The Undead the Second Week Compilation Edition Days 8-14

by RR Haywood

  ‘Nuffin’, you?’

  ‘Nuffin’,’ Darius pauses for a minute then looks over at his friend, ‘I’m glad we didn’t kill them.’ He adds quietly.

  ‘Me too,’ Jagger says from behind them both, Maddox turns to see Mohammed and more crew chiefs all nodding agreement.’

  ‘Then why did you shoot at them? Why go after them?’

  ‘Coz you said so bruv, you the Bossman now Maddox, wot you says it goes innit,’ Mohammed says.

  Maddox stops and stares at the chiefs, ‘I got it wrong you get me? I fucked up and read it wrong, if I do that again you got to say something. I ain’t the Bossman; this ain’t no tyranny with a ruler at the top who always gets what he wants. You’s got to step up and say something if you think I’m wrong. I might not agree but I’ll listen, you get me? I can’t do everything.’

  ‘Yeah we get you Maddox,’ Sierra replies in a serious tone, ‘so are you and Lenski going out now?’ She asks. Still showing the need to know the structure and the hierarchy.

  ‘Yeah we are,’ Maddox replies with a smile.

  ‘That’s sweet Maddox,’ Sierra beams at him, ‘so is she still number two, or is she number one with you?’

  ‘What?’ Maddox shakes his head at the convoluted logic.

  ‘If she’s number one then that means Darius is number two and I’m wiv Darius so that makes me number two too, so someone got to be number three…’

  ‘And four,’ Jagger added.

  Maddox shook his head for a few long seconds, staring as the chiefs started talking about who the number three and four should be. The funny thing was he could see the reasoning and knew they’d want the numbers all the way to the bottom.

  ‘We gotta get back,’ he says, ‘Liam needs to be told he’s now number three…’ He turned with a big smile as the chiefs, stunned into silence for a second, erupted into loud arguments.

  ‘Oh you a bad man,’ Lenski laughed. Taking his hand they walked side by side back towards the compound.

  Their compound.

  Thirty

  We take another van from behind the shops and load up. I drive again but this time Lani sits up front in the passenger seat. Making idle chat we get lost several times and bicker our way through the confusing estate, making comments that even taxi drivers must find this place confusing. Eventually we find our way back to the shore and our RIB sat forlorn on the beach.

  Dave gets us back into the house and we load the van up with our looted gear, finally, a few hours before dawn we move off. Driving back through the estate and getting lost a few more times until we find a motorway on the northern edge. After that it’s a sedate pace and the conversation becomes muted and quiet.

  ‘What happened here?’ Lani asks as we drive slowly down the country lane towards the ruined landscape of the housing estate bordering the wide open flatlands.

  ‘Dave,’ Cookey says with a smile, ‘he blew it up.’

  ‘Really?’ She asks Dave who stares back and nods once. We still haven’t talked about that conversation we had in the van. Why I’m so special and need to survive. But we will.

  For now though, the fort is only a few miles away. Safety and comfort, food and rest. Big Chris and Doc Roberts, Sergeant Hopewell and Ted.

  ‘Look at that,’ Lani exclaims leaning forward. The lads group behind the seats and we look in silence at the soft lights on the fort in the distance. Just small orange glows that seem to hover in the air. It fills us all with a profound sense of coming home.

  To our compound.

  Our fort.

  Home.

  DAY ELEVEN

  ONE

  DAY ELEVEN

  MONDAY

  We drive silently through the flatlands. Each of us, apart from Lani and Tom, remembering what happened here just a few of days ago. It’s still night so the ground is featureless apart from the dark shapes of the mounds. We can’t even see if the bodies have been cleared away but the air is tinged with the smell of burning. Whether that is coming from the fort ahead or the corpses that have been burnt we can’t tell.

  I smile at Lani to re-assure her. She has left everything she knows, the place she lived and any hope of seeing a familiar face again. She’s one of us now though so I know she will have many pairs of eyes looking out for her. But for the rest of us, that sense of coming home is strong. So much has been invested in this place, so many lives laid down, so much suffering and loss. That has to stand for something.

  The road is longer than I remember and it takes a few minutes to navigate the track leading to the outer doors.

