by Mark Tufo
‘Stop it!’ Phoebe yelled.
Scott let go of Michelle and pushed her away but she came at him again, arms flailing. He swung out as she launched herself at him, punching her in the face. Stunned, just adrenalin keeping her moving now, she lunged at him again. He punched her for a second time, a quick, brutal jab. She swayed momentarily then dropped to the ground, out cold.
When he looked around, Tammy had gone. Phoebe ran to help her mother but Scott stopped her. ‘Get up to your room and don’t move,’ he ordered. ‘Take a step outside this bloody house and the same’ll happen to you. Got it?’
She scooped up her little brother and held him close, cowering in the corner until Scott had gone.
The front door was open but he couldn’t see Tammy. Little bitch. Where had she gone? He ran out to the road and ducked down instinctively when a military helicopter thundered overhead, flying low on its way out of Thussock, filling the air with pressure and noise. He couldn’t see Tammy anywhere. He ran back and did a quick circuit of the outside of the house... nothing.
‘I know you’re still here,’ he shouted over the wind and the fading helicopter noise, certain she was hiding nearby. ‘You’re on your own now, you hear me? This family’s better off without you. Don’t bother coming back, dumb little bitch.’
Breathless, he looked up and down the length of the back garden once more then went inside. He stood in the hallway and listened to the silence. He could hear Phoebe and George upstairs, but other than them, nothing.
Thank Christ for that.
The unexpected quiet was blissful. No one shouting at him or accusing him of anything for once. No one arguing or trying to tell him what to do... Why couldn’t they have always been like this?
He knew what he had to do now. Tammy leaving had made it all that much easier. ‘The key to staying together and surviving now,’ he told Michelle who remained facedown and motionless on the living room floor, ‘is keeping apart.’
Scott fetched himself a can of beer from the fridge and knocked it back in a couple of quick, gassy gulps, then he picked up his toolbox from the corner and carried it to the living room. Michelle was beginning to come around. Her face was a mess. He regretted that – he always did – but it had been necessary. She had to learn. She needed to know her place in this household and this kind of thing was just going to keep happening again and again until she got it right. It wasn’t like she hadn’t had any warnings. He’d told her over and over. When was she going to stop talking and start listening?
‘Scott...?’ she mumbled, though she was drifting in and out of consciousness and it was difficult to speak through the blood and spit and broken teeth.
‘Be quiet, love,’ he told her, standing over her. ‘It’s gonna be all right.’
She tried to get up but couldn’t. She slurred another word. Or was it a groan? He couldn’t tell.
‘I don’t like hurting you,’ he said, ‘but it’s not my fault. You bring it on yourself. You could have avoided all of this.’
‘I’m sorry...’
He left her lying in the middle of the room.
‘Stay there and get your strength back. I’ll check on you later.’
She tried to protest but couldn’t. She could barely move. Her body was a dead-weight, nothing working how it should have. All she could do was watch as he shut the door.
The hammering startled her. It seemed to go on forever, the noise hurting her already throbbing head, but it stopped eventually, the door nailed shut.
Phoebe was crouching at the top of the stairs, George just behind her. When they heard him coming they ran back into her room and hid on the far side of the bed. He appeared in the doorway. ‘You here?’
‘We’re here,’ Phoebe answered, sitting up slightly so he could see her.
‘Good girl.’
‘Where’s Tammy?’
‘She’s gone.’
‘What about Mum?’
‘Your mother’s fine. She’s downstairs.’
‘What was the banging?’
‘You know how this thing spreads, don’t you Pheeb?’
She nodded but didn’t want to say. ‘Yes...’
‘So the safest thing is for us all to stay in the house but keep apart from each other, right? You and George should be okay ’cause you’re just kids, but it’s different for me and your mum. You understand?’
‘Think so.’
‘Good girl,’ he said again.
He shut the door, picked up his hammer, and took a handful of three inch nails from his pocket. Just as he had downstairs, he worked his way around the edge of the door, hammering the nails through the door itself at an angle and deep into the frame.
He was dripping with sweat by the time he’d finished, his hands and arms heavy and numb. He leant against the door. ‘All done,’ he shouted to Phoebe. ‘It’s for your own good. I’m just doing what I have to do to keep us all safe.’
Chapter 82
It might have been hours later, it might have only been minutes. Scott wasn’t sure. He was sitting in the hallway in almost complete darkness, leaning with his back against his bedroom door. The house was still largely silent, but the noise outside had increased again. There’d been more traffic on the road, pretty much all of it heading out of Thussock now. He’d seen some of it from the kitchen window. It had looked almost exclusively military.
‘You there, Scott?’
He sat up fast, not sure if he’d imagined Michelle’s voice. He moved towards the living room, crawling through empty beer cans. ‘I’m here.’
‘Let me out, love.’
‘You know I can’t.’
‘But I’m scared in here.’
‘And I’m scared out here. This is the only way to be sure, you know it is.’
‘My face hurts. I think you broke my nose.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘I’m tired of this, love. I’m tired of you hurting me.’
‘I had to do it. You know that.’
‘I know.’
‘You were hysterical. You were scaring Phoebe and George.’
