by Jessica Ward
"Mate, I know we're close, but this is a bit too far." Leon joked. "People might start talking" he added smiling over to the rest of us.
"What the hell happened?" Ryan demanded releasing him from his grip.
"Well, someone had to lock them in didn't they!" Leon announced.
It turns out; Leon had this all planned out from the very beginning; he just neglected to tell us beforehand. As they opened the floodgates and let the infected in, they both hightailed it to the other side of the warehouse. As Leon shouted for Jared to go on ahead, Leon sprinted a full lap of the building and changed direction. He led the crowd of infected through the skatepark and exited out the entrance way. Apparently the back door key wasn't the only key Leon had found. As soon as he made it out the entrance he locked the door and threw away the key. That's when he made his way over to us.
The familiar sound of howling coming from inside the building brought us all back to reality. With that, we piled into the boats and set off back on our journey.
Chapter 16 – The Floating Dead
We agreed on the boating arrangements prior to our departure from Bones. The Professor went off with George, Andy and Duckface, voluntarily I might add, and our new recruits stayed with us.
We decided quickly that we didn't think it was fair on the kids, sticking them with the unpleasantness of Duckface and George.
We all squeezed in the narrow boat as Ryan started the boat. We still didn't have a heading, but if one thing was for sure, the water certainly seemed safer than land. It was starting to feel as though we couldn't step foot anywhere, without attracting unwanted attention.
Poor Jared, Sarah and Nathan stood in the living area, not quite sure what to do. They were like deers in the headlights of a car. We had taken them out of their comfort zone, and they were surrounded by strangers.
Jared seemed to warm to Ryan and Leon. The boys had taken an instant liking to him. It was as if Jared had adopted two older brothers; he always liked to know where they were and what they were doing. He was a sweet boy.
I still hadn't worked the other two out. Sarah seemed to have a typical teenage attitude, and I could already tell she was the type to have a real problem with authority. However, it was the other boy Nathan who I found the hardest to read. He was definitely the shy one. I wondered if it was lack of confidence or some deeper routed issues, maybe even a combination of both.
We were now well underway on our journey into the unknown. Lacey and I got to work on making dinner for the group as Jared joined Ryan and Leon out on the small deck. Paul and Nick stayed in the living area as Sarah and Nathan took themselves to bed. I couldn`t blame them for wanting a lie down, after all, the skate park they had been living in wasn’t exactly the most comfortable of places. I felt sorry for them; they made do with what they had and slept on the hardwood ramps. Although, not the most ideal, the small narrow boat beds would be an absolute luxury to them right now.
This new world was hard for anyone to live in, what with the constant danger around every corner. We were constantly on the move. None of us had any real belongings anymore. Currency was pretty much void. For as hard as it was for us to get our heads around, imagine what it would be like for them.
I made a mental note to make an effort with the new recruits and get to know them a bit better. After all, they were part of our family now, whether we liked it or not.
"What do you make of all this?" Lacey asked referring to our new arrivals.
"It`s nice to have some fresh faces, but I just haven't got my head around those two yet." I replied.
Lacey didn’t respond; she just nodded. I could tell she felt the same way I did, just by the look on her face.
"Hmmm..." she mumbled as she carried on with dinner. I had already done all I could, so I took myself outside for a breath of fresh air. Even on the coldest day, with so many people in such a confined space, it was like a sauna in there.
The nights were the worst, although the nights were cooler; it was strange sleeping in such close proximity to the others. As I said before, privacy was a real issue. Nick and I shared one double bed; Lacey and Paul shared the other. Even then, I still felt as if I were a contestant in the Big Brother house.
I often tossed and turned in the night. I always got too hot, it didn`t help that sleeping with Nick was like sleeping with a radiator, he emitted heat. He was a needy sleeper; he would spend half the night trying to snuggle up to me, and try and put his arms around me. I liked the fact he was so loving, but it wasn't always at the best of times, especially when you are trying to sleep in such an awkward environment.
As I stepped outside the boat, cold icy wind flowed through my hair; it was like thousands of cold, tiny needles hitting my face. We were well into November now. It had been months since the outbreak first hit the UK, so much so, I had almost forgotten what it was like, living a life without the threat of the infected.
Leon smiled as he saw me appear, and helped me out onto the deck with him Ryan and Jared. They weren't paying much attention to the steering; they were all staring out onto the banks around us.
I followed their line of vision, as I gasped at the sight before me. The infected were lining the embankment. Not a sound could be heard from any of them. They simply watched us sail past.
They still looked as menacing as ever. Signs of infection were evermore present, within the growing crowd of the undead.
I looked to each one, trying to figure out, what it was they were thinking. It was obvious now, we all knew.The virus had nestled itself deep within the body of its host and were fully capable of controlling not only the body, but the mind as well.
A sense of intelligence glimmered faintly in their eyes. They hadn't had a meal for a while, I could tell by how much the infection had deteriorated the undead corpses. Chunks of flesh were missing from the face, arms and body. This was from a previous encounter; the missing flesh hadn't been bitten or ripped off from the outside. It was being devoured from within.
