A loud crack as the fire spat and a streak of smoke burst forth. It rose slowly into the air, floating like a dash of faint paint.
“Allen! Crowe!” A shout from the dark trees beyond.
Allen grabbed his gun and stood up, leaping past the fire to the shout. Figures emerged from the darkness at the edge of the camp. He dropped his weapon and ran forward.
“Abdul, what happened?” he grabbed the frail man from the two strangers. A man and a woman.
“Jack?” said Andy, standing up. “You’re alive!”
“Just about.” A young girl was holding his hand. His other one, he held out to Allen. “You must be Sergeant Allen?”
Allen looked Jack up and down. He looked at the little girl, clinging to his leg, her eyes scared and nervous. He took the man’s hand. “I’m Sergeant Allen.”
“I’ve heard about you. I’m Jack. This is my daughter, Annie, and this Grace.”
“Come on,” said Allen, motioning towards the fire. “Crowe, get these people a cup of tea. And get the medical bag, Abdul needs looking at. Now sit yourselves here, and tell me what the hell’s been going on.”
It didn’t take long for Chris to get back to Unity. Sneaky fuckers, holed up so close. Dalby would do his nut for sure.
He reached the gate. In the distance, along the Fence, he saw a large crowd of bodies. Zeds. More than usual. What was wrong with the Clearing team? Not doing their fucking job. That’s what. Something else for Dalby to do his nut over. Unless Chris sorted it out. Another bonus for him and a chance to get some fuckers in line. Dalby would like that.
Dalby, Dalby, Dalby, always the same with you lad. Always trying to impress some wrong’un. Got you into the drugs, and gonna get you killed now.
Shut it, Nan.
She tutted. He shouldn’t really talk to her like this. But then she was a pain these days. She was always a pain, ever since she had… Died, torn apart by zeds as he had watched, unable to help; he let her down, couldn’t get to her in fucking time, the only person who had ever fucking loved him, and he had let her go, because he wasn’t quick enough, fast enough, whatever the fuck it was, he never had a fucking enough of it and-
“Chris, Chris! You alright mate?”
Chris stood to attention, then realized it was only Benny, some fucking no mark private. On gate duty. He was opening the door in the fence.
“It’s First Lieutenant to you, nobhead,” said Chris as he walked through the door in the Fence. Benny peeked out behind him and pulled the door shut.
“Sorry, sir,” said Benny, his head down. That’s better, thought Chris. We ain’t playing pool together in the bar anymore. This is serious fucking business.
“What’s with the zed party around the Fence?”
Benny shrugged. “Don’t know anything about that, sir. Dalby has everyone on a house to house. Looking for that woman of his.”
“Eh?”
“You’d best ask the Major,” said Benny, his voice low.
Realising he wasn't going to get any more information from Benny, just a fucking private after all, Chris set off to find the Major. Find out what the fuck was going on. What the fuck had Ellie been up to? She was a pain in the arse, her. Thought she was the fucking dog’s bollocks. Stupid nobhead.
The streets were empty except for the odd soldier who would salute Chris. Other than that, a strange silence pervaded Unity. Usually, especially at this time, there was a buzz of people. The Fishers returning with their catch for distribution, the Runners filling up the stores. The kids on the way to school. Those not in school playing by the chalets.
None of that though.
Chris quickened his pace.
He entered the car park that led to Dalby’s office. The Runner’s trucks sat empty and still, like sleeping bears.
A sudden shout from his left. Chris pulled his gun off his shoulder and quickly pointed towards the sound. A man ran out from behind one of the trucks. Somewhere in his fifties, stocky. The sort of face that said trouble.
“Don’t move!” shouted Chris.
The man froze and raised his hands. A clatter of feet pounding tarmac from behind him, and two soldiers appeared. Chris recognized them, Stu and Evan.
On seeing Chris, they stopped running, raised their guns and pointed them at the man. “Thanks, sir, you got him.”
“What’s going on, Stu?” shouted Chris, across the man, standing in between him and the soldiers.
