Escape Artist (End of the World Book 3)

by Thomas Hall

  Michelle sits down in one of the camping chairs. I sit down opposite her.

  “Evan...” she says.

  “Michelle,” I say.

  She sighs and bows her head. This is definitely it.

  “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  I nod. I already know what she’s going to say.

  “This isn’t easy for me,” she says.

  It isn’t easy for me either, but I don’t say anything. I give her the time and space she needs to tell me that she’s planning to go. She won’t ask me to come with her. She will know that if she goes then she’s walking away from the life we could have together. If I don’t go wither her, then we will never see each other again.

  “I went to talk to Dr. Scout yesterday.”

  I nod.

  She doesn’t say anything.

  I fight the urge to make this easier for her. I don’t want her to be uncomfortable, but I also don’t want her to go. A little awkwardness on my part might make her change her mind.

  She licks her lips. A tiny bead of sweat rolls down her left cheek. When she wipes it away, I realise that it was actually a tear.

  I lean forwards and take her hands.

  She looks up and smiles at me. “I’ve decided to join the army,” she says.

  I am too surprised to say anything. I sit there, holding her hands and looking at her as if this might be a joke.

  “Are you going to say something?” she says.

  The only thing I can think to say is “Why?”

  She takes her hands away from me and the balance of power in the conversation shifts towards her. She leans back in her chair. “Because I want to do something important.”

  “You are important,” I say. “The army is dangerous.”

  “I know. But so is everything now. It’s less danger than we were in before.”

  She’s right about that. But what if something happens to her? It would be easier if she left and I never knew but could always hope.

  “I start tomorrow,” she says. “Basic training.”

  “Are you moving into the military zone?” I say.

  She shrugs. “Do you want me to?”

  I look at her sitting across the tent and I don’t want her to go. I want her to stay here with me and have a boring life in the camp. At least we will know that we have each other to come back to. But if she doesn’t do this then she wouldn’t be the woman that I’ve fallen in love with.

  “Stay here,” I say.

  She nods.

  We don’t say anything to each other for a long time. I try to soak up the feeling of her being here with me and try not to think that it might be the last time.

  CHAPTER 19

  THE SUMMER ENDS WITHOUT FANFARE. ONE MOMENT THE days seem endless and brutally hot. The next there are people wearing jumpers and there is smoke in the air from daytime fires. I take a job at the cafeteria on the lunch time shift. I serve sandwiches and hot soup to people.

  Buildings appear in the camp alongside the processing building. More people arrive and the boundary expands. Harriet attends school and Cassie moves out of our tent to join a group of people who she has become friends with. Michelle trains with the military and, after three months, becomes a qualified soldier.

  Life continues at a dull plodding pace.

  One morning I am walking towards the cafeteria to get breakfast. I spend more time there than anywhere else. I have made friends, but they are only a distraction from wondering whether Michelle is okay.

  There is a large number of people in the tent this morning. They aren’t queuing for food though. I push my way past them to get to the counter.

  Liz smiles at me when I pick up a tray and step in front of her.

  “Busy morning?” I say.

  She shakes her head. “Nothing to do with us.”

  “No?”

  She hands me a bowl of cornflakes. “It’s the notice.”

  “What notice?”

  She shrugs. “Haven’t had a chance to find out.”

  I glance over my shoulder at the people gathered there.

  “Hurry up buddy,” a gruff voiced man behind me says.

  I nod to Liz. “See you later.”

  She nods back. I grab some toast and go to find coffee and milk.

  I sit at on a bench by myself and watch the people crowded around whatever is there.

  When I have finished my breakfast I get up and bus my tray. I wipe my face with a napkin.

  The crowd begins to thin out and there is nothing to stop me taking a look now. Still, I do not move. I don’t know what is there, but I am afraid that it will be something that I shouldn’t see. The truth is that, despite my concerns for Michelle not fitting in, it is me that has failed to find a place here. Everyone is friendly and I have work to do, but it feels temporary.

  I sometimes think that, if I had no one else to consider, I would leave and take my chances out there. That I don’t, says more about my lack of resolve than it does about anything else.

  With a sigh I walk over to the post and find an A4 sized handwritten notice:

  HELP WANTED

  THE FARM LAND HAS BEEN CLEARED AND NOW WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO PLANT IT.

  YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU.

  APPLY AT THE WELFARE OFFICE.

  That is all.

  I leave without a plan. I am not even sure that I am going to apply.

  Still without having made up my mind about what I’m going to do, I find myself joining the back of the queue. It stretches halfway around the building. Within a couple of minutes more people have come to stand behind me.

  This is all a waste of time.

  I consider giving up now and going back to the tent. But before I can make up my mind either way I am met by a smiling Suzy Lee.

  “Evan!” she says. “I’m glad to see you. I was hoping you’d volunteer.

  “Hi Suzy, are you working here now?”

