Walled In

by David Owain Hughes

“I see. That would explain the fish farm. Is June younger?”

  “Yes, but only by three years.”

  “I guess you miss her?”

  “Very much so. We didn’t spend much time apart as children. We were always seen together – she was, and is, my best mate.”

  “I can see why you’re so worried you haven’t heard from her,” Maria rubbed his arm. “She’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.”

  Jeff took the plane down some more as they headed over Loch Lomond. The ground neared and Maria’s ears started popping.

  “I’m just going to go back and check on Amy and Dafydd,” she said.

  Jeff nodded, and picked up the CB handle.

  As Maria headed into the passenger area of the plane, she heard Jeff try his sister again.

  “Welshlady, come in, Welshlady, come in. This is Valley’s Boy, come in Welshlady, over and out.”

  Jeff took his finger off the talk button and waited. Nothing but air crackled violently back at him. He hung up the handle, and waited for a reply.

  *

  “Do you know how to play slapsies, Dafydd?” Amy asked.

  “I don’t feel like playing games.”

  Amy’s mouth screwed up into a pout.

  “But it’ll be fun,” she pushed.

  “Huh,” Dafydd sighed. “Okay, how do you play it, then?”

  Amy clapped her hands together and smiled.

  “Okay,” she said. “Put your hands together, like this,” she showed him by placing her palms together and holding them out in front of him. “You have to try and slap my hand, either side, before I move them. If you miss, I get a free turn at slapping your hand.”

  “That’s it? Not much of a game, is it?” he said, mockingly.

  “Come on, mun, it’ll be fun, I promise.”

  “Okay,” he said, reluctantly, holding his hands out in front of himself. “Who gets to go first, then? You, I suppose?”

  “Yeah,” Amy said, giggling.

  Dafydd smiled at her giggling, and stifled a laugh of his own.

  “Right, fire away, then,” he said.

  Amy faked a hand movement, but Dafydd didn’t flinch. She tried another dummy movement, and again he didn’t move. Then she went for it with her left hand, trying to connect with his right, but he moved and she missed.

  “I guess it’s my turn now?” he asked.

  “Hmm,” Amy said, and scrunched her face up. “I guess so.”

  She put her hands out to be slapped, and closed her eyes.

  “Are you ready?” Dafydd asked.

  “I guess, just make it fast, please.”

  He slapped her left hand, gently, not wanting to hurt her too much. Amy pulled away from the slap and blew on her reddening hand.

  “Ow,” she mocked. “You got me pretty good there.”

  “Get your hands back down then,” he said.

  “Are you two having fun?” Maria asked from behind them.

  Amy jumped, and looked around at her; Dafydd sat back in his seat and looked out the window.

  “Are we almost there, yet?”

  “Close. I came in to make sure you two are wearing your seatbelts.”

  “Oooh, I took mine off to have a game with Dafydd, sorry.”

  “It’s ok,” Maria said, smiling. “Just put it on now, because we will be landing shortly. You too, Dafydd.”

  “It’s already on,” he said, shortly.

  “Okay, good,” she said, ignoring his tone. She turned around and headed back to the cockpit.

  *

  “Welshlady, come in, Welshlady, this is Valley’s Boy, do you read me?” Jeff said. A couple of minutes had passed since he’d last tried.

  “Still no luck?” Maria asked as she nestled back down into her seat.

  “Nothing, not a damn thing. And what worries me most is that we just entered the Highlands. We’re less than five minutes from landing, and I can’t get her. The signal should be more than ample now. I mean, look how close we are to the ground.”

  “Hmm. Well, we can always go and check on her house, see…”

  “This is Welshlady, come in, Valley’s Boy, over.”

  Jeff thumped the steering, and shouted, “Yes!”

  He picked up the handle from the CB, and spoke to his sister.

  “This is Valley’s Boy, we are five-minutes from landing. Do you read me?”

  “I read you loud and clear, Valley’s Boy. It’s good to hear your voice, Jeff. I thought you were never coming, over.”

