by Watts, Russ
He stuck to the ring road as planned and the roads gradually became clearer. As they drove, the crashed cars and wrecks became less frequent. Occasionally, they would pass an abandoned car or truck on the side of the road, doors open, and no sign of life. Initially Joe saw zombies wandering around aimlessly, some on the side of the road, some farther afield. Many of them appeared to be young people who should be fit and healthy. Presumably, other zombies had killed them. Despite their young appearance, most had a leg or arm missing, torn clothes and clawed torsos. The further they went, the more the zombies thinned out.
Joe kept driving past the poor damned souls. He was in a hurry and pretty sure the police had more on their minds than speeding tickets. In fact, he was sure there weren’t even any police left. They had seen no sign of law enforcement at all in the last few days. Civilisation had taken a break from the world. He put his foot down. It was hard to generate much speed though. Invariably, he had to swerve past a vehicle or a body on the road.
He sped through Heidelberg and down Manningham Road. Everyone crammed in the van was stressed and exhausted from the situation they had inexplicably found themselves in. Nervous, unsettled stomachs were not being helped by being cooped up in the back of an increasingly hot van.
Karyn was staring out of the window at nothing, eyes vacant, lost in her own thoughts. George was now staring out of the window into space, Joe noticed. If he was looking for answers in the heavens, he thought, he wasn’t going to find any. Evan watched as normality flew past them into the past. He read advertising hoardings and billboards offering cold beer and new cars, prime real estate and cheap cremations. Shops displayed their perfect pizzas and crunchy chicken, all surplus to requirements now; there was nobody to buy them. Joe pulled up on a bridge.
“We need five minutes,” he announced, and got out. Cars littered the suburbs, but the bridge was deserted. Everyone gratefully got out and stretched their legs.
“I feel sick,” said Lily. Amane, feeling queasy too, put an arm around her and took her aside for some much needed fresh air. Evan walked over to Joe, who had lit up a cigarette and was leaning over the railing, looking at the river below. The Yarra was sluggish and murky. A small dinghy drifted past, unmoored and free. There was nobody on board to guide it as it slipped away toward the city. The trees should have been vibrant and green but looked limp and sad. The leaves were brown as if it were autumn, not summer.
“Seemed like the best place to stop,” he said, “nothing around for fucking zombies to be hiding in and surprise us.”
“Good point.” Evan cracked open a warm can of coke from a backpack and downed it. Karyn was preening herself in the sun whilst George was casually dropping leaves onto the river below, watching them float slowly away.
“So who’s the stray?” said Joe. Lily and Amane were walking down the bridge, stretching their legs and their voices, any conversation inaudible from anyone else.
“Her name’s Lily. She said her mother had gone to church and she’s not seen her since, most likely dead. Her father’s in Canberra. She asked if she could tag along. Couldn’t leave her, could I?”
Joe took a long drag on his cigarette.
“I was thinking we should take the Eastlink, head to Mornington, try our luck there for a boat. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but I reckon it’s our best bet.”
The names meant nothing to Evan, but he trusted Joe. They’d come this far together, unscathed.
“Sounds good. How long do you think it’ll take us?” Evan was squinting against the sun. It was low in the sky now and the evening was drawing in. He was hoping they would make it to a boat before nightfall.
“Probably a couple of hours,” guessed Joe, “depends how the roads are or if we run into any more road blocks.” He finished his cigarette and lit up another one.
“If other people had the same idea about getting out of the city, then chances are the roads are going to get a hell of a lot busier. Plus it’ll be dark in an hour or so. You want to try finding a boat in the dark? Can you even remember how to sail one because I sure don’t know how to. I’m wondering if we shouldn’t try to find somewhere to bed down for the night. Carry on in the morning?”
Evan thought Joe was probably right, but didn’t want to admit it. In the back of the van, he had been imagining his children, how they would be when he found them. He had assumed they would just jump onto the first boat they found and be in Tasmania by tomorrow. Could he remember how to sail? He trusted that it would just come back to him when he got on board. Suddenly, Charlie and Anna seemed a very long way away.
