Tar: An apocalyptic horror novella Read online

  We have picnics in the woods. I don’t want to go to London. Not without you.

  Katie put a hand very lightly on Finn's elbow. “Looks like he went inside here.”

  Finn clenched his fists, remembering his mission. “And if he’s still here, his life has grown short.”

  “Remember your promise,” said Minty, moving in front of the open doorway.

  Finn frowned. “What?”

  “You promised you wouldn’t kill Dominic.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yes, you did! I made you promise you would just hurt him.”

  “He murdered my sister! You think I’m going to show the bastard mercy?”

  Minty stumbled back under the force of Finn’s anger. He grabbed his wounded collarbone and winced, but kept his eyes on Finn. “You promised.”

  Finn stood there, gobsmacked. Was this kid living in fantasy land? Of course he would kill Dominic. What else was he going to do?

  “Move out of my way, kid! And keep that bloody mutt with you.” He shoved Minty sideways into the door frame, making him cry out and grab his collarbone again.

  “Finn!” Katie called after him. “Just hold on a minute.”

  I don’t have time, he told himself. The world is ending, and I need to get this done. For Ma. For Marie.

  For me.

  Before I die, I need to do one bit of good.

  But killing a man can’t be good, can it?

  Finn glanced back over his shoulder and was glad to see that Katie and Minty remained outside. He didn’t want them getting in his way. Katie tended to Minty as he slumped against the doorway. Finn hadn’t meant to shove the kid so hard, but there was no point worrying about it now.

  The front of the building housed offices and a reception room. Finn searched until he found a dark red blotch on the navy carpet. Dominic had been here—might still be here. Finn tightened his grip on his gun. Would Dominic also be armed?

  Probably.

  Maybe Finn wouldn’t make it out of this building alive. As long as he took Dominic down, he could die in peace.

  Two other guys to take care of first though.

  Now that his goal was within touching distance, Finn regained his caution. He slunk back against the wall and kept low, his gun in front of him and held with both hands. He reached the end of the hallway and—

  Dominic could already be gone, or dead.

  I could leave now and go home to Ma and Clive.

  No. Not until this is done.

  —faced a door reading: EMPLOYEES ONLY. He took the handle and turned it. The lock was magnetic, and with the power off it had disengaged. As soon as he entered the following room he heard talking. Rows of monstrous machinery stood before him, inactive like sleeping giants. A huge spool of metal wire sat directly front of Finn, which was why he remained hidden from whoever held a discussion nearby. The voices were heated, one of them punctuated by grunts of pain.

  “We need to get… back,” said the person in pain. “God knows what’s happening at the Hobby with me gone.”

  Finn moved into a crouch behind the giant spool of wire. Dominic. It had to be.

  “I ain’t arguing, Dom, but your leg is fucked. I reckon we should go get the boys and come back for you. We can try to bring a motor.”

  “Nobody is fucking going anywhere without me. Those fucking Beverly Brothers think they can try to take me out? Everyone at the Hobby is probably dead, but I’ll be damned if I let another firm take over my turf. My leg's fucking fine. We’re going to walk out of here and kill any fucker stupid enough to get in our way.”

  “All right, boss. I still think you should rest another day though, or let us go get help.”

  “I’ve sat around long enough. Fuck!”

  Finn listened as Dominic attempted to move.

  So another gang had made a move on him? That was what had happened back at Latif’s. He was injured and weak.

  Prey.

  Just have to take care of his back up first.

  Finn edged along behind the spool of wire until he could peek around the edge safely. He took a glimpse, then pulled his head back quickly. The brief view gave him what he needed to see. All three men had handguns. Dominic was limping on a bandaged leg but seemed alert and ready for action.

  Finn was outnumbered and outgunned. If he tried to hit them in the open warehouse, they would combine their arms and riddle him with bullets. He needed a plan.

  He slunk back out into the office hallway and ran right into Katie. “What the fuck are you doing in here?” he hissed.

  “Is Dominic here?” she whispered.

