Roamers (Book 1)

by Viper, Velveteen

  Approaching the warehouse, the heavy truck crunched over the littered bodies of evolved Roamers, flattening them to the ground effortlessly. Jack was waiting for them with one of Colin’s people ready to open the gate. Travis parked the vehicle in front of the auto shop and they climbed out of the cab. Scarlett slid the truck’s side curtain open, allowing the confused and frightened ex-slaves to clamber out. Jack walked around and his mouth fell open when he saw the newcomers.

  “What the hell?” was all he could utter as he, Scarlett, Travis and Quinlan assisted them in their descent.

  “Slaves. They’re all from Stonebrook.” Travis explained.

  “But, the women, they’re--”

  “You don’t wanna know.”

  “We just need to get them inside.” Scarlett stated, “They need a decent meal and some sleep.”

  “What about him?” Jack asked, glaring at Quinlan.

  “If it weren’t for him, Jack, we’d be dead.” Scarlett reasoned.

  Everyone entered the warehouse, greeted by shocked faces. Travis quickly approached Elizabeth and insisted that she prepare them some food. She scuttled off to do so as Riley advanced on Quinlan.

  “What the fuck is he doing here?” he spat, lurching at him and pinning him against a wall.

  “Riley, stop!” Scarlett bellowed, “He saved my life!”

  “Did you forget about the cottage, Scar?”

  “It’s because of him that Hope still has a mother, now let him go.” She ordered. “He’s one of us now.”

  “You’re no more one of us than those Roamers out there.” Riley whispered in Quinlan’s ear.

  He released Quinlan but continued to watch him while River threw her arms around Scarlett and Hope.

  * * *

  After settling Hope with River, Scarlett found Travis sitting on the floor in one of the offices. She entered the room and closed the door before sitting down next to him. He hadn't yet washed or changed his clothes since leaving Stonebrook and he was studying his bloodied hands. She removed her shirt and handed it to Travis, mutely telling him to clean himself. He began doing so, and Scarlett looked toward the door to ensure they were alone.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “Nah,” Travis replied, “none of them even woke up. Made sure I was quiet.”

  Scarlett could hear the guilt in his voice and placed a hand gently on his thigh. He looked at her before promptly turning away as tears formed in his eyes.

  “The most important thing about today is that we have Hope back, unharmed.”

  “She's amazin',” Travis quickly wiped his face again with the shirt, taking in Scarlett's scent for comfort, before placing a hand on top of hers, “How I ever helped to create a beautiful little girl like her, I'll never know.”

  “Hey,” Scarlett said softly, squeezing his leg a little, “The two of us are lucky to have you. And, let's be honest, if it weren't for you, my stupidity would have got us both killed before she was even born.”

  “If she knew the things I've done--”

  “She'd understand that they’re the things you had to do.” Scarlett interrupted, “Travis, you're a good man. The things you did in The City you were made to do by a sick, unstable man. And what you did tonight... You killed a few depraved bastards to save the lives of all those men and women back there, not to mention, our daughter. It's over now.”

  Travis looked at her again and she took his head in her hands and pulled him into her chest. They stayed there for a while until Scarlett decided to check on their daughter.

  Hope was sleeping peacefully next to River and Scarlett left her there, not wanting to disturb them.

  The only other people still awake were Colin and Quinlan who were sitting together quietly, both watching Scarlett as she searched the aisles for something she'd been meaning to find for a couple of days.

  “I'm just being paranoid.” She whispered while carefully scanning the shelves. Once she'd found what she'd been looking for, she hastily made her way to the bathroom-cum-armoury, concealing the item in the waistband of her jeans.

  “That can’t be right.” She told herself as she watched two pink lines appear on the little stick in her hand. “Not again.”

  She didn't understand. She didn't feel the way she did before; no sickness or dizziness, nothing. Just a little cramping the week before, which usually told her that she was about to begin her period. She was startled by a knock at the door and quickly hid the pregnancy test seconds before Colin let himself in.

