First Activation: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller

by D. A. Wearmouth

  “Jack’s outside on the lounger, go join him if you want?” Bernie said.

  “Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “What is it you guys say? Too many cooks spoil the broth. Go join Jack, you deserve a rest.”

  “Cheers, Bernie.”

  I walked outside and sat on the spare lounger next to Jack, he passed me an open tin of pineapple chunks and a spoon.

  “It feels strange chilling out, I feel like I should be doing something,” he said.

  “I know what you mean, but we need some down time.”

  Jack nodded and folded an arm behind his head, he was reading, ‘Day of the Triffids’, which he had picked up from the bookcase inside earlier.

  I settled back on the lounger and started watching a brightly coloured bird, busily hopping around a tree. As I wondered what species it might be, the smell of cooking wafted over from the kitchen and my mouth watered. I momentarily closed my eyes and tried to capture this single moment, away from the events of the last few days. I felt calm until I opened my eyes again and caught sight of the two graves in my peripheral vision.

  We still needed to stay alert, so I walked around the house, enjoying the breeze on my face and the sound of the wind whispering through the trees. With space around us, an apparent lack of people, a reasonable amount of supplies in the kitchen, and a secure house, I started to believe our long term prospects were good.

  I returned to the lounger and said to Jack, “It’s a great place. Maybe we should forget about trying to find other survivors for a while?”

  “To deprive a gregarious creature of companionship is to maim it, to outrage its nature,” Jack smiled.

  “You’ve just read that haven’t you?” I laughed.

  Jack nodded.

  As the light began to fade, Lea called from the kitchen, “Are you guys ready to eat?”

  We both enthusiastically nodded and made our way back inside, Lea directed us to the dining room.

  Bernie lit the candles on the dining room table and we sat in the comfortable seats eating bowls of stew. The food was good and we ate in companionable silence.

  We discussed the plan for the next day after dinner. The general agreement was that we should rest, scout the area, and take some time to recover.

  “Once we have acclimatised, I think we should try to find others who survived,” I said.

  Jack nodded and puffed out a smoke ring from his cigar.

  “We should go and see how Greg is getting on, if he hasn’t come over by tomorrow night,” Bernie replied.

  ”Fine with me guys, but I’d like to head into the centre of Montgomery and get more supplies,” Lea said.

  “There’s plenty here for the moment,” Jack replied.

  “Not for what I need,” Lea said and narrowed her eyes.

  Bernie, Jack, and I, looked at each other then realised what she meant. Jack changed the subject.

  “We need to confirm it’s over, so why not set fire to a car and observe it from a distance?”

  I didn’t think this plan would cause too much harm, but Lea and Bernie were both against it.

  “If one or two killers are still around, then we shouldn’t give them any encouragement to get near us,” Bernie replied.

  “It would get us off on the wrong foot with anyone we met if they knew we’d spied on them,” Lea added.

  “I’m just pleased to be relatively safe for the time being. Let’s visit Greg in the morning and then have a scouting trip around the edge of town. If it looks safe, we could then go in further as Lea suggested,” I said.

  “Right, time for a cold shower and then some whisky,” Jack said.

  He walked upstairs and left the three of us around the table.

  Lea started talking to Bernie about Linda, so I decided to have a dig around in some of the drawers that were in both corners of the room. I thought it was good for Bernie that he had somebody to talk to, other than Jack and me. It was much better that he talk about Linda with an understanding woman, than the two people he had initially blamed for her death.

  I couldn’t find anything of interest in the dining room cabinets, just ornaments, coasters, silverware and china, – I decided to go upstairs and see if there was another bathroom free. I found an en suite in the master bedroom, so I stripped and jumped into the shower. The water was freezing, but I quickly acclimatised, happy to be clean again.

  While drying myself with a towel that I found hanging on the wall, Jack shouted through the door, “I’ve put some fresh clothes for you on the bed. See you downstairs.”

  “Thanks,” I called back.

  My old clothes were balled on the floor, so I scooped them up to take downstairs and clean. I opened the en suite door and found a grey velour tracksuit laid out on the bed with socks, underpants and t-shirt. I laughed at the sight of the tracksuit; something like this would only be available in charity shops back home. The clothes were clean though, and I was grateful for a change. I grabbed the Glock and headed downstairs.

  Jack was sitting in the dining room with a whisky in hand and another waiting for me. He was wearing a cream shirt with a bright purple cravat and a pair of trousers that were about 2 inches short. He took one look at me in my stylish velour and we both broke out into laughter.

  Bernie and Lea didn’t understand the joke and gave us a disapproving look. The army gallows humour was something Jack and I would just have to share.

  “I’m taking a shower, and then going to bed,” Lea said. “I’ve hardly slept since landing in Newark.”

  “Me too. Are you guys okay?” Bernie yawned.

  It was only eight in the evening, which meant our watch would last an extra 4 hours, but after all the cleaning and cooking, it seemed fair.

