The Bitter End Read online

  Ben dropped his gun and fell exhausted to the floor. They'd done it, whatever it was they had done it. He felt disgusting laying in the hot sticky blood but he didn't care. He thought he might sleep or pass out.

  A hand grabbed his shoulder and he knew that it wasn't over yet. He looked up at Aaron. "It's time to go," he said.

  Ben picked himself off the floor and his now empty gun. He could feel the slimy blood sticking between his fingers and tried to rub it off on his trousers, only to find they were as disgusting as his hands.

  He followed Aaron's dim shape through the door even as he heard the deep rumble below him. The ground shook and loose rocks cascaded down the walls.

  "Run!" shouted Daniel.

  Ben ran. He was at the back of the group again but pushing them forwards. He could feel the cold coming up behind him like a shockwave.

  He didn't dare look back, whatever was there he knew that he didn't want to see it. He could feel the anger and hate coming from it like a bad smell. Then he was climbing up the stairs, slipping and stumbling on the blood wet steps, he had to brace himself against the wall to stay upright.

  And all the time the thing behind was getting closer. Its angry growl so deep and loud that he wasn't sure whether he could hear it or feel it. On he ran, pushing against Martin's back, urging him to go quicker because neither of them wanted to be left behind and see that thing face to face.

  The steps began to crumble beneath his feet, he could feel them falling away into the dark nothingness below. "Come on!" he shouted but couldn't even hear it himself over the sound of the falling building and whatever was chasing them.

  He reached the top of the stairs and threw himself forwards, just as the top step turned into rubble and fell away. The thing was still coming though.

  Ben got to his feet and pulled Martin to his. He dragged the boy away from the mouth of the abyss and on towards the door.

  He could see the sharp light of the day ahead but it was fading. Even in his confused state that didn't make sense; they had arrived at the tower in the early morning and could not have been more than three hours there. It should be mid-day, the sun at its fullest and most damaging to whatever was behind them.

  They burst through the doors and fell onto the grass beside the others, hacking up lung full’s of the black hate they had encountered. The white tower shook, bricks fell and tiles slid from the roof to smash on the ground metres away.

  "Get up," shouted Daniel, his voice gruff and tired as he climbed to his own feet. He helped Joel to stand.

  Ben pulled Martin up and Alexander. He looked around. "Where's Aaron?" he shouted, his ears ringing from the noise.

  "Come on," said Daniel, not waiting to answer. He ran, dragging Joel behind him, towards the barracks.

  Ben looked up at the darkening sky. A swarm of darkness, like insects

  (or bats)

  were massing in the air. Their form blocking out the sun creating twilight and then night. He ran after Daniel, scanning the area for a sign of Aaron but he already knew his fait had been.

  They burst through the doors of the barracks but Daniel didn't stop running. He knew exactly where he was going and Ben was happy to follow him if only so he didn't have to think for himself. The pushed through doors and ran along tunnels. He could hear wings flapping outside, thousands, millions of them beating away the sun. Then the anger of the hateful darkness. He couldn't get away from it, it was as if it was in his head.

  "Through here," shouted Daniel and they followed him into a room. They fell into each other, panting for breath. Daniel didn't stop. The room was filled with wooden lockers and Daniel started kicking at them. When the first one opened Ben saw that it contained weapons. The weapons they had set out to collect all those days ago. "Help me," said Daniel.

  They all started kicking doors and pulling out weapons. Crossbows that were the finest thing Ben had ever seen, they were smooth and shiny, a thousand years more evolved than the lumpy thing he had made with his dad. Arrows tipped with sharp wood and swords made out of the same. There were guns as well, they looked like they were made of some kind of plastic and the bullets that went in them were made of wood. He glanced across at Daniel and saw him putting guns and spare bullets in his pockets.

  Ben grabbed a crossbow and slung two quivers over his shoulders. He also took a gun and a pocket full of the wooden bullets but he knew which weapon he favoured. It felt right, it felt comfortable.

