by Ryan Casey
Anna raised her eyebrows. Ted started to lift his head again, watching Riley with curiosity. “Any way you can?” Anna asked.
Riley nodded. “Yes. Aside… Aside from being bitten. Or anything… You know. Against our morals. Morally incorrect. You know.”
Anna bit her lip and looked at Stan. “Well, our food stocks are running low.”
“We’ll do it,” Riley said. “We’ll go to ASDA and we’ll get some supplies. Food. Water. Whatever you need. We’ll do it. Right, Ted?”
Ted shrugged half-heartedly. “You can do what you want, mate.” He lifted his foot. “I’ll just have to see how my sore foot feels in the morning. Might give it a day. Or two.”
“Don’t push your luck you cheeky son of a bitch,” Stan said. “Lucky enough you got a doctor to see to you in the first place. Count your blessings.”
Anna circled Riley, tapping the gun against her opposite palm. Through the door, Riley could hear whispering. Footsteps against the floor. Children’s voices. “You’re serious about proving yourself to us?”
Riley nodded. “Absolutely. What you’ve got here — it’s not perfect, but it’s as close as I think we’re going to get until they sort this out.”
Anna laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You still think somebody’s going to come along and sort this out, don’t you? Wake up. Look around.” She tapped the gun against Riley’s chest before eyeing him up closely for a few long seconds. “Tomorrow. Morning. Me, you, and Trevor. We’ll go to ASDA and we’ll salvage everything we can.”
“Trevor?” Stan interrupted. “You’re not seriously taking along that mute idiot, are you?”
Anna smiled. “That ‘mute idiot’ is quick on his toes. Good at lifting. We need the gift of the abs, not the gift of the gab. In this case, anyway. So, tomorrow. You make sure you’re awake. Then we go.”
Riley’s stomach rumbled audibly. “Right. Thank you. Thanks. For—”
“Thank us by proving your worth to the group tomorrow. We’ll introduce you to the rest of them if you pull through.” Anna walked in the direction of the door. She stopped by Ted. He grinned at her. “As for you… You’d better hope to hell your friend pulls through. I’m not dragging a big… A wounded guy out of here when the creatures come. And they will. One day.” She ruffled his hair and walked to the door.
Stan squared up to Riley. “Don’t get too comfortable.” He followed Anna towards the door.
“Where are you going?”
Anna opened the door and smiled. “Chinese takeaway. On me. I’ll save you a bag of prawn crackers. The bucket on the right — that’s for pissing and shitting in. Try not to be too messy, please. Sweet dreams.”
She slammed the door shut. A bolt snapped across.
Ted perched on the end of his mattress. “Mate. I think I’m in love with her. She is so, so fit.”
Riley grabbed the plastic bucket. Tapped his fingers against it then dropped it back to the floor. “She’s also our prison guard.”
“Oh, now that’s an image and a half. Thank you, mate. Thank you.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Ted crunched a prawn cracker. He peeked out of the window, squinting down the dark road. Anna had brought them a bag up not long ago. She’d also dimmed the light right down. “Can’t have those things seeing us. Sweet dreams.”
“Do you think these creatures will ever, y’know, come back to life?”
Riley reached into the bag of prawn crackers. He placed one on his tongue. Instead of sizzling and crackling, it went soggy. They tasted stale. Days old. “I dunno. It’s hard to say.”
“I mean, the ones who have bad bites. Obviously they… That would be difficult. But what about the ones with leg bites? Things like that? Perhaps there’s a way to bring them back to normal someday. Cure them. Don’t you reckon?”
Riley thought of the glassy eyed stare of his grandma. Nothing behind her eyes but hunger. “I don’t know. How’s the foot?”
Ted bit into another prawn cracker. He pulled away from the window and slotted the blind back in place. He lifted his foot up. A thick bandage was wrapped around it, his big toe poking out of the end. “Better than it was. Although I doubt I’ll be running free for a few days.”
“Well, we’re fortunate. This place seems good. Elevated off the ground. And the people here — Anna, Stan… Well, Anna anyway. She seems okay.”