“What do you say we carry on for a bit, see how far we get in the next hour or so. If we’re not getting anywhere, we should try to find a quiet house or a motel to stay in. Find one that looks empty and hope no one’s home.”
Joe agreed and asked, “Can you sit up front? I could do with a second pair of eyes.”
“Yeah. Rolling around in the back ain’t much fun anyway. Look, I’ll go fill the others in. When you’re ready we’ll head off.”
Evan walked back to the van and told Amane and Lily what they were planning. While they were talking, Joe filled in Karyn. Her pacified demeanour surprised him. He had expected a fight, but she just went along with everything he said. It was like she had given up. She didn’t look well, Joe mused. Her face was drawn and her eyes sunken. He put it down to stress and thought no more about it. He reminded her that she had George to look after now, that grieving for Lucy and Pete would have to be saved for another time.
They drove through small suburbs, once a hive of activity, now ghost towns. They drove past a small rail station and Evan noticed a stationary train, waiting by the platform expectantly. The driver’s door was open and the carriages behind were pregnant with zombies. The driver had apparently escaped and left his passengers to their own fate. Through the doors and windows Evan watched them slowly moving, bloody fingers sliding down the glass, faces pressed up against the doors, frustrated in their permanent tomb. It must have been a hundred degrees inside that carriage. Dead eyes stared back at him, oblivious to the incredible heat that was slowly cooking them.
Beyond the rail-tracks was a field full of dead cattle, swarming with buzzing flies hovering greedily over bloated carcasses. Evan wondered if the cows’ demise was natural, if the farmer had simply been unable to attend to them anymore. From the van, he couldn’t see the animal’s bodies that had been ripped apart, stomachs carved open by carnivorous dead humans.
The drive was becoming tedious. Joe had to start going slower as he weaved in and out of more traffic on congested roads.
“So, Evan, did you get on well with your parents?” asked Amane, breaking the silence. She was restless and needed the distraction of conversation.
After a pause Evan replied, “I don’t know. I don’t remember much. My father, Tom, yes, I’m sure, but I can’t remember my mother. She...” Evan broke off. He didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry about your parents,” he said, looking over to her. Amane was leaning toward the window, a faint wind blowing her brown hair back out of her face. She shook her head in disbelief.
“I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe what’s going on. My parents had come over to visit me, have a nice holiday, and now... Jesus.”
Evan realised he wasn’t the only one with problems. It occurred to him he had been selfish in his actions. But wasn’t it better that they stuck together? There was more chance of fighting those things off in a group. Maybe he just wanted some company. Being apart from his family, not knowing where they were, he felt very alone. He reached behind and she squeezed his hand. Evan tried to give her a smile over his shoulder.
“Thanks,” she said. She meant it but her eyes betrayed her inner sadness. She was grieving for her parents they’d left behind at the airport.
It was slow going, despite Joe’s best efforts at manoeuvring around the vehicles on the road. At times, it was a crawl, as they had to negotiate multiple
crashes and mangled bodies.
“Mr Crow,” said Karyn from the back after a while, “I know where you are heading, but I have to ask you to take a detour. I need to take George home.” She leaned forward so she knew he would hear her.
“Let’s get real here. My son does not need to go on some wild goose chase with you. I am going to take him home where we’ll be safe. Take the next left and I’ll give you directions. If we keep going like this, we’ll be home in less than an hour. You can keep the car once we’re home, I don’t care about that. You’ve already cost me one child. I do not intend to let you murder my son, too.”
Evan sighed. He had hoped that her silence had meant she had accepted the situation but suddenly she had burst back into life. The old Karyn was back.
“Look, I’m sorry about your daughter, but don’t try to pin that on me. You should have...” Evan broke off as Karyn punched the back of his seat causing everyone in the van to spring awake.
