by Birch, S. C.
“That’s who she is!” Daniel shouted and snapped his fingers, “She’s that presenter off that telly show. You know, the one that used to be in soft porn.”
“That’s it!” said Owen, “God it was so funny! Our Lucy used to get mistak-”
But Owen was cut off when Our Lucy threw her shoe at him and glared.
“The news so far.” continued Lucy Crawford, “Some sciencey people have said that they are closer to finding a cure. Now, it won’t actually bring the Rotters back to life, but it will stop everyone bitten from turning. Isn’t that just wonderful? But with good news comes bad news. We have lost all communication to another country, Japan. But official communicants are still open with the USA and Italy, I have been told. So that’s good.”
“Shit. Just America and Italy?” asked Cameron. “What the fuck happened to everyone else?”
“Can it really be that bad?” Grace asked.
Owen shook his head a little, “Must fucking be. God. How, though? I mean they are slow as shit here. And stupid.”
“Maybe it’s a climate thing? Like, it’s usually cold and wet here so maybe that’s slowed them down.” said Daniel.
Owen nodded, “That would make some sense, I guess.”
“But it doesn’t explain it completely.” said Cameron. He looked around the room. “Where’s Em?”
“Here.” Emily said. She left the bathroom and walked over to Cameron, sat down, and draped the fur coat over them both.
“-information about our city. Well, the army have asked us to stop calling it by its real name. They said it was for security reasons. So they have asked that we call it Refuge or Sanctuary or Safe Haven or Oasis or -”
“She uses too many ors!” whined Jack.
“Shut up!” said Owen who threw Lucy’s shoe at his face.
“But we will be holding a vote on what to call it. If you have any suggestions, please send a text to the helpline number and I will let you know what the new name is by the end of the week.” continued On Screen Lucy. “But for the time just now, I shall call this Home. In other news, Owen Parker and his group of survivors have joined us all and will soon be hosting their own survival program. Isn’t that just great?”
“We will?” Owen asked the source of this revelation.
“Apparently so.” said Cameron.
“And one of them in particular is immune to the disease and has generously offered his body to helping develop a cure -”
“I have?” Jack asked the room.
“Apparently so.” Cameron said again.
“Mate, enough of your sass!” said Jack and hurtled Real Lucy’s shoe over the bed.
“And now,” continued Fake Lucy, “it is time to say the names of all we lost yesterday. Ashley Collins, Eric Hill, Rodger Green, Sarah Murphy, Michael Corr -”
“God that’s fucking depressing.” said Owen.
“Do you know what I don’t get.” said Grace.
“Schrodinger’s cat theory?” asked Jack.
“No!” said Grace, “Is it alive? Is it dead? Just check the box. If the cat’s dead, it would smell bad.”
“I was kidding.” Jack said, bewildered.
“Well,” Grace continued, “I can’t understand how this has happened. I mean, we have been totally fine for two weeks now. We’ve killed loads of zombies. And that’s us. We’re useless most of the ti-”
“Speak for yourself.” interrupted Cameron with the same amount of sass as before.
Grace lunged her top half forwards and started pulling the covers around.
“He has the shoe.” said Jack.
“Oh.” said Grace as she sat back into the headboard and tugged at her shawl.
Real Lucy sighed. “Give it back!”
Cameron bent forwards, grabbed the shoe, and chucked it over and behind himself.
“I get what you mean, Grace,” said Daniel over the shoe throwing, “But I have a theory.”
“Oh God no.” grumbled Jack.
Daniel shook his head and continued, “I think it’s panic. Like, everyone is so scared and nobody is acting or thinking properly. I honestly think that if the whole world just acted sensibly then they would be fine. Maybe we should do the survival thing what’s her face was talking about. You know, tell people to just keep calm.”
“Keep calm and carry on.” said Cameron, “It’s only the zedpocs.”
“Oooh!” said Emily as the sarcasm was lost on her, “That could be like our mantra or something.”