Ted whistled in approval and grabbed the bag of prawn crackers. “Yes, she does.”
“And the rest of them. Anna said there were more of them. Single mother. Children. We’re lucky. They sound like they could have something good going on here. At least for now.”
Ted winced as he moved his foot back down on the mattress. “Well, you’d better get proving yourself tomorrow then, hadn’t you? I wish I could join you. I really, really do, mate.” Ted winked and popped another prawn cracker into his mouth.
“We can do this. I can do this. I think… I think the best thing in times like these is to stick together. We have to prove ourselves.” Riley snatched the bag of prawn crackers back from Ted. “Which means more than just sitting back and eating their food. You need to be productive tomorrow, too.”
Ted pointed at his foot. “In case you haven’t noticed, productivity isn’t my strongest point right now.”
“I’m not talking about supply runs or anything like that. Just make an effort with this lot. Be kind. Smile, for God’s sake.”
“Hey.” Ted forced a wide, cheesy grin. Specks of prawn cracker were wedged between his teeth. “That good enough for you, mate? Nice big smile?”
“Don’t be sarcastic.” Riley walked over to the side of the room where he had woken up. He didn’t have a mattress — just a thin sheet. He pulled it up to his neck and pressed his back against the wall, a shiver creeping over him.
“Hey…” Ted perched up on his pillow. “How… Are you okay? After — well, you know. You coping?”
Riley stared up at the ceiling. He could hear voices somewhere opposite them. Floorboards creaking ever so slightly. The rest of the group.
“Because I know it can’t have been easy. I know you… How much she meant to you. I know that.”
Riley thought of his grandma. The kind woman who picked him up when he fell down, right from an early age. The woman who had always been there for him, no matter what trouble he got himself into. And the being on the kitchen floor. The blood. The dead eyes.
“And having to… to do what you did—”
“The creature I shot wasn’t Grandma. It was her body, but it wasn’t her. I… I did what I had to do. What we’re going to have to keep on doing. That’s how we survive.”
Ted was silent for a few moments. Then, he cleared his throat and shuffled around on his mattress. “You’re tough, bro. Tougher than you ever were before this shit all kicked off anyway. That pansy I used to thrash on FIFA wouldn’t stand a chance in this world.”
Riley closed his eyes. Felt tiredness working its way down his body. An urge to sleep. But no urge to wake up in this world. Not how it was.
But he had to try. He had to adjust. They all did.
“I’ll go to the supermarket tomorrow morning and I’ll earn our keep here. You just try to get that foot healed.”
“Thanks, Doctor Jameson. Your words aren’t quite as motivational as the hot nurse’s, though.” Ted groaned as he stretched for the light switch and flicked it off. The room was engulfed in darkness. “Night, mate.”
Riley breathed in deeply. First night of the new world. He didn’t know how long it was going to last. Nobody did.
But he had to be tough.
“Night, Ted.”
A sickness thumped him in the stomach the second he woke up.
He kept his eyes closed. The images rolled through his head like a cinematic montage. The blood — all the blood. The mangled corpses. Intestines rolling out of torsos and trailing against the floor.
The tang of stale prawn crackers in the back of hi
s throat. He needed to puke. Soon.
He opened his eyes.
A little girl was standing over him.
He yelped, startled, as the blonde girl stared at him.
“Come on, Elizabeth. What did I tell you about interrupting the visitors?”
Riley looked up as the little girl ran to the door. His heart raced. By the door, a woman stood. Somebody they hadn’t seen yet. She had greying hair down to her shoulders and was tall and slim. She grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and half-smiled at Riley.
“Sorry if she startled you,” the woman said.
“Mummy, is the man sick like them?” Another girl peeked around the corner. The woman reached for her and pulled her to her side.
“No, Chloë, the man is not… Sorry. I’m—Anna told me to come wake you up. So I… Yeah.”
Riley sat up. At the left hand side of the room, Ted had his thick white bedding wrapped over his head. He snored and mumbled under his breath. Out cold.
