The soldier pulled me even closer. He tried to laugh. I saw blood on his lips.
‘What’s two more dead bodies in a world full of corpses?’
Mouth
I started to get very scared. I kept trying to pull away. The soldier was just too strong. He wheezed and blew a blood bubble. It slowly filled with his dying breath. It got bigger and bigger. I couldn’t stop watching. Then the bubble burst on my face. I felt sick. The soldier held the gun to my face.
‘Open your mouth, Sonny. Open it wide.’
The soldier pushed the gun against my lips. I grit my teeth. No way was I doing that. The soldier kept pushing.
‘I said open your mouth, Sonny.’
The soldier pushed harder. My teeth got hurt. I had to open. The gun went in my mouth. The metal was horrible to taste. I choked. I couldn’t get my head away. The soldier was too strong.
‘There now, Sonny,’ he said. ‘That’s better. One bullet and you’ll never have to be frightened ever again. You’ll never have to worry about becoming one of those things. You’ll never have to worry about eating people.’
The soldier shuddered. His pain was really strong now. The metal banged on my teeth. I shut my eyes. This is it, I thought. I’ve survived all this time only to be killed by a crazy soldier. I thought about Mum. She would never know how I died. She would never find out anything about me ever again.
I thought about Ellis and the others. We had been together for so long. We had all been so strong together for so long. If I died now I would be letting them down.
Then my mind went hard. I had the right thinking. I knew what I had to do. I set my legs to the road. I flexed. I felt a rush of strength. I pushed hard against the soldier. I pushed so hard. The gun popped out my mouth. He pulled the trigger. The noise was so loud. My ears hurt. I pushed again. The soldier was weaker now. He lost his grip. I could stand up. The soldier looked up at me. His eyes blinked as the pain burned him. The gun was pointing at me. The soldier was trying to say sorry with his eyes.
‘I was only trying to help you, Sonny. I was trying to save your life.’
I stood still. He was going to shoot me. I knew he was. My struggle was for nothing. The soldier did a small laugh. The gun was still pointing at me. The soldier looked at the gun. He looked at me. He looked at the gun. I shut my eyes.
‘Goodbye, Sonny. It’ll be better now, you wait and see.’
I felt nothing. Just numb and silly.
Bang. The gun went off.
I opened my eyes. The soldier was laying on the road. The back of his head was all red and open.
I didn’t want to see any more.
Promise
Someone ran past me. It was Abe.
‘Where are you going?’ I said.
Abe looked back at me.
‘They’ve broken through. The soldiers are losing the battle.’
‘Where’s David?’
Abe laughed. He was scared.
‘He’s probably dead, like the rest of them. We have to get back to the ambulance. We’ve got to get out of here.’
I shook my head.
‘We can’t leave without David. He knows where my Mum is.’
Abe got angry.
‘Come on, Jake. We haven’t got time to argue. The ambulance is going to go without us.’
I made a plan in my head.
‘Tell Ciaran to wait for me. I’ll get David and we’ll get back to the ambulance.’
I shouted.
‘Make sure you wait, Abe. Don’t go without me!’
‘You’re crazy, Jake. Plum crazy.’
‘Promise.’
Abe nodded.
‘I promise but be quick. We’ve got to get out of here.’
Abe kept running. I turned to where the viros were going to be. The sound of gunfire was still really loud. The night was full of flashes. I could hear screaming and wailing. I could hear viros being killed. I could hear soldiers shouting at each other.
It was quite a way up the road to where the battle was. I had to keep moving. I came to some lorries. They looked empty. I couldn’t see any lights. I didn’t have time to check every vehicle. That would take forever. I hoped that the soldiers were keeping the viros busy.
Then I saw two people up ahead. One was bending over the other. I thought it was a viro trying to eat someone. I stood still. I watched. It didn’t look like they were fighting. I had to take a chance. I needed to know who they were. I walked towards them.
