by West, Mark
We pack that afternoon, loading up with enough food to last three days, just in case. I also throw in a few lengths of rope, some shovels and a couple of spotlights that run off the truck’s battery. I grab myself a spare pair of pants, one shirt, some socks and a thick, rugged jacket for some added protection for the cooler nights if required.
Rohan loads up a bunch of goggles he has taken from the ski bags in the shed, explaining that they are a necessary evil to protect our eyes from any blood splatter. I shudder at the thought of more killing and am unsure if I am ready to do it again, but agree and gesture for him to pack them.
We know little at this point about the Infected, but we do know one thing for certain after our discussion: they only stop once the head is destroyed. We don’t know how the virus started but believe it spreads from bites and agree that we need to avoid exposure to their blood and saliva at all costs.
When the trucks are both packed, I check the time and notice it is almost six o’clock. It’s becoming dark and eerie outside. The last of the sun’s comforting glow is setting on the ridge of the mountains, turning the trees on the lower slopes into black skeletons. We have one last task to fulfil before we can call it a night and that is to grab the generator from the hunting hut located down the steep hill about a hundred metres away from the house.
When I was younger, the thought of building a small hut on the hill excited me, so one weekend I arrived with the materials and began to build. Over the next few months I chipped away at the project, eventually losing interest and forgetting all about it. Frustrated that it was unfinished, Dad took over, mostly completing it.
The cedar clad hut has just one room, about the size of a small bedroom, which can hold around five people comfortably. It has a small timber deck on the front and left side. It’s in a perfect location for hunting; sitting about halfway down a steep hill, you can shoot at almost anything and everything running around on the bushland floor below. The only issue is the hundred or so metre climb further down the hill to retrieve your trophy when you hit your target.
The generator is situated in the back corner of the room. I pull off the blue tarp cautiously, wary of snakes, and expose its red and black shell. I’m thankful nothing jumps out at me. I inspect the unit, noticing only a few small areas of rust and some cobwebs that have formed in a few nooks and crannies. It seems to be in the same condition it was left in years ago.
Lincoln squats next to it, inspecting one of the levers on the side. ‘Does it still work?’
I sweep away some of the smaller cobwebs using a brush I find floating around in the room. Tiny spiders drop to the floor, scattering away in a panic. ‘I think so. It hasn’t started for a few years, but I’m sure with a little service it should work fine.’
‘Let’s move this along so we can get back to the house,’ Doug says, bouncing from leg to leg.
‘What’s your deal?’ Rohan asks.
‘This place gives me the creeps.’ He peers around the room, eyes darting from left to right and then back towards the windows that overlook the valley floor. ‘It’s getting dark. What if something comes out from below and attacks us?’ He runs his hands through his long oily hair.
Rohan slaps him on the shoulder. ‘Highly unlikely mate. Toughen up, will you.’
‘Anything’s possible.’ Doug mutters.
We hear a crackle of leaves outside and turn to the doorway.
Chapter 12
THE BOX
Clothes, empty food packets and all kinds of random belongings are sprawled out across the living room, and dirty dishes are piling up in the kitchen.
‘Rohan is a slob.’ Piper picks up a random sock between pinching fingers and examining it with disgust. ‘It’s like he thinks I’ll just pick up after him all the time,’ she grumbles, throwing it into a pile of other assorted clothes by the stairs. ‘Like seriously, Rohan is lazy at home, but this is ridiculous.’
‘Well he has a reality check coming his way. Doug too.’ Victoria huffs in frustration. ‘Check those out.’ She points at a pair of shorts lying by the stairs. They are wrapped up in an unloved clump with some blue underwear.
‘Gross!’ Piper giggles, scrunching up her button nose. ‘But I think those are Rohan’s, not Doug’s. Sorry guys.’
‘Don’t be sorry, Piper. Jackson can be just as bad. The other day he left a dirty sock in our bed. How it got in there is anyone’s guess.’
A toilet flushes, followed by running water. Amy walks back into the room. ‘I wonder what’s taking them so long?’ She wipes her wet hands on her jeans then plonks down on the couch.
