The Last Plague by Rich Hawkins Page A

place.    
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
     
    Ralph examined the blade of the kitchen knife in his hand. It was sharp and he liked it.
         Judging by the framed photos on the walls, the house belonged to a young family. Mum, dad, and a little boy no more than ten years old. Ralph wondered where they were now. He had searched for the Nissan’s keys, but couldn’t find them.
         He wondered if the family was dead.
         They had laid Magnus on the sofa. He was barely conscious but his nose had stopped bleeding. Now he was a limp shape, eyelids fluttering, muttering nonsense words and moaning gently. His head was resting on a cushion. Joel laid a damp cloth over his forehead after cleaning the blood from around his nose and mouth.
         Ralph found a Tupperware box full of chocolate bars in the kitchen cupboard. He gave one to Joel, one to save for Magnus when he awoke, and one for Frank when he returned. Ralph didn’t save one for the woman Frank had gone to rescue. He took two for himself and ate them without pause.
         “What’s happening out there?” asked Joel. “Where is everybody?” He let out a nervous, juddering sigh. “I’ve got work tomorrow…”
         Magnus groaned.
         “Fuck knows,” said Ralph. “Have you tried the TV?”
         “The power’s out. Do you think it’s only happened to this village, or do you think it’s happened elsewhere? Maybe the people were evacuated for some reason. What if this area is contaminated with something? Radiation or a biological agent of some kind. We could be in the middle of a quarantine zone. The government might want to hush it up, keep it all secret. There could be squads of soldiers in bio-hazard suits executing on sight anyone they think is contaminated.”
         Ralph’s mouth turned sour. “We don’t know what’s happened. No point in jumping to conclusions.”
         “What about the woman that Frank went back to help? What happened to her?”
         “Dunno.”
         “What was that puncture wound on her neck?”
         Ralph took in a deep breath. Joel eyed him nervously, hands held together like an old maid.
         “I don’t know, mate.”
         “And what’s wrong with Magnus? Is he sick? Is there something worse than that wrong with him?”
         Ralph thought exactly the same. “He’ll be fine. Once Frank gets back we’ll decide what to do, and we’ll get out of here. Calm the fuck down.”
         “One of us should’ve gone with Frank. We shouldn’t have let him go on his own.”
         “Would you rather have gone with Frank? Or would you have wanted to stay here and look after Magnus on your own?”
         “Neither.”
         “Frank will be okay. He’ll be back soon.”
         “I wish I had your confidence.”
         “Just take it easy. We’re safe in here.”
         “Okay.”
         “I’m going to see if I can find tablets or something to help Magnus.”
         “Okay.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
     
    There were great booms in the distance, like the footfalls of a behemoth raised from the earth. Distant thunder. The ground reverberated.
         Frank had not moved for an hour. His limbs were stiff, like ice sculptures draped in cloth. He was too scared to leave his hiding place.
         Night would fall soon. The only light was a diseased, greasy hue. He didn’t want to be out here in the dark. He had heard strange noises earlier. Muted calls from far away; and voices that were no more than whispers in his ear. Footfalls down the street. The sound of running.
         The shrieking man-thing was gone. He had staggered away over half an hour ago, sniffing the air and mewling like he was in pain.
         Frank let out a small laugh and there was hysteria within it. He