The virus was eating its host alive, killing itself in the process. It didn't make any sense to me at all, but that was nature for you.
I looked ahead, more of the infected gathered in front of us, waiting for us to pass.
"What are they doing?" Jared asked his eyes never once leaving the sight of the undead line up.
"I don`t know mate." Ryan replied. Ryan looked over to the boat behind us. George and the Professor were stood outside of their boat, gaping at the same sight we were. The Professor hurried inside and came out with a handful of notes. This was interesting the Professor greatly.
Ryan tried to catch George's attention. George waved his arms up and motioned for us to stay quiet. He feared that any noise may start a frenzy throughout the undead.
He had a point, as much as I was starting to dislike him, he was on the ball when it came to looking out for our safety.
There must have been over a hundred infected lining the bank. I hadn't seen that many altogether since we left the base. Even in the outdoors, the smell of rotting flesh was sickening. The sight of them wasn’t much better. Black congealed liquid poured from every orifice. Dark veins pumped the virus through the body consuming the corpse from within. If the infected didn't feed soon, the virus would completely consume them, leaving nothing more than a skeleton shell.
We heard howling in the distance. With that, the infected turned their gaze from us and turned to the direction of the new noise emanating further ahead.
"Come on Jared, let's go back inside, the boys will be in shortly. Dinner's nearly ready." I told him, motioning him back into the boat.
"But what about those things?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the infected.
"I don't know. The Professor will be able to tell us more when we stop off. He understands them more than any of us." I replied.
Jared instantly averted his gaze as I told him this new information. "Really?" he asked, "Is that what he is, some sort of zombie Professor?" he asked. I could tell he was
intrigued. It sounded like the Professor was going to have a new lab assistant on his hands.
"Come inside, and we`ll tell you all about it." I told him.
"OK." he said as he hurried inside.
As we stepped back into the kitchen, we saw the others; they all had their faces peering out the window, eager to get a glance of the new arrivals.
Jared had already lost interest; he had seen them from the outside already. He was more bothered about finding out about the Professor, and what we knew about the infected. I wasn't going to let him down. I told him from the very beginning what happened to us.
"Wow, that is so cool." Jared gawped as I told him all about our time on the base. I told him about the guns we used and what the infected had done when they took over the base.
"It wasn`t all fun and games. It was about surviving." I told him firmly.
"Yeah, I know, hey, do you think Ryan will train me like they do in the army?" He asked.
I smiled "I'm sure he will, why don't you ask him?" I suggested.
"I`ll ask him now!" Jared announced as he hurried back outside. I looked towards Lacey and grinned. We both knew; that was just what Ryan needed, someone to look up to him. We hoped that Jared would go a long way to recapturing the Corporal, who we so sorely missed.
"I think we need to stop soon." Leon announced as he ventured back inside. "We still need those canisters, but think it's best to wait until our admirers back off." he added.
The line of infected surrounded us on both sides. However, they were now starting to die down. They weren't stupid, they knew they couldn't get to us. So much so, they didn't even bother to try.
As we sailed on into the distance, trees started to encase the embankment, the infected eventually died off completely, unable to follow us through the trees.
We ate dinner in peace. Sarah and Nathan had risen, enticed by the smell of food.
I watched Sarah pick at her dinner, but after only a few mouthfuls, she began playing with her food.
"Are you OK?" I asked her, after not eating a proper meal in god knows how many months I expected her to be wolfing down her meal as the other two were.
"Yeah, fine." She replied no enthusiasm in her voice whatsoever.
"Are you sure?" Lacey pressed; we gave each other a funny look. We knew something was up.
"I think I'm just tired." she responded glumly. "Can I just go for a lie down?" she asked us.
"You don't have to ask our permission you know Sarah, as long as you're ok." I smiled.
She smiled back at me; it was the first time I had ever seen her smile as she wandered back to bed.
After we had finished dinner, I went to check Sarah was OK. I left the rest of the group in the small cramped living area as I went to find her. She was lying on her bed, just gazing out the window.
"I thought you were tired?" I asked her softly.
"I am, just can't sleep." She sighed.
"I know the feeling, but hey, at least you don't have to sleep with a big oaf next to you, snoring away." I joked referring to Nick.
She smiled back at me. "I just.. I don't know.. I feel crappy is all. Not like sick or anything, it's just so many people are dead. People dying all around me, do you know what I mean?" she babbled.
"I know Hun, I feel the same." I replied sadly.
I knew exactly what she meant. This wasn't a nice world to live in; we all had to seriously shift our priorities, we had spent our lives with our paths almost written out for us. As kids, we went to school, to help us prepare for the big wide world. When we left school, we went to work, because that's what we had to do. We worked in offices, shops, factories, outdoors, all to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.
All that had gone, all the things we grew up with, all that we learned, was now completely useless. That world simply didn't exist anymore. We had all lost loved ones, seen things that could not be unseen. The dead walked among us, and we just had to get used to it.
