Marvin and Lloyd gaped at one another, unsure what to do next. Lloyd placed the palm of his hand on his son's cheek and asked if he was okay. Junior never answered, but it was clear that Junior was pretty far from okay and was shaking with fear.
“Lloyd, are you in there?” a voice called from outside
Lloyd knew who it was right away. “Gordon?”
Lloyd Dickinson stepped over the bodies and strolled towards the room Junior was staying in, and looked inside. A large hole had been made, as he had guessed anyway, and could see through the hole that outside two more of the infected had been taken care off. Joan stood with fresh blood running off her blade and Gordon stood with a dripping hammer.
“Better late than never,” Lloyd tried to joke.
“Is everybody else okay?” Joan asked. Really, she was asking if Junior was okay. Who gave a fuck if Marvin died, right?
“We're okay,” Lloyd panted, then nodded at the two dead that were outside. “Thanks for...”
“Like you said,” said Joan with a smile. “Better late than never.”
Lloyd stepped through the large hole the Runners had created, and stepped out onto the grass near where Joan and Gordon were standing.
“They're determined fuckers.” Gordon scratched his head and added, “We saw one run at the caravan and then more came round and ran at the same area.”
Lloyd shook his head and could now see Marvin and Junior climbing through the large hole that the Runners had created, and now all five were outside, inbetween both caravans.
“Looks like we're gonna have to move caravans,” Marvin snickered, giving Lloyd a playful nudge.
“I'm gonna give the site a look over,” said Lloyd.
“I don't think that's a good idea, bro,” Marvin spoke up.
“Why not, man?”
Marvin hunched his shoulders. “I just don’t think it’s wise to do that … not yet.”
“It’ll be fine.” Lloyd tried to appease his sibling. “I’ll go in the jeep. It’ll be fine, you’ll see.”
“But—”
“I can’t settle unless I know for sure that there are no more of these things around here.”
Marvin sighed and shook his head. There was no point arguing with his stubborn younger brother.
Lloyd gazed at Junior and gave the lad a wink. “I'll go round in the jeep. Once I'm done and I’m sure that it's clear, we'll move to another caravan.”
“Where did they pissing come from?” Gordon asked aloud to no one in particular, referring to the eight infected that they had just killed.
“Fucked if I know,” Lloyd sighed.
“And now?”
“Now what?” Lloyd snickered.
“What do we do now?”
“Right, everyone,” said Lloyd. “Get inside. Everybody get inside Gordon and Joan's caravan. I won't be long.”
Lloyd headed for the jeep, leaving the remaining four to slowly head inside the caravan that had been claimed by Gordon and Joan days earlier.
Chapter Twenty Four
Lloyd Dickinson climbed into the wrecked jeep, and fired the ignition. He had a look around the inside of the vehicle and could see that a long journey in the vehicle wouldn't be a good idea. Getting another vehicle would be ideal, but where would he get that? They were lucky to get the abandoned jeep from Blanchland.
Lloyd slipped the jeep into first and pulled away. He turned left and thought that the best way to check the site would be to drive around the perimeter of the area. It'd take five minutes to do, but once it was done they could all relax a little.
The engine purred as the vehicle crawled around the site. Lloyd constantly twisted his neck from left to right, aware that these freaks were quick and could come out from nowhere.
He took a quick peep over at Gordon's caravan, making sure everyone was inside, and turned back to gaze out of the windscreen.
It was clear.
He was convinced it was clear.
His mind then began to wander. It was good that he and Marvin had managed to get the food, but it wasn't going to last long, and it looked like, whether he liked it or not, that they were going to have to take another trip to the supermarket in the battered vehicle. There were some vehicles in the supermarket car park, but the chances of the keys dangling from the ignition would be pretty much zero, and he wasn't sure how to wire a car or even knew if it was possible in this day and age anyway.
Lloyd had done half of the site and was now slowly travelling near the main country road. A hedge separated the site and road. His vehicle turned right and he went by the shed where they found the gas canisters, and was nearly back where he started.
He pulled up by Gordon's caravan and could see Junior peering out of the living room window. Junior waved at his dad and Lloyd gave him the thumbs up. God, he loved that boy. He was a pain in the arse most times, but he was all he had left.
Lloyd turned the engine off and stepped out of the vehicle. He pulled the driver's seat back and leaned into the back to retrieve the crowbar that he thankfully didn't need, and turned around to be face to face with a male infected being.
“Shit!”
Lloyd dropped the bar in fright, the metal hitting his foot, and both males grabbed one another and fell back into the jeep and grappled on the driver's seat.
Lloyd was up close with the Runner, too close for his liking, and was underneath the squirmy bastard, trying to push it away with his hands around its throat. Both males were strong and the Runner, who was still on top of Lloyd, thrashed and scratched at Lloyd to get a piece of him, setting off the horn that was situated on the steering wheel. The horn blasted out for nine seconds before Lloyd managed to drag it away.
Lloyd was weakening and the infected slapped Lloyd's hands away, but Lloyd put his hands up once more, only to see the manic being take a generous bite out of his hand, ripping away some of his fingers.