  “Yes, and he has backup. I need a plan because I won’t die before I kill that bastard first.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I just wanted to check on you. I—”

  Voices rang out nearby. Dominic and his guys were heading for the door Finn had just exited through.

  “Shit, we need to move.” He grabbed Katie by the arm and pulled her along, shoving out at the first door he passed. It was locked.

  The voices were full-volume now. Dominic was about to come through the door at the end of the corridor and he'd spot them at once as they floundered in the middle of the hallway.

  Finn tried the next door. Locked.

  The door at the end of the hallway opened.

  Finn tried another door.

  It swung open.

  He grabbed Katie and threw her inside, closing the door quickly behind them. Katie’s eyes were wide with panic.

  Finn clutched his gun against his chest and backed up beside the door. “It’s okay. Stay calm. I don’t think they saw us.”

  “Did you see that?” one of the voices asked. “I swear someone went into that office.”

  Shit!

  “Well, go check it out, you muppet,” came Dominic's voice.

  Finn glanced around the room and was dismayed to discover it was a small office with a single desk. The foot-pass was hollow and offered nowhere to hide. The only furniture in the room was waist-high. Screwed. Katie knew it too because she stood rooted to the spot.

  Finn pointed to the corner of the room with his gun. “Get down. I’ll handle this.”

  “No. No.” Katie was clutching her head and rocking back and forth. She was losing it.

  “What are you doing? Get the fuck down.”

  Footsteps approached. Stopped outside the door.

  Katie stared at Finn with massive, scared eyes. She nodded her head erratically as if encouraging herself. “They’ll kill you and take me. They'll kill you and take me. I won’t be a plaything for another monster. You rescued me once, Finn. I know you can do it again. You'll do it again.”

  Before Finn could understand what was happening, Katie spun around and opened the door. She slid out and closed right behind her just as Dominic’s man was about to open it.

  Finn gripped his gun tightly, ready to shoot as soon as someone came inside. But nobody did.

  “I wasn't snooping around,” said Katie in a terrified voice. “I was only looking for food. Can you spare any?”

  There was a moment of silence in the hallway outside, probably while the three men tried to recover from the shock of finding a random woman.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” said Dominic finally, the pain in his voice momentarily replaced by lasciviousness. “We have plenty of food back at our gaff. Once we get there, I’ll make sure to fill your gob nice and tight.”

  The three men laughed. Katie chuckled too, although she sounded close to madness. “I’ll do anything. I promise.”

  What was she doing?

  Then Finn realised it. If Dominic’s man had entered the room, Katie and Finn would probably both be dead. At least this way, Finn was still a player in the game.

  He could rescue her. I know you can do it again.

  What about Minty though? Was he hiding? If Dominic found him, he would demand to know why he was here, and who had let him out of that room.

  Finn didn’t know what to do, and that wa
s why he remained hidden inside the small office until the sound of Dominic and the others faded away. Only then did he step back out into the hallway. He felt lost.

  Now his mission wasn't just about killing a man. It was about saving a woman.

  12

  GUILT

  Finn checked things were clear before stepping outside. He couldn’t risk losing Dominic—not now that he had Katie—but he had to bide his time. Luckily, Dominic’s injured leg kept his pace slow, and Finn hadn't lost them when he exited the factory.

  The three men headed down the road fifty metres ahead. One of them had a hand clasped against Katie’s backside and guffawed loud enough that Finn could hear it at a distance. As they continued moving, the group edged to the side of the road and entered the cover of the various factories.

  He would lose them soon.

  Finn could sneak up and shoot all three men dead, but it wasn’t a certainty, and he risked injuring Katie. One false step announcing his presence and everything would turn bad fast. Surprise was the only advantage he had.

  He needed to wait and use it for maximum effect.

  “You let them take Katie?”

  Finn flinched and pointed his gun. When he saw Minty hiding behind a dustbin, he lowered it again. “What you jumping out at me for, kid? I could have taken your head off.”

  “Katie, you let them take her.”

