The Givers of Life (Book 1): The Risen Dead Page 10

John watched, relieved, as Annie and Graham ran for the brook. Finally! Now he could deal with these fuckers before they began chasing after the others.

  He unslung the pack, placing it on the ground, unfastening the flap. He needed to be quick. The creatures were closing on him. Even the ones who had chased Annie across the roof were on the ground now, moving nearer.

  They had him. There could be no escape. By sheer numbers they would kill this troublesome human.

  John pulled the small hand-held device from the bag, having ensured the other contents were ready. He took one last look at Annie, and the strange, confusing creature called Graham, as they cleared the brook and ran across the field towards relative safety. Perhaps he did love Annie? He was, after all, about to make the ultimate sacrifice.

  His thumb pressed down on the detonator.

  #

  The huge explosion shook the ground beneath them, the blast wave knocking them off their feet.

  They turned to see the fireball rolling into the sky.

  Annie screamed, made to scramble up and run back, even though she knew it was hopeless.

  John! How could he do this?

  Graham took her arm, restraining her as gently as he could. They needed to keep moving. John's shocking sacrifice had almost certainly destroyed most of the creatures gathered around the houses, vaporising those close to, scattering the bodies, the brains, of those further out. Few would have survived such a huge blast.

  But there were others. This was only a small part of the reborn army. They were worldwide, dragged from their graves by The Givers Of Life for reasons still unclear to him.

  With gentle pressure, he helped Annie to turn away from the destruction. They moved across the field, their footsteps heavy with grief. She cried, but she accepted John's death, the sacrifice he had made so that she and this creature alongside her could survive. Surely he had loved her at the last, if not before? She wanted to believe that, had to believe it. She had lost him, but she could keep that love inside and never forget.

  As the echo of the explosion slowly died away, Annie and Graham trudged with heavy feet across the fields, no longer needing to run. They didn't know where they were heading, only that it was away from the houses. Graham struggled to remember, Annie to forget. Except John. She would never forget John.

  Thank You For Reading

  If you enjoyed this book, please check out these other titles by Neil Davies.

  All are published by C&N Publications unless specified otherwise

  Horror

  Welcome Home

  Raised In Evil

  The Evil Incantation (with Colin P Davies)

  The Village Witch (pub. Omnium Gatherum)

  The Last Harpy (pub. Omnium Gatherum)

  Science Fiction

  A World Of Assassins

  The Szuiltan Alliance (Book 1 of The Szuiltan Trilogy)

  Liberation Of Worlds (Book 2 of The Szuiltan Trilogy)

  The Lion On Androcles (with Colin P Davies)

  The Ant Man

  Hard Winter (pub. Eternal Press)

  Hard Winter: The Novel (pub. Omnium Gatherum)

  The Frihet Rebellion

  Short Story Collections

  The Midnight Hour (pub. Screaming Dreams)

  Interludes

  Mystery And Adventure

  The Noose Is Waiting And Other Stories (with W A E Davies)