The Undead the Second Week Compilation Edition Days 8-14

by RR Haywood

  ‘Didn’t see anyone, you know him then? This fella that got bit?’

  ‘Yeah sounds like Terry, he got them tattoos ‘cept he had another bloke with him, John.’

  ‘Nah,’ Nick replies easily, ‘maybe he got bit somewhere else or something, just the bloke with that tatt’s is all I saw…what’s this Chapstick house then?’

  ‘Chapsworth House,’ the first man says.

  ‘Yeah that’s it, that’s what he said, you know it then?’

  ‘Yeah could say that, you’d better come with us…’

  ‘Eh? Why you gonna shoot me or something?’ Nick asks, ‘speaking of which, he had this shotgun that Terry fella.’

  ‘Let’s see,’ the man holds his hand out.

  ‘Fuck off!’ Nick replies quickly, ‘you two got guns so why would I hand mine over?’

  ‘Fair point,’ the second man says.

  ‘Alright, just hold it up so we can see it…yeah that’s Terry’s alright…got his initials on the stock see.’

  ‘Oh yeah, didn’t see them before,’ Nick says.

  ‘Right, well you gotta come with us anyway. We’re from Chapsworth House.’

  ‘Are you?’ Nick exclaims, ‘that Terry bloke said I should go there, something about seeing a doctor, you need more blokes?’

  ‘What happened to him?’

  ‘What Terry? Er…well don’t get shitty but you know…he fucking turned didn’t he so I er…you know.’

  ‘Shot him?’

  ‘Yeah, sorry if he was like, your mate or something.’

  ‘Forget it,’ the first man shrugs, ‘shit happens nowadays.’

  ‘Yeah ain't that right,’ Nick nods in agreement, ‘ere, you got a light? Lost mine, you want a smoke?’

  Ice broken, he climbs over the gate taking the two men safely away from seeing Lilly. He was right too, a third man stands back from the hedge keeping watch quietly while holding a rifle.

  ‘Alright mate,’ Nick nods in greeting.

  ‘What you doing over there?’ The third man asks.

  ‘Needed a piss,’ Nick laughs pointing at the stain on his crotch, ‘and I was fucking lost too, map says that house is round here somewhere but fucked if I could find it.’

  The third man stares at the dark stain then at Nick for a few seconds, seemingly satisfied he nods at the other two.

  ‘Take him with you; I’ll bring Terry’s van.’

  ***

  Her head spins and there’s an icy grip on her stomach. This is the second time within a few hours she’s hidden in undergrowth listening, but at least this time she can hear Nick talking to them. He sounds natural too, and judging by their tone of voice getting easier, she suspects they believe him.

  It happened so fast and again he acted on instinct, knowing exactly what to do and saving her again. Sacrificing himself so she can get away. He could have sent her out or both of them, he could have chosen to fight or try and kill them but he knew this was the best option.

  Waiting silently she listens to the doors slamming on vehicles, an engine starts, then another one and within a minute both of them have driven away leaving her in the silence of the field.

  At the gate, she peers round in case there’s a trap or anyone left behind. No one here so she clambers over then remembers what Nick said about avoiding the road. Back in the field, she starts making her way back down the hill, steady at first but her speed increases to a gentle jog. The axe is surprisingly heavy but comforting at the same time. She is glad to have something of his still retained in her possession.

  The exhaustion is terrible, sapping her energy to an all-time low. Legs feel heavy and unresponsive but with no other choice she wills herself to keep going. Step after step, the sun glaring down makes her feel sick. Water, keep drinking water and she sips frequently.

  Through fields and hedgerows, brambles and navigating thickets of trees she runs. The ground hard and unyielding, unforgiving on her hot tired feet.

  Can’t stop, can’t rest. Got to find a car and find the fort. Find Mr Howie and get them back here.

  How can everything go so wrong so quickly? In the space of a day she’s seen her friend being raped and her father being killed. Then Todd was bitten and died slowly, only to come back as one of them.

  The pressure is incredible, a panicked urge to do something, an action must be taken now. She wants to find a hole, crawl in and sleep for days and weeks until this is all over but that can’t happen.

