Among The Dead (Book 3): Dwell In Unity

by Colley, Ryan

  “So, I gotta ask since we’re going that way … what’s it like heading north?” I asked when we were all sat around and eating. The food was delicious – a luxury after how things had been. Stephanie was playing with the children, with Ian not far from them. He was ever watchful. Sandra was never far from Jeff either, and Kirsty was never far from me. I’d partially stripped down from my leather jacket and removed my t-shirt, exposing my top half. It was too hot otherwise, and my undergarments were soaked with sweat.

  “Not great if I’m honest. That plague was everywhere and there was a lot of fighting. We were just below the border of Scotland and it was madness up there. Reinforcements were meant to be coming but never did … we couldn’t stay so we headed this way,” Jeff explained sadly. He seemed more apologetic than anything.

  “See, we were told everything outside of London was fine,” I shrugged, chowing down on the delicious burgers Jeff had cooked.

  “Yeah, we saw the same reports … they weren’t true. We had that plague tearing through our town while they were claiming it was still confined to London,” Jeff explained.

  “Propaganda, eh?” I snorted. Then, almost on cue, we both said, “Bloody government.”

  We shared a brief smile that was followed by silence. Jeff and I stared morosely at the ground in front of us for a few moments.

  “Do you like beer?” Jeff suddenly asked, breaking the shared quiet.

  “Who doesn’t?” I said and smiled. I was lying through my teeth. I hated it, but it was a social thing though, so I would play along and drink it. Jeff disappeared into the camper van and returned with a small crate. He handed one to each of us, excluding the kids, and cracked his can open.

  We drank. We chatted. We laughed. It was great to have time just to relax. Ian didn’t say much and just watched us silently. He didn’t trust us, that was clear, and who could blame him? Normally, I would have been the one playing his role. Everyone had their guns packed away, so they weren’t a threat. Admittedly, I still had a knife hidden on me, just in case, but that was placating my paranoia. Besides, if things took a turn, I could easily grab one of the kids from where I sat and … wow, hadn’t needed to think like that for a while! That was a dark turn in thought. We had nothing to fear and neither did they. I had to calm down. Everything was fine. It felt … normal.

  “You fancy camping with us for the night?” Jeff asked us after a while. The sun was falling and the night was slowly forcing its way upon us. “There would be safety in numbers and we will be able to even up the shifts.”

  “Uh, how about it guys?” I said, looking around at them with a smile. I didn't know how I felt about it. My mind just kept screaming it was a trap – despite having no reason to think like that.

  “Don’t see why not,” Kirsty shrugged, “We’ll need to sleep for the night anyway.”

  “It’ll be good to get out of the van,” Stephanie added hopefully.

  “Gotta agree with you all,” Keith said. He was still bound, and Ian kept his eyes on him the most. Ian's careful observation hadn't stopped him drinking a beer and enjoying the food though. I was pretty sure I’d seen his facade fall to reveal a smile at one point.

  “Looks like we are,” I said with a huge smile. “We’ll just grab a few things from the van and we'll be set!”

  Kirsty and I left the group to head to the van. I had a few odd things in there which would improve our sleeping conditions tenfold, namely a camping matt. I only had one, but I didn’t mind giving it to one of the others that night. The warm weather and social interaction had put me in a good mood, and I think it was beginning to show.

  “You think we can trust them?" Kirsty asked me when we were out of earshot and by the van.

  “No more than we can each other I guess,” I shrugged. I meant that too. I didn't know who I could trust. I added, "Besides, I have a little insurance with me.”

  “What’s that?” Kirsty said and gave me a puzzled look. I showed her the knife I’d hidden. She smiled and, in response, rolled up a leg of her jeans, revealing she also had a one taped to her.

  “Didn’t know you had that,” I replied surprised.

  “Well, I didn’t know if I could trust you, so that was my safety net against you,” she said with a quick bark of laughter.

  “Guess that means you trust me now then?” I said with a grin.

