“There must be about fifty or sixty of them,” he whispered. “Their clothes aren’t ripped and they’re not too decayed. I’d say they turned recently.”
“People from the army base?” asked Simon.
Tommy shrugged. He knew they had to make a run for it towards the coach. It was going to be tough because they would be in full view of the freaks. He gazed up at the night sky, as if inspiration lay there. As he stared, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Bullets rained down and the three men jumped, slamming their backs against the wall.
“What the hell?” gasped Eric, and then he clamped his hand over his mouth as the soldier glared at him.
Tommy peered around the side of the building again. “There’s a helicopter shooting.”
“Great,” said Eric. “That’s good, yeah?”
“As long as they don’t decide to blow the building,” Tommy answered. “Maybe that’s why the army base is up in flames and exploding. Maybe they did it.”
Simon tutted. “Blow up their own men? It makes no sense for the army to order that. Why would they?”
“If the place was overrun by freaks, they’d have no choice,” Tommy responded. “Too many to shoot.”
“But there would be innocent people...”
“Well, they’re all innocent really. We could easily be one of them. I think this is the best time for us to get to the coach. There are more freaks coming across the car park. Mass exodus from the base, I reckon.”
“Now?” Simon gasped. “The guys in the helicopters will shoot us.”
“If we run for the coach, jump inside and drive it, they’ll know we’re not one of those things. So then they won’t touch us, and we’ve gotta get everyone out of that building.”
“Why not get them out the back door while all this shooting is going on?” Simon suggested.
Tommy shook his head. “Too risky. I have another plan, but you’re going to have to do it, Eric, cos you’re the only one of us who can drive that coach safely.”
Eric smiled. “I’m in.”
As the helicopter moved to target the shadowy figures lumbering across the open car park, the three men raced towards the coach. Tommy reached it first and opened the door. Turning, he opened fire on the freaks that were heading their way, distracted away from the live bait inside the shop. He could see Marla beside the window and he waved at her to move away – she had to get everyone to the back of the place. When she disappeared from view, he focused on targeting the freaks that came too close.
Eric leapt up the steps of the coach, closely followed by the soldier. Once they were inside, Tommy turned and leapt in. Closing the door, he told Eric what he wanted him to do. The man’s jaw dropped open, but he checked his rear-view mirror and reversed anyway. Something went under the back wheel and he carried on going. Tommy gripped the back of Eric’s seat as the guy swerved the coach and drove forwards, heading straight towards the line of freaks. The crazies did not even bother to move; they simply kept on coming, as if they could block an oncoming vehicle of this size with their bodies. If Tommy needed any more proof that these things did not retain any of their intelligence or prior knowledge after changing, this was it. “Go for it, Eric,” he said, willing the man on.
Eric nodded and switched gears. Putting his foot down, he drove forward, smashing into the mass of bodies. Some flew to the sides from the impact while others disappeared underneath. The coach took the impact and crashed through the front of the Happy Eater. Glass shattered, splintering like rain to the ground, sparkling in the light from the lamps. As Eric slammed on the brakes, Tommy opened the door and leapt out, followed by Simon. They ran into the centre of the shop and took up positions from where they could fire easily on the freaks outside. Bullets were precious and running out.
The passengers who had been huddled behind the service bar streamed out towards the vehicle. Their faces showed assorted expressions of fear, confusion and disbelief, but they were all fuelled by adrenalin. Stay or flee? There was no question. Marla held on to Isabel, soothing her and pressing her to walk faster. The man behind them suddenly scooped up the old lady in his arms and ran with her towards the coach. Marla mouthed her thanks and then proceeded to guide everyone on board as quickly as possible. The two shop girls climbed on with bags packed full of food and drink. A couple of other guys carried more. Nothing was left behind.
“Come on,” urged Marla. “Everyone is inside.”
Tommy nodded to the soldier to climb on board. He fired off another round and did so. Tommy was last in as the doors closed. Holding on to Eric’s seat, he stared out the main window and to the side where the rows of freaks just kept coming. Whoever was flying the helicopter had figured it out, because no shots hit the coach. The target had been changed to further away.
Eric reversed out of the Happy Eater, grinding glass under the mighty wheels. The undead that did not move were quickly sucked beneath, their bones crushed into the ground. Everyone inside veered to the right as the coach turned in a 180 degree angle and then sped forward, heading back towards the motorway. On the way Tommy noticed yet another helicopter in the sky and in the background smoky flames were still rising from the abandoned army camp.
“Where to now?” asked a man, standing up and voicing the question that was on everyone’s minds.
“First things first: is everyone okay?” Marla enquired, rising from her seat.
There were murmurs of “yes” and “thank you”, and nods towards Tommy. “I think we owe a big thanks to our driver,” he replied, pointing at him. “Great driving, Eric, especially that last turn – fantastic.”
“Well, it was nothing,” the man replied. “I was glad to help.”
Ellen got up and started to clap, which was soon echoed by everyone else on board.
