E Virus: The Diary of a Modern Day Girl

by Jessica Ward

  The infected were now nearing the office; the fast movers were closing in.

  The gates opened as the boat lurched forward into the lock.

  Ryan quickly wound the gate back up. George was peering out from the boat behind us. He was banging against the side of the boat trying to distract the infected long enough for us to complete our task.

  Andy came out alongside George and joined in shouting and making noise. Duckface suddenly appeared and attempted to pull Andy inside. He was having none of it. He quickly waved her off and continued on with George.

  The infected looked over to the second boat. Changing their direction, they headed on in search of the new food source, calling out to them like a lunch time, dinner bell.

  As Ryan closed the gate, he ran over to the next. Paul and Nick followed, whilst keeping a look out, they all began turning the second lever.

  Water flowed in raising the boat with every turn. As soon as we were through we sailed straight through.

  The boys eventually closed the gate and shouted over to George to make his way forward.

  Half of the crowd of infected, were now in the water. They thrashed and scrambled trying desperately to get closer to the boats. Noticing us in the distance, they turned their attention to us; the remaining land-based crowd scattered, eager to get up the hill.

  Now it was our turn to distract them. George had tucked the boat nicely under the bridge in a vain attempt to conceal them from the horde infected around us. It seemed to be working, for the time being.

  The Professor seemed great at getting their attention. Whether it was the drink talking or not, it actually came in useful.

  “Yo-ho, yo-ho a pirates life for me” he sang, oblivious to what was going on around him.

  “Arrr ye will not be making the crew, ye scurvy scum. Back to the locker with you” he cried at the infected who were now tumbling into the water, one after the other.

  “To the depths with you” He yelled at another.

  He seemed to be enjoying this. It certainly kept the rest of us amused. For a conservative English gentleman, I never would have thought he would have such a wild imagination. The lines he was coming out with, were something straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

  “I think you’d make a good pirate.” I told the Professor.

  “Aye, you’d be a wise first mate” came his reply, in his best pirate voice.

  We carried on banging against the sides of the boat. The infected had managed to make their way to the sides. Ryan and Leon were already way ahead of us. Smashing each one over the head; sending them back into the murky depths of the canal.

  After a while, George called over to us. “We're done here.” he said jumping back onto his boat. With that, we set off.

  “Aren’t they going to close the gate?” I asked Ryan.

  “What for? I doubt anyone else will be using it” he replied.

  He was right of course. We had a narrow escape. Again, I started to wonder when our luck would eventually run out.

  We cruised along at a moderately slow pace; these narrow boats weren’t exactly built for speed. We tootled along at four miles an hour. This journey was going to take much longer than I originally anticipated.

  “If it’s ok with the rest of you, I think I’m going to go for a lie down" the Professor said, back to his normal self.

  “Aye, that be just fine.” Ryan joked.

  The Professor patted Ryan on the back. “Well, I’m glad I could be of service, to provide the rest of you with some light entertainment” he quipped as he made his way back inside.

  I turned to Lacey. She was stood facing the boat behind us, glaring at the boat.

  “Come on hun, let’s go back inside” I suggested.

  She turned to look at me, her face a mixture of anger and deflation. “I’m not happy about this.” she said sternly.

  “Neither am I.” I sighed, shaking my head.

  We joined Leon, Nick and Paul inside. I snuggled up beside Nick.

  “So, what do we all think of the not so new arrivals?” Leon asked, getting straight to the point.

  Lacey glared at him and shook her head. She was that angry; she couldn’t seem to speak.

  “Look, Andy’s been a mate for a while. But I’m sorry he’s chosen his side. I don’t even know how he can still defend her after that.” Nick replied.

  Paul quickly agreed. “Yeah, Nicks right. After all, she’s done. If he’s siding with her then he’s no friend of mine.”

  “I’m not being funny, but I highly doubt she’s a miracle cure for the E Virus” I replied.

  They all agreed. I bet she loved it though. All this attention, people thinking she was God's gift. For a girl who judges happiness by the amount of friends and likes she has on Facebook, she would be in her element.

  Whether she was the miracle cure, she claimed to be or not, it didn’t change or make up for the fact she had left us all to die. Although not directly; she was still a murderer, and I couldn’t see any of us forgetting that anytime soon.

  The first couple of hours flew by. The excitement of being on a boat, in new surroundings and relative safety, lifted our spirits.

  There was no doubt about it, out of the two, we had the better boat. For one we had all the supplies. They weren’t something we were in a rush to hand over to them. They had made their own beds, as far as we were concerned they could lie in it.

  By this time the sky had started to darken. Night was quickly rolling in.

  The cold air swept past our boat whistling through the windows. The infected had given up on their pursuit and left us alone to sail through the canal system in peace.

  The scenery around us was beautiful. The calm water lapped up against the boat, as we pushed forward along our new path. The last remaining leaves on the trees around us crackled in the breeze. Beyond the trees, green overgrown fields spanned for miles, a far cry from the civilisation we once knew.

  Wild flowers scattered the fields. Long gone were the farmers who kept them at bay. The once trim, uniform and purpose serving fields had gone and had been handed back to Mother Nature.

