The Farm

by Carter, Stuart

  As the first rays of light were breaking, it was time to move, and he was not in the habit of delaying the inevitable. As he left his bedroom in a dressing gown he was surprised to hear that at least one of their guests was awake. The one sided nature of the conversation suggested that it was a phone call, but he could not make out the individual words, only the resigned tone. Rather than trying to eavesdrop, he moved on into the kitchen for some breakfast. As he entered the room he found his mother already there frying sausages.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she explained. “Thought I might as well get up and cook everyone a hearty breakfast rather than lying around in bed.”

  “Wonderful.” said John. “We only ate a few hours ago, but I’m famished.”

  They smiled at each other, and John sat down at the table. He knew better than to interfere when his mum was using cooking as a distraction from bigger concerns that were on her mind. He knew when he should help out, and when to stay well clear unless specifically asked. He watched his mum’s back for a couple of minutes while she worked, until Cooper joined them, entering the kitchen slightly sheepishly.

  “Good morning.” John greeted him. “I didn’t expect to see you so early this morning. You looked dead on your feet last night.”

  “Morning. I could have easily slept through until tomorrow, but it seems that I’m needed back on duty, along with Andrews.”

  “I thought it had all calmed down and normal service was resuming?”

  “Wishful thinking it seems. Sounds like the shit picked up the pace again overnight, and its spreading. Our re-enforcements are heading back to Suffolk, because there’s been a similar outbreak of violence there. The chief is trying to call in the army as the hospital is completely out of control. Most of the police are there, and anyone who isn’t is being called in now.”

  “Have you got time for some breakfast before you go?” Jane asked, ignoring the dire sound of his news.

  “Breakfast would be wonderful,” he replied. “If yesterday is anything to go by, I don’t know when I’ll next have a chance to eat…. so long as it’s not any trouble.”

  “Not at all.” she answered. “John, go and fetch the other lad. He’ll want feeding too.”

  A few minutes later all four were digging into huge plates of breakfast. Conversation was put on hold as they ate. Once he had eaten enough to take the edge off his appetite John asked,

  “Where’s Dad? It’s not like him to miss a fry up.”

  “He’s already eaten. He went out just before you came through.”

  “That’s early. Even for him.”

  “He was worried about all the trouble that’s going on. He wants to secure the boundaries of the farm so it’s harder for intruders to get in. We’re a long way from anyone here, but the man in our field yesterday shows that you can’t be too sure.” She did not mention that he had been mowed down and killed by John in a tractor, and was implying that the dead man was a danger, rather than a victim. John was not ready to agree with the interpretation, but felt good having the family ranks closing around him. Whatever happened his parents would back him. The two policemen offered no objection. John hoped that this went beyond good manners as they ate breakfast, and that they believed that the dead man had brought about his own demise.

  The two police officers left almost immediately after eating. Andrews awkwardly offered to wash up, but was dismissed. They both looked a mess, wearing the same uniforms that they had worn for the mammoth shift they had finished the previous evening. John could only guess when they had last showered. The fact that they were being called back to duty so soon was a bad sign. He was glad that his father was taking the kind of precautions that he would have felt slightly foolish insisting upon himself.

  Matthew was supervising as a cattle grid was being erected to serve as a makeshift gate when the police car approached. It had got light enough for the torches to be turned off while they were working, but the car’s lights were still on, and slightly blinding to eyes accustomed to the half-darkness. Matt noticed too late the number of guns that were arrayed between the six men working on this new barrier. There was no point trying to hide anything as the car rolled to a stop, and Cooper rolled down a window.

  “Thanks for your hospitality last night. It was very much needed.” With a gesture that encompassed both the gate and the fire arms he added, “I don’t know what’s going on outside right now, but keep up with these precautions. I hope that in a few days they look ridiculous, but after what I’ve seen nothing looks excessive.”

  “You’re welcome back any time,” Matt answered as the car pulled through the new gate. He wasn’t sure if he meant it, or if it was instinctive politeness, but there was too much to be done to dwell on such irrelevances.

  As they finished securing lines of barbed wire from the fence posts to the edges of the ditches that were bridged by the road, Matt saw his son approaching.

  “Good to see we are all set for World War Three Dad.”

  “The police didn’t seem to think it was a bad idea a few minutes ago.”

  “To be honest, neither do I. From what Cooper said it’s pretty serious out there. Better to be prepared needlessly than unprepared in a crisis. How are we looking here?”

  “Other than us and your mother, there are eighteen people working on the farm at the moment. I trust all of them, but we have five who are non residential. If there is trouble I’d rather keep everyone close, so I’ve asked them to go and bring their families in for a few days. They have heard enough about the crime wave to be grateful to be able to keep their loved ones close. If the shit hits the fan this is probably the safest place they can get to unless they want to try and reach one of the military bases. There are ditches all around us, which won’t stop anyone, but it will slow them down. All told we have eight guns, with a decent stockpile of ammunition. They are meant for rabbits and foxes, but no less dangerous for it.”

  “Do you really think it will come to that?”

