The Zombie Saga (Book 3): Burn The Dead: Riot (12 page)

“What’s the matter, Alf?” she asks, her stride becoming staggered, disjointed. “Feeling guilty?”

As my back hits the fridge, I glance over at the twins. But they’ve vanished, replaced by two skeletons; brown, decomposing flesh just about clinging to the bone. Their permanent grinning skulls turn to me; twisting without the aid of muscle and ligament.

I can’t take the sight.
I can’t breathe.

Someone wake me. This isn’t real.

“Don’t be afraid, Alfie,” the twins say in unison. “You’ll be dead soon. Like Ginge. Like everyone you’ve ever loved.”

I want to close my eyes but I can’t.

That thing is not Wendy.

This is not my kitchen.

Please. Someone help me!

The twins start to shriek. Wendy reaches me, grabs hold of my t-shirt, opens her mouth, and screams into my face.

My eyes finally shut, but the sound is still there.

* * *

I wake to the sound of screaming.

My eyelids spring open in a panic, my vision foggy. The haze quickly lifts, and I see Adriana bawling at Jonny as she kneels in front of Ted. Jonny has his fist pointed down at her.

I leap to my feet; Natalie follows me up. “What the hell’s happened?” I ask, using my arm to keep Natalie behind me.

“He’s lost it again,” Curtis says as he stands next to the sofa. “
He’s fucking nuts.
”

“Keep out of this you Cardiff
cunt!
” Jonny roars. “This stupid
bitch
better move out of my way, or—”

“Or what?” Natalie interrupts, trying to push past me. “You’ll smash her face in?”

“This Nec needs to go,” Jonny orders, his words a little slurry. “Before he kills someone.”

Ted’s gag has somehow managed to come out of his mouth; it’s now hanging around his neck like a scarf.

“Leave him alone,” Adriana sobs. “You can’t have him.
He’s not yours. He’s mine.
”

“He’s going through that window,” Jonny says, pointing at the glass. “And if you don’t get the
fuck
out of my way, then you’re going with him.”

“Jonny, step away from her,” I tell him. “You can’t throw him through the window. That’s her husband.”

“It’s not anymore,” Jonny replies, callously. “He’s dead. This is just a monster. And monsters need to
die
.”

“The only monster in here is
you!
” Natalie snaps. “Now step away from her, right now!”

“Why don’t you just
piss off
with that
nigger traitor
there,” Jonny says without even looking at us, “and take your
stinking brother
with you. You stupid
bitch
.”

“What the fuck is your problem?” I ask, a sea of rage bubbling up inside. “Do you seriously think that football matters after everything that’s happened?”

“It’s got
fuck all
to do with football!” Jonny screams. “It’s about loyalty!”

Natalie slips past me, heading for Jonny.

“No, Natalie!” Curtis shouts. “Get away from him!”

Just as she reaches him, Jonny pushes her in the chest, propelling her backwards onto the floor.

“You fucking twat!” I scream as I advance towards him, both fists clenched. “I’m gonna smash your teeth in!”

“Come on, then!” Jonny says, smirking, waving me over with both hands. “What are you waiting for?”

From nowhere, Curtis throws a punch at Jonny, catching him on the side of his face. Jonny barely flinches; he just turns his head and drives his fist square into Curtis’ chin. Eyes rolling back, Curtis collapses, the back of his skull slamming into the hard carpet.
He’s knocked out!
Natalie races over to her brother, kneeling by his side. “You’re an animal!” she barks at Jonny, floods of tears running down his cheeks. “Someone should throw
you
out that window!”

Still on the floor, protecting her husband, Adriana shields her face as Jonny raises both his fists up, ready to take on any one of us.

“You want some too?” he asks me, still sneering even after everything he’s done. “Do you, Alfie? Come on, you black pussy!”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask him, unable to believe how much of a
prick
he’s being. I’ve never seen him like this before. “You can’t treat people like this. We’re supposed to be friends. We’ve known each other for
years
. I know you’re hurting, but—”

Out of nowhere, Ted thrusts his upper body forward, clamping his jaws around the side of Adriana’s neck.