Owen ignored the many sighs that erupted and stared out the window and at the guns, “I don’t think we have a choice. But it is a good idea.”
“What, the mantra thing?” asked Emily.
And Lucy spoke up as another wave of sighs approached, “So what do we do now?”
“I say again, I don’t think we have a choice.” said Owen again.
“Oh.” Emily said and pulled the fur coat over her shoulders and around her neck, “So not the mantra thing.”
“No, Emily, obviously fucking not.” said Owen.
“Lucy! Give me the shoe!” shouted Emily.
“No.” Lucy said, clutching her weapon like shoe.
“Fine!” Emily doubled forwards and started untying the laces of her chunky boots.
Cameron laughed. “You launch them and they’ll go out the window.”
“Fine!” Emily spat again and sulked.
There was a thumping at the door, “We’re coming in. Stand back.”
“We’re already back.” said Jack.
Four soldiers and a man in jeans and a polo shirt carrying a satchel walked into the room.
“I need to take a blood sample from you.” said Polo Shirted Man.
Owen looked ahead; his bat was just out of reach. He wouldn’t be able to reach it without those guns noticing.
“Right, just to check,” said Jack and slid forwards on the bed, “is it just blood you’re gonna take? Like, I don’t need to worry that you are going to go all deranged on me and steal my brain or something?”
“Just blood.” said Polo Shirted Man.
The four soldiers stood by the door with their hands resting on their guns.
Jack sighed as he reached the end of the bed, dropped his feet down, and scrunched up his sleeve. Polo Shirted Man opened up his satchel and withdrew a little needle which he slid into Jack’s arm. He inserted a clear plastic tube and dark red blood poured into it. Once that was filled, he took another. And another. After filling five vials of blood, Polo Shirted Man ripped the needle out of Jack, dumped it in a clear bag, the blood in another, and sped out the room.
Then the door locked from the outside.
“You know,” said Jack as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm where the needle had been, “I have a really funny feeling that not dying was the best part of, you know, not dying. You know what I mean?”
“Sometimes it’s great watching you try to talk.” said Cameron, “You fail at it so well.”
“Somebody shoe me right fucking now!” barked Jack.
“Can you believe that it’s only been like two weeks or whatever? Like, actually only…” Emily chewed on her bottom lip, “Fucks sakes man. The apocalypse only started fourteen days ago.”
Cameron patted Emily’s knee “Well done.” he said, “I knew you’d get there eventually.”
Owen, who had not heard Cameron’s remark, nor noticed Emily just about boil in rage, responded to her, “Christ I know. But in all fairness, we’ve done well to get it this far without fucking dying.”
“You think that getting locked in a filthy room and finding out from a Barbie what’s going on is lucky?” asked Cameron.
This time Owen pulled off his boot and hurled it.
“Can we all just stop throwing shoes around?” shouted Lucy who was on the verge of losing her sanity, “Let’s just think this through, okay? We’re safe, they’re feeding us and have nearly got a cure and we will be helping people…I think. That’s not that bad.”
“Yea
h, but it’s also not as bad as being locked in a cage. Oh, wait. It is that bad. It is exactly that bad.” said Cameron.
“I will shoe you.” said Lucy darkly.
“Right, I vote that from now on Cam’s banned from talking.” Owen said.
***
Hours passed. Owen heard a thumping.
“We’re clear of the door.” said Owen from his spot by the window before they had a chance to ask.
The door slid forwards and in the frame stood Andrew.
“Everyone, pack up.” he said.
“Why? Is something wrong?” asked Daniel.
“Just pack up.” Andrew said.
“But -”
Andrew marched to Daniel and towered over him. “Listen here. You are in my town. I might have superiors, but they don’t need to know about the little accidents that happen to inconsequential people. So do as I say or I swear to fuck I will use you for bait like a worm on a hook. Grab your shit, and follow me.”
