If anyone escaped from the quarantine, somehow avoiding the naval and CDF soldiers, they would come up against a wall of the Dead. I almost felt sorry for any who tried.
“They understand…”
“Yes. If any should escape, those who contain them will end up in quarantine. We understand what that might mean.”
A shiver ran through me and not from the cold. The fanaticism of the Dead was growing day by day. They truly didn’t seem to care whether they lived or died and that scared me. More so because Ryan was their leader.
It worried me that he would start to believe in his own legend. His ego was already too large as it was. I didn’t need him to start believing he was the personification of Death.
For the moment, he wasn’t. He’d formed the cult with the express purpose of serving his needs and that hadn’t seemed to change. They were a useful tool for him and nothing more. Samuel seemed to understand that but had worked it out somehow in his own mind in such a way that it made him even surer than before.
At some point, preferably far into the future, that was going to come to a head. The belief of the Dead versus a leader who didn’t believe in anything. I had no idea what would happen but I was fairly sure it would be cataclysmic.
“I have sent some extra acolytes to watch over the twins,” Samuel said quietly. “They will allow Evelyn to rest.”
As he said her name I cocked one eyebrow and grinned at him. She wasn’t especially pleased with Ryan these days, though that seemed to be changing, but no matter, Samuel took it personally. He had decided that he didn’t like her.
“Thank you.”
I did chuckle then. I had just thanked him for sending death cultists to play childminder of my babies. At any other time in my life, that would have sounded ridiculous. Now it was just a normal part of my life.
The weirdest part was that I knew for a fact that they would be perfectly safe with those cultists. No harm would come to them.
“My life if weird.”
He didn’t laugh, he rarely did, but he smiled. It was the indulgent smile a father would give a daughter and behind it was the pain of a loss that I couldn’t even begin to imagine. I had children of my own now and the thought of losing them made my heart ache in a way it never had before.
That first night, as I held them, exhausted from eighteen hours of labour, I had finally understood his fatalism. He had lost his own family and there was nothing left for him in this life. I had pulled my babies closer and wept at that thought.
“They’re setting out,” Samuel said, and I dismissed all other thoughts as I turned to watch those boats.
The one going for Ryan and Gregg was small. Barely big enough for six people with an engine strapped to the back. It sped through the still rough seas towards the reef, two hundred metres from shore.
I held my breath as they slowed, approaching carefully. Then gasped as the door to the tower opened and Ryan strode out, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Gregg followed behind him and together, they carefully walked across the rocks before climbing into the boat.
“We should go to the medical centre,” Samuel said, and I was sure that I detected relief in his voice too. “They will be taken straight there.”
I wiped my eyes with the back of one mitten-clad hand and nodded. They would be there before us but would need to go through certain quarantine procedures to ensure they were not a danger to the rest of us.
It would take a little time. Enough for us to make our way there. It wasn’t too far away, just the other side of the river. We’d have to walk as the thick snow that covered roof and road alike had bogged down our vehicles.
Cass met us before we had gone too far, and she wore a wide smile that was infectious.
“You saw then?”
“Yes. My idiot brother is safe.”
“Did you..?”
“It’s done,” Cass said, her smile slipping. “They have the results and will be announcing them soon.”
There it was. In a short time, I would no longer be the leader of our little band of refugees. I would be just another survivor and if the new regime chose to punish me for the things I had done when I was in charge, well, I wouldn’t stop them.
I had personally executed Minister Shahid and I had kept the news of Briony secret. It was my fault then that she had escaped and so many others had died. My failing and mine alone.
Dependent upon who was voted into power, I would either be left alone, imprisoned or exiled with Ryan and his cult. No matter what, having the election had been the right thing to do. We weren’t entirely safe, but we were as safe as we could be.
It was time for everyone to have a say in how they wanted the new world to be built. I wouldn’t start it with a dictatorship. Everyone had to work together and that meant giving everyone a voice in the way that was going to happen.
Another shiver ran through me and I glanced at Samuel. He didn’t think I knew about it, but I did. He had set a contingency plan. If things went bad and the worst candidate managed to get elected, then he would spirit the twins away to safety.
That was another reason he had sent the acolytes to watch over the twins. I knew him well enough to know that. I loved him for it too. He was a good man and I just wished he could see that himself.
“Where’s your bodyguard?” Cass asked.
“Lisa?” I looked across at Samuel.
“I have given her a task. I shall perform her duties for the moment.”
“There you go then,” I said to Cass with a smile.
She gave me a puzzled glance but shrugged and immediately forgot about it. Whatever Samuel had her doing wasn’t that important or I would have told her. I felt a little guilty about that because it was very much an important task and I wanted to tell her.
I couldn’t though, not just then.
We were the only ones walking out to where the boat was unloading my beloved and my friend. They were ushered straight into the medical facility a short distance away and I held back a sigh as the small army of black-clad warriors closed ranks around the low building.
