The Fall Series (Book 3): The Fence Walker

by Cross, Stephen

  James paused. His movements were labored, unsteady even.

  “We are lucky, someone is looking out for us. Terrible things happened, but great things happened too. We fought, and we won,” he raised his voice a pitch, maybe looking for a cheer, for a rallying call, but it didn’t come. His words fell flat. Whatever he had left, wasn’t enough. He turned to the right and held out his hand. “I’d like to introduce Major Dalby. Without him, I don’t think many of us would be here today.”

  A man stepped onto the podium, slowly, with broad and steady steps. A tall man, shocking blonde hair and a face that looked older than it should. He had a small gun by his side, his fatigues were tired, but it didn’t seem to matter; the gleam from his eyes was enough to outshine any dullness. Deep blue, shining.

  He took to the center of the podium, and the echo of his last footfall died, and he looked over the people. Left, to the right, from front to back. Slowly, taking his time.

  A clap in the midst of the crowd. It became two, then three. Within seconds it was applause. Someone shouted something, followed by another shout, then a cheer. More cheers. A group of men near the front stood up. They were followed by others. Suddenly everyone was standing, cheering, clapping. People were hugging each other, toddlers were hoisted onto soldiers, and they laughed and raised their arms, whooping and hollering. An old man waved his arms until he was out of breath.

  Although she hadn’t experienced the Great Swarming, she found herself caught up in the celebration, the relief, the catharsis. There was no media, no TV to lead the victory call. No street parties, no documentary specials. This was the party. These people were alive, and they needed to know it.

  Major Dalby, the lightning rod, stood still and watched.

  Sarah looked at Crowe. He shrugged and began to clap. She joined in. It was important they fitted in. The crowd celebrated for what seemed an age, wave after wave of applause. It was only exhaustion and sore throats and hands that settled the beast.

  “That’s why,” shouted Dalby above that last dying sounds of celebration. “That’s why you all made it; this energy, this love.” Another brief eruption of applause.

  “I’m Major Dalby. I’ve met some of you. Already I’ve fought with some of you. Please, I hope you’ve saved some of that applause for my men,” Dalby spread his hands to indicate the many soldiers dotted around the hall. More applause.

  “You would think it was chance that brought us here two days ago. But I think it was more, a lot more than chance. Things like this, with the energy they have, don’t happen by chance. We were meant to come here. Simple as that.

  “We’ve been lost in the Wilds for many months. At first, it was just me and a handful of my men. As we learned to survive, our numbers grew. Either people we saved, people who found us, and even people who saved us. We welcomed anyone into our little group. We trained everyone who joined us, taught them everything we knew. They didn’t just join our group, they joined our army. I don’t see any difference now between what you would call the regular troops and those that have joined us since. We’re a family, a big family. We all have our voice, and we all look out for each other. That’s how we’ve done it, that’s what has kept us all alive long enough to find us here, with you good people, and what enabled us to help fight off the Great Swarm.

  “We’ve seen plenty of hordes. What we saw two days ago, it’s nothing new to us. Some of you have spoken to me since and told me how you were amazed at how calm we were. How we didn’t let the zeds phase us, how we took care of them with seemingly passionless efficiency. You asked how we did it?

  “Well, some of you already gave the answer with the word ‘passionless.’ We don’t have emotion anymore when it comes to fighting zeds. They aren’t half-people or dead people; they just aren’t people anymore. Their souls have long since departed to a much better place than we are now. The zeds are merely obstacles to us. They are a job. They are what we do. Like a fisherman reels in his catch, we kill zeds. They don’t scare us. We know how they move, how they think, what motivates them. We know when they will surge, when they will disperse. We can predict their movements. We know everything about them.

  “We know how to kill them, and what’s more, we’re damn good at it.” Dalby nodded to another round of enthusiastic applause.

  “I spoke with James yesterday at length. We talked about many things. First of all, you guys don’t know how lucky you are to have a leader like James. I would say he is the reason you have this place. Let’s hear it for James!” Dalby held out his arm to James, who sat by the side of the podium. He nodded and raised a hand sheepishly, acknowledging the applause but little else.

