‘Put them in the van then get Howie out here,’ Maddox says quietly. He runs to the van, heaving the axes in before running back through the broken doorway to sprint hard back to the tools section but finds it empty.
‘MR HOWIE!’
‘Here, what’s up?’
‘Man in the car park…Maddox said to…’
He doesn’t finish. A burst of action as everyone runs hard, bursting from aisles to vault through the door into the car park to see Charlie and Jess midway from them to the figure walking across the car park.
‘Is that an infected?’ Howie asks.
Meredith streaks out, a blur of black fur and legs flying past Jess towards the figure that doesn’t flinch or falter. A second later she hits at full speed, tearing him apart.
‘Bloody hope it was,’ Clarence mutters.
‘Okay, Clarence…you hold out here. Everyone else be quick. In and out…’
Danny goes with them. Running from the aisles with his arms full of gear to dump in the van, going out to see Meredith streaking across the car park to take another one down. A woman with long hair wearing a white nightgown.
In and out. More goods into the van. ‘Tell Howie I said we need to go,’ Clarence tells Danny.
‘Mr Howie, Clarence said we…you…he said we should go, Sir.’
‘Okay, everyone out…’
Shots fired as they head for the door. Single shots of assault rifles. They move fast, punching back out into the sun to see figures walking slowly towards them from all points of access. Old men and women. Younger adults. Some naked. Some dressed. Meredith running here and there taking them down while Clarence, Roy and Maddox fire single shots from rifles.
‘This is just creepy,’ Clarence shouts on seeing Howie coming out while Reginald peers from the back of his van, that thoughtful expression now etched on his face once more as his mind finally starts working properly again.
Ten minutes later they set off. The Saxon a tin can of high heat with everyone sweating and drinking water. Charlie still silent. The lads still silent. Everyone still silent while Maddox, Roy and Reginald enjoy their cooler air and cooler drinks.
Danny wants to ask why the infected people are doing that. They chased him earlier. They were crazed and wild. Why the change? What’s happening?
You won’t always understand everything going on, Danny, trust the officers to deal with the big questions and have faith they’ll do it properly. You’ll be a good soldier one day.
‘You alright, Danny?’ Howie shouts from the front, bringing Danny from his memories.
‘Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.’
‘Drink,’ Blowers tells him.
Danny drinks.
Day to evening and as the first hint of a darkening sky appears overhead so the Saxon drives slowly over the pitted hardstanding next to a large open-fronted barn on a hill deep in the countryside.
‘Check it’s clear,’ Howie says, cutting the engine off. Danny once again goes with Blowers and the others, checking inside the barn and behind the bales of straw then round the back. ‘All clear?’ Howie asks as they come back. ‘Good work…Paula, all yours.’
‘All mine,’ Paula says, moving out with a clap of her hands. ‘Nick, get a fire going. Cookey, brew duty. We’re on cold tinned food but we’ve got plenty. Hose at the end, get washed and changed…’ the orders fly out fast with everyone moving out and once again Danny is left without instruction or knowing what to do.
He gets wood for the fire. He helps carry the axes from the van to Dave and Mo working with whetstones to give them sharper edges. Lanterns and lights taken from the DIY store are turned on, bathing the yard in a soft orange glow that banishes the ever-darkening shadows.
‘Danny?’
‘Yes, Corporal,’ he says, running over to Blowers.
‘You know how to clean rifles?’
‘Yes, Corporal.’
‘Clean rifles then…you touch a round and I will…just don’t touch any magazines.’
‘Yes, Corporal.’
He works with Blowers, showing he is proficient while his belly rumbles from a lack of food as he remembers he last ate nearly a whole day ago.
Blowers walks off, coming back a minute later with a chocolate bar. Passing it to Danny.
‘Thank you, Corporal,’ Danny wolfs it down, savouring the taste and sugar rushing into his bloodstream as Nick, Cookey and Maddox come over to help. ‘She’s still not talking,’ Cookey says.
‘Just lost her best mate, give her time,’ Nick says.
‘It’s not healthy,’ Cookey says.
‘Paula will step in if it goes on,’ Nick says.
