Hamsikker 3

by Russ Watts

  “Jonas?” Dakota rolled over onto her stomach and threw up. Bile burnt her throat as she retched, unable to bring up anything solid. She realized she was shaking, and not just because of the cold. She was terrified.

  “Dakota? Dakota!”

  She heard a voice calling for her, and she raised her head to find its source.

  “Jonas? Lukas?” She rolled onto her back, propped herself up on her elbows, and coughed once more. “Where are you?”

  She looked up at the bridge, hoping she might see Jonas standing up there, but the bridge was empty. She knew she couldn’t sit around waiting for help; she had to do something. She had to find Jonas and Lukas. The accident had been so fast, there had been little time to do anything. She remembered unclipping her belt just before they flew into the river, thinking she was going to need to get out quickly, and it was probably that which had saved her. What if Jonas hadn’t got out? He was still weak, and she hadn’t seen what had happened to him. What if he had gone down with the truck? Dakota felt sick again, but forced herself to get up. Despite her legs feeling like lumps of concrete, she had to stand. She had to move.

  “Jonas?” Dakota scanned the riverbank, but there was no sign of him. Knowing that she was seconds away from descending into a complete panic, she summoned up all her energy, and screamed. “Jonas!”

  Dakota screamed again. Where the truck had entered the water there was now nothing but a few bubbles, and then nothing. It was as if they hadn’t even been there. As she stared at the spot where the truck had gone down, she saw movement in the grass to her left. She looked closer, and then saw a figure lying in the grass.

  “Lukas?”

  Dakota made her way across the muddy riverbank carefully, clutching at the long grass to stop herself from falling and sliding down back into the river. Her fingers wrapped around slim slithers of coarse grass that cut into her, slicing through her skin, and leaving droplets of blood behind. She didn’t care if she was cut, she was just glad to be alive. It was nothing short of a miracle that she was still standing, and she knew it.

  She knelt over the figure in the grass, and began to sob. “Jonas, I thought I’d lost you.”

  “Drown twice in one day? You don’t get rid of me that easily.” Jonas pulled Dakota into him, and looked her over. “How are you?”

  “I’m okay. I’ve felt better, but…oh, God, I thought I’d really lost you that time. Are you hurt?”

  “Nothing major. I don’t know what happened, but I managed to get myself clear before the truck went down. I’m banged up, but I’ll be okay.” Jonas sat up and held Dakota, noticing that she was shaking, and he tried to rub some warmth into her. He was freezing cold himself though, and didn’t have much warmth to offer. “Dakota, we have to get going. I know, this is fucked up, but we have to go.” He looked up the hill. A few of the zombies had seen the crash, and were heading toward the river. Jonas wanted to slip into the park and use the cover of the trees to disappear. He couldn’t afford to let them follow him to Janey’s place. “They’re still coming.”

  Dakota looked at Jonas and brushed her wet hair behind her ears. “Where’s Lukas? Have you seen him? Did he get out?”

  Jonas had been dreading this moment. He bit his lip, and then parted the long grass behind him. Lukas’s body lay perfectly still, and Dakota collapsed when she saw him. The river was lapping at his feet, his eyes were wide open, and the rain was gently washing the blood from his face.

  “No,” she sobbed, “oh, God, no.” Dakota wept freely as she looked at Lukas’s body. One arm was bent back behind his shoulder, and she saw a huge piece of metal protruding from his chest where the steering column had pierced his ribcage. Part of his skull had caved in where something had hit it, exposing and destroying his brain.

  “I dragged him out,” said Jonas, “but it was too late. There was nothing I could do. At least he won’t be coming back.”

  A faint moaning sound carried across the water, and Jonas saw two zombies stumbling down the hill. They were getting closer, and he knew they had to get going. There was never a moment to pause, to reflect, or to plan; the world was rushing toward death and taking everyone with it.

  “Help me?” Jonas put his arms under Lukas, and Dakota bent down to do the same. “Let’s lower him into the river. I don’t want to leave him here for those animals to butcher him. It’s the least we can do.”