‘I know.’
‘It won’t happen again.’
‘You said that last time.’
‘This is different.’
‘You said that last time too.’
‘I mean it, Chelle. You believe me?’
A pause, then ‘I believe you.’
Scott looked up at the door. He wanted to see her and he thought about opening it, but he knew it was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.
‘Are the kids okay, Scott?’
‘They’re fine.’
‘Can I talk to them.’
‘They’re in their rooms.’
‘What about George?’
‘He’s with Phoebe.’
‘Okay.’ Another pause. ‘What are we going to do, love?’
‘You keep asking me that. I don’t know... I’m not sure. I think we should just stay here like we planned.’
‘I thought I heard more helicopters.’
‘You did.’
‘If they’re going, shouldn’t we go too?’
‘If they’re going then that’s a good thing, isn’t it? It means they’re clearing out. It means it’s over.’
‘I don’t know, love... I’m not sure.’
‘Trust me.’
Another pause, then ‘Can I come out and talk to you? I really want to see you.’
‘I already told you, Chelle. You have to stay in there. We have to keep apart for now, just until we’re sure it’s safe...’
‘But how will we know?’
Her questions were starting to annoy him. He could feel himself tensing up again.
‘We’ll know.’
‘But, Scott, I just think—’
‘Shut up,’ he yelled suddenly, and he banged his fist against the living room door in anger. He heard her sob. ‘I’m sorry, Chelle... I didn’t meant to shout. Just be patient. Just do what I say, okay. I’ll go and see if I
can find out what’s happening later.’
She might have spoken again, but another helicopter drifting overhead drowned out her words.
Scott needed to pee. He went to the bathroom and emptied his bladder. He washed his face with ice-cold water. I need to stay focused. He leant his head against the mirror and breathed in deeply, trying to stay calm and in control. What did he do now? Had he truly backed them into a corner here like they’d said, or was there still a way out? The waiting was unbearable.
When he went back out into the hallway, Tammy was there. ‘Jesus Christ,’ he gasped. ‘What the hell are you doing? You scared the shit out of me.’
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. In the low light he could just about make out her face. She was crying.
‘What are you doing back here?’
No reply.
‘Where’ve you been?’
Still nothing.
‘You’ve got a fucking nerve coming back after what you said to me. You’ve no fucking respect.’
‘Sorry,’ she said again. ‘I was wrong.’
Scott shook his head. In a night filled with impossibility, this was the hardest thing of all to take. ‘Wait... you’re apologising? Fuck me, I’ve heard it all now.’
She didn’t react. She didn’t even move other than to lift a hand and wipe her eyes. She cleared her throat. ‘I should have listened to you. I was scared... I didn’t know where I was going out there. I just ran and ran... almost got lost.’
‘But you come back?’
‘I wanted to see you. I felt so alone out there... there was no one looking out for me, no one protecting me. It made me realise I’d been stupid. I know I’ve been a bitch to you, Scott, but...’
‘What?’
‘But when I was out there, completely bloody terrified, I realised how much we all need you. How much I need you. All along you’ve been trying to keep this family together, but I just couldn’t see it. I was angry. I was stupid.’
He leant back against the wall and stared at her. ‘Why leave it until now? You could have made this all so much easier for everyone.’
‘I know,’ she said, and she took a step forward. ‘I wish I could have the time again.’ He could see her more clearly now. Her skin was pale, porcelain-like, her hair falling in soft curls down either side of her face. She’d been a little kid when he and Michelle had first got together; a snotty-faced rebel full of resentment and spite. Christ, she’d made things difficult for all of them. And though he’d certainly noticed it before today, her gradual transformation was now complete. She was a woman now, her emotional maturity finally catching up with the physical changes her body had undergone over the last few years. ‘I wanted to make it up to you, Scott,’ she said.
She started to unbutton her shirt, letting it fall back off her shoulders. He stared at her pert breasts, not sagging like her mother’s. Cellulite and stretch-mark free skin. Her young, inexperienced body. He checked himself. The dulling effect of the beer faded quickly. Was she playing him? ‘Do you think I’m fucking stupid?’
‘Nope,’ she said, and she bit her lip as she watched him watching her.
‘This is bullshit.’
‘It’s not, I swear. I’m sorry.’
And then he remembered. He cursed himself for being so easily distracted. ‘Wait... this isn’t right... Did you see anyone else while you were out there?’
‘What do you mean?’ Her voice was light and airy, strangely soothing.
‘You know exactly what I mean. Are you infected?’
She laughed. A cute nervous giggle. ‘I didn’t see anyone else. I got halfway to Thussock then turned back because I was scared and I didn’t know what else to do.’ She took another step closer, almost touching him now, and took his hand in hers and held it against her chest. Her breasts felt so smooth, so soft and so cold. ‘We might not have long left. I wanted to come back and show you how sorry I am. I wanted to make it up to you.’
She stood on tiptoes and kissed him gently on the cheek, then pulled him into the kitchen. He followed at first, then stopped and pulled back, yanking his hand from hers. ‘You’re infected.’