  The ground began to shake beneath them and they looked at one another. They were loaded down with wooden weapons, exhausted from the fight they had already won but as ready as they were ever going to be for another. Daniel nodded. He was in charge again and they all knew what that meant for Aaron. They would drink to him later, if any of them survived.

  Outside it was completely dark. The sky was filled with the buzzing and flapping of tiny creatures. The black shape stood in full colour amongst the ruins of the white tower. When it turned towards them Ben recognised it from the paper money his father had carried, a souvenir of the time before, it was the King.

  The King was huge. If he had been six foot tall in real life he was twice that now. A malevolent hatred radiated off of him and made Ben want to vomit. He held his stomach and his position in line between Martin and Joel. They waited.

  Cold permeated the air and got into his bones. He watched the King, his head down, surveying the wreckage that he had created. He did not seem angry but sad. Ben felt it too, a deep loss that he couldn't put into words but infected every cell of his body. A tiny part of him wanted to go forth and comfort the hideous creature but the rest of him was still filled with fear and ready to fight.

  The King turned towards them. "My family," he said. His voice was soft, little more than an echo.

  A bird or bat cried out above them but no one looked.

  "They were my family," said the King.

  Ben looked down to Daniel hoping for some guidance but he didn't take his eyes off the King. When Ben looked back he had fallen to the floor. He did not look ready to fight them and Ben felt unsure whether he could kill something, even a vamp, that wasn't fighting back. It would have been easier if they had come out and one by one been killed.

  Daniel raised his gun slowly. There seemed to be no rush now. The anger had gone from the air, the King was the embodiment of sorrow.

  Ben raised his crossbow as well and saw the others alongside him aim their weapons. They didn't need to speak or discuss what they were going to do, they felt it instinctively.

  The King turned his head up to look at them but offered no resistance. Later Ben would wonder whether he had known what would happen, if it had all been part of his plan.

  They fired at the same time. The bullets and arrows pierced the King's chest and destroyed his heart. He looked at them with an expression that might have been relief but might have been something else. Then he was gone, dissolved into a fleshy pile of blood and guts.

  The creatures in the sky seemed to dissolve with him, their tiny parts falling from the heavens like black snow. Ben fell to his knees, exhaustion and pain overwhelming him but at last he was safe.

  14

  Over the next two hours they carried all of the weapons back to the Robinson Crusoe. It was hard work but, with the vamps gone from the tower, Anthony, Kris and even Mrs Thresher were allowed to help. Their wounds were treated and they washed and put on clean clothes and before night fell they were on their way again.

  Nobody spoke of what had happened. If anyone had tried to talk to him about it Ben thought he would have got as far away from them as possible. He couldn't even bring himself to think about it yet. He wanted to forget that it had ever happened but he knew that he couldn't do that. He couldn't forget Aaron.

  Anthony hadn't asked what had happened to his brother, there was no need. Six of them had gone into the tower but only five had come back. Perhaps that was everything he needed to know, or perhaps he blamed himself and thought that if he had been there he wou
ld have been able to do something to save him. Ben never asked and he never found out.

  They talked of inconsequential things over the following days, avoiding the subject as if it could come back to get them. The worked on the boat and they ate, they slept a great deal. It took them four days to reach Sanctuary and none of them were ready for what they found when they got there.

  15

  It should have been mid-morning. The sun should have reflected off the water like a moving mirror. They should have been able to hear the laughs and shouts of the village children as they ran along the island and jumped into the water, threw balls to each other and dived beneath the surface. They found none of those things.

  An unnatural twilight had descended over the village. It was quiet and even the water didn't seem to move. Ben stood at the front of the boat straining to hear something, anything that would assure him that life was how he remembered it. Joel switched off the engine and the Robinson Crusoe drifted into the village on the current. They passed empty boats that were decaying and looked as if they had been abandoned years ago. Ben had to remind himself that they had only been gone a matter of weeks.