They parted before us, of course, and the CDF soldiers guarding the doors opened them to let us through. A man wearing nurses scrubs directed us down a corridor and we passed several guard-posts before we were finally ushered into a room.
A plastic tent had been set up inside it. A generator pumped filtered air into the tent, and it had been sealed entirely. A doctor and a nurse, both wearing full containment suits, were inside the tent with Ryan and Gregg.
The nurse was putting their clothing into a bag that she then sealed up. It would be destroyed, most likely, as that was the safest option. The doctor was taking some blood samples from the two naked men.
Gregg saw us and yelped, face heating as he did his best to cover himself as his sister laughed. Ryan just looked up, eyes meeting mine as he smiled.
For the first time since he had left during the night, I felt at ease. He was back with me and safe. I stepped up to the plastic curtain and looked him up and down, looking for signs he was hurt.
“Hello, Lily.”
“Hello, Ryan.”
Chapter 8
I was bored, which was a problem. The air in the plastic tent was stale and the sound of the generator was intrusive and irritating. Gregg’s nervousness was wearing thin and the simple, paper, coverall we had been provided to wear was anything but comfortable.
We’d had several test-tubes of blood taken, along with swabs from the inside of our mouths. The nurse, dressed in a thick suit that covered her entirely, came in every half hour to take our temperature and check our vitals.
It was almost amusing watching Gregg whenever she came in. The containment suit she wore clearly worried him and while I could have offered some reassurance, his panic was the only amusement I was going to get.
Lily, Cass and Samuel had gone to see about their various duties, not least of which was checking up on and feeding the twins. I found myself, quite oddly, not
icing their absence. Since their birth, I had shared the care of them with Lily.
Each of us would take turns in bathing and settling the children and I would help in feeding when a bottle was the better option. It had become a routine and since I very much enjoyed routine, I had become quite used to it.
Since leaving the night before to head out on the helicopter and being trapped in the plastic tent for the past four hours, I was somewhat out of sorts. My routine had gone to pot and I found myself irritated and restless.
“How long you think we’ll be in here?”
I gave Gregg a listless shrug. I’d no idea and thinking about it would only annoy me more. “As long as is needed, no doubt.”
He thanked the nurse as she finished up her task and pushed himself to his feet, before pacing around the small, contained space. It seemed that it was not just I that felt trapped.
The door opened and Lily walked in with Cass following close behind. They had a handheld radio with them that they set on the table beside the two chairs a couple of soldiers brought in for them. I watched them curiously as they seated themselves and turned the radio on.
“What’s going on?” Gregg asked, moving towards the plastic curtain that separated them from us.
“Election results,” Cass said with a nod towards Lily. “Going to find out who the new boss is.”
That was a problem. If the election went poorly and I was trapped in containment, it would not be pleasant. Samuel would be ready to spirit away Lily and the twins, of course, but I would be prevented from leaving with them until I was sure that I was not contagious.
All of a sudden, I felt very much like an animal trapped in a snare, waiting for the hunter to come and finish me off.
Minister Shepherd's voice came over the radio and each of us turned our attention to it. She was perfunctory, moving past the pleasantries and straight on to business. She didn’t like me, but I had to admit to some respect for the miserable woman.
She didn’t brook fools and was as fair as anyone could be. When it had been proposed that she take control of the election process, there had been no arguments. I hadn’t been surprised. She was well regarded by the people.
“As you know, we have four candidates,” Shepherd said, voice strong and firm. “All votes have been tallied and I am pleased to announce that in total, twenty-two thousand, six hundred and thirty-eight votes were cast.”
That was the majority of the island’s population, barring those on duty elsewhere and my own minions who, naturally, didn’t vote in the election. A high turnout and that could be good, or bad.
“Alistair Coombs, one thousand, two hundred and twelve votes.”
I wasn’t surprised. A miserable man who had clearly thrown his name in the ring in the hopes that it would elevate him above everyone else and make his life easier. He clearly didn’t understand the sacrifice required for the role.
Because that is what it was. A sacrifice. Lily had made sure of that. Anyone who found themselves in charge would have some large boots to fill and she had set a precedent that many would find hard to follow.
“Martha Simmons,” Shepherd continued. “Nine hundred and sixteen votes.”
Again, not a surprise. The former minister had been a close confidant of the then First Minister. She’d been as corrupt as he was and there was little chance the people would forgive those fools.
“Cassandra Walsh.”
Lily reached over and grasped her friend’s hand and even I leant in a little. She was the best option for us and if she didn’t win, we would be well and truly done for.
“Six thousand, four hundred and seventy-three votes.”
Cass leant back, shoulders slumping and Lily turned to look at me with an ashen expression. By my rough estimation, that left around fourteen thousand votes for the remaining candidate. She had won by a landslide and we would be fleeing for our lives.
“Alison Mason.”
I closed my eyes at hearing that name. Leader of the small, yet fanatical, religious group that had formed as a direct result of my own death cult. She was a vocal opponent of Lily and had actively called for the expulsion of my cult from the island.
