Autumn The City Page 0,99

Wait for something to happen that's going to...' 'What you're doing,' Holmes said, taking a few steps closer to Donna, 'is running around and risking your lives like a bunch of fucking idiots. Whatever you do, none of it's going to make any difference. Get yourself out of this mess and you'll just end up in another fucking hole. It'll go on and on and on until...'

'Just shut up,' Donna interrupted. 'There are frightened people listening to you. You're not helping the situation.' 'You're creating the fucking situation! And I know there are frightened people in here because I'm one of them.' Holmes' final comment stunned and silenced Donna and stopped her in her tracks. For the first time she could remember Nathan Holmes - the difficult, obnoxious, offensive and weak little man who had caused more than his fair share of ill-feeling and resentment within the group of survivors - was apparently being candid and honest. For the first time she could remember he seemed to be allowing his public image to drop and his true feelings be seen. Perhaps the realisation that the status quo had been challenged and that, no matter what he decided to do next, his situation was inevitably about to change had brought about this sudden and unexpected change of heart. Whatever the reason, Donna felt sick to her stomach because he had made her think. For a moment he had made her question what they were doing. Was there really any point in doing any of this?

Outside in the back of the truck Baxter, Cooper and the others had heard the explosion too. Croft cautiously peered through one of the small, dark windows in the side of the prison van. 'Christ,' he muttered. 'What is it?' Armitage asked, immediately concerned. 'Fire,' he replied. 'Look, over on the far side of the university. Something's on fire.' 'Where?' demanded Cooper, leaning over to his right and craning his neck to look out through another window.

'What's going on?' said Heath, immediately fearing the worst. For a moment no-one spoke, each man privately contemplating what had happened and fearing the worst. Croft was the first to try and make sense of the situation. 'They've started it on purpose, haven't they?' he said quietly, turning back around to face the others. 'They must have. I think that fire is close to the medical school. It's certainly nowhere near the part of the building we've been using. They must have started it deliberately.' 'But why?' The doctor sighed. 'Isn't it obvious?' It clearly wasn't. 'Jesus, look at the bodies,' Baxter said excitedly as he moved to look out of a third window.

'They're moving.'

'Of course they are,' Croft continued. 'They're distracting them so that we can get back inside.' The chain reaction that Donna had been counting on was slowly spreading through the rotting crowds which still surrounded the perimeter of the football pitch. As the corpses nearest to the fire and explosion had been drawn closer to the distraction, their reactions had moved like a ripple through water and their clumsy movements had attracted the attention of others. Slowly and awkwardly the entire diseased mass seemed to be staggering towards the searing heat and bright light at the far end of the university complex. 'Time to go,' Cooper hissed.

'We should give it a while,' Heath mumbled nervously. 'There are still hundreds of them around. If we go outside now we'll be...' 'Time to go,' the soldier repeated. 'They're moving away from us. We'll have an advantage if we're moving through them from behind. By the time they realise we're there we'll already have passed them.'

'What are we going to do about the van?' Croft asked, remembering that he had parked it across the entrance to the pitch. 'Someone will have to stop,' Heath suggested. 'Two should stay, just in case,' added Cooper. 'I'll do it,' volunteered Armitage. 'I'll only slow you down. I'm out of shape. I've already done more running today than I have for years...' 'I'll stay here,' Paul Castle mumbled. Although unsure, the thought of staying outside with the van and the trucks seemed slightly preferable to going into the dark night unprotected. 'We'll move the van back,' Armitage said, 'and then block the exit again as soon as you're through, okay?' By the time the lorry driver had finished speaking Cooper was already out of the truck and on his way over towards the van. Croft handed Armitage the keys