The Tower

    The town of Abergavenny had been all but destroyed in the war, strategic bombing reducing the homesteads of the people to piles of caved-in rubble. The majority of the town had been destroyed, although the town hall and surrounding shops had stayed, for the most part, intact. The iconic tower of the town with it's bright, green, copper top had become a beacon of hope to passing travellers as night fell because of the people that had inhabited the market and town hall. At night the occupants would light up a large flame inside the clock-tower, providing as a lighthouse for travellers in need of sanctuary.
    Because of the frequent stops for Amy the group didn't get into Abergavenny until the sun was setting. They entered the town along the main road and passing past the ruin of a large supermarket, the remaining charred green letters reading; “W  I  RO  E.” On the side of the building a smiley face with a large tongue sticking out had been spray painted in blue, and underneath it something else had been sprayed; “11.” They moved along the main road and up towards a bridge spanning a wide river, the water flowing fast and white along the rocks. Across the bridge they passed through a creaking metal gate, walking in silence now. Danny noticed that part of the wall with the creaky gate also had a smiley face sprayed on, but this time the number was “10.” They made their way down to the river and Amy and Jack began thirstily slurping up the water.
    Jack quickly recoiled, spitting out what remained of the water in his mouth, gagging, “That ain't drinkable.”
    Amy, however, continued drinking, dipping her head into the water for several seconds. Jack grabbed her shoulder and gently pulled her back. She turned on him sharply and swiftly, her eyes suddenly wild and water dribbling from her mouth which was locked in a grotesque snarl.
    Jack recoiled, startled at the sudden outburst from his wife. He fell onto his back and raised his legs defensively, but by that time she had stopped growling and had tucked her head into her neck, cradling herself as she began to sob.
    Jack stood back up and gingerly approached her, setting a shaking hand against her back and beginning to move it in slow circles, “Come on, Amy. It'll be okay. Shush, you're gonna be fine.”
    She reached up and hugged him around his shoulders, sobbing into his chest. He sighed and slid his arm under her legs and secured his other one behind her back, lifting her up off the floor.
    He looked at the others, “Let's move.” He said, as the sky began to turn orange, lighting the yellow grass of the field they stood in into strange, almost sepia, tones.
    The river flowed fast down the field and a small concrete path, overgrown with weeds, ran alongside it. The group followed the path up the fields, at the end of which they could see the majestic ruins of a medieval castle standing tall over them. Dave's jaw dropped at the sight of it and in his head imagined Welsh rebels charging at the walls, skin painted blue and swords clanging loudly against Norman shields.
    He shook himself out of his stupor and continued to scan the dead fields for any signs of Bitten.
    The sun set quickly and the night came thick and dark. The group closed together so that they could still see everyone else, Jack and Amy in the middle. Hannah picked up a twig off the floor and ripped half of the left sleeve off her shirt. She tapped Sam on the shoulder, “Got a light?” She whispered.
    Sam nodded and pulled a lighter out of his pocket, which she used to light up the makeshift torch. The sudden burst of light was followed by a broken voice screaming, “Oh, shit!”
    It was Dave. The light had revealed a Bitten crawling slowly in front of him, it's eyes were wide and it was low to the ground. The Bitten must have been no more than five feet from him, and as the light burst into being it had leapt back into the darkness, out of sight. (out of mind), Dave thought.
    Dave had pulled out his revolver and fired off a shot, the group had turned and Hannah held the fire high, illuminating an orange ring around them.
    “Oh, fuck.” Danny whispered to himself. The group ignored him and closed the circle tighter, each aiming their weapons out in the direction the Bitten had originally attacked from. Dave noticed two white specks in the darkness, and for a fraction of a second they disappeared.
    “It's eyes,” He whispered to himself. He raised his revolver and fired between the dots. There was a screech and Dave saw the creature in the light from the gunshot.
    “Guys?” Murmured Danny.
    Dave spoke up, “I think I got 'im.”
    Danny spoke louder now, “Guys, seriously, look at this.”
    “What, Dan-” Hannah started, and then she saw them. She saw the horror that Danny had noticed before, but had had to confirm for himself before he informed the others.
    And then she whispered, under her breath and only for herself, but in the sickening silence that engulfed the group as they saw it too, everybody heard her.
    “Holy fuck.”

* * * *

    The market and town hall of Abergavenny had been settled, after the End, by a few families who had been native to the town. Only now there were no adults, for they had all been killed when they went out looking for some food and drugs.
    The oldest person in the hall now was sixteen, and was looked upon by a tribe of children, all fourteen or younger. The centre of the hall had been made into a large greenhouse, the intact glass above it providing light from the sun and a large collection of soil-filled containers growing a variety of plants, ranging from potatoes and carrots, to coca and cannabis plants.
    The children lit fires around the hall and in the clock tower at night, and along the one side of the market hall a screen of white paper had been set up, separating Bitten who had been constrained and tied up behind the screen, from the uninfected. Around the main hall children sat and smoked or chewed on their grown drugs, watered the plants, or guarded the entrances.
    The elder child sat on a makeshift “throne,” constructed of a market stall with a plastic chair perched on top and placed at the end of the hall. He also had his own room, which had once been a butcher's shop built into the side of the market.
    Two children approached each other, one was a boy with messy brown hair and an arrogant smile on his face. He looked about thirteen and he was chewing on a coca leaf. His body was anaesthetised by the plant.  The other child was a girl, no older than twelve. A roll of cannabis hung loosely between her teeth and out of her lips and she was filled with euphoria from the plant. The boy whispered something into the girl's ear and they retreated into the well used “Private Room” that stood in the corner of the hall. The boy smiled as he closed the door behind him, and slid across a lock. The windows of the former pet shop had been boarded up so that the new users could enjoy it's privacy.
    Once inside, the girl smiled seductively at the boy. They were only children, but in their world morals went down the metaphorical drain. They had to live their days to the full, because each day could be their last.
    The girl took one last drag on the cannabis and then dropped it to the floor, stamping it out beneath her shoes before she slid them slowly off.
    The boy began to slowly unbutton his shirt, and he spat the coca leaves out into a bin that stood in the corner. He removed a bag of leaves from his jeans tauntingly before her, “This what you want?”
    The girl nodded slowly, and then snatched forward for the leaves. The boy pulled them away and wagged his finger at her, “You know what comes first.” He whispered.
    The girl was unimpressed. As she slid off her trousers and shirt and they stood before eachother in their underwear, she grumbled, “Yeah, you come first.”
    After the act they lay beside each other, naked. A wide smile engulfed the boy's face and the girl chewed contently on her earned coca leaves. They glanced at each other, stood up, dressed. Then they left, and another couple entered the room after them.