  Together they gently pushed Lukas into the river, and he was dragged out and away by the current.

  “God bless you, Lukas,” muttered Dakota.

  “Thank you for saving my life.” Jonas could feel his jaw trembling as he watched Lukas slip away. It wasn’t fair. Lukas had given them everything, and now he was dead. One minute they were planning for the future, and the next it was all taken away from them. He didn’t know how Dakota kept her faith. It really did seem as if God had abandoned them. Lukas could have easily gone back with Bishop, made his own way, found another path, but he had chosen to stick with them, believing in Canada. Where was the justice in what had happened to him?

  “Come on.” Jonas put his hand in Dakota’s, and they staggered up the riverbank. When their feet were on solid ground, they began to jog over the road toward the park. It wasn’t lost on Jonas that he was alone with Dakota now. It had been a long time since it was just the two of them. With any luck, he would be reunited with Janey, but even if she wasn’t there, even if the worst had happened, as long as he had Dakota, he thought he could cope. She was his future. His child was his future. Running into the trees with Dakota, he didn’t care that he was cold and hungry. He missed Lukas already. The boy had a positive vibe about him and a smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear. Jonas missed his friends, all of them. Days ago he had thought he would be pulling up to Janey’s house with Erik, Tyler, Mrs. Danick, Peter, and so many others. Even Julie had been a part of them for a short while, and now she was gone like all the others. He wasn’t even sure where they were going. All he knew was that Janey’s house was somewhere on the other side of the trees, somewhere along the border of the lake.

  The ground was soft and squelched as they walked. Their wet clothes stuck to them, and Jonas knew they needed to find a change of clothes and get dry. The rain had almost stopped, but the air was bitterly cold, and there was precious little sunshine to warm them. Jonas began to see more of the lake. Patches of it became visible as the trees thinned out, and then suddenly they were clear of the park, standing on the foreshore. There was a pathway around the lake’s edge and a small driveway. Jonas put his hands on the twisted trunk of a small pine and let his eyes follow the pathway. To the south it bent around a curve and disappeared from view, obscured by the park. Jonas pushed aside the large wet leaves of a sycamore, and looked north at the pathway that led to a little red house by the lake.

  “Janey,” he said, barely able to believe he had made it. The house was just as Janey had described. Cute square windows hugged its small frame, and ivy climbed its walls. It was the ivy that made the house appear to be red. Patches of it were dead and brittle, but it still grew in places, auburn and crimson leaves covering up the brickwork. The house was surrounded by tall grass, and it backed onto the lake. Jonas could see a small wooden jetty with a rowboat moored up and what looked like a couple of fishing rods poking out of it.

  When Dakota saw the crooked path leading from the driveway to the front door, she felt relieved. There were no vehicles parked out front, and nobody came out to see them. The windows of the house were dark, and she saw no evidence of life. That didn’t mean Janey wasn’t there, but it also suggested Javier hadn’t made it this far.

  Jonas approached the house, crossing the pathway, and then he swung open the small gate that bordered the driveway. He could still scarcely believe he was actually here. It had been so long since he had spoken to Janey that he could hardly remember her voice. It had been even longer since he had seen her. Months had passed since they had last had any sort of communication. He just knew that she had
kept her promise. She was here, he could sense it.

  “Stay behind me.” Dakota followed Jonas through the gate and nervously walked behind her husband. This was it. There was nowhere else to turn. She looked around the grounds. Barbed wire surrounded the house, aside from a small clear patch by the front door. It looked as though it had been set up with the intention of stopping intruders. There were a few zombies who had been snared in it. They were dead now. None moved. Dakota was impressed. Janey must’ve set it up to protect the house. It was a smart move. It was thinking like that that kept you alive.

