Viro (Book 4): Viro

by Taylor, Barnaby

  ‘Daphne’s my friend and I’m a father as well so I hate the thought of her and those kids in danger but I’ve been a cattle farmer all my life and one thing I’ve learned is that you can’t save every sickly calf that’s born. Nature won’t allow it. Sometimes you just have to let one die so there’s room for the others. Otherwise, they could all die.’

  Ellis was angry.

  ‘But they’re not sick animals, they’re little boys and girls. They can’t look after themselves. They need us to do it for them.’

  Murphy shrugged.

  ‘Such is life, my dear. It’s called natural selection.’

  I hated these words. I stood up.

  ‘If that is true then I should be dead. I was born a sickly calf but my mum didn’t let me die. She showed me how to be myself. She said it didn’t matter about my chromosomes. She said they made me me.’

  Murphy didn’t shout. He had kind words for me.

  ‘Your mum sounds like a wonderful woman but you were born before everything went wrong. Your mum had the luxury of choice on the day that you were born. But we don’t have that same luxury anymore.’

  Murphy spoke sad words.

  ‘There is no more life. No more future. There is no more hope. There is only trying to stay alive until you die. And once you die, there is only hoping that you do not become another one of those things.’

  Crossfire

  Susie was kind. She was soft.

  ‘We can have more than that, Dad. We can have much more. What about love? And family? They’re all good things. It isn’t all death and dying.’

  Murphy smiled at his daughter.

  ‘I wish you could be more right, darling. I really wish you could but I just can’t see it.’

  Susie kissed her dad.

  ‘Then let me see it until you can once again. It may take a while but I want to show you that there’s more to life than simply not dying. Mum would have …’

  Susie stopped. Murphy looked sad. Susie kissed her dad again.

  ‘I’m sorry, Dad, I didn’t mean to …’

  Murphy shushed.

  ‘It’s alright, Susie. She died before she could become one of those things.’

  I said a question. I couldn’t stop.

  ‘Died?’

  Murphy looked at me. He couldn’t say. Susie did.

  ‘Mum was killed when a group of those things attacked the first time. We beat them off but some of them got into our fuel depot. Mum got caught in the crossfire and a stray bullet hit one of the tanks.’

  Murphy was sadder now.

  ‘That’s enough, Susie. Our business is our business and no one else’s.’

  Susie stopped her story. I looked down. I didn’t mean to make them sad. Grace hugged me.

  ‘It’s all good, Jake. You didn’t know.’

  Maggie did too. I felt a bit better. I ate my cake. Vinnie looked at Murphy.

  ‘I’m sorry to go on about this but we really need to do something about the barn.’

  Murphy agreed.

  ‘I know but we can’t do anything until those things have gone.’

  ‘But what if they don’t go?’

  Murphy shrugged.

  ‘I guess we’re stuck then.’

  Fertilizer

  I had an idea. I remembered science stories from school. I looked at Murphy.

  ‘Do you have any fertilizer?’

  Murphy laughed.

  ‘What do you think?’

  I didn’t get his joke.

  ‘We could use the fertilizer to burn the viros.’

  Murphy didn’t joke.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘We squirt them with the fertilizer and set them on fire. Ammonium nitrate is really burnable.’

  Grace liked my thoughts.

  ‘Jake’s right, Dad. We could use the lane.’

  ‘The lane?’

  ‘We attract their attention. We herd them down the lane between the hedgerows. They follow two tractors spreading fertilizer. When they are thoroughly soaked we set them on fire.’

  Murphy whistled.

  ‘No way. That’s far too dangerous.’

  Susie said her thoughts.

  ‘Waiting here and hoping they don't come back is just as dangerous. At least this way we’d stand some chance of getting rid of them.’

  Murphy still didn’t like this.

  ‘But who would drive the tractors?’

  Susie looked at her sisters.

  ‘We would.’

  Murphy shook his head.

  ‘No way.’

  Susie hugged her father again.