‘Done?’ Blowers asks Danny.
‘Yes, Corporal.’
‘Go and wash…hose at the end. Wash properly, use the wipes.’
‘Yes, Corporal.’
Blowers watches him go, biting his bottom lip then marching out into the hardstanding to Howie stood talking to Reginald. ‘Boss? Got a minute?’
‘Yeah sure, what’s up?’
‘Danny, he’s young and…’
‘Mo’s sixteen,’ Howie says.
‘Yeah but…Mo’s Dave trained…’
‘He wants to fight,’ Howie says, rubbing his jaw.
‘Mr Howie?’ Charlie asks, walking over. ‘May I talk to you?’
‘Sure, this about Danny?’
‘It is,’ Charlie says, her tone formal and clipped.
‘I think you’ve both got the same view, that he should go?’
They both nod, Blowers looking to Charlie who keeps her gaze fixed on Howie.
‘Think of it like this,’ Howie says. ‘He grabbed a rifle and shot at them earlier…that tells me he’s up for it and he wants to fight…so he’ll find a way but at least with us, he’ll get some training and be safer. Otherwise, he’ll get in the shit and crash another van and we won’t be there to dig him out the crap…’
‘I didn’t think of that,’ Blowers concedes. ‘Sorry, I wasn’t questioning you but…’
‘Fuck off, Blowers. Jesus mate, you’ve earned the right to question anything. Train him up for me, if he’s no good then we’ll cut him loose okay? Listen, we just lost Blinky and I know taking someone else on means they’re at risk…but every person here has a choice. Go and get cleaned up and eat, get some rest. Charlie, are you okay?’
‘I’m fine.’
‘Talk, Charlie. To me, to Paula…Clarence…Cookey…to Meredith if it helps.’
‘I’m fine,’ she says. ‘Thank you.’
She walks off leaving Howie and Reginald sharing looks. ‘I’ll get on,’ Blowers says. ‘Cheers for that…’
He walks off, going to the Saxon to his bag, pulling a fresh top out then walks up to the hose at the end and Danny round the corner out of view washing.
‘Mate, you decent?’
‘Yes, Corporal.’
‘Got a spare top here for you,’ Blowers says, stepping round to see Danny in his underwear rinsing himself with the hose.
‘Thank you, Corporal.’
‘It’s just Blowers mate…I’ll leave the top here. Make sure you wash properly…’ he turns to walk off, catching sight of something that makes him turn back to look harder as Danny spins quickly to face him. ‘Show me your back.’
‘It’s fine, Corporal.’
‘Danny, show me your back…’
Danny hesitates, not wanting to turn, not wanting for it to be seen, not wanting the questions that will come.
‘Turn around,’ Blowers says again. Danny turns reluctantly to stand in silence for long seconds and when Blowers speaks his voice comes out low and hard. ‘Who did that to you?’
‘It’s fine, Corporal.’
‘Wait here…Roy?’
‘Corporal, I don’t need…’
‘What’s up?’ Roy calls out, walking over.
‘Take a look at Danny’s back.’
‘His back? Why what’s…oh, I see, bloody hell, how did that happen? Are those whip marks? Jesus,
Danny. Someone whipped you?’
‘What’s going on? Paula asks, walking around.
‘Danny’s back,’ Blowers says.
‘What about his back? Oh my god…’
‘He’s been whipped by the looks of it,’ Roy says.
‘Howie, come here,’ Paula calls.
‘Please, it’s fine,’ Danny says.
‘What’s up?’ Howie asks. ‘Fuck me…has he been whipped?’
‘They’ve gone deep too,’ Roy says, gently fingering the welts and lacerations. ‘Does that hurt?’
‘It’s fine, Sir,’ Danny says, standing in his underpants while more people come round to stare at his back.
‘Holy fuck,’ Cookey says.
‘Jesus mate, who did that?’ Nick asks.
‘He worked all day with a back like that?’ Paula says. ‘You poor love, you should have said…’
‘It’s fine,’ Danny mumbles.
‘There’s a risk of infection,’ Roy says.
‘But he’s got what we’ve got,’ Nick says.