  Bite the shock down and keep going. Only the strength of her will pushes on her on now. With the initial adrenalin wearing off, the after-effects plummet her down to the depths of despair. A feeling of there being no hope, that Nick was the last chance she had to get her brother. She doesn't know Mr Howie or any of these people, what if they reject her? What if they think she hurt Nick and took his axe?

  Mistake compounded by error compounded by fatigue, thoughts whirl and spin through her mind threatening to pull her to the floor where she can weep and scream at the unfairness of it all. That won’t get Billy back though, it won’t help Nick or anyone.

  Onto the road now, easier going and she pushes on. Forcing herself to alternate between jogging and walking. Gasping for air, sweating and feeling sick from the exertion. The road just keeps on, long and twisting so that every hope of reaching a corner to find a house is taken away by the sight of more melting tarmac, more hedges, more fields.

  The axe is heavy, the pistol jolts in the holster, irritating her every step. Her clothes, as thin as they are, feel heavy and cling to her frame. Hair soaked, plastered down her face. The water is gone, consumed within the first couple of miles. This is rural England, not the desert. The humidity eats away at the reserves of energy.

  Two weeks ago you wouldn’t even think about taking a walk on a hot day like this. Granted, this country hasn’t seen heat like this ever before but still. You’d know you can stop, call someone from your mobile, go to a café or shop. Get a bus or sit in the shade to cool down. There would be a cold shower later and some ice cream. Same place, same weather but everything is dangerous now. The risk of exposure is serious, the risk of dehydration is real. There won’t be an ambulance coming to administer fluids as they work to reduce the core body temperature.

  As exhausted as her body is, her brain is still working to keep her alive. The power lines overhead are a signal that houses must be close. The information is taken in, processed, labelled and sent to the front of her mind where it screams and stamps its feet until noticed.

  When it does register she finds that extra speed, maintaining the jog now until the first property comes into view. The end wall of a house, then another. A whole row of houses, country cottages all picturesque and pretty.

  Think Lilly, you need a car that is easy to drive and make sure it has fuel. The Landrover was too old and difficult, the gears were impossible.

  A BMW, nice and new. Sleek and powerful looking, it sits outside one of the cottages in the middle. Pistol out she stalks towards it. Staring up at the windows of the houses she passes.

  All of them have been entered, the doors a mixture of smashed in completely and just standing ajar like they’ve been left open by the owners. No time to pause and listen, move fast and keep going.

  Up the path and straight into the house. Pistol up, aimed and ready to be fired. Through the hallway she goes, checking the small table for the vehicle keys. Finding nothing she heads into the kitchen, large and spacious like something from a country magazine with a big pine table in the middle.

  Papers piled up on the table next to an open laptop, a large button calculator amongst pens and notepads. She recognises the type of letters instantly from the big red words at the top of each page. Debt letters, demands for payments. The image of the occupier sat there on the night it happened, wading through bills and letters as they struggled to work it all out.

  The futility of it; that none of it mattered strikes her hard. Watching her father go through a nervous breakdown because of the fin
ancial pressure heaped on him.

  At the sink she twists the tap on, letting the water run while she mooches through the drawers and cupboards searching for the keys.

  Amongst the papers on the table she finds them. A single black key with a leather fob attached and the BMW symbol etched on.

  Pushing her head under the tap she lets the cool water cascade down her neck, soaking into her hair before rubbing the sweat from her face. A long drink and she re-fills the water bottle before heading outside.

  D. R. 1. 2. S. She stares at the automatic gear stick for a few seconds. R must be reverse. One and Two must be the first gears. What do D and S mean? Turning the key she checks the display, noting the tank is over half full.

  Leather interior and the black coloured car is incredibly hot inside, almost shocking the very air from her lungs.

  A button on the side of the gear stick, she presses it in but the thing won’t move. She yanks harder but still it won’t budge. Frustration comes to the fore quickly, and she stamps down as she heaves at the stick. Her foot hits the brake which releases the safety catch, the gear stick yanks down the far end, slotting into R. Handbrake off and she pushes her foot on the accelerator. The Landrover was diesel and slow to respond. This is a petrol driven BMW and is not slow to respond. The engine engages at the slightest touch sending the car veering backwards with shocking speed. In panic she pushes her foot down harder, the engine roars from the pressure applied as the vehicle surges backwards into the road, across the road, off the road and slamming into the wooden five bar gate opposite.