In a frenzy, I race over to her. “Look out!” I cry as a jet of blood sprays all over the bar and floor. She screams out in agony as he tears off a mouthful of flesh. Grasping her arm, I try to pull her away, but Jonny yanks me backwards onto the floor.

“Leave her!” he shouts, standing over me, his foot pressed down on my chest. “It’s too late!”

Pushing his leg away, I scramble to my feet. The sound of gurgling coming from Adriana is unbearable.
No more screams
. I try to push past Jonny to get to her, but I can’t; he’s too strong. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I bark at him, seething with disbelief. “We can’t just leave her.”

“He needs to feed,” Jonny says, firmly, shoving me with one hand into a stool. “If it’s not her, it’ll be one of us.”

“I don’t care! Get the
fuck
out of my way!”

I turn to Natalie for support; she’s kneeling next to her unconscious brother, staring at Ted as he devours his dead wife.

I think about pulling Adriana away from the Nec. But now it really
is
too late. There’s too much blood, a waterfall, gushing from her throat, pooling around them. I’ve never seen so much blood. I feel sick. Dizzy.

I need to get out of here.

“See what you’ve done,” Jonny shouts as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his knife. “See what you let happen. This is all
your fault
.”

“Put the knife away, Jonny,” I say, slowly backing away. “Don’t be stupid now.”

“I
said
we should’ve thrown him out,” Jonny continues. “But
no
, you had to go all righteous on me; you had to play the
Saint
, didn’t you? Well, look where that’s got us. Now we’re stuck in here with two Necs. Good job, you fucking
twat!
”

“I said put it away!”

“Why don’t you make me, then?” Jonny asks, smirking like this is all just a drunken argument down at The Farmers Arms. “
Come on
.”

“S
hut up!
” Natalie snaps. “I’m sick to death of hearing that
stupid
voice of yours! You’re just a bully! A coward with a knife! That’s all you are! And that’s all you’ll
ever
be!”

Jonny sniggers. “Yeah, I’m a bully, am I?
I’m a bully?
Are you sure about that, sweetheart?

“Yes,” she replies, “I’m
fucking positive!
”

Jonny motions with his head in my direction. “Well, why don’t you ask your
nigger
boyfriend over there what he’s got in his pocket then? And don’t be thinking that’s a big black
cock
he’s got in there.”

“Watch your mouth,” I warn him. “I
mean it
.”

“Go on, Alfie,” he says, taunting me, “
whip it out
. Show the lady your shiny weapon.”

“Fuck you!”

“What’s the matter?” Jonny asks, smugly. “Ashamed she’ll think differently of you when she sees it?”

“Don’t rise to him, Alfie,” Natalie says. “He’s not worth it.”

Jonny looks at her with a huge grin spread across his face. “Your boyfriend is just like me. He gets into fights, takes drugs,
despises
Cardiff—and he’s got a knife in his pocket.”

It shouldn’t matter about the knife. Not right now, not with all that’s going on. But it does. A cold, unnerving sense of shame creeps over me at the thought of Natalie seeing it. “I never wanted it in the first place. Neither did Ginge. It’s just
you
—you and your stupid rules and bullshit. I’ve tried to like you; I did everything in my power to follow you, to see the good in you. But you know what, Jonny? You know what? After all these years, after all the fights, all the problems with the police, I’ve realised something.”

Jonny snorts. “Oh, and what’s that, Alfie?”

“That there’s
fuck all
good in you! I’m sorry about your brother—but the both of you are
poison
. I was a fool to hang around with you. A
fucking idiot!
”

“Watch what you say about my brother,” Jonny says, his knuckles turning white as he grips the knife even tighter. “He was twice the man you’ll
ever
be.”

“He was a
fucking cunt!
” I scream. “Just like you!”

Jonny’s eyes widen with wrath; the blade pointed firmly at me. “I’m gonna fucking
gut you
, you stinking nigger!”

“I don’t need a knife to beat you, Jonny. I’m not weak like you.”

He shrugs his shoulders, and then slips the knife into his pocket. “Go on then. Take your best shot. I don’t need it either.”