“I just got in contact with my commander,” announced the soldier, getting up. “The situation at that camp down the road is dire. It seems we were lucky to have been one of the latest batches of evacuees. That coach that overtook us on the motorway, well, everyone on it is fine too. They turned back. It seems the same thing has happened at other evacuee camps, so the government is introducing new procedures at the facilities that are left and everyone will be quarantined from now on. It seems people have different incubation times for the virus – in some people it is longer than twenty-four hours and that’s the problem. The people who were quarantined weren’t kept separate for long enough and looked fine. Dealing with all this is taking a lot of manpower. They’re moving army and police forces around the country.”
“What about London?” Marla asked.
“London’s screwed,” Simon replied, shaking his head. “Whole place is overrun. They’ve started putting up an electrified fence around the outskirts. Obviously, it’s a big area to cover, so that will take time.”
“What’s the point?” asked Tommy. “There must be survivors left in London. People will be hiding, too afraid to leave their places. They’ll be forgotten. And if this thing is spreading across the country, what’s the point in shutting off London?”
“Most of the undead are there. I don’t know, Tommy. Calm down. I don’t make the rules.”
Tommy sighed. “Okay, I know, but we need a plan. We’re heading back the way we came and need to make a decision.”
“I don’t know what camp we can go to. My commander said he will get back to me. He is trying to find out what places have been overrun and which ones the army is being sent to now, to try to quarantine everyone and prevent the same disaster happening again. They are also trying to find new places. There are so many potential facilities. He’s looking into it. But many communications are down. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the mobile network is out. It’s not working anymore.”
There were murmurs around the coach as people checked their phones. “How are we supposed to contact our families?” was the most common question.
Simon shook his head. “I’m just taking orders. The network is down. The inte
rnet went down ages ago, as you probably know. Only the army communications, transport networks, gas and electricity are working. Trains are still working in order to evacuate people and…”
“But why our communications – mobile and internet?” asked Marla.
“I don’t know.”
“It’s like we’re in the shadows,” she added. “We don’t know what’s going on.”
“I don’t know much more,” the soldier admitted. “Sorry.”
“Perhaps we should all get some sleep,” suggested Isabel. “We are all tired and short-fused. A good sleep will help. Things always look better in the bright light of day.”
“She has a point,” Ellen agreed. “We’ve been through a lot. Our nerves are shaken to pieces. We should rest. It’s not as if we can do anything.”
“And we need our strength,” added Marla. “I think it’s a good plan.”
“So, should we keep driving or pull over?” asked Eric. “I can keep going or stop. I’m easy.”
Tommy glanced at him. “You probably need a break as much as the rest of us. I figure we should stop. It’s a good idea. The freaks can’t get in here. We’re high up. They can’t reach the windows and the door is secure. And we can take it in turns to keep watch.”
“Two people at a time,” said Marla. “We’re on the motorway, so we have a clear view in all directions. There’s nowhere for anyone to hide. We’ll just see them coming. Plus it will be better when it’s light – the dead seem to go to ground.”
“Look!” said a woman, pointing in the distance. “There’s a fire over yonder – an explosion maybe?”
Everyone craned their heads to look.
“That’s frightening,” said Ellen, looking at her sister. “I wish I knew if Mum was okay.”
Marla forced a smile. “I’m sure she is. Cornwall is safer.” She turned away, unable to maintain her false confidence.
Eric pulled over on to the hard shoulder and stopped the coach. Turning off the engine, he left the keys and moved out of his seat. Stretching his legs, he glanced around. “We can see in all directions from here,” he said. “Seems safe enough.”
“Right, we should turn off the lights in the coach,” Tommy advised. “No one put a light on. If you need to, use a torch or your mobile, but keep it low.”
“We have refreshments,” said Bella. “We brought everything that was in the Happy Eater.”
“I also have some paper cups, tea, coffee, powdered milk and a few canisters of hot water, if anyone needs a brew,” Claire added.
There were murmurs of approval and several people got up. The girls smiled brightly, pleased to have done something helpful for the group.
“What about your families?” asked Marla.
Bella smiled. “Mine are abroad on holiday at the moment. I stayed. Needed to work – money for college, and going with the old folks cramps my style. I wish I’d gone now though,” she added.
Her colleague, Claire, nudged her and replied with a strong Irish accent, “I’ve just got my dad and stepbrother. They’re in Dublin, so I’m hoping they’re safe. Last thing I heard they were, so I’m not too worried.”
Marla grinned. “I hope so. Can I nab one of those teas you were talking about and any bar of chocolate. I need some sugar and maybe the tea will help me relax.”
“Doctor’s orders,” said Bella.
Marla took the tea and chocolate, and moved back to her seat. Her sister came to sit by her. “You having anything?”
Ellen shook her head. “I’m too wired up. I just want to sleep.”
Marla nodded. “Sure, just snooze. Try not to worry. We just need to find another facility to go to. There must be some that are safe.”
