“They’re taking our car.”
“Great. What are we going to do now?”
Scarlett didn’t respond. She noticed the gang draw their weapons, pointing them into the distance. Unable to see what they were aiming at, Scarlett crawled around to get a better view just as two members of the hooded group opened fire. The others had an assortment of melee weapons; a baseball bat, a crowbar, knives.
Scarlett finally caught sight of what appeared to be an opposing mob running toward them, also equipped with a plethora of swingable weapons. A battle ensued between the two gangs, and Jimmy and Alice joined Scarlett at the window, watching on in horror as the hooded man with a crowbar swung repeatedly at one of the opposing men, knocking him to the ground and caving in his skull. He took a moment to admire his work, bending down for a closer look. Upon straightening up, he turned his head to stare directly into the window, seemingly looking right at the three of them.
He had a menacing look in his eyes - he was enjoying the violence. Scarlett, Jimmy and Alice froze, all gawking right back at him. He began approaching the store.
He was no more than two metres away when he suddenly stopped and looked to his left. He glanced back at Scarlett and took another step toward the door, but a member of his group ran to him and started pulling on his clothes, trying to tell him it was time to go. The man with the baseball bat followed and, along with the rest of his mob, squeezed into the car and sped off.
Scarlett and the others breathed a synchronised sigh of relief. They stood, each one of them shaking as adrenaline coursed through their veins, and they made for the door.
As Scarlett stepped outside, she was knocked to her backside by a solitary man from the opposing gang sprinting past.
“Hey, stop!” She yelled, but the man continued to race away.
Scarlett cursed repeatedly while Jimmy helped her to her feet before noticing that the man had been running from three Biters, which were now fast approaching them.
“Well, what are the odds? One each,” Scarlett pointed out, stepping forward and jerking both axes free of her hips. “Keep Alice back.”
Jimmy did as he was told and Scarlett swung and hit the first two simultaneously, accidentally lodging her weapons in their skulls. She was unarmed as the third gained on her. She shunted it backwards and Jimmy stumbled over to help. He handed Scarlett the knife, allowing her to pull its head back with her free hand and penetrate under its chin.
Scarlett caught her breath and couldn't help smiling as she forced her axes loose.
“These guys just saved our asses.” Scarlett remarked.
As she caught her breath, Jimmy turned back toward Alice, his eyes widening as he noticed a fast-approaching horde of corpses behind his little sister, about to reach out for her.
“Alice, move!” he yelled desperately, running over to try to save her.
Scarlett joined him, but realised they were too late as Alice let out a shrill cry, echoing around the empty streets as one of the creatures sank its teeth into Alice’s neck.
“No, Alice!” Scarlett screamed.
She snatched Alice’s gun and shot the creature in the head, and Jimmy caught his sibling before she fell to the ground, bleeding heavily.
He desperately dragged her along the tarmac as fast as he could, away from the crowd of cadavers, sobbing uncontrollably. Scarlett came to his aid and together they took her back into the store.
Jimmy fell to the ground next to his sister, hoisting her onto his lap, while Scarlett attempted to barricade the door using the moveable shelving units. She dropped herself to the floor next to Alice, stroking her hair and face, trying to comfort her with words. But Alice couldn’t hear her. Her ears rang and her vision became blurred as she sought out her big brother’s face. She was struggling to breathe as the blood filled her mouth and throat, choking her.
“Not you, Alice.” Scarlett wept.
Alice looked at Scarlett with heavy eyes, mouth wide. She reached out her hands to Jimmy and Scarlett, who took hold of one each and held on tight and Alice gargled her last breath.
Jimmy’s head dropped forward as he cried and Scarlett let silent tears fall. She considered the gun in her hand. Jimmy looked up at Scarlett, knowing what her intentions were.
“Scarlett, please, no,” he begged weakly, “Please don’t do that.”
“I have to Jimmy. She’s gonna come back. Lay her on the ground.”
