The Beginning Read Online Free Page B

down.
    Scanning the kitchen, Martin located the knife rack and pulled out a long 9 inch meat cleaver. He made a few cutting and swooping motions in the air with it, then tucked the revolver into his pyjama bottoms. The cleaver shook in his hands.
    On the marble kitchen counter was a tray with a large bottle of whisky and a couple of tumbler glasses. Martin felt the urge, as he always did. But he moved past it. Later, Martin thought.
    Martin went back into the living room and his eyes looked up towards the ceiling. He knew where he needed to go. The door which led to the staircase was wide open, inviting Martin to enter. Standing at the botto m of the staircase, Martin suddenly became aware of a slow and steady dripping sound. His stomach dropped and every worst case scenario began running through his mind. The infected had got in and had killed his parents. That was there blood dripping.
    Mart in shook his head and took a deep breath. No. It could be anything.
    As he began to climb the stairs, the upstairs landing coming into clearer view and he went up the incline. He held the cleaver tightly in a hammer grip, raised to his eye level. The drippi ng sound got louder as he ascended the stairs and he noted it seemed to be coming from the bathroom.
    Martin felt his heart rate jump as his parents door come into view. It was just as scratched and clawed up as the front door. Martin’s hand reached for th e door knob and turned it.
    Locked.
    He let out a deep sigh of relief. They were safe. Martin knocked on the door and whispered: “You in there?”
    There was a quiet shuffle inside and Martin heard furniture being moved away from the door and then the click of a lock being released. Finally the door swung inwards and there stood Collin North. The ever present smile had disappeared from his face and he grabbed Martin by the shoulders, giving him a once over, his eyes lingering on the cleaver in Martin’s hand. Between the blood covered pyjamas and the increasingly large bump on his head, he must have looked a state.
    “What happened to you?” He pulled Martin into the spacious bedroom. “You should have stayed in the bunker, they could be back any minute.”
    “Where did they go?” Martin asked as he helped to push the cabinet in front of the door.
    “One second they were outside the door, banging and scratching and howling. I didn’t think the door was going to hold any longer.”
    Mollie North’s life had ended, but nobody knew it yet.
    Martin sat beside her on the bed and placed the cleaver quietly on the bedside table. He looked down at her white face and the waxy complexion of her skin. His eyes moved down to her bandaged wrist wh ere blood had seeped through. Her blonde hair was plastered to her skin with sweat from a fever. Behind her eyelids Martin knew there was a set of piercing blue eyes, but now all he could see was the dark bags under them.
    “How is she doing?”
“Been sleeping like that for about four hours now. Earthquake couldn’t wake her.” Collin paced the room, readjusting his cap.
    “So Dad, do you mind explaining why we have a bunker in our barn?”
    “Aha, Bunker Z. That ha-“
    Collin’s sentence was cut off by a crash downsta irs.

Chapter 8
    Martin leapt to his feet and Collin froze mid-step. The sound seemed to echo throughout the house, resonating off every surface and lingering in the bedroom.
    They had returned.
    Collin raised a finger to his lips indicating silence and Martin picked up the cleaver, touching the unloaded revolver in his pants belt. He didn’t know why he did it, but for some reason it made him feel safe. Safety in technology.
    There was another loud bang downstairs and an animalistic bark.
    Collin tensed and then walked over to the cabinet in front of the door, grabbing it with both hands. “This is my house. I don’t care what’s wrong with them, they have no right. Stay here with your mother.”
    “Dad, stop! You don’t understand! They’re crazy!”
    But