‘We don’t know that,’ Roy says. ‘He might be like Maddox…we’ll need some antibiotics.’
‘Grab some in the morning,’ Howie says.
‘What’s like me?’ Maddox asks, walking over to join the crowd with Clarence. ‘Has he been whipped?’ he asks sharply.
‘Leather belt I’d say…used the buckle end too,’ Roy says. ‘You can see the shape of it in his skin…’
‘He said in the Saxon that Kieron and his mates stopped him going out to fight,’ Marcy says.
‘Who’s Kieron?’ Maddox asks.
‘His stepdad,’ Paula replies.
‘Stepdad? His stepdad and his mates did that? Are they white?’ Maddox asks.
‘What?’ Paula asks.
‘Why does that matter?’ Marcy asks.
‘Danny, are they white?’ Maddox asks.
‘Maddox, I don’t see how…’ Paula says.
‘Danny, are they white?’ Maddox asks again.
‘Yeah but it’s not like that,’ Danny says quickly, pulling away to turn round.
‘Where are they?’ Maddox asks.
‘Okay slow down,’ Paula says firmly.
‘White men pin a black boy down and whip him?’ Maddox asks, his voice hardening more by the second.
‘Maybe it’s not like that,’ Marcy says.
‘He just said it,’ Maddox snaps.
‘It’s fine. I got angry…I said…’
‘They whipped you for being angry?’ Maddox asks, clearly seething. ‘I’ll go get angry and see if they whip me…’
‘I’ll go with you,’ Blowers says.
‘Stop speaking over him!’ Howie snaps. ‘We’re not a fucking lynch mob…’
‘Lynch? He’s been lynched…’
‘Mads, mate…just slow down a second,’ Howie says. ‘Let Danny talk.’
This isn’t what Danny wanted. Not like this. He wanted to work and be a soldier and fight back, not stand in his pants with everyone feeling sorry for him. ‘I’m fine,’ he says again with a stronger tone to his voice. ‘I got angry and tried to get out to fight…Kieron tried to stop me so I hit him…then his mates too…’
‘That’s a stick mark,’ Roy says, absorbed with looking closely at Danny’s injuries on his naked torso. ‘See that? Right across his ribs and another one on his arm…and there on his stomach. You can see the imprint…’
Danny closes his eyes, feeling the situation spiralling out of control. ‘Please…I just want to fight.’
‘Okay okay,’ Howie says, waving Maddox and the lads obvious anger down. ‘Paula, speak to Danny and find out. Everyone else just slow down and let us get the facts first…get washed and eat…go no now, no point throwing questions at the lad. He’s been through enough by the looks of it.’
The dynamics change instantly. The group moving as one with Danny and Paula in the middle, the poor lad still in his underpants wishing he could at least get dressed. A sharing of worry and shock, of outrage and a new topic to talk about and discuss and what they’ll do to whoever this Kieron is when they find him.
Reginald joins in, heartily agreeing at the disgusting behaviour of evil men pinning a young man down to whip and beat with sticks, while giving silent thanks for a new thing that can bring a combined sense of righteousness back into the whole.
Only Charlie stays isolated. Still lost and trapped in her own mind at also being pinned down by men who only saw her as a piece of meat and those thoughts, those memories and feelings transmute into a dislike for her own appearance. That she is feminine and pretty. That if she was masculine it may not have happened.
She brushes Jess, washes Jess, feeds Jess and finds reason to stay out of the barn, cleaning the horsebox, checking Jess’s feet, trimming her tail, all of which are essential and must be done, but are all also physical and make her move and sweat.
Night proper comes. The sky a deep inky black filled with a million stars but the heat stays. That crushing humidity.
Danny gives Paula his story, slowly, reluctantly and only wanting to be accepted for who he is and what he can do rather than the experiences he had before. Eventually, they eat and settle down on beds of straw as the fire burns low and the lights are turned off.
Danny sleeps fitfully, waking to see Mr Howie and Marcy by the back of the Saxon talking quietly. Then again later when he looks out to see Clarence, the dog and the horse all engrossed in eating something with Danny’s mind-boggling a little at the size of them all and when he rolls over he spots Paula awake and lying on her side staring out at Clarence. Roy a few feet to her side but not close.
