Ridgetown (Book 2): Neighbours

by Philip Radford

  “Nothing. The building however, would be extremely secure.”

  Mark thought for a moment. “Go on…”

  “I did some work in a similar building when I was still a tech. Different company but same idea.” Luke realised the whole room were listening. “The one I went to had a motorised gate, heavy duty compared to what we’ve got at Ridgetown. The building has no windows to limit vulnerability and to get in the first door, like the motorised gate, you had to be let in. Once inside the airlock, the workers have to use their handprint and unique ID number to get in. Then when they’re inside the building, they can’t let themselves out, they had to be let out by a manager.”

  “Sounds tight. How do the vehicles with the cash get in?” Asked Helen.

  “They don’t. They drive into a garage and there’s another airlock to send the money through.”

  “What if there’s a fire?” Mark asked.

  “There are fire doors, obviously. But they’re not openable from the outside and you have to go through two from the inside, setting alarms off as you go. Even the final door only opens out onto the secure compound.”

  “Sounds like a good place to hold up in a zombie apocalypse.” Said Ishaq.

  “Sounds like we should check it out.” Replied Mark.

  “Sounds like we should go now.”

  “Sounds like we should.”

  Mark and Ishaq stood and headed to leave The Outpost.

  “Hey, you guys aren’t serious?”

  Mark and Ishaq looked at Helen with quizzical gazes.

  “We’ve only just found out about this place and you want to go barging in there on your own?”

  Mark and Ishaq looked at each other and shrugged like children who had just be scolded.

  “Course not. We’re just going to check it out.” Replied Mark. “See if we can see any activity around the building, identify it as the right one. Then, if it is, we can start to formulate a plan.” He turned to Luke. “How far away is it?”

  “It’s about five miles in a straight line. Take the A-road for a couple of miles, there’s a small road on the left, take it for another mile and you’re at the industrial estate. Instead of the small road, carry on until you reach the trees about half a mile further and follow them away from the A-road. When you reach the train track, follow it back until you reach the edge of the estate. If I’m right, you’ll reach the printing company building first and can use that as cover.”

  “Can you print off a screenshot of the map?”

  “Yeah, no probs.” Replied Luke.

  “Cool. Dennis, can we use a couple of bikes so we don’t raise any suspicions by driving past?”

  “Sure.” Dennis turned to his right. “Scott, can you get two of the bikes out of the shed for Ishaq and Mark?”

  As Scott stood up, Ishaq spoke up. “I’ll give you a hand. Mark, I’ll meet you out front.”

  Mark highlighted the path they would take on the map Luke printed off. He told Luke he would send at least one message every half hour and if they didn’t get a message for longer than an hour and a half, something is wrong. He wanted to take advantage of the darkness and leave as quickly as possible, hoping to return while it was still dark to minimise their chances of being spotted.

  Ishaq and Mark headed out as soon as Scott had gotten both of the bikes out of the shed. They had been recently serviced and were in good working order. Mark had provided The Outpost with three bikes so that Dennis and the others would have an emergency mode of transport if both the vehicles they had broke down. They had small satchels attached to the back with repair kits for most issues the bike could have as well as the usual items of a weapon, a few tools and bottle of water. Mark placed his phone in a holder on the handlebars and brought up their location using the GPS. He set a marker for their destination so he knew how far they had to go but chose not to follow a route because of how they were planning on avoiding the roads as much as possible.

  They set off quickly, their way lit by the streetlights, sticking to the darkness as much as possible. It felt like it had been months since Mark had been on a mission with Ishaq but he felt just as prepared heading out with him now as when they had been going on raids every day.

  Mark didn’t have ay concerns about Ishaq spending so much time at The Outpost because he knew how good it would be for both groups. Also, he knew that Ishaq was capable of returning to Ridgetown and fitting right back into his role like he had never left.

