Island of the Dead

by Aline Riva

  “Thanks for letting me stay tonight,” Vicki said.

  “You can stay on till your ankle gets better,” he replied, “Really, I don't mind having you around.”

  As he let go of her, he smiled and so did she.

  “Good night, Vicki,” he said, feeling only too aware their eyes had just locked, and he had been the first to look away. He kissed her cheek, got up and left the room, leaving Vicki feeling less alone and now very much reminded that someone on the island still cared. Marc had always cared for her, and she felt sure he always would. Then she wondered why she had never noticed that before...

  As they lay together in the darkness, Parsons turned on his side and looked into the eyes of his wife.

  “So what do you think about this town named Circus?”

  Her hair trailed long over the pillow and her face looked silver by moonlight.

  “Alex is a stranger... you said he seems a little odd.. yet he says this town is a magical place? Perhaps you should consider this: If he is unbalanced, his idea of magical could be anything from bizarre to a total nightmare for the rest of us.”

  “He saved Emma. He tried to save the others. I think he's trustworthy.”

  She shifted closer, running her hands over his shoulders as she looked into his eyes.

  “Promise me, no more missions to the mainland – not for a while! It's too dangerous.”

  “But Alex knows the way. He's made the journey many times.”

  “And perhaps being slightly unbalanced he doesn't fear danger like the rest of us!”

  He paused for thought.

  “Maybe his idea of a magical wonderland is very different in reality. But it's something to consider – not now, but eventually. Perhaps we are not so unique. Maybe other communities are gathering and making their boundaries secure. This could be the start of the return of a civilised world!”

  “I was hoping they would bring back another boat,” Serena replied as worry clouded her eyes deeply, “We need to have a plan in place in case the island ever needed to be evacuated. After all you told me about Raven Isle, I know we need an emergency plan. I want to start teaching the children to head for the dock when I blow a whistle. I know we don't have enough boats and if we were invaded by people like those you were forced to kill on the isle...I can't bear to think of the consequences.”

  He pulled her closer and kissed her softly but his gesture did nothing to erase the fear from her eyes.

  “I did a lot of thinking while you were away,” she added, “And I've realised the very thing that keeps us safe is what could kill us all. We're on an island. If we were invaded, we would stand no chance.”

  As he held her, he gave a sigh.

  “The plan for an extra boat was cancelled because of the deaths that happened on the mainland. Next time we are forced to take that route, I will make sure we have more boats brought over. Teach the children if it makes you worry less. But please, don't lose that light in your eyes. I live for your smile and the hope I see in your face.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and held him tighter, closing her eyes and feeling silently thankful they still had each other. She had barely stopped embracing him since his return from the cannibal isle. Until he had told her what happened, she had not imagined the world could turn up horrors worse than the undead, but it seemed the living could be even more terrifying...

  Next morning, Greg went over to the hall and made final arrangements for the newly stocked bar to be open all day to celebrate the return of those who had survived and to remember those who had been lost. Parsons stopped by early and had suggested it would be a great way to pull the community together, but as always, advised him to keep note of who drank what, and to make sure no one had more than the allowed ration.

  As he finished polishing glasses and checking the fridge to be sure the bottles were chilled, a few curious islanders wandered in.

  “We open at one pm today,” he said, “It's a celebration – and to remember those who we lost.”

  The people nodded, thanked him for the information and left. He guessed word would soon spread in a place this small, and by one pm the bar would be busy.

  Greg's thoughts briefly shifted to Vicki, then he pushed her from his mind and thought instead about Zodiac, and hoped he would behave over at the dock while Serena taught the children the emergency drill. This practise was new, Serena had spread word quickly to all the parents of the younger children and then informed the school that this practise would be done every morning once a week, just in case the worst happened. As Greg turned to leave the bar, he considered her fears and shook his head - he couldn't imagine anything bad happening here – this was Wolfsheer, it was a safe place...

  “I saw the kids down at the dock, you don't have to worry about Zodiac – Helen was holding his hand at the front of the line.”

  As Marc said those words on entering the bar, Greg breathed a relieved sigh.

  “Thank god for that! I wasn't sure how he would behave around so many other kids, arguments break out so easily with him.”

  Greg strolled over to the bar to join him.

  “I hope we don't have to send a search party out again for a long time. It was bad enough on Raven Isle, but that was just the living... I saw Emma when we swapped over beach patrol and she said the mainland was crawling with corpses.”

  “How's Vicki?” Greg asked.

  “Do you want to see her? She's staying at my place until her ankle heals.”

  “I think she's better off with you,” Greg replied with blunt honesty, “You've always got on well with her.”

  “It's not like that -”

  “I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying, if it goes that way, it's fine with me...Keep talking to me...”

  “Why?” Marc said, feeling utterly confused as Greg turned his back to the door, grabbed a glass and started to polish it.

  “Excuse me -”

  Now Marc understood. Christian was in the doorway.