A collective fear swept through them all. Owen peered around Andrew and his gun. Six other armed guards were stood by the door, waiting. Owen felt his stomach plummet towards his feet. He could feel his heart race and thump. And it was as though he had no control over his body because before he realised he had done it, Owen was on his feet, with bags in one hand, his baseball bat in the other, and they were all walking through the corridors.
As they walked towards the lift again, Owen noticed a set of double doors leading to the stairs with a thick, silver chain wrapped around both bars. They turned a corner and found themselves in the elevator again. Andrew and his six guards pilled in. The lift started its climb. Owen tightened his hand around his bat. He wanted nothing more than to start smashing their skulls in. All he could hear was the metallic wailing of the elevator, and his own heartbeat inside his skull.
They were led from the elevator and up the far brighter, wider, and cleaner halls until they reached room ‘Fourteen Zero Nine’. Andrew unlocked it. But before he had a chance to decide if he was going in or not, Owen felt a gun smack sidelong on his back and he fell into the room. Then his friends followed in the same way, through the door, which Andrew, again, locked.
The room they had been thrown into was large. Owen walked through the lounge area. Still that full-length window against the far wall. To the right of him, a television mounted on the wall and to the left, an ornate looking white sofa with soft pink cushions, two matching armchairs and a coffee table in the middle. On either side of the seats were two wooden doors and a third near the television.
“Well at least they gave us an upgrade, I guess.” Jack said and dumped the stuff he had been carrying in a heap on the floor.
Owen walked over to the window and again, looked out into freedom. He could see even more of the city and beyond, but less of the people.
“Yes!” shouted Daniel, “Two double beds. I’m going to sleep well tonight.”
Lucy placed her hands on her hips, “Oh are you now?”
Daniel’s eyebrows slid up his forehead, “Maybe?”
“Yeah, I don’t think they gave us this room out of the kindness of their hearts. I think it’s for pretences.” said Cameron.
“Oh well!” shouted Emily, “It’s better than what we had! I’m away to sleep.”
“It’s like, four in the afternoon or something.” said Jack.
“So? I slept in a fucking bath last night.” said Emily then she spun away before anyone had a chance to argue with her.
Day Fifteen
“It’s a madhouse in here!” shouted Jack.
Owen was sat on the floor, looking out the window and down at the streets and the people in them. He tried his best to ignore yet another approaching Brooker fight as he looked out.
“I’m being fucking serious!” screeched Emily.
From beyond the vehicular barrier, wall, whatever it was, Owen could see something. He was so high up, and the world so far away, but the something he could see was a horde of zombies traveling through the streets. It looked like a dark mass, like a swarm of bugs, sweeping through the outer city. And again, it seemed to be moving faster. But it could just have been that Owen was higher, so his perspective was a little off.
“They’re not going to harvest our organs, Em!” shouted Jack.
It really was a large horde. Larger than any Owen had seen before. There was a little explosion in the middle of the horde and body parts flew around in a plumage of fire and black ooze. But they kept coming forwards. Owen couldn’t be sure how, he couldn’t see well enough. But they were definitely still moving. There was another mild explosion. And yet the zombies still moved. Now Owen was sure they were getting faster. As they reached the wall, there was a distant rumbling sound and the last of them fell to the ground. Owen looked at the buildings surrounding their city and wondered how many people had been left abandoned in them.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Emily. What could they possibly gain from that?” Lucy asked.
In the field beyond the wall and the buildings, Owen could no longer see the warehouses, but he could see a cloud of dark smoke. It was drifting towards the city. Not enough to do any immediate damage, and Owen wasn’t sure if it actually reached the city or not, but he didn’t like it. He thought that they must be burning corpses of a twice dead nature, and Owen didn’t want to think about what that smoke might have lurking in it.
“Guys?” Owen asked, still looking at the approaching smoke.
“Like science and shit.” said Emily.
“Come here a minute.” Owen said.
“Science and shit? Honestly, Em, science and shit?” asked Jack.
“Guys?” asked Owen again.