As I got close the person bending over looked at me. They pointed a rifle at me. I could see it was an army medic. They had the red cross patch on their arm.
‘What do you want?’
I put my hands up.
‘I’m trying to find David,’ I said. ‘He’s helping us get to Watling asylum.’
The person on the ground looked at me. It was David.
‘Is that you, Jake?’
I said it was. David looked at the medic.
‘He’s with me.’
Axel
The medic put his gun down.
‘What happened?’ I said. ‘Have you got bitten?’
David shook his head.
‘I got caught in the crossfire and copped a bullet in my calf. Axel here was helping me stop the bleeding.
‘It’s a flesh wound,’ said Axel. ‘It will hurt like hell but you’ll survive.’
Axel looked back at the fighting.
‘I’d better get going. There’s bound to be loads more people who need me.’
David tried to stop him.
‘It’s over, Axel,’ he said. ‘It’s hopeless. Come with us and save yourself.’
‘Negative, David,’ said Axel. ‘You know I can’t do that.’
‘Can’t or won’t?’ said David.
Axel laughed. I liked him. I hoped he would come with us.
‘There’s no difference anymore? I can’t leave because people still need me. I won’t leave because if I do then everything has gone.’
‘It’s gone, anyway,’ said David. ‘There is nothing left.’
Axel nodded.
‘I know you’re right, David but I’m right too. Even if I only have another hour to live at least I’ll die knowing that I tried to make a difference.’
David knew that Axel wouldn’t change his mind. He held his hand up.
‘Help me get back on my feet, please, and then we’ll let you get on your way.’
Axel pulled David up. David leaned on my shoulder. He could hardly walk. Axel turned to the battle. He gasped.
A giant viro was walking towards us. It had been a soldier. Now, it was just a monster. Its uniform was ripped and covered in blood.
‘It’s Cartwright,’ said Axel. ‘He’s turned.’
Axel took his satchel off. He put it over my shoulder.
‘I won’t be needing this any longer. You take it, kid.’
Axel took out his bayonet. He nodded his head down the road.
‘Get out of here, you two. Me and Cartwright are going to have a little chat and see if we can’t come to some sort of arrangement.’
Axel turned back to the viro. It was almost on him. I saw Axel point his bayonet at Cartwright.
‘Now then, Sergeant Cartwright,’ he said. ‘What’s all this about you turning into one of them things?’
David started trying to walk.
‘Quick, Jake,’ he said. ‘Let’s get back to the ambulance.’
We headed back as quick as we could. Behind me I heard the viro howl. It was pain and anger. There was another howl. Then I heard Axel scream. There were no more sounds. David pulled me faster down the road. He had a big limp. He was really hurt. It was very hard for him to hurry. I tried to help as much as I could.
‘Keep going, Jake,’ he said. ‘Keep going and don’t look back.’
Crow
We went as fast as we could. David was heavy. I was exhausted. My head was full of crazy. The gun in my mouth. The soldier’s plan. Perhaps he was right? Maybe I would
better off dead? Giving up seemed like a good plan sometimes.
I thought about Axel. Whenever I met good people they always died. Was I bad luck? Was I like some evil crow? Flying from person to person and making them targets for Death. I had heard of King Midas. He touched things and they went gold. Was I like him? But it wasn’t gold it was just death. David saw me thinking.
‘Are you alright, Jake?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I don’t know how I am. Everything just gets badder and badder. I can’t see any good in anything.’
‘You’re the bravest kid I’ve ever met,’ said David. ‘Most kids would have given up long ago. Not you, Jake, not you. You’ve got guts and dedication. Your determination would put most of these soldiers to shame.’
‘I just want to find my mum,’ I said. My voice was small. ‘All I want is that. Everything else is just luck.’
‘It’s more than luck,’ said David. ‘Something much more than that.’
I saw the headlights of the ambulance. It was still there. Abe and Vinnie ran towards us. They helped me with David.