  ‘Dad, you know we have to do this. You know we have no choice.’

  Murphy was upset.

  ‘But I’ve already lost your mother. I couldn’t bear to lose you all as well.’

  Susie was confident. Her voice was clear.

  ‘We’ll never let that happen.’

  Mable and Grace agreed. Murphy knew they were right. He understood. We all did. Vinnie spoke.

  ‘We’ll help you in any way we can. Just let us know what you want us to do.’

  Tractors

  I liked tractors. I saw them in the big barn. These were made by British Leyland. They were two tone blue. This was exciting. I shouted at Abe.

  ‘These are not Nuffield tractors. They used to be red like poppies.’

  Abe didn’t speak. He was watching Susie. She was in charge. She told the others what to do. They were happy to let her do the talking. Susie said three tractors. Murphy and Harry would set explosive charges at regular points along the lane. One tractor would attract the viros and lead them down the lane. The other two would already be squirting fertilizer.

  The viros would walk down the lane. The two tractors would race to the top field. Once there, Murphy would detonate the charges. The viros would be destroyed.

  ‘As long as we get off the lane before you blow the charges we should be fine.’

  Murphy still didn’t like the plan.

  ‘What happens if one of the tractors breaks down?’

  Susie had her answer.

  ‘Then we’ll run like hell.’

  Susie looked at her sisters.

  ‘You two get the spreaders hitched and filled to the top. We need to get going straightaway.’

  It was getting light. The three sisters drove the tractors. They went down the track near the lane. We watched. Murphy said we should stay back.

  ‘This is mad enough already without you lot getting in the way.’

  Vinnie wanted to hurry

  ‘We need to get back to the barn. Perhaps we should go while you’re doing this?’

  Murphy said no.

  ‘We get this done and then we can all get to the barn and help your friends.’

  I was sad about this. They needed our help.

  ‘What if they’re hurt. We need to find out.’

  Murphy tried to say nice things.

  ‘Daphne would want us to be careful about this. She wouldn’t want us rushing and making things worse. She’s as cautious as I am.’

  I had no words to say back. Murphy would not change his mind. We just had to wait.

  Detonator

  Susie would get the viros’s attention. Grace and Maggie would spread the fertilizer. It was light enough to see down the lane. I saw the barn in the distance. There was a big swarm of viros. Susie’s tractor wobbled towards them. Grace and Maggie went down the lane backwards. They reached the last gate. The tractors stopped. They started back towards us. The fertilizer was spraying all over the lane.

  Murphy and Harry had laid the charges. They put six down the lane, three on each side. Harry trailed wires all the way back to Murphy. He was ready with the detonator.

  ‘We’ll set them off in sequence, starting with the furthest pair. That way we’ll be pretty sure to get them all.’

  Harry nodded.

  ‘Nice day for a barbecue.’

  Murphy didn’t say anything to that.

  F
lorence was worried. She was still really sad about her mum and dad. This made her scared about everything. I wished I could help her with words. But I had none. Florence pointed at the tractors.

  ‘What happens if they don’t get back in time? They could get trapped in the lane when the bombs go off.’

  Ellis tried to make her feel better.

  ‘Look at all these people, Florence. They look like they know what they’re doing. I think we have to trust them.’

  Florence didn’t agree.

  ‘Remember all the soldiers at that camp? They looked like they knew what they were doing as well. That didn’t end well for anyone.’

  Amber joined Ellis. She held Florence’s hand.

  ‘There’s not much we can say that will make you feel any better, Florence. Everything is such a mess now.’

  Amber held Ellis’s hand as well.

  ‘All I can tell you is that we have survived this long and we plan to survive a bit longer, don’t we Ellis.’

  Ellis smiled.

  ‘We sure do, Amber.’

  I liked it when Ellis smiled.

  Closer

  Then we heard gunfire. It came from Susie. She was shooting at the swarm. She wanted it to come after her. The swarm did. I watched as the viros piled into the lane. Susie started the tractor. It rumbled back towards us. The viros followed it. They were screaming and shouting. It was another angry wave of dirty bodies.

