by RR Haywood
‘They’d been fucking bitten,’ I snarl, ‘those forty…no…just one turned in that lot could infect the whole fort…’
‘Yet you assumed it was Tom.’
‘Debbie, Tom was one of my team. He was one of us, he was a great lad, brave and courageous…losing him like that is awful but he turned and he put everyone at risk.’
‘Yes someone was turned but my point is that you assumed it was Tom and charged after him like a maniac shooting everyone that got in your way, some of those forty people didn’t have bite marks! Some of them hadn’t been bitten…you shot innocent people,’ she yells with fury. Her words slam into my mind.
‘It was dark…’ I start to explain, the lack of sleep, the heat, the shock all making my mind fuddled and my words stilted.
‘Yes it was dark, yes it was confusing, yes you had to act quickly…but the way you did it? Firing into crowds of people, shooting survivors just because they had blood on them? You broke a woman’s nose just for trying to help her husband, one of your team broke a man’s jaw punching him away from his daughter…as she was executed by another member of your team.’
‘If she’d been bitten then…’
‘If? If she’d been bitten, so even you’re not sure are you? It was dark and confusing, she could have just had blood on her face yet she was shot dead in front of her family and her father suffered serious injury for simply trying to protect his family.’
‘This is wrong,’ Clarence says but even his voice is low and unsteady.
‘Damn right it is,’ Sergeant Hopewell storms, ‘two more men who helped you subdue Tom, risking their lives after seeing the hero Howie chasing someone…they stepped in and got him down and then you attacked him, let him go and stabbed him to death…you almost cut his head off,’ she screams, ‘then the two men were shot dead.’
‘They’d been bitten.’
‘Had they? Where Howie? Where were the bite marks?’
‘They were covered in blood, one of them was clutching his neck with blood coming out.’
‘And that was a bite was it? It couldn’t have been caused by something sharp cutting him when they took Tom to the ground? The blood might have been Tom’s or someone else’s…but you didn’t wait did you…you ordered your team to execute them without question.’
‘Please just…’
‘What? Just what? Let you explain? I don’t think we need to, we’ve got several thousand people out there who want to string you up?’
‘What?’ I look up to see many of the faces averting their eyes from me.
‘That’s not true,’ Chris sighs, he looks exhausted, completely drained.
‘Not everyone blames Howie,’ Sarah says.
‘True,’ Sergeant Hopewell concedes, ‘Howie still has his supporters but the majority are clearly deciding they hold him and his team to blame. Without question,’ she locks eyes on me again, ‘your actions led to the death of many innocent people, you didn’t wait for help, you didn’t assess the facts…’
‘There wasn’t time,’ I reply quietly.
‘A trained person would have assessed the situation but that’s where the problem starts, you are not trained are you Howie. You were a manager at a supermarket less than two weeks ago yet here we are putting all our faith and trust in a supermarket manager leading a bunch of unemployed kids on a rampage round the country, only two of you have training. Dave, who clearly suffers from learning difficulties and Clarence who seems to hang on every word you say…’
‘What?’ I snarl, the anger surging through me, ‘my team have saved every one of you time and time again. We put ourselves at risk and did what had to be done. We went after Darren, we found him and led him away from you so those women and children would have a chance of surviving…we’ve been out day after day getting supplies, fighting those things…’
‘And we thank you for it…but that initial start is over now, that blind panic of getting everything done instantly is over, we have a community with rules…’
‘Where the fuck were you when the fighting was going on? Where were you last night Debbie when the bullets were flying? You didn’t turn up until the end…where the fuck were you on the Isle of Wight when we had to fight Darren…’
‘You didn’t let us fight,’ Terri cuts in, ‘we bloody asked you, we begged you to let us fight but you said no, you said you worked better just with your team…’
‘Howie, there is no doubt that you have sacrificed an enormous amount for us, you have lost the same as the rest of us, but we’re getting back on our feet now. We’ve got trained and experienced people here who know what they’re doing, we’ve got ex-soldiers and trained military people here…we’ve got engineers and doctors…this is a society now and one that is taking the first tentative steps towards recovery.’
‘I’ve heard enough,’ Chris snaps, stepping forward to stand with his arms folded and a look of determination on his face, ‘I have no doubt that the actions Howie took last night were the right actions, if anything he prevented the spread of the infection to everyone in the fort, forty people died but this isn’t normal times…millions have died already and many more will die but he did what he had to do under the circumstances. We all did,’ he sighs, ‘I have every faith in Howie and his team and I will not stand by and listen to this…this character assassination…’
‘Chris I…’ Sergeant Hopewell snaps.
‘No! I said I’ve heard enough. You’ve said too much already. I’ve seen how Tom was accepted into their team, I fought alongside him last night, alongside all of them. Anyone of them would have given their life to save that dog, and unlike everyone else who ran away and hid last night…they ran in and did what had to be done, without question, without hesitation…those are the people we need to protect us.’
‘Now listen,’ she rages trying to shout him down.