  Without people around to keep said things in check, the world was taking on a completely different look to what we had been so used to. Left at the mercy of the elements, nature was flourishing, taking on a new lease of life, never seen before.

  And here we were, probably one of the last remaining survival groups. We would be one of the last ones to view the world as it is now. The rest of humanity had already succumbed to the mutated Ebola virus, hell bent on killing everything in its sight.

  Perhaps this was our punishment. Before our world ended, we received countless warnings about global warming. Humanity did nothing but destroy everything in its path. We were cutting down the rainforest so our printers wouldn't be out of paper. We were pushing various species to extinction, to put a nice meal on our plates.

  Humanity had such a negative effect on all the places we touched. Perhaps this was natures way of exacting revenge, and taking back what we had so recklessly stole.

  If this was to be true, why had nature preserved us? What had we done that was so different to anyone else?

  I mean, I hate to admit it, but I wasn't exactly a 'green' person. I didn't really pay much thought to the environment. Hell I barely even recycled. I just threw my rubbish in the closest bin; it was much easier, I just didn't have the time to section my rubbish into different containers. I didn't choose my car for its environmental value; I chose it because it was decent on fuel. I was more interested in money than the environment. It is only when I look back on myself now I realised how shallow I actually was. I mean; I was no Duckface let's put it that way, but I suppose I was shallow in other ways.

  My goal in life was to have a good career. I wanted to make as much money as I could in a short space of time. I had succeeded to the point, that in the past four years alone I managed to increase my salary by over 50%, not really bad going for a 25 year old. My problem
was; I wasn't keen to part with it. I'm ashamed to say I never gave to charity, well maybe the odd few quid, but I never signed up to one of those "give £3 a month" to help the aged, dying animals, children whatever the latest disaster was. I just wasn't interested. As far as I was concerned it didn't affect me or anyone around me so why bother.

  I know, it's not the best attitude to have, but at least I'm honest. I'm sure there are plenty of others out there who had the same attitude.

  But back to my original point. What makes us so different to the rest of the world?

  I can see why the Professor could have been spared. His research and findings along with his incredible intelligence and understanding in the field, he could actually be the one to discover a cure.

  But then look at Duckface. As far as I was concerned she was the epitome of all things evil. She was the most vindictive, murderous, vengeful and selfish little bitch I had ever come across. Yet, somehow she was supposed to be the key to all this. She was hardly a mother Theresa let’s put it that way.

  It just didn't make any sense. I mean, what was the point in the rest of us? Why were we still alive when good people like the Sergeant were gone. He did more good than any of us. He stood for hope, salvation and more than anything, he wanted to build a better life for us all. Had he been alive today I have no doubt that he would be well on his way to succeeding.

  None of this seemed right. I stared out the window as I pondered all this. I was still no closer to understanding the Professor's findings, or understanding why the infected act the way they do. Undead Pete was a prime example; we hadn't even scratched the surface yet.

  Chapter 14 – The Boneyard

  We travelled down the canal system at a steady pace. The second boat stayed only a few yards behind us. After a few hours, we reached a crossroad. Or whatever the water equivalent is. George shouted over to us to take the line to our right. He gave brief instructions to Ryan on how to turn the boat, and we carried on along our journey.

  Ryan had taken the lead, and I was starting to see the Corporal come out a little more each day. He certainly seemed to be enjoying his new role as captain. We couldn't be happier; we all rallied to support him and watched him tackle his new role with ease.

  Lacey and I still weren't impressed with our tag along’s, and neither were the rest of our group for that matter. The Professor still held out hope that Duckface could be of use to us, yet the whole group was a little more realistic.

  "Professor, even if she is the cure to all this, how exactly do you intend on creating some sort of vaccine? I mean it's not like we have a full lab at our disposal is it?" Leon asked.

  "We may not have a laboratory right now, but who knows what we may come across on our travels" the Professor replied hopefully.

  It wasn't exactly the response we were hoping to hear.

  "So basically, what you’re saying is, we are keeping her around, purely because we may or may not come across a lab, which may or may not provide a cure?" I asked him, slightly irritated to say the least.

  "Well, I wouldn't put it that way" the Professor defended himself.

  Ryan raised his eyebrow. He had joined us back inside the boat as he swapped places with Paul. The boys were taking turns driving the boat. For some reason, they didn't trust Lacey and I. Something about women drivers. We didn't really mind. It was freezing outside; we were much more comfortable inside. We still helped out; we often brought cups of tea to the boys, and provided them with company until it got too cold.

  Now it was no secret, Ryan wasn't Duckface's biggest fan. Just as I had, he held her completely and utterly responsible for the Sergeant and Josh's death. He wasn't wrong. It had been her fault; it wasn't as if she had done it accidentally either. She knew full well what she was doing. A part of me was actually relieved she had finally revealed her true colours, and the rest of the group could now see what Lacey and I had seen all those years ago.

  "And how would you put it Professor?" Ryan asked.

  "Well, er... You see... What I mean to say is" the Professor stuttered. I had never seen him lost for words before.

  "Professor, this seems like an awful lot of ifs" Ryan responded.