"What is it exactly that's playing on your mind. It might make you feel better getting it out. I learnt not to bottle things up a long time ago; we don't know each other very well yet, sometimes speaking to someone you don't know helps even more." I told her.
"You seem really nice, thank you. I just don't know how to put it in words." She replied simply.
"Well, I know at times, I think about the people I've lost, I try not to dwell on it too much. It makes me sad thinking about them, but then I think of the infected. They make me angry, if it wasn't for them; the people I've lost would still be alive. Then when I picture the infected, I get scared. Scared because I don't want to turn into one of them. Scared because of the way they look, what they stand for, and it scares and worries me how fast they seem to be evolving." I told her.
She nodded "That's exactly it. I feel trapped as well though. Like, there's nowhere really that's safe. I know its safe on here for now. But sooner or later we'll have to get off." She was a smart girl. She seemed to be opening up to me. For that, I was grateful.
We both sat on her small bed for a while, as we gazed out the window. We watched the green, overgrown scenery around us and the murky water beneath us. The wind caused constant ripples along the surface of the water.
Watching the water was rather therapeutic, although the strong winds shook the boat, a little too violently at times. It was a good job none of our group or the new arrivals got seasick.
Sarah and I looked at each other as the boat shook violently once again. I glanced out the window; the sight before me jolted me back. I looked to Sarah; she had done exactly the same.
There, floating right by our boat, was an undead corpse, the water pushing past us as it made its way towards the back of the boat. I could have sworn it even grinned at me as it floated past. It was a menacing stare as his eyes bore straight through Sarah and I. Lying flat above the water, he seemed to know what he was doing.
We both looked ahead, at least four or five more followed suit. Had they found a way to access the water? I hoped to god they hadn't found a way to climb in.
I rushed outside, to warn Leon and Ryan, who had gone back out after lunch. I told Sarah to stay put. As I rushed outside to warn the boys, I wasn't alone. Everyone must have seen the infected coming as they had already armed themselves, and were busy stabbing the infected down into the depths as they tried to surface.
"What's going on?" I asked as I got outside.
"They're coming from the bridge up ahead." Ryan yelled as he struggled to steer whilst defending the boat.
I looked directly in front of me. Sure enough, a crowd of the infected were throwing themselves off a bridge, and into the water.
George motioned for us to start backing up. We held our position as the remaining infected launched themselves into the water beneath us.
I turned to face the front of the boat. A golf club opened up on our right hand side.
I clocked onto where the infected were coming from. On closer inspection, I could see that the infected seemed rather well dressed. The last remaining infected were a group of men. They were dressed in shirts and ties. I imagine they were doing a bit of business and lunching in the clubhouse when their meal got cut short. I watched another infected float right past the boat. He had overshot his mark. A middle-aged man dressed in a navy Ralph Lauren v neck jumper and once cream trousers floated towards the second boat.
Clearly a golfer in life, but now, he was the host to something far sinister. I stared at him in the water. I saw something I had never seen before, from any of the infected, not even Undead Pete. I saw him smile.
It was a menacing grin. The look he gave me showed greater intelligence than I had ever seen before. He looked at me as if to say, "This isn't over."
Chapter 17 – A Practical Joke
I knew in the grand scheme of things; it was far from over. Given the rate at which the infected were advancing, this seemed like only the beginning.
It wasn't long before we dispatched of the last of the
infected. We were very lucky. None had made it on board our boat. The current had swept the bodies past our boats, and away from us.
As we passed the Golf Club, we saw the remaining members sprint across the golf course. They were too late; we had passed under the bridge, and were now sailing, slap bang in the middle of the canal. We were out of arms reach for now.
We were all stood outside. When the buoyant infected tried to rise out of the water, we had to cover all areas.
Even our new recruits got involved. We kept them close to Ryan and Leon, with their military background, they were our greatest protectors.
Lacey, Paul, Nick and I took to the front of the boat and kept them at bay. We were at the front line, as the infected descended on us first.
The nearer we came to the bridge, I feared the infected would end up right on top of us, but Ryan managed to keep us out of danger.
With the golf club now fading away in the distance, we headed back inside for a much needed break.
"That was so cool!" Jared announced as we piled into the living area.
"Did you see me push that dude back with my board? I thought I was gonna lose it." Nathan replied.
"I know, I saw. They didn't stand a chance though. I wasn't scared." Jared told the rest of us.
Sarah stayed close to me. I could tell by her body language; that she didn't share the same opinion, the rest of her friends did.
"Right, calm down guys." Lacey told them firmly. She was quickly taking on the mother role, although I could tell this wasn't her intention.
"Remember, those things are dangerous. It's not about going out and killing and fighting. It's about staying alive. We don't hunt; we defend." She added. The last part she had learnt from the Sergeant. It was what he would always say to us over on the base. I felt a twinge of sadness as I thought of him again.
Ryan looked over to Lacey and smiled. He was about to join in the conversation when he was interrupted.