  “Are you okay?” He asked, “You've been in here a while. I'm sure I'm the last person you want to talk to, but I just want to let you know I'm here if you need to talk about what happened.” Scarlett didn't answer, so Colin started backing out of the room as he spoke. “I'll leave you alone. You should get some rest.”

  “I'm pregnant.” Scarlett blurted.

  Colin didn't know what to say, but entered the room again and closed the door behind himself.

  “Are you sure?”

  Scarlett handed her father the pregnancy test and looked at the ground.

  “What the fuck am I gonna do?”

  “I don't know, Scarlett. You could start by telling Travis.” Scarlett finally looked at him with wide eyes. “He has to know. And think about it, you're in a completely different situation to the last time. Travis told me about Hope's birth. You're in a safe place now. More people, plenty of supplies, strong walls. There's no need for either of you to have to leave. It's not for me to make up your mind, but please talk to Travis.”

  Scarlett took the test back and nodded. Colin smiled at her and left to get some sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next morning, Travis sat at a picnic bench with Hope. They were eating powdered eggs and fresh strawberries. Travis watched his daughter happily scoffing her breakfast and sniggered.

  “I guess you're lucky you've never had fresh eggs. Means you'll never know how awful these are in comparison.”

  “Where's Mama?” Hope asked sweetly.

  “I'm right here, baby.” Scarlett replied softly, approaching the table. She kissed Hope on the top of her head and sat down next to her.

  “Want me to get you somethin' to eat?” Travis said.

  “Oh, no I'm okay. I need to talk to you away from little ears.”

  “Sure. We can talk on the way.”

  “On the way where?” Scarlett probed.

  “I told Henry we'd make a run to the hospital near here. He needs some equipment for the pregnant girls. One of them is close to delivery, but he needs a foetal doppler, whatever one of those is, and any sterile operating stuff we find in case he has to do a c-section.”

  “Wow, okay. He sounds prepared.”

  “I think he's actually a little excited. New babies means that, if we stay here, he'll soon have children to pass on his medical knowledge to.”

  “We'd better get going then.”

  “Are you going now?” came Henry’s voice. He sat at the table with a cup of water as Travis nodded in answer to his question.

  “Yeah, we’ll do it today. Get it over with so we can relax for a while.” Scarlett stated.

  “So, what exactly are we gonna need?” Travis asked.

  “I've written a list. The most important things are the Entonox and the forceps.” Travis just looked at him, “Oh. Entonox is oxygen and nitrous oxide. Gas and air. A pain reliever.”

  “Right.” Travis nodded.

  “The only problem is that, in some hospitals, it all runs to the maternity unit from a central supply. So, your best bet would be to check any ambulances. You'll need either a mask or a mouth piece with it.”

  Travis retrieved his crossbow, while Scarlett attached her weapon belt and rucksack and placed her pistol securely in her right boot. They were given the keys to an old, green estate car by Colin. Travis ensured that he had the neatly hand written list from Henry and slid it into his pocket before lowering himself into the passenger seat. Scarlett put the key in the ignition
and Colin and Elizabeth cautiously opened the metal sliding gate, just enough that the car could fit through, before quickly closing it.

  Scarlett put her foot down past the newly evolved Roamers which were scattered throughout the town, and headed for the nearby city.

  “We have to make this fast,” Scarlett stated, breaking the hush. “In and out. Just pick up what we need. We'll start inside – head for the maternity ward – then to the ambulances on our way back to the car.”

  “I love you.”

  Scarlett quickly glanced at Travis, surprised by his words. She knew that he loved her, although he very rarely told her.

  “I... I love you too... Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I just wanted you to know. You wanted to talk about somethin'. What was it?”

  “Let's just focus on what we've got to do. Can we talk on the way back?”

  Scarlett didn't want to ruin Travis' seemingly hopeful mood or risk a lack of concentration in the hospital, so they continued to drive in relative silence, other than Travis occasionally giving directions.

