I’m lost in thought, considering what I’ll need to get there. It’s probably less than two hours away by car. But I should plan on it taking a few days, judging by what I’ve seen so far. I’ll need food, shelter, weapons. I’m caught up with planning, when a person on the other side of my road catches my eye. I drive on for a few seconds allowing my brain the necessary time to process what it’s just seen.
Then I hit the brakes and jump out of the car.
I call out, and the figure turns and runs from me. I give chase and catch up quickly. I grab the shoulder and turn the body towards me.
“Claire? What’s happened? Why are you out here? Are the others okay?” I am throwing questions at her, I back down and look at her properly. Her tear stained face looks pale and drawn. She looks up at me, and I see her eyes. Her eyes that show streaks of black snaking through the whiteness towards the pupil.
“Oh,” I say.
“Yes,” She nods, “I’m infected,” She burst into tears and throws herself into my arms.
I will hate myself forever for what I did next. When this young girl, the hands of death grasping at her, reaches out for comfort, I instinctively back away.
Twenty-Five
“What do you mean, gone? Gone where?” Sam asked, as he disentangled
himself from Sally and got out of bed.
“Oh, she’s in the kitchen,” Lex replied.
“Is she?” Sam asked, confusion apparent on his face.
“No. Of course she’s not in the bloody kitchen,” Lex replied angrily. “I don’t know where she is. Which is why I said she’s gone.”
Sally placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder, the touch suggesting he should not speak. “Do you know how long she’s been gone?” Lex softened, “I don’t. I woke up about twenty minutes ago, and she wasn’t in bed. I’ve searched around the house, but I can’t find her. She could have been gone for hours. Or she might have just left.”
“Right, okay,” Sally leapt into action. “We need to go and find her.”
“Obviously,” Lex replied and followed Sally out of the door, leaving Sam alone in the room. He settled back on the bed, smiling at the memory of the night before.
“Sam, are you coming?” Sally yelled from the stairs.
“Oh right, yep,” He replied leaping from the bed and running to join the girls.
“Is my Dad up?” Sally asked Lex.
“I don’t know, I've not seen him yet.”
“Right, I’ll go find him, he might have seen her. Can you two go and check out back?”
Sam and Lex headed down the stairs together, through the kitchen, then out to the back garden. No sign of Claire. Sally was coming down the stairs as they returned to the hallway.
“Dad’s just getting up, he’s going to come and help search. He’ll meet us outside.”
The trio stepped outside the house. The air was still, the only sound that of birdsong. Of Claire, there was no sign.
Together, they walked down the long driveway, scanning left and right for any indication that Claire had come that way. They had only been walking for a few minutes when the low hum of an engine broke through the tranquil surroundings.
“Chloe?” Sally asked hopefully.
“Hope so,” Sam replied. ‘If not, I hope they’re friendly, because we…” he gestured around them, “are completely exposed.”
The car came into view, but the early morning sunlight glared on the windscreen, and obscured the driver.
“We should have brought weapons,” Sam said, as the three of them paused to watch the car come to a stop in front of them. He instinctively stepped in front of the two girls, offering his body as protection. “There are two people in there,” he whispered.
The driver’s door was pushed open, and Chloe stepped out.
Sally stepped past Sam and broke into a run, launching herself into Chloe’s arms.
“I’m so happy to see you,” she sobbed. “When you didn’t get here yesterday, I thought … and now Claire’s gone and …”
“Ssshhh,” Chloe comforted the crying girl. “It's okay, I’m here now, and Claire is…”
“I’m here,” Claire said, getting out of the car.
“Claire, what the hell?” Lex demanded, relief that her friend was safe manifested as anger, because of the worry she’d caused. “How could you? You can’t just go off on your own.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
“Not good enough, Claire,” Lex virtually spat at her. She towered over the trembling girl, face red and body trembling with anger.
Chloe released Sally from her hug, and stepped in front of Lex. “Not now, Lex,” her voice carrying a warning tone.
“Chloe, you don't understand. She just us left us.”
“No, Lex, you don’t understand. She felt she had to go.”
“Why? Because I was a bit stroppy yesterday. Pathetic.”
“No,” Claire spoke out, stepping around Chloe to come face to face with Lex, “To protect you. I’m infected.”
Lex stared at her, the anger draining from her, leaving her body to sag, “What? No. That can’t be possible.” Lex whispered, her voice cracking. The tears began to fall as she pulled her friend into a hug. Sally rushed over to join them, and the three friends held each other as they sobbed.
“Come on, Sam,” Chloe whispered, taking the shell-shocked young man’s arm. “Let’s go inside and give them some time.”
Sam nodded dumbly back, his mind frantically searching back over the last few days. “How?” he asked.
“Yesterday, just after you left Lex’s house. She was bitten on the ankle.”
“No,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “It’s my fault. I forgot the keys, then I forgot to put the bags in the boot. She offered to do it for me.”
“I know, Sam, she told me, but it’s not your fault,” Chloe put her hand on his back and guided him into the house. “It could have happened to any of you.”
“I know,” he said, “But it should have been me.”
“Sam, you can’t think like that. What’s done is done, and now we need to work out what to do with her.”