  “The first thing I noticed about Tulloch Bay holiday park, is that you are on the cusp of something great. There is so much here, so many good things, not least the people, yourselves, of course. More than that, you have the shelter, the natural resources, and the burgeoning infrastructure to make this a truly great community. One that will grow and proposer and maybe one day, in the future, people will look back to Tulloch Bay and recognize it as one of the beginnings of the new human civilization. Yes, I believe you can be this important, make no mistake, this place is special. The people I’ve spoken to, from the Fishers to the Builders, to the Runners; the work you do in providing food for all. In keeping the heating on, the gas running. The running water - do you know how amazing a hot shower is? You really know?” Dalby smiled, shaking his head, and the audience laughed. “That hot shower I had yesterday was the best experience I have had since the Fall, bar none!” More laughter.

  “But look - showers, heat, these aren't just the luxuries that we crave, these are symbols. Signs of how advanced we are, how we are slowly scraping back our dignity, our humanity. Don’t think little of these things you have. The heating, the water, the food. The safety…

  “The safety. That’s central to any society. Without knowing you’re safe, without knowing you can wake up in the morning and take your children to a place of learning, that you can take yourself to a place of work, without being killed, then society can’t rebuild itself. We have to build the strong, and take care of the weak. We have to work on our strengths and strengthen our weaknesses. The attack showed the holes in the security. You have gaps in your safety net. The Fence, for one…” Mumbling and discontent. Sarah heard the name ‘Jack’ again.

  “It’s a hell of a thing, what you have there, really it is. There were a few mistakes, however, just small ones, but we can’t account for mistakes, not in this world. We can’t afford these type of mistakes. A lot of people died here in that attack. A lot of people lost - friends, fathers, mothers, children…” Dalby paused again.

  He spoke quietly, “We can't afford another mistake like that.”

  How long, thought Sarah, had he been using the word ‘we’ instead of ‘you’?

  “We have to be held accountable for our mistakes, and we have to build on them. We have to purge error and carelessness, we have to make ourselves strong like a fortress, an oak; those things out there, they aren’t stopping. One thing we have learned about them is that they don’t stop, ever. They keep coming and coming and coming and banging their heads against whatever is in their way until they get what they want, and that’s you. So we need to stop them. There is no passivity in this new world. It’s kill or be killed. That’s it. Law of the jungle.

  “Now I know you don’t all want to hear that. You want to hear that everything will be ok and that we can start enjoying soap operas and days out at the beach. We can’t. I’m sorry to say that, we can’t… Not yet anyway.” Dalby eyed numerous members of the crowd before continuing.

  “This is where we can help - me and my army. We can work together. We know how to fight, we know how to fortify. We know how to build. We can work towards giving you the freedom you need to pursue your lives. Let your children learn, let yourselves provide for them. We can give you this. All we ask for in return is to be part of this community.” His voice began to rise as mum
bles in the crowd took hold. “The more numbers, the greater we can be, the stronger we can become, and the more we can tell those dead heads outside to get lost - we don’t want you here, and you know what, we don’t have to put up with you! We can do this for you, do you want that? Will you let us join? Will you let us become part of Tulloch Bay?” Dalby’s voice raised to a shout. “Will you have us?”

  The hall erupted in spontaneous applause. Cheers, yells, clapping. “Yes, yes, yes,” echoed throughout the hall.

  Crowe grabbed Sarah by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet. She started to clap, wildly.

  “Tea?” said Crowe.

  Sarah nodded. She was stretched out on the couch back in the chalet. She felt exhausted, the rally more tiring than something like that should have been.

  “What do you make of Dalby?” she said.

  “He’s got the crowd with him. Can’t blame them, though, can you? Reckon they’d all be dead if it wasn’t for his guys turning up when they did. Nick of time and all that.”

  “Do you trust him? After what Allen said?”