“No, no, no, no, please. Please don’t.” his voice was barely audible with the sound of hands slapping and thumping on the glass and the raspy vocalisations from the Biters.
Scarlett softly scooped Alice’s head into her hands and slid her off of Jimmy’s lap, placing her gingerly on the floor.
Trembling, Scarlett made sure there was a round in the chamber and leant forward, placing a gentle kiss on Alice’s forehead.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, placing the gun to Alice’s head, “Look away, Jimmy.”
As hard as he tried, Jimmy couldn’t break his gaze away from his little sister as Scarlett pulled the trigger.
“Noooo, no.” Jimmy cried.
Scarlett’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t afford to break down, and neither could Jimmy. Getting to her feet, she began searching for another way out. She made for the stock room. The exit was padlocked; a setback, but no match for one of her axes.
She messily yanked one free of her belt, lifted it above her head and swung downwards. In her haste, she missed a few times, but finally brought the weapon down on the padlock with all the strength she could muster.
Scarlett opened the door just enough to poke her head out and check that it was safe. She ran back to Jimmy, still sobbing next to Alice’s body.
“Come on, Jimmy. There’s a way out, we need to go now.”
When Jimmy didn’t respond, Scarlett placed her axe back on her hip, forced her hands under his arms and around his chest and began hauling him to the door.
* * *
Jimmy didn’t speak. He didn’t eat or drink. He stopped functioning almost entirely after witnessing his girlfriend shoot his twelve-year-old sister in the face.
Scarlett didn’t push matters. She knew he needed time. She didn’t exactly feel great about what she’d done, but it had been her or them. Alice was dead anyway and it was only a matter of time before she got back up. Scarlett couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it had been to pull the trigger. But she didn’t want Jimmy to see his little sister like that; like she’d seen her mother.
As they wandered the outskirts of their town, Scarlett thought back to that night; when it all started: another mundane start to the weekend. Grace had arrived home after a doctor’s appointment, lethargic and moody. Scarlett returned from Jimmy’s, red-faced and guilty-looking, avoiding her mother’s gaze at all costs until Grace shut herself in the living room.
Then, thud.
Scarlett had held her mother as she took her last breath. No emergency services. Nobody to help her. Then she got back up. Blind and pale. Expressionless until she realised Scarlett was there…
Scarlett forced herself back to reality. Dwelling on things she couldn’t change would not help. At that moment, Jimmy was her priority.
“It’s getting dark. We need to find somewhere safe to stay for the night,” she tried, desperately seeking Jimmy’s eyes, “And you need to eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You must be starving. You haven’t eaten in two days.”
“I said no!” Jimmy snapped.
“Water, then. Have a drink of water.”
Jimmy ignored Scarlett’s efforts and approached a small bungalow, walking carelessly around the back, through the gate and straight through the door. Scarlett followed, drawing an axe from her belt and stopping Jimmy before he got further into the house.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“We can stay here ‘til the morning,” he replied weakly.
“Jimmy, there cou
ld have been Biters in here.”
“But there aren’t.” Jimmy retorted, unfazed.
“You can’t just do that! You’re gonna get yourself killed.”
“So? What have I got left, Scarlett? My sister’s dead. We have little ammo and food left, no car, nothing!” he hissed.
Scarlett just looked at him, sad that he had reached this point so soon. She thought he was stronger than that.
“You’ve got me,” she said quietly, “I can help you. We don’t need bullets if we keep ourselves out of trouble, we can raid these houses for food, but only when we know they’re safe. There’s a car sat outside this place. Probably keys in the hall. I can keep us alive, Jimmy, I know I can. Please don’t give up,” she begged.
“You couldn’t help Alice,” Jimmy said, finally looking at her, “You couldn’t keep her alive. My baby sister. She’s gone because you let your guard down.”