  The rain had stopped, reflecting the street lights back up at Mark and Ishaq as they rode past, both bikes spitting water droplets into the air as the back wheels span. They followed the dual carriageway in the opposite direction to Ridgetown, riding on one side of the road, weaving through the abandoned cars, constantly looking for any dangers. The silence was unnerving, broken up every so often by a lone zombie spotting them and attempting to give chase. Even giving zombies a wide birth, they avoided being in direct light as well as they could.

  When they reached the smaller road, they stopped. Looking for any movement, listening for any sounds. The road quickly disappeared, enveloped by darkness. The temptation to ride down the road and have a look sat with them as the hesitated, wondering whether they could get away with taking the most direct route as long as they were careful. Without verbally acknowledging their shared decision, they decided to stick to the original plan.

  Mark typed out a quick message and sent it to Luke and Helen, letting them know that they were fine and had reached the small road. Once he was satisfied they had seen it, they continued on down the dual carriageway and quickly reached the tree line.

  Mark had hoped to take the bikes with them through the trees but it quickly became apparent that it would be too much of a struggle. They lay the bikes down in the grass between a green people carrier and a lamppost, sufficiently hidden from view but easy enough to spot if they were in a rush when they returned for them.

  Ishaq led the way, using his torch to find the easiest route through the wild terrain. There were no clear routes through the trees and the ground in-between was erratically populated by plants and grass, some areas were no more than a few square feet of long grass while others were filled with different plants and weeds battling to survive, clinging to the trees as they chased the sunlight through the gaps.

  The thick foliage continued right up to the fence that marked the railway track. They paused to get their bearings and Mark consulted the GPS on his phone.

  “We’re not far from the industrial estate.” He said. “If the trees stay this thick it’ll give us some good cover until we reach the first building. Let’s just hope it isn’t occupied.”

  Ishaq nodded and they continued forward. The wet grass had dampened the pair’s pants around the ankles, Ishaq had barely noticed in his boots but Mark wore trainers that were starting to let dampness in. The idea of spending the next couple of hours sneaking round in wet socks was less than appealing so he hoped they would be out of the forest soon.

  Ishaq turned his torch off when a new light source began to penetrate the trees. They began to see glimpses of a red brick building and soon the back of the printing company building was visible. The windows made the inside look dark but spotlights surrounding the building lit up the perimeter.

  Mark and Ishaq crouched down at the edge of the tree line, surveying the building to decide the best point of access without going round the front where they would be exposed. Mark pointed towards a set of double doors on the side of the building, one of the windows had been smashed behind the metal mesh that covered it and the blinds on the inside blew gently. They stayed low and made a dash for the doors, pausing when they got there.

  Mark gently pressed against the door with the broken window and it moved without any resistance. Ishaq drew his knife and stood in front of it, Mark stood to the side with his arm flat against the door. They listened for a few seconds, not hearing any noise coming from the inside. Mark held three fingers up and counted down.

  Af
ter ‘one’, Mark pushed the door open and Ishaq stepped forwards with his knife ready. Met only by darkness, he swivelled his head around in all directions looking for a potential threat. Not seeing any, he took a few cautious steps forward. Mark withdrew his ice axe and followed closely behind, allowing the door to close slowly and quietly behind them.

  They waited for their eyes to adjust, aided by the spotlights outside. The building was largely one big room with printing presses occupying most of the space in front of them. There were two small rooms on either side of them, one looked like a kitchen area and the others looked like offices. There were rooms upstairs but it was impossible to see inside from where they were, windows to the rooms showing nothing but black. The large machinery created lots of pitch black areas that the light from outside couldn’t penetrate. Ishaq retrieved his torch from his back pocket, turning it on but keeping it pointed towards the ground.

  Being a veteran raider for Ridgetown, Ishaq knew how far torch light could travel when shone out of a window. “Just until we know we’re alone, then I’ll switch it off.”

