by Thomas Hall
‘They aren’t here to protect me,’ Dale said. He started to pace.
‘Why are they here then?’ Wesley said.
Dale stopped and brushed dust off an old table lamp that would probably never be switched on again. ‘I can’t tell you that.’
‘Of course you can’t and neither can they. So who am I supposed to trust Dale? You or the men with the big guns who say they can keep the village safe?’
‘You know me Wesley.’
‘Do I?’ He paused for a fraction of second but not long enough for Dale to reply. Perhaps he didn’t want to know the answer. ‘I’m not choosing between you and them. This isn’t about that.’
‘What is it about then?’ Dale said.
‘It’s about keeping as many people safe as I can. The army can protect us better than a half dozen amateurs with guns they don’t know how to use. Life isn’t getting any easier out there you know. The reports I’m getting back make it sound like it’s worse than ever.’
‘So I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life hiding in Beth’s basement?’
‘If it keeps the rest of the village safe? Yes.’
Dale felt like storming out but he didn’t. He paced around the room some more, unsure what he wanted to say. He didn’t have the vocabulary to express what he felt so sure was right: that this wasn’t fair. That he was important and needed to be considered as well.
‘I know it’s not going to be easy,’ Wesley said. He stood up and walked past Dale to the drinks counter. He put the two empty glasses down. ‘Not for any of us. But this isn’t forever. We don’t know what’s going to happen in another six months.’
‘It won’t get any better,’ Dale said.
Wesley poured them each another drink. This time, Dale took his and swallowed half of it in one go.
‘But even if they get worse they will be different. You won’t have to hide forever Dale.’
Dale swallowed the rest of his drink and put the glass back down.
He turned towards the door and then back to Wesley.
‘Does she know?’ Dale said.
‘Not yet,’ Wesley said.
‘Let me tell her.’
‘If that’s what you want.’
‘It is.’
They stood together for a few more awkward moments and then Dale left.
Dale walked through the village and it was no longer quiet. At first he thought that the people who had stayed away earlier in the day had decided to come out. When he got closer to the source of the voices, he saw that it wasn’t the case.
Dale stuck to the back roads and shadows but even so he couldn’t avoid seeing the soldiers. They seemed to swarm through the streets in pairs and threes. They had guns and knives strapped to them.
He could hear them talking to one another. One soldier said: ‘I’m going to take a place down by the river.’ Another said: ‘Not for me, I want to be where the action is. Plenty of space in the town centre.’
Dale wondered if they were all moving in. He hoped they were talking about abandoned properties and not planning to evict people and families. But even if they were, as Wesley said, how were you supposed to fight an army?
The soldiers didn’t appear to be going anywhere in particular. They were easy to avoid. Dale flitted from one group to another, catching snippets of conversation.
He turned down a blind alleyway. Lost in thought, Dale let his guard down and didn’t notice the three soldiers standing at the end sharing a smoke. He stopped when he heard guns being cocked.
‘Who’s there?’
Dale began walking back the way he had come without turning around. He moved as quietly as he could.
‘What’s your name?’ the same voice said. ‘Identify yourself.’
A moment passed and then another man said: ‘There’s no one there, leave it.’
‘I heard someone.’
‘It was probably just the wind.’
Dale stopped while he imagined all three of them staring into the darkness and listening for the slightest sound. He held his breath.
‘Fuck it,’ the first soldier said.
Dale breathed a silent sigh of relief when he heard the gun being lowered.
‘This fucking place,’ the first soldier said.
Dale turned and walked out of the alleyway where he had come in. He heard the soldiers start muttering to one another again.
It took nearly an hour to reach Beth’s house from Wesley’s. The further away from the village hall he went the sparser the groupings of soldiers became. Dale didn’t recognised any of them from his time in the compound.
There was a light on downstairs. No one had electricity in Harmony but some people were more stuck in the old routines than others. It would make more sense to wake up with the sun and go to sleep with the moon but after a lifetime of artificial light that was a difficult pattern to fall into.
Dale knocked on the door. It seemed too loud.
