few seconds later by Jason.

              “We have to go,” Zach said. “They’ve been enticed.”

              Winter knew they were tempting fate if they stayed any longer. There was no threat to them now but the zombies, the worst threat of them all.

              Violet pulled open the door and led them back up the steps. She pushed open the door leading onto the roof and toppled out, the door being pulled away from her by the force of the wind.

              The storm was in full swing by now. Their hair whipped around their faces and the rain lashed at their skin, chilling their bones. In seconds, Winter’s vision was obscured by tears that fell from her eyes.

              Bang: a telephone pole wire at the end of the street went up in flames. Zach stumbled to the edge and Winter screamed for him to stop, but her voice was carried away by the wind.

              She began to battle against the wind to the edge. If he didn’t move soon he would fall. In an illuminating flash from the lightning Winter saw Violet hurrying across the roof towards Zach, dangerously speeding over wet floor.

              Winter again called for Violet to be careful, again she knew she hadn’t been heard.

              And then Winter saw something that made Winter’s trust for Violet go up in flames.

              With a flash of lightning, Winter saw Violet reach out and push Zach. He stumbled, flailing his arms around to grab something. He tried to balance, but his body outweighed his feet and he toppled over the edge and out of sight. Winter couldn’t hear his scream but she could see it. Violet reached out, trying to grab him, but Winter knew what she had seen.

              Running to the edge, keeping her distance from Violet, Winter saw that the town below was infested. Houses were burning, people were dying, and hope of escape was fading. The zombies were showing no resistance to the storm, while the humans knew they would be caught and that it was against them.

              Winter scanned the whole street and could not see Zach.

Chapter Sixteen

              Without worrying for what Violet would do standing on the edge of the roof, Winter turned and again battled the wind to get back into the building.