  “I got caught up in Cardiff, picked up some company on the way, hope that’s okay, over.”

  “You Samaritan, you. God, yes, it’s more than fine; have plenty of room here, over.”

  “Is it quiet where you are? Will we have much trouble getting from the plane to your house? Over.”

  “Very quiet around here, not much trouble at all. I’ll meet you out on the field, over.”

  “Okay, over and out.”

  “Gosh, she sounds just like you, Jeff.”

  “Hmm? Oh, yeah, very much so.”

  “Sounds pretty trouble free where she is.”

  “I knew it would be. She’s very much on her own where she is.”

  “And it’s a fish farm?”

  “Yes.”

  “Any workers there?”

  “No. When I last spoke to her she told me she had sent them all home to their families when the outbreak occurred.”

  “So just her and James?”

  “Yes. Oh, and Gyps. If she managed to survive the virus.”

  “Gyps?”

  “Gypsy’s their dog. Lovely old thing.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them. They sound like such a nice people.”

  *

  The plane skimmed over fields and houses as Jeff came close to landing. Soon they were in a massive grassland area, with huge concrete pools dotted here and there, which would have been used for the fish. A single house lay off in the distance – June and James’ house.

  After clearing all the pools, Jeff took the plane to ground and kept moving until the house was much closer. A woman could be seen waving them to a stop. By her side sat Gypsy.

  When the plane stopped, Jeff switched off the engines and rushed out of his seat as quick as his leg would allow. He went through to the passenger sectiont of the plane, and flung open the door. His sister stood the other side, waiting for him to come out. She rushed to him, and threw her arms around him.

  “I thought you weren’t coming, Jeff,” she said, squeezing him tighter. Gypsy barked.

  “It’s so good to see you, too, sis. I’ve missed you so much. And you too, Gyps.”

  They stood there like that for a few moments, while the others disembarked.

  “Right,” Jeff said, beaming at his sister. “I’d like you to meet the people I’ve brought with me. This is Maria.” Maria stepped forward and shook June’s hand. “And these two are Amy and Dafydd.” Amy stepped forward and gave June a hug. Dafydd just stood there, hands in his pocket.

  “It’s lovely to meet you all. What happened to your leg, Jeff?” June asked, anxiously.

  “Aw, it’s nothing that can’t wait. Where’s James?”

  “Inside, but…Kathryn?” June said gravely.

  Jeff seemed to reel backward at the question, then dropped his head and shook it.

  “Aww, Jeff,” June said, and gave him another hug. A much tighter one. “She was like a sister to me,” she whispered in Jeff’s ear.

  “Is this your dog?” Amy interrupted, bending down to stroke the salt and pepper sheepdog, which licked the child’s hands in return.

  “Yep, she’s mine all right. Had her since she was a pup. Her name is Gypsy.”

  “I see you’ve got yourself well protected,” Jeff said, motioning to the shotgun slung across his sister’s shoulder. He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes.

  “Yeah, well, I only ever used to use it for hunting. We get some nice game around here. Never planned on killing people with it,”
she scoffed.

  “Seen much action up here?” Maria asked.

  “Not really, no. MacDouglas came around here the day the outbreak started, just to check on me and James. Told us he was going to hole up with his family. Not seen him since.”

  “MacDouglas?” Maria asked.

  “He owns the farm about a mile over there,” June said, pointing beyond her house.

  As they walked the length of the field to the house, Jeff could see dead bodies scattered in the grass. Most had bullet wounds.

  “I thought you said you hadn’t seen any action around here?” Jeff asked, gesturing to the dead bodies.

  “These are about the only ones we’ve had,” June said.

  As they got closer to the house, Jeff could see his sister and brother-in-law had done a good job of keeping themselves safe. All the windows were boarded up on the outside; a sheet of steel covered the front door, making it impenetrable. The two chimneys smoked on either side of the slate roof.

  On the inside, more boards covered the windows, and candles were being used instead of the lights. June explained that she didn’t use the electricity, said the noise of the generator attracted the sick. She found that when she knocked it off, none came.