  Airbags burst, deploying instantly from the sensors rigged throughout the vehicle. The engine management system cuts out, detecting an airbag deployment it will now not re-start until a full diagnostic check has been completed.

  Useless. Modern and useless. She gets out slamming the door shut before running towards the next cottage with a vehicle outside. This one also modern but with normal gears. The keys are found, the action repeated as she checks the fuel. Carefully this time she selects reverse and applies gentle pressure while releasing the handbrake. The car backs out slowly as she negotiates the steering wheel.

  Which way is south? Damn it! The map is in the van. Wait, she came from that direction and they were heading south on their way to Chapsworth House so yes, right. If she goes away from the direction she came that should be south.

  Windows down, air flow on full and she pulls away. A fifteen year old girl forcing herself to keep the speed down for fear of having an accident.

  Forty One

  ‘Man, listen to the D-man Shaunie, he like says it how it is man.’

  ‘Fuck me, I’m going to kill him…I really am going to kill him,’ Shaun glares at Derek with wide angry eyes.

  ‘Ginge, I’d be quiet for a bit mate,’ Derek says trying to placate their angry leader.

  ‘Don’t take it out on him,’ the large built woman snaps.

  ‘Yeah man, like you know, I’m just helping is all man.’

  ‘I can’t stand it, he’s English…Ginge you’re English not some fucking gangster from Jamaica or…or…wherever that fucking voice comes from.’

  ‘We need a decision,’ the large woman shouts over the arguing, ‘we’ve been going over this for hours…what are we going to do?’ She speaks slowly through gritted teeth.

  ‘If we let them in we’re fucked,’ Shaun says for the umpteenth time, ‘all the men are fucked…they’ll kill us. You heard them; they said the woman and children will be fine…’

  ‘We should vote on it,’ Derek suggests.

  ‘Yes Derek! I know you want to vote, you keep saying you want to vote, but if we do vote and the majority say we let them in then you and I are going to be killed…do you understand that?’

  ‘They might not?’ Derek shrugs.

  ‘YOU’S ALL FUCKED INNIT…’

  ‘Someone shut that fucking kid up,’ Shaun snarls, ‘if he shouts once more then…’

  ‘Then what?’ The large woman demands, ‘you’ll what? Kill him? Yeah because that’ll help our situation.’

  ‘Man, why don’t we like, you know, let everyone go if they want to go,’ Ginge suggests, ‘you know, like don’t let them be prisoners but set them free.’

  ‘Set them free?’ Shaun shakes his head, ‘they ain’t fucking panda’s being released into the jungle.’

  ‘He’s got a point, it’ll show we’re nice people,’ someone comments from the depths of the crowd gathered round Shaun.

  ‘We are nice people,’ Shaun replies, ‘we’re very nice people but they ain’t gonna think that.’

  ‘Maybe they’ll go away,’ Ginge continues, ‘like you know, they’ll get their people and they’ll like, go away and find another fort.’

  ‘HA, YOU DUMB FUCKING RETARD,’ the youth laughs.

  Ignoring the youth they carry on, worried faces with worried expressions. Everyone too hot, too tired and not knowing what to do.

  ‘Where’s that woman?’ Derek asks, ‘the Polish one? She seems alright. Ask her to go out and talk them down.’

  ‘What?’ Shaun exclaims.

  ‘That, man,’ Ginge nods emphatically, ‘is like, a really cool idea you know.’

  ‘It is,’ the large woman adds, ‘Derek, go and find her.’

  ‘Oi,’ Shaun cries out, ‘we haven’t decided anything yet.’

  ‘We have,’ the woman cuts him off, ‘we listened to you so far Shaun, and look at where we are?’

  ‘Okay,’ Shaun switches into his calm negotiators voice, ‘we shouldn’t rush into anything now, let’s just stay calm and talk this through.’

  ‘He’s gone man,’ Ginge says needlessly, ‘like the D-man has gone to get the girl.’