Karyn shouted, “If it wasn’t for you, we would be fine. I would be fine. You brought those fucking zombies with you. We could’ve found a pilot and been long gone. But you had to fuck it all up didn’t you.” She was apoplectic with rage. George started crying. Lily cowered in the corner, snuggling up to the side of the van as far away from Karyn as she could.
“Mrs Craven, hang on,” began Joe.
“Oh please, you’re just as useless as him! Where is my husband, Joe? Tell me. Oh yes, you let him die didn’t you. Instead of bringing him home safely, you got him killed. Bet you didn’t tell George that story, did you?” She was screaming at him, George’s crying getting louder.
“For Christ’s sake, Mrs Craven, this is not helping. I’m trying to drive here. If we can get to the coast, we can find a boat. Your house won’t be safe anymore, think about it. Those things are all over the city. We can’t risk going there.”
Karyn sat back, exasperated. Joe beat his hand against the wheel, accidentally blaring the horn.
“Mrs Craven, I did not let your husband die. I was trying to save him, to get him home to you. We had barely got five minutes away from the office and there was a riot going on right in front of us. People were fighting and running around. It was crazy. Some guy ran in front of us and I had to stop so I wouldn’t run him over. Your husband said he recognised this guy, worked with him or something, and then he just jumped out of the car.
“I ran after him, shouted it wasn’t safe, but he wouldn’t listen. Pete had a hold of this guy and when I caught up with him, this guy was going mental. He punched me and then Tom, sending us flying, and then he ran off. Next thing I know, a couple of young kids are on top of Pete. They were covered in blood and they were just ripping him apart. He was dead pretty quick. I’m sorry, but George should hear this. He should know his father didn’t just die in a stupid fight or go out with a whimper. And I certainly didn’t kill him. He was trying to help someone and so was I.”
The car was overwhelmed by a bloated silence. George was sniffling, sat between his mother and Amane. Karyn looked over, her eyes wild. “What are you looking at?”
Amane turned away, not wanting to get into a fight, and stared out of the window.
“Fucking chinks,” muttered Karyn. She spat on Amane’s face and lunged forward between the front seats to grab the wheel. Joe tried to keep the van straight as Evan grabbed Karyn’s arms. Amane was stunned. She wiped the saliva off her blossoming cheek.
The commotion caused Joe to lose control and they collided with a truck that was half blocking the road. The van smashed into the delivery truck’s side and came to an abrupt halt, the windshield shattering, showering Joe with tiny shards of glass, grating his face. The bonnet crumpled and steam began pouring out. A minute ago, the van had been a maelstrom of chaos, a cacophony of screaming and shouting. Now it was silent.
“Everyone okay?” asked Evan, touching his forehead, tenderly feeling the grazes from the airport. His head was throbbing again and his chest hurt from where the seatbelt had dug into him. He looked round and everyone seemed uninjured, but ‘okay,’ they were not. Karyn was getting out leaving George screaming in the van. He was curled up in a ball, eye screwed tightly shut, crying for his father, ignoring his mother who was shouting at him to get out.
Unhurt, Amane got out and helped Lily who had injured her ankle. She was crying and hobbling over to the pavement where they sat down together. Evan raced around the car and watched as Joe jumped out of his seat and punched Karyn square on the jaw, knocking her out cold. Joe caught her as she fell so she didn’t hit her head on the road. He lay her down, leant into the car to tend to George, and began trying to calm him down.
Evan stood over Karyn and quickly took in their surroundings. The truck obscured some of his view, and their immediate vicinity seemed to be full of houses. They were still in a residential area and Evan had no idea how far they’d gone. The sky was darkening fast and he knew the crash would bring trouble. They had to find a safe refuge and fast. He could hear noise from behind the truck already: hidden feet scuffed on the road. Evan grabbed a bag from the car.
“Everyone, we need to go now, grab a bag if you can.” Joe appeared, holding George who was catatonic.
“He’s passed out.” He looked down at little George protectively. “Probably for the best. So what are we going to do now? The van’s fucked.”