“That’s not fair. You can’t blame me for Alice’s death,” Scarlett said, hurt and angry, “I tried to save her. She was bit. What the fuck else was I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know, Scarlett, something!” Jimmy shouted, “She was just a kid. You shot her!”
“I shot her because I had to. I'm the reason she made it as far as she did, and the reason we’re still here! What have you done, Jimmy? I had to shoot her. Would you have preferred her to wake up as one of those things and bite your stupid ass?” Scarlett yelled back.
“Maybe. At least I wouldn’t feel like this anymore. People like me aren’t supposed to survive this kind of thing, Scar. You’re just prolonging the inevitable.”
Scarlett knew exactly what Jimmy meant. He was not what she would consider brave. He was certainly not a risk-taker. But neither was she before it all started. Scarlett only acted the way she did out of necessity. Kill or be killed. But Jimmy couldn’t see things as black and white as that.
“Jimmy, you need to stop and think about what you’re saying. You really think that Alice would want this? No. She’d want her big brother to step up and be a fucking man. Stop wallowing in self-pity and grow the hell up--”
Scarlett stopped as the kitchen door swung open. A boy not much older than Alice stood in the doorway. He was infected.
Scarlett coldly saw this as a way to snap Jimmy out of his depression.
She shot him a piercing look before holding out an axe to him. Jimmy shook his head. Scarlett stood her ground. She knew that if push came to shove, she could take care of it, but she was adamant that Jimmy needed to do it himself. The creature was unaware of their presence. Scarlett shook her weapon at Jimmy and he finally took it, but stood, unwilling to make his first kill.
Scarlett retrieved her other axe and stepped behind Jimmy, closing the back door with a bang.
Jimmy’s breathing became erratic as the kid began to blindly approach him.
“That is not a child anymore,” Scarlett whispered in his ear, “Either you take a swing at its head or it will kill you. And I’ll let it, if that’s what you want.”
Jimmy considered his options, swallowing hard as sweat formed on his brow. He held the axe level with his shoulder, shaking.
The child, Scarlett realised, had lost them again.
“You had enough time to think?” she asked quietly, “I’m guessing you’ll have about five seconds before it reaches us once it’s reminded we’re here. Kill or be killed, Jimmy. I’m done wiping your ass.”
Scarlett swung her axe back, smashing the small window behind her. The corpse ran at Jimmy hungrily, who let out a yelp as he drew the axe down onto the cadaver’s head, shattering its fragile skull as it opened its jaws.
Jimmy allowed the axe to fall with the body, lodged in its head. He looked at what he’d done, catching his breath and trying to slow his heart. Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t really been sure of what he’d do.
She put her hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. He was pale. Eyes teary and staring. Scarlett felt guilty. Maybe it had been a mistake to put him in that position. Maybe she’d done more harm than good. What was she becoming? She’d never acted so coldly before, least of all toward someone she cared about. But she had to do something.
Scarlett pulled him close and put her arms around him. He returned the hug, but there was no feeling in it.
The axe made a nasty squelch as she removed it from the boy’s head with one foot on its chest, and she moved on to search the next room.
Scarlett checked the rest of the small house before dragging the child’s body outside and barricading herself and Jimmy in the living room, regretting smashing the window.
Jimmy hadn’t spoken since he made his first kill. He’d just sat on a large armchair, staring at the floor.
Scarlett needed to explain herself. She sat herself down on the carpet in front of him and looked up, leaning on his knees.
“Jimmy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to do that,” Jimmy continued to avoid her gaze, “But I needed you to see that you still have the desire to survive. Because whatever you think about me, I need you. If it weren’t for you I’d have had nowhere to go after my mum… Well, I’d be alone in the world.”
Jimmy finally looked at her.
“You don’t need me, Scar. You need the company,” he replied croakily.
Scarlett couldn’t think of anything else to say. She got to her feet and removed her weapon belt, placing it within reach, before sitting on Jimmy’s lap and laying her hands on his cheeks.
