by David Tyne
I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped myself when Ian stirred with a mumbled groan. It probably wasn't my place to tell, anyway. “You can ask him yourself, if he ever bothers to wake up... Hey, Mils? I'm sorry.”
The plummeting tone caught her by surprise. My childhood friend set down her fake pistol, turning towards me as I scratched my neck awkwardly. Apologising wasn’t something I did often, since I was hardly ever in the wrong. I always aimed to please those around me, out of sheer convenience. Everyone it seemed, except for Millie.
“I’m sorry… Not just for how we left things, but how I acted last night. You stopped my dad— my step-dad by yourself, and I was just cracking jokes like everything was fine. It's... not fine. We're supposed to be best friends, and I wasn't there for you at all. I'm sorry for that.”
I truly meant that much, but I wouldn't dare to apologise for the light-hearted approach Beth, Ian and I had taken over the past few days. It was the only way we had managed to survive, to keep ourselves moving.
If we stopped and stewed over how messed up everything was, we would still be stuck in that cramped newsagents, going stir-crazy and just waiting for it all to blow over. No one was going to swoop in and save us, because they were all too busy looking out for themselves.
However, it seemed that ‘stewing’ was all we could do in a structured facility like this. The atmosphere within the community centre was growing dire as the seconds ticked by — far past the point of being able to resolve the drama with a nice little chit-chat, anyway.
The horde of Lost that padded the centre’s gates only thickened each day, tensions were rising and supplies were low in this so-called 'safe haven'... I was unsure of how long we'd have to correct their flawed system, before it collapsed entirely.
19 | Three Days
At some point during the day, Ian had taken off from his makeshift bed to find Harry, despite my mother’s insistence that he should rest. It was nearly impossible to tell how much time had passed, being trapped inside a cube that constantly emitted a fluorescent-yellow hue.
I guessed that it was almost five o'clock, judging by the grumbles my stomach made. Millie's plan to escape would have to wait at least another day, unless she felt like taking on hundreds of Lost at once.
When I told her exactly that, her frown tilted in slight confusion. “Huh? ‘The Lost’?”
I quickly recapped what Beth said to me, how they always looked like they were lost. It was an oddly appropriate term to use, giving reference to the people they used to be rather than what they had become.
“Oh. Bummer…” Millie brushed her arm, almost regretting the question. “I mean, it's true. That poor girl, of course she would think of it that way. She's very mature for her age, hasn’t cried even once all night.”
I scoffed at the notion of Beth being anything close to mature. “What, are you serious? That girl’s gonna be a kid for life! Ten years from now she’ll still be eating sweets for breakfast, calling everyone 'Mister' or 'Miss'...”
The topic shortly got off-hand, when I started to seriously think about it. What kind of future could Beth possibly have, in a place like this? It wasn’t a matter of years… She could die any day now, and it would be my fault for not looking after her properly.
Millie saw the stern look on my face, and must’ve thought I was kidding around. She thumped me hard on the shoulder, chuckling for the first time since our reunion.
“Check you out! No living girls to date, and you still became an overprotective dad!” The comment was greeted with a moment of silence, dragging up the memory of Leo and his wife. Perhaps they were watching over Beth, watching us from someplace…
Even with those we’d lost on my mind, I still couldn't stop myself from smiling. “On the way here, I don’t know… The three of us kinda became our own little family. Maybe you and Harry can get in on it too!”
Millie giggled, shaking her head with scepticism. “Harry? You mean that greaser from the 50’s you came in with? What’s his deal, anyway?”
I had to appreciate her fairly-accurate comparison, since he was admittedly the strangest-looking evacuee in the whole complex. With everything I’d learned about him, I knew that Millie would have a lot of fun barking up that particular knife-wielding tree.
My tired eyes scanned the hall with very little effort to try and find the duo, and to my own surprise, I could just barely caught a glimpse of Ian and Harry. They were still hiding away from the rest of the centre's residents, lodged into a small alcove with their fists scrunched into each other’s clothes.
Ian hid himself behind Harry’s larger stature, although it was obvious that he was being comforted rather than assaulted. Despite my own aversions to the thug, I could already tell that he was into the whole 'protecting Ian' thing. One less chip on my shoulder.
The befitting couple made me smile, whereas Millie eagerly tried to pry information out of me about them. I refused to say a word, deciding it would be best to let the two guys have their tender moment in peace.
Thinking about our 'little family' suddenly reminded me of another group we had recently encountered. I asked Millie for details about the scavengers we found on the railway tracks; the spotty teenager, the tall suited man and the tiny woman with glasses.
“I remember the policemen sending that team out, yeah. I don't think I've seen them back here yet... and it's getting dark outside. Doesn't look too good, sorry.”
I didn't know what I expected, really. Compared to everyone else, I had things easy from the start. The three of us figured out the patterns of the Lost, found lockable shelter and stayed inside when the situation called for it. Most people didn't have that luxury.
