Harry waved his hand to dismiss her apology. “No need to apologise to me, Xin. It’s been a tough ride for us all and I can be difficult at the best of times.”
“Thank you,” she smiled genuinely. It suddenly made no sense to her that the two of them had never quite seen eye to eye.
Pete was still crouched beside her. He drew his gaze away from Harry and turned to face her, a relieved grin spreading across his features. She looked back at him, and the warmth that had left her body when he’d spoke of leaving, returned with force. She flung her arms around his neck and unleashed a quiet burst of thankful sobs. Pete held onto her tightly, his face buried in her hair.
“It’s alright,” Pete said quietly to her. “I’m staying with you. I’m staying with you.” He repeated it as much for himself as he did for her. She clung to him for a while, just taking comfort from feeling him there with her. She knew it was ridiculous but she didn’t care. Coming so close to losing him had put a few things into perspective for her. After she had stopped crying, she waited a few more moments before breaking away to look at him.
“I can’t lose you,” She whispered. “I’ve lost so much already. We all have, but I can’t sacrifice you too. You’re the only reason I have to carry on.”
“Shhhhh,” He soothed and looked down at his hand holding onto hers, then up into her eyes. “I’ll be here. We’ll see this through together.”
Xin was looking back into his eyes, and before he realised that it was happening, his lips were on hers. Xin felt a weight lift from her shoulders as he kissed her. She could hear Lucy and Frank cheering in delight but ignored them.
Finally, she had discovered a moment where her guard could drop and she could just be human. She kissed him back, and for a while it felt like that was all there was. In those moments, it was just the two of them and the love they had for each other.
When the fading daylight had been replaced by blackest night, all but the men had retired to their sleeping places. Courtney and Aiden were asleep on an air mattress, the young boy tucked into her side. The others had settled into camp beds at the edge of the circle, where the light only just reached them and cast their sleeping bodies with shadows. Xin and Lucy were not quite asleep and whispered quietly. They had pulled their cots up side by side and laid facing each other.
The men sat in canvas chairs, trying to hash out a plan. Pete and the others would be heading back out on the road the following morning, and Harry and Stephen would be left to face the gargantuan task of reclaiming the mall alone.
“The key will be to take your time. Don’t try to get all of the stores cleared at once,” Pete was saying. “If you can avoid the noise of using your gun, then do, but be safe. Get the doors to each store barricaded as soon as you can so that you aren’t swarmed by more of them.”
“And save the main plazas ‘til last,” Andy inputted. He had a cigarette burning between his fingers and, when he blew out the smoke, it looked like warm breath meeting cold air and created the illusion that they really were just camping. “The stores will be useful for supplies but the plazas will only need clearing for convenience, so take your time. They’ll also probably be packed, but you won’t need to drop down into them. You can just attract the biters and fire down at them.”
“Make sure you check everywhere too,” Frank chimed in. “The last thing you want is any surprises.”
For the most part, Ahmed was simply listening. He was too old to enter the ceiling himself. Harry was taking in everything the others were saying and nodding to himself as he digested it. Stephen was the most nervous about their plan.
“So, how exactly are we going to clear the stores? You said try to avoid using guns...” He questioned.
“Where you can, try to use a blade. We’re going to leave a couple of machetes,” Pete told him. “That way, the sound isn’t just baiting more of them.”
“Right, so we both drop into the store as close to the doors as we can. One of us defends the other until the doors are sealed off, then we clear the rest out,” Harry explained to him. Stephen put his head in his hands and groaned.
“I’m not sure we can do this,” he said, his voice betraying just how nervous he was. Harry clapped him on the shoulder.
“Of course we can.” Harry said it with reassuring cheer, but his face didn’t look as sure.
“Remember, if you see anyone who looks like they were a staff member, check them for keys.” Frank told them. “It will be quicker to lock the doors than tie them shut.”
“But have something ready to secure the door before you drop down. Pick up anything you need vitally as you go along, especially at the sporting goods stores,” Andy nodded.
The conversation continued long into the night and way past the point where Stephen’s head started spinning. At some point, Kristy awoke. She went to sit beside her husband and listen. By the time they were ready to catch what little sleep they could, the plan was formed, and Kristy had inserted herself into it. Stephen had protested it, but in the end it had been decided that three people would stand a better chance than two.
34.
‘I think it was because I was desperate. I just needed to be doing something and I needed to feel like we had a plan. That is the only reason, looking back, that I would have gone along with Sydney’s stupid plan. Before the societal meltdown, her conspiracy theories had just been a cute quirk of hers. When we saw our first zombie, something within her must have just immediately clicked. It was as if they just validated all of the things she had believed all her life. She radiated such confidence and was so self-assured, that she’d convinced me too.’
“Keep it down, Mike,” Sydney whispered from the shrubs.
“I’m trying,” He hissed back impatiently. Did she really think that he could stop the crowbar from squealing and scratching against the window frame, he wondered to himself angrily. There was a light thud when the latch finally gave way and the window swung open.
“Okay, It’s open. Quick, get in!’ Mike urged her.
Sydney hurried out from the cover of lush green leaves and quickly over the grass to where he was waiting.