  “Just a little,” she replied with a shrug. She playfully thumped my arm and I feigned pain. I went to push her but suddenly hesitated – my extended arm hanging in the air. I was aware of her reluctance to being touched. Kirsty laughed and said, “I dare you.”

  I carried on and pushed her. She still flinched and looked slightly pained – emotional torment – but she kept the smile plastered to her face. She was trying to move forward, wanting to make an effort, even if it wasn’t that straightforward. She was strong, with the mental fortitude of someone much better than myself.

  We returned to the little camp with the sleeping bag, a camping mat and one of the SA80’s. I brought Thundy with me too. I didn’t want him too far from me should things go wrong and I needed to get away quickly.

  “Here’s the deal,” I announced half of the group. “One of you gets the sleeping bag, the other gets the mat. You gotta choose.”

  “I’m happy to sleep on the ground,” Keith replied. I wasn’t including him in my equation and was more so thinking of the women. Kirsty took the camping mat and Stephanie took the sleeping bag, with both looking happy with their choice. All of the family had disappeared inside their camper van and were getting ready for bed. They definitely had the more luxurious sleeping arrangements out of us all. I took off my modified jeans and put them with my leather jacket – the fresh air felt amazing! I was happy to sleep on the cool grass, just so that I could stretch out. I noticed my feet and legs had a horrendous stink of old sweat. Could legs get body odour? Mine certainly smelled like it.

  I placed Thundy next to me and laid down. I closed my eyes and just appreciated the cool breeze through the warm air. A shadow crossed my face and blocked the dying sunlight. I cracked open one eye to look at the cause. Peter stood over me.

  “Alright little dude,” I said to him and smiled. I opened both my eyes so I could focus on the little distraction.

  “Is that your teddy?” he asked me, pointing to Thundy.

  “No, I’m looking after him for someone,” I said, closing both my eyes again once I knew I wasn't under attack.

  “It’s okay if you have a teddy! I have one too! Big boys can have teddies,” he said sternly.

  “Wise beyond your year's little dude. I guess you can,” I replied and opened my eyes to watch him. He squinted at me, clearly confused by my statement. I brought Thundy closer to me and said, “He looks after me when there’s thunder.”

  “Mine too!” the kid gasped and sprinted away as fast as his little legs could carry him. I watched him go back into the camper van. He came back with a teddy almost as big as him, followed by his mum.

  “Awesome!” I gasped, feigning excitement. The kid loved it. “What’s his name?”

  “Mr Teddy,” he nodded proudly. “He keeps me safe from the Stinkies too.”

  “Stinkies?” I questioned him, squinting quizzically.

  “It’s what we call those with the plague,” Sandra answered for him. “It’s easier for him to say … and less scary.”

  She’d come to us with several folded sheets.

  “That’s a good idea,” I smiled. It was a strange thought, how could you explain zombies to the kids in a way which they’d understand?

  “We have some spare sheets for you guys tonight,” Sandra said, handing them out. “Sorry, we haven’t got anything more.”

  “This is perfect thanks. It’s too hot for anything else,” I said. They were good people, and I hoped they’d do well … they seemed too nice to survive. I had a habit of destroying anyone good who got close to me – James, Gary, Tracey. Sandra disappeared inside and Ian came out. He strode purposef
ully towards me and I sighed. What did he have to say now?

  “I’ll take the first watch and you take second,” he stated coolly.

  “Fine by me,” I smiled and laid back down. Kirsty laid down not far from me, and Stephanie not far away from her. Keith was separated from us. He knew he still wasn’t trusted and he accepted that. I closed my eyes and was asleep within minutes. I felt safe, even out in the open. Hard to believe!

  Interlude Two – Kirsty

  Kirsty had led a relatively normal life. She left school and went straight into the family business – an Italian restaurant. None of her family were remotely Italian. She never elaborated on how they’d come to own a traditional Italian restaurant, as that part wasn't important to the story.

