Safe Zone (Book 2): The Descent

by Suzanne Sussex

  Encouraged, I continue, “Had the child in the situational practice been able to make noise I would have known that she was not a zeb and therefore I would have reacted differently to the situation.” I take a deep breath, my anger now fully under control, “I believe I can learn no more in a classroom, and experience in the field is the only thing that can help me develop in my weaker areas.”

  “Thank you, Sammie,” Sally says, “Please wait outside while we conduct the vote.”

  I leave the hall and step out into the brightness of the day, squinting for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight. I’m surprised to see my mother sitting on the steps that lead down from the main entrance. She must have taken the afternoon off work to be here. I’m tempted to ignore her, because I think that she put Sally up to the hard line of questioning. But I realise that is childish, so I wordlessly sit down next to her.

  She starts and lets out as a small gasp, as though I caught her in a daydream, “How did it go?” she asks.

  I shrug, “Don't know. They're voting now. Sally was very challenging.”

  “Ah,” is Mum’s simple reply, neither confirming nor denying that she had a role to play.

  We sit in silence and stare out at people walking by, going about their day, blissfully ignorant of the fact that my fate is being decided just a few metres away. The hall is situated on a large square of land. There are a few benches dotted around a circular patch of grass, and a small children’s play area is off to the right. The rusty swing lets out a continual creak as it sways in the wind. The park itself is deserted, because it’s still early in the afternoon and the children will be in school or in crèches.

  A sudden urge to take Mum by the hand and run over to the park overcomes me. When I was small, we used to go to the park when Mum wasn’t working. We spent hours playing on the seesaw. I would sit on one of the faded red seats, she would stand over the other. When she was sure I was holding on tightly, she would sit down and launch me into the air. My backside would fly from the seat, and I would giggle with delight and ask for more. Mum would throw her head back and laugh. She hasn’t laughed like that in a long time.

  I do not act on my impulse. Instead, I stay seated and silent. I look over to her and see that she, too is staring at the park.

  “Do you remember when I used to take you there?” she asks.

  I nod, then realise that she is not looking at me, “Yeah,” I reply.

  She continues as though she didn't hear me, “You were so fearless. You always wanted to go so high on the swing and you would let me bump you up and down on the seesaw. Even when you fell off you would laugh and shout, ‘Again, again,’ and I was so proud of you. I still am.” She sighs and turns to look at me, “When your aptitude tests came back with S and T as your primary, I wasn’t surprised, but I hoped you would choose something else.”

  This isn't news to me, but it’s the first time she has ever said the words out loud.

  “Why?” I ask.

  “I think you have some grand dream of an exciting life full of adventures. But you don’t know just how bad it is out there. It’s a fight to survive. Zone E is safe. Out there is not. What is so wrong with staying here, having a family and watching your children grow up?”

  I sigh and rest my head on my knees, “Jobs in the zone are just a life of monotony, the same routine every day until I die. You can’t understand, you've lived out there. You’ve been to places that will never ever be possible for me to go.

  You've experienced things that I never will. I want to meet new people, see new places. I don’t want this job so that I can be a hero, I want this job so I can really live.”

  Her eyes fill, “I’m just so scared that I will lose you too,” a solitary tear rolls down her cheek and drops onto her chest.

  “You won’t, Mum. I promise,” I tell her and pull her towards me. She rests her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her back. She feels so frail. I remember her as a strong woman, but the hardships of life have taken their toll. She looks so much older than fifty four; her hair is completely grey, her face wrinkled from years working outside.

  “Did you know that every day your Dad went to work, he would kiss me goodbye and promise me that he would be safe?” she asks. I give a small shake of my head, she rarely talks about Dad, and there is no way I am going to interrupt her. “I believed him. For years, he would go out on patrol in the morning, then come home every night. Until the day he didn’t …” she trails off, letting the words hang in the air.

  I remember that day, I had just turned six, and was at school waiting for home time. Mum had promised to take me to the park after school.

  As soon as we were told we could leave, I dashed out of the building and ran to the spot where Mum would usually meet me. But Mum wasn’t there. Instead, it was Sally’s dad, Uncle George. As I approached, he knelt and looked me straight in the eye. He told me that there had been an accident and that he would take me home today.

  I don’t remember feeling any sense of worry. I held George’s hand and skipped along beside him. I told about my day, chattering on incessantly. He stayed quiet and stoic. When we got home, Mum, Sally and Lex were in our communal living area, and they were all crying. That was when I started to feel scared. I had never seen any of them upset before. I clung to George’s hand, but when Mum saw me, she took me from him and held me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe.

  Eventually, she let me go, then she sat down and put me on her lap. She told me that Daddy had been very brave, but he was going to Heaven now. I nodded and smiled at her, “Pepsi will like that,” I told her, referring to our black cat that had died a few months before. Named by my father, as her colour reminded him of the long forgotten fizzy drink. “Can we go to the park now?” I asked. Mum did not reply, she just held me again, until my shoulders became wet from her tears.

  She never took me to the park again.