  Mark nodded, agreeing the risk of negotiating a dark building they didn’t know the layout of outweighed the risk of someone spotting the torchlight. He trusted Ishaq to be as cautious as possible.

  Ishaq moved to one of the offices and pointed the torch at the ground inside.

  “Body.” He whispered.

  Mark walked over and peered through the glass.

  “”Zombie?”

  “It’s hard to tell without going in.”

  They waited and observed the corpse. The sound of something metallic hitting the floor elsewhere in the building made them turn around. The sound echoed before the room fell silent again.

  Mark and Ishaq exchanged concerned looks, Ishaq took point and headed deeper into the building in search of the origin of the noise.

  The machinery was dusty and paper had been spilled all over the floor. There were dried puddles of liquid on the ground, some appeared to be ink while other spots reflected rainbow colours, indicating it was oil of some kind. Mark and Ishaq walked along the left side of the building, briefly shining the light down each parallel row. As they reached the far end of the building, the torch illuminated two figures swaying at the other end of the room. The figures stood with the unbalanced stasis of zombies that had been motionless for a while. They turned towards the light and slowly began to shuffle towards Mark and Ishaq.

  Eager to silence the zombies before they let out a moan, Mark and Ishaq rushed forwards to meet them. Mark swung his axe into the skull of the first one, obliterating the rotted head and causing it to instantly fall to its knees.

  Ishaq stamped on his zombie’s thigh, causing it to crumble in front of him, bowing its head. He quickly stabbed his knife into the base of its skull, twisting the handle as the blade sank deep into its brain. It too fell to the floor, dead.

  “They look like they’ve been here a long time.” Said Mark, crouching down next to the body of his zombie.

  Their attention was piqued by the sound of shuffling round the corner. Ishaq and Mark readied themselves and stepped behind the biggest machine in the warehouse. Five zombies, all wearing matching blue overalls converged on their position. The closest one grabbed Mark’s arm, causing him to drop his axe. Ishaq instinctively stabbed at its head, catching its neck as it lunged for Mark.

  Before he could attack again, two other zombies lurched at him, forcing him backwards to escape their clutches.

  Mark gritted his teeth as he tried to keep the zombie at bay. Already, the others were closing in on him. He backed up into the printing machine, its angled parts digging into his back. He glanced over his right shoulder and saw a solid looking metal arm of the press at head height. He turned his body slightly and moved his left hand from the zombie’s shoulder to the back of its head, grabbing a handful of its straggly black hair. The zombie turned its head, snarling and baring its teeth, trying to bite Mark’s exposed wrist that was close to its cheek. Mark could feel the hair in his hand start coming away from the zombie’s skull as it pulled away and towards his wrist.

  Mark pushed himself backwards and pulled the zombie’s head towards the arm of the machine, driving its momentum forward and smashing its head into the thick metal. The front of its face caved in and its legs gave way. Mark grabbed his axe from the floor as it returned to its feet, its face a mess of broken bone and splintered teeth. he buried his axe into the top of its skull to finish it off, pulling the axe free just in time to hold it out in front of him and keep the other two zombies at bay.

  Ishaq kicked at the two zombies in front of him, trying to take advantage of one falling so he could stab it but his kicks weren’t powerful enough. To keep both at bay he was kicking quickly and inaccurately, tiring himself out. Changing tact, he hooked one of the zombie’s legs with his foot, bringing it in front of its other leg and causing it to fall face first onto the floor due to its bad coordination. Ishaq stood on its back, pinning it in place while he waited for the other zombie to lunge. As it charged towards him, Ishaq stepped off the first zombie and grabbed the second zombie’s arm, jerking it downwards violently and kicking its shin as hard as he could. Pain shot through Ishaq’s shin as the kick connected and it burned as he flattened his foot on the floor. Not allowing the pain to spoil his opportunity, he dropped down onto the two zombies that were sprawled on top of each other, using his knee to drive into the back of the top one between its shoulder blades. The two zombies scrambled in place, unable to get to their feet, snapping their teeth at the floor in front of them. Ishaq began stabbing at their heads as hard as he could, changing between each zombie between stabs until he was satisfied they were both dead.