“He’s breaking the curfew. When we told him stop, he just kept running.”
“Curfew? What you talking about, soft lad? The curfew’s at night.”
“He’s been away,” said Evan to Stu.
Stu nodded. “Forgot, sir. Yes, the curfew has been expended to all times. No one to leave their chalets.”
“Eh? What you talking about?”
“It’s crazy!” shouted the man. “They can’t keep us locked up, I need to get the medicine for my wife.”
“Shut it!” shouted Stu, his voice loud and angry. He walked towards the man. “You know the rules, you made your choice.”
The man, a tough looking man, the eyes of a laborer, of a fighter, started to well up. “I just needed the medicine.” He looked at Chris, pleading, his head shaking slowly. “I come get it every Wednesday, the Runners bring it in. It’s for her heart. She can’t live without it.”
Chris looked at the man, then to Stu. “Who brings them the medicine then, stuff like food and that?”
“I don’t know, sir,” said Stu. “We’ve just been told to make sure no one breaks the curfew.”
The man fell to his knees. Full tears streaming from his eyes. “I just needed the medicine.”
“Alright, fucking calm down kidda,” said Chris. “Stop fucking blubbing. We’ll get you locked up or whatever, but we’ll get the medicine sorted.”
“Erm, sir,” said Stu.
“What?”
Stu looked at Evan. Evan shrugged and said, “Orders are to shoot on sight. Anyone who breaks the curfew.”
That’s fucking nice, isn’t it, lad?
His Nan never swore.
“Shot?”
“From Dalby himself,” said Stu. “You want to challenge it, then you can take it to Dalby. But I’m not going against orders, not from Dalby.” Stu raised his gun and aimed at the man.
Chris stared at the man. His eyes held in him a vice, locked, pleading. They were like a child’s eyes, suddenly full of the wonder and innocence of the world. Pure and beautiful again.
He’s alive. Just like you son.
“What’s your name?" said Chris.
“Derek," said the man.
Then, the violence of a single gunshot. An unearthly crack in the sky. Derek’s head exploded in red. He fell forward onto the tarmac with a deep thump. The shot echoed around the buildings.
Chris stared at the dead man. Blood pouring from his head into a thick dark pool. Looked like paint, he thought.
“Sir?”
It was Stu. Private Stu.
“Clean that shit up,” said Chris. He turned away from the body and marched quickly to Dalby’s office.
Chris knocked on the door of Dalby’s office. He was nervous.
What you scared of?
I don’t know.
“Come in,” came an impatient shout from the other side of the door.
Chris pushed the door open. Relax. I’ve got good news for the Major.
Dalby sat behind his desk, upon which were a glass of whiskey and a handgun. His hand was on the gun. On seeing Chris, his eyes widened for a moment. His hand moved from his weapon to his whiskey glass. He took a sip. It was 10:30 in the morning.
“Lieutenant. Chris,” said Dalby. He didn’t motion for Chris to sit down. “I thought you were dead. Where the fuck you been?”
“Looking for the rebels, sir.”
“And?”
“I found them.”
Dalby put his glass down and sat forward. “Sit,” he pointed to the chair. “You better not be f
ucking around, Lieutenant.”
“No sir,” said Chris as he eased himself into the chair. Careful now. Look at the eyes.
“So, tell me about it. What are you waiting for?”
Chris swallowed, trying to moisten his suddenly dry throat and mouth. “We performed a circular recon, spreading out from Unity and-”
“Spare me the fucking details. Where are they and how many?”
Chris shifted in his seat. “There are about ten of them. On top of the hill to the west end of the beach. Overlooking the beach.”
“Ten? On the hill. Keeping close. Wonder how long they have been watching us…” Dalby stared out the window.