  “Can I help you?” Marc asked.

  The doctor stayed in the open doorway and made no attempt to enter the bar.

  “I wanted a word with Greg... Am I okay to stop by later and have a drink?”

  “No,” Greg replied, still with his back turned as he polished the same glass, “You're the only medic on the island. Get back to your infirmary and do your job!”

  Christian turned away muttering something under his breath that sounded like ass hole. Greg turned around and looked to the door, watching him storm off angrily.

  “I can't believe he had the nerve to ask if he could drink in my bar, after what he's done? What a prick!”

  “It's the community bar,” Marc reminded him, “It's for everyone.”

  He tried not to look bemused as he silently wondered how long this feud would keep going.

  “But we had a fight. A physical fight.”

  “You threw the first punch.”

  “He deserved it.”

  Marc gave a sigh.

  “It's easy to forget the apocalypse has happened, living here on the island in our own community. But Greg, life can be short - even shorter these days! He's a young ambitious guy who wants to cure the virus. You can't blame him for keeping that corpse for experimentation. And it's not his fault he was gone too long and the thing got loose. I was captive on the isle too, we had no choice in the matter! I remember how close you and Christian used to be, don't forget he saved your life five years back, too!”

  “Vicki almost died because of him. If I hadn't got there in time to shoot that corpse it would have killed her, got out and then it would have killed again.”

  “You should let go of this,” Marc said sincerely, “We're a small island, we don't need to hold grudges among our own.”

  “I'm not holding a grudge,” Greg replied as he put down the glass and walked towards the doorway and Marc followed, “You've got this all wrong – we just don't speak. I also have the right to bar anyone I choose from drinking in this establishme
nt.”

  They were outside now. Greg locked up the bar and checked his watch.

  “I'll see you at one pm,” he said, then he turned away and headed back down the path in the direction of home. Marc watched him leave, wondering if there could be a way to get the two men to talk. The island was an isolated place but it thrived on community spirit. He didn't like this rift, but with Christian as stubborn as Greg it seemed there was nothing he could do to try and smooth it over – it was starting to look like they truly hated each other, and nothing could change that now...

  By one pm the bar was open and people were inside the hall and outside spilling on to the village green. Zodiac had gone over to play by the pond where several other children had gathered, but a hard shove to his shoulder made him turn around, seized by the urge to bite. He found himself face to face with Sarah, who glared at him as she stood there in a white dress with her hair tied up in ribbons.

  “No biting today, zombie boy!” she said angrily.

  His annoyance faded out along with his urge to sink his teeth into her arm.

  “I'm not a zombie,” he stated, “My Daddy had the bite virus when he and Mummy made me. You know how tadpoles turn into frogs?”

  She shook her head.

  “I don't go to school yet.”

  “Then let me educate you,” he replied, “Tadpoles always turn into frogs. And frogs are always green. Like when people have babies they all look similar. But when I was born, I looked different because of the virus. That's why I bite, too. It isn't intentional. I actually like you. I felt sad when I made you cry.”

  She looked at him in confusion.

  “You talk like a grown up. I don't understand. Go away.”

  “Sarah -”

  She turned away and ran off to join the other children, then whispered in the ear of a playmate who glared in his direction. The shoulders of his tie dyed shirt sagged as he gave a sigh and looked to the ground as he wondered if he would ever be able to keep a friend, and he then went off towards the bar to sit at the back with some juice and watch his father serving customers.

  While Parsons was on his way with Serena to join the others and to make a speech remembering those lost, Marc bumped into Emma on the way back from her shift and they walked up the quiet street together.

  “How was patrol?” he asked.

  “Quiet as usual, thank goodness,” Emma replied, “I'm glad. If I'd seen anything coming out of the water today it would have been too soon.”

  “It was that bad back on the mainland?”

  She nodded.

  “Try not to think about it, you're home now, we just have to keep going, I think that's how all of us get through each day,”he reminded her.

  She smiled and thanked him for the advice, then headed off towards the small dwellings with the round rooftops.

  Marc walked on, passing the busy centre of the village, then he reached home, where he found Vicki in the front room, she was on the sofa resting her ankle and wearing a yellow summer dress.

  “I was going up to the bar for the afternoon – but if you don't want to go, I'll give it a miss.”

  He sat down on the sofa beside her.

  “My ankle still hurts. It's not as bad as it was, but I don't want to see Greg.”

  “Then we should stay in,” he replied, “I'm not leaving you alone to get bored.”

  “You should go if you want to.”

  Vicki looked so much better now, she had lost her pallor and seemed much less anxious.

  “I think the pills are working,” he said.

  “Well I'm not thinking about Stacy or the corpse that killed her. I'm not even thinking about pulling my hair now I don't have any to pull.”

  She reached up and ran her fingertips over the side of her head, feeling soft stubble beginning to break through skin.

  “I'm still getting used to this.”

