“No way. I’m not going without you.”
Ryan grunted and looked desperately around. He took in the ominous cross and the white stones. Next, he took in the juddering generator, peeking out from behind the shed. Then he took in the shed itself. He felt the weight of the landlord’s keys in his pocket. He fished them out and tossed them to Aaron. “The shed! Get inside the shed.”
Aaron took off just as Sean attacked. He leapt at Ryan, slicing at his face with one of those sharp talons. His arms were more like lengths of spongy elastic now, rather than anything with bone and muscle. The talon whipped through the air like a striking cobra.
Ryan ducked, the talon disturbing the air a few centimetres from his head. From down low he scooped up a handful of gravel – groaning when he saw it filled with writhing bugs – and tossed it in Sean’s face. The bugs went airborne, scattering over the driveway. Instead of attacking again, Sean turned and watched the critters fall.
Ryan bolted for the shed, praying that the bundle of keys the landlord had given him contained one for the shed – and that Aaron could find it and get inside in time to keep them from being infected.
Mam is definitely going to kill me.
Aaron was at the shed’s door, struggling with a large brass padlock. Ryan reached his side, gasping for air. “Do you have the right key? Do you?” He glanced back at Sean, who had finished checking on the welfare of the bugs and was once again focused on attacking them. “Aaron?”
“Hold on, hold on, I’m trying.” Aaron had about six keys to deal with. He was trying them one after another, but each failed attempt led to a wasted second of jangling the key and trying to get it unstuck from the lock. He was taking too long.
Sean began to stagger along the driveway, picking up speed. Bugs spilled from his open mouth. His talons whipped the air like monstrous tentacles. He was completely silent as he approached.
Ryan grabbed his brother’s arm. “Come on, we need to get out of here.”
“One second. There’s only one more key.”
“There’s no time. Come on!”
Sean leaned forward and sprinted towards the shed. Even if Aaron found the right key, there was no time to unlock the door and get inside. Ryan raised his fists, knowing that a barehanded fight would definitely infect him but seeing no other way to protect his brother.
“I’ve got it,” said Aaron, but it was too late. Way too late.
Sean raised a talon, preparing to strike.
“Hey, Sean, watch this!”
Loobey had got back out of the car. He started tap-dancing on the gravel, a picture of ridiculousness. He was squashing the bugs that had fallen around the car.
Sean skidded to a halt, gravel spraying up in the air. He let out an ear-piercing scream and turned around, then ran back towards the car – towards Loobey.
What the hell are you doing, our kid?
Loobey continued tap-dancing for another second, then stopped. He glared at Sean, as angry as Ryan had ever seen him. “I’m sorry, Sean, but I don’t think we can be bessies any more.”
Sean leapt at Loobey, but Loobey quickly slid back inside the car and slammed the door. Clearly enraged, Sean whipped his talons at the window over and over again, but the glass didn’t break.
“Ryan, come on!” Aaron grabbed his brother from behind and yanked him backwards into darkness.
The shed was dark, but not pitch-black due to a small amount of light spilling in through a plastic window at the rear. Ryan searched for a light switch but couldn’t find one. Then Aaron yanked on a pull cord and a naked bulb came to life above their heads, hanging from a cobweb-covered wire.
Ryan needed to know that Loobey was okay, but there was no way to see what was happening outside. There were no windows or openings facing the driveway. He had seen Loobey make it back inside the car, but was that enough to keep him safe from Sean? How long before Sean managed to break the window with those talons of his?
Talons? He’s turned into a monster.
This isn’t just a fungus.
Ryan checked his hands and wrists underneath the lightbulb, expecting to see green stains. So far, he could find nothing. How long would it take for the infection to show? How long did Brett have?
“They’re trapped in the car,” said Ryan, “and we’re trapped in here. Things are even worse than before.”
“Maybe not,” said Aaron. “Take a look around you.”
Ryan realised he was panting, so he concentrated on calming his breathing. Once his lungs were under control, he did as his brother asked and looked around. The shed was crammed full of tools, equipment, and random junk. A petrol mower and a chainsaw were secured by a rope to the wall opposite the window, and beneath the window was a workbench stocked with an all manner of tools. In addition, there was a rusty old barbecue and a pair of mountain bikes.
“This could be our way out of here,” said Aaron, clutching the handlebars of one of the bicycles and lifting it upright. Both of them seemed in good shape – a little faded and old-fashioned, but no rust and all four tyres were inflated.
“What, you want to go cycling through the Highlands?”
Aaron huffed. “Yes! We can race to the edge of the hill and then coast all the way down. There’s no way Sean will be able to catch us.”
“Did you see Sean? Hell, that thing ain’t even him any more. It’s a monster, and it leapt off that roof like a goddamn gorilla. If we try and make a run for it, it’ll be on top of us before we make it past the driveway. I don’t fancy trying our
