Aaron seemed to weigh this against his own desire to stay with his new friend, then nodded. “Okay,” he said, letting go and allowing his mother to take him.
She looked between Alex and Micah, tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said. “If you two hadn’t arrived when you did...” She stopped and took a breath.
Roy held out his right hand, his left still wrapped around his daughter. “Thank you. We owe you our lives.” After shaking their hands, he picked his suitcase back up and turned to follow Jerry.
“You two rock!” Luke said with a big grin.
He held out his fist for Micah to bump, high fived Alex, then followed his parents. Aaron waved over his mother’s shoulder. When they’d disappeared inside a block of flats a little way down the road, Alex cleared his throat and tried to surreptitiously wipe his eyes. He turned round to see Micah and Janie watching him.
“I had something in my eye,” he said.
“Of course you did,” Micah said.
“Where are they going?” Alex said to Janie in an attempt to divert the attention from himself.
“We’re quarantining all normals who come in for a couple of hours, just in case. So far there are about thirty. We’re putting the latest batch in Jeremy’s. That’s where they’re going.” She indicated the family walking away from them.
“Jeremy’s place?” Alex smiled. “I bet he doesn’t like that.”
Jeremy Johnson lived down the road from Alex and was known for being very particular about his flat. It was spotless. He made people remove their shoes before he would let them in.
“No, he’s loving it,” Janie said. “He’s got them repainting his lounge.”
His jaw dropped. “Really?”
“We were all surprised when he volunteered, but then he appeared with these cans of mint green paint. I think he’s got some of them wallpapering his bedroom too.”
Alex couldn’t help erupting into laughter. “That’s priceless.”
“Right,” Janie said, “now we’re not in front of any young ears, Alex, would you like to explain what the hell Dick is doing here?” Her previously friendly expression had transformed into a glare so intense Alex half expected lasers to shoot from her eyes and strike Micah in the chest, leaving two smoking holes.
Apparently feeling the same, Micah stepped back, putting more distance between them. He looked ready to run.
Alex held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Janie, I can explain.”
“Maybe you should start with why I shouldn’t beat him to a pulp right here.” She crossed her arms.
Micah drew himself up to his full height which, despite being almost a foot taller than Janie, didn’t have any effect on her whatsoever. “You have a real attitude problem, you know that?” he said.
“Oh, it’s me who has the attitude problem? You led a mob down here.”
“Actually, it was more than one...” Alex began before realising his mistake.
Janie unfolded her arms and bristled. Alex couldn’t be sure if he’d ever seen someone bristle before, but this was undoubtedly a bristle.
Micah winced, taking another step back. “Seriously, Alex? That’s what you’re leading with?” He glanced back down the street in the direction they’d come from. “Maybe I should just go home.”
“No,” Alex said, “I went to see Bates with you, now this is my territory. I trusted you, now you can trust me.”
Janie’s eyes went wide. “You trust him?”
“A lot has happened in the last couple of days, Janie, but Micah has had my back...”
“...and saved your arse,” Micah interjected. “Four times.”
Alex frowned, thinking. “Four?” He began to count on his fingers. “There was the eater in the station car park. Then when I was testing if they wanted to eat me or not, although it’s not certain the ones you shot actually made a difference there, but I’m willing to concede to that one. Then the one on top of me on the road just now, although I probably could have dealt with that one myself. I don’t remember a fourth time.”
“Creedon,” Micah said.
“Creedon?” Alex waved a hand dismissively. “I could have dealt with her.”
“So says the man who doesn’t know her. She would have had a bullet through your skull before you could even blink.”
“Pfff,” Alex said.
“Did you just pfff at me?”
“Yes, I did. Because the idea that you have saved my life four times is crying out for a pfff.”
“What on earth are you doing?” Janie yelled, staring at Alex as if he’d gone mad.
“It really isn’t four...” he began.
“Don’t make me slap you,” she said, pointing a warning finger at him.
Alex closed his mouth, fighting a smile. “Do you want the whole story, or the edited version?”
Janie raised her eyebrows. “What do you think?”
He gave her the edited version. She glanced at Micah several times, her expression still hostile. As he spoke, Micah looked around him frequently, keeping an eye on any Survivors who walked past.
When Alex had finished his tale, Janie was silent for a few seconds, staring at Micah. Then she looked back at Alex. Then she turned away and put her hands on her hips.
Eventually, she turned back. “You’re sure you trust him?” she said, pointing at Micah.
“I’m sure,” Alex said. “I know it sounds unlikely, but it’s been a strange couple of days.”
She huffed a sigh. “Yeah.”
“Well, I’m going home,” Alex said. “I need a shower and a change of clothes. And I’m hungry.”
“Are you ever not hungry?” Micah said.
“Survivors have fast metabolisms,” he said, picking up his bag which was lying on the ground next to him.
Micah held out his hand towards Janie. “Truce?”
The hand received an intense stare. “Don’t push it.” She turned and walked away.
“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try,” Micah said.
“Janie is a tough nut to crack,” Alex said, heading for his building. “I’d like to tell you she’ll definitely come round, but that would be a lie. But you never know.”