He came to a stop, realisation dawning on his face, “Oh no.”
“Yep,” Chloe nods.
"What is going on?” George asked, standing in the doorway, immaculately dressed in a suit and tie. As though he was attending a meeting, not waiting out the apocalypse.
He gave no acknowledgement that Chloe had arrived. No thanks for rescuing his daughter.
“Nice to see you too, George,” Chloe replied.
Ignoring the sarcastic tone, he asked, “What are they doing?” he nodded in the direction of the three girls, who are still huddled together.
“Claire has been bitten. Sally and Lex have just found out, they are all upset,” Chloe explained.
“Bitten,” he asked, a thoughtful look crossed his face, “I see,” he nodded as though coming to a decision, “Wait here.”
Sam and Chloe exchanged glances. Not sure why they were being asked to wait. Within moments, George returned, holding the shotgun that Sam had left in the kitchen the night before.
“What the hell are you doing with that?” Chloe demanded.
“Sorting the situation out,” George responded.
“Not with that bloody thing you’re not.”
“Chloe. She is going to turn into one of those things any minute now. We cannot allow that to happen.”
“It’s barely been twelve hours since she was bitten. It can take up to forty-eight hours for her to turn. Claire should be given a choice about how she dies. Besides, other than a temperature, she isn’t displaying any other symptoms yet.”
“You can’t seriously think she’s going to be immune,” George sneered, checking to see if the shotgun was loaded.
“No, of course I don’t. As far as I know, immunity isn’t possible. But you going around waving that thing is going to terrify the poor girl. She’s already scared and upset. Can we please just make her last f
ew hours as easy as they can be?”
“Er, guys,” Sam attempted to interrupt the argument.
“Fine. I won’t shoot her. But she is not coming into my house.”
“Guys… Chloe, Mr Carlton,” Sam’s tone grew more urgent. Yet he continued to be ignored.
“So what? You’re going to just leave her out here, while we what, wave from the window?”
“If needs be. My only priority is to protect my daughter.”
“And yourself,” Chloe challenged. “George, I have worked with you for long enough to know how fucking self-interested you are. Now a young girl is dying, and you want to leave her outside like a stray dog.”
“Mr Carlton. Chloe,” Sam tried again.
“What, Sam?” Chloe shouted at him, annoyed at being interrupted in her first ever opportunity to lay into George.
“Look,” he pointed to the three girls, who now stood just a few feet away, listening as the argument unfolded.
Sally’s face was thunderous, her arms folded defensively.
“Dad, either you let Claire into the house, or I will stay out here with her,” she said.
“Sally, it’s not safe,” George pleaded.
“Which is why I left,” Claire interjected. “I know I’m a risk to you all.”
“How about a compro… er… thingy?” Sam suggested.
George stared witheringly at the young man, “Compromise? What do you have in mind.”
“What about we let Claire in but… er… I don’t know… tie her up or summat?”
“What?” three female voices chorused.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Claire said. “I would like to spend my last few hours with my best friends, but I don’t want to put them in danger.”
“Okay, if you’re sure,” said Sally, “what do you think, Dad?”
George looked at the five faces staring at him, “Fine. I can agree to that. Sam. There is some rope in the shed out back. Would you get it?”
“Yep,” Sam sped off towards the back garden.
“Come on, Claire” Sally linked her arm through her friend’s and led her into the house. Lex trailed closely behind.
“Er Chloe… a word please,” George called as Chloe moved to follow the girls in the house.
“What?” she snapped at him.
“I do not appreciate being spoken to in that manner. I would like to suggest that when things go back to normal, you seek employment elsewhere.”
Chloe stood in stunned silence for a few seconds. Then her mouth broke out into a broad smile, and she let out a deep belly laugh.
“Oh George,” she said as she walked past him, she patted him heartily on his back, “back to normal? You really are a clueless prick, aren't you?”
She left him standing alone, fixed to the spot.
His mouth hung open in confusion. For once in his life. George Carlton was speechless.
Chloe found the girls in the living room. They stopped talking the moment she entered. The three girls exchanged guilty glances. She sensed that she had interrupted something important.
“Come on, what’ve I interrupted?” Chloe asked.
“We were talking about what to do with me,” Claire replied, the defiance in her eyes suggesting that she expected to be challenged.
Chloe tried not to let the relief show. She knew that the conversation needed to happen, but really hadn’t wanted to be the one to instigate it.
“What have you come up with?”
“I don’t want to become one of those things. I would like to die before I do.”
“Okay,” Chloe nodded slowly, “that’s totally understandable.”
“I think my best option would be to slit my wrists,” a fat tear rolled slowly down Claire’s cheek. Sally slipped her arms around her shoulders, offering what little comfort she could.
A pained expression flickers across Chloe’s face, unnoticed by the others, “Okay,” she said, “Erm Lex, why don’t you come and help me make coffee?”
“Coffee? Now?”
“Yes,” Chloe’s tone left no room for debate. Lex dutifully followed her into the kitchen. They passed Sam in the hallway. He was holding a large spool of rope.
“Will this work?” he asked.