  ‘Feels like home,’ Clarence says quietly from his position sat on a crate of heavy calibre ammunition in the back of the van.

  Reaching the fort we see there are large fires lit along the top, like the castles of olden days when the knights would patrol the turrets and warm their hands on the naked flames, and make ready to unleash fire arrows into the dark perimeter. Only now it’s high summer and the heat is sweltering. We’re all bathed in sweat and even with the windows of the van open it feels like there is no movement in the air.

  ‘Why are there fires lit? Doesn’t that just advertise it to every passing zombie?’ Lani asks quietly as she peers up and looks along the top of the fort.

  ‘I was trying to figure that out,’ I reply, ‘but I think I know why he’s done it.’

  ‘Who?’ She asks.

  ‘Big Chris, he’s sending a signal. Letting other survivors know this is a safe place and we’re not going to hide away in the shadows.’

  ‘Either that or he’s forgot to put the things out when the sun went down,’ Clarence adds.

  ‘Well, we’ll soon find out,’ I say as I bring the van to a gradual stop a few metres back from the doors. The headlights pick the detail out on the heavy doors. The same doors we burst from snarling and growling as we charged the undead army.

  We climb out, all of us stiff from sitting for so long after another few hours of running and fighting. Sweat drips from our faces and our clothes cling to our bodies. I stretch upwards and hear popping noises as my bones crack pleasurably.

  ‘Did we need to phone ahead and book a room?’ Cookey asks as he walks stiffly to the front of the vehicle.

  ‘We’d have been spotted way back,’ Clarence remarks.

  ‘You were spotted way back you noisy fuckers,’ a familiar voice comes from behind the door; making six of us break out in huge grins.

  ‘We weren’t exactly trying to sneak in, open up we’ve got some presents for you,’ I say with a laugh. The single door opens and big Chris steps out holding a shotgun in hand. His white teeth showing in a huge grin through his dark beard.

  ‘Mr Howie,’ He nods in a mock serious manner.

  ‘Mr Chris,’ I nod back, he strides forward to pump my hand and clap me on the back. He gets engulfed as the lads swarm round him, shaking hands and smiling. Chris and Clarence grip each other in a bear hug that would crush any normal sized man.

  ‘You did it then?’ He turns to me smiling.

  ‘They got back okay?’

  ‘Yesterday morning, we were worried. We thought you’d be right behind them but then they said about the problem with Darren…’ His voice trails off as he looks at each of us, ‘you lost one,’ he says quietly after counting our number.

  ‘Steven, he was in the police with Tom,’ I nod towards Tom as I explain.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that Tom,’ Chris nods again at the young officer before turning to Lani.

  ‘Chris this is Lani, Lani this is Chris.’

  ‘Nice to meet you Lani, I heard about you from the others that got back yesterday.’

  ‘You too,’ she nods back and shakes his hand.

  ‘It’s late so we’ll get you in as quick as we can but you’ve got to be checked for bites and scratches first. Doc Roberts is jacking a team up now.’

  ‘Yeah fair one,’ I reply with a yawn, ‘mate the van is full of weapons and ammunition, take it in if you want, we’ll wait here until the
doc is ready.’

  ‘Where did you get all that from?’ Chris asks genuinely surprised.

  ‘Navy supply ship in Portsmouth harbour,’ I answer him.

  ‘What were you doing on a supply ship?’ He asks with a sweeping glance.

  ‘Ah you know, thought we’d bring you a gift back from our travels. So how’s it been here?’

  ‘Hard like you wouldn’t believe,’ he replies quickly, ‘clearing the bodies up and then when the women and children got back…of course they didn’t know who had survived and who was dead. Awful,’ he rubs his beard one handed while shaking his head, a far-away gaze in his eyes, ‘just bloody awful…still…you’re back now. I’ll get that van in and get Doc Roberts to hurry up, you must be knackered.’

  ‘Understatement,’ Clarence rumbles while resting his frame against the front of the van, ‘this heat! I am bloody melting,’ he pulls his top away from his body and flaps it about to get the air circulating.

  ‘Tell me about it, try being here and doing manual work instead of pissing about on ships getting new guns,’ Chris calls out as he disappears through the single door and narrowly misses being struck by the water bottle thrown by Clarence.

