Spiteful (The Infected Book 3) Read online

  “Hi, Tom.” I said.

  “Hi, Marc, come on in.” He said, stepping aside so I could walk in.

  Philip was sitting by one of the tables with a striped down rifle in front of him. He looked up, nodded and went back to work.

  “What brings you here?” Tom asked.

  “Well, to tell you the truth I need some gear.” I said.

  “Okay. What do you want?” He asked.

  I told him what I wanted but when I came to the Taser he pursed his lips.

  “What?” I asked.

  “We do have three in the stores, but, Marc, these are military spec.” Tom said.

  “And?” I said.

  “Let’s put it this way, they will put someone down but they will make sure he stays down for more than a few hours.” Tom said, Philip looking over at us.

  This was getting better and better.

  “Fine. Any chance you could bag them up for me?” I asked.

  “When are you going to want this stuff?” Tom said.

  “Not for a day or two. Mike and David have a little job to do first.” I said.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem.” Tom said.

  “Great. I’ll let you know nearer the time we might be leaving.” I said.

  I left the armoury and went to my usual little hideaway in the security office. I sat looking at the monitors and everyone moving around with their own little tasks. I saw Chris and Tessa walk into the gym and start working out. Looking round the monitors I was looking for Amy. I found her and Rosa, of all people, in the library talking. I could have turned on the microphones and listened in but I would have felt like a shit for doing that. I sat for a good ten minutes watching and it made me feel like a peeping tom. I quickly changed the image and set about looking for Mike and David. I found them in the Operations centre talking with several men. I knew that they were talking to them about the fencing and the visit to the council depot.

  Everyone seemed to be happy and they all seemed to be getting on with their lives even though we lived with the constant threat of the infected. My life before the infection floated up through my thoughts and I wondered if I would have ever met any of these people if not for me letting that infected cat out of the lab. Amy had come into my life and heart like a whirlwind and quite likely leave that way if I ever hurt her. Chris, on the other hand, was like the brother I had always wanted except even cooler. David was the sort of quiet friend that you knew would always be there for you if they were needed. Mike and Tessa, although they had just recently came into my life, were staunch friends, willing to help when needed and willing to fight if needed as well. All of my close friends I classed in one way or another family and if they needed me I would be there for them, just as they were there for me.

  Shutting off the monitors I headed out the security room and down to my room. Spirit needed some exercise and I needed to watch her go mental chasing the stick.

  Opening my room door I shouted “Oi, Spirit, want some exercise?”

  The flash of white was out the door and halfway up the hallway before I had to say anything else. She stood there waiting for me with her tail wagging backward and forward like a demented windscreen blade. Reaching inside my doorway I picked up the piece of broomstick I had used the other day. Closing my door I headed up the hallway toward my dog. Spirit waited and her tail sped up when she saw the stick in my hand. We headed for the gym. It was time to interrupt Chris and Tessa with a little dog mayhem.

  I opened the door to the gym and Spirit shot past my legs and into the gym. I heard the clang of weights hitting the floor and a string of curses. I was starting to laugh as I walked into the gym and saw Spirit on Chris’ chest licking his face. He must have been bench pressing when Spirit attacked him. Tessa was standing off to one side trying very hard not to laugh.

  “Spirit, here, girl.” I called.

  She hopped off Chris’ chest and ran over to stand beside me. I crouched down and gave her a stroke whilst watching Chris wipe dog slobber off his face and chest.

  He looked over and said “You told her to do that!”

  “Nope. I didn’t even know you and Tessa were in here.” I lied.

  “Now, that, I fucking doubt.” He said.

  I held up my hands and said “The only reason that Spirit is here is because this is the only space big enough to give her some exercise. That is until they get the fencing up.”

  “Humph…I suppose.” He said, lying back to start working out.

  Whispering, I said to Spirit “Good girl.”

  I started to throw the stick around the room and every now and then it would land near Chris and Spirit would run up and give a lick before dancing away from him. We did this for a good half hour until Chris threatened to throttle me if the stick came anywhere near him again. Laughing, I left with Spirit and we headed up to the dining room for some food. We entered the dining hall and we headed for the counter. It was some kind of chicken pie and some vegetables. I got a plate of both for myself and a bowl with the chicken pie for Spirit. I took a table far enough away from everyone that they wouldn’t get upset with the sound of Spirit eating.

  David came in and headed for the counter and grabbed a plate of food. Turning round he saw me and headed over. He sat down and started to eat. Spirit was just finishing her bowl off and I could see by the way she was eying David’s plate she wanted some more.

  Standing I said “I’ll be right back. If I don’t get her some more of that pie she’s going to be climbing into your lap to eat yours.”

  David just grunted as he lifted another mouthful of pie into his open mouth.

  Grabbing a large bowl and filling it with the remains of the chicken pie, I headed back to where I had been sitting. I placed the bowl down in front of Spirit and she dove right in. I sat back down and saw that David had almost finished so I sat and waited.

  David pushed his empty plate away and said “My wife always did make a nice pie.”