“Yes! Exactly that!” Emily shouted.
Owen spun round to them all, “Will you all just shut the fuck up and listen to me!”
So they did.
“Do we have any scarfs or anything that we can wear over our mouths?”
“Why, mate? You decided that the end of the world locked in a fucking hotel room is the time to sort out your look?” Jack asked.
Owen groaned and slapped his own forehead with the heel of his palm. “Right, I think that some zombie virus might be headed our way. Airborne. Don’t want to take the risk.”
“Shit, how?” asked Cameron as he skidded down beside Owen.
“See that smoke?” Owen asked and rammed his finger into the glass wall, “I think they’re burning zombies. They’ve been burning something since we got here and I don’t want to run the risk of it getting in here and we all end up fucking dead.”
“Except me. I’m just better than you all.” chimed in Jack.
Lucy slammed her hands on her hips, “Well aren’t you just a lucky little fucker then?”
“Is it important? At all?” shouted Owen.
Emily dove into the bags they had brought and started rummaging through them.
Cameron yanked his rucksack before Emily had a chance to and said, “Nope.”
“What are you doing?” Owen asked.
“Well, if like, that is zombie making smoke, then we need to protect ourselves like you said. So scarfs for our face and that. And this always happens in movies and games and shit, but the people outside won’t do this and they’ll end up all corpsey. I don’t want to be sitting about fucking, I don’t know, twiddling my thumbs or knitting or whatever. If that happens, I want to be ready.”
Grudgingly, Jack agreed, “That’s actually quite clever.”
“You’re welcome.” Emily grumbled. And as she stood up, Owen was positive he heard her say, “Dick head.”
“I have scarfs. Lots of them,” Grace said.
“Of course you do,” Jack said and kissed her.
They scrambled around and got suited up, then they wrapped scarfs around their necks. And once they did that, they got their weapons ready, filled a rucksack with nothing but ammunition, then, in another stroke of genius from Emily, they wrapped every belt they had around themselves somewhat loose and holstered thei
r weapons.
“Is it just me,” said Jack as he admired his comrades, “or do we look pretty sexy like this?”
“And that’s a thought that’s going to scar me for life.” said Emily.
“You are so deeply damaged already. And that was way before any of this fifteen shades of fuckery broke out.” said Jack.
“I swear I will damage you beyond repair!” Emily screamed.
Jack grinned and sauntered towards Emily, “Oh really? And just -”
“Christ almighty!” Owen barked, “Why? Just why? Why do you two have to turn everything into a fight?”
Jack pointed his thumb at his sister, “Because it’s her. You have met the spawn of all chaos, haven’t you?”
Emily screamed and marched straight to her brother, “Fuck you! You are like, the world’s biggest fucking prick! And that was before half the fucking world died on us.”
“Do you know what the worst part of all this is?” asked Jack as he loomed over his furious sister, “The fact that I’m stuck in the fucking middle of it all with you!”
And Emily started shaking like fury. Her whole body tensed up as she vibrated. Cameron knew exactly what was about to happen so scooped her up and dragged her to the bathroom. Again.
Owen sat, trying to turn the screaming and yelling into white noise. He looked outside. Down below, he saw something which appalled him. He couldn’t make the whole thing out clearly, and he wasn’t sure how old everyone was. But Owen watched someone being brutally attacked, then robbed. Owen pulled his hands up and buried his face in them.
At twelve o’clock that wailing noise wailed out again.
“Good afternoon, everyone. As you know, it’s twelve o’clock so it’s time for our little get together. It’s me, Lucy Crawford. But you already knew that -”
“Wow.” said Real Life Lucy, “She really does love herself, doesn’t she?”
“Clearly.” said Cameron, watching On Screen Lucy who was bouncing in her seat and trying her utmost to smile.
“Today I have some good news. Actually, I have lots of lovely news to cheer you all up. The first thing I have been told is that we just received more food. But the proper kind. So please, everyone, expect spiced noodles tonight -”