  ‘Derek!’ Shaun shouts, ‘his fucking name is Derek.’

  ‘Whatever man,’ Ginge shakes his head.

  ‘Right love,’ the large woman takes centre position as Derek leads Lenski into the middle of the group, ‘your people out there said they’ll let the woman and children stay here, but what about the men?’

  Lenski stays quiet. Scanning the group she takes in the panicked expressions, sensing the palpable worry amongst them.

  ‘They not hurt the woman or the children,’ Lenski says in a clear confident voice, ‘they never hurt them. They are not those people that do those things.’

  ‘What about us?’ Shaun asks.

  ‘You?’ Lenski shrugs as though it matters little to her.

  ‘Yeah, us?’ Shaun repeats, ‘what will they do to us?’

  ‘You took this place, this is not your place to take…what you expect?’

  ‘Shit man, I knew this was bad karma,’ Ginge reels from the flat toned words of Lenski.

  ‘What the fuck have you done Shaun? Derek wails, ‘we’re fucked now, fucking fucking fucked…’

  ‘Get a grip,’ Shaun snaps thinking frantically, ‘has anyone seen them from the walls yet?’

  Heads shaking, the armed men look at each other then back to Shaun. ‘They’re right up against the wall,’ one explains, ‘we keep looking but, well, unless we stick our heads right out over the edge and look down, we can’t see ‘em, and I for one ain’t doing that.’

  ‘Bloody right,’ Derek nods, ‘they’re like proper trained for this shit, we’re just ordinary people…fuck’s sake Shaun you were an estate agent.’

  Lenski stares at the crowd gathered round the flustering Shaun. He just asked if anyone can see them from the walls. If he can ask that, then the people from the walls must be down here. Casually, as though bored of the conversation she looks up and round, scanning the firm line where the wall meets the open sky. Smooth all round, no people, no guard.

  Yawning, she stretches her arms out and checks over her shoulder at the back gate. That too has been left unattended.

  How can she let them know outside? Tell them this is the time to do something?

  ‘I speak with them yes,’ Lenski interrupts the chatter, ‘maybe they hear my voice and they don’t feel so bad. I tell
them we are okay and we see, it gives you more time,’ she adds with a nod at Shaun.

  ‘Yeah,’ the former estate agent seizes on the chance to once more appear as though in control, ‘do that but no fucking funny business, you tell ‘em we haven’t hurt anyone…’

  ‘Yeah and say we’re sorry and they can have their fort back,’ Derek blurts getting a glare from Shaun.

  ‘No, don’t say that,’ Shaun says quickly.

  ‘Yeah do say that,’ Derek urges, ‘say we’re really sorry and like, we didn’t mean it…’

  ‘Bloody hell,’ the large woman snaps taking a step forward, ‘just tell them no one has been hurt and we want to end this peacefully alright?’

  ‘I say this, yes,’ Lenski nods at the woman.

  ‘Yeah, yeah good one,’ Derek nods flicking his gaze between the woman and Shaun.

  ‘Okay as you wish.’ Lenski starts to walk off wondering if anyone will grab her or tell her to slow down. For a second it looks like the idiots might just let her go alone, and she starts eyeing the bolts on the inside thinking how quickly she can get them all pulled back.

  ‘I’ll be right here,’ Shaun jogs up to fall in step beside her.

  ‘Of course,’ Lenski nods, not showing any expression. Reaching the inside of the gate she pauses, glancing at the man for permission to start. He stares back for a second wondering what she wants, before nodding and tapping his shotgun for effect which just earns a withering look from the unflappable Lenski.

  ‘Maddox, you hear me yes?’

  The other side of the gate bursts into silent activity, arms waving at one another to get ready. Everyone presses in tight to the sides of the walls as they edge closer to listen. Maddox and Paula ease their way to either side of the gate, staring at each other intently. With Jagger and Mohammed returning the numbers have swelled considerably with hard faced youth ready to do something.

  ‘Yeah I’m here,’ Maddox replies, ‘you okay Lenski?’

  ‘Yes I am okay,’ Lenski says slowly, speaking slower than normal she conveys the obvious message that people are listening to her.