  Grace and Maggie were further up the lane. The spreaders were still squirting fertilizer. It was going everywhere. Vinnie and Abe stood right next to me. Abe was very excited.

  ‘This could work, Jake. This could really work.’

  Vinnie said so as well.

  ‘You could be right, Abe. You could be right.’

  Susie’s tractor was slow. It wobbled. The swarm was right behind her. Her spreader started spraying the viros as they filled the lane. They were singing their horrible song. It was getting louder. The other two tractors kept going. They reached the gate and turned off. They came back up the track towards us. Grace and Maggie ran over to Murphy. Grace pointed at Susie.

  ‘She’s slowing down, Dad. Susie’s not going to make it.’

  I looked. Grace was right. Susie’s tractor was getting slower. The viros were getting closer. She was looking behind her. I heard her shouting. Murphy spoke to Grace.

  ‘You’re in charge of the detonator, Grace. Wait until I get Susie out of there and then blow the charges.’

  Murphy ran towards the nearest tractor. He started back down the track. Maggie ran after him.

  ‘Be careful, Dad. The lane is full of fertilizer.’

  Murphy didn’t speak. He drove the tractor back down the lane.

  Blood

  Murphy’s tractor went down the lane. Susie’s tractor stopped. She tried the ignition. Nothing happened. Susie looked behind her. The first viros were almost touching her. I saw her kick one in the head. It fell over. Another viro grabbed her arm. Susie pulled her jacket off. The viro didn’t get her. Susie stood on the front of the tractor. The viros swarmed round her.

  Murphy’s tractor roared as he raced down the lane. Black smoke blew out the exhaust. The tractor banged into viros. They fell over. Murphy reached Susie’s tractor. He fired his gun. Susie jumped from her tractor onto his. Murphy fired his gun again.

  The tractor started going backwards. It was really slow. Susie grabbed Murphy’s gun. She shot at the viros. Another fell over. It was not enough. The swarm was angry now. It could smell blood. Loads of arms were stretched out. They all wanted to grab Susie and her dad. Florence was crying.

  ‘They’re not going to make it.’

  Maggie was strong in her words.

  ‘They’ll make it, Florence. My family are fighters. We never give up.’

  Maggie grabbed a rifle. She shouted at Harry.

  ‘Come on, Harry. We’ve got to help them.’

  They both ran down towards the tractor. Grace stayed with the detonator.

  ‘Hurry up, Maggie. We don’t have long.’

  The tractor kept going. It was really slow. The viros were so close. It looked like they were pushing it. Susie fired again. I saw a head burst. But the swarm kept coming.

  Maggie got to the tractor. She fired her gun. So did Harry. The tractor stopped. Susie jumped off. She stood next to her sister. They fired again. Two more viros went down. Murphy tried to climb off. A viro grabbed his leg. He reached out to Susie. She grabbed his arms and pulled. A big viro bit his leg. Murphy screamed. Harry shot the viro.

  Susie and Maggie dragged their dad down the lane. He was screaming. Harry fired his gun. The viros went past the tractor. Harry fired again. The viros went all over him. I heard him shouting under them.

  Susie and Maggie got their dad back to the track. Susie shouted at Grace.

  ‘Blow it, Grace, blow the charges.’

  Grace pressed down on the detonator.

  The lane burst with fire.

  Fire

  My ears were ringing. The lane was on fire. Viros screamed. I watched them burning. It was horrible. The smell was so bad. I felt all sticky sick in my mouth. I looked at the others. We all felt the same.

  Grace ran down to help her dad. Susie stood by the end of the track. Three viros went towards her. She shot them one at a time. Susie waited. No more viros appeared. Susie shut the gate. She ran back to us. She handed her rifle to Vinnie.

  ‘If you see any more of those things, Vinnie, let them have it.’