  Almost oblivious to the zombies trapped in the barbwire, Jonas raised his hand to knock on the front door. Should he just go in? Should he wait for her to answer? What was the correct etiquette when approaching your estranged sister’s house in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous. This was the culmination of everything they had been trying for. This is what Lukas had died for, what Pippa and Peter had died for, what he had almost died for himself. He could still taste that foul water from the swimming pool, still see Cliff’s battered face, still feel the sore wound on his arm where Javier had shot him. Jonas rapped three times and waited.

  He listened patiently, but there was no answer. Nobody came to the door, and he couldn’t hear footsteps or children.

  “Maybe they’re out fishing or something,” suggested Dakota.

  “No,” said Jonas shaking his head. “She wouldn’t risk going out in this weather. Plus the boat was still out back.”

  Jonas tried the door handle, and it clicked quietly as he opened the door. It wasn’t locked. Wouldn’t Janey keep it locked? It felt as if his heart was beating so fast it was going to explode, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

  “Be careful,” said Dakota, as she watched Jonas push the door open.

  Stepping into the little house, Jonas was struck by how cold it was. Maybe Janey couldn’t risk having the fire going in case the smoke attracted the dead. He would probably find her upstairs in bed, the kids buried beneath a pile of warm blankets. That was it. Janey was smart. She would do the right thing, and do what she had to in order to protect her children. The room was just a small foyer cluttered with small boots and coats piled up in the corner. There was a pair of sneakers with penguins on the side, and a jacket with a dinosaur on the sleeves. Jonas could imagine the kids playing outside in the open spaces. They must love living here, he thought. There was a frosted glass door ahead of him, and he put his hand on it. Jonas looked back at Dakota.

  “Go ahead.” Dakota looked at Jonas’s eyes, so full of excitement and nervousness. “I’m right behind you,” she said closing the front door softly.

  Jonas pushed the glass door open and walked into a small kitchen. The room was gloomy, cold, and barely any warmer than outside. The floor was covered in a black and white checkered vinyl, whilst the cupboards were painted white. In the middle of the room was a small wooden table, four chairs around it, and a high chair to one side. In one of the chairs sat a figure.

  “Come on in, sit down.”

  Jonas gritted his teeth, and tried to keep Dakota positioned behind him. It wasn’t fair. “Why? Why here?” he asked the figure. “Why the fuck don’t you just leave us alone.”

  Javier pointed a gun at Jonas. “And miss out on all the fun?” He drew the gun through the air toward Dakota, and then back to Jonas. “Both of you sit down, I think we should have a little chat. Remember now, you do right by me, and you’ll find I’m all sweetness and light.” Javier grinned. “This is going to be interesting.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  “How did you get through Thunder Bay?” asked Jonas. “How did you manage to get past that horde of dead that’s hanging around the city? The road was blocked, so don’t tell me you drove past them.”

  “Them? It wasn’t so hard. I just had to give them something to play with, keep their attention off me.” Javier’s eyes drifted up and right as he recalled what happened. “The road being blocked was a pain in the ass, true. Who leaves a damn helicopter parked across the main street? I guess the dead just hang around hoping for someone to come along. Must be pretty quiet around these parts usually. We were hoping for an easy passage once we were past that helicopter, but as soon as I saw them, I knew I had to keep them busy. I didn’t want them following me here.”

  Jonas was pleased Javier had at least had the foresight not to drag the army of dead with him to Janey’s. He remembered thinking the same thing which is how they had ended up in the sports center. He didn’t know the layout of Janey’s house, but there couldn’t be too many rooms, too many places to hide. Perhaps Janey had seen Javier coming and hidden with the children.

  “Where’s Quinn? Where’s Erik and Freya? Are they here?” asked Dakota.

  “One question at a time, people. Now, Hamsikker asked how I got here. I’d be delighted to tell you. You can’t just stroll through a city these days, not with so many dead people around. And Thunder Bay has its fair share, as I’m sure you noticed.” Javier rested his gun on the table, but kept it pointed at Jonas and Dakota. He was under no illusions that if he gave them half a chance they would try to overpower him and get the gun for themselves. “There was really only one logical way of making sure they didn’t follow us,” said Javier.

