by Thomas Hall
Beth nodded and then looked at her hands in her lap.
‘I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions,’ Wesley said. ‘But anyone can answer those. I won’t keep you long. As much as I hate to admit it Andrew is right, I do have a lot to do. But let me tell you some things that you should hear from me.’
Dale nodded.
‘This village is named Harmony, after my wife who sadly didn’t live long enough to see it. There are just over five hundred of us living here. A little more if you decide to stay.’
Dale nodded along as he spoke.
‘I’ve been very fortunate in my life Dale. I made a lot of money and I was able to retire a wealthy man. When the virus came, I was able to protect my nieces and some friends but not much more than that. A couple of dozen of us at most. Certainly not enough to keep the human race from becoming extinct.
‘We were able to survive in the grounds of my house for a time but I knew that it would never be a permanent home and, while my friends enjoyed the food and drink that I provided for them, I was hard at work looking for where we would go next. Paper maps Dale.’
Dale jumped at the sudden increase in volume. He wondered if Wesley was already a little bit drunk. He nodded.
‘I poured over paper maps while my friends poured bottles of priceless wine down their throats. And I found this place.’ Wesley raised his hands. ‘This little village where we could be safe and secure and invite others to join us.
‘We travelled for weeks to reach it. By then your war against the zombies had been fought and lost and they were everywhere that we went. Too many for us to fight. We had to go around them. We took detour after detour but eventually we arrived.’
Dale glanced at Beth. She did not seem to be paying much attention to Wesley’s story. He guessed that she had heard it before. She had lived through it.
‘We weren’t the first ones to get here, though,’ Wesley continued. ‘There were others. Wanderers mostly. Small groups of people who kept themselves to themselves, except when they were fighting. When we arrived, they tried to scare us away but I wasn’t foolish enough to travel without weapons.’
Wesley put his now empty glass down on the table. It rattled so loudly that Dale thought one or the other must have cracked.
‘When people are scared they behave like animals, Dale. I’m sure you’ve seen it yourself, given your line of work. They fight and they lash out. Their violent instincts come to the surface. But people like that are easy to control. They don’t really want to fight. They don’t want to think for themselves. When we arrived with our superior weapons and the will to use them, people soon saw things our way. I united the disparate tribes and Harmony was born.’
Wesley stopped speaking and sat back in his chair. He practically glowed with pride.
‘Very impressive,’ Dale said. ‘The village is a wonderful tribute to your late wife.’
Wesley nodded. ‘I’m sure we’re going to get on very well Dale.’
There was a knock on the door and a moment later it creaked open. Andrew looked in. He had restyled his hair and appeared much calmer. ‘Sir, you have an appointment with Cecily Landrake in five minutes.’
Wesley nodded. ‘Thank you, Andrew.’ He turned away from the door. Dale heard it close. ‘I need to speak to her,’ he said by way of explanation.
Beth stood up and Dale followed.
‘Thank you for seeing us,’ she said stiffly.
‘There is one more thing,’ Wesley said. He stood up and walked them towards the door. ‘Seeing as you’re a soldier Dale I might have some work for you.’
Dale nodded.
‘How would you feel about being a Patrol Man?’
‘I’m not sure what that is sir,’ Dale said.
They reached the door. Wesley blocked their exit. ‘I’m sure you’ve noticed that there aren’t any zombies in Harmony?’
Dale nodded.
‘Well, that’s because we have patrols that keep them away. A few men and women who can be trusted to keep everyone else safe from the zombies. Is that something you might be interested in Dale? Seeing as you are already experienced with firearms.’
Dale did not have any inclination to go back to fighting zombies. If he never saw another one again, he would die happily. He glanced at Beth so see if refusing the offer was a good idea. She was looking at him eagerly and he felt his heart sink. It was clear from her expression that being a Patrol Man would impress her and he was very keen to do that.
He turned back to Wesley. ‘Anything I can do to help.’
‘Good lad,’ Wesley said. ‘Of course I’ll give you some time to settle in. You need to get that shoulder seen to for a start. I’ll send Solomon around to see you in a few days. Okay?’
Dale nodded. The door was opened. He followed Beth out of the office and into the hall where there were now twice as many people standing to watch them.
CHAPTER 6
A WEEK LATER DALE STOOD OUTSIDE BETH’S HOUSE and knocked on the door. A minute seemed to pass before she answered it. She was dressed in a grey hoodie and blue tracksuit trousers. She smiled when she saw him.
‘Come in,’ she said.
Dale followed her into her house and closed the door behind him.
‘Do you want a drink?’
‘Have you got any coffee?’ Dale said.
‘Sure.’ She went into the kitchen. ‘Take a seat in the living room and I’ll bring it through. White or black?’
‘Black. No sugar.’
Dale went into the living room. She had tidied since his last visit. There was no sign of the blanket and the books that had been piled up on the floor were now neatly put away on shelves. There was no television but, even if there had been, he doubted anything was being broadcast now.
He sat down opposite the chair he thought she favoured. A couple of minutes later Beth walked in with two large cups. She handed one to Dale and sat opposite him. He watched her bring the cup to her nose and inhale.