“I just can’t believe they messed up. Why didn’t they check people?”
“Guess they didn’t know what they were dealing with.”
“But we saw people change. Why assume the virus would act the same in everyone and why didn’t they just quarantine them all?”
Marla shrugged. “I don’t know, little sis, it’s beyond me. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. I think everything at the moment is guesswork.” She looked up. “Hey, Tommy, can we keep the radio on? We might hear something?”
He nodded and checked the stations. Most were just white noise or people discussing religious topics and the end of the world. Finally, he fixed on the official station for the government. People were still being told they would be evacuated, and to remain in their houses and arm themselves until further notice. There were also warnings against looters – that they would be arrested by the police, which seemed ridiculous to Tommy in the current situation. He had a restless feeling that things were speeding up; soon everything would be moving too fast for anyone to be able to do anything about it.
“I’ll keep first watch,” he offered.
“I’ll join you,” said the soldier.
Thursday, 30
Early next morning, Eric prepared to set out again in the cool while the sun was still low in the sky. Its rays lit up the countryside all around. The beauty and ordinariness of the environment was both welcomed by and disconcerting to the passengers. It seemed to promise something that was already out of their reach.
“Wakey, wakey!”
Marla stirred and opened one eye to see Tommy grinning at her and holding a paper cup of coffee. “The croissants are still good if you want one as well.”
“Oh God, I’d love one,” she replied, wiping the sleep from her eyes and sitting up. “But I’d love a shower even more.”
“Ah, some things are out of my hands,” he answered with a smile. “Here, take this and I’ll be back with a croissant.”
“He’s in a chirpy mood, considering...” Ellen remarked.
“Yeah, he was always like that in the army. No matter how bad the situation, he’d be like this. I think he did it to improve morale.”
“That sounds like army talk,” said Ellen, nudging her. “Us normal people say cheer you up.”
Marla grinned. “Yeah, I guess we’re far from normal. Anything happen while I was asleep?”
Ellen shook her head. “Same old, same old. Zombies on the loose, and we’re stuck in a coach sipping tea and coffee.”
“Now you’re at it...”
“The whole morale thing? I guess so!” said Ellen, taking a swig from her can of lemonade.
“Any word on where we are going?” Marla asked Tommy when he reappeared with three pastries.
He shook his head. “Soldier boy is waiting to hear from command.”
“Anything on the radio?”
“Same recorded message – that people are being evacuated, but no other details. They don’t say where the facilities are.”
“It was by leafleting and specific areas, so maybe that’s just to avoid there being too many people, or to keep these places safe, I dunno. I have no explanations. We’re in a fix, Tommy. What are we going to do?”
He shrugged and sat down opposite them. “I’m going to eat this thing and hope inspiration comes to me.”
“Ah, you’re no help this morning. Did you sleep?” Marla asked.
“Of course. I only woke a little while before you,” he admitted. “And I only just woke Eric. He needed a long sleep, I figured. Nice guy.”
Marla smiled and ate her croissant in silence while staring out at the fields that were dotted with sheep. She wondered how long they would remain so. Marla wished she could have back that sense of peace. It would forever more be elusive as far as she could see.
The soldier rose from his seat and walked into the middle of the coach. “I’ve had word from my commander,” he announced. “He told us to head back to London.”
“But you said it’s full of those monsters,” exclaimed a man.
“It’s dangerous,” agreed a woman.
The soldier ignored them. “He said to head back towards London and stop outside at a point on the M25 that he’s given me. Then we will be escorted to a facility where we can stay. A sa
fe one,” he added.
“Where is it?” asked Tommy.
“He won’t tell me. He wants us to be escorted, because of problems at other camps. I think he wants us to be checked and quarantined.”
“But that makes no sense. Why can’t we just go there?”
“I don’t know. The locations are being kept secret,” the soldier replied. “He also mentioned some issues with gangs and looting.”
“But how can anyone find these safe places?” asked Marla. “That’s just wrong.”
Simon shrugged. “Those are my orders. What can I say?”
“Maybe this will change in time,” said Ellen. “They’re trying to be careful, no?”
Marla frowned. “Perhaps. I say we do as he says.”
***
Eric parked the coach on the hard shoulder of the M25 just outside London, ahead of the turn-off to a Happy Eater and petrol pumps. Visibility was perfect in all directions. The lack of trees heading down the embankment slope gave a clear view across the fields, which were empty. Nothing stirred and that was the way everybody liked it.
Friday, 31
Day turned to night and to dawn again, and no army vehicle arrived to escort them. The motorway remained eerily quiet. Simon contacted his commander and each time he was instructed to wait. There was chaos in the capital, he was warned, and things would just take time. With every passing hour, Tommy became more concerned. Marla was willing to sit it out, yet it was becoming clear to her that he was not. Most of the passengers were still sleeping, but the two of them were wide awake, keeping watch, as was the soldier at the front of the coach.
I Dream of Zombies Page 14