  They drove for twenty miles before having to stop and refuel. Scarlett retrieved a jerry can from the boot of the car and began filling the tank while Travis referred to his map. They were less than two miles from the city and Scarlett was already feeling uneasy. The road was narrow, but bare, and thick woodland stood on either side.

  Scarlett finished filling the petrol tank, making sure she'd used every last drop, before replacing the empty jerry can in the back of the car. She closed the boot and glanced into the trees on her left as her apprehension grew. Shaking it off, she returned to the car door.

  Before she could get inside, she was knocked sideways onto the ground with such force that she could barely breathe. Swinging her head around, she looked into the black eyes of a Roamer.

  Even in the short space of time since her group encountered the apparently evolved Biters, they had changed again. The undead twenty-something sprawled over Scarlett appeared to have grown a new layer of skin. Almost as though the decomposition process had gone in reverse. The new epidermis was thin and pale, with thick, dark brown veins running chaotically throughout.

  Travis scrambled out of the car and around to the passenger side, hurriedly pulling out his hunting knife, before catching the creature roughly by the hair with the other hand, sending his knife through the back of its neck and slicing upwards into its brain. Scarlett shuffled backwards, gingerly pushing the monster off of her legs as she did so. Travis grabbed her arm and swiftly dragged her up, both panting as adrenaline coursed through their bodies.

  “Are you alright?” Travis asked.

  Scarlett didn't answer, but instead swung Travis round to face the rear of the vehicle. Two more Roamers had made their way over, and Travis lunged for them, shoving the first backwards to give him a couple of seconds to gather his wits. Scarlett made a dive for the rear door of the car, grasping for her shotguns. She slammed one into Travis' chest and, after making sure it was loaded, he cocked it and fired a direct hit into the head of the second Walker who stood just a few feet away.

  Scarlett took aim and shot at the other before hastily reloading. The pair of them stood, observing the trees around them. It was eerily quiet for a few moments before they heard the ominous hissing sounds which signalled the arrival of more.

  They suddenly appeared in droves at either side, sprinting toward Scarlett and Travis.

  “We've got to go,” Scarlett stated.

  Travis practically threw himself into the driver's seat and started the engine while Scarlett, after shooting the fastest approaching, settled for climbing into the back and slamming the door shut behind her.

  “Are you okay, Scar? Did it bite you?” Travis asked hastily, speeding along the narrow road.

  “No, I'm good.” Scarlett responded, “I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Jack was right.”

  “Yeah, well let's just get to the hospital. In and out, like we said.”

  The hospital car park was eerily empty. Travis stopped the car in an ambulance bay and switched off the engine. They took a moment to observe the building, checking for Roamers, before retrieving the rucksack and weapons from the back seat. They made their way silently inside, each ready to swing their chosen weapon; Scarlett with an axe, Travis his knife.

  The stench was powerful. It didn't look as though this hospital had lasted long after the outbreak. But as they walked the corridors in search of the maternity ward, they quickly noticed a distinct lack of infected bodies. For the most part, the dead had been patients in the hospital before the end. Some were still in their beds or chairs. It looked as though hospital staff had left them sleeping before returning to their own families.

  Apart from the smell, the hospital seemed very clean. Scarlett assumed that at least a few people in the area had been lucky enough to have been evacuated.

  A sign on the wall told them that they needed to be on the first floor, so they took the stairs. Travis took the list from his pocket and Scarlett opened the door to one of the delivery rooms. Thankfully, the room was empty. They began rifling through cupboards and Travis found the forceps Henry wanted, while Scarlett located a battery operated foetal doppler.

  “What's next?” She asked.

  “We still need Entonox. As we're alone, maybe we could find a store room, some medicine.”

  “Sure. Let's go.”