He drifts off again then wakes to see the first hint of light touching the sky and stares in utter awe at Mo and Dave and never before has he ever seen such a thing, never before did he ever think such a thing was possible. The two of them fighting with a speed he can barely track. It’s only when they break for water and look away that Danny follows their gaze and moves a touch to see Charlie doing pull-ups from the back of the horsebox then dropping down to do press ups. He thinks to get up and exercise too but detects it would be an imposition, so he stays silent and once more drifts back off to sleep as the new day creeps towards them.
Six
Day Thirteen
Cassie runs fast, sprinting with her arms stretched out and just catches the frisbee as it flies past. ‘Ha! Got it.’
In the garden of the isolated house. A large lawn bordered by the thick tree line of the forests in all directions. A glorious sun shining down. A glorious day in the new world where the birds sing and the insects buzz. Where the flowers bloom and the treetops sway with a gentle breeze.
She swivels slowly from left to right, the frisbee ready to be launched, aiming first at the boy then off towards Gregori then back to the boy. A feint, a rouse, an obvious show that she is going to throw it at the boy but sending it towards Gregori instead, a hard throw too that sends the disc soaring at him and she waits, watching with delicious delight as he simply plucks it from the air and feels the tingle in her groin at the way he moves.
‘Good catch,’ she says.
‘Me…me me me….’ The boy shouts, urging Gregori to throw the disc.
Gregori huffs, tuts, showing great disdain at such an immature game, shaking his head and aiming at Cassie before flicking a perfect throw for the boy who runs off with his hands held out as it flies overhead.
‘Ah you almost caught it,’ Cassie says. ‘Very close…’
Getting Gregori out here to play was far easier than she thought it would be. She simply didn’t ask him. The same as yesterday, she just pottered about with the boy, listening to music on the laptops they took from the town, ripping them onto files ready to be transferred onto an Android phone. She noticed Gregori stayed close. Always nearby, always watching them. She noticed too that he kept looking at her when she danced with the boy but rather than pulling her top down to show her cleavage or doing anything to flirt she just carried on as normal.
She went to bed too without making any comments or lingering about. She masturbated in the night, but she went slowly, building up to a deep orgasm while clamping her mouth closed to prevent the noise being heard.
Then, this morning, after breakfast, she smothered the boy in sun cream and took him out into the garden to play. Gregori soon followed, as watchful as ever and eventually, she threw the frisbee at him, expecting to miss but gasping slightly when he snapped a hand out to catch it.
‘Okay,’ she calls out. ‘So…tell me again what happened.’
‘Is not real,’ Gregori mutters.
‘Oh pooey, it’s interesting…go on,’ she looks at the boy, watching as he throws the disc which hits the ground a few feet in front of him then runs over to boot it hard.
‘CUNT,’ he screams at it.
Cassie folds her arms, Gregori the same. Both of them cocking their heads over as the boy seethes for a second before noticing their looks of displeasure. ‘Sorry,’ he says quickly, back to the child. ‘It fell down.’
‘It didn’t fall down. You threw it badly…you say that word again and we’ll stop playing.’
The boy nods, grabbing the frisbee to throw again, slamming it down into the ground then struggling to control the rage, visibly clenching his fists and going red.
‘Don’t swear!’ Cassie warns.
He tries again, finally throwing it properly towards Gregori who runs a few steps to catch it and the rage the boy had fades instantly, like a switch pressed and he’s back to normal.
‘Right, anyway, so go on…Howie’s sister is Sarah? And she’s dead now?’
‘Dead dead dead,’ the boy sings.
‘And who killed her? Howie?’
‘Nooo, Casseee, Dave did kill Sarah.’
‘But he’s Howie’s friend? Is that right?’
‘Yes, Casseee, and Blowers and Cookey and Nick and Clarence and Lani too but Lani was bitted by…’
‘Bitten.’
‘Bitten by Marcy but then she got better and Marcy and Howie wanted to cuddle but the doggy pushed them in the sea and Dave cut April’s head off and…’
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