The only way through the front was by passing through the two twelve foot gates that were securely locked from inside. There was no way the zombies could scale the fence, and only the living would be able to break through the gates by the use of a vehicle. Over the past two weeks only a few stray zombies had been seen passing the gates, and as yet, no one had seen anyone alive. They had hung signs from the top of the fence for anyone passing by to read; with an abundance of supplies to hand they wanted to help, it was the main reason they had left Chatsworth Plaza in the first place.
After taking up position inside the gate house Dave pulled out the night vision goggles from his bag. He wasn’t meant to climb the gate but couldn’t sit staring at a locked gate all night. There was no sign of any life along the front of the brick wall. The lack of zombies meant that they hadn’t yet begun foraging or migrating for fresh prey, and that for now they were content to remain in the town centre, where there was more noise. From the skyline there were still many plumes of smoke that rose from across the landscape. Over the first few days, fires could openly be seen breaking out across the landscape as the living fought the dead, but now the number had dwindled and the only ones that had managed to survive from a fortnight ago still smouldered away. Despite all of the burnt toxins that hung in the air only one smell dominated the land; it was the smell of the undead.
For Dave the strangest thing of all wasn’t the total lack of survivors, he was certain that there were plenty of them out there, scattered and hidden for the time being. He knew that the human race would find a way to survive; even if it was in small groups like their own. It was after all only a few weeks since the infection had spread, and he imagined that some people would still be holed up somewhere safe with a stockpile of supplies. What disturbed Dave was the total lack of any other life except for birds. The group hadn’t seen any dogs or cats, and even more surprisingly vermin.
Gerard found gazing out across the river at this time of day was soothing to his soul. He didn’t like watching the front as the scenery never changed as you stayed in one place, whereas here you could walk around as the waterways were so vast. Considering he had only lived down the road, not far from here, it was a place that he had never paid too much attention to. With the docks located on the edge of the town, he had passed the unwelcoming entrance a few times; never wondering what lay on the other side of the tall metal gates and high brick walls. He could never have imagined just how big the dock was, and how its strategic location was so vital to the economics of the capital before the virus broke out.
Now Gerard presumed the world was a different place and would never be the same again. The world of imports and exports driving commerce no longer mattered. What did matter was the survival of the human race and on stumbling upon this place they had a good chance of being able to make a difference. The group had openly discussed the possibility of sending out daily search parties, it was something they all felt needed to be done. Everyone had decided that they wanted to go out as soon as possible, but Kathy wouldn’t allow them to leave yet, citing the danger to themselves too great, until they knew for certain what they were dealing with. She wasn’t ready to put anyone at risk until they had searched every inch of the containers and the camp was fully prepared to take in any other survivors that they might stumble upon.
As Gerard walked along the quay he gazed at the huge warehouses and wondered how many survivors could one day call it a home in time to come. He took a few steps more and then came to a sudden stop. Gerard stared out across the water, and then rubbed at his eyes to check he wasn’t seeing things. Out in the distance something dark was in the water, he couldn’t tell what it was, but knew as he watched it that it was getting nearer.
Tilbury Docks, 17th July, 23:35 GMT
It had taken Gerard a few minutes to determine that the dark shape that drew nearer to the dock was a small rowing boat. Even now it was still too far away for him to be able to see just how many people were on the boat. He chastised himself for leaving his binoculars back at the container; he had forgotten to pack them. He eased the hand held radio from his jacket pocket and pressed the broadcast button, “Dave are you there?” He was relieved when the radio instantly spoke back to him, “What’s up MacGuyver? You’re early?” Gerard chose not to enter into a full blown conversation with his friend, if Dave took offence to his manner it couldn’t be helped. “Go wake Kathy and Morgan up.” “What’s wrong Gerard?” Dave asked in a concerned tone; the humour had left his voice. “Someone is coming across the river.”
