by Russ Watts
“So did he say how the survivors would get out?” asked Jackson.
“He said a co-ordinated evacuation would be almost impossible. All the stations and airports would be closed down with instructions left for any survivors on where to head to: army barracks, triage centres, anywhere that could help. Ultimately, though, he said it would come down to the individual. If a capital city falls, then the governing body would fall with it, leaving any kind of rescue plan a long way down the list of things to get organised.
“I think what my dad was trying to drill into me, was that when it happened, not if, but when, then I was on my own. Find your own way, because big brother is not coming for you.”
Jackson sat down beside Benzo. “Sounds like your father had a point. Even if the trains and planes aren’t there anymore, if we head to the station, then we might at least find out what is going on and where it is safe. We might find directions to one of these triage centres or something.” As he sat, he felt a piece of paper crinkle in his back pocket.
“What the hell are those things anyway? Zombies? That’s stupid. They’re people, like you and me. They were unlucky enough to get this infection and died from it. Now their bodies are moving around on their own, but they’re not the same people anymore.” Benzo sighed.
Jackson pulled the piece of paper from his back pocket and was reading it silently. Benzo looked at it and saw Jackson’s expression.
“What is it?”
“It’s the roll call I took a couple of days ago. Remember when this kicked off, and Jill made me take a list of everyone who stayed behind in the office,” replied Jackson.
“Bloody health and safety bollocks,” said Benzo.
“Half of these people are dead now,” said Jackson sadly. He began reading the names aloud. “Amber Thorndon, Frederick Thompson, Dina Herbert, Chloe Denitz, Michelle Whittaker, Jill...”
Jackson stopped, unable to read anymore. Benzo could see Jackson’s eyes were watery and said nothing, letting the names of the dead hang in the air. Freddy, Troy, Rob; most of his old mates were dead now. Benzo thought of his father and what he might be doing. Was he working with the police, still trying to help people? Was he at home? It was more likely that he was dead along with the rest of his family.
“I keep wishing I could see my Mary again, but I know it’s not going to happen. It would take a miracle.” Jackson folded the paper up and put it back in his pocket. He quickly wiped his face and got up.
“Come on, we’d better get back,” said Benzo. No sooner had he said that, than they heard a noise like footsteps. A repetitive tapping sound that gradually increased in volume.
“Do you think someone’s come looking for us?” whispered Benzo.
“No,” said Jackson. “Listen.”
They stood still, Benzo holding his breath for fear of being found by the dead. The footsteps reached a peak and then began to fade.
“They’re coming from the other side of the hall,” said Jackson. He pointed over to the stage and there, behind it, was a door, half open. “Come on, we’d better check.”
“No way,” said Benzo, “what if it’s one of those things?”
“I don’t think it is,” said Jackson. “The footsteps are too regular. It’s the same sound we make when we’re walking. Those zombies don’t walk like we do. No, I think it’s someone alive. I just don’t know who. If it was one of us, they would have said something.”
They walked across the vast hall to the door, careful not to make any noise. The noise of the receding footsteps stopped and they heard a rattling sound coming from the adjacent corridor. Very gently, Jackson pushed the door open and poked his head around it. He couldn’t see anyone, but the rattling sound was definitely coming from the end of the corridor.
“Come on,” he said, and Benzo followed him into the corridor. “Whoever it is, they’re making far too much noise. They’re going to let the whole world know we’re in here.”
“Hey!” Benzo called out. “Whoever that is, for goodness sake, be quiet!”
The rattling sound stopped abruptly and Jackson and Benzo paused. A crashing sound echoed down the corridor to them as a window was smashed and glass tinkled to the ground.
“This is not good,” said Jackson and he started running down the corridor. Together with Benzo, he rounded the end of the corridor and saw a man, half out of the smashed window, one leg either side of the frame.
Ranjit looked at the two men. “Get away from me. I’m leaving and you can’t stop me. I need to find my wife. You lot are pathetic. Fighting at a time like this? You don’t even know the half if it. If you’d seen what I’d seen...just leave me alone!”