  For weeks, I asked if today was the day that Daddy was coming back from Heaven. Mum would shake her head sadly and remind me that he was staying there with Pepsi. Then she would go to her bedroom and stay there for hours. Eventually, I stopped asking.

  Sitting here in the fresh spring air, I’m lost for words. I shouldn’t have promised that I would be okay. I didn’t realise how painful that would be for her to hear. But the words have been said, and I can't take them back. So once again, we both sit in silence, while we wait to hear my fate.

  “Sammie,” a voice calls out from behind me. I jump up. They are ready for me.

  “Good luck,” Mum smiles at me and I make my way back into the ugly grey building. The room feels even colder now that I have been sitting in the sunshine, but I’m determined not to shiver or show any signs of discomfort.

  “Sammie Winter, voting has now been completed,” Sally addresses me formally. She studies my face and pauses for what feels like forever. Then she smiles, “Approval to undertake final assessment has been granted. Congratulations.”

  Forgetting to show restraint, I punch the air with delight.

  I am going outside.

  ~

  Our little house has never been so packed, the entire S and T team have joined us for a celebration. Lex and Sally are here, even Uncle George has come over. He sits in the corner, he's in his seventies now, and the walk over here will have tired him out. I know that George and my mum have somewhat of a tempestuous relationship, but he's always been kind to me. He used to spend hours telling me stories about 'The Before'. He would describe the places he had visited, the people he knew. I used to think it was all make believe, like the stories my Dad used to read me before bed. But Mum assured me that it was all true.

  I take a seat on the arm of the chair next to him. “Thank you for coming,” I say. He pats me on the hand, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, I’m proud of you Sammie, you’ve worked hard for this.” I’m touched by his words, George isn’t normally an affectionate man, so it means a lot to me, “Thank you.”

  “Now go, celebrat
e, don’t waste your party on an old fool like me,” he tells me.

  “You’re neither old nor a fool,” I smile at him, then lean down to kiss him on the cheek. I leave him watching the merriment and head over to Sally. I want to understand why she was such a bitch in the meeting.

  She smiles broadly at me as I approach, “Congratulations,” she says.

  “No thanks to you,” I reply coldly, “I thought you were on my side.”

  "I am," she chuckles, her eyes gleaming, “I couldn’t go easy on you. I would have been accused of favouritism. Besides, I needed you to show the others that you can control your temper. I had to push you, make you angry.”

  “Oh,” that makes sense, and I feel kind of dumb not thinking of it that way. The testing scores are shared at the council meetings. They would all have known that I had some pretty dire results, “Risky strategy though, I was really angry with you. I had to try really hard not to show it.”

  She nods, “And that is how I knew you were ready.”

  “Oh,” I say again, “in that case, thank you.” She pulls me into her embrace. “Sam would be so proud of you.” Sam was Sally’s boyfriend, and during the early days, he sacrificed himself to save Mum, George, Sally and Lex. I was named after him.

  “Your Dad would be, too,” she releases me, and I catch a hint of sadness in her eyes. She swallows and then smiles, “I think Annie wants to see you.”

  I nod, unable to speak and briefly bow my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. I wish Dad were here to join in the celebrations.

  Lifting my head up high, I leave Sally to chat with Lex and her partner Tara, and go off in search of Annie.

  She’s talking with some of the other S&T team and I join the group. I smile politely and nod at the praise and congratulations passed my way.

  Annie beams at me, “You did well today, that speech at the end. Well, I never saw that coming.”

  I grin, but don't admit that even I was surprised, “Thank you, and thank you for giving me a chance.”

  “You deserve it, now come with me, I have something for you.”

  She leads me into my bedroom, where, sitting on top of the bed, is a neatly folded pile of clothes. I gasp at her, “My uniform?”

  She nods, smiling broadly at my reaction.

  New clothes in the zone are rare, mine have always been either other kids’ hand-me-downs, or made from old curtains and sheets. I tenderly lift the first item, it is a black V-neck T-shirt.

  I hold it to my nose and sniff, it smells so clean and fresh. Next on the pile is a pair of black cargo trousers and under that is a lightweight waterproof jacket. The jacket covers the greatest prize of all. It is a utility belt, and it has space for tools and knives. I hold it up admiringly.

  “You can go to the armoury tomorrow to choose your knife,” Annie tells me.

  “She won’t need to,” Mum’s voice comes from the doorway.

  I turn to see her, and she looks strange. Her mouth is smiling, but her eyes look sad, as though there is a dark cloud hanging over her.

  “This was your Dad’s,” she passes me a knife. I don’t remember ever seeing it before, it’s beautiful, the blade gleams in the soft glow of the lamp. The handle is solid ivory, with a small crest embedded within it. It’s the cap badge for the division my Dad was in.

  “Wow, Mum, I don’t know what to say. I’ll look after it.”

  She smiles at me again, “I know, I’ll leave you two to talk.” She turns away from us and re-joins the party.

  “Talk?” I ask Annie.

  “Yep, before we called you back in after the vote, we decided on what your final assessment would be.”

  “Wow, that’s quick, I thought it was normally weeks before a decision was made.”

  She shrugs, “It usually is, but I’m afraid we don’t have the luxury of time. We’re far behind where we need to be. We need to get you up and running as soon as possible.”