  Crowe shrugged, passing her a cup of tea and sitting down on the opposite seat with his own cuppa. “We’ve only got Allen’s word that Dalby is crazy. I’m not so sure about Allen myself.”

  “Go on…”

  “This business with his son. You think he’s alive? He’s got some crazy faith that Adam is going to be here.”

  “Then why are you going along with it?”

  “Why not? Not much else to do. The hospital was fucked after they turned up, didn’t have it in me for another clearing. This looks like a nice set up here. We look, don’t find Adam, Allen carries on his merry way. We stay here. Or I do, at least. You’re free to do what you want.”

  Sarah took a sip of her tea. “That’s what I like about you, Crowe. Your empathy and loyalty.”

  Crowe laughed. “So, tell me, what are the finer points of human civility worth in the apocalypse?” He leaned back and closed his eyes, sighing. They sat in silence for a while, the only sound from the gentle sips Sarah took from her tea.

  “Well, I’m going to look for Adam,” said Sarah. “For a while anyway. Let’s give it a week.”

  “Like I said, whatever you think’s best.”

  Sarah finished her tea. “I’m going to have a walk around then, see what I can see,” she said to Crowe.

  “Ok, but don't ask too many questions. Keep it low key.”

  Sarah left the chalet, taking her sword. She took out the photo of Adam that Allen had given them. It was the only photo he had of the boy, taken at the beach here across the dunes. She would look for him. Call it old-fashioned woman’s intuition, but she felt better about Allen than Dalby. She knew which side she was on. For now at least.

  Low key, she thought to herself as she set off into the maze of pathway and chalets. She pocketed the picture. Just a woman going for a walk.

  Chapter 15

  As Ellie came to. The first thing she heard was crying. It was Eddy. She sat up.

  “Eddy?”

  “Look, it’s Mummy!” A voice she didn’t recognize.

  Her head hurt, and it took a few seconds for her vision to clear. She was in a chalet bedroom, not hers. A woman was sat on the bed opposite, again, no recognition.

  “Look, little man, it’s your Mummy,” said the woman. Liverpool accent, a few years younger than her. Scrawny woman. Ratty.

  “Give him to me,” said Ellie, swinging off the bed and standing up quickly.

  “Of course,” said the woman slowly, standing up and holding out Eddy.

  Ellie snatched her boy out of the woman’s arms. She hugged him. He started crying. “Shhh, it’s Mummy, everything’s ok.”

  “We gave him some milk, and changed his nappy a few times.”

  Ellie looked at the woman. “How long was I out for? What happened?” She remembered being in the chalet. She remembered Jack stopping her from helping Mac. “Mac, what happened to Mac?”

  The woman shook her head, “I don’t know who that is… Is he the man in the chalet? What did he do to you?”

  “No, that’s Jack, he’s… Who are you anyway?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Amy,” she said. “You were unconscious, so we brought you here.”

  “Who’s we?”

  The door to the bedroom opened, and a man stood there. Barely a man. Must have been in his late teens, sparse beard, long bedraggled hair. Army fatigues too big for him. Ellie instinctively held Eddy closer and retreated back towards the bed.

  “You alright now girl? I’m Chris,” said the man. Another scouse accent.

  “What the fuck’s this, a Beatles convention?” said Ellie.

  The man laughed. “We rescued you.”

  “From what?”

  “The zombies! And that fella in your chalet. Out cold you were. Did he knock you out? Says he did nothing. Can’t stand that shit, you know, beating on women. Bit of a prick is he? Your fella is he?”

  Too many questions, too much talking. Her head hurt and she wanted something to drink. She wanted to rest, to go back home with Eddy.

  Not if Jack was there though.

  “Where’s Jack?” she said.

  “He’s with…” said Amy, then paused, looking to the Chris.

  “We’ve just been asking him some questions, you know, figuring out what’s been going on. Going to sort shit out around here now. Dalby’s got things in hand.”

  “Who’s Dalby? What’re you talking about?” Elie sat down, exhausted. “Can I just have a drink of water?”