Riley approached the woman. His throat was dry — he hadn’t had a drink for ages now. His head thumped as nausea took a hold of him. “It’s okay. Glad you woke me anyway.” He held a hand out to the woman. “I’m Riley.”
The woman looked at Riley’s hand with reluctance. Her daughters, both at her side, stared up at Riley. After a few seconds of hesitation, the woman placed her hand in Riley’s and shook. “Claudia. Claudia.” She pulled away. “Come on, girls. We’d—we’d better grab a bite to eat.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Claudia,” Riley said, as Claudia moved along the hallway area and down a set of stairs. Her daughters whispered at one another, turning around and pointing at Riley.
“Ssh,” Claudia said. “Don’t be rude. And don’t go in there again without me. Okay?”
Riley sighed. He still had some trust-earning to do. But that was to be expected. Today was his big day. His big opportunity to prove to them all that he was serious. To prove to them that Ted and he were completely harmless.
The lie about the gun. That wouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter as long as their intentions were good. Which they were.
Riley stretched out and yawned. His shoulders cracked as he raised them. Low sunlight peered through the gap in the hallway window. Must’ve been early.
“If you’re wondering why she’s so uncertain, she’s like that with everyone.”
Riley swung around. He hadn’t noticed the man standing at the other side of the corridor. He was shorter than him, dark-skinned and an athletic build. He had a buzz-cut. A black hoodie zipped right up to his neck.
“I… Who are—”
“Trevor.” The man walked up to Riley. He avoided eye contact. “Thought I’d come say hello.” He held out his hand.
Riley took it. “Riley. Pleasure to—”
“Bathroom’s where I just came from. By the colour of your cheeks, I’m guessing you need it.” He walked away from Riley and hopped down the stairs in a matter of seconds.
Riley whistled as he walked to the bathroom. Frosty bunch.
But Trevor was right about one thing. He really did need the bathroom.
Riley stumbled out of the bathroom. His throat stung after vomiting up the very little food he still had left in his system. A piercing pain shot down from the lump on the back of his head and through his body. He could feel himself shaking. Now was not the time to fall ill.
Now was not the time for the fear to set in.
Ted was waiting by the door. He yawned and cocked his leg, taking the pressure off his bandaged foot. “You okay, mate? Look a little… pale.”
“I’m okay,” Riley lied. “Met a few of the others.”
“They okay?”
“They seem normal enough. A little bit uncertain, but to be expected I guess. We’re all in the same boat.”
“And it’s hardly a Mediterranean party boat.”
Riley frowned and shook his head. “I’ve got to get down there. Anna wants us to get prepared for heading to ASDA. You should rest that foot.”
“And turn down a date with the lovely Anna? Who are you trying to fool?” He held his hand out. “Lead the way, cupid.”
Riley sighed and walked towards the stairs, Ted following closely behind. He arched his neck as they approached the first turn in the stairs. Outside, the road looked quiet. No sign of any creatures. No sign of people. Perhaps things had gone back to normal overnight. Perhaps all was under control again.
At the bottom of the stairs, there was a double door with a large pole wedged through the handle. The door to the Chinese restaurant. He could hear voices to his left, through another door. He held his breath and reached out. “On your best behaviour, okay?”
Ted nodded. “I’m not a child, for heaven’s sakes.”
“Just—”
“Okay. Okay. Got it.” He forced a smile.
Riley lowered the handle and pushed the door. As he did, the talking stopped.
The group was all sat around a large rectangular table. Anna at the top end. Stan and a woman — presumably his wife, Jill — to her left. To her right, Claudia sat, as the two girls chased each other at the other side of the room. At the back of the table, Trevor sat, hood up and disconnected from the rest of the group.
“Boys.” Anna smiled and raised a glass of murky looking water at Riley and Ted. “Good of you to join us. I hope you’re okay with prawn crackers for breakfast — we don’t have much in the way of choice right now.”
Riley’s stomach lurched. “I’ll… I’ll just have some water. Thanks.”
