Surviving the Fall: How England Died Read Online Free Page B

seat.
    Amazingly, Annie was still asleep, her arms around Mr Fred.
    “Well look at that, Amy, she’s still asleep,” said Jack. Relief turned into cautious laughter.
    “Oh, thank God. Well done Jack, well done.” She reached over and they hugged for a moment.
    “Look,” said Jack. “You stay here with Annie, I’d best go and check out that minibus. People may be hurt.”
    He opened the car door, but paused as Amy held onto his arm. “Jack…” She looked straight into his eyes. “Jack, maybe we should just go.”
    He looked back at Amy and realised what she was saying.
    But he needed to check the van, someone could need help. It was the right thing to do.
    “I’ll only be a minute, ok? Just a minute. I promise. I’ll go and look, and any problems, I’ll phone someone, and we can go.”
    Amy’s hand dropped off his arm and she lowered her gaze. “Be quick.”
    The night was warm and still, and silent. Jack wondered briefly at the lack of sound, what was missing?
    Insects.
    There were no insects. Maybe the wrong time of year, he thought as he took out his phone and turned on its torch. There were no street lights here and the darkness was complete.
    The minibus was about twenty or so metres from their car and Jack approached carefully, shining his light across the white vehicle.
    The front of the vehicle was wrapped around a telegraph pole that had splintered heavily and was close to collapse. The front and side doors were both open, and a strange paint job marked the side of the minibus. It was empty.
    Jack moved closer and his heart skipped a beat as he realised he was not looking at a strange paint job, but a thick streak of blood.
    That was enough. He turned on his heels and ran to the car. Only now did he realise how much the past few day’s news had spooked him.
    A scream cut into the air. It was Amy. She was calling his name.
    “Amy!” He ran faster. Holding up the torch, he saw two figures around his car, one of them reaching in through the driver’s door.
    He charged and jumped on the nearest figure, pushing it out of the way. He pulled on the torso of the figure leaning into the car.
    The first figure, now on the floor, grabbed Jack’s leg. It was pulling itself closer, and in the split second that Jack had to take in the scene, he was sure he saw the figures teeth gnashing fast, its jaw aiming for his leg. His thoughts paused - news reports, rumours, people eating people, the infected.
    He tried to pull his leg away, over taken with panic, pushing his body against the car.
    The other figure still lay half in the vehicle.
    “Amy!” he shouted.
    “Here!” she screamed in reply, and a shocked Jack could only watch in complete surprise as Amy appeared, her arm wielding some sort of weapon that she hammered down upon the writhing body on the floor.
    It’s skull exploded onto the road and Jack stared at his wife as she straightened up, out of breath from the effort, blood splattered over her face and dress. “On the forum I read, they said you have to get them in the head. I got the one in the car too.” Hanging from her right hand was the wheel jack handle, pieces of flesh hanging from it, dripping blood onto the floor.
    He smiled at his wife, “Amazing.”
    His smile was short lived - Amy screamed as she was grabbed from behind. A head appeared out of the darkness and sank its teeth into her neck. She fell back, dropping the handle with a clatter.
    Another scream, louder, more shrill, but contained; it was from Annie. Jack span round to see his daughter up against the window, her eyes wide in terror as she witnessed her mother being attacked.
    He picked up the handle, and struggling in the darkness to see where the attacker ended and his wife began, he raised his arm and brought it down with speed upon the skull of the figure. Both Amy and her attacker fell to the ground, and Jack reached for his wife, but he was too late.
    Hands grabbed Amy’s ankles and pulled her away from Jack. More