With no time to think, I bolt towards him, taking hold of his jersey with both hands. I drive his back against the bar, right next to Ted as he chomps down on Adriana. I throw my head forwards, splitting his nose. Jonny cries out, but then slams his knee into my groin. I drop in agony. Suddenly I’m thrown backwards when I feel his knuckles connect with my chin. Before I can even get up to retaliate, Jonny has me pinned to the floor, his knees pressing down on my arms. I try to shake his weight off but it’s no use. I keep wriggling, but the pressure on my arms is increasing.

But I stop struggling when I feel the cold steel blade against my throat.

“Stop it!” I hear Natalie shout from behind us.

Jonny looks up at her just as she slams a stool over his head. His body goes limp long enough for me to scuttle away from him. Cupping his bleeding head, Jonny rolls around on the floor, wailing in pain.

In the moment, I almost forgot about poor Adriana. Ted has already managed to eat half of his wife’s face and neck, even without the aid of two hands.

Suddenly a low, guttural sound leaves Adriana’s frayed mouth.

Jesus Christ, she’s still alive.

She opens her eyes. And then it dawns on me that she’s still very much dead.

Ted’s jaw stops hacking down on her as if fully aware that she’s no longer a piece of meat, something to gorge on. His wife is now one of them—a Nec. And Necs are not food.

We are
.

Pulling away from Ted, her skin still in his mouth, tearing like damp cardboard, she glares at Jonny as he tries to recover from the blow. My entire body tenses up at the rancid sight.

With one hand on his head, he points his blade at her.

Moving away as she snarls with blood-soaked teeth, I feel my back come in contact with the wall. “What the fuck do we do now? We’re
screwed
.”

Natalie leaps up off the floor, gasping in terror, her eyes like headlights. Curtis is stirring, but still unconscious.

“We need to get her outside,” I say as I watch Adriana slowly get up from the floor, her dead body all twisted and bleeding. She starts to lurch towards Jonny, dragging herself along like a puppet with only one string. My heart rushes as she gets closer. Jonny backs away, heading towards the spectator seats. Adriana follows him.

“Get the fuck back,” Jonny orders her, as if she’s nothing more than a pissed off Rottweiler. He swings the blade at her, but she doesn’t flinch.

I need to do something. I need to help him.

To the left of me is another stool. I grab it by its legs and point the seat-end at her like a jousting lance. Adriana snarls at Jonny, and then at Natalie, as if choosing a victim. She doesn’t notice me, so I race towards her, ramming the stool into her chest. She flies backwards into Ted. Jonny moves away, towards Natalie, the knife still pointed at the Nec.

“Hit her again!” he shouts. “Now!”

Before Adriana can get back on her feet, I slam her with the stool again.
And again.
But the seat is too soft and flat to do any real damage; it’s only buying us time.

Jonny grabs one of the other stools. I step back, out of his way. Let him have a go. He’s strong. He might do more damage. But instead of whacking her over the head, he launches the stool at the huge window. The glass shatters cleanly, sending a loud rippling explosion around the room. A gush of wind blows through the opening—so does the sound of a stadium full of Necs.

“What the hell are you doing?” I ask in astonishment.

He picks up another stool and drives the legs into Adriana’s face, piercing her right eye. “She needs to go!”

Unflinching, Adriana goes for Jonny, arms outstretched, mouth oozing. I swing my stool like a cricket bat and hit her in the mouth, destroying whatever’s left of her jaw. I back away in fright when it does nothing to slow her. But she has her sights locked onto Jonny.

“Get her to the window,” he says, moving towards it, prodding her with the stool legs. “Come on, Alf. Help me.”

He’s the last person I feel like helping, but like it or not, we’re in this together. I slip to the side of the Nec and let her pass, until I’m directly behind her. Half-blinded, with her jaw hanging by a sinew, she staggers towards him as he makes his way backwards down the steps.

“Come on, you stupid bitch,” Jonny says, reaching the broken window. “You wanna take a bite out of me? Come on, you know you want to.” He signals with his head for me to follow her.

Adrenaline surging, I creep behind her as she ambles down the steps. She claws at Jonny, but all she touches are the legs of the stool.

The rumble of the stadium blows in as I get closer to her. My hands are shaking.
But she needs to go
. Once she’s in front of the opening, I dart towards her, and then thrust the stool into her back. Adriana flies from the VIP suite, out of sight, landing with a thud.