“They have trip wires, guns. If we take a full frontal assault at night then-”
“Then I would say you are more stupid than you look. Allen isn’t a fool. He’s a fully trained soldier with years of experience that makes you look like a fucking god-dammed piece of shit, you understand? You run in there with guns blazing and… He will be expecting that, let's just say that. We need to be smart.” Dalby took another drink of his whiskey. More a gulp than a sip. “We need to think, be smart,” he banged his hand against his head, “think like him. Think like animals in the forest. How does a fox flush out a rabbit? No, how does a dog flush out a fox? Both predators. Both smart, both tricky. Allen’s a predator, Lieutenant. Don’t underestimate him. If I left you in command, we’d all be dead by sundown. Just because I call you Lieutenant doesn’t mean you’re not a fucking idiot. I’m surrounded by them, fucking idiots, and scumbags and morons and little pricks with never a days training in their lives.” Dalby finished the last of his whiskey in one. “Allen… He had men with him, good men. We have to be careful. We have to be like the dog. No, the tiger. The tiger rules the fucking jungle. You understand me, Lieutenant?”
Chris nodded.
Dalby looked behind Chris as if he expected to see people standing here. “Where're the men you went with?”
“Dead, sir.”
Dalby shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t bore me with the fucking details.” He pointed to the map on the wall. A large scale ordinance survey map that showed the surrounding five miles in high detail. “Get me that map.”
Chris, glad for an excuse to get out of the seat and out of Dalby’s gaze, took the map off the wall and spread it on the table.
“Put it there, that’s right. Get me more whiskey. You want some? Actually, no, you’re on duty. Show me where they are.”
Chris studied the map carefully. He didn’t want to make a mistake. He traced the route in his mind, matching landmarks on the map, walking through the country lanes and fields he had crossed.
“Come on Lieutenant, I haven’t got all fucking day. You better not be fucking with me.”
Chris, his heart thumping tried to zone out Dalby. There it was, the thin path that led to the bottom of the hill, then the rise, a few hundred yards to the top. The point that overlooked Unity. He rechecked it.
You better be certain lad, this one’s lost it.
He was certain. He placed his finger on the spot.
“There,” he said. “That’s where the base is.”
Dalby stared at the spot, his eyes wide open. Black eyes, empty. He moved to stand next to Chris and placed his hand on Chris’s shoulder. It was heavy.
“That’s where they are?”
“Yes, sir.”
“The Hive. The den of scumbaggery. Difficult approach. Cliffs to this side, heavy wood to that. Wise choice. Good spot. Sort of place I’d choose. See what I mean, Lieutenant? Allen is no fucking idiot. You wouldn’t pick somewhere like that, would you? You’d pick some stupid fucking barn or something. Approaches from all sides. A trap. You’d take your men into a fucking trap. I wouldn’t. Neither would Allen. We’re similar, me and him.”
Dalby squeezed Chris’s shoulder.
“Yes, sir,” said Chris.
“She’s gone, you know.”
“Sir?”
“Ellie. That bitch was getting out of control, so I got rid of her.”
Chris wasn’t sure if he meant he had killed her. “Of course, sir.”
Dalby leaned forward and traced a path from the outside of the Fence to the bottom of the hill. He stared at the map for a long moment, his finger tracing different routes around Allen’s base. He nodded. “I think I have a plan, Lieutenant. I think I have a way to get them.” He smiled and put his arm around Chris. “We’re going to get the fuckers. Tear them apart.”
The sun set. They could leave.
“Come on, time to go,” said Adam, hitching his backpack over his shoulders.
Ellie put on her own backpack and cradled Eddy in her sling. Back on the road again. She thought of Mac, of their time together in the Wilds, the old man doing everything he could to look after them, his purpose. Like a father, an old cliche but one that they had shared and laughed over around many an evening campfire; one of the good nights that wasn’t erupted by zombies, or by the unknown sounds of nearby people.
Mac had been a good man, and she liked to think she had been a good woman. How had she ended up with Dalby…. The flashes of the things she had done bombarded her mind as an answer. The dark things she had done to survive while in the Wild. The killing of the zombies. The killing of people; some for survival, some for vengeance. It had changed her.
