The Silent Invasion

by James Bradley

  For those like me and my father who lived in places the infection was yet to reach, it was a confusing and frightening time. I remember the roads filled with cars and trucks carrying people south from Queensland and the Territory and countries to the north, the makeshift camps in parks and school halls, the drifting groups of people who began to appear in the streets around our house, many speaking languages I didn’t recognise. To the north the Indonesian Air Force strafed Australian ships that were attempting to repel refugees from Indonesia and Timor and Papua. In Brisbane parts of the city were burned as it was abandoned and the border sealed; to the north Darwin was bombed. And what happened here in Australia was only a microcosm of the disasters unfolding in India and China and Malaysia and South America and Mexico. Everywhere people were fleeing and fighting, those that could save themselves struggling to survive as they were herded into camps or, in some places, killed in their thousands out of fear of infection. It all happened so quickly that it seemed almost unreal, like a dream or a nightmare. Yet what is stranger is the fact that when it began nobody really understood what was coming, or how completely our world would be transformed by the time it was done.

  In the same way, as I lay in the darkness of the culvert with Gracie beside me, I couldn’t have understood how far the decision I had just made would take me. But as my ears adjusted to the quiet, the sound of the trickling water, the ponk of the frogs, I felt the enormity of what I had just done sink in. We had almost no money, no access to the net, no idea how to get to the next suburb without getting caught, let alone several thousand kilometres north. Worse still I was now a criminal, liable to be shot or imprisoned without trial.

  Next to me Gracie pressed her face to my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her tight, blinking back tears. She was hungry, but the little money I had would only buy food for a day or two, which meant we needed help. But who could I ask? Not reporting people infected with the Change carried severe penalties, so anybody I approached would be risking imprisonment, or worse, if they helped us.

  There was only one person I could think of, and that was Claire. Her words about my father suggested she might understand, that she might help. Because if she didn’t, nobody would.

  It was past dawn when Gracie finally stirred. Usually when she woke she stretched and twisted herself into consciousness; today she seemed to move from slumber to wakefulness without transition, her eyes opening and fixing on me briefly before she turned and sat up. She seemed different somehow, more contained, almost suspicious; ordinarily that wouldn’t have worried me, but today it frightened me.

  ‘Hi, Gracie,’ I said, but she didn’t answer, just pursed her lips and looked at me.

  ‘Did you sleep okay?’

  Again she didn’t answer, so I smiled, my voice taking on a cheerfulness I didn’t feel.

  ‘Were you cold?’

  At this she nodded, rubbing her arms a few times. ‘A bit. Where are we?’

  ‘Somewhere safe.’

  ‘It smells.’

  I laughed. ‘I know.’

  She nodded again, looking at the grey light outside. ‘Can we go out yet?’

  ‘Soon.’

  ‘And then? Where will we go then?’

  As she spoke Gracie looked at me, her eyes dark and direct. I hesitated.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ I said. ‘But wherever we go I’ll look after you. Okay?’

  Gracie stared at me. I could see the shimmer on her skin. ‘Okay,’ she said at last.

  I pulled her close, burying my face in her hair, the smell of her reassuringly familiar. For a few seconds I felt it all come welling up again, although this time it was sadness rather than fear.

  Composing myself, I released her. ‘Wait here,’ I said, sliding toward the entry to the culvert. Craning my neck I scanned the sky as carefully as I could, looking for some sign of a helicopter or a drone. I knew there was no guarantee I’d be able to see a drone if one was there, but I also knew that if I kept looking there was at least a chance I’d see one before it spotted us.

  ‘Come on,’ I said at last, stepping out into the creek bed and unfolding myself. My back and legs were stiff from lying in the culvert and I felt light-headed with tiredness. As Gracie emerged I watched her, anxious for any sign of sickness or strangeness, but although she seemed a little distracted and weak, she looked all right.

  ‘Where are we?’ she asked.

  I looked around. With the trees and scrub around us it was difficult to see much.

  ‘We’re by the creek, where we were yesterday. If we keep going we’ll get to the road.’

  I knew that once we were on the road we ran the risk of being spotted by Quarantine or somebody else out looking for us, but I also knew we couldn’t risk staying here a second longer than we had to.

  ‘I’m thirsty,’ Gracie said.

  I took my water bottle from the backpack. ‘Here,’ I said, tilting it so she could see the two or three centimetres of water left at the bottom. ‘This is all we’ve got.’

  Gracie took a sip, then handed the bottle back to me.

  I smiled and waved it away. ‘You drink it.’ Gracie looked at me then finished the water in two sips. I took the bottle from her and slipped it back into my backpack.

  It took about half an hour before the creek widened out and we reached the first houses. As we walked I felt my doubts about my plan begin to grow. It had been several months since I had seen Claire, and I had no way of knowing whether she would help us. But I also knew we had no other choice: Quarantine were already looking for us and I couldn’t afford to let them catch either of us, so I tried to push down my doubts and keep moving.

  As the ground grew higher Gracie began to fall behind.

  ‘I’m tired,’ she said when I pulled on her arm to hurry her up.

  ‘I know,’ I said. ‘But we’ve got to keep going.’