  Once they were inside, June closed and locked the heavy door and called her husband. The house was rather dark, but the light from the candles was enough to get by. There was enough heat circulating from a big open fire in the kitchen, where a tin teapot hung.

  Jeff, Maria, Dafydd and Amy put all their gear down on the kitchen floor, thinking they might need a few things for the stay. Gypsy went over to her basket, where it was warm, and licked at her paws.

  Just then, James entered the room. He was a large man with thick, scraggly dark hair. A bushy beard covered half of his weather-chapped face. His nose was bulbous and throbbing red.

  “Good to see you, Jeff,” he said, heartily. They shook hands and hugged. James clapped a hand to Jeff’s back. “Where’s Kathryn?”

  June looked at her husband, giving him that ‘look’.

  “Aww, right, I…I…erm…”

  “It’s okay,” Jeff told him. “Really.” He smiled lamely.

  “Well, let’s not stand around jawing,” June said. “I thought you might like to have something to drink when you got here, so I put the pot on the fire before coming out to meet you.”

  “That would be great, thanks,” Maria said.

  “I’ll have one, too,” Jeff said, working his way out of James’ bear hug.

  “I think we should sort that leg of yours out first, Jeff,” June said.

  “It’s fine for the time being. The bleeding has stopped. I don’t think it was as bad as I first thought.”

  “I’ll have some pop,” Amy said, rummaging through one of the holdalls.

  “And you, erm, Dafydd, what would you like?” June asked.

  The boy blushed and avoided eye contact.

  “Well? I’m not going to bite your—”

  “Coffee, please.”

  It was the first time Jeff had heard the youngster speak politely in his company. Maybe it was James’ presence that had done it, Jeff thought, and smiled. He looked over at Gypsy, and something struck him.

  “Gyps is the first living animal I have seen in days,” Jeff said.

  “Aye, wee Gypsy has managed to survive it, but the fish didn’t; rose to the top of the water within days,” James said.

  “Bloody hell,” Maria said.

  “Poor Mr. MacDouglas,” June cut in. “He lost his entire stock of cattle, too.”

  “Jesus,” Jeff muttered.

  “Is he married?” Maria asked.

  “Yes, with four boys, too,” James said

  “They’re safe over there?” Jeff asked.

  “Why aye, lad. I’ve known Andrew for three years now. He’d do anything to keep his family safe. He got his house all boarded up like ours,” James said.

  Nobody spoke as June made her way over to the pot hanging above the fire. She put on an oven glove to take it down. Mugs were set on the table, and June told everyone to take a seat. She placed the teapot at the table’s centre.

  “Watch it, it’s red-hot,” she warned.

  Maria and Jeff took up chairs next to each other. June and James sat opposite them.

  “Why don’t you wee ones go in the back room there, and take Gypsy with you while we have a chat out here?” James said.

  “That’s a good idea,” Maria said. There were certain things that she didn’t really want Amy to hear.

  “Do we have to?” Dafydd said.

  “Yes,” Jeff said. “Take our bags in there, and unpack things you think we may need.”

  “Can I at least take my coffee with me?” Dafydd asked.

  “Of course you can, lad,” James said.

  “Thanks.”

  The adults waited until the children had moved all the bags out of the kitchen and into the living room before they started talking about their situation. June took a look at Jeff’s leg, deciding that the wound needed a change.

  “Well we have my plane,” Jeff stated.

  “But what good does that do us, man?” James asked.

  “We could refuel it. Fly it to a remote island off Britain,” Jeff said.

  “Hmm,” James said, running a hand through his thick beard.

  “Why don’t we just stay right here?” June said. “We’re well stocked, and safe.”

  “I’ve tried staying locked up in a house twice now, and both times people have died,” Jeff said.

  “I’m sorry about your Kathryn,” James said.

  “Me, too,” June said.

  “Others have lost their lives staying holed up too,” Jeff said. “Maria and I lost friends in Cardiff.”

  “Friends?” June asked.