  “Yeah, sound,” said Chris. “Just wait here, love. I’ll go get you the water. Dalby wants to see you anyhow. I’ll go tell him you’re up.”

  Ellie turned to Amy as Chris left. “What’s going on?”

  Amy smiled at her. It was a warm smile. “I know, things must seem a bit mad. Don't worry, Major Dalby will sort it out.”

  “Who is he?”

  “He’s the leader, of our army, like. We got here just in time. You were swamped with zombies.”

  Ellie remembered the zombies - Peter and Mary, gone. Mac. Mac was gone too. She remembered now. She started to cry. What would she do without Mac? They were a team. They looked after each other. She couldn’t take any more loss.

  She felt an arm around her, and she let herself fall against Amy as she sobbed.

  “You let it out girl, I know. You let it out.”

  Another muffled cheer from the sports hall. Jack, in James's office, shifted in his seat.

  “Hey,” he said to the young soldier who stood by the door, the only other occupant. “What’s going on out there?”

  “I told you, the Major’s giving a speech.”

  “So why can’t I hear?”

  “Dunno know mate. All I know is that you’re to stay here. Says you beat up on the girl.”

  The ‘soldier’ was in his teens. Fat. It was rare to see fat people this far into the Fall. He must have been super fat back in the day, thought Jack.

  “I want to see my daughter.”

  “Ask the Major.”

  “You can’t keep me here, what do you think this is? Who are you people anyway?”

  “Look, mate,” said the soldier, finally turning to face Jack. “I’ve told you, I don’t know what the deal is, I don’t really fucking care either. Just shut up will ya. The Major will be here soon.” He sighed.

  Jack decided to leave it. He wasn’t going to get anything from the kid. Same as it’s ever been - above my pay grade, not my business, I don’t know. Same excuses.

  The last time Jack had been in this office he had been asking James for chains. The Fisher’s chains, apparently. If Jack had got those chains, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened, the Fence would have been fixed. There would have been no zombie attack and Peter and Mary and Mac would be alive, and he wouldn’t be sitting in here, a prisoner. Was that what he was?

  The door opened, and a tall man with shocking blonde hair strode in. His boots thumped heav
ily on the floor. The young soldier jumped to salute as if someone had stuck a cattle prod up his arse.

  “At ease, Turner,” said the tall man.

  James followed him in. He looked tired. Bags under his eyes and new grey hairs. His skin sallow, like the zombies. He looked at Jack and smiled, sheepishly. He held his arms out, but low down by his side so the Major couldn’t see. Apologetic, it’s not my fault. Same old shit.

  The tall man sat down on James’s chair behind James’s desk. James sat on a chair by the window.

  “I’m Major Dalby,” he reached across the desk, offering his hand for Jack to shake.

  Jack stared at his hand. “Where’s my daughter.”

  Dalby lowered his hand, but the smile stayed on his face. “Sorry, Jack, I wish I could have got here earlier to explain. The first I knew of it was just before the speech in the hall. They said something about you having attacked a woman, but then I found out who you were, and we’ve cleared it up with Ellie.”

  Jack looked at James, then back to Dalby. “There’s nothing to clear up. It was an accident, I was stopping her from going outside, she would have got herself killed, and us.”

  “That’s fine, Jack, I get that. Don’t worry. You’re not here because of that.”

  “Then what the hell am I doing here? James, who is this guy? What’s going on?”

  James offered a conciliatory motion with his hands. “It’s ok Jack, he’s one of the good guys. Without him, we would have been finished. We were swamped.”

  “You see, Jack, we’re all on the same team,” said Dalby. “We got here just in time. We saw the smoke, and luckily we were mobilized. We’ve got guns, Jack, trained men and women. We’ve handled hordes before.” Dalby paused and looked out the window, Jack followed his gaze, but he was looking at nothing.

  Dalby started up again. “I spoke with James for the whole of yesterday. He explained how things work around here, told me and showed me what you’ve built here. It’s amazing, it really is. But you lack one thing, and that’s security. The Fence…”