  ‘How far?’

  I looked down the street. ‘I don’t know. Hopefully not too far.’

  I tried to think through the various options as we approached the main road. Quarantine would be looking for us, but unless we ran into Quarantine agents or somebody who knew us who might let them know where we were, we were probably safe for the time being. More of a worry was the possibility of being stopped at a screening barrier or caught in a random sweep. Again that wasn’t likely to happen if we avoided the roads and stayed away from areas where people congregated. But it was ten or fifteen kilometres into the city, and not only was I unsure Gracie could make it that far on foot, I was almost certain there were Quarantine agents out looking for us. But catching the bus or the train meant using my transport card, and there was a good chance Quarantine were tracking it.

  Eventually I decided the only real option was to take a chance on the train, since if we were careful we could slip past the barriers without using my card. Thankfully the station wasn’t too far away and we could make our way there through back streets.

  The power shortages and breakdowns meant the trains were unreliable at best, but that day they seemed to be running. Outside the station a group of four or five kids were throwing stones at a sign while others bumped their skateboards up and down off the gutter; as we approached, two of them broke away and came toward us. They were a couple of years younger than me, but they had the underfed, twitchy look of ferals, kids without parents who lived on the streets and in squats and abandoned houses. Careful to keep my eyes straight ahead I kept walking, avoiding their gaze, but out of the corner of my eye I could see their path bending toward mine.

  ‘Hey,’ said the taller of the two as they drew level with me. ‘Where are you going?’

  I placed a hand on Gracie’s chest and drew her in front of me. ‘What’s it matter to you?’

  The smaller one grinned. Her black hair had been shaved on one side, exposing a long scar in the pale skin above her ear. ‘I dunno. Just
curious, I suppose.’ As she spoke she took a step forward, blocking our access to the platform gate.

  ‘Catching a train,’ I said. Across the car park I could see the others had begun to move toward us as well.

  ‘What’s in your bag?’ the taller one demanded, making a grab for it.

  I jerked away from her but I wasn’t quick enough. ‘Nothing,’ I said, but as I spoke she yanked my rucksack so it slid down my arm and caught on my wrist.

  Behind me I could hear the train arriving; I knew that if we didn’t make it on board we were going to be robbed or worse. Twisting my hand around the strap of my rucksack I wrenched it back toward me, but the girl’s grip was too tight.

  ‘What are you hiding in there?’ she said as I fought to hold on, aware of the others drawing nearer.

  On the other side the smaller one made a grab for Gracie, who pulled back against me with a small cry.

  ‘Leave her alone!’ I said, but the smaller one just laughed, her hand fastened on the neck of Gracie’s dress.

  ‘Are you going to make me?’

  Over the fence the train came to a halt with a screech, and the doors hissed open. Still struggling with her captor Gracie twisted sideways, her dress riding up to reveal the marks of the Change. Terrified they might notice and raise the alarm I gave my bag a final, savage wrench and my assailant lost her grip on it. Taking advantage of her surprise I grabbed the back of Gracie’s dress and swung the bag at the smaller one, who dodged to miss the blow, releasing her hold on Gracie.

  ‘Go!’ I said, pushing Gracie toward the train, and the two of us bolted through the open doors and into the carriage.

  5

  My heart was hammering in my chest as the door slid shut behind us. On the platform outside our attackers shook their fists and jeered. Part of me knew they were unlikely to have really hurt us, yet as I lifted Gracie into a seat and sat down beside her, careful to keep my body between her and the rest of the carriage, I couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if they’d realised Gracie was infected.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

  Gracie nodded. ‘Who were they?’

  I shook my head. ‘I don’t know. Just kids.’

  ‘Why did they try to take your bag?’

  ‘Because they could,’ I said, looking around the carriage, which was mostly empty. At the far end an older woman in a headscarf caught me looking in her direction and turned away as if determined to ignore us, which was fine by me.

  The ride into the city took a little over half an hour. At every stop I tensed, wary Quarantine officers might board the train, but other than a few people getting on and off, there was no sign of anyone in uniform. As we drew into Central Station I waited for the others to disembark, then led Gracie off. The last time I’d been here there had been a scanning station at the barrier, but today it was clear, so with Gracie’s hand clutched in mine we hurried up the ramp and out onto the street.

  Although it was only a few minutes’ walk to the university it seemed to take a lifetime. Still jumpy from our encounter with the ferals I walked fast, pulling Gracie after me and scanning the path ahead for the distinctive black of Quarantine uniforms. It was only as we turned down beside the gallery into what had once been the sanctuary of the university grounds that I relaxed.

  In the months after Dad Changed, Claire brought me here often, walking with me and talking or leaving me to read or play in her office while she worked, but after Vanessa married Tim and we moved up into the hills, that stopped, so it was several years since I’d been here. Yet as I led Gracie through the campus I was surprised to find how well I remembered the layout of the buildings and gardens. Even back then the university was mostly abandoned, of course, nonessential staff and students let go when the funding dried up. But for people like Claire and my dad, whose work related to the Change itself, there was money, and so even as other departments closed they kept working.