“Two hundred and seven votes.”
I blinked, startled as I turned back to the radio, not sure I had heard correctly. The others did much the same, confusion clear on their faces as it most likely was on my own.
“There is a fifth candidate,” Shepherd said, voice calm. “Since no one said it was against the rules and, well, since we have no real rules. I am willing to accept the write-in candidate. With thirteen thousand, eight hundred and thirty votes, I am very pleased to announce our new First Minister is Lily Morgan.”
The woman in question, the woman I loved, stared at the radio, mouth agape. Cass reached forward and hugged her, laughing delightedly and even Gregg reached out and patted my shoulder in comradely fashion until I glared at him and he stopped.
“What just happened?” Lily asked, dumbfounded.
“It seems the people have spoken,” Cass replied. “They want you to lead them.”
“But I voted for you…”
Cass just laughed and hugged her tighter, tears in her eyes. Shepherds voice was drowned out by the cheers coming from the soldiers that filled the building. It seemed that more than a few of them had voted for her too.
For once, I was pleased with the people of the island. They had done the right thing. There was no one better to lead them and it meant that they’d had sense enough to choose someone who would put the needs of the island before anything else.
“Congratulations,” I said, softly. “You deserve this.”
“But I don’t want to be in charge!”
“Maybe that’s why you are best suited for it.”
“It’s a service,” Cass agreed. “I doubt anyone will better serve the people than you will.”
“What about you?”
“I came second,” she said with a hearty laugh. “Seriously, that’s fine by me. I beat that stuck-up bitch Alison-“
“By a lot,” Gregg added.
“Yes! By a lot. That’s enough for me. I only put my name forward because you didn’t, and I couldn’t have someone like her being in charge.”
The door opened once more, letting in the noise and bustle of the corridor beyond and Vanessa Cassidy walked in, a tablet in one hand and a serious expression on her face. She nodded curtly to Lily and closed the door firmly, cutting off the sounds of the excited soldiers outside.
“Congratulations,” she said and then immediately added, “I wish I could let you enjoy the victory for a little while longer.”
“What is it?” Lily asked. “The people from the boat?”
The doctor nodded slowly, dark braids shaking with the movement. She wore them long, hanging down her back and still bore the plumpness of someone who had not suffered unduly since the world ended.
She had a stern demeanour that had become sterner since her friend Briony had escaped the island, leaving a lot of dead people behind her. She blamed herself, and us, for that.
“Smallpox,” she said without preamble and the room fell silent for a long, drawn-out moment.
“You’re sure?” Lily asked. “I thought that was eliminated back in the seventies.”
“Seventy-nine,” Vanessa agreed. “But cultures were stored in labs.”
“And all of those people have smallpox?”
“Yes. Each of those thirteen people are past the incubation stage. They exhibit signs of fever and bear the distinctive rash. They are most definitely infectious.” She turned to Gregg and me. “Did either of you come into contact with those people?”
“No,” Gregg said, shaking his head and looking at me.
“We didn’t go into the hold,” I agreed with a slight nod for Gregg. If he hadn’t stopped me, I would have. “What about the dead man?”
“Healthy as far as I can tell,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Once the autopsy is complete, we ca
n say for sure; but I suspect he was merely there to transport them.”
“Can you help those people?” Cass asked.
“No. With antivirals, we might have a chance, but with the limited medicines we have here, no.”
“Then what will happen to them?”
“What was supposed to,” I said, and all eyes turned to me. “They will die and resurrect as zombies that are infectious to anyone they come into contact with.”
“What’s the point of that?” Gregg asked. “Anyone they can touch they will kill anyway.”
“Not if we kill the zombies first,” I said with a grim smile. “I’m guessing from your question it is spread through contact?”
“Yes,” Vanessa said. “As well as saliva droplets.”
“Blood too?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“When we kill the zombies, we get their blood on us. It’s not a problem as long as we don’t get it into a cut. If just touching them will infect us with smallpox, anyone who fights the zombies will be infected and then take that infection home to their family and friends.”
“Christ!” Cass said, horror filling her voice. “That’s evil!”
“That’s Genpact,” Lily said, brows drawing down and I grinned as I nodded.
“Yes. They are the only ones who could be cultivating it. My guess, they gathered up some survivors, infected them and loaded them onto the boat. When the first signs started to appear, they were to be brought here with the intention of us taking them in.”
I looked at the doctor and tilted my head towards her. “Without the doctor’s knowledge, we would have taken them in without realising and then it would have spread like wildfire.”
“If they had answered the radio…” Lily trailed off, face pale. “We need to call a meeting. Inform the Admiral and the government about this. Anyone approaching the island will need to be checked.”
“What about us?” Gregg asked. “When will we know if we have it?”
“A day or so and I will have some idea,” Vanessa said. “I suspect you will be fine but we cannot take risks.”
“Then what?” Cass asked. “We tell everyone and what? Stop letting people in?”
Killing The Dead (Book 17): Siege Page 5