  It was through working in the restaurant that she met her first and, to date, only love. He was a customer and Kirsty was working the tables. She normally ran the monetary side of the business, but that night was different. One of the staff had called in sick and Kirsty had to cover for them. He saw her, and he fell instantly in love. He gave her a large tip and left his number on the receipt.

  She didn’t spot it at first but, when she was counting their takings for the night, she saw the number. Her natural curiosity got the better of her and she called it. She never told her future-husband that, at the time, she didn’t even remember who left the number.

  She was sceptical at first, after all, she was meeting a mystery man who she had no recollection of. However, all it took was one date and she’d also fallen in love. They suited each other perfectly. So, they went on another date and then more.

  Kirsty neglected the family business for a while. She didn’t do it selfishly, she was simply exploring an avenue of life that she never had the chance to do before. Her family didn’t mind either – their daughter was happy, so they were happy.

  Two years of their relationship flew by in a blaze of happiness and, on their third anniversary, the man she loved proposed. Kirsty said yes. They were happy. All their friends said their relationship was like a fairy tale. All they saw was perfection.

  They moved into an apartment. Looking for work wasn’t hard. Kirsty fell back into the routine of her family restaurant and he worked in law enforcement. They made enough money to get by and, most importantly, they were happy. Time went on, and things continued along the path which Kirsty had always hoped for. She was living her perfect dream. But things do not end at happily ever after – life continues beyond it.

  She didn’t know what had caused it, but a rift grew between them. However, Kirsty was pretty certain of the events that started it. After the five year landmark of their relationship, both of their parents died – something they’d never faced anything like in their relationship.

  Four deaths in the space of twelve months, it must have been awful. Stress plagued their little paradise. Stress of money. Stress of loss. Stress from working. They’d been happy, but that seemed so long ago. They were slowly growing apart. Life was difficult. Kirsty knew they could make it work though. Until something happened.

  CHAPTER 9

  I didn’t feel like I’d been asleep long when I was suddenly shaken awake – I instinctively reached for the gun laying nearby.

  “Your turn,” Ian said, leering at me in the darkness. I quickly relaxed when I saw his face, my body leaving fight or flight mode as quickly as I went into it.

  “Ok man,” I whispered and climbed to my feet. I picked up my SA80 and started to wander. Ian came up beside me after a couple of minutes.

  “Are you going to hurt my family?” he asked me coldly. He stared at me, eyes boring into my own, completely unflinching.

  “No,” I replied. I wasn’t shocked, as I knew exactly why he was suspicious.

  “I still don’t trust you. I know what people are like,” he said, walking alongside me.

  “So do I,” I sighed. “This isn’t easy for me either.”

  “Good,” he nodded. “Being untrusting shows you’re sane … now I’m heading to bed, but I’ll be watching. You won’t know if, or when, I am. So don’t think you can try anything.”

  “I’ll try not to,” I laughed and watched as he walked away and into the camper van. I continued pacing and shaking my head with a smile, but there was something else – a sense of unease washed over me. His words had stuck with me. I felt as though his eyes were on me the entire time I stood guard. He was right, I couldn't tell if he was watching, and that was the scary part.

  Morning came without any interruption. Jeff was an early riser and had come out to stretch and pee. He explained he had a toilet inside but that he enjoyed urinating outside as it felt more natural. I could understand that. He packed up the barbecue set, knowing it had cooled off during the night.

  “You hungry?” he asked once he’d packed it all away.

  “We got food,” I replied, pointing to the van over my shoulder with my thumb.

  “Don’t be stupid, you kept my family safe through the night and gave us the ability to keep driving … we were going to finish off our perishables and start walking before you came along," Jeff explained. “You don’t realise how much you helped us.”

  “Just doing what needed to be done," I said with a curt nod. Considering his offer, I asked, "Got any bread?”

  “Yeah, you want some?” Jeff said, happy I’d accepted his offer of food.

  “If you have the ability to make toast, yes, please. One thing I miss,” I replied with a grin.

  “I can do that,” he laughed and disappeared inside.

