by John McCuaig
Silence had quickly returned to the room apart from the low mutterings that were coming from over by the bench where Michel and Harry were working. However, as he strained to hear their words Gordon could tell that if anything it was getting even louder and louder on the outside.
“Do you think there’s anywhere that’s going to be safe?” Adrianne startled Gordon when she spoke up. ”And I do mean anywhere, even if we somehow manage to get away from here, where on earth shall we go?”
“Life must go on,” Gordon muttered as he looked at her and the children. “I’m sure that even if this virus has spread all over the world, there’s got to be many, many more survivors still out there just like us. I know in the bottom of my heart that we’ll be able to find some little piece of sanctuary somewhere.” All he could muster for now was another halfhearted smile.
She returned his attempt at comfort and then kissed the head of each of her children. Gordon was not quite sure if this was because she had believed him or because of quite the opposite.
***
“Everyone, you need to get over here now,” the Colonel shouted as he studied the homemade drawings. “Come on...move it, people.”
As soon as everyone, except Adrianne and the kids, had formed a tight semi-circle around the small wooden table, Page continued.
“Michel has a small fishing boat on the far side of the closest pier,” he said as he pointed down to the remarkably well detailed “U” shape drawing of their surroundings. “It was his plan to get there first thing in the morning and then get out into the open sea. Well, we’re following the same plan but we’re going to go out in the cover of darkness tonight. And before you start, yes I know we’ll struggle to see the zombies, but I’d bet they’ll struggle even more to see us.”
“Have you gone bloody mad?” Claude snapped back as he pointed over to the little window. “And how the hell are we going to get through all the undead men that are waiting outside? This is just stupid, we’ll be committing suicide.”
“When they attacked the garage before,” Page tried to keep his voice low and calm as he butted back in. “You said they left here when the chance of some easier pickings came up. Well we are going to give them that option again. And when they move away this time, we’ll get over to your boat and we’ll meet up with our own ship once we can get out onto the open water.”
Before Claude or anyone else could speak again, he had pulled the small radio from his pocket. His actions made it all too clear that his plan was not open for discussion or debate.
“Page to HMS Clyde, Page to HMS Clyde,” he barked away into the black, plastic box.
“Receiving you sir,” the answer quickly came back. “This is Corporal Taylor reading you loud and clear, sir.”
“Okay son, I’m going to need you to do something for me, but first get Professor Doyle up there with you. You’re going to need her help too.”
“She’s right here beside me already, sir.”
“Good, now listen carefully the pair of you. We’re going to need you to provide us with a little distraction. We’re surrounded in the garage by scores of the zombies, and I need you to get them away from us and heading back towards you.”
“Of course, sir, we understand. What would you like us to do?”
“Get the ship right down to the corner of the pier; I’ve got some of the locals here that assure me that it’s going to be more than deep enough with the tide still being in. Then with the last of our men you need to get down on the ground and make sure all of the local zombies come to you.”
“How will we do that, sir?”
“Professor,” Colonel Page quickly changed the tone of his voice. “Are you listening to this?”
“Yes, Harry,” she replied. “I have already guessed what you will be wanting from me?”
“Well, you’ll know then that I’m going to need to borrow your little pets,” he said. “I’ll need them down with my men on the pier. I want them to be almost close enough to grab a good bite on my men. You and I both know only too well that the beasts seem to answer the calls of others.”
“And what will happen to them then,” Mary’s voice too dropped a notch or two at his request. “When the horde arrive and we have to leave this place in a hurry? What will come of them then?”
“I’m going to be honest with you ma’am, but I guess you already know that answer too,” Page said. “We’ll have to leave them behind. Surely that small sacrifice is worth it if we can all survive?”
After a few moments of silence, Mary replied. “Of course, Harry. It will be done just as you ask; you know I’ll do whatever is necessary for our survival.”
“Good. Now hurry up and call me back when you’ve started, we’ll be ready by the time you are.” His tone changed again. “Now listen carefully to me Corporal, you’re going to have to wait for as long as possible and actually engage them on the pier. We need to get them all away from here. Do you understand me, son?”
“Yes, sir, I’ve got no problem with that.”
“Good lad, I’ll be seeing you soon.” Page placed the radio back in his pocket.
“So are you coming with us then?” The Colonel’s head flicked over to the window as he spoke to Michel. “Will you join us on our ship?”
After glancing over at his hungry wife and children, Michel stooped down and picked up his rifle. “We’ll be ready whenever you are soldier man.”
As in one, all of the survivors in the garage got themselves and their weapons ready and lined up near the long elevator door.
Once again, Gordon stayed right bang in the middle.
14- Getting back to the ship
01:15 A.M
Aboard the HMS Clyde
The soldier in the wheelhouse may have been trying hard but it soon became pretty obvious that he was no sailor. As he edged the mighty ship along the darkened pier, he continually scraped its hull up against the concrete walkway. However, no one seemed to care about its damaged paint job.