  “Yeah, you said you gave them something to play with,” said Jonas. “Get on with it. We want to see Janey. We’re not here for your amusement, you asshole.”

  Javier smiled. “All in good time. You asked where Quinn was? Well, I’m surprised you didn’t see her.”

  “How would we have seen her? When would we…” A shiver ran up Jonas’s spine. Suddenly he knew exactly what Javier meant.

  “I shot her in the leg. Just enough to incapacitate her. She screamed blue murder which was quite convenient actually. Lots of blood too. I think I hit a major artery. It made them focus on her, and gave us the chance to slip away. Last I saw her she was trying to pull herself up into a black courier van to hide. I don’t suppose you know if she’s still there? I figured there wasn’t much chance she would evade the dead, but I left her with a baseball bat. Didn’t seem like a fair fight otherwise, you know, a thousand of them against poor little Quinn?”

  Jonas had seen Quinn. He also knew she was dead. Javier hadn’t given her a chance. She had gotten herself into that courier van all right, but unluckily for her she hadn’t been the only one to make it in. Jonas hoped she had died quickly. The alternative was too horrifying to think about.

  “You fucker. We saw her. Quinn’s dead.”

  Dakota closed her eyes. She had held that baseball bat. She had thought nothing of it, but now she wished she had kept it. She could bash Javier’s brains in with it. Quinn would like that.

  Javier shrugged. “Anyway, I knew Quinn would come in handy at some point. I mean her driving skills were fine, but really, once we were over the border there was little point in having her hanging around.”

  Dakota looked at the kitchen bench. Beside the sink was a microwave, and next to that a knife rack. If she could just get close enough to it without Javier noticing, she could pull one out. It was no match for a gun, but she didn’t intend to get into a fight with Javier. All she needed was three seconds. She needed Javier’s attention solely on Jonas. “Who the hell do you think you are? You can’t go around killing people just because you have no use for them.” Dakota wanted to grieve for Quinn, but she had nothing left in her. After Julie, after Lukas, she felt immune to it. Death was too commonplace now. Until Javier was taken care of, any thoughts of Quinn would have to wait.

  “Sit down, both of you, you’re making me nervous. And when I get nervous, I get clumsy. It wouldn’t do for me to shoot you before you even found out what happened to Janey, would it?”

  “You’re unbelievable,” said Jonas. “Quinn’s dead. What about Erik and Freya? You kill them too? Where’s Janey? My nephews? If you’ve hurt them in any way at all, I will kill you, Javier.”

  “Of c
ourse you will. All in time, Hamsikker, all in good time. Now sit down,” said Javier.

  Jonas fully intended to kill Javier anyway, but knowing Quinn was dead filled him with rage. This monster wouldn’t stop until everyone was dead.

  Javier motioned with the gun for Jonas and Dakota to sit down and kicked forward a chair with his feet.

  “No. We don’t need to sit. We’re here for our family and friends. We’re not going anywhere.”

  “Is that so? Seems to me, Hamsikker, that you’re in no position to bargain with me. You have lots of questions, and I have the answers.”

  “You’re not going to shoot me. If you wanted to, you would’ve killed me already. You like playing games. You like the feeling of power it gives you. You want me to know. You’re desperate to show me, so let’s get this charade over with. What do you say we go and find out now?” Jonas walked over to a door that led further into the cottage. “This way?”

  Javier couldn’t help but chuckle. He nodded. “Go ahead. You’ll find what you need to know in there.”

  Dakota went to follow Jonas, but Javier told her to sit down.

  “I’m not leaving her alone with you,” said Jonas. “Dakota’s with me.”

  “Am I invisible? Am I talking to myself?” Javier sighed and stood up. He walked around the table so that he was next to Dakota, blocking her from the knife block she had been inching toward. He had noticed her looking at it despite the dim light in the kitchen. Her motives were obvious. “Fine, have it your way. Hamsikker, go on into the dining room, and come back when you’re ready. In the meantime…”