Part 35 (1/2)

A man.

Dark hair.

Blue eyes.

Tall and slim.

This man was holding a thick tree stump in his hand. There was blood on that tree stump.

He stumbled down the ladder, and it was then that Ricky realised exactly who this man was.

”Riley,” Mattius muttered.

Riley stood opposite Mattius. Mattius was still clutching the back of his head, where he'd been hit by the tree stump.

Behind Mattius, Kesha wailed.

Ricky saw Mattius putting two and two together. He lifted his pistol as Riley stepped towards him, the tree stump lifted. His finger tightened on the trigger.

”Don't come another step closer,” Mattius said. His speech was slurred. His balance wasn't great either. But he looked like he needed another hit to really take him down.

Ricky took a few deep breaths. Despite the pain in his right side, he clambered to his left, shuffling around the side of the table, then underneath it. Mattius kept his half-conscious focus on Riley. But Ricky would have to be fast if he wanted to help. He knew that the second Mattius felt that consciousness slipping for good, he would pull the trigger, and it would be game over.

”You made... you made a mistake,” Mattius slurred. From under the table, Ricky could see he was still staggering from side to side. ”Coming here. You made a mistake.”

There was silence, for a few seconds. Silence, as Ricky climbed out from under the table. As he stood up, right behind Mattius, trying to keep as quiet as he possibly could. He couldn't let his teeth chatter together. He couldn't even breathe on Mattius' neck.

”No,” Riley said, the tree stump still raised. For a split second, Ricky saw Riley's eyes make contact with his, and he took that as a signal. A signal to act. ”It's you who's made the mistake.”

Riley lifted the tree stump higher.

Ricky grabbed Mattius' arm and punched the gun from his hand.

Riley brought the tree stump cras.h.i.+ng down on Mattius' head.

Ricky saw Mattius fall, and he felt that crack like he'd delivered it himself. He was lying down again on his front now, the gun in his shaking hand. He turned it around and pointed it at Mattius, who was on all fours. His head was bleeding badly in two places. But amazingly, he was still conscious, his eyes still twitching from Ricky to Riley and back again.

Blood covered his face, making him look even more demonic. He tried to splutter a few words, but it was pointless, his consciousness fast failing him. He crawled a few paces towards Ricky, and despite the bad condition Mattius was in, Ricky still couldn't help feeling afraid.

Ricky turned the gun on him. He had to be ready to pull the trigger, to put him down for good.

Then Riley put a hand over the gun.

”No,” Riley said.

”But he's-”

”He'll fall. Any moment now. He'll fall.”

Ricky watched Mattius claw his way closer towards him. The urge to just pull that trigger, even though it'd blow Riley's hand apart, was strong.

But he had to hold on. He had to keep the faith.

He felt Mattius' hand wrap around his ankle. He felt his grip tighten. And bizarrely, it was like some of his energy was being sucked from his body, like he was growing weaker just because this monster had his hand on him.

”He'll fall,” Riley said.

Mattius struggled to look up at Riley. His eyelids were faltering as more blood oozed down his face. He opened his mouth, but nothing but a gasp came out.

Then, ”Kesha... is... mine...”

For one split second, Ricky felt Mattius' grip around his ankle grow tighter than ever before.

”Mine,” Mattius spluttered. ”Mine...”

Riley shook his head. He smiled at Mattius. ”No, she isn't. Not even close.”

There was another raging flicker of anger in Mattius' eyes as he made a lunge further up Ricky's body, right towards his thigh.

Then his hand loosened.

His head hit the floor.

Mattius was out cold.

Chapter Ten.

When Mattius opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Riley.

It was dark. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was and what had happened.

And then it dawned on him.

The hatch. He'd escaped his camp and made his way towards it. When he'd got here, he found Ricky alone in there. He'd tried to figure things out, but things had got... well, out of hand.

Then Riley had stepped in.

He felt a sharp pain on the top of his head and he remembered, then. He remembered what Riley had done to him. He'd cracked him right over the top of the head. And at that moment after he'd done it, Mattius had been convinced that it was over. That it was the beginning of his death. That Riley was finally getting the revenge he so dearly craved.

But here he was. Awake. Alive.

And Riley was standing opposite him.

It was totally silent inside, which meant the ma.s.s of zombies must've moved on. They'd be back, no doubt. And they'd be a problem for somebody else. You didn't just have a ma.s.s of zombies like that wandering the country keeping themselves to themselves. Sooner or later, they'd swallow everyone up.

Mattius wouldn't be around to see that, though. He knew that now.