“Alright, help me up,” She demanded. Mike sighed but linked his fingers together and offered them to her as a step. She hastily jammed her grass-stained, converse clad foot into his hand and propelled herself upwards. Her hands clutched at the window frame and her feet kicked as she tried to haul herself up. “Damn it, Mike. Help me! And don’t look up my skirt.”
Mike rolled his eyes and took hold of her thrashing legs. He tried and failed to stop his gaze from rolling up the fishnet tights and beyond the hem of her short, pleated skirt. By the time she had wriggled from sight and into the sprawling mansion, he was all too eager to follow her. Mike’s entrance was considerably quicker and much more graceful than hers had been, and moments later, he was stood inside an expansive, wood panelled kitchen. Sydney was already digging through the cupboards and cabinets.
“Mmmmmm, champagne!” She cooed. “And... Oh em gee, Mike! OREOS! I knew that she would eat Oreos.” Sydney had the packet opened in a matter of seconds and moaned with delight when the first biscuit touched her lips. Mike lifted himself onto one of the counters and sat watching her. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking she hadn’t eaten in days. However, the truth was, both of them had eaten better since the apocalypse than they had in their entire lives.
Before this, both he and Sydney had been vagrants. They hadn’t been friends back then. They had just recognised each other’s faces when the shit had hit the fan.
Mike had watched her, night after night, working Hollywood boulevard to scrape together the money to pay for a room for the night. More often than not, he had just settled for a doorway, unless he got lucky and managed to get a spot at the shelter. On the last night of normalcy, he had been watching her. He’d seen the latest trick make a grab for her. When Sydney had backed away from him, he’d grabbed the next person he could reach and sunk his teeth into them. That was when Mi
ke had jumped to his feet and Sydney had ran towards him. She didn’t break stride, just grabbed his wrist and pulled him with her. As they ran, they had both glanced back and watched the carnage unfold behind them.
Once they’d stopped to catch their breath, they found themselves almost in Beverley Hills. Expensive cars were already squealing down the roads, their owners probably heading for one of their many exotic getaways. Mike didn’t know whether fleeing the country would have saved them, but he did know that it had left many luxurious homes vacant and ripe for the picking.
Sydney had convinced him that any one of the rich and famous who lived in the vicinity, would have nice, safe, lavish emergency bunkers. Since then, they had burned through one house after another. They had yet to find anything more than a simple panic room, but each house had ample supplies and sustained them anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. When people had money, they really stocked up on food.
“You’re staring at me... What? Do you want some?” Sydney asked Mike.
“Isn’t there any jerky I can have instead?” He asked her.
“You think Paris Hilton eats jerky?” Sydney condescended.
“Oh, come on. I bet this isn’t even her house,” Mike said.
“It is!” Sydney insisted. “And she’ll have a bunker, I just know it.”
“There are no bunkers, Sid. We don’t need one anyway. What’s wrong with this?” Mike asked her.
Sydney pouted. “When they nuke America, I want to survive.”
“Nuke America? Are you kidding me?” Mike laughed.
“Don’t laugh at me. Everyone knows that that’s going to be the only way to take this country back from the masses of zombies.” Sydney had put the cookies down and was pulling champagne flutes from a shelf. With her back to him, she continued, “Paris Hilton is definitely rich enough to pay whatever it would cost to survive when the bomb goes off.”
Mike didn’t argue with her again. He lapsed back into silence. Sydney turned around with a smirk on her face and pushed a glass of fizzy, golden bubbles into his hand.
“C’mon, let’s go and find it,” She said with excitement. “Where do you think it will be?”
Deciding to humour her, Mike shook his head. “I don’t know. Underground, I guess.”
“You mean, in the basement? We always check the basements. It sucks. Why can’t you ever say, ‘Oh Sid, maybe it’s in the dressing room’ or, ‘Hey, let’s check the cinema room’... God, Mike. You’re such a buzz kill.”
“For Christ sake, Sid. If you don’t want my opinion then don’t ask for it. You want to go and check out the clothes and jewellery and all the rest of that girly crap, then be my guest. I’m done with your stupid ideas anyway.” He folded his arms and watched as her features grappled with her emotions. It seemed she didn’t know whether to be shocked, angry or even hurt. Instead, she turned on her heel and marched away down the hall.
Mike could hear vague tinkling and thumping noises echoing through the vast home. He didn’t even want to know what Sydney was doing. If this really was Paris Hilton’s house, she was liable to be pissed off when she came home.
To pass the time while Sydney calmed down, Mike went on a wander of his own. The mansion was huge and every time he went through one door, there was another one he hadn’t looked behind yet. Mike found himself in what he could only describe as a small library. He became aware that the Sydney’s auditory presence had died away, but it didn’t cause him concern. He was probably on the other side of the house to her now. Mike was inspecting shelf after shelf of books, running his hand over the spines. He didn’t hear Sydney enter, because something caught his attention. One of the books appeared to be only half on the bookcase. Mike reached out a hand and pulled the book free. He didn’t bother to read the title because his eyes were already lingering on the red button that had been hidden behind it.
