The Undead the Second Week Compilation Edition Days 8-14

by RR Haywood

  ‘I am coming,’ Lani hisses, ‘there is no discussion…I am going and that’s all there is to it.’

  ‘Don’t be so bloody ridiculous,’ I snap, ‘you are the most important one here now, if anything we should be locking you up or…or…bloody strapping you to a boat in the sea.’

  ‘Try it,’ she glares, ‘and I’m not the most important one here and we all know it.’

  ‘She’s right,’ Dave adds.

  ‘Don’t fucking start that…’ I look between them, ‘not that…Lani and the dog…they are the special ones…’

  ‘No,’ Dave replies.

  ‘What is this please?’ Lenski asks, ‘I get the headache and you people are very strange yes?’

  ‘Oh for fuck’s sake why do you have to make things so complicated,’ I groan, ‘Lani you are staying here, the dog too….the rest of us are going out….Maddox it’s up to you if you want to come but personally I would rather you stayed here…’

  ‘Maddox he will go with you,’ Lenski says with a tone as firm as Lani, ‘Maddox he good at the fight and the crew too, show them the guns and they kill many.’

  ‘Fine, but only a few so we can stay light and move fast…everyone get on…we’ve got a lot to do.’

  ‘I’m coming,’ Lani calls out as I walk off. She runs after me and grabs my arm when I don’t reply, ‘I’m coming too,’ she repeats.

  ‘No,’ I go to walk off.

  ‘I’ve had your back since I joined with you and that is not stopping now,’ she says in an urgent whisper.

  ‘Lani…’

  ‘No, look what happened last night…remember that? If I was here that wouldn’t have happened, you almost died or got turned or…well, that bitch almost had you and what if she’s leading this new lot?…I’m coming and despite how angry I am with you I will be standing at your back again, understand?’

  ‘Fucking hell Lani…’

  ‘Don’t fucking hell Lani me Howie,’ she spits, ‘this isn’t up for discussion…you are the special one amongst us and that means we keep our team together until we find the answer to all this.’

  ‘Lani,’ I growl, ‘don’t fucking start doing a Dave on me…’

  ‘Look at me Howie, look at me…’ she steps in closer, ‘you will lead and you will win…you have to believe in yourself…no don’t interrupt me, look at me Howie…you will lead and you will survive, you will end this…no one else but you can do that, you understand me?’

  ‘STOP!’

  ‘Listen to me,’ she speaks soft and urgent, coming in closer, within arm’s reach now, ‘you will do this, you are strong and you have to believe in yourself.’

  ‘This is fucking stupid…what is it with you and Dave…’

  ‘And Clarence…and Cookey and Blowers and Nick? What Howie? What is it with all of us? What was it with Chris and Tom and everyone else that has fought with you?’

  ‘Just fuck off.’

  ‘Don’t ever tell me to fuck off,’ she snaps, ‘not now and not ever.’

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…’

  ‘I will be with you, so will Meredith because this only works because of you Howie…don’t ask me how I know because I don’t know myself…I can just feel it…but don’t you ever speak to me like that again.’

  ‘Sorry Lani, I really didn’t mean it like that.’

  ‘Swear all you want but don’t swear at me.’

  ‘Okay,’ I hold my hands up, ‘I’m sorry, I really am.’

  ‘Good, agreed then,’ she starts walking off.

  ‘No hang on,’ I grab her arm this time, pulling her round to face me, ‘we haven’t agreed anything.’

  ‘Why are you going after them?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Why are you going after them? As soon as you heard they’re massing you had that thing…I saw it…so did the others…why?’

  ‘I already said why, I’m sick of them…it’s time to end it.’

  ‘Exactly,’ she looks at me, ‘you made that decision and even Maddox is up for it…this is the bloke who will stop at nothing to protect his crews…even his bloody girlfriend said he should go with you.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Oh my god Howie, how can you not see what everyone else sees? You,’ she leans forward with an intense, earnest look, ‘make people believe in you, you,’ she pauses, ‘have something so amazing…we all know it, Chris knew it, your sister knew it…’

  ‘Stop Lani,’ I plead.