  Jeff proceeded to tell June and her husband about Ollie and Roxie – how they had been killed by Dylan, and how Amy had escaped rape and death at the hands of Dylan’s brother.

  “And you seem to think that these two men are responsible for this disease being set free?” June asked.

  “Yeah,” Maria said. “Amy heard Dylan confess to Ollie before he killed him.”

  “Jesus,” James said.

  “What a mess. That poor child has been through some awful times,” June said.

  “And Dafydd?” James asked. “What’s that wee lad been through?”

  “We don’t really know much about him,” Maria confessed. “I did try asking him, but he wouldn’t open up to me.”

  “All we do know is that his father’s dead,” Jeff added.

  “He told me on the plane that he saw his mother try to kill his father.”

  “My God, poor child,” June said.

  “This is why I don’t think it is safe to stay in Britain,” Jeff said. “It’s not just the sick we have to worry about; there are degenerates out there too.”

  “But it has been dead quiet up here. Excuse the pun,” James said.

  “It can’t have been that quiet – you have dead bodies strewn everywhere on your land, James.”

  “Aye, that is true. But that’s all we’ve had,” he protested.

  “He’s right you know, Jeff. They are all the trouble we’ve had.”

  “They’re getting smarter, too,” Jeff added.

  “Smarter?” June said.

  “Yes,” Maria said. “They are showing signs of intelligence. They are evolving into something much more dangerous.”

  “Ha-ha!” James scoffed. “How do you know this, lass? Were they on an episode of Countdown? Ha-ha!” James’ bellowing laughter filled the kitchen, and brought a titter from June.

  Jeff really liked James, had done from the first time he’d met him – but the man could be pig-headed at times.

  “Huh,” Jeff sighed. “We have witnessed them working as units to try and get at us.”

  “Ach, what you saying, Jeff? Are you going mad, too?” June asked.

  “It’s the truth,” Maria said. “We were
locked up in a cottage with an army truck parked across the window and door. At first we were safe, but after a day, they got wise – they appeared to work together to move the truck away from the cottage, enabling them to get at us.”

  “Is this true, Jeff?” James asked.

  “Yes, I’m afraid it is. And that’s not the only thing, either.”

  “Go on,” James said.

  Jeff took a drink of his tea, before telling his sister and James about how the sick immobilised their vehicles by cutting tyres. He told them that they may or may not have intentionally blacked out the petrol station Maria had been in.

  “And you saw all this?” James asked.

  “Yes, well, I can vouch for the moving of the truck, and the slashed tyres. Maria told me about the petrol station, and I have no reason not to believe her.”

  “Then I guess we haven’t either, lad” James said.

  “Good. Because there is more.”

  “More?”

  “Yes. We’ve both seen them perform acts that only a functioning human could.”

  “Such as?” June pressed.

  “Waving, winking and smiling – as though they know how to…”

  “Taunt,” Maria said.

  “Taunt?” James said, puzzled.

  “Yes,” Jeff said. “Maria is right. They seem to know how to strike fear into us. They know how to…scare us.” June and James looked at each other, unsure what to say. Their skin crawled. “And I’m scared that if we don’t move from here, and we get cornered by more than ten, say, then we could be in big trouble. God knows what they will be capable of in another twenty-four, or forty-eight hours.”

  “But they are at a disadvantage, Jeff. They can’t come out in the light,” James said.

  “I hate to have to tell you this, but they can. Seems like daylight doesn’t affect them anymore,” Jeff said.

  “Oh, that’s just bloody great,” June said. “This means they are evolving then.”

  “All I can suggest is that we keep moving. Head off Britain to a small, unoccupied island. There must be one or two surrounding the Orkney?”

  “Aye,” James said. “There’s a few, like. But what do we do once we get there?”

  “Stay there until this mess sorts itself out,” Jeff said. “We could stock the plane up with as much stuff as we can, and get the hell out of here. We could come back and forth now and then to get supplies. We could even fly to different countries for supplies,” Jeff stressed.