  Yet still, it was odd walking past those old buildings. I used to sit by the ponds and under the trees and watch people go past and imagine a different life for myself, one in which I had a future as a scientist or a writer or an artist, a future where the world wasn’t messed up and at war with itself. I suppose in a way it was that idea that had kept me going all this time, but now I was here, dirty, exhausted and on the run, it just seemed laughable.

  The last time I was here Claire’s office was in one of the older buildings down near the river. Without access to the net I couldn’t check she was still there but I assumed she must be because that was where the labs were. From the outside the building looked half abandoned. As we reached the entrance I put Gracie down and scanned the area, trying to look as casual as I could. Other than a few people walking along the pathways and a group of homeless people camped under a nearby stand of trees, there was nobody about, so I took Gracie by the hand and headed inside.

  I walked briskly but with intent toward the lifts, hoping anybody we ran into would assume we were supposed to be there. As the doors opened on the second floor I stepped out and looked around, then peered around the corner toward Claire’s office. Now I was here I was frightened I’d made a mistake, that she wouldn’t want to help us. Perhaps I was reading too much into a single conversation, perhaps she would feel she had to do the right thing and report us. For a few seconds I hesitated, considering turning around again. But then I looked down and saw Gracie swaying slightly, her eyes heavy with tiredness and hunger.

  ‘Here,’ I said, sitting her down on the staircase near the lift. ‘You wait here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ She grabbed my wrist.

  ‘Just down the corridor,’ I said. ‘I’ll be right back.’

  ‘I want to come with you.’

  I shook my head. ‘No,’ I said. ‘You wait here.’ Reaching into my backpack I took out Bunny and gave him to her.

  ‘Here, you look after Bunny.’

  Gracie pressed him to her chest. This time she didn’t resist as I unknotted her hand from my wrist and stood up. For a moment I didn’t move, then, giving Gracie a reassuring smile, I began to walk along the corridor toward Claire’s office.

  The rap of my knuckles on her door was startlingly loud in the quiet of the corridor, and despite myself I glanced around, worried I might have alerted somebody else. But as the noise died away I heard nothing from within. I tried again, then turned the knob, but it was locked.

  Hopelessness washed over me. I pressed my forehead to the fading wood of the door and closed my eyes. I was so tired my eyes hurt, and it was almost reassuring to let myself fall into the dark, to flirt with the idea of letting go, of giving up. But then I remembered what that would mean. Standing up I looked back toward Gracie and willed myself to start moving again. But as I reached the end of the corridor somebody opened a door behind me. I spun around. Claire was standing at the entrance to the fire stairs at the corridor’s far end.

  At first she seemed not to recognise me, but then she stopped and stared.

  ‘Callie?’ she said.

  Suddenly unable to speak I tried to smile, but even that seemed difficult. When I didn’t reply she closed the door behind her and approached me.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, reaching out to embrace me. ‘Are you all right?’ Before I could answer she looked past me toward the lifts. ‘Is that Gracie?’ she asked, her face breaking out into a smile. But as she knelt down to touch Gracie’s cheek she froze. Then, straightening, she grabbed Gracie’s arm and shoved the two of us into her office. Flicking the lock, she leaned against the door and stared at me.

  ‘What do you think you’re doing, coming here?’ she demanded.

  I shook my head. ‘I didn’t know where else to go.’

  Claire stood staring at me. ‘Does Vanessa know? Or Tim?’

  I nodded. ‘They called Quarant
ine.’

  ‘So what? You decided to run?’ She rubbed her forehead. ‘When did this happen?’

  ‘Last night.’

  ‘How did you get away? Actually, no, don’t tell me, it’s probably better I don’t know. Is there any reason they might think you’d come here?’

  I shook my head. ‘We hid in the hills last night. And I threw my phone away so they couldn’t track us.’

  Claire smiled. ‘Clever girl,’ she said, then corrected herself. ‘Actually what you’ve done is incredibly stupid, but throwing the phone away was smart.’ Pushing back her chair she sat down and smiled at Gracie.

  ‘Hey, Gracie. Do you remember me? I knew you back when you were a baby.’

  Gracie didn’t answer, just shook her head.

  Claire smiled and reached out to her. ‘Can I take a look?’ she asked.

  Gracie looked at me. ‘It’s okay,’ I said.

  Her face wary, Gracie approached Claire, who stroked her cheek, then drew back her sleeve to look at her skin. She caught Gracie watching her and smiled, her thumb stroking the delicate lines of phosphor.

  ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’

  Gracie nodded. ‘Will it hurt?’

  Claire didn’t answer immediately, and when she did her voice was sad, distant. ‘No, honey. Or I don’t think so.’

  ‘But I won’t be me any more, will I?’

  Claire looked at me, then stroked Gracie’s hair. ‘No.’

  ‘Who will I be?’

  ‘I don’t really know. Somebody new.’

  ‘Will I remember this? Remember Callie?’

  I swallowed hard, choking back tears.

  ‘Perhaps. But even if you don’t, we’ll remember you.’

  ‘Will they take me away like my dad?’

  For a long moment Claire didn’t answer. ‘I hope not,’ she said, pulling Gracie to her. Then she looked at me. ‘Why did you come to me?’ she asked quietly.