  ‘No, it’s time you heard this, we all know it…remember that night in the van when Maddox was going for us?’

  ‘Yes,’ I sigh, ‘and that was a bloody stupid conversation too.’

  ‘No,’ she shakes her head, ‘any one of us would have walked out there and then to make sure you lived…why did Marcy go for you then?’

  ‘Fucking hell, I don’t know?’

  ‘Yes you do, why, out of all the people she could go for…does she make a beeline for you?’

  …they fear you, we all fear you…there’s a power in you that’s so dangerous but so good…Marcy’s words from last night flood through my mind, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I start to realise just how many times people have said this.

  ‘You know what I mean don’t you,’ she states.

  ‘No…maybe…I don’t know…’

  ‘Yes you do,’ she adds softly, ‘so I’m coming and I will be right at your back the same as I have been…and this time I will not let you down.’

  ‘You didn’t let me down.’

  ‘I did, I should have been there last night but I wasn’t…that won’t happen again…listen, I don’t know what this thing is doing to me or has done to me, but I’m not going to question it too much either…that’s your job…mine is to cover your back, the same as Dave…the same as Clarence…You will fix this Howie and we’ll all be right with you when you do.’

  She walks off leaving me reeling on the spot and it feels like the weight of the world just landed on my shoulders.

  Only it didn’t did it. The team have made it clear they’ll stand with me no matter what the odds. And Lani was right, even Maddox and Lenski were up for it, like my blind enthusiasm is as contagious as the infection.

  Maybe this is meant to be then.

  Fuck it. Who am I argue.

  Twenty Four

  The summoning had begun long before Marcy failed to turn Howie and his people. The infection had accounted for the failure and had carefully selected the isolated town to draw all the hosts from the nearby towns and villages. Others that were on the selected route to the fort were gathered and held waiting until the main group passed through.

  Tens of thousands drawn from miles around. The knowledge and experience gained from so many failures has propelled the infection to select overwhelming numbers, a huge force that will crush those survivors and allow the examination of Howie to begin.

  But something else had happened. A connection has been lost but not through the death of the host. The infection knows each death suffered by each host. This connection had simply faded away.

  The body was taken in the same manner as all the others. Every cell was taken over, every organ infected until the heart was stopped and then the body re-started in the perfect state.

  There was no sign of anything different. It had the hunger and complied with the orders given by the lead host.

  It was hours before the natural defences started making use of the anti-body, but once it did, it swept through and fought back.

  Infected cells were purged. Organs under control of the infection were purified.

  Infected blood entered the heart but pure blood came. It would not tolerate the foreign body being within this environment.

  The infection knew it was being defeated and it fought back, desperately trying to re-infect those cells and organs but they were now shielded and protected.

  The brain was the last to go. The final stand made by the infection as it tried to shut the body down and end the purge. But the flood g
ates were open by this point and there was no escape. Pure blood pumped into the most powerful organic material known on the earth and with it the anti-bodies that defeated the infection. Neural pathways were subjected to bombing missions. Synapses were strafed, centres for control saw invasions that swept the infection aside. Deep tissue was targeted with more precision than the most technologically advanced smart bomb could ever hope for.

  The last remaining single solitary cell was surrounded on all sides by a tidal wave of anti-bodies sent to destroy it. This host body not only removed the infection but it then immunised it from ever taking that infection back in.

  The infection evolves and learns.

  This body evolved and learnt too, and made sure Lani wouldn’t be infected again.

  Twenty Five

  She glances over at Dave, he smiles back, an awkward movement that involves his lips twitching but at least he tries, and she appreciates the trying.

  Lani almost forgets she was infected. The day has been relentless, utterly relentless with so much to do and organise that stopping for any period of self-reflection just hasn’t been possible. But every time she turns round Dave is there, quietly watching her with those unreadable eyes.

