Mankind devoured - BOOK 1

Part 6: Masking.

The small group stood in the bottom floor lobby of the flats, wondering about what their next option could be. The walls had large, black stains that stretched across them from the fires less than two years before.

"Right so listen here, boys. The plan is for the two runners to climb the elevator cable whilst the brutes stay at the bottom with me, clear out the stairs for rubble and then make our way up, taking out any loose groups of infected in the corridors to make room for the burning rope." Mark verbally laid the plan out for them, putting a clear picture in their heads.

"Alfie and Malik, you are to spread the gunpowder around the top floor as much and as thick as you possibly can, we want the biggest explosion imaginable."

"Got it." Alfie said, taking off his backpack and making sure none had fallen out.

"Your bags both full?" Mark asked.

"As full as when we left." Malik assured him.

"Good. Get on your way then, hopefully we'll all make it out of this alive."

Alfie and Malik nodded and headed to the elevator as Mark and the brutes got to work with moving the rubble from the stairway. The elevator was shut tight, meaning that they'd have to prise the doors open.

"Fuckin bags pissing me off already." Malik grinned at him.

"Let's just get this done with." Alfie said glumly.

Alfie hopped onto the right door as Malik held the left, they pulled in opposite directions on the count of three, heaving and puffing out of their arses as they opened the doors. After two hard pulls they wrenched the doors open, revealing a gore fest inside.

A man was slumped down inside, propped up against one of the walls, blood, pus and shit smeared across the walls, clearly by something with hands. Malik turned and gagged, the smell clearly overwhelming. Alfie didn't blame him, he wanted to turn around and be sick all over the place but after what Mark had said, he held it back.

"Just ignore him mate, we'll be back home soon." Alfie reassured him.

As Alfie walked in and prised open the hatch of the elevator he noticed that he'd gained a slight twitch in his left eye and the corner of his lip on the same side, clearly the body was distressing him a little.

"Alright get up here, dude." Alfie said, offering a boost for Malik.

"Got it." Malik said, still trying to hold back the urge to be sick.

Malik placed his foot in Alfie's hands and sprung up through the hatch, swinging his legs a little until his finally pulled himself up through held down his hand for him. Alfie took it, gripping onto the roof of the elevator, pulling himself up with a lot more ease and gracefulness. Once he was up he looked at the ceiling, it was high up and almost seemed scary to climb.

"Ah that's something that Mark didn't think of." Malik said, grinning and pointing to his left.

Alfie followed his finger, a large smile growing on his face as he saw the built in ladder that led to the top.

"We don't tell him about that though do we?" Alfie asked, a mischievous humour in his voice.

"Nah." Malik smirked even more.

Grabbing onto the metal bars, Alfie began to make his slow way up, the journey made even slower by the heavy backpack that he kept on his shoulders, Malik following closely behind.