  She nods, doing her best to hide a smile that is desperate to burst through. “They asked me to run the campaign. I get final say on who is on the team.”

  “Well I should let you get back to it,” I say.

  “Take a seat,” she says.

  Suzy Kim ushers me to one of the free chairs and I sit down.

  “We won’t be long. There’s not much to it.”

  I nod and thank her. I watch her walk away and then avert my eyes from the other men and women who are staring daggers at me.

  When they call my name I am taken into a sparse room. There is a single table in the middle, Suzy and a man on the other side, and a single chair opposite them.

  “Take a seat Evan,” she says.

  I sit down.

  “This is Alastair,” she says indicating the man. “He’s been responsible for overseeing the clearing of the land.”

  I stand up and offer Alastair my hand. His shake is firm but not bone breaking.

  “I’m glad you came to see us,” she says.

  I nod.

  “We’ve got your details on record, so there’s not much for us to go through here.”

  I nod again. It feels as if she’s building up to something, but I’m not sure what.

  “You were a copywriter in London, weren’t you?”

  “That’s right,” I say. Then I shrug and try to laugh. “I don’t suppose there’s much need for that anymore.”

  “No,” she says. “But you managed to get your family all the way here from London?”

  “I had help,” I say.

  “Of course you did,” she says. “But even so, it’s an impressive achievement. You know, we rescued most of the people here from their houses. Some of them were close to starving because they hadn’t dared go out.”

  I nod.

  “What I mean is, you’ve got a knack for leadership.”

  The penny drops. “Listen, Suzy, I only want to get my hands dirty. I’m only volunteering to plant crops.”

  “But you could do so much more,” she says. “You
could make a real difference.”

  “You’re giving me too much credit.”

  “You’re wrong Evan. You could be a leader. Give it some thought, okay. You’re on the team regardless, but you’d do a good job leading it.”

  “I’ll think about it,” I say.

  She smiles back at me. I guess our meeting is over.

  “When do we start work?” I say.

  “A week tomorrow. You’ll think about it?”

  “I will,” I promise.

  I get up and leave them to it. There are lots more people for them to see. Although I said that I would consider leading the team, I don’t expect to. It is a surprise to find that I am thinking of nothing else as I make my way back across the camp to our tent.

  CHAPTER 20

  THE WORK IS HARD BUT IT TAKES MY mind off life at the camp. Despite my earlier misgivings, I agree to take on the role of manager. It means that I get to spend the warmer times of the day in a tent, going over paperwork and planning our long term goals.

  I stand up and stretch. My back clicks and my legs ache, but I am satisfied with what I have accomplished. The goal is to be self-sufficient within two years. Barring any major catastrophes, we’re going to achieve it.

  An armed guard accompanies us from the farm and through the ruins of the old world towards camp. I look for Michelle, but today she is not among them.

  It takes twenty minutes to reach camp and I realise that something is wrong as soon as I see the entrance. Usually there are two guards at the gate, but today I count more than a dozen. They are heavily armed.

  Behind me I hear the crackle of radio static and then an unfamiliar voice speaks. “Understood. We’ll be there as soon as we can. Over.”

  I look around, but no one else seems to have noticed the change of atmosphere. The soldiers hurry and the rest of us have little choice but to try and keep up. We make the final five minute walk in closer to three minutes. By the time we arrive the gates are open and soldiers are shouting at us to get a move on and get inside.

  I try to see if Michelle is with them, but I am pushed forwards and don’t get a chance to see. I don’t know what is going on, but I am close to terrified.

  “Evan!” she shouts.

  I turn to look for her but all I can see is a huddle of soldiers dressed in heavy body armour. “Michelle?”

  “Evan, over here,” she shouts.

  I see her jumping up and down, hidden behind a dozen men in black masks. They look as if they are expecting a gas attack.

  I push my way past the other farmers and she pushes past the soldiers. We meet in the middle while people around us repay the favour and attempt to shove us out of their way.

  “What is it?” I say. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s been an attack,” she says.

  “What? Where? When? What happened?”

  Someone blows a whistle and she stiffens. “I don’t have time to explain,” she says. “I have to go.”

  She turns to walk away and I grab her arm. She doesn’t even feel human through the expanse of armour. She turns back to look at me. Her face softens.

  “Go back to the tent. Harriet should be there already. Stay there. It’s going to be fine.”

  “What about you?” I say.

  She raises the gun, which until now, I’ve not noticed. “I can look after myself,” she says.

  I don’t doubt it. She jogs away to join the other soldiers. I know that I won’t be able to avoid worrying about her for every second that we are apart.

  Once the soldiers have disappeared, I make my way back through the camp. It is clear from the activity that I am not the only one worrying. People huddle together in small groups, casting furtive glances at the fences.

  When I get to the tent I go inside, expecting to see Harriet waiting for me. But she isn’t there. Instead, it is Cassie who stands up and comes over to me.

  “Evan, thank god you’re here.”