  A bubble of excitement runs through me, “Great, so what is it? When is it? Who’s going?”

  Annie laughs at my obvious enthusiasm, “We go in three days, it will just be you and me from S and T, I can’t spare anyone else. We’ll have four members of the security team with us.”

  “Okay, but where?” I am almost bouncing with excitement.

  “We’re going to get those medical supplies I mentioned in the meeting. We’re going to the Dead Zone.”

  Chapter Two

  The stench of urine and faeces assaulted Luca as he pulled open the heavy door to the darkened cell. He stepped inside, instinctively ducking to avoid hitting his head on the low door frame. The two occupants were huddled together in the corner, shielding their eyes from the sudden harshness of the light that now filled the room. Luca had been cautioned that they were likely to attack him if he got too close, so he gingerly placed the tray on the floor near the door.

  He had been told that when they first arrived, they had attempted to escape every time their cell door was open. They would hide next to the door and pounce at the unwitting person on the other side. But today they just sat, staring anywhere but at Luca.

  He studied them in silence and cringed inwardly at their thin, emaciated frames, dried blood and faded bruises on every inch of visible skin. No doubt punishment for trying to escape. Yet still a wave of guilt washed over him. These two people didn’t look like a threat to society, like he was told. They looked normal. Normal and frightened.

  He looked down at the meagre offering of food, then back at the pair, “I’m sorry,” Luca whispered, “It’s all we can spare,” he nodded down at the tray that held stale bread and a single glass of water.

  As one, the pair looked up at him with utter defiance and hatred. If they were surprised that he had spoken to them, they did not show it. Nor did they attempt to retrieve the food, even though they must be starving. If he’d been in the same position, he would have leapt at it. He supposed that after weeks of being confined in this dirty cell, the only thing they had left was pride. It was no surprise that they were unwilling to demonstrate any show of reliance on their captors. Even though he suspected that as soon as his back was turned, they would tear hungrily into the inadequate offering.

  Backing out of the room, Luca closed the door and pushed the deadbolt into place. He inhaled deeply, taking in a lungful of air, yet still, the stench remained. As though it had ingrained itself in his clothes and weaved into his hair. The thought of stepping into a warm shower and lathering soap over his body was but a dream. Showers had been banned ages ago.

  Today had been Luca’s first time feeding the prisoners. Nobody else wanted the job anymore. It could be the foul smell, the threat of violence or even the harrowing scene of two people slowly wasting away. Or more likely, it could be the inherent laziness that seemed to be spreading through Zone G like a virus.

  Luca was five when the zombie outbreak hit. He didn't remember much of the days leading up to the event. But he did remember the day his world changed forever.

  His mother had come home from work in London, complaining that she felt ill. She had gone to bed early and hadn’t even risen to kiss Luca goodnight when it was his bedtime. Instead, his father had tucked him in bed and read him a story. As he kissed Luca goodnight, he promised him that Mommy would be better in the morning.

  Luca had been drifting off to sleep when he was jolted back awake by the sound of his Dad shouting and a door slamming. He tentatively stepped out of his bedroom to investigate. He knew that if he got caught out of bed he would be in big trouble. But his curiosity had got the better of him. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a lone figure slumped against the door to his parents’ bedroom.

  His father.

  Fearful of being discovered, Luca had stepped backwards to return to his room but caught the doorframe with his elbow. He had let out a small yelp of surprise, then immediately covered his mouth with his hands as though that very action would put the noise back inside.

  His father had jumped to
his feet and hurried over to the door. Luca had cowed, ready to be told off, but instead, his Dad picked him up and carried him quickly down the stairs. Luca had started to cry. He was going to be in lots of trouble.

  For a long time his father had not said anything. He collected his keys, wallet and phone from the hallway table and left the house. Luca had howled with fear. Scared that he had been so naughty that his parents didn’t want him anymore. But his father reached over and gave him a reassuring squeeze on the leg, which calmed him, until his howls turned to small sobs. The sobs stopped completely when he recognised the route they were taking. They were going to his Nanna and Grampy’s house.

  When they arrived, his Dad had carried him from the car, holding a finger to his lips. He whispered to Luca that they were playing a game and they needed to stay very quiet. Luca had smiled and pressed his own finger to his lips.

  He liked games.

  It seemed to take forever for Grampy to open the front door and let them in. As soon as they were inside, Luca was told to go and sit in the lounge while the two adults talked in hushed whispers. He remembered feeling happy that he had won the game, because Daddy was now talking.

  It wasn’t until the next day that Luca was told that Mummy had got very sick and had gone to heaven. He hadn’t really understood at the time. But he sensed the worry of the three grown-ups and had tried to be good.

  They had stayed in his grandparents’ house for over a month. Luca was not allowed outside, which wasn’t fair, because his Dad got to go out every day to get them food. He was bored, he hadn’t taken any toys from his house and his grandparents didn’t know any of the good games. When his Dad came back with food, he would be quiet and sad, lacking the energy, or perhaps the spirit to play with his son. Luca remembered wishing that his Mummy would come back from heaven, but she never did.