Corporal Simon Taylor was up at the bow of the ship and signaled with a raised arm when they were almost close enough, but he did not judge the stopping distance too well. It took another huge slab of concrete ahead to bring the ship to a full and a rather abrupt stop.
“Okay ma’am,” he called out across the length of the deck to the Professor. “It’s time to bring them up.” He started to think that the bloody racket they were causing might bring all the beasts to them anyway.
Disappearing through the doorway it only took Mary a couple of minutes to reappear, following behind her and lying aboard some makeshift stretchers were the two rapidly twitching zombies. As she looked at them, she still saw Chloe and thought again about the one called David. She vowed never to forget the two young people that were once members of her own staff.
Firmly bound and well gagged, they posed no real threat to the scientists that carried them quickly towards the edge of the ship, but that did not stop the fear that the men showed. Hitching them to some ropes a couple of hefty soldiers lowered them, and not too carefully, down to rest on the hard concrete floor below.
The last handful of the soldiers followed down behind them on six rope ladders, one escape route ready for each man for when it was time to leave. They did not want to have to fight each other to get away; they would have more than enough on their hands already.
Simon Taylor tied a rope around each of the zombie’s necks and tied the other ends off on the boat hooks that were strongly built deep into the pier wall. The ropes were exactly ten foot long; he made sure everyone knew that distance and exactly where they could stretch back to. Pushing the ships engineer face down with his boot in his back, his knife got to work cutting away the restraints from its mouth. Moving away from it quickly, Taylor watched as the beast slowly tried to pull itself up and revel in its newfound freedom, in its new lease on ‘life’. It failed, with no arms and legs it stayed firmly on the ground. Moving along the pier the young soldier followed the same routine and re
leased the one called Chloe as well. As she stood up, her cold grey eyes peered out through her sweat soaked and bedraggled hair. Her own even higher pitched groan showed she was just as happy as the other one to at last be free of her bonds. She moved towards the soldiers until the rope around its neck snapped tight before its legs gave away under it. The groans from the monster grew in both volume and in anger as it pulled itself back up.
As the beasts fought against their restraints, Taylor got as close as he dared and teased them with his scent of sweet flesh. The song from the two undead increased as their rotting jaws stretched almost to snapping in the vain attempt to get a hold of their tormentor.
“Taylor to Page,” he called on the radio as he stared down the darkened pier. “We’re now on land and the beasts are doing their stuff, sir. I’m sure it won’t be long before they attract the others.”
“Well done, son,” the Colonel replied immediately. “I suggest that you fire off a few rounds as well. I’ll let you know when they start to move towards you.” He left the others standing by the elevator and returned to looking out through the small window.
“Yes, sir,” Taylor barked back as he placed the radio away and let a full magazine off in the air in a handful of short, sharp bursts. Nodding to his men, they all chambered a round and got into position. Some stood, some were down on one knee, but they all aimed their guns deep into the darkness, and they waited.
***
01:25 A.M
Inside the Fournier brother’s garage
“Here we go,” the Colonels voice seemed much higher than before, but his eyes were still firmly fixed on the outside. “Some of them are starting to move off, they can hear the others calling. Good, it’s working.”
A first blast of gunfire was followed a minute or two later by the sounds of a few more guns joining in on the action. The blaring noise quickly attracted the attention of even more of the beasts. This racket seemed to be far more interesting than banging away on the doors of a firmly locked down building.
The others waited for the order to move, one minute passed, then two and all the way up to five before Michel went over to see what the hell was happening. A quick look to the outside showed him what had kept the Colonel looking out, not all the zombies had moved off. He cursed under his breath as he saw that at least a couple of dozen of them were still lingering around.
“How long can your men stay on the pier before they have to get away,” Michel asked, knowing only too well that time was not on their side.
“Probably not that long I’d imagine, not with just a few of them left,” Page replied looking down at his watch. “I’d guess that it would be any minute now.”
“And then we both know the undead will just come right back here?” Michel pointed towards where his fishing boat would be. “We’ve got to decide one way or the other, mister soldier man. And it needs to be now.”
“Well, as you say my new friend, it’s going to have to be now or never,” the Colonel marched back towards the elevator. “We’re sure not going to get a better chance than this, come on, let’s do it.”
Michel had one more glance outside at the horror they were about to face before scurrying after the Colonel.
“Okay folks listen up,” Page said as he got back over to where the others were waiting. “There’s still quite a few of them hanging around outside. It looks like we’re going to have to fight our way through them to get to the boat.”
One by one, they nodded and quickly entered the large elevator car. It was Page who pressed the button to go down.
***
01:25 A.M
Back on the pier
That noise was not just coming from the old ships engineer and Chloe anymore. Now the groans and grunts were getting louder, coming right towards them was an invisible force.
Taylor strained his eyes deep into the darkness; he knew in this light that they would not be able to see the horde approach until they got to about fifty feet away. That was going to be far too close for comfort.