Millie's gaze drifted away from the conversation, and for some reason she stood up defensively. I turned around to find my mother and Beth protesting against one of the uniformed men. Harry must’ve caught sight of the commotion as well, grabbing Ian's hand before joining our beeline of a sprint.
We didn’t know how many seconds it would take before the yelling officer resorted to the violence we’d already seen from his kind. Once we got closer, we could hear the discussion flowing between the nurse and the man guarding the doorway.
“Please... Mr. Watson needs his insulin, and the Cantern family still don’t have painkillers or even bandages for their wounds. We need more medical supplies, or half the people in here will be dead by the end of the week!”
What she was saying was obviously true. Looking around, every single resident was either elderly or in a constant state of unrest. Even if their bodies held on, most of them were already broken inside.
The man moved his hand towards his taser, but stopped once he saw the barrage of young people barrelling towards him. “Ah, perfect timing. Get this woman and her stupid girl under control, or you're all out of here.” The order was not well-received.
“Didn't you hear her?!” Harry spat into the cop's face. “People are dying! Pull your shit together and bring us some help, or fuck off and get eaten! Ain’t nothing to me!”
The policeman’s glistening badge read as SP. Burkley, the superior officer in the community centre. Acting as mature as his title, he slammed the rowdy thug backwards and grabbed his nearest victim by the hair… of course, it had to be poor little Bethany.
He probably wanted to use her as insurance, although it only served to highlight his own disregard for our safety. The child pulled and kicked at the man, forcing him to tighten his grip on her blonde locks. A weak cry escaped her scrunched-up face, unable to break free.
“O-Ow! L-Let me go... Help, Mister!!”
Reacting instantly to the threat, the half-broken Ian and I tried to reach her, but three more officers appeared out of nowhere and blocked our path. According to them, we were the ones who were acting disorderly.
“Don't even touch her!!” I barked at Burkley, with as much venom as I could muster in my panicked state. He merely cackled it off, throwing her head to the side and out of harm’s way.
With a build that towered even Harry's, the officer managed to shrug it off with ease. I had a feeling that we’d went too far, although it definitely seemed like he’d antagonised us on purpose.
“...Urgh... Luckily, I still have some use for you brats. Otherwise, you'd already be out of here.” He distantly nodded to yet another guard on the other side of the room, who started pillaging through the medical corner. They emptied everything onto the floor, including my rucksack full of stockpiled supplies.
“Looks like you had quite the stash up there. Planning on going somewhere? Well, I suppose that doesn't matter... This woman says we need medical supplies. You lot are going to get them for us.”
It was true that we desperately needed more resources. Even so, there was no sense in risking our lives outside the centre, especially when the armed police could easily make the trip themselves. Nothing they did was efficient, almost on purpose...
Millie stood up on her toes, getting right into Burkley’s face as she flat-out denied his request. “Oh, yeah? What if we don't? I'm sick of you treating us like dogs, go play fetch by yourself!”
The officer barely reacted, blowing some hot air out of his nose as he scrunched it up at us. “I'm glad you asked, young lady. You've got three days.” He held up his fingers to confirm that we all understood what 'three' meant. “North-West of here, the old Medical School should be full of surprises. I'd suggest you start there. If you're not back here before then—”
“Then what?” She just had to ask.
“Well, dear… For your parents’ sake, let’s just hope you are.”
----
We weren't allowed to take any of our stuff, in the end. Not our rucksacks, not our weapons, not even the food I planned on sharing with the evacuees once they were free from those pigs.
Ian took one long last look at his mother and father, who only glanced in his general direction. With his many double-chins, Ian's father shook his head disapprovingly; he must’ve figured it was his son's fault, after being threatened with eviction by Burkley.
My mum was clearly distraught, blaming herself and wishing that she’d never bothered asking for help. I put on a brave grin and told her that I would've went anyway, if I knew that she needed more medicine... regardless of whether she wanted me to or not.
I didn't know how much of that admission was true, but it calmed her down knowing how stubborn I could be. It never stopped her from worrying about her own life or everyone else’s relatives back in the centre, however.
It was difficult for us to decide on what to do about Beth, whether it was safer for her inside or outside the community centre. My mum insisted that she stays close to us, away from the prison camp that was our only refuge.
“You be a brave girl out there,” she whispered into Beth’s ear. “I'll hold the fort until you come back... You have no reason to be scared, darling. Not with this many guardians.”
She was right, it was better to drag Beth along with us. We couldn’t risk her being kicked out if we never made it back, not without anyone left to save her. We all put on a weak smile for the concerned nurse, trying to not show our dread as we approached the darkening exit.
Millie, Beth and I gave my mum one final hug before being thrown outside by the policemen. Before we knew it, the front gates were slamming shut behind the five of us.
I broke our group’s paralysis by stepping forth into the rasping street, painfully aware that it belonged entirely to the Lost. The only comfort I could hold was the fact that we were all filled with the same trepidation, the same fear for whatever lurked in the shadows. That wasn't the only thought on my mind, though...
Three days, or my mum dies.
