“Is Chloe here?” Claire asked.
Sally pulled away from Lex's embrace, “Yes, she’ll be here in a minute.” The three girls chatted amongst themselves the argument all but forgotten, Sally asking Lex the same questions Claire had asked her a few days earlier. When did she know? Had she told her family? Who did she fancy? The latter topic led to a lengthy discussion about the girls they had gone to school with. Discussing who was pretty, who was not.
Sam sat quietly, observing the interaction. Women were so different from men.
He couldn’t imagine chatting his mates about which men they knew were attractive. In a way, he was pleased to know that Lex was gay. Their earlier conversation had started a bond forming. He had shared more with Lex than he had with any of his mates. She had listened, asked questions and seemed genuinely interested in him. He wanted to be her friend. The removal of the complications that could come when a man and a woman became close means he could look at her as a sister or cousin, and not as a possible conquest.
His thoughts turned to the argument. Sally had completely overreacted. The only explanation was that she was jealous. The only reason for this would be because she liked him.
A few days ago, he wouldn’t have cared, but when Sally had come back into the airport, holding the shotgun, a face full of strength and determination, she looked… well, she looked sexy.
Not in the conventional sense, slender tanned body, perfect hair and makeup. No, it was different, more raw, more honest. Even the way she spoke to him, hard, full of hatred. He was used to girls fawning over him, and not talking to him like that.
His thoughts were interrupted by the message tone on Sally’s phone.
“Bugger,” Sally said, “It’s Chloe, she’s outside, she can’t get in.” She turned towards the door with its sofa barricade, “We need to move that.”
Together they lifted the sofa out of the way and pulled open the door. Chloe stood on the other side, her face showing pure relief. She sped across the threshold and pulled Sally in close.
Sam, Lex and Claire lifted the sofa back in front of the door. Then stood patiently, waiting for Chloe to release Sally.
When the two women parted, Chloe turned to the rest of them. She had met Lex and Claire a few times before.
She gave them both a quick hug then turned to Sam.
“I'm Sam,” he said and offered her his hand to shake.
“Sam?” Chloe asked. She turned to Sally, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Ignoring his outstretched hand, Chloe raised her own and used it to slap him across the face.
“Ow,” He moaned, rubbing his cheek, “What was that for?”
“That was for being a cock,” Chloe replied vehemently. “That will be the last I say or do on the matter. But …” she hissed the last word, “you treat her or anyone else like that in the future you’ll have me to deal with. Got it?”
“Yes … er yes, mam,” Sam stuttered.
“Mam?” Chloe questioned, “I’m not the bloody queen. Chloe is fine.”
“Okay, Chloe,” Sam replied, still rubbing at his face.
“Right,” Chloe said, “it’s dark. There are a shitload of those things outside. We'll stay here tonight, then work out how to get home tomorrow. Okay?”
Sam wanted to reply, he wanted to tell this woman that they had already agreed on this plan. But for once, he held back. He did not want to be on the receiving end of another of her slaps.
Chloe wandered over to the buffet area. The sandwiches were dry and curling. Peanuts, crisps and chocolate bars would have to do for dinner tonight. She grabbed handfuls and brought them over to the sofas that the group seemed to have adopted as a base.
The group talked and ate. Every now and then one of them would disappear to the loo or to the fridge to get something to drink. They shared their experiences, Chloe learning all she could about the things that Sally had encountered.
Claire noticed that, once again, Sally avoided mentioning the incident at the primary school. The room got darker as the evening wore on.
“We might as well try to sleep, sounds like we’ve all had a bloody long day,” Chloe said.
“One of us should stay awake, just in case,” Lex said.
“I’ll do it,” Sam offered. Chloe looked at him, eyes narrowed.
“Make sure you stay awake,” she said, “Wake one of us if you get tired.”
“Yeah, course,” He said, pleased to have a role in their little group.
The girls each chose a sofa and lay down to settle in for the night.