Once inside, they took the stairs to Alex’s floor. As soon as he turned the key in his lock, the door along the hallway burst open.
“Alex!”
Emma flew out the door and launched herself at him, flinging her arms around his waist and pressing her face into his stomach with a sob. Katie wasn’t far behind, her little legs moving slower. She looked confused, as if she didn’t understand why her sister was upset, but nevertheless was unwilling to miss out on any hugging action. He leaned sideways so he could pick up Katie in one arm without dislodging Emma. While Katie wrapped her arms around his neck, he stroked Emma’s back as she cried against him.
Leon was out next, grinning from ear to ear, followed by Pat.
“Man, am I glad to see you,” Leon said, patting Alex’s shoulder.
Pat smiled and gave him a hug around her daughters. “I knew you’d make it,” she said, although her moist eyes indicated she may have had her doubts.
With a glance down at Emma, she detached Katie, nodded at Leon and took her back inside.
Alex crouched down to look Emma in the eye. “Hey, kid, what’s with the tears?”
She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Tears streaked her face and her eyes were red and puffy. “I was scared you had been eaten.”
Alex looked up at Leon.
“I had to go and get Em from her school,” he said. “It got a bit hairy for a while. She saw some stuff.” He gazed in distress at his oldest daughter.
Alex kissed her forehead and smiled. “I’m tough,” he said, “it takes more than a few eaters to get me. You don’t ever have to worry about me. And I had help from my new friend.”
He nodded towards Micah who was standing along the hallway, beyond Leon. Leon turned around, hissing in a breath when he noticed Micah for the first time. He whirled
back round to look at Alex.
“It’s alright,” Alex said. “He’s okay.”
Leon looked uncertain as he glanced back at Micah, but nodded. “If you say so.”
Alex stood and ruffled Emma’s hair, which he knew she hated. She batted his hand away, stuck her tongue out at him and smoothed it, making him laugh.
Leon walked over to Micah and thrust out his hand. “Welcome to East Town,” he said.
Micah looked at his hand for a moment before taking it. “Thank you.”
The handshake lasted for slightly longer than it should have. Alex thought he saw a slight wince cross Micah’s face for a split second, then Leon let go and smiled.
Pat appeared at the door. “Would you and your friend like to come for dinner?” she said. “I’m making chilli con carne.”
“We’d love to,” Alex said without hesitation. Pat made the best chilli con carne on the face of the earth.
She smiled. “Be here at six thirty.”
“What happened to your nose?” Leon said as Emma followed her mother back inside.
“Big dude,” Alex said.
“Fists like rocks,” Micah added, smirking.
Alex led the way into his flat after Leon had joined his family.
Micah looked around, his eyes taking in the ugly grey vinyl tiles adorning the floor and the brown and orange, floral patterned, smoke stained wallpaper.
“Homey,” he said.
“When I moved in, I thought this would be temporary,” Alex said. “I was evicted from my previous, very nice flat when I was infected and this was the only place I could find who would rent to me. I was determined to find somewhere better though, so I didn’t want to spend any money on doing this up.”
“How long ago was that?”
Alex cleared his throat. “Four years.”
Micah nodded his head slowly and removed his backpack, lowering himself onto the huge sectional L-shaped sofa that took up half the room. His eyes widened and he ran one hand across the cushion beneath him. “This is really comfy.”
Alex grinned. “Yeah, well, that’s where the decorating budget went. That and the essentials.” He nodded at the fifty-two inch plasma TV mounted on the wall opposite the sofa.
“A man has to prioritise,” Micah said, nodding.
“Don’t worry about Leon,” Alex said. “He will come round. He’s a lot more forgiving than Janie.”
“I hope so,” Micah said, grimacing as he shook out his fingers, “because I think he may have broken my hand.”
For the first time since the outbreak began, Alex felt completely safe. He knew it was false security, that he wasn’t necessarily any safer than he had been for the past two days, but there was something about being home. He threw himself into relaxing for the evening, not knowing how long it would be before he would have the opportunity again.
The first thing he did was take a shower to get rid of all the eater gunk he’d accumulated, then he checked the cuts on his hands and the stab wound on his arm and redressed them. He was relieved to see they were healing well and that he wouldn’t need stitches. There would probably be scars, but they’d make good stories to impress women with. He hoped.
When he got back to the living room, Micah was stretched out on his back on the couch, reading, an open bag of crisps balanced on his chest.
“I love this thing,” he said, patting the sofa. “It’s like lying on a cloud.”
Alex went to a chest of drawers and took a pad and two pens from the top one, handing a couple of sheets and one of the pens to Micah.
“What are these for?” Micah said.
“I have an idea,” Alex replied. “To head off any future arguments, we should each make a list.”
“Of what?”
“Of the times we save each other’s lives.”
He’d had the idea in the shower. He knew he was being ridiculously competitive, that it shouldn’t matter who had the highest life-saving score. And yet it seemed very important to have a record.
Instead of the scoffing Alex had half expected, Micah closed the book and sat up. “That is a good idea. We’ll start with the car park...”
“Oh no,” Alex said quickly. “We’ll start at the station when I let you out of the cell.”