“Amane, Lily, come on!” They were hobbling back to the van when the first zombie appeared. It came around from the delivery truck and headed straight for Joe.
Evan grabbed a hockey stick from the van and slashed at it. A moment later and the zombie’s face had been hacked off. The body lay on the ground, twitching.
“Over there,” said Evan, waving his blood-splattered hockey stick, “see that building? The coffee shop? The front windows broken. We can get in, try to find shelter or something. We can’t stay here.”
Evan barked orders whilst Amane grabbed her axe from the van and then, with one arm supporting Lily, headed off in the direction of the shopping centre, looking for safety.
“What about her?” said Joe, looking at Karyn. He no longer felt guilt or sympathy. He was largely ambivalent about her right now.
“Put her in the van, we can’t carry her and George. She should be okay in there for now. The zombies will follow us. To be honest, I’m past caring about that witch.”
Together they lifted her into the back of the van. Joe scooped up George as more zombies appeared steadily. The sight of the rotting flesh and dripping blood made Joe’s stomach turn. Back in the van it hadn’t seemed so real, so in your face.
“Come on!” called Evan as he headed toward the coffee shop, lashing out with a hockey stick at anything that got too close. He slashed at faces, hacked off hands and flayed fingers to the bone. Finally, they reached the coffee-shop window and Joe followed Evan through, carrying George.
“Over here!”
Amane was signalling to them from a doorway, beckoning them through. Avoiding turned over tables and chairs they dodged the obstacle course successfully. All the while, Evan could hear the cracking of glass behind and the incessant moans of the zombies. Their numbers were increasing, drawn by the crash and the noise. Perhaps they can smell fresh blood too, thought Evan.
Through the door, they went into a kitchen, the aroma of coffee still hanging in the air, permeating the very fabric of the walls. Evan ran past stainless steel worktops to where Lily stood in front of the only other door, hammering on it furiously.
“I can’t open it!” she cried.
Amane pushed her aside and swung the axe, snapping the wooden door down the middle, splinters sailing through the air. She heaved on the axe, bringing it back out of the door to strike again.
“Wait!” shouted Evan. “We’re going to need to close that behind us.”
He charged at the weakened door and it shuddered on its hinges. He gritted his teeth and charged again, his right shoulder bearing the brunt of the clash. This time the door flew open. He stumbled through,
not knowing what he would find on the other side, as the zombies poured through the doorway behind them into the kitchen.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Evan nearly slipped over as his feet landed on cold, hard tiles. He was in a small shopping centre, illuminated only by a little natural light coming through a glass atrium. There was no immediate sign of anyone else inside and before he could say anything, the others swiftly poured in after him.
He could vaguely make out a post office, a newsagent, a drycleaners and a hairdresser. It looked like the place had been ransacked; the windows were broken and glass and rubbish lay everywhere: papers, magazines, chocolate bars, even money. All lay forgotten on the floor where they’d been left and trampled over. Evan took a few steps forward into the silent foyer. A tremendous bang made him jump as Amane slammed the coffee-shop door shut, its echoes ringing around the morgue-like mall. She dragged a rubbish bin in front of it.
“We can’t stay here, Evan,” said Amane, grabbing his arm. Her face was sweaty and grimy.
They all jumped again as the coffee shop door started rattling as the zombies began launching themselves at it, knowing their prey was on the other side. The bin wobbled and the door barely held together under their weight.
“That door’s not going to last long,” said Evan. “There’s got to be another way out.”
He didn’t know where to turn, but everyone was looking at him now. Their pleading eyes told him everything he needed to know.
He crept past the empty shops, alert and ready. Leaving the door splintering behind them, the group followed him to the other end of the shopping centre where they found the exit blocked. The iron gates had been shut and locked. It was a dead-end. Evan was contemplating telling the others they might have to fight their way back out the way they had come, even though he knew it would be near suicidal, when all of a sudden a faint voice spoke up.
“Exit,” said George. Joe hadn’t noticed when he had woken from his stupor and put him down.