  She throws her arms around me before I can stop her. She only holds on for a moment and then she pushes me away as if I am the one strange.

  “Where’s Harriet?” I say.

  “She isn’t here,” Cassie says.

  “I can see that. Do you know where she is?”

  “I don’t know,” Cassie says. “She isn’t at school. That’s why I came here. I thought she might be sick or something.”

  “She wasn’t at school?” I say.

  “No.”

  I turn away from here and walk back to the tent entrance.

  “Where are you going?” Cassie says.

  “To look for her,” I say. “She must be in the camp somewhere.”

  I step out of the tent. “Wait for me,” Cassie calls from behind.

  Rain and a thousand people walking on it has churned up the ground . There are puddles of yellow-brown water spread out over several metres. Other people are walking around as well. Some of them are calling names, others of are keeping their heads down.

  Cassie catches up with me and we walk in silence. I know she is worrying, but it won’t do either of us any good to talk about it. We need to get on with finding our daughter and then we can laugh about how melodramatic we were.

  We go to the cafeteria first. I haven’t worked here since I took the job at the farm, but like everyone else in the camp, I am here at least twice a day for meals. It is less familiar than it was, but still welcoming. At least it usually is. Now it is full of people with shocked O faces.

  I push past people gathered under the tent and make my way to the serving counter. There is no food. Liz is standing behind the counter.

  “Have you seen Harriet?” I say. The words fall out of my mouth so fast that I am not surprised when she asks me to repeat myself. “Have you seen Harriet?”

  “No,” Liz says. “Should I have?”

  I shake my head. There’s no reason why Harriet would have come here, I am already grasping at straws.

  “Is everything okay Evan?” Liz says.

  I worked with Liz for a month. We got to know each other well, although not intimately. My impression of her is that she’s a good woman, but not someone who would put themselves too far out for other people.

  “Evan?” she says.

  I shake my head. “I need to find Harriet. If you see her, tell her to go back our tent.”

  “Sure,” Liz says. “Anything else?”

  “No, only that.”

  I push my way back through the crowd and keep calling for Harriet. She doesn’t answer, but plenty of people tell me to keep my voice down.

  “She’s not here,” Cassie says.

  I turn to look at her, not sure what I’m going to say, but feeling angry that she’s even with me. What right does she have to look for Harriet? Where was she when I was searching through London for our daughter. My daughter.

  “We should try somewhere else?” she says.

  I nod but don’t trust myself to say anything. For the moment I am glad that she’s there to take some of the burden from me. “The toilet block?”

  Cassie nods.

  I take a final look at the people around and wonder whether any of them has seen Harriet. It’s possible, probable even, that they have passed her as they made their way here. She didn’t mean anything to them though. Even if they noticed her, it is unlikely that they would be able to drag up the memory now.

  We trudge through the mud. It starts to rain. I don’t speak, but it turns out that Cassie has plenty to say for both of us.

  “We’re going to have a party,” she says.

  I don’t reply, but that isn’t enough to stop her.

  “Only a few close friends. We’ve got some hooch and Tony plays the guitar.”

  Tony was one of the men she was sharing a tent with. I haven’t been there, but from what I understand it’s some sort of hippy commune. They are all sleeping with each other. It sounds right up Cassie’s street.

  “Jack has a set of bongos and Marcie has a flute. It should be fun.”
/>
  I don’t even like Harriet going there, as if the strangeness of the people who live there will rub off on her.

  Cassie keeps talking, and I keep doing my best to ignore her. I know that her heart is in the right place. She doesn’t actually care whether I know this stuff, but she wants to distract me. I remember that Douglas did a much better job of it than she is doing.

  We reach the toilet block. It appears empty, but we go through and check the stalls. Harriet isn’t there. She also isn’t in the shower block and there’s no sign of her in the laundry room.

  “Where else could she be?” I say.

  “She might have gone back to school?” Cassie suggests.

  So we try the school, but she isn’t there either. We are running out of places to try.

  “She might have gone back to your tent?” Cassie says.

  I shrug. I don’t know where else to go. We could search the whole camp again and still not find her.

  We start walking.

  We are halfway back to my tent when a siren begins to sound.

  I stop. I didn’t even know that there was a siren, but now that I can hear it, there is no need to ask what it means. Danger. It means that someone has breached the security fence.

  I turn to Cassie and see that she knows it as well.

  “Come on!” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her after me.

  I run as fast as I can. I only know that I have to get to Harriet before things get worse.

  Other people are moving around now as well. They get in my way and when I can’t run around them I shove them out of the way. I watch a teenage boy fall flat on his face in the mud.

  Halfway there Cassie’s hand slips away from mine. I let it go. She’s dead weight, holding me back.

  I take another three steps and realise that not all the people I can see are from the camp.

  At first I can’t make sense of this new information. They might not be from here, but they are still in my way. It is only when I get closer that I see the problem. They aren’t only strangers. They are the Infected.