The Dust: Book Three - Sanctum Read online

  She was marooned. Surprised at the way the Doyen had promised to amass a small army, to rescue her. That only cemented her belief in the Pureblood movement.

  She also knew that he was going to strike at the naked filth hard. He wanted all of them dead.

  Would he stop at that?

  Davis wasn’t sure. They had found the renegades hideout, and in her mind now was the time to strike.

  Kneeling down, she surveyed the skyline with her field glasses. The rocks at Haytor were now crawling with infected humans. They looked like ants crawling over one another, some fighting and some fornicating. It made her sick to the stomach. They all needed to be burnt, the whole country needed to be cleansed from this half human crud.

  Moving away from the rocks, Davis scanned further west. She nearly missed the figures as they were so small, but it was a glint that gave them away.

  Two figures moved quickly along the horizon. Below, three more were heading to what looked like the rocks. That was when the glint caught her eye.

  Was it a watch? It could have been anything, but whatever it was gave their position away.

  Davis sat there tracking their every move.

  ‘I spy with my little eye.’ She mumbled to herself. ‘Something beginning with R.’

  Chapter Twenty Four

  ‘Did you see that?’ Angel held Jake’s arm to stop him from walking.

  ‘What?’ Jake looked around fearing the worst.

  ‘A flash of light.’

  ‘Which direction?’

  Angel jumped, and excitedly tugged her boyfriend’s arm. ‘There.’ She pointed. ‘It happened again, a flash of light.’

  Jake strained his eyes, but could see nothing. He shook his head. ‘Come on, we need to press on.’

  ‘You don’t believe me do you?’ Angel was a bit put out.

  ‘Yes, absolutely, but we need to get to the rendezvous point.’ Jake picked up the pace.

  ‘It was pretty pointless, splitting up.’ Angel caught up with Jake. ‘Safety in numbers I say.’

  ‘I agree, but.’ Before he could continue, Angel cut him dead.

  ‘But, here we go. Just because your boyfriend thought it was a good idea, doesn’t mean you have to run along with it.’ Angel smirked.

  ‘That’s a crazy thing to say.’ Jake laughed. ‘All I was saying was I agree with you, it is safety in numbers. But.’ He paused as they both looked at each other smiling. ‘We didn’t know what was out here did we? So two parties are better than one. If one passage to the rocks is dangerous, then the other party can provide safe passage.’

  ‘Hmmmm.’ Angel wasn’t convinced. ‘I still think you two are like little boys sat at the back of class. Stick up for each other, whatever the consequences.’

  ‘Get down.’ Jake’s whole demeanour changed as he went deathly serious. He pulled Angel to the floor with him.

  ‘What?’ She whispered.

  ‘Someone is following us.’ Jake slowly turned himself around in the long grass. He pointed in the direction he had heard the noise.

  Angel slowly popped her head above the tall blades of grass. Jake was right, someone had been following them.

  ***

  ‘Cover that up.’ Naomi snapped at Harry James. ‘That’s the third time I have told you about your wristwatch glinting in the sunlight.’

  ‘Sorry.’ Harry James pulled the sleeve of his jacket over the cuff of his sweatshirt.

  ‘Why the fuck are you wearing it anyway? Time has no meaning anymore. We just go by sunlight.’ Naomi pointed upwards, as if Harry James was too stupid to understand.

  Roger listened to the two youngsters intently. Naomi was right. Time didn’t have much of a meaning anymore, not hours and minutes. They were basically governed by sunlight. Its light, you wake up and tend to the land and animals. It’s midday, it’s time to take a break and eat. It’s dark, time to sleep, it really was that simple. Roger even quite liked the simplicity of it.

  In front of the three, the rocks of Haytor loomed. The rendezvous point was only a twenty minute walk away. Then they had to decide what to do.

  Their armoury wasn’t great. Roger had a shotgun with plenty of ammo, Naomi had an air pistol and Harry James an air rifle. The air guns were okay against infected humans, but pretty ineffective if fighting fit adults were wearing combat clothes.

  Jake had an automatic pistol, plus an air rifle and Angel had the second shot gun. This had been sawn off for close combat. Roger had found the sawn off in a van parked up in Trago Mills shopping centre, near Newton Abbot.