‘God, I’m going to miss this stuff when it’s gone,’ she said.
Dale sipped his coffee. It was too hot but a moment later the caffeine hit him and it didn’t matter. ‘I haven’t had coffee in months,’ he said.
They sat in silence for a moment and enjoyed the increasingly rare coffee.
‘How are you settling in?’ Beth said.
‘Good, thanks. Everyone’s really friendly.’
‘Have they found you somewhere to live yet?’
He nodded. For the first few days after his arrival, he had been staying in the hospital. ‘A little cottage between here and the town hall. It’s nice. You should come by one day, I’ll make you lunch.’
Beth blushed. She turned away. Dale realised that he’d asked her on a date. He hadn’t intended to. It had just been meant as a friendly gesture because he was grateful for everything she had done for him. He tried not to make it worse by explaining himself or taking it back. Besides, if she agreed, he would love to take her on a date.
‘I saw Dr. Berlin on the way over,’ he said, quickly changing the subject. ‘He said the stitches could come out next week.’
‘That’s good,’ Beth said. She turned back towards him. The colour was still in her cheeks. She looked even more beautiful than before.
‘How’s Dawn?’
Beth shrugged. ‘She’s a pain in the arse like all teenagers.’
Dale smiled.
‘So do you think you’re going to stay then?’ Beth said.
Dale nodded and swallowed the last mouthful of his coffee. ‘If you’ll have me.’
Beth managed not to blush that time but Dale turned away. He didn’t seem to be able to string a sentence together without revealing his interest in her. She made him feel like an awkward teenager.
Beth put her cup down. ‘Maybe I could show you around,’ she said.
‘Now?’ Dale said.
‘If you’re not busy?’
‘No. Now’s good.’
‘Let me go and put on so
me better clothes.’
She stood up and walked out of the room. Dale watched her go. When he heard her walking up the stairs, he stood up as well, picked up her cup and took them both through to the kitchen.
Ten minutes later she came back down the stairs and found him at the sink doing the washing up.
‘You don’t have to do that,’ Beth said.
Dale turned around and saw her standing at the door. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black jumper that hung off her shoulder revealing a bra strap. She had put on some subtle makeup and tied her hair back.
‘It’s no problem,’ Dale said. ‘You can dry if you like?’
Beth grabbed a towel and they stood at the sink together washing and drying. Dale did his best not to look at her and stared into the back garden through the window.
The weather had turned warm. It was the middle of the afternoon when they finally left Beth’s house. Dale took off the jumper he had been wearing and carried it under his arm. He wanted to take Beth’s hand but he didn’t dare. He couldn’t deny the fact that he fancied her but she was also the closest thing to a friend he had in Harmony and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise that.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. His shoulder began to throb gently.
‘Where are we going first?’ he said.
‘I thought we could go and visit some friends,’ Beth said. ‘You haven’t really met anyone properly yet, have you?’
‘I guess not,’ he said.
‘It can’t be much fun only having me.’
‘I don’t mind.’ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile to herself but didn’t say anything.
In the distance, he could hear people talking. They were far away but there were a lot of them. It was easy to imagine that all five-hundred of the people Wesley had claimed lived in the village were gathered together around a corner. There was little to suggest the danger that lurked just out of sight on the other side of the forest that surrounded them.
After a few minutes, they approached a small group of terrace houses. They looked like they were a hundred years old but they had been kept in good condition. The lawn in the shared garden was short and neat. They stopped at a wooden gate and Dale held it open for her.
‘Who lives here then?’ he said.
‘You remember Oscar and Noel?’ Beth said.
Dale shook his head.
‘Little and large. We met them on the way to see Wesley last week.’
Dale nodded. ‘Yeah, I remember them.’
‘The middle one’s there’s.’
He followed her through the gate and she knocked on the door. A few minutes later Oscar came to the door. He was wearing a purple smoking jacket and beamed when he saw them.
‘Come in, come in! We’re taking tea in the conservatory.’
Dale followed Beth into the house. It smelled of perfume and every surface was clean. Unlike Beth, Oscar and Noel seemed to have gotten rid of everything that belonged to the previous owners and filled it with their own belongings. They followed Oscar through the living room where there was a framed photograph of him and Noel wearing suits, covered in confetti and standing in front of a familiar building.
Noel stood up when he saw them. He was dressed more casually than Oscar, in jeans and a white shirt. The conservatory was bright and warm as if it had caught and kept the sun. There was a white tea set in the middle of the table.
‘More cups please Noel,’ Oscar said.
‘Right you are my love,’ Noel said. He turned and left them in the sun room.
‘Sit, please,’ Oscar said. ‘We were just wondering how you were getting along Dale.’
Dale smiled. He felt awkward knowing that he had been the subject of someone else’s conversation, but Wesley had told him he was he first new arrival in Harmony, so he was probably the subject of a lot of conversations.
‘So tell me. How are you finding life in Harmony?’
‘It’s good,’ Dale said.
He was saved from elaborating by the return of Noel with two matching cups and saucers. He put them down on the table and Oscar poured. The tea was little more than milk and water but while he sipped it, he didn’t have to make conversation.
