Surviving

by Kady Monroe

  “You bitch, this is all your fault. Well, they’re getting you, not me.”

  Jenny turned and raced in the direction of the sea wall, although there wasn’t really anywhere to go. She could run down the sharp embankment which dropped some eight or nine feet down to the shore. But it still wouldn’t do her any good. Even if she got past Gary, the horde would block the only gap in the fence.

  Unfortunately she didn’t get far. Her foot tangled in something and she went sprawling down the hill. Jenny landed unhurt on rough sand and pebbles and lost her grip on the hammer. It spun away towards the tide line and vanished beneath the small waves.

  Gary caught up with her and grabbed her ponytail, then hauled her to her feet. Jenny yelled in pain as he pulled her backwards against him and wrapped his arms tightly around her chest, trapping her arms.

  Behind them, Jenny could hear the zombies at the fence but couldn’t see if any were on the beach.

  “You stupid fucking bitch. Why couldn’t you just come along like a good little girl?”

  Jenny butted her head back in reply, connecting with his nose. Gary let out a yelp but kept his grip on her so she tried a move she’d seen on a YouTube self-defence video. Jenny pushed her butt back, leaned forward, and with all her strength raised her arms upwards and outwards as if doing a jumping-jack. Gary was caught off balance and had to lean forward, his grip loosened. When her arms went up, she broke free.

  She dropped to the ground and grabbed a two-by-two length of weathered wood she’d spied moments before. She twisted onto her back as Gary roared in anger and lunged at her. Jenny swung the wood. It connected with the side of his face. Blood and teeth erupted from his mouth as he fell to one knee. His hand went to his damaged face. Jenny didn’t wait for him to recover, and scrambled to her knees and hit him again.

  It was only then that Jenny saw the zombies approaching. Gary, being larger than her, had pushed the loose panel of the fence further aside, and in his haste, he hadn’t closed it. Gary groaned and put a hand to his head, as he started to rise to his feet a zombie grabbed him from behind. It bit down into his shoulder. He cried out and swore as Jenny got up and backed away. Another corpse reached him and joined the attack.

  Others saw Jenny and began moving towards her. As before, she couldn’t use the exit as more dead were streaming through the gap. Gary screamed as he fell to his knees. A small horde of zombies was now biting at him. Jenny turned and ran for the sea wall with her own crowd in pursuit.

  With only one course of action left, Jenny went to the water. With no idea if the zombies would pursue, she waded in. A small wave broke over her legs and the shock of the sudden change of temperature raced through her body. But with no choice, she kept going. About a dozen corpses came after her. Jenny was up to her thighs and shivering, however, she noticed the dead stopped once the water got above their knees. Their arms reached out to her as they watched her inch away. Jenny knew though that she couldn’t just stand where they could see her, and walking wasn’t an option as they would follow along the beach line.

  The sea wall ran further out into the ocean. If she wanted to escape, then the only thing she could do was swim. The temperature of the water was freezing, and she wasn’t sure she would last long enough to get around the edge. But given her options, Jenny decided she would rather drown than be eaten alive like Gary. She could still hear his weak pitiful cries but couldn’t see him anymore because of the zombies huddled around his body.

  With her teeth chattering, Jenny lowered her body into the sea and swam. The zombies behind her moaned in frustration but weren’t coming after her. She took lengthy, strong strokes. Fighting the undulating waves, she headed for the curve of the wall. She couldn’t feel her fingers and felt shivers running through her, yet she kept going. For a minute the tide worked in her favour and dragged her further out into the open. She neared the curve of the stone and turned her body to follow it. Now she couldn’t feel her feet, and breathing hurt when she inhaled. Determined though, she tried to increase the power of her strokes but her strength was draining into the freezing water.

  The tide caught her again and swept her to the edge of the harbour. Jenny renewed her efforts, but now she could see how far away a set of steps leading out of the water were. She wouldn’t make it. Her head slipped under the water and her body felt like lead. She felt tired and sleepy, and swimming was so much effort. Jenny didn’t even notice her head slipping under the waves until freezing liquid rushed into her nose and mouth, then down the back of her throat. Breaking the surface she spluttered and coughed. She knew she needed to fight the exhaustion and cold, otherwise she would drown.

  She didn’t have enough energy to reach the landing area, but up ahead a small dilapidated fishing trawler bobbed near the harbour wall. Jenny renewed her efforts and swam to its side. Old tyres hung on chains around the outside of its white and green hull. Her first attempt at grabbing one failed, and she slipped under the water. Her lower body was numb as she tried to propel herself upward, but her legs must have responded as she spluttered to the surface again. The grey sky hung low as she gasped for oxygen and renewed her effort to catch hold of a tyre.

  Only when she realised she hadn’t slipped under once more, did Jenny see her arm looped through the tyre’s centre. She was so cold she hadn’t felt it. However, encouraged and fighting for her life, she kicked out her legs again and reached upwards. This time managing to grab hold of the dangling chain. It took a lot of effort to pull herself up, but she got a knee resting on the tyre rim. Resting her weight on one leg, Jenny held the chain and used her other arm to grip the trawler’s edge. She almost panicked when she had difficulty in releasing her other hand from the chain. Her fingers weren’t working the way she wanted. In time, her digits complied. Gripping the low barrier of the boat's edge she used the tyre as a ladder and heaved herself up. Then fell over the edge onto the deck.