  They had left Jeremiah with the third shot gun, but that was basically it. Whoever had said Britain was awash with guns had been very much mistaken. The gang had searched a thirty mile radius, and that’s all they had found.

  Roger was under no illusion though, that if it had been London or Manchester the results would have been a lot different.

  ‘For fuck’s sake Harry, your watch!’ Naomi’s shout made Roger turn around.

  ‘What’s up?’ He asked.

  ‘It’s that bloody huge chunk of chavvy bling he has on his wrist, the sunlight keeps catching it.’ Naomi huffed. ‘It’s going to give our position away.’

  ‘Alright, alright. Harry complained. He tugged at the metal strap and took it off. With a mighty throw he chucked the watch into the long grass, thirty or so meters away.

  ‘A bit of an overreaction, but I’m happy now.’ Naomi turned and smiled at Roger.

  Roger started to walk once more. ‘Come on, not long now.’

  Not long till what? Harry James thought to himself. More talking? He hated Lonny Gold and what he had turned him into, but at least he was a man of action. All this lot wanted to do was talk, plan and talk, talk and plan. In his mind, the infected needed to be taken out. Now was the ideal opportunity. He didn’t care if his thoughts were going to upset Angel or Jake; he was going to air them.

  The long term safety of Old Mill meant NO infected; they had to be eliminated from the equation.

  As simple as that.

  ***

  Emma Davis shook the Doyen’s hand. ‘Thank you sir, you have saved my life.’

  The Doyen looked over Davis’s shoulder at the carnage left by the infected. ‘Not much left of the helicopter?’

  ‘No sir, or Waters I’m afraid.’

  ‘The others?’

  Davis hadn’t told the Doyen she had killed Gilman and Travers. He didn’t need to know. ‘They copped it too I’m afraid. I tried to save them, but it was too late.’

  She fiddled with the zip on her jacket, but quickly remembered what she had learnt about body language. She took her hands away and shoved them in her pockets. ‘It all happened so fast. By the time I had seen to Willoughby, well the infected had struck.’

  The Doyen turned his head to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. The last thing he wanted was to anyone to hear Willoughby’s demise had been planned.

  ‘Okay, understood.’ He turned to look at the small army assembled on the moor below. ‘It’s time to wipe this fucking scum from our planet.’ He told Davis. ‘Good people have died. My plans have been put on hold, but it’s now time to get this movement back on track.’

  ‘There is something else, sir.’ Davis handed the Doyen her field lenses.

  ‘What?’ He really didn’t have time to mess about looking at the landscape.

  ‘Over there, sir.’ She pointed to where she had seen the glinting light. ‘Unidentified people, walking towards the rocks.’

  ‘Infected?’

  ‘No sir, they were clothed and they knew exactly what they were doing.’

  The Doyen scanned the horizon, but nothing was there. ‘Can’t see anyone.’

  ‘They are there sir. There is no doubting that.’

  ‘Do you think it’s the renegades?’ He handed Davis back the binoculars.

  ‘I’m certain of it.’ She placed the lenses back into her pocket. ‘The direction they were coming from coincides with the dire
ction we spotted the children at the house.’ She pointed to the West.

  The Doyen grinned. ‘Bingo.’

  ‘My thoughts exactly sir.’

  ‘All the rotten eggs in one basket.’ His thoughts turned to the breakout at Taunton. ‘Bastards, messing with my plans. They are spoiling all our good work. We are ridding this land of this cancerous tumour. We are the real heroes, the warriors of this country.’

  ‘I concur, sir.’ Davis was ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with her leader, and fight to the death.

  ‘Let’s do this.’ His icy glare seemed to suit his pale skin. ‘The time has come.’

  Davis followed the Doyen down the hill towards the gathered band of Purebloods.

  The driver of the four wheel truck asked, as he held the door open for his leader. ‘Are we heading for those rocks, sir?’ He pointed at Haytor.

  ‘Well I can’t see any other rocks.’ The Doyen snapped. ‘Of course those fucking rocks you idiot.’ He got into the back of the double cab truck, slamming the door before Davis could get in. The truck then roared into life and pulled off.