‘Have you met Wesley yet?’ Oscar said.
Dale nodded.
‘He’s quite something, isn’t he?’
Dale glanced at Beth. She was hiding a smirk. She managed to nod.
‘You know we were some of the first to side with him when he arrived,’ Oscar said. ‘It would have been impossible to live for long as we were. We would probably all be dead by now if he hadn’t come along.’
‘Have you lived here for long?’ Dale said.
‘Oh we’ve always lived here,’ Oscar said. ‘Noel and I were married in the village hall.’
Dale nodded. The building in the photograph had seemed familiar.
‘Tell us about you though Dale. How did you find us? What were you doing before you came here?’
Over the last few days, Dale had thought a lot about what he wanted to tell people. He didn’t want them to know that he had been a prisoner but he had already told Beth and Wesley that he was a soldier. He’d decided that the best lie would be close to the truth.
‘I was in the army,’ Dale said.
Oscar’s eyes widened. ‘Really? How terribly exciting.’
Dale shrugged.
‘What did you do in the army? Did you see a lot of action?’
‘I was at Oxford Circus,’ Dale said. ‘Have you heard of it?’
‘My dear boy, I don’t think there’s a person alive who didn’t hear about The Battle of Oxford Circus. It must have been terrible.’
Dale nodded. His silence seemed to satisfy them.
‘And after that? You didn’t come straight here.’
‘No,’ Dale said. He pulled his lie from bits of information that Bradley and Velma had given him over the months. ‘We kept fighting but as you know the zombies multiplied too quickly for us to control.’
Oscar and Noel were watching him intently. They had serious expressions and nodded along as he spoke. Dale glanced at Beth and saw that she was watching him as well.
‘I was separated from my unit a few weeks ago,’ he said.
‘So the army is still out there?’ Oscar said.
Dale nodded. ‘There aren’t many of them left, though.’
‘Oh dear,’ Noel said.
‘We’re very lucky that you found us then,’ Oscar said.
Dale shrugged. ‘I think I’m the lucky one. If I hadn’t, I’d probably be dead by now.’
‘Oh you mustn’t say that,’ Oscar said. ‘I’m sure you know how to look after yourself.’
Dale looked at Beth. He had told her a different story to explain the bullet wound. If he needed to, he could make the stories match but she seemed satisfied that he wouldn’t want to reveal all the gory details of his arrival to people he didn’t know.
They drank their tea and spoke of more mundane matters. Oscar and Noel were trying to rally everyone to compete in a gardening competition which they would judge. They thought it would take people’s minds off the situation outside of Harmony but so far they had found few volunteers.
‘Maybe a baking competition,’ Dale suggested as they stood by the front door preparing to leave.
‘There used to be one on television, didn’t there?’ Oscar said.
Noel nodded. ‘I’m not sure, though. Food is such a valuable commodity. It seems a touch insensitive to make a competition out of it when we know there are people starving.’
‘Maybe you’re right my love,’ Oscar said. ‘After all, everyone has a garden and maybe a competition will convince them to start tending them. If the village looks nicer, we will all win.’
‘A good point,’ Noel said.
Dale smiled at them and followed Beth out the door to calls of thanks and invitations to return whenever they liked.
They stopped a few metres down the road and
around the corner. Dale let his body sag. He felt as if he’d been standing to attention for the whole hour that they’d been with Oscar and Noel.
‘They’re exhausting,’ he said.
Beth smiled and it became a laugh. ‘I know. But they can be good fun.’
‘Do you see them a lot?’
‘Not that often. I like them, though.’
Dale smiled. As exhausted as he felt he was also full of energy. Without thinking about the consequences he took her hand and led her along the road. ‘Where next?’ he said.
‘Michael and Rosa. You’ll like them.’
‘I liked Oscar and Noel,’ he said.
‘I know but Michael used to be in the airforce. You might have more in common.’
Michael and Rosa lived in a small thatched cottage near the middle of the village. They saw a group of children coming along the street towards them and Beth let go of his hand.
‘Afternoon Miss Malone,’ one of the boys said. He looked like he was about twelve but he stood a head above the other four children, two boys and two girls.
‘Shouldn’t you lot be in school?’ Beth said.
‘Miss Melendez sent us to give a message to Dr Berlin,’ the boy said. They had stopped in the middle of the street so that other people had to walk around them.
‘Is everything alright?’ Beth said. ‘Is somebody hurt?’
‘I don’t think so,’ the boy said.
‘Well, what was the message then?’ Beth said.
The boy shrugged. The other children in his group were stifling laughs. ‘She wrote it down. I didn’t read it.’
Beth looked at them. Dale could see her trying to work out whether the boy was lying or not. ‘Well, you’d better hurry back to school, hadn’t you?’
‘Yes Miss Malone,’ the boy said.
They stood and watched the children walk back up the hill. When they were out of sight, Beth turned to him.
‘That boy is trouble,’ she said.
Dale nodded. He didn’t tell her that he saw a lot of himself in the boy. He had been popular at school, a sort of ringleader. Always in trouble. Things looked different now that he was an adult but he hadn’t forgotten.