As the Light Dies (69 page)

They all understood and agreed. Dean shouldered his rucksack
.“
You ready Gavin
?”
he asked.

“
Yep
.
”

“
Ok then, le
t’
s go
!
”

They ran down the ramp with Dean in the lead and at the halfway mark Dean climbed over the banister and dropped down on to the lower ramp that led to the pools cutting their descent in half. He did
n’
t want to get any closer to the main doors than he had to with all the infected people, the
y’
d only stir them up even more and speed their onslaught.

He helped Ann over next and then Keith as Sam made the jump with ease and then Gavin followed taking the jump in one go.

“Careful!”
ordered Dean cringing
.“
None of us can afford an injury
.
”

Gavin nodded looking sheepish and they ran towards the pools. Behind them the figures at the main doors went ballistic catching sight of them
.“
The
y’
ve seen us now
,”
said Dean
,“
we gotta hurry
.
”

They ran passed the leisure pools and cut straight across the knee-deep waters of the toddler
s’
pool. Ann glanced across at the windows
.
“Oh God!”
she said seeing the figures pressed up against the glass, peering in with their dark faces. She felt like they were looking straight at her!

Dean slid and nearly went over but Gavin caught him as he landed on one knee and stopped him from falling any deeper in to the water. They reached the bottom of the steps that led up to the first diving board and ran up them two, sometimes three at a time to the first level where there was a bright red fire exit that opened onto a short steel fire escape that led down beside the entry road in to the leisure centre.

Keith was the first to reach the door just ahead of Ann with Dean and Gavin taking up the rear after being slowed down by his slide. Keith pulled his mask up over his chin looking back at the others, Ann was just behind him doing the same, he looked at the two brothers and saw they were already masked up and ready. He saw Dean nod at him indicating for him to go for it. He turned and pushed the locking bar down and shoved the door open and jumped back crying out in terror!

Coming up the small fire escape straight towards him were a group of mottled and badly mauled figures. Seeing him the one in front opened its mouth and let out a deep sounding gurgle alerting others and they sped up clambering up the steps towards him with their arms outstretched desperately reaching out for him! Keith stumbled backwards with shock and bumped against the banister.

“FUCK!”
cursed Ann. She ran full pelt at the door despite her mind telling her to turn and run for her life. Both Dean and Gavi
n’
s hearts in their mouths were just a couple of steps behind as they saw things beginning to unravel in front of them. Sam bolted from Dea
n’
s side barking
.
“SAM!”
yelled Dean not wanting him in har
m’
s way but he had no effect! Ann neared the door, fear was eating her up inside as she saw the figures rushing up the fire escape towards her, reaching for her as she reached for the door.

She was too late. She knew she was!

They were too close, the figures were going to get in before she could shut the door.

Torn up fleshless hands reached for her, she saw flapping skin and gnarly bone covered in black blood, she grimaced squeezing her eyes shut knowing this was the end! She felt something brush passed her
!
My God
,
she thought
,
the first one’s gone for Keith
!
But the strange thing was that it came from behind her, not in front
.
Keith
!
she thought, it has to be! Then through her squinting eyes she saw the black and ginger pattern of Sa
m’
s coat flying past her straight towards the first figure! An
n’
s eyes snapped open as Sam collided slap bang in the middle of the first attacke
r’
s chest at full speed like a six stone sledge hammer.

The figure, a well built male, mauled beyond any recognition buckled under Sa
m’
s impact and fell back into the other infected figures behind him forcing them back down the steps. Sam spun back around in mid air as he dropped back down, and as soon as he touched down he bolted back inside and Ann reached out and slammed the door shut gasping for air as she hyperventilated. Dean and Gavin reached Ann and Keith as the door slammed shut. Dean patted Sam and praised him, quickly checking him for any wounds as Gavin clapped Ann firmly on the shoulder and Dean said
,“
Nice one Ann. That was close! You did great. Just gotta find another way out now
.
”

As he finished he shot Keith a look frowning at him and Keith looked away ashamed.

“
Where the hell do we go
?”
said Gavin
.“
We gotta think of a new escape plan, and fast. All the others are used up. If this on
e’
s mobbed then the fire exit at the back of the main pool will be as well
.
”

Dean was already looking around the leisure centre searching and thinking. They all heard the tingling sound of breaking glass!

They all looked towards the reception area and the main doors as more glass shattered making them all flinch
.“
Oh God
!”
uttered Ann, but even though the sound was coming from that direction they could
n’
t see anything.

“
Wher
e’
s the noise coming from
?”
said Keith and before h
e’
d finished speaking a chair fell down from the piled up barricade, followed quickly by another! Then a mottled hand thrust through from the other side punching through one of the small supposedly shatterproof windows in the blocked doors and reached through between the debris and clasped at the air!