  Davis looked around. How the hell was she supposed to get there? Apart from the Doyen’s truck, there were about five large transit vans and a seven and half tonne truck. All seemed to be packed to the rafters.

  After the dawn rescue, she now felt slightly crestfallen. The Doyen kept giving off mixed signals. Was she in. Or was she out? Her thoughts turned to Willoughby. She had just murdered him in cold blood by the orders of the Doyen. He had been his number two, his confidante.

  Was she in line to be the number two?

  Could she be slotted by the next up and coming go-getter?

  Davis knew she wasn’t just skating on thin ice. She was bloody jumping up and down on it.

  Then out of the dust, which was now swirling around Dartmoor due to the convoy, a motorbike appeared.

  ‘Jump on, Ma’am.’ A young man of about twenty two rode up to Davis and stopped.

  She recognised the youngster, but didn’t know his name. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I was asked by the Doyen to pick you up.’ He revved the bike as she slid onto the back of the leather seat.

  Davis smiled to herself. Perhaps she hadn’t fallen out of favour with the Doyen after all.

  ‘Get over to those rocks.’ She shouted in the rider’s ear. ‘And make it sharpish.’

  ***

  ‘Are you mad?’ Angel felt like sending Jeremiah straight back to Old Mill. ‘You could have collapsed trying to reach us. We wouldn’t have known where you were. We could have fucking killed you!’

  Jake smiled at Jeremiah from behind Angel. ‘Excuse mother’s mood.’

  Angel turned to face Jake. ‘You think this a joke do you?’

  Jake held up his hands but said nothing.

  ‘Look, I couldn’t stay behind babysitting. You need every pair of hands you can get.’ Jeremiah sat down. The long yomp had taken it out of him.

  ‘You’re no good to us dead though, are you?’ Angel was extremely pissed off that her friend had gone against the wishes of the group and followed them. ‘We only have your best interests at heart, you know that.’

  ‘Yes!’ Jeremiah snapped back. ‘I can’t just stand by and watch others fight. I need to be proactive. I’m a farmer for Christ’s sake; I need to be doing things.’

  Jeremiah looked across at Jake.’ I have unfinished business. Whether it is the Infected or the Purebloods, I need to do this.’

  ‘Of course, you’re right.’ Jake held out a hand and pulled the old farmer to his feet. ‘United we stand.’

  ‘And united we fall.’

  Jeremiah’s word suddenly hit home. This did feel like a final solution.

  ***

  ‘Have you seen it?’ Roger handed Angel a mug of luke warm tea from his flask.

  ‘The rocks?’

  ‘Yes.’ He said with concern written all over his face.

  ‘Yes, but it’s not my main concern.’ Her eyes turned to Jeremiah.

  ‘That’s some feat, mind.’ Roger whispered. ‘He actually caught you up. I mean, he’s not in the best of health.’

  ‘Exactly. This is no place for him.’

  ‘Well it’s too late now, he’s here to stay.’ Roger gazed back over to the Haytor rocks.

  ‘Is it bad over there?’ Angel tried to forget about her friend’s suicide trip.

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t send my worst enemy over there. The rock is crawling with infected bodies.’

  ‘I wish we had a plane.’ She sipped her drink.

  ‘With a huge bomb on it.’ Jake added, sitting down next to his friends.

  ‘A pity to blow up such a lovely land mark though.’ Roger looked again through his binoculars.

  ‘Fuck landmarks.’ Naomi squatted down near the others. ‘Let’s just wipe these fuckers out.’

  Roger was taken aback by the young girl’s ruthless attitude. ‘At the sake of the planet?’

  ‘My mother is dead; I’m living like a nomad with a bunch of strangers.’ She pointed over to the Haytor rocks, which were swarming with their impending doom. ‘Because of those cunts.’

  She looked Roger deep into his eyes. ‘Now let’s stop all this fucking chit chat and go and disembowel the twats.’

  ‘I second that.’ Harry James was now chomping at the bit.

  ‘Me too.’ Angel smiled at Harry. ‘Let’s show these mother fuckers who’s boss.’

  Jake looked at Roger, then Jeremiah. ‘The ladies have spoken.’

  Harry James pulled a face.’ Ladies?’