‘Who knows.’ Victoria places a plate in the dishwasher. ‘I suppose it’s not simple dragging that generator up the hill. I don’t envy them. But if they don’t hurry up, we’ll be in the dark before they get it hooked up the way the power keeps cutting in and out.’
Piper walks over to the kitchen and begins passing dirty plates to Victoria. ‘I can imagine there’ll be some moaning going on, Rohan especially.’
All three girls begin to chuckle. Piper’s face glows. She doesn’t know the girls very well and has never spent much alone time with either of them.
‘So,’ Victoria says, glancing up at Piper, ‘What do you make of all this?’
‘Make of what?’ Piper responds with confusion.
‘This whole end-of-the-world thing. You seemed terribly upset today during our discussion. Anything you want to talk about?’
Piper’s cheeks glow brighter and she turns away, bending over to pick something up off the floor and placing it in the bin. ‘I guess there isn’t much to talk about really, is there?’
‘There’s always plenty to talk about Piper.’ Victoria stacks another plate in the dishwasher. ‘Us girls have to stick together if we want to survive.’ She flashes her a friendly smile. ‘How’s Rohan holding up with the whole Aaron thing?’
Piper shakes her head. ‘He doesn’t like to talk about it. I’ve tried, but every time I bring it up, he shuts me out. I think it’s really affected him in a way even I can’t understand.’
‘And you? You dealing with it okay?’
‘Guess I’m slowly working through it. You know…’ Piper swiftly wipes her eye before Victoria catches the tear. ‘That morning when he came running into the house with blood all over him, I screamed so loud I didn’t think I’d stop. I was so scared, Victoria. He had to basically drag me to the car.’ Her head drops. ‘I’m just not as brave as you girls.’
Another tear rolls down her cheek. Victoria spots it this time and steps over. ‘We’re all scared Piper, me especially.’ She leans in and gives her a hug. ‘Everyone just shows it in a different way.’
‘I guess.’ Piper straightens back up, pain still in her eyes, and hands Victoria the last plate. She starts wiping the benches with a cloth.
‘Hey,’ Victoria says softly. ‘C’mon, let’s sit down. The boys can finish it when they get back.’ She pulls at Piper’s arm. ‘We need to discuss what they’re getting tomorrow.’ She motions towards the couch where Amy is reading a magazine.
Victoria removes a pad and pen from the drawer and sits down next to Amy, shoving Amy’s legs off the lounge so she’s no longer lying down. ‘Ok guys, what do we need?’
Amy grunts. ‘More than I can imagine.’
‘Well?’ Victoria urges, shoving her a little more.
‘We need canned food,’ Piper says. ‘Other stuff will go off too quickly. And pasta, lots of pasta. Rice too, because I can season it with herbs and stuff from the garden if we run out of condiments.’
‘Great.’ Victoria scribbles it down on the paper.
‘Well, add condiments too.’ Amy adds. ‘I doubt those boys will think of it if we don’t write it down. Oh, and Pepsi. Lots of Pepsi.’
Victoria shakes her head. ‘Just essentials. Your drink may have to wait, sorry.’
Amy groans, before suggesting a few more items for the ever-growing list. Victoria has to scribble quickly to catch up.
‘All sounds good to me. But do you think we could add some more cooking gear?’
‘What did you have in mind?’
‘Well, for starters some new knives. And perhaps a big baking tray to roast stuff on. I know the boys were thinking about doing some hunting. There’s not much stuff here, and everything’s old.’
‘I can skin and make a mean rabbit stew,’ Amy says. ‘Mind you, it’s kind of tough.’
‘Where on earth did you learn that?’ Victoria stares at her friend as if she told her she’d been to a day spa.
‘Read about it in a book: How to Live in the Outback. Mind you, I’ve only tried it once and the rabbit looked pretty butchered by the end of it. Tasted okay.’ She grinned, giving Victoria the impression she’d enjoyed the whole process. ‘Good protein too,’ she added, sincerely.
‘If you say so. That should be fine, Piper.’
‘Great.’ Piper beamed. ‘I know we have a few things upstairs in our camping stuff we can use. I’ll go quickly check. See what else we’ll need.’
