She landed outside of the window with a thud and quickly clambered to her feet to help him if needed, but he wouldn’t move from that door. She poked her head back through the window.
“Edward! Come on! Now is your chance!”
He glanced towards her without a word and she knew immediately what he was about to do. “God no, Edward! Don’t do this, you don’t have to be the hero!”
“Christine! Go!” He shouted back.
“Not without you!”
“Can’t you see? I’m literally at the end of my tether here, it’s any wonder how I’ve held them back so far. Run, honey, you’re already out of time, if you go now, you might just make it”.
“Just let go and climb, quickly!”
“The moment I let go of this door, they’ll break through, I won’t have enough time to climb through. I’ll hold them back, prevent them from coming out to get you. I have a little more fight in me and fire to go around, I’ll set everything ablaze before they lay a hand on me, but you need to go!”
“Then I’m coming back in there!” She insisted, attempting to climb back up and through the window.
“No, Christine!”
“We made vows! Vows before God! Till death do us part!” She shouted “You die, I die!” She began hoisting herself up towards the window, forcing his hand. He abandoned the door, ran over to her and grabbed her face to pull her into a deep kiss. She barely had time to process it, before he pushed her back out onto her back.
“I love you… I always have. My only regret is not being a better husband, father and son to you both”, he said gazing down at the two women, before the door behind him smashed open, scattering bits of wood everywhere from the door frame and door. Edward spun around and emptied his flamethrowing can of deodorant on his assailants, engulfing them in flames as they lunged at him.
“Take this, you bastards! Fucking burn!”
“Edward!” Christine screamed, clambering to her feet once more.
The twitchers poured into the room, each getting engulfed in flames and quickly turning the room into a raging inferno. It wasn’t enough to stop their attack however and it wasn’t long before they were ripping him apart, his spine chilling screams sending Christine into a mental breakdown. Martha had to drag her, just to get her to move, her words not reaching her daughter.
“Christine! We have to go!”
Christine was paralysed with anguish and terror, her eyes wide, her body shaking like a leaf, her heart thumping in her chest.
Slowly Edward’s screams died down and it was difficult to tell what was more traumatic, his screams of agony, or the silence of his death.
“Christine!” Martha snapped, slapping her daughter with all her strength to snap her out of her traumatised trance. “Let’s go!”
Dragging her daughter, they left, 3 minutes overdue.
CHAPTER 23 - LORI & RACHEL
4:35pm - 9 hours, 48 minutes since outbreak in London.
3 hours, 25 minutes since outbreak aboard MS HotS.
. . .
. . .
Rachel stood staring up at the ship as the lifeboat descended down into the water behind her. It had crossed her mind that her decision would have dire consequences, but she had been prepared to face that.
Just a mere four minutes before that, Rachel was faced with the dilemma of getting onto the lifeboat.
“Now that the children are on board, next the adults, women first”, the security officer ordered.
“Fuck that sexist bullshit!” Shouted Darren.
“I said women first! Otherwise I’ll shoot!” The security officer snapped, pointing his gun at the man. “Try me, motherfucker, I’ll put you to sleep faster than your mother ever could!”
The man backed off without even so much as a murmur.
“Like I said, women first”. The women made their way over to the entrance of the lifeboat and then each took it in turns to climb into it. Rachel allowed everyone to go ahead of her, one of the people holding a flare gun, Faye, was last to step in ahead of her, giving her an inquisitive look as she passed by.
Lori, leading from the front, hadn’t noticed Rachel’s reluctance until she glanced back, by which point she was already inside the lifeboat taking seat.
“Rachel?”
“They said they’d be here”, Rachel replied, barely moving from her spot, stalling for time.
“Ma’am, are you getting on or staying, we are strapped for time and still have the males to get on”, the security officer demanded.
“I… I can’t… not without my parents and grandmother”.
“Where are they?”
“They’re coming, they’re just… delayed”.
“Ma’am, you have to get on now, if they show up we’ll possibly let them on board, but we can’t promise anything”.
“You can’t promise? They’re my family! I can’t leave them behind!”
“Will you stay on board then? We need to get the males onto the lifeboat now”.
“N… no, I’m not getting on until they arrive”.
“Rachel!” Lori gasped in alarm.
“Sorry Lori, go without me”.
“What? No way!”
“Go without me, you deserve better, you don’t owe me anything, I won’t hate you for thinking about your safety, you have commitments”.
“What the fuck are you talking about? If you’re not getting off the ship, neither am I!” Lori snapped, clambering back out of the lifeboat.
“No stay! Please Lori, stay”.
“We are in this together! I’m not fucking off into the sunset without you!”
Rachel began to sob.
“But Lori, if you stay...”
“Let me make that decision for myself and live with the consequences! Read my lips, I… am… not… leaving you behind!”
“Lori...”
“That’s final, end of discussion”, Lori snapped,