Dave wasted no time and raced back to the epicentre of the docks. Rather than work the time consuming levers that Gerard had designed for the series of ramps, he chose to shout straight up at the open container. “Kath wake up.” He was about to call up again just as Kathy poked her head around the one closed container door. She rubbed at her eyes, as she peered down at Dave. “What’s with all the noise Dave?” “We need you down at the quay. Gerard reckons we’ve visitors on their way.” “What sort of visitors?” She nervously asked. “We don’t know yet, but they must be live ones as they are rowing across the estuary.” “Tell Gerard we will be with him in a few minutes.” “I’ll run over there now and tell him.” She shot Dave one of her scary looks, “No, on the radio. You still need to watch the front.” “But?” Now she looked just plain mad as she bellowed down, “No but’s Dave. We need to watch both ends of the dock, it could be a trick.” She disappeared back inside the container, Dave supposed to get dressed and wake Morgan up. The two of them had become inseparable ever since leaving the bunker; it was something that Dave was jealous of, he and Penny didn’t have that same bond.
Doing as he had been instructed, Dave begrudgingly made his way back to his post. He radioed ahead to Gerard as he walked back, informing him that back up was on its way. As he was so near the front gates Dave didn’t attempt to continue the conversation any further; the fact that Gerard hadn’t replied, but chose to just press the broadcast button twice told Dave that whoever was on the boat was getting closer to the quay. Gerard still stood at the front of the estuary edge, he was transfixed upon the small rowing boat as it gradually drew nearer and nearer to where he stood. He had only just sent back two clicks on his radio to let Dave know that he was okay. Although it felt rude not to answer back, he knew that he had to remain focussed on the boat and its occupants, at least until Kathy arrived.
Where the hell was she? The small boat was now just twenty feet from the quay. It was so near now that what seemed to be the boats sole occupant was waving to Gerard. The figure waving at him was definitely a man, Gerard could just about tell that much. “Hello friend.” The man in the boat called out to Gerard in broken English. It was obvious from the man’s accent that he wasn’t English. “Hello friend, you see I have white flag?” The man in the boat called out once more, but this time began waving something white above his head. Gerard took a firmer grip on the assault rifle that he held in his hands, hoping that the stranger would see that he meant business and that they wouldn’t dare to test Gerard’s faith by climbing onto the quay.
The devout Christian was relieved when he heard the running footfall, behind him. When both Kathy and Morgan appeared from around the corner he was relieved to pass the responsibility of dealing with the stranger over to them. Just as the pair reached Gerard’s position the boat finally reached the quay. Before the man could greet them Morgan had brought his rifle up level to draw a bead on the man’s face. “Stop where you are.” Kathy was quick to order the stranger in her sternest of voices. “Okay please I have the white flag, don’t shoot?” The boats occupant pleaded. “How many of you are there?” Kathy asked as Morgan swept a torch over the boats hull. “It’s just me. Just Sven.” From the light cast upon the hull they could all see that the old man in the boat below them, was indeed as he said, on his own.
The two soldiers in front of Gerard nodded to one another that they were happy with the man’s answer. Morgan still had his weapon levelled u
pon the man and seemed content for now to let Kathy handle the situation. “Climb out slowly Sven. Any sudden moves and Morgan will shoot you.” Kathy told him. As instructed by Kathy the man climbed out of the boat slowly. Once he stood upright on the quay, Kathy frisked him, looking for any kind of concealed weapon; Gerard was thankful that she didn’t find one. “Are you bitten?” Morgan asked him. The old man instantly denied that he was, “No they not bite me. You not worry, I am healthy and will not turn into one of them.” He informed them.
Gerard studied the man, apart from their own group this was the first survivor they had seen in a fortnight. The man in front of them appeared to be in his late sixties, he wasn’t frail for his age and hadn’t seemed to suffer from a lack of food since the outbreak had started. Instead the man seemed strong and healthy, despite his small frame. Looking at the skin on the man’s hands and his face, Gerard thought it had the appearance of being very weathered. This man was clearly used to the elements and was probably fitter than his age suggested.