  It felt so nice to be lying down, no swimming, no climbing. She could just take a little nap right there.

  A screech woke her. Infected! Was her first thought. The sound came once more as a seagull flew low overhead and squealed at her. Relieved, she almost closed her eyes again, tired of the noise her teeth were making. Then it dawned on her that she might be suffering from hypothermia. If she went back to sleep, she might not wake again. Jenny felt like her whole body was made of ice as she struggled to get to her feet.

  Hugging herself, she saw a closed cabin door. She shuffled to it and tried the handle. Locked. She felt close to tears, but then remembered what she told herself after Jack’s death. No matter how low she felt, she wouldn’t give up. So with a determination she struggled to muster, Jenny backed away from the wooden door and ran with her shoulder to it. At least that was the plan, what really happened was that she did a lumbering walk and tripped over her uncooperative feet. She fell into the door, breaking a flimsy lock and then tumbled into a small room. Jenny landed on her side and wondered if she sustained any injuries in the fall, for at that moment she was too cold to tell.

  Her teeth still chattered as she raised herself on one elbow and looked around. She admitted she would have been in big trouble if there had been an infected or zombie in the cabin. Thankfully there wasn’t. It was barely bigger than a walk-in cupboard, with a table which had a lip around the edge, presumably to stop things sliding off while at sea or in rough weather. It had a red bench style diner seat shoved up against the wall. A small worktop unit sat with an ugly grey melamine cupboard above it. On the other side, Jenny noticed a gas heater. She crossed to it and figured out how to switch it on. After the third attempt with shaky hands, the gas ignited with a blue flame, allowing her to start warming up.

  She remembered crashing into the room and went to close the door. It was a tight fit, so even with its broken lock, it wedged shut. The room would heat better now. But given her soaking clothes, she would not feel the benefit. So going back to the heater she stripped off. Dumping the sodden clothes over the table to let the
m at least drip some water out.

  Naked, she stood in front of the fire, waiting for the shivers and chattering to stop. Her body was painful as it returned to normal. The heat made her skin feel like it was on fire. Jenny knew this was a good thing and stayed in the radiating warmth. Once she had some feeling back in her extremities and her teeth stopped rattling, she searched the cabin for anything she could use to cover herself. As she did that, it occurred to her that she couldn’t be sure she was alone. Right now though, she didn’t have the energy to check the rest of the boat. But since no one arrived to check out the noise she had made with the door, she assumed she was the only person onboard.

  The diner seat revealed a storage area beneath the vinyl padding. Opening it, Jenny found an old chunky sweater which had seen better days and appeared too big for her frame. As far as she was concerned, it was dry, and that was all that mattered.

  She put it on. It dropped to just above her knees and she could have wrapped the excess fabric twice around herself. The storage area also contained an old black wool jacket and a handmade patchwork crocheted blanket, in shades of navy blue and red. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of the coat. It smelled of tobacco, reminding her of Matt. The blanket would do to cover her legs after she finished her search. She wished she still possessed her rucksack as now she was back at square one.

  In the ugly wall cupboard she discovered a packet of cheese and onion crisps, a packet of cuppa soup and an unopened packet of dried raisins. What an odd mixture she thought and wondered how the person who left the instant soup planned to add boiling water. The room contained no kettle or stove. Then the thought came to her about this being a large boat, and this room seemed too small as a crew messroom. It was probably just used as a place to spend a few minutes out of the weather while working on deck. In conclusion, she determined there must be better quarters located elsewhere. She would check once she warmed up.

  Prying open the cellophane packaging of the raisins, she shoved a handful into her mouth and continued the quest for supplies. Unfortunately she found nothing else, so went to sit next to the fire. It was wall mounted and at thigh level. She already had it on its maximum setting and her body felt more like normal. Turning the flame down a notch to conserve gas she sat behind the table. Jenny leaned back and lifted her legs off the ground before wrapping them in the blanket. Soon after, sleep claimed her.

  Jenny awoke in the evening. Looking at her watch she found it water damaged, and no longer working. There wasn’t a clock in the room either which left her unsure of what time it was.

  Her mouth felt dry and tasted of salt. She meant to search the rest of the vessel before it got dark, but it was out of the question now. She got up and examined her clothing. The upper half of her black jeans hadn’t dried out yet but her upper clothing, socks and underwear had. Jenny deduced she had been asleep for hours, and turned the jeans upside down and re-hung them over the table nearest the fire. Once dressed in what clothing of hers was available, she slipped the chunky sweater on again, leaving the found coat off for the moment.