  His presence both comforts and chills her and every time she remembers to do so; she fusses Meredith. Just a pat on the head or a quick ear rub. The dog clearly enjoys the attention and looks up at her with big brown eyes and a wag of her tail.

  Dave nods each time, understanding that she’s constantly testing to see if the infection has become apparent to the dog. Neither of them know if the testing method is reliable but it’s all they have.

  Stepping into an organising role seemed natural. Lani, like the rest of the team knew what needed to be done so she got on with it.

  Nick was brilliant on the GPMG and would stay up there for hours being vigilant. The other two lads were put to one of their best skills by simply talking to people and moving around while all time being as watchful as Nick.

  Clarence was just Clarence, getting stuck into whatever needed doing and showing a great skill of seeing what needs to be done and doing it, but also accepting Howie’s leadership without question.

  As for Howie. He had to keep a step back and see everything. He, along with Maddox, needed to have a full overview of everything that had to be done.

  There was also a sense of ownership and responsibility. The fort was theirs so it was only right they got it in order and made sure the new arrivals were coordinated and taken care off.

  At the points when she did step back for a second, her mind filled with so many thoughts. Too many for one person to deal with or even hope to understand.

  The infection inside her, the loss of so many from the fort, the hurtful thoughts of Howie with Marcy that sent a surge of anger through her, so many people turning up, Lenski and Maddox, being watched by Dave and now a new threat.

  News of a massing further down the coast, constant snatches of gossip and whispers of hordes seen in the distance marching off. People waking up to find the undead that had been gathered round their house trapping them inside, were now gone.

  And Howie, as soon as he heard of the gathering she saw the change in him. That ruthless demeanour that brought the darkness into his face. She knew as soon as she heard about them massing, that Howie would go after them.

  And everything she said to him a few minutes ago was fact. She felt it with every bone in her body. She had felt him when he fought, they all did. A power that poured from him and he didn’t see how they wilted in front of him, hesitating for the briefest of seconds as though unsure of what he is.

  Howie was the one to fix this, if anyone could find a way he would. This wasn’t blind devotion or some futile dream of placing the hopes of all the survivors onto one man. This was fact. He had to be supported and that meant she would stay by his side no matter what.

  ‘More,’ Lenski says the one word with a nod towards the end of the column. It had been growing at an alarming rate all morning and as the survivors and refugees spoke to each other so they heard and told the stories of the gathering. The new arrivals became restless and concerned, constantly asking when they would be allowed in, why they couldn’t go in now and help get it ready. Who was in charge? And the amount of people that have heard of Mr Howie and Dave is staggering. The giant and the lads and even asking Lani if she had met the Chinese girl that runs with them.

  Like a folk legend growing before her very eyes and it also made her realise that despite this apocalyptic event, some lines of communication had stayed open. Word of mouth, stories shared along with experiences and horrors.

  The fort became an Eden, a beacon of safety and the exploits of Mr Howie and his team became wild with the re-telling. None of them knew that the dark haired man with the brooding eyes that came out every few minutes was the hero they’d all heard so much about. None of them knew the small man flanking Lani was Dave, and none of them knew Lani was bloody Thai and not Chinese.

  ‘Fucking hell that’s a big queue,’ Roy states, once more showing the conflicting nature of his character as he swears like a trooper while retaining a very polite tone.

  ‘That’s a big fort,’ Paula replies staring at the huge walls of the building in the distance.

  ‘And that’s a big pile of bodies,’ Roy nods to the estate. Dragging her eyes away from the now teaming road ahead of the fort, clogged with vehicles, vans, cars and trucks all full to the rafters and people milling about on all sides she looks to the place Roy indicates.

  Stacks of corpses, thousands upon thousands of bodies all left to rot. Her now experienced eye takes in the state of decomposition, noting that some are long dead and rotting away after days of being in the sun. Others are fresh with still bright red blood stains on skin and clothing.

  ‘What happened here?’ She asks quietly.

  ‘No idea but looks like they got more kills than you and I put together.’