“OH SHIT
!
THEY’RE COMING THROUGH!
”
blurted Keith looking back at the others, he could feel his hands start to shake.

“The flumes!
”
said Dean and he started back down the steps taking as many at a time as he could
.
“C’mo
n
,”
he said urging the others to hurry just as the door from the office corridor burst and a stampede of infected troops roaring their gurgle war cry poured out in to the Relaxation Suite over their heads!

“Oh my God!”
said Ann.

“The flumes!”
Dean repeated
,
“C’mon,”
he urged again as he led the way.

The others followed him puzzled, terrified and desperate as they dropped back down to pool level, passed under the diving tower, then ran along the edge of the wave pool towards the flume run off pool. Dean raced up to the edge of the run of pool and dropped down on to the edge and quietly slid in to the waist deep water!

“What the hell!”
started Keith but Dean spoke over him.

“
Jus
t
fuckin
g
slide in, and do
n’
t splash. Do
n’
t make any noise, just hurry we do
n’
t have much time
!
”

The others understood what he wanted them to do but not why he wanted them to do it. They each slid in to the water without making any noise while Dean lifted Sam and walked with him cradled between his arms to the mouth of the smallest flume, the Twister and lifted him in.

Keith piped up again
,
“What ar
e
...
.
”

“
W
e’
re gonna climb in
,”
said Dean cutting him off.

“
Why this one
?
”

“
I
t’
s the smallest
.”
said Keith, and Dean said
,“
Yea, and i
t’
ll be the easiest one to climb, coz we can wedge ourselves against the sides as we go
.
”

He pushed Sam further up the flume giving himself room to climb in behind him. Keith raised his eyebrows impressed, h
e’
d never have thought of that. The others huddled in close behind Dean as morbid gurgles called out above them between the multiple crashes as the Relaxation Suite was ransacked. Dean climbed in behind Sam pushing him a little further up the flume, reassuring him, telling him it was all going to be ok and that he needed to be quiet. When he was far enough in he turned and helped Ann in behind him as Keith lifted her out of the water, then he started to shuffle up the flume pressing his back against one side and his hands and knees the other. It was claustrophobic but it was the only option he could think of.

Gradually Dean moved further up the fiberglass tube pushing Sam along in front of him pulling Ann behind him. Gavin climbed in behind her after he and Keith had a moment of, you go first
,
n
o
you go, before Gavin jumped in seeing no point in wasting any more time, then once in he turned and helped Keith in.

Dean felt a little safer having them all hidden inside the fiberglass tube but he did
n’
t plan on staying here for long. Above them a swarm of infected people rampaged tearing the Relaxation Suite apart looking for them, then only seconds after Keith climbed in to the flume, the front doors gave in as the frames buckled and the locks popped, letting dozens more of them in. Their combined noise in the large open space of the leisure centre was tremendously loud, and the sound from the horde up in the Relaxation Suite travelled down the flume from above them making it sound like they were actually coming down the flume after them.

The thought sent a shiver down Dea
n’
s spine.

Keith turned and managed to peek out the end of the flume. He watched as the changing village was pulled to pieces. Lockers were pushed over and cubicle doors were pulled off their hinges. He could
n’
t believe what he was looking at. All of them were badly discoloured and nearly all of them had horrendous and painful looking wounds.

“
Wha
t’
s the plan
?”
said Ann looking up at Dean, she was still breathing rapidly and her face was as white as a sheet.

“
I want to break through
!
”

“
Huh! Break through
!”
she said.

“
Yea, I wanna break through the fiberglass and climb out
!
”

Ann looked at him wide eyed and a shimmer of hope passed over her pale face.

“Oh
!
Ok
,”
she said understanding him at once. Sam growled behind him then looking up the flume, he tried to climb further up but went nowhere, his claws simply slid over the smooth fiberglass.

“
Shush boy w
e’
re ok
,”
said Dean stroking him
,“
do
n’
t make any noise and w
e’
ll be ok, just stay still boy
.
”

It worked and Sam relaxed and let himself lean back resting fully against Dean stopping him from sliding back down. Dean looked up the flume and felt that shiver again; his imagination showed him shadows coming down the flume towards them
.“
Ok
,”
he said taking a hold of his monkey wrench and he told Ann to cover her eyes and he primed himself and waited for a loud noise. He did
n’
t have to wait long. There was an enormous crash as the horde pulled something over within the leisure centre somewhere and Dean rammed the wrench against the roof of the flume as hard as he could and as luck would have it on his first attempt he chipped a tiny shard off the fiberglass.

“Yes,”
he chirped, then he primed himself again, ready to take the next shot.

Keith nearly fell back out of the flume when he heard Dean
.“
What the hell
?”
he said looking up towards them and Gavin filled him in.