Autumn The City Page 0,86
he turned back around and ran into a single random corpse, sending it flying to the ground.154 Castle, the soldier and the doctor were relatively young and in good health. Baxter and Heath, although somewhat older, were also able to keep up. Steve Armitage, however, was struggling. With tears of panic and fear running freely down his face, the overweight truck driver lashed out at the countless figures which lurched and lunged towards him. For the moment the force of his large bulk was enough to keep them at bay. It was difficult to keep sight of the rest of the group ahead, such was the number of ragged bodies that crisscrossed his path and grabbed at him with clumsy, decaying hands. They weren't going to make it. From what he'd been told he guessed the courthouse was still a fair distance away. Cooper knew he could do it, but it was doubtful whether the older men would keep up.
'Over there,' he yelled, suddenly changing direction and moving to his right. He needed to find shelter. It didn't matter what or where, they just needed to get out of sight for a time until the crowd's interest in them had dissipated. He pushed open a heavy door in the middle of a small, glass-fronted bookshop and held it open for the other survivors. 'Go through to the back,' he yelled as Heath and Baxter crashed breathlessly past him. Armitage was almost there. Cooper reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled him through. 'Get out of sight.' Croft dragged a bookcase and low reading table across the door once Cooper had managed to push it shut. Already there were rotting faces pressed against the glass, smashing their fists against the window, trying to get at the survivors inside. Cooper gently pushed Croft deeper into the building.
The others were waiting in a small, square office. 'What the hell are we going to do now?' Heath asked anxiously. He looked at Armitage. The red-faced man was slumped over a desk in the middle of the room, fighting to get his breath back. 'We keep going,' Croft said. 'What option have we got? We can either turn back and fight our way through a fucking huge crowd of bodies, or we can do what we came out here to do, get some transport organised, and then fight our way back through a fucking huge crowd of bodies.' His humour wasn't appreciated. Regardless, the rest of the men knew that they didn't have a choice. 'Where exactly are we?' Cooper asked. 'Where are we in relation to the court?' Castle, standing with his hands on his hips and breathing heavily, cleared his throat and looked round. 'Not too far to go,' he replied, moving slightly so that he could look through another door and out towards the back of the building. 'I reckon it'll be easier if we go through the back.' 'Fine,' Cooper said. 'We ready?' Armitage looked up in disbelief. 'Give us a minute,' he complained. 'You can rest when we've found ourselves a fleet of trucks, okay?' The lorry driver covered his head in despair and then pushed himself back up. 'All right?' Baxter asked.
Armitage nodded. 'Lead the way, Paul,' Cooper ordered. Trembling with nerves Castle did as he was told, cautiously creeping through the building until he reached the back door which opened out into a communal loading area shared with a number of neighbouring shops. A narrow service road ran along the back of the buildings. As far as he could see there were no bodies nearby. 'Which way?' Cooper whispered. Castle nodded to his right. 'Okay,' the soldier continued, 'stick together and not a bloody sound from anyone, understand?' No-one responded. 'Let's go.' Castle began to walk away from the shop, pressing himself against the nearest wall and doing his best to blend into the shadows. In the middle of the group Armitage silently cursed his condition. He wished that he was younger and fitter. Although no doubt amplified in his mind, he feared that the sound of his heavy breathing might be enough to bring the bodies to them again. The service road carried on for a hundred meters or so before taking a sharp right and rejoining the main road. Castle paused just before the turning. 'How far?' Cooper asked, his voice deathly quiet. 'Carry on along this road and we'll reach another junction,' he replied, nodding further down the service road.
'Go