She shuddered and pushed the thoughts behind her. She hugged Eddy close. “Mummy will always be here for you,” she whispered to the young boy as Adam motioned impatiently.
“Come on Ellie, we have to go.”
“Coming.” She held her baseball bat in her right hand. It had been a while since she used it. She didn’t think she would forget, not when the time came. She always knew what to do when the time came.
They trampled through the dark woods, slowly. Ellie took time to place her feet carefully. If she fell, she would land on Eddy. The tangled dark roots and branches of the ever watchful forest made repeated grabs at her feet, but none held; she was too careful for that.
It took about thirty minutes to reach the Fence.
Adam motioned for her to crouch by the edge of the clearing that broke the forest before the Fence. Ellie crouched down beside him. She looked at the young boy. Why was she entrusting her life to this little boy; that’s all he was, wasn’t it? She wondered how much had happened to him, how much life had he lived already. He had a strength, she sensed that. He had a plan and a purpose, one that dragged in everyone around. She longed for a leader, for a rest from responsibility, just for a while so she could bring Eddy up, focus on him. At the moment, Adam promised her that respite. That would do for now.
“Ok, there are, like, a million zombies over the Fence. I’m going to have a quick peek over and see whether we go left or right, where the horde ends. You ok to wait here?”
“Sure. We’ll be right here.”
Adam’s small figure scurried across the gap in seconds. A few more seconds and he had scaled the Fence. His silhouette crouched on the top, then stood up straight. What was he doing? He jumped back down and was with her again. The whole process less than a minute.
He was out of breath. “They’re gone.”
“The zombies?”
“Yeah, all of them, they’re gone.” Adam shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense. Too many of them to have been cleaned, and there’s no bodies.”
“Well, it’s good, right? We can just get over here.”
Adam nodded slowly.
“What?” she said, “What is it?”
Adam shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. It’s just weird. Ok, come on then, let’s get over the Fence.”
It took them a few minutes, Ellie passing their packs up to Adam as he sat on the top. She passed Eddy up, then she climbed up. Adam jumped down, and then Eddy was passed down, his little face glowing in the dull moonlight, a kind of reserved annoyance on his features this again, always moving, always getting shunted here and there. Don’t mind me, I’m just the baby.
Adam was already moving. He turned and made frantic gestures with his hand.
“Come on then, Eddy,” said Ellie. “Here we are again.”
Chapter 25
A whoosh, or more of a whump, punched its way into Harriet’s dreams. Her eyes opened. Where was she? A tent. A new tent, purple, one she didn’t recognize, hang on, it was the one the Sergeant gave her. Allen. Adam’s dad. Where was Adam? Still at the base. What time is it? Dark, must be night. I’m with Allen, we got here yesterday. What was that noise, was it part of the dream? Bells ringing too. Lots of them, again and again. Stopped, suddenly.
The tent opened, zip pulled down quickly. It was Allen.
“Quick, incoming. Get up!”
Incoming. She used to hear that in films. It was what the soldiers shouted whenever the base was under attack. She leaped out of her sleeping bag, already dressed. She grabbed her gun. They’d given her a gun. Imagine that.
Harriet ran out into the camp clearing. The others were up or getting out of their tents. Allen was standing in the center. Everyone looked at him.
“Crowe, take Andy and check out the perimeter.”
“I’ll go too,” said Harriet, before she knew she had said it. Maybe it was because she had a gun.
Allen paused for a second. “Ok, Harriet, you go too. Rest of you, get ready to fight and move. Could just be a few.”
“Sounds like a lot, to trip the whole alarm system,” said Crowe.
“What’re you still doing here?”
Crowe nodded at Allen, “Come on people!”
Harriet followed as Andy and Crowe ran down the hill, through the loose animal paths hewn through the woods. She tripped once or twice, keeping pace with Crowe not easy. She noted Andy tripped too. Not just her then.
Crowe raised his hand. A deep red glow ahead.
The Fall Series (Book 3): The Fence Walker Page 35