Lloyd screamed out, and the last thing Lloyd saw was a knife being rammed into the head of the polluted male.
*
Gordon, Joan, Marvin and Junior sat on the sofa in the living room.
Junior nervously tapped his fingers on his thigh, annoying Gordon, and said to Marvin, “What caravan shall we take when dad gets back?”
“Probably the nearest one to these two.” Marvin nodded over to Joan and Gordon. “I'll think I'll go for one on my own this time.”
All four could hear the faint sound of the engine going by Gordon and Joan's caravan.
“Looks like he's back,” Joan said.
“Yip.” Gordon sighed and slowly rose to his feet. He looked over and could see Junior by the window, waving at his dad. “I suppose me and Joan better give you a hand moving … the food and stuff.”
Joan stood up and announced that she was getting a drink before helping with the move, but by the time she was on her feet a blast of a horn made all four gasp and turn in the direction it was coming from.
“What the pissing hell is he playing at?” exclaimed Gordon.
“Dad's being attacked,” cried Junior.
Marvin, Joan and Gordon all ran to the window, accidentally pushing Junior away, and glared out to see two males writhing around across the driver's seat. The vehicle's door was wide open and the legs of the men were hanging out of the jeep.
Marvin ran for the main door and jumped onto the grass, pulling out his knife, and couldn’t tell who was who at first. He approached the two men who were half inside the vehicle and stuck his blade into the temple of the creature that was on top of his brother. With the knife still stuck in its head, Marvin dragged the Runner off of his brother and could see Lloyd twitching violently.
“Oh fuck.”
He could see that some of Lloyd's fingers had been chewed off, and immediately went for his knife that was stuck in the Runner's head that was now lying on the ground. Marvin pulled out the knife and stood to his feet. The infected Lloyd Dickinson already had turned and lunged for his older brother. Both men rolled around on the flo
or, Lloyd snarling, and Marvin crying out for help.
Marvin had dropped his knife in fright and had his hands around Lloyd's throat. He was pushing up, trying to stop himself getting bitten.
Marvin's instincts were to do anything to stop being infected. If he had his knife, Lloyd would have been dead by now. Marvin was underneath Lloyd, losing the fight, and could feel his arms weakening. And then his face was sprayed with blood and the infected Lloyd Dickinson had stopped moving.
Marvin gently pushed his brother's body to the side to see a hammer implanted into his head at the top of his skull, and Gordon Burns standing in front of him.
Marvin got up and gave Gordon a nod of his head, thanking him for what he did, and then looked down at Lloyd's body. Marvin looked to Joan and Gordon's caravan and could see through the living room window that Junior was crying and being hugged and comforted by Joan.
Marvin picked his blade up from the floor and put it into his pocket. He then looked inside the jeep and could see the keys dangling from the ignition. He then went over to his brother's body and retrieved Gordon's hammer, the tool making a squelching sound as it was taken out of Lloyd's head.
“I can't believe he got infected,” Gordon sighed. “He was the bravest and the strongest out of all of us. What are we gonna do now?”
“I know.” Marvin looked to the side of him and handed Gordon the bloody hammer. He added, “Take it. You might need it very soon.”
“You think?” asked Gordon.
Marvin nodded confidently and said, “I don't think that horn blast did us any favours.”
Gordon looked and could see more Runners coming through the entrance of the site and from the side. Neither men had been spotted yet, and Marvin took the keys to the jeep and shut the driver’s door. He then urged Gordon to go back to the caravan with him, where Junior and Joan were.
“And what do we do when we get to the caravan?” Gordon queried. Both men were already making their way over to the place.
“We hide,” said Marvin. “And keep everything crossed.”
Chapter Twenty Five
Marvin closed the door behind him and could see a devastated boy being comforted by Joan Burnley. Junior was his nephew, crying for his dad, but he never felt the need to comfort the boy he hardly knew.
It was time to be practical.
Marvin had lost his brother; they had lost their leader and the strongest individual of the group. They needed to think about their next move.
Marvin went over to the curtains of the living room area, pulled them back gently and peered out. Gordon joined him.
“Oh shit,” Gordon whispered, and could see dozens heading over their way.
Some began to slow down and walk and look around, looking perplexed. This told both Marvin and Gordon that although the infected had headed in the direction of the horn, they were unsure exactly where the sound had come from.
Marvin turned to Joan and Junior, both still embracing one another. “You're gonna have to shut that crying up, Junior. A few seconds, and they're gonna be here, all around the caravan. And I'll tell you one thing ... there's more than eight of the fuckers this time.”
Joan told Junior to sit down and went over to the window herself. The fact that there weren't any actually running towards the caravan made her breathe a sigh of relief. She estimated that there were nearly fifty of them.
Shit, she thought. Eight had managed to get through Lloyd's caravan, quite literally. What could fifty do?
“We just need to get our heads down and keep quiet,” Joan suggested.
“Agreed.” Gordon nodded. “Maybe they'll go away by the next morning. Or sooner.”
Nobody responded.