Lex fell asleep almost immediately a small smile on her lips. The relief at sharing her secret felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt good, she felt happy. Her family must be fine. She was sure of it. Nothing could go wrong now.
Chloe lay, eyes closed but mind alert. Where was Steve? How would they get out of the airport tomorrow? Would she ever see Steve or her home again? Thoughts rushed frantically through her mind and sleep took a long time to come.
Claire fell into a restless slumber, her dreams filled with zombies and shotguns. She fidgeted and moaned throughout the night.
Sally stared into the darkness, because every time she closed her eyes the images of all she had seen and done over the past day flashed before her. Children with inky black eyes reflected by the headlights, the man whose knee had been blown off, the look of admiration on Sam’s face when he complemented her actions. Eventually, sheer exhaustion dragged her under.
Sam sat upright, the shotgun on his lap, facing the door. He was determined to prove his usefulness. He wanted to help, he did not want to be sent away.
He would stay up all night and make sure no one threatened the little group. He managed a little over four hours before exhaustion overcame him and his head dropped to his chest. He slept.
~
Chloe woke first, her growling stomach reminding her that she had not eaten much the previous day. She looked over at Sam, sleeping quietly on a chair. They should have set an alarm so they could change over every few hours. In hindsight, there was no way he was going to last the night. Choosing not to wake the sleeping sentry, she quietly got up and looked around the lounge.
She spotted a door marked private, a key card entry system by the handle. Tentatively she pushed on the door and it opened without resistance.
Inside was a small but industrial kitchen. A large stainless steel fridge stood proudly in the corner. She opened it and grinned.
Bacon.
Taking the unopened packet out of the fridge, she looked around for something to open it with. Above a food preparation area was a rack that held a huge set of shiny utensils. She found some scissors and cut open the pack. The power had been off for a few hours, but the packet still felt slightly cool. She sniffed at it. It smelt like bacon. Maybe a fridge that size took longer to warm up when the power was removed than a domestic fridge.
Rooting through cupboards, she found a frying pan. The hob was gas, so she held down the nob and pressed the ignition, hoping that it was battery operated. She grinned as it sparked to life and a ring of blue flame shone in the dim morning light.
She carefully laid each rasher into the pan, which was large enough to fit the entire pack. Leaving it to cook, she searched around for something to have with the bacon. In a large larder style cupboard, not only did she find bread, but she also found sachets of ketchup and brown sauce. Selecting a loaf and as many packets as she could carry, she dumped them on the work surface and went back to the fridge to find spread.
The smell emanating from the sizzling pan was glorious, and Chloe sniffed the air with pleasure as she flipped the bacon over. She turned as the door opened, to see Lex walk in.
“Is that bacon?” she asked
“Yep,” replied Chloe, taking pleasure at the look of delight on Lex’s face.
“Can I help?”
“Actually, yeah, can you see if you can find something to put these on, please?”
> Lex rooted around the various cupboards and found a stack of crockery. Selecting five side plates, she held them up for inspection. “Will these do?”
“Perfect. Thanks, hun,” Chloe replied as she buttered the bread. “Do you want to go and wake the others?”
Lex left the room and returned within a minute with Claire, Sam and Sally in tow.
“Bacon,” exclaimed Sam, “I fu… I love bacon.”
“Help yourself, it's ready,” Chloe replied, noting in amusement, that Sam had stopped himself from swearing.
They each made themselves a sandwich and took them back out to the seating area. Eating quietly, savouring the taste of the delicious bacon. “There’s more in the fridge if you’re still hungry,” Chloe said once she finished her sandwich.
Sam and Sally rose together, then looked at each other awkwardly. Eventually, Sam shrugged and turned towards the kitchen.
“Does anyone else want more?” Sally asked before following him.
The other three shook their heads. “I could murder a coffee,” Chloe said, rising to her feet.
“Don’t worry Clo, we’ll make them,” Sally replied, glancing over at Sam who nodded his agreement.