  ‘Shut up son, and pick your handbag up.’ Jeremiah said, as he started the walk towards Haytor.

  Angel laughed. Perhaps her friend was back to his old self.

  The six friends then drew their weapons and started their march to destiny.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  The Haytor Rocks

  Emma Davis wiped the dust from her combats. She stood out like a sore thumb as she was the only one not in her white overalls. The search party had been allowed to wear more conventional camouflage gear, to keep under the radar.

  She looked around for the Doyen; she could see his truck, but there was no sign of him. Her eyes then met someone she knew very well. Doctor Robert. What in God’s name was the little grunt doing here?

  Suddenly, standing on the roof of one of the transit vans, the Doyen appeared.

  His overalls were crisp white, and his cleanly shaved head glistened in the midday sun. Holding an automatic rifle he raised it above his head.

  ‘The time has come.’ He shouted down to his followers. ‘To wipe this filth from our land. What we start here today, we will carry on throughout the country.'

  The gathered band of Pureblood’s started to cheer.

  ‘Let there be no prisoners.’ The Doyen continued. ‘Crush every skull you come against.’ His loud booming voice carried out across Dartmoor. ‘To the rocks; destroy everything in your path.’ He then jumped from the roof of the black transit van.

  The small army were now wound up, and running towards the Haytor rocks screaming for blood.

  Davis loaded her gun and started to walk. Already bringing up the rear, she would guide the attack from the behind the front line.

  ‘Davis!’ A voice called over to her that she instantly recognised. ‘Where the hell are you going?’ The Doyen was now standing in the back of the pick-up truck.

  ‘To finish off the infected scum, sir.’

  ‘Nonsense, you will ride with me.’ The truck pulled up alongside her. ‘Jump in.’

  She didn’t need a second invitation. Using the footplate as a step, she climbed in. ‘Thank you sir.’

  ‘We can direct operations from here.’ The Doyen smiled. ‘No need for us to be in immediate danger, is there Davis?’

  ‘No sir.’ The truck pulled away.

  The main body of the Purebloods attacked the rock head on. With superior firepower at first, it was a breeze.

  Guns rang out in t
he clear summer skies, and the congealed blood of the Infected stained the granite. The white overalls soon took the place of the naked flesh on the rocks, as the Purebloods easily pushed back the Infected.

  The Doyen and Emma Davis looked onwards from the safety of the pick-up truck, as their army made easy pickings across Haytor.

  ‘This shouldn’t take long.’ He smiled as he talked to Davis.

  Davis wasn’t as confident as her boss. She had seen the Infected on the brink of defeat many times. It was as if when they were taken by surprise they panicked. But what she had noticed is that they turned it around quickly and effectively. The battle wouldn’t be over until the last infected body was broken in two.

  ***

  ‘Where did they come from?’ Harry James gawped, as the Purebloods swept across the rocks.

  ‘They were already here.’ Jake answered.

  ‘Really, you think that?’ Naomi gripped her gun and edged a little closer to the granite mountain.

  ‘I do.’ Angel placed a hand on Naomi’s shoulder. ‘The question is, have they been watching us?’

  ‘What shall we do?’ Harry asked.

  ‘Let’s just wait here and see what happens.’ Roger was in no rush to get involved in a fight. Especially if the Purebloods were doing the job for them.

  ‘We can’t just stand here.’ Angel winced; she could see the head of an infected teenager flying through the air. ‘It will be us next.’

  ‘Do you believe that?’ Roger shouted as the hollers of a bloody battle grew louder.

  ‘They know where we live. Yesterday, they spotted us.’ Angel thought this was the ideal opportunity to strike now, and kill two birds with one stone. ‘We can use the infected to our advantage.’

  ‘How?’ Roger still didn’t think this was the time to risk everything.

  ‘The Purebloods don’t know we are here. We can blend into the battle and pick them off.’

  ‘I’m up for that.’ Naomi was ready to stand by her friend.

  ‘Easy, remember York.’ Jake piped up. ‘We had the upper hand, home turf. This is their castle.’

  ‘We must be cautious.’ Roger could see the Pureblood’s superior man power was now pushing the Infected back into a deep ravine. ‘We have too much to lose.’