  Finn glanced at Wonder Mutt who seemed happy to see him, then back at the kid. She gave herself over to them. I'm going to get her back.

  “You kept your promise not to kill Dominic.”

  “I did, but don’t count on me keeping it much longer. Come on, we have to move.”

  They kept to the shadows, which was easy to do with the sun obscured. Finn wondered if he'd adapted, for he was sure could see in the dark better than he ever did before.

  Dominic and the others became silhouettes in the distance.

  “What’s your plan?” asked Minty.

  “I don’t know, but I need to hit them before they get back to the Hobby Horse. If Dominic gets back there, I might have ten guys to deal with instead of three.”

  “Why not do it now?”

  “Because there’s no cover.”

  Minty did them both a favour and shut up, which meant they were able to begin pursuit in silence. Even Wonder Mutt seemed to understand the need for stealth, and instead of running ahead, he kept close to Finn's heels. They kept pace with Dominic until they were heading out of the industrial estate and back towards Latif’s. The stench of smoke greeted them long before the sight of the ruined building.

  Dominic stopped to take a rest. His limp had worsened in the last twenty minutes, and he staggered over to an abandoned Rover just outside the burned warehouse and hopped up onto the bonnet. Finn kept to the shadows, moving as close as he could. He crouched behind an advertising board at the nearby petrol station and surveyed his targets. He could hit them if he fired now.

  This is it. I have cover and surprise. If I can get a tiny bit closer, I'll be able to take them out without them even spotting me.

  Minty seemed to sense his urgency because he was fidgeting when he moved up beside Finn. God knew where Wonder Mutt had got to.

  Finn put a finger against his lips.

  Minty whispered. “You could scare them? Pin them down or something while Katie runs back to us.”

  “Quiet, kid.”

  Finn lined up his shot on the guy who had been groping Katie’s ass. Even now the man was running his hands all over her, forcing her to stumble backwards amongst the rubble of Latif’s. He wanted to kill Dominic last, so the man would know he’d fucked up, but the guy groping Katie would make a good first kill. The other guy was out in the open, leaning against the Rover that Dominic was sitting on. His gun hung loosely by his side. He might spot Finn once he started shooting, but he would be too slow to get a shot off.

  Finn just needed to get closer to ensure he didn’t miss. Handguns were not rifles.

  He could solve his proximity problem simply by walking out into the open and firing on his targets as he approached. But was it worth the risk?

  “Get off me!”

  Katie shoved the guy pawing at her and started yelling. Dominic slid off the bonnet and wheeled on her immediately. “Oi, keep your cock sucking mouth shut. You want to bring the Beverley's back down on us?” He pointed his gun at her face, which led his two companions to do the same. Katie wasn’t cowed. She had the look of absolute fury, and kicked and scratched at her chuckling tormentor.

  “Hey, Katie, is that you?” Ledley appeared from the rubble. “Hey, you bullies get off her.”

  Finn stared from behind the advertising board. Ledley was staggering towards the men with a half-empty bottle of vodka in hand. “You step away from her now, you nasty bastards. Didn't you cause enough trouble last time you was here?”

  Katie's tormentor gawped at Ledley, but his confusion slowly became anger. “The fuck are you, Bob Marley? What you gonna do about anything? Maybe I’ll bench this bitch over right now and let you watch while I stretch her arsehole. Maybe I’ll let you get a taste of my cock after I’m done.”

  Ledley staggered towards the man, tripped several times, but made it over. “You step away from that lady, or I’ll bust your face.”

  Silence.

  Dominic broke it by laughing. “Rasta’s got a sack on him, don't he? I like him.”

  The other men laughed too. Katie's tormentor clutched his stomach in mock hysteria. “You, you, you got some front on you, Bob. You, you, you definitely one hell of a Buffalo Soldier.”

  Ledley nodded, gave a little smile. The laughter continued all around.

  Dominic raised his gun and shot Ledley in the side of the head. He spat on his body when it hit the ground. “Stupid fucking wog.”