Sam held the door open for Sally. She considered refusing to enter and insist that he go first. She dismissed the thought quickly, it would be churlish of her, and she was already embarrassed by her childish behaviour the previous night.
In the kitchen, Sam added more bacon to the pan, reignited the gas, and then started to butter the bread.
“Can you see a kettle?” he asked Sally.
“Power’s out,” she reminded him. “We'll boil the water in a pan.” She found a large saucepan and filled it with water from the tap. She put in on the hob next to the frying pan. Sam lit the ring as she searched through the cupboards.
“I can’t find any tea or coffee.”
“I think I saw some out there yesterday,” Sam said, nodding his head in the direction of the lounge. “Little packets, like you get in hotels.”
“Thanks,” Sally mumbled and left the kitchen. Minutes later she was back with sachets of coffee, tea bags and milk cartons and dumped them down next to Sam.
“Bacon’s ready,” he said, taking the frying pan off the ring.
They made their sandwiches in silence, then stood to eat them, neither looking at the other. When they’d finished, they stared at the large pan of water, willing it to boil quickly, the silence between them becoming uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry,” Sam blurted out.
“Cups, we need cups,” said Sally at the exact same time.
“Er yeah … I’ll go, er … find some,” Sam stammered, turning away.
“Sorry for what?” Sally asked.
Sam paused, hesitated, then slowly turned back to face her. “For acting like a dick,” he mumbled, a blush creeping up his cheeks under Sally's gaze.
“You didn’t act like a dick. You are a dick.” Sally said, “You were my first, and you treated me like I was nothing. I know I’m fat and ugly, I can even accept that I was a one night stand, but to talk to me the way you did… in front of so many people. What sort of person does that?” She asked, willing the tears that were welling in her eyes not to fall.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said again, “you’re not fat or ugly, Sally. I was a selfish dickhead. I lashed out at you, because … well … because I’m not a very nice person… but I’m trying to be better … I am,” he said in earnest.
Sally stared back at him, “I’m not ugly?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“No, you’re not ugly. Actually, I thought you looked really hot when you were swinging that shotgun around yesterday.” Sam paused, “Although I bet the guy with one leg doesn’t think so,” he laughed, then stopped short. Was he being a dick again? To his relief, Sally giggled.
“No, I bet he wouldn’t,” she said, “I bet he’s hopping mad today,” She added, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Sam stared at her, then burst out laughing, “I'm trying to think of a joke to match that one … but I’m stumped.”
They collapsed into fits of laughter. “Oh … it’s not funny. I shot a man. I could have killed him,” Sally said, trying to regain her composure.
“He asked for it Sal,” Sam said, fixing a serious look on his face. “They were hurting people and smashing up shops. We were hiding from them. Fuck knows what would have happened if they’d found us. Or if they’d got the shotgun off you.”
“Yeah, I suppose, I just feel bad … you know?”
“Well don’t, it was an accident. You didn’t do it on purpose,” he said reassuringly, then added, “and if anyone says differently, well they can hop off.”
Sally burst out laughing again, reassured by Sam’s words. Sam grinned back at her, then started giggling himself. It felt good to laugh, even though they both knew that they should not be laughing at that man's misfortune. But the giggling fit had taken over them both, and soon they had tears running down their faces. Each time they tried to stop laughing, they would look at each other and start again.
“Oh shit,” Sally hiccupped, “I think the water’s boiled.”
“You think?” Sam said, still laughing. “What gave it away?”
That set Sally off again. The water was bubbling ferociously in the pan, spilling over the sides and generally making a mess. She took the pan off the heat, her hand trembling from laughing so much, water sloshing around the pan. Instinctively Sam took it away from her, to stop her from scalding herself. They prepared the drinks in a companionable silence. A stark contrast to the uncomfortable tension that hung between them only minutes earlier.
“Er, Sam… can I ask you a question?” Sally said tentatively.