  ‘You’re not joking,’ Paula comments, ‘maybe they ran out of space,’ she adds with a glance at the queues stacked up outside the fort.

  ‘Quite possibly,’ he replies, ‘as long as we can tell them about the zombies and I can see a doctor then…’

  ‘You still want to see a doctor?’

  ‘Oh god yes,’ he exclaims, ‘I need tests and blood tests and x-rays…I wonder if they have an MRI scanner here.’

  ‘I doubt it.’

  ‘You never know, it’s got a hospital so they must have equipment.’

  ‘Roy, it’s going to be basic field treatment at the most…they won’t have equipment like that.’

  ‘I’ll fucking get them their equipment if it means I get a proper diagnosis…must be hospitals around here somewhere.’

  ‘I think we might have other priorities first Roy.’

  ‘After that,’ he says quickly, ‘we’ll go and kill your zombies and then go and find the hospitals.’

  ‘My zombies?’ She asks with a raised eyebrow.

  He grins, realising what he just said, ‘well, the zombies then…not your zombies…’

  ‘You coming with me then?’ She asks quietly.

  ‘Course I am, I thought we’d agreed that already.’

  ‘Oh right, okay…’

  ‘I don’t have to if you want to do it yourself…but I figured you know…you lost your car and all your gear so we need to get you some new stuff and a new set of wheels so…’

  ‘Yeah, no that’s er…thanks Roy…only if you’re sure though.’

  ‘Hey listen,’ he glances at her, ‘the more of those fuckers we kill…the less chance of me getting bitten so yeah, we’ll sort them out, get your kit and then go for the MRI scanner.’

  ‘If they don’t already have one,’ she smiles, ‘aren’t they really big?’

  ‘Well yes but…’

  ‘And they use loads of power,’ she adds.

  ‘Good point,’ he nods, ‘might need to get them some generators and stuff too then if they don’t have enough.
’

  ‘You’d really do that? Go to all that trouble to get a scanner so you can get tested.’

  ‘Yes,’ he replies seriously.

  ‘Okay,’ she nods, ‘I’ll help.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Of course, you ‘ve already helped me once and now with getting me new kit and stuff…and you know…going to kill all my zombies,’ he smiles at the phrase, ‘so yeah, course I’ll help if er…you know…if you want help that is.’

  ‘Look,’ Roy points ahead, ‘they’ve got soldiers,’ he says at seeing Blowers and Cookey stood at the end of the line and waving them in to stop.

  ‘Hi,’ Blowers smiles and nods at Roy through the driver’s window.

  ‘Hello,’ Cookey greets Paula, both of the lads scanning the people first, checking eyes then looking down for weapons, injuries or anything else that might be nasty.

  ‘Hi, do you have an MRI scanner?’ Roy blurts out.

  ‘A what mate?’ Blowers steps in closer.

  ‘He said an MRI scanner,’ Cookey says.

  ‘What’s that then?’ Blowers asks.

  ‘One of them things they have in hospitals, you lie down and go in this big tube and it scans your body…’

  ‘Oh yeah I know…why would we have one of them?’ Blowers turns back to the man.

  ‘You got doctors here so I wondered if you had a scanner, we’ll get one if not.’

  ‘Eh?’ Blowers shakes his head, squinting at Roy with a confused look.

  ‘Hey,’ Paula leans forward and smiles, ‘sorry we we’re just having a conversation…forget it…er so this is the fort everyone is talking about?’

  ‘Yep,’ Cookey grins, ‘we can get you in shortly but you’ll have to hang on here for a bit…have you got any weapons…oh yeah you do…that’s an MP5 oh you got a pistol too.’

  ‘Got them from a policeman,’ Paula explains.

  ‘Nice one,’ Cookey grins, ‘you got any more in the back?’

  ‘Shotguns, bows and arrows…no rifles or handguns though.’

  ‘Have you been bitten? Scratched? Got broken skin with any risk of the things getting fluid on you?’ Blowers starts asking, they both shake their heads, ‘had much contact with them?’