  “Looking at you, mate, I bet she had to.” I said, smiling.

  He laughed “Yeah, well, I have never been what you might call small.”

  “Did you and Mike manage to sort anything out?” I asked.

  “We’ve managed to get eight men sorted out for the work. They wanted to be armed but we told them that Mike and I would be enough. The depot should have been closed when this all started so we shouldn’t find any infected in there. That, and everything we need is stored outside. The only time we need to go inside anywhere is to get the keys for the flat beds and I think Mike and I can do that.” He said.

  “So you’ll be okay for tomorrow?” I asked.

  “Not a problem. We should be back before midday if we leave first thing. I have a question.” He said.

  “Go ahead.”

  “If both you and Chris are heading to Hull then who is going to have the code for the hatch?” He asked.

  “You are.” I said simply.

  “Oh!”

  I laughed at that and stood up “I need to find Amy and talk about the Hull thing.” I said.

  “I’ll find Chris and talk to him about the hatch.” David said.

  I nodded and headed off to find Amy. I called by the third floor to see if she was still with Rosa but neither of them were around. With Spirit in tow I headed back to my room. Siting in the chair and with Spirit stretched out on the floor in front I felt quite relaxed with the idea of getting a boat and sailing down to Hull. I also knew that it was going to be one of the most dangerous things I had ever done in my life. The ship was my biggest concern. I mean, we didn’t know the layout and there was bound to be a thousand and one hiding places for the infected on it.

  I needed a drink and went to the cupboards in the kitchenette and pulled out the part bottle of whiskey I had stashed there. Pouring a glass I carried both over to the chair and sat drinking on my own till the bottle was empty. Standing up, the room started to spin and I stumbled over to the bed and collapsed onto it.

  Chapter Eighteen

&
nbsp; The morning came and so did that fucking little gnome and his hammer. The little bastard had taken up position at the back of my head and was happy to try and smash my brains out through my eyes. Groaning, I sat up and straight away. I wished I hadn’t. I still had the same clothes on that I had the day before. I slowly peeled them from my body and staggered across to the bathroom all the while being watch by Spirit who seemed to find it all very funny in her doggy way.

  Running the shower, I stepped in and again wished that the gnome hadn't decided that the smashing headache wasn’t enough and a swirling feeling in my stomach might be in order as well. Taking it in slow measures I washed my body and then dried it. I walked into the living room and found some clean clothes and dressed. Telling Spirit to stay, I headed out the door and up the hallway to the lifts. I managed to only hit the walls twice on the way. The journey in the lift played havoc with my stomach and the gnome had a great time reminding me that I had a headache to go with it. The dining room was full and I grabbed a coffee and toast. Seeing Chris and Amy sat at a table I staggered across and sat down.

  “Serves you right.” Amy said before I had even opened my mouth.

  Chris started to laugh and the gnome inside my head decided to time his blows with everyone.

  “You can fuck right off, Chris.” I said.

  Which of course set him off more which gave the gnome more to dish out.

  “Why the hell did you get drunk for?” Amy asked.

  “To be honest, it felt like the right thing to do at the time. Now, not so much.” I said, holding my head in my hands.

  “Seriously, Marc, you have to stop drinking. You can tell that your body can’t handle it.” Chris said, grinning from the other side of the table.

  I just sat there trying to sip the coffee in my cup and take the odd nibble of toast.

  “Did Mike and David get away alright this morning?” I asked.

  “They got away fine. There were two infected on the track this morning but with them taking the coach they squashed the infected flat.” Chris said.

  “Do you think they’ll get what we need from the depot?” Amy asked.

  “Mike seemed to think so when I spoke with him this morning.” Chris said.

  “Next thing we need to talk about is when did you want to leave to do this Hull thing?” I asked them.

  “To tell you the truth, Marc, I was just going to go when you were ready.” Chris said.

  “So was I.” Amy said nodding.

  “Okay, well today is out of the running because I feel like shit and David and Mike are away. How about we see if they bring back everything for the fence and that they don’t need to do any more trips. If they don’t need to do any more trips, we’ll head out tomorrow, is that okay?” I asked.

  Chris nodded and said “Fine with me.”

  “That’s okay with me. It means I can finish something up before we leave.” She said cryptically.

  I just shrugged and finished my coffee. The little gnome had faded into the background but I knew if I stayed in the noisy dining room any longer he would come back with a vengeance.

  “Look, I’m going to head back to my room and try to get better.” I said, standing.

  “I’ll come by later and check up on you.” Amy said.

  I bent and gave her kiss on the cheek “Thanks, babe.” I said. Leaving the dining room was quite the task as I was slightly dizzy. I made it to the doors without smashing into too many tables. And I knew Chris was laughing his head off watching me. I got in the lift and headed for the fourth floor and my room.

  I walked into the room and was greeted by my large mentally impaired dog. Or at least that was how I felt when Spirit came bounding over to me barking her head off. I managed to dodge her and get onto the bed. Closing my eyes I tried to block out all the sounds my poor head was hearing. After a small while I felt the bed dip and felt doggy breath on my face. I was too tired and wasted to say anything to Spirit so I just let my tired mind slip into the coma which was sleep.