A hoarse moan crawled up from behind us, serving as a reminder of how vulnerable we were, exposed in the middle of the invisible road. We raced against the clock towards the rising sliver of moonlight, plunging the sky above into a colder hue of black with every step.
Burkley's echoing taunts informed us from a distance. Day one was already over.
20 | How We Get By
“Keep moving!!” Harry barked simple orders as we sprinted our way through the lingering darkness. The sun had set almost an hour ago, and no one was certain that we were even heading in the right direction anymore.
Beth sat atop Ian's shoulders, looking out for any of the Lost we’d left trailing behind. “They're coming...!” She reported down to us, and soon we were on the move again.
We really only had tomorrow left, and then we would be forced to head back to the community centre, with or without the supplies. I silently hoped that SP. Burkley would choke to death on his own pompous attitude before our unlikely return.
Not long after we'd started wandering again, Millie pointed us towards a small complex of flats nearby. At least it was a sign that we were moving away from the suburban area, and back towards the city. “C'mon, we don't have much time! We'll have to spend the night here!”
She held the unlocked door open as we stumbled in one-by-one, breathless from the terrifying sprint. Feeling the need to put as much crap as possible between ourselves and the horde we'd narrowly evaded, we covered the entrance with every piece of furniture that wasn't nailed down in the lobby. With Harry leading our charge, we began ascending the staircase with an almost superhuman level of determination.
After what seemed like five steps compared to our previous mad dash, we found ourselves on the top floor of the building, where only one solitary door resided. Shelter was a welcome sight, if somewhat ill-conceived after being given the boot from the community centre and having our families' safety toyed with.
Harry made us all stand to the side as he kicked his size-11s against the metal lock. It probably hurt more than he would ever care to admit, but with another two blows, the entire mechanism came loose and the door swung open. Once inside, we did our rudimentary safety sweep of the entire flat.
Upon finding no Lost, and realising that we were in some fancy penthouse apartment, we saw no harm in starting a small trash-can fire like we'd done at the newsagents. It was much colder than expected, but at least we had ventilation to let some of the smoke out.
The exterior wall of the living area was basically a large glass window showing the world outside, oddly reminding me of the conference room I was in at the start of it all. It felt like weeks ago, the thought of which only depressed me.
Would my life be as slow and monotonous as the past couple of days, from now on? I wouldn't mind as much, if the ever-present danger of being eaten alive wasn't hanging over my head.
We all bunched together in anxious silence, unsure of what could be said to kick-start the evening. “...They'll be okay, right? That Burkley creep... He'd better not touch our families until we get back!” Millie raised her arms combatively. She lowered them when she began wondering who exactly she was defending.
I knew for a fact that her parents were abroad, on business somewhere or other. Seeing that she wanted to swing briskly past the fact, my childhood friend spun to jerk her thumb around the semicircle.
“Who else is at the community centre? All I know is Joanna, and...” She looked over expectantly at Ian, who was obviously trying to melt into the couch and out of our plane of existence. He just scoffed blankly with a growl.
“...Yeah, like I care. Daniel's mum seems really kind, and... I can't just leave all those people back there hanging without medicine. That's all I'm here for.”
I was worried that he wasn't taking what went down with his parents that well, and even more concerned that I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to him yet. It felt like he was avoiding me,
avoiding Beth after what happened.
Millie cast her head over her shoulder to Harry, who was also trying to stay out of the loop. “...And what about you, Mr. Cool-and-Silent?”
I think I saw something snap behind his closed eyes. “Dead. Ain't anyone left for me.” He stood up almost immediately before Millie could muster her panicked apology, and went towards the kitchen in an attempt to find some leftover food for dinner.
It took a while to recover the mood, but once we had square sausages and potato scones in the frying pan that rested over our fireplace, everything was in full-swing. Beth and Millie were chattering non-stop, and even Harry joined their conversation about the chances of locating another evacuation shelter.
As I numbly watched the debate unfold, Ian leaned in from the apartment’s master bedroom and asked me to help him case the joint. I knew it was a shoddy excuse, as soon as he timidly closed the door behind him.
It only took a moment of rummaging through the meticulously-tidy drawers before he finally brought it up. “S-So, um... I don't know how well you understood what my dad said earlier today, but... Before you hear anything from Harry, I—”
Satisfied with the conversational direction he was stumbling in, I stopped him there. All I wanted to know was that he could trust me with the truth whenever there was a problem, and I was glad he eventually came through.
“I already know, you idiot… You two weren’t exactly subtle, sneaking around like that.”
“We… We weren’t?”
“Hell, no. And it's definitely not something you should be worrying about, either. We're friends, aren't we? Especially after all of the crap we've been through... You didn't think we'd fall out now, did you?” I threw a bundle of clean shirts and socks at him. “You're stuck with us, bro!”
We both chuckled slightly, but I could tell that he was still a little embarrassed about it. Avoiding my line of sight like it was fire, Ian fumbled to open the large suitcase lying across the bed. "I guess... I'm just not that used to it. Even if you say it’s alright, I can’t pretend that everything’s going to work out someday."