“Remember guys,” the Corporal shouted to the line of men. “Go for the head, short sharp bursts and make fucking sure that every shot counts. And listen, no one moves back towards the ship until I tell you. We need to know the Colonel and the others are on the way first.”
There was no time for anyone even to think about answering him. They had arrived.
“I can see something, look over there,” one of the men shouted out as he peered down his scope. The soldiers held their breath until a solitary old fisherman came slowly into view, dragging its torn up left leg behind it.
Corporal Taylor was the one that fired first, a single shot from his machine gun hit it just off dead centre. The zombie’s blood soaked head violently snapped back before it crumpled down to the ground in a messy heap. However, before the soldiers could relax, a swarm approached, scores of the undead washed over their fallen comrade and down the pier towards them.
Corporal Taylor struggled to be heard above the heady combination of gunfire and zombie song, but that did not stop him from trying.
“Hold the line lads,” he shouted out repeatedly. “We’ve got to hold the line.”
***
01:35 A.M
At the main doors to the garage
Gordon edged himself over to beside the terrified looking Adrianne and said, “Let me carry one of the children. Please, it’s going to be too much for you to take them both.”
She just shook her head and held them even tighter into her legs. “No, I will never let them out of my grasp again,” she said. “Thank you for the offer, but only a mother can look after them properly, only a mother would gladly give her life to save them.” Gordon looked up from the children, nodded to her and went back to his usual position in the line.
Up at the front, Claude held his ear to the door then shook his head towards his younger brother. He could not hear any of them near-by. It was now the time for them to get back outside.
“I’ll go out first,” he said to Michel and the Colonel as he checked his old rifle again. “The rest of you can follow me.” His hand reached down to the lock as soon as his brother had agreed.
“Wait a second,” the Colonel placed his own hand over Claude’s, stopping him from opening the door. “Before we leave I just need everyone to understand one thing, we can’t stop for anything or anyone. We’ve got to keep moving towards the boat, no matter what the hell happens out there.” The two brothers grunted that they understood why.
As the door creaked open, Claude took a careful peek outside, turning back to look at his brother he gave another nod, and then let out an almighty scream. One of the zombie hordes must have been pushed tight up against the wall when the door creaked open. Claude must have missed him when he had his little look outside. The zombie however did not miss him, in a flash its teeth sank deep into the nape of Claude’s neck and it would not let go until a single shot from Michel’s gun sent it flying back into the darkness. His brother had dropped down to his knees, his bright red blood already pouring out like a river from the large and gaping wound.
“You need to leave him be,” Page said as he pulled Michel back from attending to his brother. “Move it now, he’s as good as dead already.”
“Not quite yet soldier man,” Claude muttered as he gingerly started to rise up to his feet. “I’ll keep up with you for as long as I can, I’ll help you escape from here.” He did not get the chance to say another word, he dropped right back down again as the loss of blood took over, his jugular vein pumping out his life blood all down his overalls.
As the Colonel had said, he was as good as dead already.
Michel just stared at his brother.
“Come on, let’s move it boys, they would have heard that shot,” Page hollered as his men quickly funneled past him and out of the small doorway. His free hand grabbed the still motionless Michel roughly by the collar and he pulled him out of the doorway as well. He had no time to mourn for his older brother now, Page
decided; if he managed to survive, he could grieve all he wanted later.
As they fanned out, before them was now a wide open expanse, a smallish car park and beyond that a long sloping field which would take them all the way down to the once pretty looking water front. It may have been wide open but it was still far from being empty. At least a dozen of the undead beasts stumbled towards them, it was like that famous scene from the Night of the Living Dead film, one by one the undead came into view, came into focus.
“We’ve got to keep on moving people,” Page was back at the front again, marching on and firing off in all directions. “We can’t stop and fight them; we need to break through their lines.”
He was right in a way, but the urge to make a stand was also strong in his men. The soldiers all wanted to form a defensive position and protect themselves from a myriad of deadly dangers coming at them from every direction. In a way, they were right too. For by the time they got near to the waterfront, two of the soldiers had already fallen, and no one had the time to stop and finish them off for good. Soon enough, they too would be back up on their feet and joining in with their new comrades on the blood thirsty hunt. And it seemed they would soon also have someone else beside them.
“Michel,” Adrianne was shouting out from near the back of the line. “Michel, please just stop for a moment and take the children,” she screamed.
One look at her told him the reason why, huge claw marks ran down from her shoulder right down to her elbow. One of the undead had scratched her bad as it tried to grab a hold.
“Take the children with you and give me your gun,” she sobbed as Michel ran to her side. She dropped the children down from her grasp to be at her husband’s feet. “I’ll keep them back for a while; just get the little ones away.”
“You’ll be okay my love,” Michel just stared at her wound then down at his two crying children. “We’ll get you over to their ship; they’ve got more doctors over there. Please, come on, they’ll be able to help you.”