Present Time

  The pick-up slammed through the cars and the sound of buckling metal rang down Ian’s ears enough to block out the snarl of the bike engine. He leaned over an inch as he flitted through the gap, his eyes fixed on the beefy vehicle lumbering ahead.

  The centre of Birmingham was close now, taller buildings now flanked them like the walls of a castle. But it didn’t offer any comfort or sanctuary. Echoes cut through the streets, carrying the calls of distant gunfire at their backs. Weapons fire that was getting ever louder. Ever closer. More sporadic. Desperate.

  Ian narrowed his eyes, a flick of his wrist revving the battered bike. Faster.

  The truck lurched forward, and Ian put on the power.

  The convoy burst forth from the street. Eight years ago, they would have emerged into a bustling city square as humanity went about its daily business. Workers on phones, builders fixing roads, kids eating ice cream or just friends meeting up.

  Instead, it was a dead warzone. Stores and cafes sat abandoned, windows were smashed and furniture tossed aside. Rusting cars littered the pavement whilst jagged lumps of concrete and stone caked the ground. Where people would have once stood, was only the faint stain of ichor.

  Despite the ruined surroundings, Ian almost relished the sight of their destination, a brick building with metal roof arches that more resembled a ribcage than anything else. The sheen that came off the few intact pieces of glass all but confirmed it was the station.

  Made it.

  With a spluttering cough, the battered truck rolled towards the boxy entrance of the train station. Lumpy black smoke poured out of the back as it gave out final bang. The bike, not much better, wheezed as Ian drifted by. The front of the truck was now a crumpled mess and steam rose from under the bonnet along a rather painful sounding hiss.

  It had done its job though. Jack and Liana climbed out, with the former holding a passenger door open to allow a somewhat more at ease Coop out of, whilst Ian kicked the stand down and let the bike shut down. As he clambered off the machine, he thumped the fuel tank. Sorry. Ian thought with sorrow as he gazed down upon the bike. I would bring you with me but we don’t have the time. Thanks.

  Dumb, he knew. But like the truck, the bike did its job. It had been an old habit of Ian’s to give vehicles a bit of respect. A sort of good luck charm.

  Regardless, he jogged after his companions as they entered the station. The interior was not much better than the outside, brick had been tossed across the tiles, booths were smashed in and the automated machines had been ripped from their fittings. Even with the partly open roof, the entrance was dark and foreboding, enough that Ian nearly missed the corridor that beckoned ahead of them, it’s lights completely out and leaving it almost pitch black. Save for a single – no – two specs of orange light far down it.

  “I hope the others haven’t left already,” Liana finally uttered, pulling the handgun up as they crossed the atrium towards the tunnel entrance.

  “They better haven’t.” Jack grumbled, pulling the bolt of his rifle back,

  Ian huffed as he unslung the SMG, “I’m sure one of us can file a complaint.”

  Jack cracked a chuckle at the words, whilst a flicker of a grin formed on Liana’s lips. Even Coop seemed to giggle slightly in response. “Let’s just get out alive.” The former replied.

  “Seconded.” Ian replied.

  As they reached the tunnel, Liana seemed to slow. Ian began to close in, the question ready on his lips when her handgun shot up. “Body.”

  “Copy.” Ian replied, “Coop, stay behind me.”

  “O-Okay!”

  Ian traced an imaginary line into the tunnel, where indeed, slumped against the wall in the blackness was a body.

  By instinct, his finger already hovered above the trigger.

  “The Ferals can’t have got here already.” Jack hissed, his rifle sweeping the corridor.

  Ian took a breath and stepped up next to them, “We don’t know that.” He could almost sense the hairs rising on his neck, expecting one of the damn beasts to come barging in behind them.

  He stepped into the tunnel, keeping the SMG levelled at the still blob against the wall, but also paying attention to the rest of the tunnel. He spied for any flicker, any flash that indicated that something was down there. A gentle pair of clicks pecked at his ears, the sign of Jack and Liana covering his back.

  Just as they got with a few metres from the body, a low, dreary groan rose up. He stiffened, a flutter to his left.

  The figure’s head rolled over towards them.

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  He flicked his gun mounted torch on.

  “Jeb!” Liana gasped, shooting past Ian’s shoulder. His head snapped back and forth, only for the puddle of blood to glint in the light of the torch. He bit off a curse and sprinted after her, taking just a second to make sure Coop was following him.

  Liana was already on one knee to look him over, but the sight of Jeb still whacked Ian in the gut. His body was caked in grime and ichor, seeping out from under his ruined work jacket. One of his legs was limp and crisscrossed with long, jagged marks that rippled and pulsed with fresh blood.

  Damn, his entire leg’s been mangled.

  Jeb wheezed, a dry cough exploding out as he looked up towards the group. “It is good to see you all alive and in one piece…”

  “Forget us.” Jack ordered, voice low and rough, “Think about yourself for once.”

  Liana lowered her handgun as she rested a hand onto his shoulder. “What did this to you?”.

  Jeb opened his mouth, only for another cough to blast out in its place. “A Feral attacked me.” He managed to gasp, “It didn’t bite me… but as you can see it still saw me as little more than a plaything.”

  “Jeb.” Ian asked, dropping down to one knee, “Any idea if anyone else got here?”

  Head shaking, he managed to nod, “Yes… if it wasn’t for them killing the Feral, I wouldn’t be here.” Hand shivering, he reached for the shredded shell of his jacket, peeling back the fabric with a squelch that could have easily sent bile rushing up. Just around his shoulder, a black hole appeared where red rivers flowed down his arm. “They must have panicked and thought I was infected though…”

  “Idiots!” Jack spat, his fist clenching at the corner of Ian’s eye.