“Ranjit stop, don’t go out there!” said Jackson.
Ranjit didn’t hear anything else. He clambered out of the window and fell to the ground outside. He was in the rear yard, at the foot of the fire escape they had used to get in earlier. He ran out of the yard, weaving between the scattered zombies, avoiding their clutching hands.
“Keti, I’m coming!” He screamed as he ran into the road.
Jackson watched him disappear out of sight. Alerted by the breaking glass and Ranjit’s cries, the nearest zombies in the yard saw Jackson and Benzo through the open window. They rushed toward it and others followed. From the streets, more were drawn to the commotion.
“Run!” shouted Benzo.
They sprinted back down the corridor as the first zombie climbed into the conference centre. In the doorway, to the main hall, Jackson hesitated and looked back. At least a dozen dead were following them. He slammed the door shut and ran.
“We’ve got to get back upstairs and warn the others. It won’t be long before they catch up with us,” said Benzo running through the hall.
They ran back the way they had come and finally came to the ‘Nelson’ room. Benzo threw the door open to see Reggie holding something above his head, Tom with a bloody nose, and Brad with a cut face and a black eye. Everyone looked at Benzo, shocked by the way he had burst into the room.
“They’re in,” he said.
* * * *
“We can do it, I’m telling you,” said Angel. “I’m not waiting anymore. We can do it.”
“She’s right, Don.” Rosa walked over to him and took his hand, forcing him to stand up. “We’ve spent the last three days stuck in here and this may be our only chance to get out. You know we can do it. They’re the only sign of life we’ve seen in days.” There was a pleading in her voice that he could not ignore.
Don’s bus was still in the pub car park where he had abandoned it. For the last three days, they had been trapped in the upstairs room of The Fox together. He had picked up Rosa on her way into the city and she still wore the blue uniform she had put on days ago. He had learnt a lot about Rosa. When you were stuck in a small room with someone for days on end, it was impossible not to. She had recently started working in the city plaza, front desk work for one of the big banks.
Angel, an older woman, was on her way to the same bank to take out all her money. She spent the last three days carping on about ‘the system,’ and how the banking institutions were bringing about the downfall of western civilisation. All he knew, was how to drive a bus, and drink, not always exclusive to each other.
“I don’t know,” he said running his hands through his thinning grey hair. “You saw what happened to that fat bloke when he ran from the centre. He got what, twenty feet, thirty? He’s in pieces now. Can I just remind you two ladies of that?”
“Well, there’s certainly not much of him left, that’s true,” said Angel staring out the window down into the blood-stained yard.
“But he was on foot,” said Rosa. “We’ve got your bus. Come on, Don, think about it. With the distraction, the yard’s nearly empty.”
Since the outbreak, the zombies had followed the bus into the yard and surrounded it. Don, Rosa, and Angel had managed to escape it and locked themselves into the deserted pub upstairs. Some of Don’s passengers hadn’t been so lu
cky. Poor Mr Barker had gone back for his bag and vanished under a pile of animated rotting bodies. They had listened to his anguished howls before one of the zombies snapped his neck and he went silent. From a bus of nine people, only three had made it off with Don.
“Look,” said Angel, “they’re all going into the Onevision conference centre. There’s barely a handful left down there. We can totally run past those few. I have one vision, Don, and it involves us getting out of here.”
Bloody, Angel was right, he knew it. She was an oddball for sure, but she was usually on the money. If he hadn’t found out she was forty five, he would’ve sworn she was thirty. She had her hair in dreadlocks and wore brightly coloured clothes as if she was Rosa’s age.
“All right, fine.” Don put his jacket on and took the keys out, dangling them in front of Angel. “Just remember, I’m the driver, it’s my bus, and that means I’m in charge once we get out there.”
“No problem,” said Angel.