  ‘Are we getting the same rooms back? Cookey asks. I turn round to see him, Blowers and Nick all looking pensive.

  ‘What’s up with you three?’ I ask concerned. They don’t reply but look downcast and avoid eye contact. Then it hits me. The same thing I felt on the pier. Being together and on the road, going somewhere, having a thing to do. Now we’ve done it and got to the place we worked so hard for. We’ll still be together in the fort, but not as a unit. We won’t be working and fighting alongside of each other.

  ‘Bloody hell, we’ve done it,’ the thought sends me reeling. I push my hand through my hair, ‘we’ve done it,’ I repeat quietly.

  ‘We have Mr Howie,’ Blowers says. I glance up and the importance of this moment hits us all. Dave is staring hard at me, they all are. The same question on all their faces. What happens now?

  ‘We got what we fought for boss,’ Clarence says.

  ‘It doesn’t feel over,’ I say quickly.

  ‘It’s not,’ Dave cuts in, his voice flat. We all turn to stare at him; he just shrugs and looks off into the distance.

  ‘How do you know that?’ I ask him. He turns his head slowly and fixes me with a level gaze which becomes intense and uncomfortable after a few seconds.

  ‘I think we all feel it boss,’ Clarence adds.

  ‘Lads?’ I look to them stood there. The young army recruits from Salisbury. They’ve changed so much just in a few days. They were boys. They’re men now. Hard men. Killers.

  ‘This ain't done,’ Nick whispers.

  ‘We stick together then, inside here I mean,’ I look round to see them nodding in agreement.

  The double doors swing open as Chris and a couple of other people walk out. One of them heads towards the van.

  ‘We’ll sort the van out,’ I call out and stop the man in his tracks.

  ‘But Chris said…’ he looks unsure.

  ‘Yeah, change of plan. We’ll sort it mate but thanks anyway.’

  ‘Er…yeah okay.’ He turns with a shrug and heads back through the doors, passing Chris as he strides out.

  ‘Doc’s ready, Lani do you want to go first?’ Chris calls out.

  ‘Er yeah, is that okay Mr Howie?’ She asks with a quick smile.

  ‘Yeah definitely…you should go first,’ I nod back.

  ‘Why is the van still there?’ Chris asks pointing at the vehicle and turning towards the man walking back into the fort.

  ‘I said we’ll sort it out, it’s got our kit and bags inside, it’ll be easier.’

  ‘Okay, makes sense. Right, follow me Lani; I’ll lead you to the charming Doctor Roberts.’ They disappear through the outer doors into the wide avenue that separates the two high walls of the fort. I can see some tent structures set up on one side, torch lights bobbing about and then the sound of a generator kicking in and more lights flood the area. Within a few minutes we’re being led inside one by one and taken through an opening into a brightly lit tent. Trestle tables with equipment and a large dentist style magnifying glass on a swivel stand. Doctor Roberts stood there dressed in a long white lab coat, his intelligent eyes watching me under his bushy eyebrows.

  ‘Howie,’ he greets me with a firm handshake, ‘good to see you,’ his manner is brusque and he turns away to put a clipboard on the table. ‘You’ve done this before so you know the drill, strip off and we’ll check you over.’

  ‘Yes Doc,’ I sigh with tiredness and start peeling the sweaty layers off, using a chair to sit down and unlace my boots. My feet smell of sweat which causes the doctor to glance round. He comes over and peers down at my damp socks clinging to my feet.

  ‘Heard of trench foot? In this weather your feet will rot if you don’t keep them clean and dry. Get those boots off whenever you can, clean and dry your feet thoroughly. We’ve got some powder here for you to use.’

  ‘Okay,’ pulling my socks off and I can see the skin on my toes is crinkled like when I’ve been in the bath too long. The air feels nice on my feet. My pistol belt is removed and I lay it within reach on the table, then I strip the trousers off and stand ready for the inspection. The doc moves in and starts a close physical inspection of my skin, using a bright torch and checking every square inch. I’m covered in bruises from the falling about but fortunately there are no open cuts or scratches. He checks my eyes and tells me to look left, right, up and down while he shines the light into them.