Sydney stepped closer, curious to see what Mike was looking at. She watched him reach out and touch something and then heard a low creaking sound.
“What was that?” She wondered aloud.
Mike’s head swivelled in every direction, searching for the answer. Then he noticed a portion of the wooden floor slowly sliding aside to reveal a staircase. Harsh white lights flickered on down there and Sydney and Mike looked at each other.
“No fucking way!” Mike smiled at her in disbelief. Sydney ran at him and hugged him, jumping up and down in excitement.
“I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!” she sung, before skipping away to explore.
“Maybe we will survive this after all,” Mike said quietly to himself. Then followed closely after her on the steps that led down, down, down.
35.
‘Xin was driven when we awoke at first light. Her leg seemed to be a lot better. Maybe it was the medication or the full night’s sleep, but she went off in search of a better map. Meanwhile, the rest of us were dividing out the weapons and packing up food and medical supplies. When everything was loaded into the Typhoon, Xin wanted to head straight off. It was only a day’s drive to Washington and she was certain that by the same time tomorrow we could be in Virginia. We were all sad to be leaving Harry, but I guess by then we had all experienced much more upsetting goodbyes. None the less, my mind was still on that when we set off on our journey again.’
“This map is much better,” Xin said, shifting in the passenger seat. Lucy was driving this time. The plan was to buckle down and only stop for toilet breaks or to switch drivers. “I can definitely find us routes around the worst areas.”
Xin’s high spirits seemed to jar with the obvious depletion of their group. It wasn’t a malicious happiness that filled her and nobody presumed that Xin was glad to be rid of Harry’s presence. However, given that the alternative had been losing Pete, there was a sliver of relief inside of her, which she channelled into a renewed focus on their goal. The others had been quiet since their departure, nobody quite knowing what to say to fill the void.
“Thomas was right; his directions didn’t lose us that much time. I think we should be hitting Kansas state line pretty soon,” Xin continued. She seemed to realise that nobody else shared her mood and deflated a little. “I’m sorry.” She said.
“No, don’t be,” Frank expressed dejectedly from somewhere behind her seat. “It’s not like he died, right?”
“It was what he wanted to do.” Pete also sounded disheartened. “I don’t think he really wanted to be part of this from the start. There was just nowhere, and no one, else for him to be with.”
“Harry was a cop, right?” Andy spoke up.
“Yeah,” Frank nodded.
“So, he’s tough, and he dedicated his life before the outbreak to helping people and doing the right thing. That’s what’s important to him. I think it’s hard to find any kind of inner peace nowadays, but maybe he’s found some semblance of it back there,” Andy offered. “We might miss him, but I don’t think we should mope around if that’s the case.”
Pete nudged Andy with his shoulder and smiled, “You know, for a kid, you speak a lot of sense.”
“Knock it off, grandpa,” Andy laughed back at him.
36.
‘It had been strange to watch the others drive away without me. I didn’t really know how to feel. I suppose that in this world they were my only friends, but there was a part of me that still felt like they were strangers. Lucy kissed me on the cheek before she left. The guys had all shaken my hand and wished me luck. Xin had hugged me and whispered heartfelt thanks into my ear, not just for taking Pete’s place, but for everything. And it meant a lot to me. We hadn’t always seen eye to eye but I had respect for her. I didn’t want to sit and dwell on the farewell, though. This was the right choice for me to make and I intended to see it through.’
Harry, Stephen and Kristy quickly established a good system for clearing the stores. They had discussed their method at length before putting it into practice. Stephen and his wife positioned themselves above the doorway into the store a
nd waited. Harry crawled through the ceiling space and positioned himself above a spot deep inside the shop. Then it was his job to attract the attention of any stragglers that were inside. It was easy to draw them over with a noise or movement, the trick was not to draw the attention of any zombies out in the main plaza beyond the store. In the darker stores, Harry decided a torch beam would be a less risky choice of distraction. Nevertheless, in the stores well lit by daylight, the gentle tap of his gun butt against a metal support usually worked. Once they spotted him, Stephen and Kristy would need to pick the right moment. When their way was clear, they could drop into the store and take care of sealing the entrance. Stephen usually watched Kristy’s back whilst she saw to the doors. Afterwards, they would sneak up from behind the zombies and take them out, Harry provided backup with a silenced gun from inside the ceiling. As soon as they were all dead, it was safe to take inventory of the supplies that were available. Harry could then help them back up into the ceiling.
It was tiring work and slow going. Other than communicating their tactics and the whereabouts of their shuffling dead companions, there was not much talking to be done.
The others stayed behind at their makeshift camp. Aiden wanted to take his toys and play by the glass doors that led outside. He’d had to wait an hour for the dead faces to disappear, but when they eventually had, he settled a blanket on the floor and sat down with his new toy soldier.
“Soldier Frank,” Aiden murmured in a deep voice. “I see three of them.” He peered out of the window and turned the action figure to do the same.
“Aiden... Honey?” The weak voice of his mother called.
“It’s okay, Momma. I’m over here,” He called back softly. Courtney held the shelving unit for support as she made her way around it. She was visibly improved and relieved to see her son. “You’re meant to be resting, mom.”
Dying to Live Page 33