  His shin protested as he returned to his feet, he saw Mark using his axe as a barrier between himself and two zombies, the handle and the blade pressing into their chests while Mark ducked out of the way of their arms. Ishaq could see Mark tiring and despite the pain from his shin, he charged forward and shoulder barged the closest zombie, bashing it into the other zombie and sending both of them stumbling sideways.

  The reprieve allowed Mark to bring his axe above his head and, in unison, Ishaq and Mark drove their weapons into the skulls of the zombies, Mark bringing the axe down in the centre of the zombie’s forehead and Ishaq stabbing his knife into the temple of the creature. Both fell to the floor and Mark and Ishaq took a moment to get their breaths back.

  “Thanks.” Mark said between breaths.

  “My pleasure.” Ishaq beamed.

  They completed another lap of the building to make sure there were no more zombies hidden between the machinery. The corpse in the office still hadn’t moved so they left the door unopened.

  They made their way towards the back of the building where a metal stairway went from the floor of the warehouse to a set of offices that overlooked the inside of the building and, Mark and Ishaq hoped, the surrounding industrial estate.

  They reached the top of the staircase, pausing momentarily to observe the warehouse below them and listening for any noises around them. Ishaq kept the torch switched off, returning to being as covert as possible. They reached the top and the balcony extended into an L shape along two sides of the building that comprised of a mixture of more offices and larger rooms that looked like they were used for meetings and presentations. Being closer to the rooms, they were able to look inside and see that most of them looked like the occupants had left one day and never come back. Papers stacked erratically, computers switched off, flip boards left with sales figures scrawled all over them.

  Mark and Ishaq picked the corner room to look out from. It was the closest room to the rest of the estate and would give the best view judging by the position of the building on the map Luke had printed off for them.

  Mark grabbed Ishaq’s arm as they got nearer, seeing movement in the darkness. They both stared and could make out the outline of a person. The figure seemed to be spasming without moving from the spot it occupied. At
first, Mark thought the figure was really tall or standing on something due to its shoulders lining up with the top of a filing cabinet inside the office. The gruesome sight finally dawned on Mark who had witnessed a similar scene before he moved to Ridgetown.

  “Wait here, I’ll cut him down.”

  Ishaq waited outside, hearing the creature make a pained snarl when Mark entered the room. It continued to hiss until Ishaq heard the thwump of Mark’s axe. The sound was followed by a sawing sound and the thump of the body hitting the floor. Mark returned to the door and waved Ishaq in.

  Ishaq saw the creature’s legs sticking out from behind the desk and silently said a prayer for the tragic soul. He then joined Mark at the window and they looked down to the estate below.

  “That must be the compound Luke was on about.” Mark pointed to the building opposite.

  It was a single story building with no visible windows. There were three large metal shutters at the front of the building the left and a small door on the other side. The whole compound was surrounded by two fences with a section that looked like it could slide open. There was also a toll booth shaped room that Mark assumed people could use as an entrance, the keypad on the front made it look like an airlock.

  “Looks secure.” Commented Ishaq. “The train’s still parked up behind it, doors are still open. You think there’s another entrance round back?”

  “Doubt it. The place doesn’t even have any windows, I doubt they have extra entrances for convenience. Can’t see anyone.”

  “Okay, next question is how we get in?”

  “We could ask nicely.” Mark joked.

  “Yes.” Ishaq replied. “Yes, we could.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “You never like my ideas, I think you don’t…” Ishaq stopped mid sentence and held up a hand. His head snapped round to look at the door. “You hear something?”

  “No, I…”

  Before Mark could finish his utterance, Ishaq dashed through the door and stood on the balcony with his hands on the railings. He looked down into the darkness of the warehouse like an animal that has sensed its prey.