  “I hope not, but like you just said, better foolishly prepared than recklessly endangered.”

  “I do make a good point!” They stood in silence for a couple of minutes.

  “Those cows aren’t going to be happy about waiting you know. Crisis or not, the work here still needs to get done.”

  “I’m on it Dad. You concentrate on building your fort. I’ll get the cows milked.” He gave a mock salute as he left to start his day’s tasks.

  “They taught you too much bloody cheek at that university. It’s not good for you kids.” Matt smiled as his son walked away. He wished that his daughter was nearby as well. There was a dangerous distance from Norfolk to Newcastle. Hopefully his precautions would look ridiculous in a few day’s time, but everything that had been said in the last twenty four hours gave him a bad feeling.

  That morning passed like countless others on the Farm. Everyone was busy. Everyone worked hard. The building of barriers was not an unusual task in itself, but usually they were more focused on keeping the livestock where they should be. John soon found himself engrossed enough in his work that he forgot about all of the problems of the previous day. Nothing on the farm had changed much. They had one tractor out of operation as it was the centre of a crime scene, but so long as it was out of sight it was out of mind. There was plenty of work to be getting on with without it.

  The peace of the day was shattered as he stopped for some lunch. With a sandwich in one hand, and a can of Dr Pepper in the other he was daydreaming when he saw a police car approaching at high speed. He swore quietly, assuming this meant that he was about to be re-arrested. He could hope that it would be better than the previous day’s incarceration, but he feared that this time it could last far longer. He got up from where he was sitting, and made his way towards the newly installed gate to let them in, wondering if he could be accused of resisting arrest if he didn’t.

  As the car approached it became clear that there were already occupants in the back of it. Through the windscree
n Cooper and Andrews were soon recognizable in the front. John did not like the speed they were moving at as they approached, but they came to a stop neatly at the gate and waited for it to be opened. He was surprised to see the exhausted look back on both of their faces, reminiscent of the previous night. It looked like they had been thrown straight into another tough shift. As they pulled through the gate he saw that there were two women and a girl of about ten in the back. The younger of the two was in her mid-thirties, and he assumed to be the mother of the girl. The older looked to be late forties. He wondered why they had been arrested and brought to this farm. Then it occurred to him that they were more likely to be the family of the corpse he had left in a field underneath a tractor. Guilt washed through him as he thought about the wider impact of the accident.

  Cooper drove slower now that he had reached the farm. John followed the car up to the house once he had secured the gate. The occupants had just finished getting out of the car when he caught up with them. The driver was first to speak,

  “Hello again John.” He indicated towards the younger woman, and the girl who was keeping as close to her as possible, “This is my wife Sue, and my daughter Rachael. And this here is Helen Andrews.”

  “What’s going on? Why have you brought your families to visit?”

  “It’s hell out there. I don’t know what’s been on the news, but we have completely lost control. Norwich is completely overrun. Killing, looting, you name it, it’s going on right now. Some kind of collective madness seems to be taking over everyone, and its spreading fast.

  When we got into the station this morning we were issued with firearms and live ammunition. But there just isn’t enough of us left. All our reinforcements left us because Suffolk is in a bad way now. No one seems to have made it out of the hospital, at least not with their mind intact. The army has been called in to restore order. Until they have done that I want my family somewhere safe, and so does Andrews.”

  “Jesus. It doesn’t make sense. What would cause so much violence? Your family is welcome to stay, but why here of all places?”

  “You’re in the middle of nowhere. I hope the shit won’t spread this far, and if it does, you have guns, which I would suggest you use on any trespassers who don’t heed fair warnings.”

  John could only stare at him in disbelief as he summoned Andrews, got back into the car and drove off, the younger officer operating the gate for them. Not knowing what else to do, John invited the three guests into the house for a cup of tea.

  London

  The gang gathered as normal. Their numbers were swollen slightly following the excitement of the previous night. A lot of the occasional hanger’s on made an appearance hoping to see some drama. They more than offset the absentees, so it was hard to notice at first that all of the people who had been bitten the night before were missing. Jose wondered if anyone but he had noticed either change to the group dynamic. Both worried him. The additions demonstrated that people had been talking and he didn’t want word getting around that they had killed two people the night before, after they’d taken such care to hide the fact. Of the missing people, only one bite had looked serious. There was no reason why the other three shouldn’t be there.

  Looking around, Jose saw a group of people acting as they always did. Bottles of booze were being passed around. Guys were trying to act macho, but were fawning on Jed. The girls were flirting in a bored manner, and accepting everything that was given to them, good, or bad. Any passers-by gave the group a wide berth, but were generally ignored. The streets were quiet, as if the rest of the world knew something that they didn’t. Jose knew that the rest of the world did know something that they didn’t. He had slept late and not seen the news, and he was certain that none of the others would have taken an interest. War could have broken out, and the first any of them would know would be when they were conscripted.