  I woke up with Amy gently rubbing my arm.

  “Hey, babe!” I said, slowly rubbing my eyes.

  “I thought you might want to know that Mike and David are back.” She said.

  “Did they get everything they wanted?” I asked.

  “Everything and more.” She said.

  “More?”

  “Yeah, they managed to get some portable generators and some building supplies. Apparently some of the men have said that once the fence is up they would like to live outside in the compound.” She said.

  “Really?” I said surprised anyone would give up living in the bunker.

  “They said that even though the bunker was secure and safe it felt like they were trapped and if they could live outside then they would at least feel free and alive.” Amy said.

  I sat up and said “That’s fine, as long as they know that when the hatch is closed, it is closed.”

  “We’ll get round to making rules for that later.” She said.

  My mind said ‘Maybe.’ but I couldn’t voice that worry.

  “Better go and have a chat with Mike and David then.” I said, sliding off the bed and grabbing my boots.

  “Marc, I’ll ask you this one last time. Are you sure you want to go to Hull?” Amy said, catching my arm.

  I turned and pulled her close. Our lips met and we kissed. I pulled away and said “Babe, it is something that I have to do. She helped me out and I can’t just leave her to die.”

  “Why did I have to fall for the man with a code of honour?” She said, leaning her head against my chest.

  We found Mike and David in the Operations centre looking over some drawings.

  “How did it go?” I asked.

  “It went well. There were no infected in the Depot and we managed to find quite a bit of building materials,” Mike said.

  “I heard that there were a few men who want to live in the compound once it’s finished.” I said.

  “There are a couple. I fancy the idea as well.” David said.

  That was something I wasn’t expecting.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Maybe after the fencing is up and I have built somewhere to live.” He said.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Okay. so tell me about the compound.” I said.

  For the next twenty minutes they showed me the drawings of the compound and the fence to surround it. The main fence would be a rough square each side being five hundred meters long. There would be two fences in all with a gap between them of roughly five meters. The first fence would be around ten feet tall with razor wire round the top and the second fence would be eight feet tall, again with razor wire. Each corner would have a platform. Inside the compound would be split into areas. One for vegetables and growing food, one for any livestock we could catch and the last area and the largest would be for anyone wishing to live outside of the bunker. In the centre would be the bunker.

  “That’s a good plan.” I said.

  “We might make changes as we go.” Mike said.

  “It’s your baby. You can do what you want. Just make sure you run it past the rest of the group first.” I said.

  “Of course.” David said.

  “Right. We have to go and sort stuff out for when we leave tomorrow.” I said, standing.

  “Are you sure about this, Marc?” Mike asked.

  “Tell you the truth, I am not sure about anything. All I know is that it is the right thing to do.” I said.

  “Okay, mate.” Mike said.

  “I’ll make sure Chris gives you the code before we leave.” I said, heading for the doors.

  With Amy in tow, I headed down to the armoury.

  I stuck my head in and said “Tom, can you have that bag of gear sorted for me for in the morning?”

  “Sure. Shouldn’t be a problem.” Tom said.

  “Thanks.” I said.

  With that done, I headed back to the fourth floor with Amy and knocked on Chris’ doo
r. After a few second the door opened and who did I see, not Chris’ ugly mug but Tessa! Her hair was wet and she was holding a towel round her. I smiled. Chris was getting some.

  “Oh, hi, Tessa! Can you tell Chris we’ll be heading out in the morning for Hull?” I said

  “Erm…sure.” Tessa said.

  I said “Thanks” and headed off to my room and went inside with Amy following. I think she was a little bit blown away at how I had just rushed through everything. Truth be told, that little fucking gnome with his hammer was back and he wasn’t being gentle with it.

  “Erm…what just happened?” Amy asked.

  “Just thought I might get all the preparations for tomorrow started.” I said, wincing at one particular pound of my skull.

  “You okay?” She asked, walking forward and placing a hand on my face.

  “Not really. I have a banging headache. I think Chris is right, I don’t have the stomach for drinking.” I said.

  Taking my hand, Amy led me to the bed and helped me to get undressed. Lifting the covers, I slid in between the sheets and it wasn’t long afterwards that I felt Amy’s body next to mine. I wrapped her in my arms and we both slowly fell asleep. The last thought that crossed my mind before sleep pulled me under was that I hoped we all came back from this one.

  About the author.

  Justin Gowland was born in Zambia. His father had been working there as an electrical engineer in a copper mine. He returned to the North East of England with his family

  when he was three.

  He had a normal sort of childhood but was always interested in reading. He wrote short stories and played a lot of D&D.

  Upon leaving school, he joined the Army as a Junior Leader and then moved on to the adult services at the age of eighteen. One of his last postings was to Hereford and after spending nearly six years he left.

  He married again for the third time and it was his wife who said "What’s the point of writing your stories if no one is going to read them?"

  Justin published his first series ‘The Reaper Trilogy’ in mid 2014 and is currently working on the Infected Series.