“Yay, thanks, Don!” Rosa planted a wet kiss on his cheek. He tried not to, but couldn’t help a small smile escaping his wrinkled face.
“Listen, we’ve talked about this, so we all know what to do. Don’t start messing around out there. If you start pissing about, I’m not waiting for you.”
“Yes, Don, we’ve got it, don’t worry,” said Rosa gleefully. “Oh, I can’t wait to get home and have a wash and put on some clean clothes.”
“I’m looking forward to eating some fresh vegetables again. I’m sick of frigging dry roasted peanuts,” said Angel, picking up her handbag. She looked out of the window again. Down by the bus below them, she counted the zombies. There were seven in total and four of those were small children. They were fast, but they were easier to knock over. She looked over the fence at the conference centre opposite. Hundreds of zombies were swarming over it now, and through the open window the fat man had left behind. Some of the dead milled around in the yard, unable to get into the building. Some of them had begun to climb the fire escape to find another way in.
“Hey, Rosa, come here a sec’, will you?”
“What is it?” said Rosa approaching the window.
“That man wasn’t alone.” Angel pointed to the fire escape and Rosa’s eyes traced their way up it, past the zombies, to the top. Two men were stood out on the top step, waving frantically.
Rosa waved back. “Um, Don, we might need a change of plan.”
* * * *
“Quick, upstairs now!” shouted Jackson. Brad and Reggie ran after Benzo and Jackson, while the rest of the group scrambled to their feet.
“Wait, we can’t leave,” said Jessica. “What about Parker?”
Tom looked at his friend. He wasn’t dead yet, but he certainly looked it.
“I don’t think there’s much we can do for him, Jess.”
“We can’t just leave him though. He was your friend for God’s sake.”
“I know, I know, but think about it, what can I do? I’m sorry, Jess but we have to go.” Tom took her hand and she shrugged him away. She bent down to Parker.
“Hey, Parker, can you hear me? We have to go now. Get up, Parker, get up, please?” She pulled on his lifeless hands to no avail.
“Will you help me please, Christina?” said Tom. She nodded and together they pulled Jessica away from the unconscious Parker.
“No, leave me alone, I can’t leave someone else, not again!” Jessica was crying as Tom and Christina dragged her away, leaving Parker slumped against the wall, taking in small, shallow breaths.
“Parker, please!” cried Jessica.
Christina stood in front of her and cupped her face. “Come on, Jessica, there’s nothing you can do for him now. Follow me. Come on, darling.”
Tom let her go and a sobbing Jessica fell into Christina’s arms. Tom put an arm around Caterina but she pushed him away.
“Leave me alone,” she said, and marched out of the room to follow Jackson. Tom trudged after her, whilst Christina did her best to get Jessica up the stairs. Tom shut the door behind them and took one last look at Parker. He looked like he was just sleeping, but all the colour had drained out of his face.
“Goodbye, Parker.” Tom shut the door.
Jackson stood by an open door at the top of the stairs. He ushered everyone into the room where they had first entered the conference centre. He held the door open until the last of them, Tom, came through. Jackson frowned when he saw Tom’s split lip.
“They’re in the building. We need to get out of here before they find us,” said Jackson closing the door finally.
“How the fuck did they get in?” said Brad.
“Ranjit,” said Benzo. “We saw him leaving. He broke a window and ran off.”
“I’ll kill that fucking idiot,” said Brad.
“I think you’re too late for that, Brad, he’s long gone,” replied Benzo.
“Why didn’t you try to stop him?”
“Really, Brad? Do you think we just opened the window for him? Sometimes it would be better for you not to open your god damn mouth,” said Jackson. “Here’s a novel idea; why don’t you try thinking before you speak? I don’t know what the hell is going on between you and Tom, but I can see something’s happened. If you’re going to start picking fights, Brad, I suggest you find out who is on your side first, because you are soon going to find yourself vastly outnumbered.”
Brad sat down on the floor and looked up at Jackson. He spoke with a cocky tone. “Don’t you want to know what happened to Parker?”