  Jenny sat and ate more raisins. Apart from the gentle sound of lapping waves, the night outside was quiet. When daylight came, she would have to figure out how to get off the trawler. In the meantime, she might as well try to get a few more hours of sleep. Settling herself back, she put the blanket and the extra coat over her legs, then closed her eyes.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Jenny woke to cold daylight. Literally cold. The fire was out of gas. Getting up she checked to see if her jeans were dry. They still held on to dampness, but that was the best she would get so she went to put them on. Before doing that however, she noticed her legs showed bruising from her recent falls. The back of her skull hurt too after having her hair pulled and the headbutt she’d inflicted on Gary.

  Now dressed, she gathered her limited supplies and the extra coat and went to the door. Peering out she saw another overcast sky which threatened the possibility of rain. Venturing further out on deck, she relaxed on seeing the quiet walkways around the harbour.

  The trawler was anchored away from the wall. She guessed the owner must have used a row boat to get to the landing area. Quite a few small craft were secured to bollards and metal rings by the harbour steps. Jenny didn’t want to get in the water again and swim for it, but if she couldn’t find another way, then that was what she’d do. She continued her search of the boat. If she found a carrier bag big enough for her clothes, then she would strip off and swim. At least she could put dry clothes back on when she reached land.

  Going further down the deck towards the front, Jenny found another door. Noticing it didn’t have a lock on the outside, she suspected it was a toilet. Inching the door open, she found her theory to be correct. The smell of urine hit her. The facilities hadn’t been cleaned in some time. However, there was a small sink unit, and being thirsty as hell, Jenny wasted no time in turning on the tap. Clear water cascaded out, and satisfied that it seemed clean, put her mouth under the faucet and drank her fill. She found herself reluctant to use the toilet but in the end, she did.

  Jenny continued to travel to the front, and came to the locked, steel door of the helm. The glass looked toughened as well. Staring into the room, she could see a similar door on the opposite wall and another exit on the left wall facing the front window. She supposed it led to the engine compartment, storage, and another crew area. She would never know though as she couldn’t break her way in.

  Wandering around past the helm Jenny walked down the other side of the trawler, and half-way along discovered a wall-mounted hatch. The handle had a plunger shape, so she turned it, and to her surprise, it opened. Inside lay a variety of items, most of which did her no good. However, a bright orange plastic canister caught her attention. She dragged it out and saw the label announcing Emergency Life Raft. Now this is more like it, she thought. According to the listed information, it was a four-person, Oceanic Safety Raft, and it came with accessories. Jenny hoped they were still there as it claimed to have a set of oars, a torch and a first aid kit, plus emergency rations.

  Reading the instruction she noted she had to pull the painter to inflate the raft. The painter apparently being a rope trigger mechanism. Little illustrations demonstrated the procedure. Since she’d discovered nothing else in the hatch, she decided she might as well try to inflate the raft.

  Jenny dragged her heavy find to the back of the boat and unwound the rope which she needed to hang onto. Then she struggled to lift the barrel sized contraption up to the side rail of the trawler, but once it was tottering on the edge it fell over the side and floated on the water. Jenny tugged on the rope painter. It was supposed to release a valve on a C02 cylinder which would inflate the raft. Nothing happened. She tugged again without success. The third try failed although she thought the rope got a little longer. Jenny hoped she hadn’t broken it by hauling it out of the mechanism. Holding her breath, she gave it a fourth tug. The canister erupted to life, nearly giving her a heart attack with the explosive noise it made. Then came the hissing of the oxygen tank releasing its contents.

  She wondered if it was about to take off into the air, as she watched in awe while the raft unfurled itself and inflated. When it seemed to have completed the task she thought about climbing over the side and using the tyres to get to the raft. But Jenny got another fright as the raft went into movement again. This time the centre of it raised up to form a tent above the raft base. Jenny had forgotten about seeing that part of the instructions.

  It looks cute, she thought. Almost homely. Pity she wouldn’t be able to take it with her when she left the sea. Then rethinking, decided that living in a flimsy tent like raft probably wasn’t a good idea when the country seemed to be crawling with zombies.

  She hovered at the trawlers edge waiting to see if the raft would do anything else. Figuring it had completed doing its thing, she put on the extra coat and used the tyres as a ladder down. Looking over her shoulder, Jenny pulled the raft closer
and swung a leg out to turn it a little so that the tent opening faced her. Now what do I do? she wondered, and decided that she needed to turn around so she could see where to jump. Luckily there were many tyres and chains hanging over the edge of the trawler so her change of position wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be.

  Now facing in the right direction, Jenny let the raft drift away from her a little. Then when she felt the moment was right, she dived for the craft. She timed it perfectly, sailing through the tent opening and landed on her belly. The raft bobbed up and down from the disturbance. She guessed its undulating floor was a little like being on a waterbed. Righting herself, Jenny examined the interior and spotted the supply container and cream fibreglass oars. She opened the container and then heard the first moans. Zombies arriving to investigate the noise of the raft inflating.

  Peeking out, she saw at least a dozen, dozily wandering around in search of the source of the loud sound. They didn’t see Jenny and the raft wasn’t floating towards them, so she ducked back inside.

  Jenny rifled through the supplies container and found the things promised on the raft’s itinerary label. Her collection amounted to four flares and a bunch of emergency rations. When she reached land, they would be going with her.