  Jose sat on the outskirts of the group as normal, that night plotting his escape from that way of life. He drank heavily as he always did. It was a habit that helped him fit in. All of his social skills seemed to depend on an unhealthy dose of alcohol flowing through his body. Generally he was ignored. It was as if his exploits from the night before had been completely forgotten. After an hour Jed broke that illusion by coming to speak to him. Jed had managed to slip away from his entourage, and the two stood alone. The unofficial leader asked,

  “You alright bruv? You hear if there was any fallout from last night?”

  “I’ve not heard anything. But I’m worried about the extra guy’s who have turned up tonight. Our lot are speaking about it far more that they should if we want to keep off the police radar.”

  Jed looked around, noticing the additional faces from the previous night for the first time.

  “People come and go. You sure it’s not just a coincidence?”

  “It might be but it’s a lot of us for a Wednesday night. Fuck all happens on a Wednesday. And everyone who those fuckers bit last night is missing. You told everyone to turn up and act as normal, and none of them are here, but a bunch of extra faces are.”

  Again Jed looked around. Jose realised that as long as there was a crowd the individuals were irrelevant to him. He made the snap decision to make this the last night he spent in this company. No one would miss him.

  “I’m going to give Bobby a call and find out where he is,” Jed said, pulling out his phone, and looking annoyed that people had disobeyed his instructions. Jose had nothing to add, so stayed quiet, watching as the phone rang.

  Eventually there was an answer, but evidently it was not Bobby. Jose listened in to the conversation, which was presumably with a family member. It was soon clear that Bobby had been taken to the hospital looking seriously ill. Once there he had continued to deteriorate mentally as well as physically, and had managed to bite several people. Jed was put on the back foot as the voice on the other end of the line demanded to know what Bobby had been taking, and accused Jed of pushing dodgy drugs on an innocent victim. Jose, from what he could over hear, got the impression that Bobby had been strapped down so that he could not hurt anyone, alongside several others showing similar symptoms. Jed looked awkward until he managed to end the conversation and hang up the phone.

  “The fucker’s in hospital,” he said.

  “I heard.”

  “Did he take anything last night?”

  “We had a bit of weed going about last night. Other than that, nothing illegal. Just a few bottles of booze.”

  “He’s caught something off that shit that bit him. The fucker must have been diseased or something.”

  “Everyone who got bitten probably has it too. Probably why they aren’t here.”

  “Jesus. One of those fuckers almost got his teeth into me as well. If you hadn’t already shot the first guy I probably would have hesitated. Could have sunk his teeth into me before I blew his brains out.”

  “Something pretty fucked up seems to be going on right now.” All of a sudden Jose found himself glad to be surrounded by people. Dangerous individuals were around, carrying some disease he wanted to avoid. Strength in numbers felt like a good thing, despite the resolutions he had spent the last twenty four hours making. That said, he wondered if it would be better for him to get back to his parents and stay indoors. True to character he stayed where he was and watched as Jed phoned one of the other guys injured in the previous nights’ scene.

  As he watched Jed on the phone, Jose didn’t notice the small group approaching them. The first he knew was when he noticed the noise from the guys closest to them. He looked round and saw two men and three women launch into attack against their gang over twenty strong. He instinctively looked for a weapon, before he realised that he was still carrying a gun. He was reluctant to use it again, so having drawn it, he stood watching the attack.

  The guys who had been there the night before knew what to expect and stepped aside as the attackers lurched forward, keeping their foes at a distance. They threw a few punches and pulled ou
t what weapons they had to hand out, but kept as far away as possible. The new comers to the gang followed their ingrained behaviour and squared up to their aggressors, refusing to back down. Two of them were bitten for their bravado. Jose watched as a knife was stabbed into the back of one of them, and had no effect, and as a heavy chain smashed into the skull of another knocking him to the floor. The five showed no interest in the fate of their friends, but carried on their own part of the attack. Jose had a gun in his hand and was struggling to decide whether to use it, when he heard Jed shout “Run!”

  It was then that he noticed the group of ten coming from one direction, and another six following the five that were already causing trouble. In a normal fight the odds would have been even, so no one would have dared run, but this was far from normal. No one was going to question Jed as he led a tactical retreat, as out of character as it seemed.

  Jose, starting off near the middle of the group, found himself next to Jed as he led the escape. He didn’t take the time to look behind him, so didn’t see if those tied up in the fight managed to extricate themselves. He didn’t watch if they were pursued. There was no heroic ‘leave no one behind’ moment. They just fled and assumed that the rest would follow. There was no plan, just the knowledge that there was something wrong with this fight, and win or lose, nothing good could come of it.

  After a couple of minutes of running Jed turned into a small alleyway, and the rest of them followed him. They hadn’t gone far, but they seemed to have outpaced the ones attacking them. It was a good thing as both Jed and Jose, and a few others looked unready to run any further. Theirs was not a healthy lifestyle and it soon showed.

  The alley was narrow, barely wide enough to get a car down without scraping the wing mirrors. If someone had tried to pass with a car they would soon have found their way blocked by the wheelie bins that were littered along the narrow route. They gathered together closely, keeping a close eye on either entrance to the alley. No one wanted to be taken by surprise again.