  He returned with freshly buttered toast, and it was simply bliss. I stuffed two slices down my throat, followed by a cup of tea and then a coffee in the space of ten minutes while Jeff watched in amazement.

  “Sorry, decent food has been hard to come by,” I explained through a mouthful of the toasted goodness. He waited for me to finish eating before finally speaking.

  “So what can we expect down south?” he asked, demeanour going from happy go lucky man to serious. "You asked about the north, now I need to know about the south."

  “There are the dead … and I mean a lot of them. Everywhere. I’ve seen less as I’ve headed north, but where I came from … it was unbelievable,” I said without hesitation, meeting his gaze. I needed him to realise how bad it was.

  “Damn,” he sighed. “Any other advice?”

  “Keep out of London. Don’t trust the military, keep away from them. They’re dangerous,” I explained. I sighed and then said, “You need to be less trusting with others than you were with us. People do not have good intentions."

  “Is it that bad?” he asked, wincing.

  “It really is,” I nodded. “Do you have any weapons?”

  “An axe and a hunting rifle,” he replied with a smile.

  “You need more,” I said seriously. Then an idea came to mind, “Come with me.”

  Jeff followed not far behind and I opened the back of the van. He gasped at all the supplies we had in there.

  “Where did you get all this?” he asked, staring at it all.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I replied curtly. I reached for one of the three SA80’s and a box of rounds. “This is now yours. Practice with it when you get chance but remember, once these bullets are gone, it’s useless. Your axe will be deadlier than this without bullets."

  I forced the assault rifle into his hands and quickly showed him the safety and how to change the number of shots a trigger squeeze would unleash. I showed him how to stand and how to hold it. It appeared Jeff had never held a gun before … which would have been normal twelve months prior.

  “Thanks,” Jeff said simply, unsure of how to respond.

  “Just keep those kids alive, okay?” I instructed. He nodded.

  Jeff and his family had reawakened something inside me which had been dying – altruism. The need to help others with nothing to gain from it. The one thing which would keep our species alive in the end. It was a huge sacrifice to give away a gun, but he needed to keep his famil
y alive. He’d shown us kindness and it was the least I could do in return.

  “Is there anything I can give you to make up for it?” Jeff asked awkwardly.

  “Can you spare a sheet or two? Even the ones we used last night,” I smiled. He nodded. “Awesome … also, do you have a map on you?”

  “I do,” Jeff replied.

  “I need to mark some areas on it for you,” I explained. “Areas to keep away from.”

  My thought went to that of Harrington and his men, the area around London, the container site and the mall. He showed me his map and I marked those areas. I didn’t explain why but simply told him to avoid them at all costs. He didn’t need an explanation and understood why. Bad things were out there.

  Others stirred and were waking up. I shook Jeff’s hand and returned to my little group to see if they were ok. After our morning chat, Jeff got to work preparing breakfast for everyone else. I think Jeff must have mentioned my little donation to Ian because he shared a nod and a small, tightlipped smile with me. Guess I wasn’t the big bad wolf after all, not in his eyes anyway.

  Despite the communal breakfast, there was a sad overtone to it. We were leaving and would never see each other again. There was no falsehood of 'keep in touch' because both groups knew that wasn't a reality. I felt like we were on the last day of an amazing holiday, waiting unhappily to return to the real world. So, everyone ate and indulged in some small talk. However, despite the depressed atmosphere, everyone was leaving a lot happier overall – a decent night sleep could work wonders.

  Eventually, the time to leave came. We all hugged, shook hands, and said our goodbyes. There was no hesitation, or ‘umming’ and ‘ahhing’. We all knew what our farewell was – a final goodbye. We wouldn’t see each other again, but we would always remember the others’ kindness. We waved Jeff and his family off before we prepared to go. We cleared up our stuff and climbed into the van. I put Thundy back onto the dashboard and thought of Mr Teddy and the Stinkies.

  “Look at this,” Keith said as he climbed into the back of the van. We looked over our shoulders and into the back where there was a small disposable barbecue and a pack of sausages.