Piper jumps to her feet and runs back up the stairs, grabbing a pile of Rohan’s clothes along the way.
‘How’d you think she’s coping?’ Victoria asks in a whisper. ‘She said Rohan has hardly spoken about Aaron’s death.’
‘She seemed okay just now. Mind, I hardly know her. We’re all adjusting. Some may take longer than others.’
‘I guess.’
There is a shrill scream from Piper. Both girls jump to their feet and run to the stairs. They pound up each step, heads swimming with questions. When they arrive at the door to the bedroom, Piper has a suitcase open and camping gear sprawled across the floor.
‘What is it?’ Amy asks, scanning the room. She and Victoria are both breathing heavily.
Piper doesn’t respond, but peers down at the small box in her hands.
‘What’s that?’ Victoria asks. She steps forward for a closer look. Her terrified expression begin turns into a smile. ‘Is that what I think it is?’
‘I think it is!’ Amy beams, still breathing hard between words.
‘Guys.’ Pipers hands tremble.
Both girls stand in front of her, peering down at the white box wrapped in a pink ribbon.
‘I found it amongst the camping gear. It was hidden in one of Rohan’s socks.’
‘Well, are you going to open it?’ Amy asks eagerly, inspecting the box.
‘I …’ Piper’s hands continue to shake until Victoria places a hand on her forearm. ‘I don’t think I can.’
‘Don’t you want to know?’ Amy asks abruptly, eyeing off the box.
‘I guess so, but—’
‘I don’t think you should.’ Victoria places a hand over the box. ‘Leave it for him to surprise you.’
Amy shrugs and turns away, a little bored of the conversation already.
‘Yeah.’ Piper says softly.
‘If you open it now it will spoil his surprise,’ Victoria says calmly.
‘Do you think he was going to ask me on our camping trip? Will he still do it, with everything that has happened?’ Piper’s eyes begin to glass with tears, as realisation of the whole situation begins to settle in.
‘I guess—’
Piper cuts Victoria off. ‘But he always told me marriage wasn’t his thing.’
‘That’s love.’ Victoria smiles and pulls a sheet off the bed. She proceeds to drape it around her body, trying to distract Piper from crying. ‘Do you think this will make a sexy bridesmaid’s dress?’ She giggles as she twirls around.
Piper’s face turns bright red with embarrassment. She quickly wipes away the tears and lunges for the sheet, while giggling along with Victoria who’s humming the bridal march.
‘Girls,’ Amy calls from the doorway. ‘C’mon, let’s get out of here before they catch us.’
Both girls ignore Amy and continue to enjoy the rare moment of frivolity. Piper drapes a sheet over her head, excitement radiating in her eyes, and pretends it’s the big day.
Chapter 13
RISE AND SHINE
Everyone freezes and stares at the doorway to the cabin. We have forgotten to bring a gun, any weapon for that matter, and are defenceless in a room that has nothing but a broom and a few offcuts of timber no longer than a ruler.
The door is open, and I peer out into the dim light, wondering if we should make a break for it or quickly shut the door. The sun is almost hidden and the shadows around us are forming into monsters. Lincoln picks up a stick of timber and holds it like a club while Rohan continues to search the room. I have no idea what Doug is doing because he is behind me whimpering like a little, lost boy.
My heart continues to race. I hear crackling of leaves breaking underfoot. Another few steps and they will be at the door. I need to act, but I’m not moving because I’m so scared and not sure if I want to be the first person they attack.
‘What should we do,’ Lincoln whispers and I answer with nothing but silence.
Through the window I see a shadow moving. It’s moving slowly and heading right for the cabin. Another few steps and I hear it stumble onto the deck, our opportunity to shut the door has gone. All we can do now is wait and hope for the best.
‘I’m going to shut the door,’ Rohan whispers.
I quickly grab his arm. I’m feeling a bit light-headed, anticipating what’s coming.
‘Hey guys, are you in there?’