  Katie screamed and ran at Dominic. “You fucking animal!”

  Dominic adjusted his aim and fired another shot.

  Katie went down in the rubble.

  Wonder Mutt appeared from somewhere, growling like an animal twice his size. Dominic turned towards the dog and frowned. “What the fuck?”

  Before he knew it, Finn had leapt out from behind the advertising board. The noise of his own yelling was deafening, louder even then the shots he was rapidly firing.

  Bang!

  Bang!

  Bang! It took Finn three shots to hit Katie's tormentor, but the bullet struck him right in the Adam’s Apple and tipped him over like a rusty ironing board.

  One down.

  Dominic returned fire, but in his confusion his aim was bad. Finn moved at light-speed, whipping his aim, firing a round straight into the chest of Dominic's remaining man.

  You're last motherfucker. I want you to see my smiling face.

  Dominic located Finn and aimed his gun.

  Wonder Mutt launched at him like a little doggie torpedo. At such a small size, the impact did little, but it knocked the man off balance and bought Finn the split-second he needed.

  Finn took aim, sweaty finger over the trigger.

  “Finn stop!”

  Distracted, Finn half-turned to look at the kid behind him. Why is he shouting?

  Dominic fired another shot.

  A mighty punch hit Finn and sent him stumbling sidewards. He grabbed his arm and blood seeped between his fingers.

  “Fuck it. Fuck it. Fuck it.” Dominic was the one shouting.

  Why wasn't he still shooting?

  Finn was dazed, not even sure where he was facing. Standing out in the open, he was an easy kill.

  Finn’s left arm hung by his side so he raised his gun with his right. He blinked and swallowed, tried to focus. He turned a laborious circle until Dominic wheeled back into his view.

  There was still a chance to kill the son-of-a-bitch.

  Finn aimed, his hand trembling. His finger twitched over the trigger as his dazed mind tried to find the command to pull it. Just when he thought he would be able to, however, he pulled his finger away.

&
nbsp; Finn smiled. I've got you.

  Dominic was fumbling madly in his pockets. He grinned suddenly when he managed to pull something out of his jeans, but bellowed when he dropped whatever it was onto the floor. “Damn it, no. No!”

  Finn marched across the road, his gun held casually by his side.

  “Damn it! Damn it!” Dominic tried to kneel and pick up the bullet he’d dropped, but his leg was so heavily bandaged that he was struggling. It was like watching a one-year-old try to pick up a crayon.

  And like a one-year-old, Dominic was defenceless.

  Finn felt fire in his lungs as he strode towards the man he hated.

  Dominic finally got his fingers pinched around the bullet and grunted with relief. He threaded it into the open chamber of his revolver.

  Finn picked up his pace.

  Stumbling onto his knees and panicking, Dominic closed the gun chamber and brought the weapon up to fire.

  Finn brought his knee up crushed the kneeling monster's face. The sound of cartilage shattering was sublime.

  Dominic sprawled backwards into the rubble, blood exploding from his face. The revolver slipped from his fingers and fell amongst the debris. Minty shouted nearby, but all Finn heard was the thudding of his own heart.

  Dominic scrambled away like a wounded crab.

  Finn stood over him. “That’s the problem with those shitty, backroom-of-the-bar, antique revolver’s little boys like you like to run around with,” Finn, savoured the moment, “only six bullets.” He pointed his own gun in Dominic’s face. “I always go automatic.”

  Dominic spat blood. “Who… who the f-f-fuck are you?”

  “I’m a brother. A big brother who left his sister for monsters like you to prey upon. A big brother who wasn’t there when he should have been. I'm also the man who is going to kill you.”

  Dominic tried to claw his way up, but couldn't. He slumped against the burned timbers and grunted. “You’re Marie’s mad Mick of a brother, aren’t you? She told me about you. Said you were a goddamn terrorist. She was scared of you, mate.”

  Finn growled. Then stamped on Dominic’s wounded leg. The monster cried out like a kitten. “Y-You fucking psychopath.”