“Should do,” Chloe replied without stopping.
When they reached the kitchen, Lex turned on Chloe.
“Are you going to tell me what you needed to talk to me about?”
“Ah, you picked up on that then.”
“Well, you weren’t exactly subtle. But Chloe, this better be worth it. I’ve only got a few more hours to spend with one of my best friends.”
“I know. I’ll be quick. The thing is … when Claire dies, she will come back as a zombie.”
“Oh God,” Lex collapsed onto the nearest chair. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“I think the only thing that will either stop it happening, or kill her when she has turned, is to damage the brain.”
“My dad …” the realisation dawned on her. “that’s why he killed himself, why he stabbed himself in the eye, isn’t it? So that he didn’t come back as one of them.”
“I think so.”
“Oh God,” she said again. “What are we going to say to Claire?”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Do we need to tell her?”
“I don’t know. If it were you, wouldn’t you want to know?” they paused and considered Lex’s words. It was a scenario from a nightmare.
“How long?” Lex suddenly asked. “How long after she dies will she turn?”
“I don’t know. It would be quick I’d imagine. Regardless, we’d need to assume it will happen quickly. Otherwise, she could be a danger to us.”
“I think we should tell her. She needs to make the decision, knowing all of the facts.”
“Okay,” Chloe nodded in agreement.
They made the coffee in silence, both reflecting on the conversation. Both dreading the impending conversation. The coffee was made in six identical mugs which Lex arranged onto a tray. Chloe stared at them for a second.
“Wait,” she said and took one of the mugs from the tray. Then with the coffee in hand, she started opening and closing cupboards.
“What are you doing?” Lex asked, confused by the odd behaviour.
“Ah ha,” Chloe said and presented an empty mug to Lex. The mug was purple with the words ‘World’s Best 18-Year-Old’ written in a whimsical yellow font.
“What’s that for?”
“If we use identical mugs, we could get them mixed up.”
“So?”
“I heard on the news that it is possible to pass the infection on by exchanging bodily fluids. If we accidentally mix up the mugs and even a little bit of Claire’s saliva is on one that someone else drinks from then…”
"Oh, yeah, we figured that might be the case. If we accidentally drank from the same mug, we could get infected,”
“Yep.”
“We need to tell everyone to be really careful around Claire and… Oh no.”
“What?”
“If she slits her wrists, there is going to be a lot of blood. We can’t risk it.”
“Good point. Okay. Let’s go and talk to her.” Chloe lifted the tray of coffee from the side and followed by Lex, carried it into the living room.
They found Claire tied to an armchair. The rope was around her waist. Leaving her arms and legs free. She looked as comfortable as she could be in the circumstances. Sam and Sally sat together on the couch.
“Dad didn’t specify how tightly up she needs to be tied up,” Sally said grinning up at Lex and Chloe.
“Where is he?” Chloe asked.
“I think he’s in his office. I’ll take his coffee out to him, shall I?” Sally offered
“Good idea. I don’t suppose he wants to see me right now,” Chloe laughed as she handed the coffees out. If anyone noticed that Claire was purposefully given a distinctively different mug from the others, they didn’t say
anything.
They drank their coffee in silence, now was not the time for idle chit chat. When Sally came back into the lounge, Lex cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry Claire, but we need to talk.”
~
The sun was setting as Sam, Sally, Lex and Chloe supported a weary Claire out into the garden. The sky was a deep blue streaked with flashes of pink. The air was warm and still. The absence of traffic driving through the village, of planes flying overhead allowed nature’s song to be clear and beautiful.
The mood was sombre as the five sat on the garden furniture, watching the sun set behind the trees. The lack of conversation did not create an uncomfortable air, nor did it create the need to fill the silence. Instead, they all sat in quiet contemplation, reflecting on the events that led them to be here.
To this time. To this place.
For Sam, the fear of what he must do. The promise he had vowed to keep.
For Chloe, the shame of her rejection when Claire had told her she was infected. That it was because of Chloe’s intervention that Claire’s final moments would be with her friends, did not absolve her of the guilt.
Lex and Sally sat either side of Claire, each holding one of her cold, clammy hands in theirs, their heads resting on her shoulders. There was no need for words. They allowed the memories of their times together to flood through them. The memories that both provided comfort and an unbearable sense of loss.
Claire felt the changes coursing through her body. Unsure whether she was feeling the effects of the infection or of the large dose of codeine she had taken earlier. She suspected it was both.
She sat with the calmness of someone that has accepted their fate. In her hands, she held the picture that Chloe had taken from Lex’s house. The four friends, laughing together. Soon there would be just two of them left. She stared down at it, on to Paige’s face. She envied the suddenness in which Paige had lost her life. The reaper's scythe had hung over her head for the last day. It had consumed her every waking thought. But she was no longer afraid. Instead, she was thankful that her friends were near. If Chloe had not found her, she would be alone now.
Earlier, when Lex had explained her options, she had made the decision quickly. She made the others promise that there would be no more tears. She knew they would cry once she had gone, but she could not bear the burden of their pain. She had enough of her own to deal with.
Safe Zone (Book 1): The Greater Good Page 23