Joseph steps through the doorway. He takes one look at us and steps back away from the door, unsure if we are going to attack him. I wave him over and explain how he’d almost given us a heart attack. He laughs, but glances around and sees no one else is laughing. Doug still looks as though he is about the faint. I don’t blame him; that was scary as hell.
That night we light a small fire round the back of the house and encase it in loose stones. We all gather around. We try and keep the flames low, just below the stones, to prevent unnecessary evils spotting its golden flicker in the distance. The night air is nippy and we huddle in close, enjoying the warmth from the embers that radiate to our bodies as we share our stories.
I peer around at the surrounding hills while shovelling a fork full of spaghetti into my mouth. The moon is full tonight, glowing brightly and illuminating as far as the eye can see. A sense of unknown lurks deep within the bush and I think for a moment how lucky we are to be safe. I look over at the neighbouring houses in the distance. There are no lights and I wonder if anyone will eventually join us in our sanctuary. Perhaps one day.
I look back at my friends and wonder what life would have been like if we’d stayed when it all began. Where would Victoria and I be right now if we didn’t escape? Back at home? Alive? I shudder at some of the possibilities. The horrors I saw will haunt me forever. But I know that giving up is not an option. The only way to survive is to move forward. Let’s hope our trip tomorrow brings some luck and this nightmare is somehow over. But I honestly doubt it.
The next day I wake to the sound of my alarm beeping in my ear. It’s ten to five, about an hour before the sun is due to rise. We have all agreed that we are to leave the house at about five-thirty, while it is still dark, gaining a head start on the day so we can hopefully make it back by the afternoon.
I rub my face, feeling stubble scratch at my hands, and realise my beard is growing every day I’m away from my electric shaver. I feel tired, exhausted from the uneasy night I have just endured because I couldn’t sleep. Even when I tried every trick in the book my brain just wouldn’t shut off. My mind felt like it was racing, recapping every moment that had gone on around me but in slow motion. I tried so hard to block out the death and destruction, but every time I closed my eyes I saw them coming: coming for me and me only, with that weird feeling inside my stomach building again.
I pull back the covers. There’s a faint murmur fr
om Victoria as she begins to stir next to me. ‘You need to be safe today.’ She lifts her heads slightly then lets it fall back down onto the pillow. I lean over, whispering in her ear and giving it a gentle nibble.
‘I’ll be safe.’ I stroke her hair softly.
‘Promise me you’ll come back. Promise me, Jackson.’ Her head rolls across the pillow and she gazes up at me.
Her eyes are full of worry, and she seems drained and weary. Perhaps she didn’t sleep well either. ‘I promise.’ I lean over and kiss her on her forehead, then lock eyes again and smile ‘We’ll be safe. No unnecessary risks. Now go back to sleep. I’ll come say goodbye before we go.’
Lincoln is already up when I arrive in the main room. He is wearing black pants and a white singlet that seems to be one size too small. His shoulders are hunched over the kitchen bench and he is making a coffee. Koda is by his side wagging his tail uncontrollably as he waits patiently for his breakfast. Lincoln ignores the animal and continues fiddling with the machine while humming a tune.
I can hear the faint chime of an alarm from upstairs. There’s a groan and it cuts out. ‘Sounds like the boys are finally waking up,’ I say, placing a couple of slices of bread in the toaster.
Lincoln takes his eyes off the coffee maker for the first time and turns towards me. ‘Big day today.’ He seems cheerful for some reason and I can’t put a finger on it.
The machine gurgles, and dark liquid begins spitting into a white mug with a yellow cartoon duck on the front.
‘Who knows what we’ll see.’ I pull out a plate from the overhead cupboard, placing it on the bench next to the toaster.
‘You just wait.’ Lincoln beams, his voice eager. ‘I bet we see all kinds of messed up stuff that will test our survival skills. But then again …’ He pauses for a moment while he inspects the machine. Something is bothering him and I remember the story he told me about his first encounter. I’m about to say something when he speaks again. ‘It could all be over and we get to go home.’
The noise of the machine starts to wind down and he quickly turns away from me. The liquid slows, coming to a stop just below the brim of the mug. He lifts it to his nose. ‘Perfect.’