  They managed to find the hospital pharmacy and a small, locked room for ward specific drug storage back on the ground floor. Raiding the pharmacy first, Scarlett took a few boxes of folic acid tablets and pregnancy vitamins for herself and the girls at the warehouse. Travis loaded the bag with any medicines which ended in 'cillin', plus various strong painkillers.

  Moving on to the locked drug store, Scarlett handed Travis her axes and he wedged one between the door and its frame next to the lock, using the butt of the other to knock it into place. The wooden frame splintered and cracked as Travis pulled on the axe, levering the door open.

  The small drug store was untouched, and they both grabbed what they could, no longer paying attention to what they were stuffing into the bag and their pockets. Scarlett had the presence of mind to take some sealed syringes. Once they could not carry any more, they made for the exit and straight to the car.

  Dumping their loot in the back seat, they turned their attention to the nearest ambulance. One of the doors at the back was ajar and Scarlett climbed in. Sure enough there was a small Entonox canister. Scarlett passed it out to Travis and took a face mask from a drawer before jumping out of the vehicle.

  “We should come back with more people soon. This place is a gold mine.” Travis stated.

  “I'll probably have to pass on coming back.”

  “We'll be more careful next time so we don't have to stop. You handled yourself fine anyway.”

  Scarlett was feeling brave now as Travis reached the car. She trailed a few feet behind, trying to find the right words. She'd promised herself she'd tell Travis her news once they'd collected what they needed, and she took a deep breath while he dropped the Entonox canister and mask into the boot.

  “I know,” she began, “but the stress could harm the baby.”

  Travis stopped dead, wondering if he'd heard her correctly. He slowly turned around to face her, his mouth hanging slightly open.

  “What did you just say?”

  “I'm pregnant, Travis.”

  After a brief pause, allowing Travis to take in the information, he began to beam and slowly moved closer, pulling her into his arms.

  “You serious?” Scarlett nodded. “If you'd told me before, I wouldn't have asked you to come with me.”

  “I didn't know how. Besides, it's always you and me, right?”

  Travis placed his hands on Scarlett's hips and kissed her hard, passionately.

  Their jovial moment was interrupted when Scarlett suddenly pulled away from Travis' lips. It wasn't so much the pain, but the shock, the surprise of her body jerk
ing suddenly into his. It was as though everything around her had slowed down to an excruciating pace.

  All Travis could register was the deafening sound of a single gunshot slicing the air, and his grip on Scarlett’s waist tightening when he thought she’d lost her balance.

  The world went silent as she looked into his eyes and slid through his arms onto her knees, and then her back. He continued to hold her, but was forced with her to the ground with the unexpectedness of her weight falling backwards. Scarlett could see that he was screaming something, but she couldn't hear him. She felt him reach for the pistol in her boot and watched as he emptied the magazine somewhere behind her, his face red and creased with rage, but broken.

  Scarlett was suddenly aware of her own pulse pounding throughout her body and her blood escaping in torrents through a wound in her back. In that moment, as Travis leant over her, dropping the weapon and holding her head, pleading with her, begging her to stay awake, she felt no pain, no sadness or regret. All she felt were Travis' hands and the warmth of her own blood pooling around her. Travis was still screaming something at her. She smiled up at him and put her hands over his.

  Sound began to fade back in, yet she could barely understand Travis’ words.

  “He shot you, he fuckin’ shot you! We have to get you to the car, please! I need to get you to Henry!” Travis yelled. He threw off his shirt and shoved it under her, tying the sleeves together around her abdomen, trying to stop the flow of blood.

  “I think I’m okay. I just need to lie here a minute.” She said softly.

  “No, Scarlett, you need help! Oh God, there’s so much blood!”

  “Don’t be upset. It doesn’t hurt. I love you, Travis. But we both know that it was always going to end this way.”

  “No. No, it doesn’t have to end now.” he begged.

  “We made the best of each day. So if I’m not okay, you need to keep making the best of it, for me. And please, make sure Hope knows how much her Mama...”

  Travis stared at her expectantly as her eyes closed and her hands dropped.