“No. I can see from the tears that poor girl over there is crying, that it ain’t good. I can see that he is not in this room and I can put two and two together, so take my advice and shut up. Just shut up, Brad. Stop pushing it.” Jackson rolled his sleeves up.
Brad chewed over Jackson’s words and stayed silent. Aside from Jessica’s tears, there was only one noise now; the noise of the dead. They could all hear banging noises downstairs as doors were cast open and rooms ransacked.
“Take a quick look out the window please, Tom, what do you see?” said Jackson.
Tom went to the fire escape door and peered out through the broken glass.
“Zombies. Hundreds of them. They’re in the yard and they’re getting into the building right beneath us. I’m guessing that’s where Ranjit left. There are some on the steps, too. We can’t get out this way.”
“What are we going to do? I don’t want to die in here. I don’t want my child to die in here before she’s even had a chance,” said Caterina.
“Ask her,” said Brad pointing at Christina. “She brought us into this death trap.”
“Tom, move aside for a second, mate.” Reggie went to the door and opened it, stepping out onto the top step.
“What are you doing? They’ll see you!” said Caterina.
“Doesn’t much matter now, Cat, they already know we’re in here,” said Benzo.
Reggie looked around the yard for a way out. The yard was full and the rusty fire escape was vibrating, as the zombies slowly climbed up. He scanned around as the afternoon sun shone down upon him.
“Anyone fancy a drink?” Reggie pulled Tom outside with him. “Look over there. You see the pub next door? Over the fence there’s a bus. That yard is practically empty.”
“Might as well be a million miles away though,” said Tom despondently.
“Look up. From the bus follow the pub walls and there’s a window at the top. What do you see?” Reggie pointed across the yard with one hand, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun with the other.
“Fuck me,” said Tom. He began waving, as did Reggie, hoping that the two figures in the pub window opposite would see them.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“You can’t be serious, Rosa, I thought you had more brains than that.” Don had taken off his jacket again. “No, I think we should stay here.”
“And I thought you had more compassion than that, Don. We can’t leave them. We just can’t.” Rosa picked his jacket up and
held it out to him.
“With or without them, I’m leaving,” said Angel. “You two coming or not?” She put her hand on Rosa’s shoulder. “Leave him. If he wants to rot in here for eternity, let him. Let’s go.”
Rosa dropped Don’s jacket on the floor and walked over to the door.
“All right, all right. Jesus, now I remember why I never got married.” Don picked up his jacket. “So what do you propose? Even if we get into the bus safely, how do you suggest we pick them up? I can hardly do a U-turn and ask the zombies to wait while we go and pick them up. I mean, be realistic, it’s impossible. I’m sorry for them, but they’re as good as dead already.”
“We get them to come to us,” said Rosa. Don looked at her as if she was mad.
“How? There are several hundred infected dead between them and us.” He watched as she walked back over to the window.
“I hope they understand this,” she said, and opened the window.
* * * *
“Look she’s waving back, she’s seen us,” said Reggie.
Brad got up and wandered to the door to look.
“Big deal,” he said peering over Tom’s shoulder. “Look, they’re gone now. Why would they risk their necks to save us? We have to look after ourselves now; no one is coming to save us.”
“I hate to say so, but he’s right,” said Benzo. “We’re on our own. We should either hunker down and hide, or find something to fight with. I’m not waiting for help that isn’t coming.”
“Well, whatever we do has to be fast. I can hear them in the corridor outside,” said Jackson, dragging the horseshoe desk in front of the door. He hoped it might just hold the zombies off and buy them valuable time.
Tom turned to face the room. “Follow me. There’s a way out.”
He went to a door at the end of the room. It was an adjoining door that led to another conference room.
“Where are you going? What way out?” said Reggie.
“The figures at the window? One came back. She showed me a way. It’s tricky, but it’s possible. Quite frankly, what choice do we have?”