  “You two have a good night’s sleep,” Jack replied. “Bernie, we’ll be waking you up at four in the morning, so don’t try to strangle us!”

  “I won’t.”

  Both he and Lea left the room and went upstairs.

  “Leave the doors of the bedrooms you’re not using open,” Jack shouted after them.

  “Let’s go out onto the porch and have a drink,” I said to Jack, holding my whiskey up to clink with his.

  We settled into the two comfortable chairs out front with our glasses and the bottle of whiskey on a small table between us.

  “So what do you think happened to Dave and Andy? They wouldn’t have had much of a chance in Manhattan,” I said.

  “I’m almost one hundred percent sure they are dead, I accepted that over a day ago.”

  “Yeah, I agree. After what we saw around the city, and heard from Lea, I doubt they would have lasted long. One of them might have even killed the other.”

  “Family and friends? Do you think anyone back home made it?” Jack said, as he poured another whisky.

  “I don’t know. If back home was the same as here, then I doubt it. In fact, I think we should assume that they didn’t pull through. To find out otherwise would be a bonus.”

  We both sat quietly, reflecting on this and sipping our whisky. It was the first time I had thought about what the long-term future had in store, and who was going to be around to share it. Until now, my main concern had been surviving each individual day, now our prospects seemed healthier.

  Would we ever get back home? Perhaps not, but was there even anything for us to go back to? Probably not. Could the survivors manage to form a new community together? I couldn’t imagine how people would find each other if they were spread out all over the country.

  “Do you think we should stay here for a few months?” I asked.

  “Yes, definitely until all of the corpses have rotted away. Or until we hear something from another survivor that convinces us it’s best to move on.”

  “I agree. We can go on scouting trips to try to find out news. For the time being though, we’ll stay here. We’ve a few more bottles here to enjoy and can scavenge a few more home comforts from town, or neighbouring properties.” />
  “Do you think Bernie and Lea will stay with us?” Jack said, lowering his voice.

  “I’m not sure; I personally don’t think Lea trusts us after what happened with Chris. She might go as soon as she comes across a better option. Bernie might want to have a look for some of the people he knew. We’ll have to see. But for now, I think we are stronger together.”

  Jack topped our drinks up again. I was starting to be light headed, but was feeling relaxed for the first time in days.

  “Go and grab us a couple of cigars from the cabinet,” I said.

  Jack jumped to his feet and headed towards the front door before stopping and peering through the glass.

  “Who’s that?”

  Lea slowly walked through the door with a blank look on her face.

  “How long have you been standing there?” I asked.

  “The last five minutes.”

  “I’m off to get the cigars,” Jack said, escaping the potentially awkward situation.

  Lea probably heard everything. As far as I could remember, neither Jack nor I had said anything bad about her. I speculated about what she thought about us and what she might do next, but her silence seemed to hold more than that. I decided it was best to get things out in the open before we went any further.

  “Lea, I’ve a confession to make, and you’re not going to like it.”

  She scowled at me.

  “Do you think I didn’t know you started the music?”

  “Pardon?” I stuttered.

  “You three couldn’t act to save your lives. I knew pretty much straight away on the roof of Bernie’s apartment block. You were all so sheepish and pathetic. Then back in the apartment, you all clammed up and came out with silly answers whenever the subject was discussed.”

  I looked up at Lea for a few seconds, and then stood up.

  “Lea, I’m really sorry. It was my idea, don’t blame Jack or Bernie. All we were trying to do was draw killers towards each other, so they’d stay away from us. It went badly wrong, we never intended for you two to walk into the trap.”

  Jack came back out of the front door, “I’ve got the…”

  He sensed the tension on the porch and looked at Lea then me.

  Lea’s face softened and she shook her head.

  “If you’d have just told me right at the start that you set up that trap, I would have understood.”

  “Are you sure? You were going mental on the roof,” Jack replied.

  “Yes, of course I’m sure. I was convinced that I wouldn’t last long with just Chris as company and desperate to find others who were not killers. I can understand what you did then, but you should have some faith in me.”

  “What do you mean?” I answered.

  “You think that I will leave as soon as an opportunity comes along. I heard you from behind the front door.”

  “That was a bit sneaky, wasn’t it?” Jack frowned.

  “Well, you’ve hardly inspired complete trust, have you?”

  “We weren’t exactly in a world full of trust at the time, Lea. Now, we’ve a bit more time to think and reflect, it’s easier to judge with the benefit of hindsight.”

  “Join us for a drink,” I said, and noticed a conciliatory look appear across her face.

  Lea agreed, and I fetched another glass. For the next two hours, Jack, Lea, and I, talked while finishing off the bottle of whisky. She understood the way we reacted after everything was explained - the car, the music, and the awful turn of events. We were all miles from home, not knowing whom to trust, and had the very real threat of death at any minute.

  Lea had heard our plan to stay at the house for a few months unless something made us move. We speculated on what kind of news that would be. Perhaps a survivor group being formed in a town, news of transportation available to an unaffected place overseas, or worst of all, an invasion.