“Where are you from?” Kathy asked him. “I came from boat further down river.” Sven explained, as he pointed up the estuary. “Why have you left your boat there?” “I come to look for food. The others are scared and want to stay behind.” “There are others?” She asked. The old man let out a dry, cackled laugh, before answering,” Yes there are many others. We all hungry.” “How many others?” The old man looked back and forth nervously between his three captors, “There are fifty two and all are healthy.” “None of you have been bitten?” Kathy asked the man, sheepishly. “No all fifty two have no bites. None of us will change. Just hungry.” Again he looked back and forth at each of the survivors, “Please I come to look for food, and to see if safe for others.” “On your own?” Morgan interrupted. Sven began to laugh again, “Yes better that way. No one scared of old Sven.” He replied. Kathy eyed the man, he seemed harmless enough as she decided what to do with him. The revelation that there were another fifty survivors was startling, it had distracted her thoughts. The fact that they had left the relative safety of the bunker to help others like themselves swayed her next decision. She smiled as she stretched out her hand to welcome the man in front of them, “Welcome to our home Sven, my name is Kathy.”
Accepting their leaders decision, both Gerard and Morgan then shook hands with the tiny man themselves. They could all see the funny side of what he had said about coming to shore all on his own. He was not much more than five feet tall and none of the trio could see him scaring anyone. Kathy invited him back to the containers to meet the others, for now the further questions she intended to ask the man could wait. They didn’t have to wake the remainder of the group when they reached the containers. Everyone had heard Dave when he had woken Kathy earlier, with the news that there might be other survivors reaching them, they had all stayed awake eager for Kathy to return.
When Kathy rounded the corner along with Morgan they were closely followed by Gerard and Sven. The sight of another live Human brought an instant silence across the expectant waiting group, which none of them seemed to want to break. “Everyone this is Sven.” Kathy informed them. “Hello, it is very nice to meet with you.” The newcomer told them, following it up with a comical little wave that suited the little man.
Every member of the group came down the ramps together, as if they were joined at the hip. As each approached Sven, Kathy introduced them one by one. She had already contacted Dave and told him to come back, and he appeared just as the last of the group was meeting the old man. For now Kathy had decided that there would be no further patrol tonight. It was the first night since they had been out in the open that everyone would be together, they couldn’t continue expecting the worst to happen.
The group had picked the containers they now lived in for a reason; with their base being in the exact centre of the docks, they had the luxury of being far enough away from the threat of zombies, to be able to light a fire. Now as they sat huddled around the camp fire they all got themselves comfortable, as they listened to Sven’s story. Sven took great delight in entertaining his captive audience. According to Sven, when the virus had first started spreading across Europe, Sven and his crew had been out at sea. They were returning to their home after delivering a consignment of timber. When they finally reached their homeland it was already too late, it had been lost to the virus. In just two days “Day Zed” had wiped out the whole country. With the port swarming with the undead, they had no choice, but to say their goodbyes and leave.
After that every port that they had stopped at was identical to that of their own. Apart from other ships that they came across whilst out at sea, everywhere else was overrun by zombies. Any smaller vessels that they came across resulted in Sven’s crew getting larger, but after just two weeks of picking up survivors out at sea the additional mouths that needing feeding left the entire crew struggling for supplies. With fuel becoming a problem Sven had decided to stop at Tilbury. He had hoped that the docks had been secured before the outbreak had taken hold of Britain. After learning not to approach ports with a big noisy boat, Sven had learnt to scout ahead first to check out a new location.
Despite all of the group listening intently to the old man’s tales, Kathy could see that most of them eyed Sven with caution. The most obvious of these was Jin-Lee; who made no secret of the fact that she didn’t trust him. When Kathy asked the girl to explain what made her feel uneasy about him, she had put it down to the way he had looked at her. “He just creeps me out.” She had told the soldier. At first Kathy assumed that Jin-Lee was just imaging things, until she had seen the same look herself.