  ‘So have you made any progress with finding out more about the infection?’ I ask him as he sticks something in my ears and leans in to have a look.

  ‘Ssshh,’ he replies and I go quiet and let him finish. The examination is very thorough and eventually he steps back and gives me a satisfied nod.

  ‘Get dressed but put some clean socks on for god’s sake, now what did you say?’

  ‘Have you made any progress with the infection?’

  ‘And when exactly would we do that Howie?’ He answers in a sarcastic tone, ‘we’ve been somewhat busy patching everyone up from the fight, you have no idea how many people cut themselves on their own weapons or trod on those bloody sharp things you put down.’

  ‘Oh right…of course…’

  ‘And we’re still getting our equipment set up. We need power but the fuel supply is running low after you used all the fuel from that tanker and then of course you blew the tanker up.’

  ‘Yeah true…’

  ‘Chris lets us have power to treat the injured but we can’t get our research equipment running without more power. We need solar energy, generators, fuel, we need medicines, bandages, anti-biotics, penicillin, we need nurses and clean water and then maybe we can start looking at this infection.’

  ‘Okay doc…sorry I didn’t mean to cause offence.’

  ‘You did not cause offence. You asked a question and I answered it. Now you’re back you can go and get supplies. We need the stock from the local hospitals. Chris is run off his feet here so you’ll have to do it.’

  ‘What now? Doc we’ve been non-stop for days. We need some sleep.’

  ‘Of course you need sleep. Do you want me to sign you off for a week? You all need to rest and take a long holiday but that’s not going to happen is it. So get some sleep now and be ready to go out in the morning.’

  ‘Right,’ I nod wearily, ‘yeah no problem. We’ll need lists of what to get and where the hospitals are.’

  ‘Sergeant Hopewell has kindly agreed to sort the mapping out, as for lists you don’t need them.’

  ‘Why not,’ I ask him as I pull the pistol belt round my waist and start fastening it up. He walks towards the back of the tent and uses a hose to wash his hands, scrubbing them with some kind of medical detergent.

  ‘Because we need everything you can find that’s why. Send the next one in please.’ And that’s me done. Exam over. I give my thanks
and walk out the tent to find several of the others already stood nearby and waiting.

  ‘Next one can go,’ I motion to the tent behind me, Nick stubs a cigarette out and heads that direction, ‘we’ve got our orders, the doc wants us to scavenge the local hospitals and chemists shops. He said they’re running low on everything.’

  ‘You said it wasn’t over Dave,’ Blowers says with a rueful grin.

  ‘Psychic psycho,’ Cookey quips and apologises instantly on getting a hard glare from Dave and a round of “oohh’s” from the rest of us as we jokingly take steps back leaving Cookey stood alone looking distinctly unhappy, ‘I really didn’t mean it Dave…’ Cookey adds. Dave just stares at him unflinching, seconds pass as Cookey suddenly sees his future mapped out in pain and suffering. Dave steps forward causing Cookey to yelp and jump back, Dave simply drops down and starts to unfasten his bootlaces while the rest of us burst out laughing, especially Blowers who bends over double laughing hard. Dave glances up and I see that rare smile on his face that changes his features so much.

  ‘What happened?’ Nick bursts out from the tent holding his top, pistol belt, boots and trying to pull his trousers up, ‘what did I miss?’ He grins at the sight of Cookey red in the face and everyone else wetting themselves.

  ‘Cookey picked a fight with Dave and lost big style,’ Blowers explains between taking breaths.

  ‘If you have finished pissing about perhaps you could send the next one in please,’ Doc Roberts looms out of the tent with his white lab coat flapping around his legs.

  ‘Sorry Doc,’ Clarence chuckles as he walks over and stoops down to pass through the tent opening.

  ‘Nick put your top on,’ Dave says in his sergeant voice after a few minutes of chatting. I turn round to see Nick stood there smoking with his top off.

  ‘Sorry Dave,’ he replies quickly and starts shrugging his arms through the holes, ‘it’s really hot.’

  ‘We are not thugs on the beach Nick, we have reputation and image to uphold,’ Dave intones.

  ‘Sorry Dave,’ Nick repeats.