Hayden’s stomach turn.
“They made their choice,” Sarah said, turning away from Riversford and carrying on walking. “We gave them the option to leave that place and Martha made the right call for her and her daughter.”
“Just dunno how you can say that’s the right call,” Gary said. His cheeks were reddening. He fumbled with the sleeves of his grey Mackintosh.
“Not to us, maybe,” Sarah said. She put a hand on Gary’s arm. “But Martha has a daughter to think about. And Holyhead’s a long journey to take on a … well, it’s a long journey to take.”
Hayden could sense the apprehension in Sarah’s voice. The doubt about this journey. “If there’s someone there waiting for us in Holyhead, we can tell them about this place. We—we just need to know for sure. We need to … to check it out. And then we can go back for Martha and Amy. Help them.”
Sarah, Gary and Holly all looked at Hayden with apprehension like he was a crazy person talking crap.
And Hayden understood exactly why. It’s because he was talking crap. There was no going back for Martha or Amy. Who in their right minds would take a risk like that?
They’d made their decision. They were gone.
And in this world, gone really was gone.
“Come on,” Holly said, leading the group. “It’d be nice to be out of the open and in those trees over there sometime soon. Then we can figure out which way we’re actually supposed to be heading.”
Hayden looked back at Riversford. He looked back at it and he remembered the hope he’d felt when he first laid eyes on it. Or was he misremembering? Had he felt hope or had he felt apprehension right from the off?
Had he felt the same way about Riversford as he now felt about Holyhead?
“Hayden?” Sarah said.
Hayden swallowed a lump in his throat. He thought about Clarice. Thought about her kneeling on the ground while Ally sliced her head off her neck. He thought about Newbie—Newbie’s drive and determination to reach his daughter, the hope in his face when he found that note in Martha’s old house.
And then he thought about Tim. Tim, dead on the ground for no apparent reason. And then Karen, turned without the first sign of a bite wound.
He cleared his throat.
Felt his face getting a little clammy.
He took a deep breath of the fresh late winter air and he walked.
Twelve
“ H ow long did you say this is gonna take again?”
Hayden traipsed through the grass. His legs had lost their strength, and the rucksack of weapons and supplies over his shoulder made his body feel like it was going to cave in. Cold sweat stung his lips, and the smell of rot completely engulfed them in this barren woodland.
But that emptiness was also a problem. The complete silence was a problem.
The smell of rot accompanied by … nothingness. There was something deeply unsettling about it.
“Warrington to Holyhead used to take us a good two hours in the van,” Gary said. “And that was goin’ the easy route. Right down the motorway. Even with a car, it ain’t gonna be possible for us to go down the—”
“How long?” Sarah asked.
Gary moved his fingers through his short hair. “Forty hours. Or so. Two solid days walk without any rest. Talkin’… a week if we bear in mind sleep and—”
“A week,” Sarah said. She shook her head. Hayden could see the bloodshot tiredness in her eyes. “Knackered after a fucking hour and now we’re talking about walking a week.”
She glared at Holly, but Holly didn’t see it. Hayden understood it though. He’d been glaring at Holly this entire journey so far. Not with hatred, not with resentment or anything like that. But with curiosity. Genuine curiosity.
What did she have to gain?
What did she have to lose?
What did they really even know about Holly?
“This transmission,” Hayden said, catching up with Holly.
“The one on Harry’s phone?”
“You say you heard it?”
Holly nodded. “I saw the words on the screen. Saw all the stuff
“They made their choice,” Sarah said, turning away from Riversford and carrying on walking. “We gave them the option to leave that place and Martha made the right call for her and her daughter.”
“Just dunno how you can say that’s the right call,” Gary said. His cheeks were reddening. He fumbled with the sleeves of his grey Mackintosh.
“Not to us, maybe,” Sarah said. She put a hand on Gary’s arm. “But Martha has a daughter to think about. And Holyhead’s a long journey to take on a … well, it’s a long journey to take.”
Hayden could sense the apprehension in Sarah’s voice. The doubt about this journey. “If there’s someone there waiting for us in Holyhead, we can tell them about this place. We—we just need to know for sure. We need to … to check it out. And then we can go back for Martha and Amy. Help them.”
Sarah, Gary and Holly all looked at Hayden with apprehension like he was a crazy person talking crap.
And Hayden understood exactly why. It’s because he was talking crap. There was no going back for Martha or Amy. Who in their right minds would take a risk like that?
They’d made their decision. They were gone.
And in this world, gone really was gone.
“Come on,” Holly said, leading the group. “It’d be nice to be out of the open and in those trees over there sometime soon. Then we can figure out which way we’re actually supposed to be heading.”
Hayden looked back at Riversford. He looked back at it and he remembered the hope he’d felt when he first laid eyes on it. Or was he misremembering? Had he felt hope or had he felt apprehension right from the off?
Had he felt the same way about Riversford as he now felt about Holyhead?
“Hayden?” Sarah said.
Hayden swallowed a lump in his throat. He thought about Clarice. Thought about her kneeling on the ground while Ally sliced her head off her neck. He thought about Newbie—Newbie’s drive and determination to reach his daughter, the hope in his face when he found that note in Martha’s old house.
And then he thought about Tim. Tim, dead on the ground for no apparent reason. And then Karen, turned without the first sign of a bite wound.
He cleared his throat.
Felt his face getting a little clammy.
He took a deep breath of the fresh late winter air and he walked.
Twelve
“ H ow long did you say this is gonna take again?”
Hayden traipsed through the grass. His legs had lost their strength, and the rucksack of weapons and supplies over his shoulder made his body feel like it was going to cave in. Cold sweat stung his lips, and the smell of rot completely engulfed them in this barren woodland.
But that emptiness was also a problem. The complete silence was a problem.
The smell of rot accompanied by … nothingness. There was something deeply unsettling about it.
“Warrington to Holyhead used to take us a good two hours in the van,” Gary said. “And that was goin’ the easy route. Right down the motorway. Even with a car, it ain’t gonna be possible for us to go down the—”
“How long?” Sarah asked.
Gary moved his fingers through his short hair. “Forty hours. Or so. Two solid days walk without any rest. Talkin’… a week if we bear in mind sleep and—”
“A week,” Sarah said. She shook her head. Hayden could see the bloodshot tiredness in her eyes. “Knackered after a fucking hour and now we’re talking about walking a week.”
She glared at Holly, but Holly didn’t see it. Hayden understood it though. He’d been glaring at Holly this entire journey so far. Not with hatred, not with resentment or anything like that. But with curiosity. Genuine curiosity.
What did she have to gain?
What did she have to lose?
What did they really even know about Holly?
“This transmission,” Hayden said, catching up with Holly.
“The one on Harry’s phone?”
“You say you heard it?”
Holly nodded. “I saw the words on the screen. Saw all the stuff
Similar Books