  Something however itched at Ian’s thoughts, something that should have…

  “Wait.” Ian uttered, “If the Feral’s dead. Where’s the body?”

  The group fell silent, their eyes scanning the tunnel for any signs of the Feral body. A blood stain, a stench, an actual corpse!

  Nothing…

  Ssshhit!

  “I haven’t heard the train leave.” Jeb declared, pressing his hands onto the tiles. “We have to go, I… I can…”

  A faint cry escaped as he slumped back to the ground, “Easy Jeb!” Jack urged, “You’re not going anywhere alone.”

  “Exactly.” Ian firmly added, hefting his weapon up, “Coop, can you-“

  But as he turned to face the young boy, his face had lost what little colour it had regained, his eyes were almost impossibly wide, and not only that, the poor lad was shaking uncontrollably.

  Ian slowly reached out to the boy, his attention fixed directly onto him. “Coop… it’s”

  Before he even finished, Coop bolted, flying down the dark tunnel fasted than a burning rat. “W-Wait!” Ian barked, but the boy didn’t listen as his feet clattered away at the floor.

  “Balls to it!” Jack cursed before glancing towards Ian and Liana, “Liana, take my gun and go with Ian! Make sure that train doesn’t leave without us because the kid panicked!”

  She hesitated for a second, before she delivered a sharp nod and took the rifle, handing over her pistol in exchange. Ian leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as Jack hefted Jeb’s limp arm over his shoulder. “You got him?” Ian asked.

  “Got him mate, you go on ahead, we’ll catch up.”

  Lifting the SMG, Ian set off into the tunnel after Coop. The clatter of Liana’s feet the confirmation she was there. This time he kept the torch light on, illuminating the grime and mould that clung to the walls. The stench of oil and rotting waste flooded his nostrils as they approached the lights at the end. Even with the torch though, the ground was fading away to the point that it almost seemed like walking on nothing but thin, dark air. Ready to gobble him up or more likely, allow him to slip on a wet tile and crack his head the moment he hit the floor.

  They reached a junction, lit stairs racing downwards whilst further ahead, the tunnel had turned into a broken bridge, ending in open air and a sheer drop.

  They flitted round down the stairs, their feet clapping away as they descended.

  That was when the knives sank in again.

  One painful jab twisted into his gut and beneath his ribs. Ian groaned, bumping into the staircase wall as he pressed a hand against his stomach. The knives peeled back, only to stab back in with even more force.

  He suppressed a yell, but now there was something else… as if there was something on the inside of him. Gnawing away like some rabid animal.

  A feather settled onto his shoulder, “Ian? What’s wrong?”

  Liana leaned in front of him, her eyes flashing between his face and his hand.

  “I’m fine.” Ian replied, wincing as the knives sank in again.

  “Don’t give me that!” Liana hissed, mouth twisting into a scowl, “You look ‘bout ready to faint! Wh-“

  His head lunged forwards, “Liana I’m fine!” Ian roared.

  Liana stepped back; eyes wide as he glared at her. The beast clawing at his insides, begging to…

  “Ian…” she started, “Please…”

  Ian blinked, his jaw already loosening as the ravenous thing inside him ceased to move. The knives withdrew, this time for good as his heart sank. “I’m… I’m sorry.” He finally uttered, his shoulders slumping.

  Liana stepped forward, replacing her hand on his arm. A warmth seeming to flow in even through the fabric of the tartan. “It’s okay. Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

  His cheeks lifted as a lithe smile formed. “Thanks Liana.”

  A little smile flashed across her own face.

  A dull throb was all that remained of the sensation, and he pushed himself off the wall. “Let’s get down there.”

  The two continued their descent, but Ian could not stop himself thinking about that burst of pain. And the others before it. Ever since he first felt that pain, every time it came back, it had gradually been getting worse.

  This had been the first time he hadn’t been able to hide it.

  What… what the hell did they do to me in the lab? Is it the drugs?

  He couldn’t say for sure.

  They reached the bottom and stepped out onto the railway platform. Clean and pristine compared to the interior, one might had simply assumed this was just a quiet station if it wasn’t for the gunfire still booming in the distance. He spun round on his heel, and breathed out a sigh of relief. A boxy yellow locomotive and it’s few simple carriages sat by the platform in silence, whilst a cluster of gunmen paced beside it, dressed in a haphazard mix of clothing that could have only confirmed they were the scavengers they had worked with. Coop wasn’t among them. Damn, the poor kid must have been that scared of Jeb he must have darted straight past them.

  Liana sprinted forward and Ian shot off after her towards the team. “Hey! We’ve got injured coming down here!” she called out, waving an arm as the scavengers swivelled towards them. “Who’s in charge? “

  Carlson’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward from the assembled scavengers, face stained with splatters of blood. Snarling, he looked like a demon as he stomped towards them, his eyes locked onto Ian.

  Ian nearly halted in his tracks, he knew Carlson hadn’t wanted to leave the warehouse with all the danger, and Ian was the one who chased the gu-

  His jaw went as tight as an iceberg. Aw shit, not the time!

  “You!” he snapped, stabbing a finger at Ian. “I’ll kill you!”

  Now Ian skidded to a halt, raising a flat hand up, feet slipping as he backpedalled. “Carlso- “

  He blinked to see a wild punch sail through the air at his face.