‘I said NO!’ Chris bellows, spittle flying from his mouth, ‘Tom turned, it could happen to anyone that goes outside and does the things they do every day. Do you understand that? They take that risk every time they leave this fort but they do it willingly for the good of everyone. You were more than happy for them to go out and find supplies while the rest of us were safe behind the walls… Tom turned, it could have been from a scratch, a bite, a bit of blood getting in his mouth…he turned and it was our fault he got into the fort.’
‘Our fault?’ She flares in anger.
‘Where were the bloody gate guards? Why was the inner gate unlocked? How did Tom get in?’
‘I accept there were failings in other area’s…’ she starts to reply.
‘Failings in other area’s? This isn’t a review or an investigation. This is survival, don’t be fooled for one second that because we’ve got these walls we’re safe and everything will go back to how it was…what happened happened…that’s it. We learn from it quickly and make sure the guards stay on their bloody posts in the future. We set those procedures up for a reason and if we need to make changes then so be it.’
‘I don’t think you understand the intensity of the feelings out there,’ she seethes quietly.
‘Don’t I? Where have I been all night then? Have I not been up all night with you trying to get this sorted out? Don’t condescend to me Debbie I don’t appreciate it nor do I appreciate the manner in which you have vilified Howie and his team.’ Watching Chris now makes me understand why Clarence said he was such a good diplomat, ‘and as for stating Dave has learning difficulties…that man served with the most elite military unit in the world and saying Clarence follows Howie like a sheep is absurd. Clarence has been with me in every warzone this country has been involved with in the last twenty years. He is a professional soldier and by taking leadership from Howie he shows the rest of us that Howie has an instinct for the role he does…’ My admiration for the man has just increased tenfold. I couldn’t understand why he stood back letting Debbie attack us that way, and for a few minutes I honestly thought he agreed with her. But by hanging back and lettin
g her speak, then stepping forward and asserting control by the use of speech, he shows how skilled he is.
‘The people within the fort have lost faith in Howie and his ability to protect us,’ she states, clearly showing the argument isn’t over.
‘Firstly, we do not entrust the safety of this fort to him. Not to any one person. This is a concerted and combined effort by many. Every person plays an equal part as regards the safety of the fort. Some people hold guns, others stand on the walls with bows and arrows. We’ve even got people trained to use the cannon we’ve got left. Doctor Roberts ensures our safety by vetting everyone that comes in, Terri and Jane do their part by speaking with everyone outside the gates before they enter. The cooks do their part by making sure all of those people are fed and watered…’ He draws breath, letting his words sink in, ‘secondly, if it wasn’t for Howie and his team as you call them we wouldn’t have this fort. Darren would have gone through this place like a hot knife through butter. He would have decimated this place and everything in it. Howie led the battle and those of us that were on that field know what happened…’
‘Why did Darren come here in the first place?’ Sergeant Hopewell interjects.
‘He came after us,’ I give the reply.
‘So if you hadn’t of come here then neither would he, then we would never have had that battle in which so many innocent lives were lost, we would never have had to go to the Isle of Wight…’
‘You’re being serious aren’t you?’ Chris cuts her off in a disbelieving tone, ‘you really believe that? If it hadn’t been Darren it would have been someone else…and we took out thousands of them, and as for the continued use of the innocent lives phrase that will not work. We’re all innocent of this, every person that has suffered from this event was innocent so don’t for one second try to make out those people out there play no part in it.’
‘I didn’t mean…’ She starts to explain but gets cut off by Chris in full flow now.
‘Thirdly, Howie’s team have brought us weapons and ammunition when we were down to shotguns, he brought the stock back from the cash and carry and the pharmacies, plus the hospital equipment…and despite the long awful day they had yesterday, which you were so quick to point out, they volunteered to go back out and search for that dog, not only finding it but running miles through streets in this awful heat and then fighting a running battle…anyone of you could have volunteered to go out and search for the dog,’ Chris scans the room, his eyes lingering on faces that suddenly find the floor very interesting, ‘nothing was said by anyone about limiting the number of people to go and search, I never said anything like that…we’ve got vehicles and weapons, so why didn’t you join in? I’ll tell you why…because it’s bloody nasty out there…’
‘How dare you,’ Sergeant Hopewell’s face goes bright red, her mouth pursed with rage.
‘I’ve heard enough,’ I say loudly, surprised at the volume in my own voice, ‘this is bullshit, I’m sorry so many got killed last night, sorry that Tom turned, sorry that Steven died…I’m sorry all of this happened but if you think for one second you stick all the blame on us you can fuck off.’ She blanches at the force in which I spit the words out. ‘You heard me,’ I glance round staring at the many faces, some look back at me but most cast their eyes away, ‘you can all fuck off…I don’t give a shit what you think about me…I don’t care. Blame us for what happened last night, go on…blame us, We’ll take it, and when you’re done patting each other on the back and saying how nasty those brutes are we’ll still be out there killing ‘em. We don’t have the time to stand here whining, we need fuel for the generators so the Doctor can start doing whatever tests he needs…
‘I haven’t finished,’ Sergeant Hopewell shouts over me. Something in my manner, the glare in my eyes that fixes on her cuts her off. The utter fury I can feel bubbling away that seems to radiate from every pore in my body.
