Page 136 of Monsters within Men
The van ran out of power five miles from the boatyard at Leigh-on-Sea.
The warning light had been on for the last twenty, so it wasn’t a surprise, but a collective groan still echoed around the vehicle as it crawled to a steady stop.
“No turning back now,” Aoife said.
“Guys, I left my charger at home,” Meredith replied, and the squad erupted into nervous laughter.
Zainab and Zaya glanced at each other, likely determining what the hell they had gotten themselves into.
The laughter was a welcome break from the tense atmosphere that’d settled over the group as they had driven south towards the coast. Zaya had scrolled through her media feeds, relaying the headlines to them. London was indeed falling. Types, more organised than anybody had ever seen, charged en masse at the northern wall, and broke through the defences an hour after they’d left. Various friends called Zaya, and she’d cried down the line to them, saying choked goodbyes.
But thirty minutes ago, her connection dropped. Radio silence.
Noah turned to address the group. “Well, looks like we’re on foot from here. Everyone will need to help carry the gear. No shots without my say so. You know how limited we are on ammo.”
Aside from Zainab, who was carrying a worryingly quiet Adeela, everyone loaded themselves up like pack mules. Keeping the civvies in the middle of their formation, they marched slowly on the slippery snowfall, with Noah and Wolf leading the charge.
As he led from the front, each step on his bad leg making him grit his teeth, the ghosts of everyone he lost urged him onwards. Khyan. His parents. His brothers and sisters. Splat. Luo. His uncle, most likely. But no more. He wouldn’t lose another single member of his flock. Hecouldn’t.
After a while, the snowstorm ebbed to a light flurry. Adeela stretched her tiny hand out to catch them, giggling.
Savannah, supported by Aoife, needed to stop every few minutes, clutching her stomach. Noah kept waiting for the moment her hands came away covered in blood.
“Should be just down here,” called Habib. The GPS system on their wristbands was still online. They could only pray that the yacht’s would be too.
Frankie, to Noah’s left, started singing the tune toThe Final Countdown.“I hope it has a swimming pool.”
“I can confirm it doesnothave a swimming pool,” said Vitt.
“Focus,” Noah said. “We can chat about swimming pools once we’re on the boat.”
When a type staggered out from behind a road sign, Zainab screamed.
Noah unloaded a bolt from his crossbow into the middle of its forehead. Bullseye. Walking up to it, he inspected its limp, deformed body. “Looks like it was half starved to death,” he remarked, pointing his crossbar at its skeletal ribs and concave stomach.
Habib peered down at it. “Not much food around this time of year. Not many humans even left to munch on either.”
Down the road, a faded sign proclaimed that Harbourview Marina was half a mile to their left.
The dockyard was a ghost town. The only movement came from the gentle fall of snowflakes in the starlight. There were no boats floating in the icy depths—likely they’d floated out to sea ten years ago. A long white pier stretched out in front of them, a couple of gulls perching on the pilings and metal railing.
Vitt pointed toward a long line of wooden structures. “According to General Forrest, it’s in the last boathouse.”
As the group trudged towards the building, Noah built up a fantasy in his mind that his uncle would be inside, waiting for them, ready to set sail. He’d greet Noah with open arms, pulling him towards him, promising that it was all going to be okay.
The dream soon shattered when they opened the unlocked door and stepped into the dark boathouse, whose sloped ground led directly into the water.
Just one ship lay waiting for them.
A floating palace of opulence, the luxury yacht sat on metal blocking, its hull proudly proclaiming it theWhite Dove. Noah stared at the name until Zeke nudged into him, shooting him a beaming smile.
With a sleek, stylish slimline design, the two-tiered yacht was clearly a high-end model. Noah glimpsed a plush, circular lounge area through the expansive windows.
Frankie, neck craned backwards, said, “There’s no swimming pool, but there is a diving board.”
“If anyone is stupid enough to jump off it, they’re getting left behind.” Habib assessed the framework the yacht sat on. He turned to Vitt. “How do we get it onto the boat ramp?”
“No idea. I’m only taking charge once she’s all set.”