  Dark weeds climbed out of the water wrapping themselves over boats and piers, appearing to try and drag them under water. A shadow had fallen over the village and it smelled of death.

  They drifted past Ben's boat and he felt a lump in his throat. The lights were off and he could hear no voices. But still he had to see for himself.

  He jumped overboard and into the water. It felt too thick, more like slime than the river he had swum in since he was eleven. He heard Mrs Thresher call him back but it was too late for that now.

  He pulled himself onto the jetty. Behind he heard the Robinson Crusoe start it's engine and begin to turn back towards him but he ignored it. He pushed open the boat door and went inside.

  It was cold, dark and damp. He could see the shapes of furniture and other possessions strewn across the cabin. "Hello?" he said, although he didn't expect a reply. "Mary?"

  All that he heard was the drip of water from his wet clothes onto the wooden floor. They were gone, Mary, Adam, Zack, all gone. He wanted to fall to the floor and cry but he couldn't move. He was frozen to the spot and left with no choice but to look at the devastation of his world.

  He heard the door open behind him and in the light it let in he saw Zack's teddy bear on the floor. He bent down and picked it up. It was already covered with a thin layer of dust

  (or something else)

  and he clutched it to his wet chest.

  "We can find them," said Daniel.

  Ben nodded but he didn't really believe it. He stood there clutching the bear, the last thing he had left. All of his worst fears had come true.

  "Come on," said Daniel. "It's time to go."

  He didn't have the strength to argue so he turned and followed Daniel out of the boat. The Robinson Crusoe was waiting at the end of the jetty, the solemn faces looked at the floor as he approached.

  Inside Mrs Thresher dried him and put him in clean clothes without saying a word. He stared blankly into space, his thoughts moving too quickly for him to keep up with. He couldn't even begin to think about what would come next.

  He felt rather than heard the engine start again. The next thing he knew he was sitting with a cold cup of tea in his hands. It was like climbing out of a cave into the darkness.

  Ben stood up. His legs felt weak as if he had been in bed for a month, everything seemed to spin around him. He walked through the boat, he could hear solemn voices above but couldn't make out what they were saying. He could hear the words well enough but they were like a foreign tongue to him now.

  On deck he found the Threshers with Daniel, Anthony and Kris, huddled together in secret conference. They did not appear to know he was there. The Island loomed before them, darkened by the dull light within.

  "Ben," said Kris with deep concern.

  The others turned so that he wondered if she had been warning them of his arrival. The conversation they had been having ended. Mrs Thresher put a hand on his shoulder .

  "How are you feeling?" she said.

  He shook his head, how did she think he was feeling? What a ridiculous question to ask. He waited for someone to say something more meaningful but it did not appear to be forthcoming.

  "Any sign of anyone?" he said. The words felt hollow but no one seemed to notice.

  "There's a light in the Village Hall," said Daniel.

  Ben nodded and they continued onto the Island in silence.

  They didn't want him to come with them. They thought he would be a liability but he argued and in the end who could deny a man who has just lost his family. He didn't really want to go but staying on the boat didn't feel like an alternative

  (drowning yourself in the river, that's an alternative)

  so he went along.

  Ben, Anthony and Daniel climbed onto the decking silently. Creeping weeds had spread between the cracks. The were so dark they were almost black but Ben could see they were red. Blood red veins carrying the poison through the village. He kicked a patch but they didn't break.

  They entered the Village Hall in single file, guns drawn and ready. The place smelled of rancid meat.

  "Hello?" said a voice. A girl, young. It was followed by a shuffling sound in the dark. "Is someone there?"

  It seemed to Ben that whoever was there should have been able to see them. The room was dark but a lamp on the table in the middle gave off enough light for him to at see at least the shape of the person speaking.

  Daniel walked towards the dark shape huddled on the ground by Nicholas's office. The girl heard his footsteps and moved away, further into the darkness.