‘What happened?’ said Vinnie.
David laughed.
‘With everything that’s going on with the world I managed to get shot by one of our own men. Jake saved my life.’
I didn’t say anything. I just wanted to sit down on the road and cry. I wanted all the hurt in my heart to fall out my eyes. Abe put his arm round me.
‘Come on, Jake, you can’t sit there. Let’s get you back in the ambulance.’
I knew I had to stay fighting. Abe was my friend. They all were. We needed each other. We had to keep going. It was more than just finding my mum. It was making a space for living people in a world full of dead. That was what we were doing. If we got enough living people together we might beat them. I didn’t know. I wanted to feel that was the good idea.
Orders
‘I was ready to go,’ said Ciaran, ‘but Abe here convinced me to wait.’
‘I’m glad you did,’ said David. ‘The convoy is gone, destroyed by those things.’
David said things quietly.
‘We’re on our own now.’
Ciaran nodded.
‘We’d better get going,’ he said. ‘Those things will be on us any minute.’
‘We can’t go that way,’ said David. ‘We’ll never get through.’
Ciaran nodded.
‘The last turning was a mile back the way we came but if we go back that way we won’t be able to get drive directly to Watling. We’ll have to loop around the marshes and then come back on ourselves.’
Ciaran wasn’t happy.
‘It will add at least another two hours to our journey.’
‘So be it,’ David said. ‘That’s our only choice.’
Ciaran shook his head.
‘We could head straight for the aerodrome instead. That’s much closer.’
I didn’t like his words. My head got hot.
‘We can’t. You promised. We have to find the asylum.’
Ciaran looked hard at me.
‘That was then, kid. That was before the convoy got destroyed. If no one gets to the aerodrome then they will likely leave without us. We’ll never get out of here.’
I went to get out.
‘Let me out,’ I said. ‘I’ll walk to the asylum.’
‘Alright by me,’ said Ciaran.
David was angry.
‘Not alright by me, Ciaran. We’re going to the asylum and that’s an order.’
Ciaran laughed. He sounded mean.
‘There’s no one giving orders any more. In case you hadn’t noticed, everything has fallen apart. There is no order anymore.’
‘There is in this ambulance,’ said David. ‘We’re going to the asylum and that’s that.’
Ciaran was thinking.
‘Fair enough,’ he said.
I didn’t like his voice. He sounded sneaky.
‘One other thing, said Ciaran. ‘We’re going to need some fuel.’
Ciaran pointed down the road to the convoy.
‘I don’t suppose anyone fancies going back down there to look for some diesel cans?’
‘Don’t be silly,’ said David. ‘There’s no chance of that happening. There must be somewhere else.’
Ciaran nodded.
‘There’s Camber fire station,’ he said. ‘We could head for there.’
‘Is it close?’ said Vinnie.
‘Close enough,’ said Ciaran. ‘I was thinking of heading there anyway.’
I looked down the road. There was lots of shadows coming our way. I pointed out the windscreen.
‘The viros,’ I said. ‘The viros are coming.’
We all looked. The viros were the darkness now. They were everywhere.
‘That settles it,’ said David. ‘Ciaran, get us to the fire station.’
Beans
‘Wake up, Jake. I think we’re here.’
It was Ellis. I rubbed my eyes. I had fallen asleep in the back. The kids were still asleep. Florence was too. Vinnie and Abe were talking to David. They were whispering.
‘The two of us will take a look,’ said Vinnie. ‘You’re in no fit state to go.’
‘But it might not be safe,’ said David. ‘The whole place could be riddled with those things.’
‘It probably is,’ said Abe, ‘but we’re used to sneaking around and staying out of sight.’
David looked at Vinnie. He nodded.
‘Abe and his sister were surviving on the streets when we met them. They’re smart kids.’
David smiled.
‘I guess you all are,’ he said. ‘You’re all survivors.’