  The only new developments were the vapour trail in the sky and that the brainwashing had seemed to run its course. Neither of those two things helped explain anything.

  We were passing a cigar around, almost like a peace pipe, and coughing on the smoke when we all heard what sounded like a spray of gunfire in the far distance.

  “How close do you think that was?” Lea said.

  “I don’t know,” Jack answered, “a few miles at least, I would say. Nothing that should bother us tonight. That’s the first thing we’ve heard like that since arriving. There’s bound to be a few frightened and confused people walking around, so it doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Let’s not get too jumpy, we’ll deal with any immediate threats,” I added.

  Lea decided to get some rest and left us out on the porch.

  We sat sipping whiskey for ten minutes until Jack had a suggestion. He was looking towards the front right-hand side of the property.

  “Fancy a walk to that farm we passed on the way? I liked the look of it and I’m in the mood for a bit of exploring.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait until the morning? We’d be leaving nobody on watch, and its dark,” I replied.

  “We haven’t come across anyone for miles, apart from Greg. They’ll be alright. It’s only about a mile away.”

  Jack stood, picked up his rifle, and checked it was loaded before continuing, “I’m confident this killer thing has ended. Let’s see if we can get some fresh supplies. There might be chickens, vegetables, and all kinds of stuff. We could surprise Bernie and Lea with our bounty. Are you game?”

  “Let’s do it,” I said. “They’ll both be none the wiser as long as we get back before Bernie’s shift.”

  As we walked towards the road, I thought that we could potentially be making a big mistake. Had the alcohol given us too much courage? Were we acting too quickly on a rashly made assumption? I didn’t know, and my legs felt slightly unsteady.

  “Are you sure about this?” I said.

  “Why not? What have we to lose?” he whispered, smiling.

  I didn’t want to answer that.

  We turned right along the road and started walking towards the farm. As we neared the property, I realised there was a light coming from a farmhouse window. Somebody must have turned it on recently with an alternative electricity source.

  We crept along a tree-lined road that led to the farm gate. I could hear the noise of a generator coming from somewhere inside the adjacent barn. Within thirty yards of the window, we pulled up flat against the barn’s side.

  “Whoever is in there, is not exactly trying to keep a low profile,” I whispered.

  “How shall we handle it?”

  “Let’s sneak up to the window and have a look inside. If there is anyone in there, I’ll knock on the door and you keep watching through the window to see if they pick up any weapons. If they do, we’ll shout a warning.”

  “There could be a few, what if they shoot first?”

  “I’ll stand by the side of the door, and you crouch below the window. If they want to try something like that, they won’t see us until it’s too late. We have the element of surprise. If there’s an armed squad, we’ll come back in the morning with a white flag.”

  We slowly made our way to the window and looked inside. A medium sized, middle-aged man with a bulbous nose was sitting in the room reading a book. I nodded at Jack, and then crept towards the door, knocked loudly three times and stood to the right-hand side with my Glock ready.

  “He’s coming straight to the door. I don’t think he’s armed,” Jack whispered.

  “Who is it? Who’s there?” a voice called out from behind the door.

  “It’s your new neighbours. There are two of us here,” I said.

  “Two of you? Why did you come here? What do you want?”

  Jack slid up to the other side of the door, “We don’t want any trouble. We’ve had a bad few days and wanted to check if you were okay. This is the first place we’ve seen with a light on since the power went out almost two days ago.”

  “Why do you want to know if I am okay? I’m just f
ine.”

  I took a deep breath, and then moved left, making my profile visible through the small glass square in the door. I could see the outline of the man’s head.

  He took a step back, so I stood closer to the glass.

  “We just want to talk, that’s all. Haven’t you noticed anything strange in the last few days?”

  “Yes, but how do I know I can trust you?”

  “We could say the same thing to you,” Jack replied.

  “We could have just shot you through the door if we wanted, or through the window while you were reading your book,” I said, peering through the glass.

  “You were watching me?” He paused for a moment then said, “We can carry on talking here.”

  “We could, but I think I’d rather kick your bloody door down,” Jack snapped.

  I didn’t think his threat would be helpful, but surprisingly, after another ten seconds of silence, the door unbolted and the man opened it up.

  “I don’t want any trouble. You have to understand, I had to make sure.”

  We lowered our weapons and I held out my hand, “I’m Harry and this is my brother, Jack. Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m Jerry. Come in.” He said, shaking both our hands.

  Jerry led us to the room he had been sitting in before and offered us a seat.

  “I would offer you both a drink, but you smell like you’ve already had a few.”

  “Thanks, a couple of beers would be good,” Jack replied.

  Jerry brought us a can each and sat down in his chair. He was evidently well supplied, as he brought out a bowl of pretzels for us to nibble on.

  We sat in an awkward silence as Jack and I opened up our can and had a few of the snacks provided.

  “So, Jerry, what have you been doing for the last few days?” I said.

  “I’d love to know what you’ve been doing. Where have you come from? What have you seen? Are there only two of you?”