Read Off With Their Heads for Free Online Page B

torn apart, and then the girl would either meet a similar fate or become another monster like the Biters. With all the death and devastation Protima had seen, what was the life of one little girl worth?
    With that thought, Protima stopped herself. No, she had to do something, anything. She stepped out from behind the bus and stood between the mob of Biters and the bus.
    The large man bared his bloodied teeth and screamed something at her. Protima was shocked as she thought she understood what he was trying to say. He was telling her that the prey inside the bus was his. He towered over Protima as he approached, the others following him. Protima felt around herself for something she could use as a weapon. Her hands felt something hard and she picked it up. She held it above her head and screamed at the Biters.
    ‘Stand back! You will not move forward!’
    The Biter was now just feet away from her and her impact on him was immediate. He stepped back as if he had been jolted by electricity. The other Biters had stopped, and one or two of them began to whimper. Perhaps it was seeing someone like them who could talk like a human, or perhaps it was the simple fact that someone had taken charge. Whatever the reason, the Biters began to step back as Protima walked towards them. At any other time, it would have seemed absurd to Protima – a pack of bloodthirsty Biters falling back before a frail old woman – but now she had only one thought in her mind: she had to save the little girl.
    The large Biter got up, snarling at Protima, and was about to lunge when Protima swatted him with the object in her hand.
    ‘I said no. No!’
    Later, Protima would wonder where she got the courage and strength from, but at that moment she felt as if she could have taken on a dozen Biters in hand-to-hand combat. The Biter shrank before her as she swatted at him again.
    Much later, she would come to realize that every pack needed a leader. She was the first and only Biter who had been able to order them around. The object she was holding would also become a symbol of her authority.
    A roaring sound filled the sky as four jets flew towards the city center. They dived in and pulled up in steep dives, and fireballs erupted where their bombs had hit. The government was bombing what had been densely populated civilian areas.
    The Biters were still kneeling before her and even the large one was now keeping his head down. She called out to the woman and the girl in the bus, but received no answer. They had slipped out. Protima doubted they could last long, but she had done all she could.
    Some figures came into view to her right as a long line of Biters emerged from the nearby fields. They moved as a group now, with some sense of co-ordination. They attacked humans on sight, yet they resembled wild animals more than the monsters people had taken them to be.
    Protima began to walk away, not entirely sure where what she would do next. She sensed movement behind her. The Biters were following her.
    ‘Stop following me!’
    The Biters stopped, but then they began following her again. Resigned to having the mob of Biters following her around, she kept walking away from the city.
    More jets had appeared in the skies and explosions were rocking the city. In the distance, she saw something that froze her heart. A large mushroom cloud was rising into the sky. Protima did not know if this was part of the nuclear madness that had erupted between India and Pakistan or part of the desperate defensive measures adopted by governments to stave off the spread of Biters. Either way, it was clear that it was no longer safe to be above ground. She had already seen that the network of tunnels and sewers under the ground could provide some sort of sanctuary. She laughed bitterly. At least she would not have to worry about finding food or water.
    She found an opening and began to pull at the heavy handle. To her surprise, several pairs of hands reached out to help her and in no