Apart from Junior, the three adults gaped out of the window, careful not to be spotted. The infected were slowly scattering around the site. Some were heading their way, and others were going elsewhere.
Marvin slowly released the curtain and said to everyone, “All hide in one of the bedrooms and shut the fuck up. Don't speak to one another.”
All four left the living room and went into Joan and Gordon's room. The curtains were drawn and the room was murky, and all four decided to sit on the floor and never uttered a word to one another. They could hear the sounds of footsteps, but nothing else.
A couple of minutes had passed and Gordon made a decision to peer outside.
“It seems clear,” whispered Gordon.
“Just sit the fuck down,” Marvin snarled. “All it took was a flicker of a curtain for one Runner to attack Junior's bedroom.”
Gordon looked at Joan and she nodded at him, gesturing to him to sit down and be quiet.
Gordon crossed his legs once his backside was on the floor and said to Junior softly, “I'm sorry about your dad. I had to do it.”
“I know,” Junior sobbed quietly. “I know.”
Marvin looked around in the room and a wry smile appeared on his face, noticed by Gordon and Joan.
Gordon ignored the man, but Joan couldn't hold her tongue.
“What are you smiling at?” she hissed. “You’ve just lost your brother, for fuck's sake.”
“He was my brother, by blood.” Marvin nodded. “But he was someone I hardly knew, to be perfectly honest with you.” He then turned to Junior and added, “No offence, son.”
Junior never flinched. He sat with his legs crossed and his head lowered. Tears still fell from his eyes, but he never made a sound apart from the odd sniffing. Marvin continued with his smirking, looked over at Joan and gave her a wink. This time she never responded, so he decided to speak.
He said, nodding over to the bed, “Is that where the magic happens between you and lover boy?”
“Leave it,” Gordon spoke, glaring at Joan.
“I can't,” she said, and turned to Marvin. “I don't get what you're all about. You've just lost your brother, there're dozens of Runners outside and you're trying to wind me up. Really? I don’t get why you're doing this. You're gonna have to explain your thinking behind it. Gordon saved you from being infected by Lloyd and you treat us like this, really?”
“Just having a little fun before I die … or … be infected. Today could be the last day for all of us.” Marvin then looked at his nephew and thinned his lips with sympathy. His dad had only been dead for minutes, but he was trying to be brave.
A bang at the side of the caravan made Junior gasp. He sobbed quietly and placed his hand over his mouth. “Oh no. They're coming in.”
“Relax,” said Joan. She leaned over and squeezed his shoulder. “One of them probably just fell into the side.”
Marvin stood up and a told them that he'd go and check out the situation.
“I thought we were hiding and shutting the fuck up?” Gordon snapped. “I'm using your words, by the way.”
“Yeah, well, I wanna put Junior's mind at ease. And besides, I'm fucking bored.”
“Just be pissing quiet,” Gordon whispered.
Marvin snickered, “Of course.”
There was no point trying to change Marvin's mind. If he wanted to go out and check what it was like outside, he was going to go no matter what anybody else said. He was reckless, but he wasn't suicidal. They were sure that Marvin wouldn't do anything to put his life in danger, even if he didn't care about anybody else.
*
Marvin crept to the dusky living room and sat down. He slowly pulled back the curtain and took a peek outside to see that the situation was the same. They were everywhere, and he was certain that they'd still be there by the next morning.
And the next morning, and the next morning after that.
The bulk of the food was still in Lloyd's wrecked caravan. They were going to move it as soon as Lloyd had checked the site, but the demise of Lloyd had put that plan on hold.
Marvin guessed that the little food they had in Gordon's caravan would last them two to three days, if they were lucky.
He placed the curtain slowly back to its original position and sat with his head back,
puffing out an exasperated breath. He had a plan. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but it made sense and would benefit three good people.
He wasn't a good person. He knew that. It was time to do something good. He didn't want his brother to have died for nothing.
He took the jeep's keys out of his pocket and went back over to Gordon and Joan's bedroom. He opened the door slowly and popped his head in, noticing they were all looking up at him.
He smiled and announced, “I'm leaving.”
Chapter Twenty Six
“Leaving?” Joan followed Marvin back to the living room and Gordon wasn't far behind. She questioned further, “What do you mean, leaving?”
Marvin was in the middle of the living room area, turned around and faced Joan and Gordon. Junior was still in the room.
“I'm going.” Marvin spoke with a straight face. “That’s what I mean.”
Gordon thinned his eyes with caution and realised that Marvin wasn't joking.
“Let's wait till the morning,” Joan suggested. “They should be gone by then.”
“Are you sure about that?” Marvin laughed and shook his head.
Nobody could give him an answer.
He continued, “They're not gonna go anywhere and most of the food is in the other caravan. If we all stay in here, we're all gonna starve.”
Gordon asked Marvin, “So what do you suggest?”
“I'm gonna wait for a decent gap,” Marvin then rattled the jeep's keys, “and then I'm gonna make a run for the jeep and take off.”
“But—”
“Let me finish,” interrupted Marvin. “If I can drive out of the site and keep going, they'll follow me. They should all follow me.”
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