  “You look lovely as ever to me.”

  She looked at him, and he looked back at her realising too much had been said and he could not take it back. Vicki shifted on the sofa, moving closer to him as she lowered her bandaged ankle to the floor.

  “Why didn't I see this before?”

  “See what?” he asked.

  “The way you look at me. I'm sorry I missed it for so long.”

  Their lips touched. As he kissed her he pulled her close, feeling as if a missing piece of his heart had finally slid into place. It was too soon, at least, it was too soon to be letting anyone else know about this. But maybe it had taken five years for this moment to arrive... Greg had said he didn't mind if they got closer. He hoped he meant it, because the last thing he wanted to do was betray his best friend...

  They fell back on to the sofa together, Vicki caught her breath as he ran his hands up her thighs, raising her dress to her hips. He tugged at his belt, popped the buttons on his jeans and murmured he had always wanted her.

  Moments later she was clinging to him, digging her nails into his shoulders as he thrust hard inside her, claiming her body for the first time. They both felt lost in this moment and never wanted it to end. For now, it seemed as if for the two of them, time had frozen and all that mattered was making love.

  While the beach side of the island was guarded and men stood around talking about the bar being open all day and how they couldn't wait for their shifts to end, on the other side of the island – the side watched only a few hours a day because of the rocks and the unlikely event of a corpse getting through the tough terrain to land – the place was, for now, unguarded. If anyone had been watching from the hilltop above the rocks, they would have seen a looming shape in the distance, growing closer as it was carried in on the tide.

  A few miles out across the water, a battered ship was drifting and heading straight for the rocks on Wolfsheer Island. And on the decks of that vast ship were former passengers, survivors who had gathered together in the hopes of sailing the sea until they found a safe harbour. But the bite virus had spread and now it was a ship of corpses. They stumbled about the vessel, their dead eyes set on the land in distance, that dark shape was growing closer all the time as the ship drifted onward.

  One of the creatures leaned against the rail, its hair blowing back in the wind as it fixed its sights on the land mass that was visible in the water, and as the ship drifted closer its dead eyes blazed with ravenous hunger and it opened its mouth and snarled, sensing warm, living blood on the wind. Feeding time was soon to begin...

  Chapter 11

  The mood in the village was good. The heart of the island had fallen quiet as Parsons had spoken sombre words to remember those lost, but then emphasis had been placed on life again and his speech had ended positively. The booze was still flowing and the heat of the day was blazing down. It was easy to forget at this time, with the sunshine and the drinks and the light mood as the afternoon went on, that anything was amiss with the world past the shores of Wolfsheer...

  When the ship rammed against the rocks with a screaming and tearing of metal, the screech and the crash sounded about the island as if there had been an explosion. The music stopped, people put drinks down, they listened.

  The ground had shuddered for a moment, but now all was still again. Greg came out from behind the bar and went outside, gesturing to his son to follow.

  “Close the bar,” Parsons told him,”I'm going to send a team out to investigate. For now, the celebrations are cancelled.”

  Greg felt his son take hold of his hand. He looked down at him, feeling relieved his boy was at his side at this uncertain time.

  “This is probably nothing to worry about, but you have to stay with me,” he told him.

  Zodiac nodded, but then Serena blew a whistle.

  “I have to go to the dock!”

  “No, you stay here!”

  “Daddy, I have to go!”

  The other children were hurrying off to follow Serena. Greg gave a heavy sigh as he let go of his son's hand.

  “Okay, It's probably just a drill. Co
me straight back after.”

  “I promise I will,” Zodiac replied, then he ran off to join the others.

  Greg went back to the bar and announced it was now closed. As he waited for the drinkers to leave so he could lock up, he stood in the doorway and cast a worried glance towards Parsons who was busy instructing every man he could find with patrol experience, sending them off in every direction.

  “I didn't like the look of this...” Greg muttered, then as the last customer left the bar he locked the door and hurried off down the path, heading for home and his loaded gun.

  Over at the infirmary, Christian had felt the impact of something large and heavy enough to jolt the ground. He had wondered if a chopper or a plane had crashed and had hastily grabbed a large, well packed emergency medical bag that he kept in case of disaster or emergency evacuation. It had sounded like the loud noise had come from the rocky side of the bay, he guessed if a chopper had crashed there the chances of finding survivors would be remote – but as the only doctor on the island, he had to do something even though he guessed there would be nothing left from the accident but perhaps a burning chopper or smashed wreckage.

  He walked quickly out of the back exit and headed off down the path, the infirmary was empty today so he had no patients to leave behind. As he headed to the main street, a group of armed patrol men ran past him.

  “What's happened?” he called out, but they ignored him, running off towards the treeline. It was then Christian made the decision to head towards the centre of the village, because as men were being sent out from there, he guessed Parsons must know what was going on, and surely he would be better off approaching the situation knowing what to expect instead of venturing out blindly...