The ghost of a smile crossed Micah’s face. “Oh, right, forgot that one.”
. . .
For a while after they arrived at Leon and Pat’s for dinner, things were awkward.
Leon, who was usually friendly to everyone, had a barely concealed threat on his face every time he looked at Micah. Pat kept darting nervous glances in his direction. As they waited for dinner to finish cooking, Micah looked like fighting off a ravenous crowd of eaters would be preferable to being there.
Fifteen minutes after they arrived, Emma whispered something to her sister and Katie ran over to Micah, who was sitting in an armchair, and took his hand, tugging on it until he stood up.
“Come and see our room,” Emma sing-songed, taking his other hand, both of them pulling him towards the door.
Leon kept a perfectly straight face. Pat looked at Alex. Alex nodded almost imperceptibly and struggled to contain his smile.
Micah, looking slightly panicky, glanced at Leon and Pat. “Um...”
“Dinner will be in ten minutes,” Pat said, “so be quick.”
“We will, Mum,” Emma said with a grin.
Micah was ushered out of the room.
“Are you sure they’re okay in there with him?” Leon said.
Alex had finally let his smile loose and it was stretching the edges of his face. “Oh, they’re perfectly fine. It’s Micah who’s in trouble.”
“You going to tell us what happened to you?” Leon said.
With only ten minutes, Alex spoke fast, recounting everything that had happened since he found Micah at the station. At the end, Leon appeared to be lost in thought as he stirred the chilli in its saucepan.
Pat was shaking her head. “We’d heard it was bad out there, but that’s terrible. The entire city?”
Alex nodded. “As far as I know.” He finished laying out the warmed plates on the dining table and started on the cutlery.
“Micah sounds...” Leon looked at the ceiling. “...conflicted.”
“I think he’s beginning to realise the error of his ways,” Alex said.
“You trust him?”
“I do. I may not have made it back if it wasn’t for him.”
Leon nodded. “Well, while your judgement can be unreliable at times, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“I’m going to ignore that comment...” Alex stopped as Micah walked back into the room, followed by Emma and Katie.
He pointed his finger at Alex. “If this doesn’t come off, you’re in big trouble.”
The girls were now giggling. Pat squeaked and quickly turned back to the rice she was pouring into a large serving dish. Alex snorted, his abdominal muscles clenching to restrain his laughter. Leon took one look at Micah and erupted into guffaws.
Emma and Katie had outdone themselves this time. Micah’s face was a canvas of colour. There was the usual make-up; lipstick, eyeshadow, big red circles of blusher, but they had also added drawings of flowers and butterflies and a red and yellow striped snake curling from his forehead to his chin.
Alex remembered when Emma had done the same thing to him. Katie had only been nine months old at the time so was yet to be indoctrinated into her sister’s schemes. Emma had been sneaky, asking if she could put a little make-up on him then gazing up at him with huge, pleading eyes she knew he wouldn’t be able to refuse. He’d ended up with a face covered in flowers. The butterflies and snakes were a new development.
“Don’t worry,” Emma said, patting Micah’s hand. “It’ll come off. But you’re not allowed to wash your face until after dinner. House rules.” She took Katie to the sink to wash their hands.
Pat smiled at Micah. “They only do that to people they really like.”
; Micah didn’t answer. Instead, he walked up behind Emma and picked her up. “I’m going to get you back for this,” he said.
She grinned. “Bring it on.”
Micah laughed and put her down.
Leon was still guffawing. It looked like he might never stop.
19
The following morning, Alex was jolted from a dream by a loud banging on his bedroom door.
He peeled one eye open a slit and squinted at the clock beside him. It said 7:32am.
“What?” he groaned.
The door opened and Micah stepped into the room. “Get up,” he said. “I want to get out early.”
“What, you want to avoid the rush hour traffic?” Alex closed his eye again. “If we’re descending into the apocalypse, can’t I at least lie in?”
“No. We’ve got four miles to cover and I’d like to get there before midday. I don’t want to get stuck out there after dark. Come on, it’s a lovely day to go running and hiding for our lives.”
Alex opened his eyes again, but made no move to do anything else. “You sound like my ex-girlfriend. She was a morning person. It was a nightmare, being woken up at some ridiculous time even on my days off. But at least she gave me sex first.” He flinched. “That so did not come out how I intended.”
Micah rolled his eyes. “I’ve made breakfast, since I knew you wouldn’t leave without eating.” He turned to leave. “I’ll be on the sofa.”
“I hope you two used protection last night,” Alex said. “I don’t want to be stuck with a litter of footstools in nine months.”
Without looking back, Micah flipped him off over his shoulder.
Alex sniffed. A hint of bacon was wafting into the room. “I’ll be right out.”
. . .
It was nearing twenty past eight by the time they walked out onto the street. No-one else was around, that Alex could see. He knew there were sentries at both barriers, but they were hidden in doorways, as Pete had been when they arrived the day before.
He hefted his backpack further up onto his shoulders and made sure the sword was secure on his belt.
“Why on earth are you bringing that thing?” Micah said. “You’re only going to hurt yourself with it.”
Mutation (Twenty-Five Percent Book 1) Page 20