* * * *

    They knew they were in trouble once the light went out.
    In the dark the group looked out at the white dots that encircled them. They slowly closed in, and Danny whispered, “The light won't hold them forever. Even if it don't die out they'll jump in quickly.”
    “You're right,” Sam replied, “If we move slowly up the path we can reach the castle. Maybe some people will be there.”
    They aimed their weapons outwards and continued their slow march along the fields. The Bitten moved with them, watching. Waiting.
    The torch flickered, the fire burning through the last of the shirt material now.
    “What if I throw it on one of 'em?” Hannah asked.
    “What?”
    “Well, if I light one on fire, it'll probably run around and that'll make them all scatter.”
    “Can't risk it,” Jack grunted through his teeth, feeling the exhaustion from carrying Amy now.
    Sam moved back in, “Lemme take her,” He said, handing Jack his rifle, “You take my place.”
    As they moved up the path, another light came into view. It was up the way of the castle. A fire was burning like a lighthouse below a bright green pyramid. “If the light goes out, we run and gun.” Sam said, “We run like shit and try to get to that tower, yeah?”
    They all agreed, “Yep.”
    They continued walking, but then it all went horribly wrong.
    Jack screamed, and fired three rounds off, stepping backwards with the recoil, “One jumped at me!” He was yelling, but that one was dead, and not a problem any more. The real problem was he had stepped back into Hannah, causing her to trip over his leg. This sent the torch into the air and landing on the ground, the flame flaring up during the flight and then dying suddenly as it slammed against the cold dirt.
    “RUN!” Screamed Dave.
    “HANNAH!” Sam yelled.
    Jack, Sam – still carrying Amy – and Danny ran, their footsteps slamming heavily against the concrete and they grew further apart as they sprinted at different speeds.
    Dave, however, stayed behind and grasped around in the darkness at the floor, “Hannah?” He shouted.
    “Dave?” Came the reply. To his right. He grasped around and felt something firm and round in his hand. “Ah, that's my tit, you idiot!” She screamed.
    “Sorry,” Dave replied, moving his hand over and grabbing her arm. He pulled her up and linked his fingers through hers so their hands were locked tight together. He fired off two shots with his revolver into the darkness, before shouting, “Run!”
    Together, they sprinted towards the castle, following as the overgrown path took a harsh left and they sprinted faster. They could hear the gurgling and chomping of the Bitten that ran behind them. They sprinted, but slammed hard into a wooden gate that blocked the path. They were winded, and Hannah turned and fired into the darkness. There was more clacking of teeth and the pair pulled open the gate and sprinted faster, gasping heavily as they struggled to draw in air. They ran onto a hill that grew steep and uneven and the concrete was replaced with mud and rocks, and they slipped often, pulling one another to their feet and continuing to run. Mercifully, the hill eventually evened out, and they ran on concrete again. They ran around the wall of the castle and took a sharp right onto a ruined road. They looked up high into the sky and saw the tower. It was close now, just down the small alley to their right. It was on that road. They ran, but Bitten ran out from all sides now, and they fired until their weapons ran dry.
    The main road was littered with rubble, and buildings had collapsed in on themselves. The road was wide, but littered with burnt out vehicles and twisted metal bars that had once been fences. Their sweaty palms slipped apart but they were comforted by the heavy footfalls beside them.
    They sprinted fast, and the tower was right above them. Hannah sprinted into a large, tunnel-like entrance into the occupied and lit market. She subconsciously noticed that there was another smiley face spray painted inside the tunnel, with a large blue number “1.” Gunshots rang out in front of her and she screamed and dived to the floor. She felt a body fall at her back, and a warm wetness spread out over her shoulders. She whimpered as the blood pooled out around her cheek that she kept firmly pressed against the concrete.
    Dave had been tackled just inside the entrance. A Bitten had pinned him to the ground and was trying to bite Dave's face. Dave held the creature back at the neck, but his arms were tired and beginning to give. They ached as the creature pressed against them harder and finally gave, but when the creature's face fell closer to him it was not biting. Blood had splattered across Dave's face and he stood quickly, sprinting into the market, beside Hannah, who had picked herself off the ground.
    Together, they leapt majestically over the sandbag barricade that was the entrance to the hall, and a young boy, no more than ten, smiled at them, leaves sticking out between his teeth.