  "It's okay," said Nicholas, "I'm not going to hurt you."

  "That's what they said," she said. The lonely desperation was evident in her voice. Ben wanted to tell Daniel to be careful but he couldn't.

  He couldn't move and he couldn't warn his friend that she might have a weapon. they had been right, he was a liability and they should have strapped him to a chair and refused to let him off the boat.

  "It's alright," said Daniel, as if talking to a scared animal.

  "Who are you?" said the girl. She sounded less frightened but not by much.

  "My name's Daniel McGill."

  "Mr. McGill?" she said.

  "That's right. Who are you?"

  Ben watched her stand, leaning against the back wall for stability. When she stepped closer to the lamp he could see her face and he felt his stomach churn.

  "Margaret," said Daniel. He paused, Ben thought to collect himself. He had seen what Ben had seen; the girls face was streaked with blood and where here eyes had been there were dark empty sockets. Ben had to force himself not to turn away. "Who did this to you?"

  She made a sobbing sound and Ben thought about her eyes again. Did she still have tear ducts? Was she still capable of crying? "It was the General," she said, "everything was the General."

  16

  Daniel sat with Margaret while Ben and Anthony searched the rest of the building. They found nothing of any use. As far as they could see the place

  (the whole village)

  had been suddenly abandoned. Ben found that having something to do, and thinking about poor Margaret rather than his family, made him feel a little better. It cleared his head and by the time they had got her back to the Robinson Crusoe he felt like he could think again. First though Margaret had to tell them what had happened while they were away.

  She sat in the largest, most comfortable chair. Mrs Thresher had not skipped a beat when she had been presented to her. She had taken her to the bathroom and washed her, dressed her in clean clothes and brushed out her hair. She had wrapped a flowery scarf around her eyes before sitting her down. Now she made tea for them all while Margaret told them what had happened.

  "It was three or four days ago when the sky went dark," she said. Ben noted that she had lost all of the cocky superiority she ha
d displayed when questioned about Kirsty's disappearance. He was sorry to see it. "Just in the middle of the day suddenly there were shadows everywhere and when you looked up like bugs or something were blocking the sun.

  "More of them came and in an hour it was like night. No one knew what to do, we were all scared. Some people went to the General but he wouldn't see them." She shook her head and the end of the scarf swished through the air like a ponytail. "I don't know, I wasn't there."

  "Where did everyone go Margaret?" said Daniel, his voice calm and reassuring.

  "He took them," she said in short sobs. "But I wouldn't go." Her mouth was twisted in an anguished wail as she remembered what had happened to her. "So he did this?"

  "Nicholas?" said Ben.

  She nodded, her mouth still moving as if she was trying to speak but nothing came out. Mrs Thresher put an arm around her shoulders and held her tightly.

  "Why would Nicholas do that?" he said. He didn't mean to make it sound like he thought she was lying, he genuinely wondered.

  "He just did alright," she said, thrusting her chin towards him. She seemed to stare right at him and knowing, as he did, that she had no eyes beneath the scarf made him feel very uncomfortable. "Because I wouldn't go with all the others."

  "Where did they go?" said Daniel.

  She shook her head again. "He changed."

  "How did he change Margaret?" said Daniel.

  "He was ... it was like he wasn't really there but he was, it felt strange being around him, like you could feel him inside you." She shook her head. "It sounds stupid."

  It didn't sound stupid to Ben. It sounded like how it had felt to be in the presence of the King and that scared him. Had something happened to Nicholas, a man with his own little kingdom? He felt weak, his heart was beating too quickly.

  Hadn't Nicholas always claimed to be a member of the monarchy? He had always assumed he was lying but maybe that wasn't so. There was a twisted swirling mess of thoughts surrounding the ideas that were forming in his head. They seemed at once perfectly common sense but at the same time so outlandish as to be ridiculous.