The only two people of the group to let caution totally fly in the wind were Shanice and Heather. Although Sven was pleasant enough when he spoke to Shanice, Kathy could see that he was more interested in Heather’s attention. Women’s intuition told her that there was something predatory about the way he looked at the young woman. With her suspicions raised, she watched the man more intently, and it wasn’t long before she noticed him taking discreet peeks around the camp. Was he making a mental note of where everything was?
She moved quietly towards Morgan and explained what both she and Jin-Lee had witnessed. To her surprise Morgan agreed with what they had seen, he had seen it as well. “So what do we do now?” She asked him. “I would send him on his merry way tonight.” “What about giving them supplies?” Morgan pondered her question as he stroked at his chin. “We can let some of them come back tomorrow to get supplies. I just don’t think letting him stay here overnight is wise. There is something about him that makes me feel uneasy.” Thinking about Morgan’s opinion, she looked at him affectionately in his eyes, leaned forward and proceeded to plant a kiss on his lips. “What was that for?” Morgan asked, surprised by the usually secretive woman’s public display of affection. “Just for being there and backing me up.” She replied, whilst grinning from ear to ear.
Kathy rose up and moved from her position at the campfire, to where Sven sat. “Well Sven it’s been great having a guest, but we all need some sleep if we are going to help you and your group with supplies tomorrow.” She informed him, as she held her hand out to shake his. From the look of shock on his face, she had definitely surprised him. He reluctantly stood and then shook her hand. “Until tomorrow then.” Sven told her, before saying, “Goodbye.” Everyone in the group wished him goodnight as he began to walk off with Morgan carefully watching his every move. “Oh Sven.” Kathy called out as the man began to walk off. He turned to see what she wanted, “Yes Kathy.” “Sorry my mistake, but I didn’t say what time we will meet you tomorrow. Shall we say noon?” The little man grinned back at her, “Okay we see you at lunch.”
Tilbury Docks, 18th July, 2:32 GMT
No one had seemed to wonder why Morgan had snuck off shortly after Sven had departed the camp. Kathy had purposely forgot to mention a time to meet in order to test the man. If he had been genuine about coming back with others from his group to pick up supplies, surely he wo
uld have instantly asked her what time? The fact that he hadn’t, could only mean one thing, and that was that Sven was purely scouting the camp. He and his group had almost certainly already decided that they would be paying a visit, but it would be well before the rest of the group expected to see them. Using the shadows of darkness Morgan tailed the stranger back to his moored up boat. He didn’t return back to the camp, until Sven began rowing the small vessel back across the estuary.
When Morgan returned he found that Kathy was already busy organising the group into action. They were all now sat around the fire listening to Kathy as she set out plans that were to be carried out over the next few hours. Two of the group were to go to the front of the docks and guard its entrance, whilst a further two would guard the loading bays leading to the estuary. For now the rest of the group would re-locate to a secondary camp that had been set up for emergencies, such as this.
At first the group didn’t want to believe that the little old man that had just left them harboured hostile intention towards them. By the time Kathy had pointed out that she had intentionally tricked the man, after watching the way he had perused over every detail of the camp, and more disturbingly the way he had kept looking at Heather, they started to listen. Kathy went on to surmise that Sven had come to them on his own, in order to appear harmless and to gain their trust only to then crush that trust once it had been built. She openly admitted that she could be wrong, and that if over the next few days she wasn’t proved right, that she would be the first to accept responsibility for it.
Now as they set about re-locating, members of the group were asked to volunteer for sentry duty. An array of hands instantly shot upwards and Kathy couldn’t help but smile when she noticed that even Shanice had raised hers. “Thank you Shanice, but you’re a little young for this job.” “But, I’m eleven years old now?” Shanice protested. With their hands still held aloft in the air, everyone in the group laughed at her objections. After a few seconds of thought Kathy made her choice. “Daryl and Dave, I’d like you two to watch the front. I will take the rear with Jackson. The rest of you are to immediately proceed to the emergency camp.”
Day Zed - Box Set: Volumes I and II Page 17