‘Yes you have,’ the words come out in a low growl, far harsher than I intended. ‘Ted, you make sure those gates are kept locked and secure with armed guards on both sides. Kelly, I want you to rig an alarm up, anything will do…something that can be heard throughout the fort and I want everyone drilled in case that happens again…what we did last night, by getting them onto the floor seemed to work…unless anyone has any other sensible suggestions that don’t involve forming a bloody committee and sitting round with bean bags and flip charts…then I suggest we do that again.’
‘You want everyone…’
‘Yes,’ I cut her words off with a glare, ‘if they’d done that last night we would have stood a chance of getting him quicker…get everyone drilled once Kelly has an alarm rigged up. Doctor, let me know if you need anything other than fuel, we’ll get some rest for now and go back out later.’
‘Fuel is the priority,’ he says with a quick nod and I swear a small wry smile twitches on his lips.
‘These are decisions and actions that need to be discussed by trained and experienced people,’ Sergeant Hopewell continues doggedly, ‘you cannot just assume command just because you don’t like something that was said, snatch off a few angry words and stride out thinking everything is alright because it bloody isn’t alright.’
‘The gates need to be kept locked and secure with armed guards on both sides. I think that much is clear from what happened last night, we don’t need a discussion on it, we just need someone to do it…’
‘My point,’ She ploughs straight on, ‘which you just happen to keep missing, is regardless of whether or not that decision is a good one, it isn’t yours to make.’
‘We’re going round in circles here,’ Chris interrupts, ‘Howie, I see what Debbie is trying to say, I don’t agree with it but I understand it…’
‘Thank you,’ She exclaims, clearly claiming it as a victory, ‘my recommendation after serving over twenty years in the police is that we form a council, one that is made up of all the main personnel and that we discuss and agree any actions as part of that council.’
I groan and rub my face, ‘a bloody committee, I knew this would end up with committee’s being formed. Will that get us the fuel we need for the machines? Will it get the machine gun mounted on the wall? What about the alarm, will the committee get that done too?’
‘Yes,’ she replies quickly, ‘if the committee, which will be made up of representatives of a wide cross section of our society, so decides that those measures need to be put in place then they will be allocated and actioned.’
Chris steps forward holding a hand up towards me, ‘Howie, I agree with Debbie. Otherwise we’ll be here all day, right listen in,’ Chris speaks to the room, his voice carrying clearly, ‘everyone please leave and we’ll sort out who is on the initial council. Those that are asked will meet back here in one hour, understood?’
That’s it. The meeting breaks up, Chris makes a point of striding out the door so he can’t be dragged back into any further discussion. Sergeant Hopewell is immediately surrounded by people talking at her, Terri and Jane animatedly joining in the conversation. The three of us head outside wordlessly, Dave leading the dog at his side.
Once out in the sun we fall into step, slowly heading back to our rooms.
‘You alright boss?’ Clarence asks, I can see he is fuming and how he has the presence of mind to ask me if I’m alright is beyond me.
‘Confused mate,’ I reply, ‘seems simple to me, lock the bloody gates and put guards on, stick the GPMG on the wall and get an alarm rigged up.’
‘She looked possessed in there,’ he says quietly, ‘really gunning for us, I bet she’s been out all night whipping everyone up.’
‘This’ll go down well, explaining it to the lads.’
‘No it won’t,’ Dave says, clearly missing the sarcasm.
Four
The infection had already mutated and evolved far beyond the original state. Through billions of host bodies it tried, experimented and learnt how to use the highly complex entity that was the human being.
/> It knew the human host body could be stopped and re-started and this was done as part of the infection’s manner of taking the host. The infection killed the host then re-started the heart once all the cells were fully contaminated.
The body was then allowed to decay while the infection pushed the body to find more hosts. The rate of decay was slow. Chemicals were used to keep the body functioning and moving. Energy was conserved and built up during the day to allow a sustained and explosive output of animation during the hours of darkness.
Throughout the world, the infection played with the hosts. Trying everything it could to develop and evolve. Without conscious though it drove the hosts to unparalleled abilities for violence and aggression. It suppressed the pain receptors in the brain. It ceased normal cognitive behaviour and independent thought. It flooded the host systems with adrenalin, testosterone, serotonin and hormones. In turn it learnt what chemicals were best mixed to produce hosts that were fast, strong and above all else; were driven to feast.
Very few hosts were an exception to this rule. However, as with Darren and few other carefully chosen hosts, the infection knew it had to develop new methods of preventing such high losses from the host killers and to sustain its own state of being.
A new method was now tried. A method whereby the infection retracted from the body to leave it in the most normal state, allowing the blood flow to continue as normal and the organs to function as before.
The host body did not decay. It did not decompose but stayed as alive as it was before. The heart was simply stopped and re-started.
More than this, the infection became as dormant as possible within the host brain. It left normal cognitive thought processes and allowed the host to think and feel as it had done prior to the turning.