“Yeah sure,” he replied.
“What… um, what’s a hands-free-wank?”
Sam felt himself blush, “I’m really sorry for calling you that.”
“Yeah, but what does it mean?” Sally persisted.
“Well… er… it’s you know… when you have sex with someone… and ya know… you don’t make that much effort…”
Sam squirmed, the blush on his face turning into a dark crimson. “So, it’s er… like having a wank… but without your hands, cos, see… someone else has done the hard work.”
Sally nodded slowly and went quiet for a second, deep in thought. Finally, she said. “Well that’s not very modern, is it?”
“Modern?” Sam questioned, confusion evident on his still red face.
“Well no, surely it should be called a Bluetooth-wank nowadays.” She said, trying to keep a straight face.
Sam stared at her in surprise. Then started laughing uncontrollably again. "A Bluetooth-wank? Sally, that’s fucking hilarious.”
Chloe walked into the kitchen and found the pair doubled up laughing. “What’s so funny?” She asked. Other people’s laughter is contagious, and she soon found herself smiling.
“It started by Sally making a joke about the dude she shot yesterday…” Sam began.
“You did what?” Chloe demanded, turning to face Sally. The smile replaced with a look of anger.
“It was an accident, someone tried to take the gun from me, and it went off,” Sally replied, a pleading expression on her face. “I didn’t kill him. Just... well… it kind of… destroyed one of his legs.”
“And you’re laughing about it?” Chloe asked, still furious.
“Sally made a joke about him being hopping mad today,” Sam added trying to be helpful.
“Oh, my God. What is wrong with the two of you? Losing a leg is no laughing matter. I expected more from you, Sally.”
“Sorry Chloe,” Sally said, ashamed of herself.
Chloe didn’t respond, she picked up two cups of coffee and stalked out of the kitchen. Sally took two more cups, leaving the remaining one for Sam. He took it and rushed to the door to hold it open for Sally.
They sat and drank coffee in awkward silence. Sally searched for something to say to ease the tension, “
Chloe, where's Steve?” she eventually asked.
Chloe stiffened, “He has reenlisted in the army, to help fight this thing,” She replied.
“Oh, I saw they were asking for volunteers in the emergency broadcasts the other day,” Sally said, “It didn't occur to me that Steve would go.”
Chloe nodded curtly and sipped at her coffee.
“Steve is your boyfriend, right?” Sam asked, and she nodded again. “And he just left you alone, in the middle of a zombie outbreak?”
Sam did not mean to be insensitive, he was making conversation, trying to build a bond with Chloe. He did not realise that he had chosen a topic so tender.
Chloe slammed her mug down on the table.
“Yes, Sam. My boyfriend left me. He left because he is a man of honour. In doing so, he has put his life on the line... my life on the line, because he can do more in the army than he could if he had stayed with me. Yes, he has sacrificed himself... our relationship, but he has done so for the greater good, and I for one could not be prouder of him.”
As she spoke Chloe’s demeanour changed. The tension ebbed away, her body relaxed, her shoulders dropped. A sense of calmness emanated from her. As though for the first time she truly understood why Steve had left. She looked at Sam, her eyes challenging him, daring him to speak.
Steve's actions were far beyond anything that Sam could comprehend. He couldn’t imagine thinking of the country before he thought of himself, so he stayed silent. Knowing that there were no words he could offer.
Chloe finished the rest of her coffee, “Right, we need a plan to get out of here,” her words eased the tension that had built in the room. Four young faces looked back at her expectantly. She sighed, “Any ideas?”
“Did you come in your car?” Lex asked Chloe, who nodded in affirmation. “So, we need to get back to that then.”
“Yes,” Chloe replied, “it’s parked right outside, but I think we have two problems. One is that a load of those things followed me in here yesterday and might still be out there. And two, I don’t have a lot of petrol left, so we’ll need to get some from somewhere.”
Safe Zone (Book 1): The Greater Good Page 13