‘I didn’t see anybody out there, honest I didn’t.’ She hopped up onto the kitchen table and sat and watched him. He was holding back, obviously unsure, and she wasn’t surprised. She’d expected this. Yet more traffic thundered past outside. She opened her arms to him. ‘Come on, Scott... please...’
He grabbed her wrist when she lunged for one of the knives in the knife block on the table. She screamed with pain as he twisted her arm around behind her, forcing her up onto her feet and pushing her against the wall. He pressed his full weight against her. She was right, he did want her, had done for a while, but it was too late for that. ‘You dumb fucking kid,’ he said. ‘Did you really think I’d fall for that bullshit?’
She screamed again, sobbing now for him to release her. ‘You’re hurting me... please.’
‘Do you think I care? After all the grief you’ve caused?’
‘It wasn’t me, it was—’ she started to say and he yanked her wrist upwards again, threatening to pop her shoulder from its socket.
‘You’re all as bad as each other,’ he whispered, his mouth just millimetres from her ear, his weight crushing her. ‘I don’t know how I managed to stay sane living with so many moaning, miserable bitches.’
‘Let her go, Scott.’
Scott looked around, surprised. Michelle was standing in the kitchen doorway. Christ, she looked bad. One side of her face was lumpy and misshapen, her right eye black and swollen, almost completely shut.
‘How did you get out?’
‘You said we’d need double-glazing, remember?’ she said, her voice slurred and her words hard to discern. ‘You were right. I forced the French window open. Now let her go.’
‘Fuck you,’ he said, turning back to face Tammy.
‘No, Scott, fuck you.’
Michelle smacked him on the back of his head with the claw hammer he’d used to seal up the doors. He let go of Tammy and slowly turned around, almost tripping over his own feet. He lifted a hand to his head and looked at the blood on his fingers, glistening in the half-light. He looked confused. Hurt. ‘Chelle, why did you—?’ She swung the hammer around again, shattering his jaw. Scott crumpled to the ground and she reached for Tammy’s hand and pulled her away. ‘We’re going. Find the car keys.’
Without waiting for her response Michelle ran upstairs to get the others.
Ten minutes and she’d managed to prise open the bedroom door and get enough of their stuff together. They loaded it into the Zafira, still more helicopters circling overhead as they worked. The road out of Thussock was a steady stream of traffic now, an exodus. The military retreat told them all they needed to know.
‘Where are we going, Mum?’ Phoebe asked.
‘Home.’
‘What, to—’
‘Redditch, yes. Home, home. We’ll go and stay with Granddad.’
‘What about Scott?’
‘What about him?’
She started the engine, waited for another truck to pass, then pulled out onto the road. She glanced back in the rear view mirror at the house they were leaving and felt relief, nothing else.
They’d barely driven more than half a mile when they followed a bend in the road and reached the military blockade. The other vehicles had made it through, but she was unidentified and was flagged down. Guns and soldiers everywhere. For the briefest of moments she wondered if Scott had been right. Should they have stayed back at the house? Had she made a huge mistake?
Familiarly faceless figures appeared at every window. A solider opened her door and pulled her out. George began to scream. ‘Follow me,’ a voice barked. ‘All of you, now!’
Too tired, outgunned and outnumbered to even think about resisting, Michelle pulled her children close and did as she was told. The family were pushed roughly into the back of a large trailer which began to move, a lab on wheels from what they could
see. There were no explanations as DNA swabs were taken from the inside of their mouths and blood samples drawn, but they were beaten now, way past the point of being able to resist. The vehicle began to pick up speed, part of a convoy heading south.
It felt like forever but it could only have been a minute or two later when one of the faceless figures took off her mask. ‘All clear,’ she said. ‘Lucky escape there, Mrs Griffiths.’
‘Lucky?’ Michelle said, still struggling to speak with a mouth full of broken teeth.
‘Yes, lucky. You managed to get away before the accident.’
‘What accident?’
‘The accident at the fracking site.’
‘When?’
The woman paused, glanced at a colleague, then looked at her watch. ‘Anytime now.’
Two low flying jets raced over the convoy, travelling in the opposite direction, back towards Thussock. And in the distance, the infected town died. A moment of silence, then a series of explosions and chain reactions tore the place apart. From the fracking site to the leisure centre, from the centre of town all the way to the grey house on the road south out of Thussock, the place was consumed by fire, heat, and intense white light.
Chapter 83
FIFTEEN MILES SOUTH OF THUSSOCK
The van juddered to a halt. ‘What the hell are you doing?’ the soldier in the passenger seat said.
‘Just checking. Christ, can’t you hear her? They’ll have our bollocks if we don’t get her back in one piece.’
‘You know what they said.’
‘Yeah, I know what they said.’
Before the other man could argue – as he usually did – the driver climbed out and walked around to the back. He slid the viewing panel across and looked at her through the wire-mesh. ‘You all right there, Jackie, love?’
She was more than all right. She was bloody gorgeous. She sat in the corner of the cage just looking at him... wanting him.
But he’d seen enough tonight to know better. The noise from the explosion which had destroyed most of Thussock was still ringing in his ears. He slid the viewing panel back across.