  Vinnie nodded. He didn’t speak. None of us did. It was hard to think. All I could see was fire.

  The viros screamed for a long time. None came up the track. I stood next to Vinnie. Abe was next to me. He shivered.

  ‘That’s disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.’

  Vinnie said the same.

  ‘But at least it’s better than them overrunning the farm.’

  Vinnie looked at me.

  ‘It was a good idea, Jake.’

  I didn’t nod.

  ‘It was but Susie’s dad got bitten. And Harry got killed as well.’

  Vinnie spoke with kind words.

  ‘The whole thing is tragic but everyone knew the risks. That’s doesn’t make things any better but at least it means that we haven’t given up.’

  We went over to the three girls. They were standing watching the burning lane. Vinnie hugged Ellis.

  ‘Are you okay, Sis?’

  Ellis was crying. Her words were hard to hear.

  ‘I don’t think I’m ever going to be okay again. All we ever see every day is sadness and death. There is nothing else left.’

  Ellis put her head on Vinnie’s shoulder.

  She cried hard.

  I wanted to help but I couldn’t.

  There was nothing to do.

  I just stood still.

  We all felt sad inside.

  It was easy to feel this now.

  Too easy.

  Barbecue

  The lane burned for hours. The wind blew smoke all over. My nose wrinkled. The smell of burned viros was horrible. It was like an evil barbecue. There was all sweet sick on my tongue.

  Vinnie said we should wait until the fires were out. Then we could look for the others. He was right. I didn't want to go anywhere near the burning bodies. I knew it would look bad.

  Susie and her sisters were inside the house with Murphy. I stayed out here. I knew what was happening. It was bad and sad. I didn’t want to watch another person die. I had no space in my head for that. Or my heart. They were both already full.

  I looked across the fields. The smoke was everywhere. Anyone would see it. Anyone would wonder what it was. Or would they? Most people were dead. Or frightened. If they saw the smoke they would stay away. That’s what I would do. Why would you go towards explosions and fire?

  Vinnie was sitting down with Ellis. She leaned on him. I thought she was asleep. Abe and Amber were somewhere inside the house. Florence came over to me.

  ‘Are you alright, Jake
?’

  She was so sad. It was unbearable. I tried to be bright for her.

  ‘I’m the same as ever, Florence.’

  She smiled. It was a small one. I held her hand.

  ‘Do you want to talk?’

  Florence nodded. She sat down. Her eyes were wet. I held her hand tighter.

  ‘I think it’s better that I know what happened to them, don’t you?’

  ‘I guess. I mean, I think so.’

  ‘At least I’m not worried anymore.’

  ‘But what about your sister?’

  Florence shook. She was crying.

  ‘She must be gone as well. There’s no way that Mum and Dad would leave her.’

  ‘They left you. Maybe they did the same. She might be safe somewhere. She might be waiting.’

  Florence shook her head.

  ‘There must be so many people out there waiting for other people. And most of them will never see the people they are waiting for ever again.’

  I knew I would see Mum again. I said so.

  ‘Mum’s waiting for me. I’ll find her. I will.’

  Florence didn’t speak. Her tears were too big in her heart. That was alright. I didn’t want her to say anything. I didn’t want anyone to say things.

  My words were better when no-one replied.

  Murphy

  Vinnie started shouting.

  ‘Over there, look over there.’

  Me and Florence looked. Abe and Amber came outside. Vinnie was pointing at the field.

  A small dot was moving. It was someone coming. I looked more. My eyes were sore from the smoke. Ellis shouted.

  ‘It’s one of the kids.’

  I looked again. It was Eleanor. She was walking bad. She was covered in blood. Her face was black. She looked like a viro. I ran up to Vinnie.

  ‘What if she’s a viro?’

  Vinnie shrugged.

  ‘We’re about to find out.’

  Eleanor walked up the track. She had no shoes. As she got near I heard her words. She was singing. It was a baby sleeping song.

  ‘Hush … little … baby …’

  She was not a viro. I was excited.