Tar: An apocalyptic horror novella Read Online Free PDF Page B

it. He took two deep breaths, tensed his abdomen, and then ran at the door, dropping his shoulder so it struck directly above the lock.
    Pain!
    It became clear why the young boy was trapped. The thick, wooden fire-door had a heavy lock fitted—the previous owner must have been security conscious to fit a lock to an interior door. “Hold on, kid, this is gonna take me another run at it.”
    Finn heard the boy shuffle out of the way. This time Finn prepared a longer run-up—half-a-dozen steps. With a different plan in mind, he picked up speed with every step forward before leaping up into the air. He put all of his weight and speed behind his right foot and planted a flying kick right up against the handle. The door burst open so hard that Finn ended up stumbling upon landing and ended up on his back. There was no time to be embarrassed—he didn’t know for sure who was in the living room—so he quickly rolled up onto his knees and jumped onto his feet.
    All that faced him was a young boy, about twelve years old. Scraggly brown hair and pink smiling lips.
    “Nice to meet you,” said the boy. He looked malnourished. Every kid left alive looked malnourished.
    Before Finn spoke, he gave the room a cursory glance. All seemed clear. There was a small kitchen, but he could see into it from where he stood. “What are you doing here, kid?”
    “Dominic caught me stealing, so he locked me in here to deal with when he got back. He never came back.”
    At the sound of Dominic’s name, Finn’s hands curled into fists. “You know Dominic? Where is he?”
    The boy shook his head. “He was supposed to be back yesterday. Told me he was going out to get some booze. One of his crew found some in an old supermarket warehouse at the edge of town. Said he would have more power than anybody left alive in the city once he had the only booze left. People are scared, and all they want to do is get wasted, he said.”
    Finn crossed his arms and thought for a moment. “What did you steal?”
    “Tablets.”
    “You some kind of junkie, kid?”
    The boy shook his head adamantly. “No way, I don't touch that stuff. My mum taught me. I get headaches though—migraines—and my mum gives me aspirin to help. I just took some from Dominic’s stash. He has people bringing him tonnes of stuff so I didn’t think he’d notice. He went crazy at me though when he caught me taking them.”
    Finn saw the finger marks around the kid’s scrawny neck and sighed. He took in the filth in the living room and felt sick. The kid had been forced to piss and shit in the corner like an animal because the windows were barred—rough pub in a rough area, it made sense. “When did you last eat, kid?”
    “I don’t remember. Almost a week ago? I had chewing gum a few days ago.”
    Jesus . “Do the men downstairs know you’re up here?”
    “Probably, but they don’t have a key, and they don’t make a habit of crossing Dominic. They would’ve let me die before letting me out.”
    Finn paced the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. This Dominic was a real piece of work. It went further than Marie. This guy used and abused people like they were playthings. Men like Dominic had been monsters even before the end of the world.
    But was Finn any better?
    I’ve done things too.
    Finn turned to the kid. “Come on, let’s go find you some food.”
    The kid looked like he would burst into tears, but bit his lower lip to fight it. “T-Thank you.”
    “Don’t cry on me,” said Finn. “I’m just getting some grub down you, and then we part ways, once you tell me everything you know about Dominic and where this supermarket warehouse is.”
    “Deal!” The boy nodded and followed Finn into the hallway, but when they passed the bedroom, the kid stopped. “I... just need to get something before we go.”
    “Hey, I’m not hanging around, kid!” Finn was very mindful of the bar full of men downstairs who wanted him dead.
    Those cowards and bullies left