  Ryan was right, as much as we loved the Professor, it was hard not to, he didn't have a leg to stand on. This was different. It was about her. I'd happily drown her in the canal myself, and so would the rest.

  We had quickly learnt to stay away from the subject. It was clear she was dividing the group. Not only that, but she was putting us all in foul moods. We agreed between us that it would be best for our own sanity to just try and put it to the back of our minds. It was Ryan's idea. It was obvious her presence wasn't sitting well with him, but he suggested we take the high road, after all at least she wasn't in the same boat as us. We didn't have to see her, Andy or even George for that matter.

  We made the most of the new resources available to us. We had already taken advantage of the showering facilities on board. We had found a stack of cream towels on board, however, even with a full shower the towels came out black. It wasn't the most powerful shower in the world, but it was warm. My hair was the first matter I dealt with. I am ashamed to say it was, at this point, completely matted with grease. It was that bad; the soap bubbles didn't even form until the third or fourth wash. I was trying to ration what little shampoo we had, after all, we didn't know how long it would be until we came across such a luxury again. We all knew we had to make the most of the amenities we had.

  The Professor had already come across a small washing machine, along with some washing powder and a travel iron. We all threw our dirt ridden clothes in the wash as we changed into our spare set of clothes which we had picked up in the sorting office.

  Changing wasn't the easiest thing to do on board the narrow boat; privacy didn't seem high on the list with its last owners. The boys were very respectful. Lacey and I took to the front of the boat for our changing needs; the boys stayed to the back in and around the kitchen and living area so not to disturb. We were very grateful for that.

  The Professor took to the kitchen and was busy preparing dinner. He was making a beef casserole he had found, already made, tucked away in the freezer. As the rich aromas filled the boat, my stomach started to grumble, yet again.

  We were settling in nicely in our home. We found ourselves in good company, in peaceful surroundings, it was very easy to forget the chaos going on around us.

  It didn't take long for the boat to get cluttered. We had put away what supplies we could, but with a lot of people and a small amount of space, it was easy for the boat to get messy. Not only that, the bathroom was so tiny. Sharing it with five boys wasn't pleasant, as Lacey and I soon found out.

  A few days into our journey, Paul took himself off to the bathroom for around half an hour. As soon as he opened the bathroom door, the whole boat quickly took on an extremely foul smell. So much so, we were forced out of the confines of the boat and outside into our small outdoor seating area.

  "Mate, that's foul." Nick complained.

  "What crawled up your arse and died?" Leon added.

  Paul laughed. "Did you like that? Had to christen it, didn't I" he replied proudly. He seemed happy his efforts had caused such a stir.

  "That's horrible! Even for you." Lacey complained.

  I felt sorry for Lacey, until I remembered how bad Nick could be. We would have all this to come no doubt. Even the Professor was disgusted.

  "My dear boy, I think you may have a bowel problem. That smell, it's just not natural" the Professor retorted.

  We stayed huddled in the seating area until the cold got too much. We made Paul go back inside and open all the windows before we had even let him come out with us. Ryan braved it first and offered to do a full sweep to make sure the smell had gone. Once Ryan gave us the all clear we piled back into the boat.

  Ryan stopped Paul just as he was about to reenter. "I don't know where your going, after that, you can drive for a bit." Ryan told him.

 
We all laughed as we saw the disappointment in Paul's face.

  Just as Ryan was about to turn back into the boat, George shouted over from the boat behind.

  "Pull in over here" George cried. "There are some vacant boats, we can use their gas canisters." he finished.

  Ryan looked over to George. With a stern look on his face, he nodded and signaled for Paul to turn to the side of the canal.

  I was still trying to figure George out at this point. He was wise for his years. He had spent his youth in the Military fighting in the Falklands war. That had obviously toughened him up. He was a small plump elderly gentleman; his grey short hair was starting to thin on top. He was well into his seventies, yet he was still as smart as a whip; his mind never failed him. He had a keen eye and got us through quite a few rough spots, in the last few weeks.

  This being said; he also came across as a sexist bigot. He was stubborn; he would never admit when he was wrong, and he often talked down to others. I had no idea whether this was an old man thing in general, or just a George thing. Either way, they weren't the best traits to have in any member of the group, especially when forced to spend pretty much all day, every day together.

  His latest outburst had guaranteed his ticket with the rest of the outcasts, Andy and Duckface.

  Paul and Ryan slowly pulled the boat into the small moorings where another two vacant narrowboats sat. Ryan hopped out of the boat and tied a rope around the spare mooring line. Once he had secured the boat; he ventured back inside to fill the rest of the group in on what was going on.

  "We're just stopping here for a short while" Ryan announced. "George is nearly out of gas, and we could do with a refill. Lads, I'll need some help getting the canisters from those boats onto this one" he continued pointing over to the vacant boats.

  As the boys busied themselves focusing on the task at hand, I ventured out to stretch my legs. I found myself looking out onto an abandoned industrial park. Old run down warehouses dominated the area. Skips of varying shapes and sizes sat, full of rubble and disused white goods. It wasn't exactly the peaceful, tranquil countryside we had been sailing through previously.