Riley and Ted both sat at the end of the table. Trevor moved his chair away and kept his head down, slumped beneath his hooded top. Anna poured Riley and Ted a glass of water and slid them over. Riley tried to hold back, but couldn’t stop himself, pouring it down his neck. It might have looked a little murky, but it was cold and it was soothing, and that’s all he needed right now.
“Sleep well?” Anna asked.
Riley nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t hear any… any of those things. Perhaps… Are they still out there?”
“Yes,” Anna said. “I went out earlier this morning to get rid of the dog. Dunno how it found its way here, poor thing. But yes. They are still out there. Just haven’t quite wandered in this direction yet.”
“Foolish going out on your own,” Stan grunted.
“Hey — she got back okay,” Stan’s wife, Jill, said. “All in one piece, eh?” She held a tissue underneath her nose and sneezed.
“I’m more worried about those things following her back here. She could’ve put us all at risk.”
“Stan.” Claudia widened her eyes and tilted her head at her daughters.
“Oh, they’re going to have to find out and toughen up at some stage. You must’ve seen how it was in the city. When you hear them coming, you know it’s already too late to do anything about them.”
“We’ll be okay,” Anna said. She smiled reassuringly at Stan. “They didn’t see me.”
Stan held eye contact with Anna for a few seconds then sighed and folded his arms. Jill sneezed into her tissue again.
“Anyway,” Anna said. “For those of you who haven’t met them, this is Riley and Ted.”
Riley smiled at the group. Jill was the only one to smile back at him.
“Riley is going to help me gather whatever supplies we can from the supermarket this morning. Now, I know what you’re thinking—” Anna held her hand up to Stan as he opened his mouth to cut in. “—It’s worthless. It’s where everybody else will have gone. And maybe that’s true. But think about it — ASDA is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Sure, a lot of cars drive down there when things are normal, but things aren’t normal. If people have tried to go to shops, they’ll have picked Sainsbury’s. Tesco. All in more residential areas. Or perhaps not. But we have to try. We can’t survive forever on prawn crackers.”
Riley nodded. That was one thing he could agree on.
“And what if you don’t come back?” Claudia said. “You… You’re organised. Without y
ou, we’ll—”
“Claudia, we have to start taking some risks. This isn’t a world where we can sit around and starve to death. We can’t risk everything being taken while we still have a chance to do something about it.”
“Anna’s right,” Stan said. “We can’t laze around on our arses waiting for things to get back to normal again, because I’m sorry to say this sunshine, but I haven’t seen anything like it in my sixty years on the planet.”
Jill sneezed again. She stuffed the damp, snot-ridden tissue into her pocket and pulled out another one. The space between her lip and nostrils was chapped and raw.
“Thank you, Stan,” Anna said. “Claudia — I get your concern. I really do. But we have to be tough now. You have to be tough for your daughters. And they have to be tough for you.”
Tears welled up in Claudia’s eyes. “I… I know. I know. Pete was always our rock though, you know? I hope to God he’s okay. He was…” She sniffed and wiped away her tears with her sleeves. “I know. Got to be tough for them. I know.”
Anna smiled and nodded. Stan rolled his eyes and muttered something to Jill, who slapped him on the arm in return.
“It’s seven a.m. now. Just gone. Stan — you grab some cold and flu tablets from next door for Jill, or something. We can’t have her being ill right now.”
“Right you are,” Stan said. He wrapped his arm around his wife. “Can’t have her feeling rough with all this going on.”
“Well, mainly, we can’t have her giving our position away with her constant sneezing. Or worse — passing on her cold to all of us. If it gets worse, you might have to keep her in the spare room for a while.”
Stan’s face flushed. “I’m not fucking—”
“No, no, Stan,” Jill said, patting his arm. “She’s right. Maybe I should spend the day out of the way. Don’t want to make the lovely girls sick.” She pointed over at Claudia’s daughters. “It’s that bloody flu jab again. Always brings me down.”
“That can happen,” Anna said. “But it’s just a small dose. It won’t last long. Get well soon.”