‘And me,’ I said. ‘I can survive as well.’
‘That’s settled then,’ said David. ‘The three of you should take a look but don’t take any chances.’
‘We won’t,’ said Vinnie. ‘We’ll scout around and let you know what we find.’
Vinnie looked at me and Abe.
‘Let’s go, guys,’ he said. ‘You both know what to do.’
Me and Abe nodded.
The morning was just beginning. It was a little light. The three of us crept through the front gate. I saw the main garage. The doors were closed. Vinnie pointed at a diesel pump in the corner. Behind the pump was the practice tower.
We went around the side of the garage. There was a metal door. It was open. Vinnie nodded. He went first. Abe followed. I was last.
There was no fire engines inside. I saw a row of lockers. The pole was in one corner. There was some steps opposite it. We waited by the door. I listened. There was no viros here.
We sneaked up the stairs. Another door was at the top. Vinnie turned the handle. We followed him inside. I looked around. There was a kitchen space. There was also a big table where the firemen ate their meals.
‘See if you can find some food,’ said Vinnie.
Me and Abe looked in the cupboards. They were full of cans. I saw ravioli and peaches. There was chopped tomatoes. Baked beans. Evaporated milk. I find some pots under the sink. There was knives and forks in a drawer.
‘What do you reckon, Jake?’ Abe said. He was pointing at the taps.
I shrugged.
‘Water or no water,’ I said. ‘One or the other.’
Abe turned the cold tap. Water came out.
‘Water,’ we both said. Abe punched the air.
I looked at Vinnie.
‘What do you think?’
Vinnie could see we were happy. He was too.
‘A great place,’ he said. ‘We can eat and drink and rest.’
I agreed. I was really hungry now. I couldn’t wait to eat baked beans. Maybe ravioli as well. I would have both at once. In the same bowl. It would be amazing.
‘You two wait here,’ Vinnie said. ‘I’ll get David and the others.’
Ciaran
I watched out the window. Ciaran drove through the big gate. He stopped by the pumps. Ellis and Florence helped the small kids ou
t the ambulance. Amber followed. Vinnie opened the front door. He helped David out. They started moving towards the door. David was hopping. It was very slow.
Ciaran got out. He tested the pumps. One was working. He started to fill the ambulance. I watched Ciaran. He was sneaky. He thought no one was watching. I saw him looking around. I knew his plan.
‘Ciaran’s going to drive away,’ I said to Abe. ‘He’s going to go without us.’
Abe looked surprised.
‘Do you think so?’
I pointed out the window. Ciaran was getting back in the ambulance. The ambulance was heading for the gate.
‘Quick,’ I said. ‘We’ve got to stop him.’
I saw David and Vinnie shouting. The ambulance didn’t stop. It went out the gate. The ambulance was gone.
‘Damn,’ I said. ‘He’s left us here.’
We went down to meet the others. David was angry.
‘How dare he drive away?’ he said. ‘How dare he be so insubordinate?’
‘I saw him thinking about escaping,’ I said, ‘but he was too quick.’
David wasn’t angry with me.
‘It’s not your fault, Jake. I guess Ciaran was just looking for a chance to get back to the aerodrome.’
David looked around.
‘We might be safe here for a while but we should try and secure the perimeter.’
David looked at Abe.
‘See if you can find a key for the padlock hanging on the gate.’
Abe went off to look. I helped Vinnie help David. As we got inside, Abe was coming out. He was grinning.
‘Found it,’ he said.
‘Well done, said David. ‘Lock the gate tight and meet us back in here.’
Rules
David said about some rules. One of us should always watch the gate. We should not stand in front of the windows. We should not use lights. No shouting. And everybody had to be ready to leave if necessary.
Ellis and Amber found some old canvas. They hung it over two of the windows. Florence helped the kids settle down. She made beds from towels and blankets. Laura and Cecily were still scared.
Viro (Book 3): Viro Page 9