“I need you,” she repeated, forcing him to keep eye contact.
She looked at him for a moment. She did need him. As ill-suited as he was to this post-apocalyptic world, she loved him.
Chapter Three:
Scarlett was the first to wake as the sun broke through an opening in the curtains. She left Jimmy to sleep while she packed what little non-perishable food was in the kitchen into her rucksack.
While she laced her boots, Jimmy began to stir, slowly opening his eyes and allowing them to amend to the light.
“We’re going already?” he asked drowsily.
“The sun’s been up for an hour now. We need the light for as long as possible. We can cover more ground.”
Jimmy stretched and sleepily reached for his shoes, slipping them on before getting to his feet and helping Scarlett gather their few belongings.
Scarlett observed the street outside, checking for cadavers. There were none so she took the keys for the car and loaded everything they had onto the back seat.
She soon realised that they were wasting their time on the vehicle. The engine wouldn't start, so Jimmy got out and lifted the bonnet. Someone had taken the battery.
They began walking in silence; neither of them prepared to talk about what Jimmy had been forced into the night before.
They didn’t know how long they’d been walking - time had become irrelevant anyway; all that mattered was knowing when the sun would set and finding shelter before it did.
Scarlett suddenly drew her weapon; her pistol. Jimmy looked ahead to see a convoy of vehicles, being led by two military trucks.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jimmy exclaimed, “Thank God!” Jimmy increased his pace, waving his arms.
“Jimmy, stop!” Scarlett shouted after him, “That is not the military. Look at the cars behind them! There are a lot of people in those vehicles and we have no idea who they are. Get your ass back here!” she demanded.
Jimmy stopped and waited for Scarlett to catch up. She loaded her gun and pointed it defensively at the approaching cars as a warning.
The convoy stopped in front of them and Scarlett stood her ground as two men climbed out of the leading military truck and started toward her, each pointing a pistol back at her.
The four of them just stood there for a moment, Jimmy cowering behind Scarlett before the first unknown man spoke.
“Put your weapon down; we’re friendly.”
“You don’t look friendly.” Scarlett countered, refusing to lower he
r pistol.
“My name’s Riley, this is Jack. We served in the army. Jack here was a Sergeant.”
Scarlett still didn’t budge, but continued to size them up.
“Just lower your weapon and we won’t have to shoot you both.” Jack interjected. “Would be a shame for the kids to see.”
Now they had her attention. They had children with them.
“You got kids?” she repeated in disbelief.
“Not mine, Christ, I hate kids!”
“Yeah. We’ve got seven. Between five and thirteen in age.” Riley informed her.
Scarlett’s mouth dropped open and she slowly relaxed her arms. Riley and Jack put their weapons away.
“Now, are you gonna get in the car, or would you rather bum around here on your own?” Jack probed, seemingly bored of picking up hitchhikers.
Scarlett sat beside Riley as he led the convoy while Jimmy travelled in the car behind with Jack.
“Have you been on the road long?” Riley asked, trying to break the silence.
“About seven or eight weeks... I don’t really know anymore.”
“Wow. Just the two of you?”
“Uh, no… Jimmy’s sister, Alice. She died,” Scarlett said quietly, staring at her lap, “She was twelve.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So, how many in your group?” Scarlett asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Thirty-two. We‘ve lost people, but only ever on supply runs. We've found that staying put works for us. We left a school yesterday. It got overrun. We'd been there since about three days in.”
“Maybe that was our mistake. Never staying anywhere. It just seemed easier to keep moving. We couldn’t leave Alice on her own while we went out for supplies. In the end it was a bathroom break that got her killed. I let my guard down. One minute, she was fine; happy to have the privilege of using an actual toilet, and the next… Well… you know.”
Scarlett looked at Riley and felt secure for the first time since the outbreak. Riley glanced at her and smiled.
“You’re safe now. You can stay with us as long as you want.” He offered.
Roamers (Book 1) Page 4