The door opened and Beth smiled at him. She looked as if she might have been asleep. She asked him in and he saw the evidence of an evening nap (thick blanket, paperback book and glass of wine) on the sofa by the kitchen.
‘Do you want a drink?’ Beth said. She picked up her half finished glass and swallowed it in one go.
‘Please,’ Dale said.
He followed her into the kitchen. She picked up a bottle of red wine from the table and took a glass out of the cupboard.
‘He let you go then?’ Beth said.
‘Sort of,’ Dale said. He didn’t know how to tell her.
‘What do you mean?’ She handed him a glass of wine.
‘Have you seen the soldiers?’ Dale said.
She frowned at him.
‘Have you been out since you picked up Dawn from school?’
Beth shook her head. She had no idea what transformation had come over the village in the last few hours. Dale wondered how many other people were in the same position. They would wake up tomorrow morning and find their village overrun by the army.
‘Come with me,’ Dale said. He put his glass on the table, took Beth’s from her and did the same. He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen.
‘We need to be quiet, Dawn’s asleep.’
Dale wasn’t making any noise. Two steps later he realised what she meant and didn’t correct her.
He opened the door to her bedroom. It was at the front of the house. Beth reached for a lamp but he led her to the window before she could light it.
‘What are you doing?’ Beth said. She still hadn’t caught on.
‘I need to show you something,’ Dale said.
Dale opened the curtains. At first he couldn’t see anything except darkness. After a few moments his eyes adjusted. He looked down but there was nobody there.
‘What am I supposed to be looking at?’ Beth said. She couldn’t see anything either.
‘Give it a minute. I think they’re patrolling.’
‘Give what a minute? Who…’
Two soldiers appeared at the end of the road. They weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere. If it hadn’t been for the big guns they were carrying they might have been villagers out for an evening stroll.
Beth watched the men in silence. Dale watched her. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking but it wouldn’t take long for him to find out.
‘What are they doing here?’ Beth said. ‘Are they… do you know them?’
Dale shook his head. ‘No. But they’re from the compound.’
She turned away from the window towards him. He could see that she was worried. ‘How do you know? What are they doing here?’
‘I think they’re looking for me.’
She didn’t know exactly what had happened to him in the compound. He had told her that he’d disagreed with what they were doing (without mentioning that it was because they were doing it to him) and he’d gone AWOL. ‘Why though?’
‘You know why Beth. It’s desertion.’
She shook her head. She d
idn’t understand. ‘But why does it matter? Why do they care so much?’
Dale didn’t know whether they would care as much if they didn’t want to run their tests on him. If he was just a regular soldier, they might not have come looking for him. But they would have had every right to do so. ‘I don’t know.’
Beth looked at him and he could see that she suspected he was keeping something from her. She didn’t say it though. She pulled the curtains closed and walked past him out of the room.
‘Where are you going?’ Dale said. He followed her.
‘Well, you need to stay here don’t you?’
‘If you don’t mind having me?’
‘Of course I don’t. You know that isn’t what I meant.’ She walked down the stairs. ‘You can’t just walk around here with all the curtains open and the lights on, can you?’
‘I suppose not.’
‘Have you eaten?’
‘Not since breakfast.’
She nodded. ‘Then we’ll have something to eat and drink and try to work out what this means.’
Dale stood in the doorway while Beth went into the living room and closed the curtains. ‘Thank you,’ he said.
‘You don’t need to thank me,’ Beth said. She stopped in front of him and put her hands around his neck. She looked up into his eyes.
‘I want to,’ Dale said.
‘Later. Dinner first and then we can go to bed.’
He kissed her. They did not get around to working out what the soldiers arrival meant that evening.
CHAPTER 12
THE CURTAINS SEEMED TO GLOW. CLOUDS OF PALE dust floated in the air. Dale didn’t move. He was laying on the floor by the side of the bed. He had seen the sun rise. Beth was still asleep.
He couldn’t hear anything outside of the house. That made him worry more. If they were out there then they would be keeping quiet. They wouldn’t want him to know they were there. Of course if they weren’t there he wouldn’t hear them either but he didn’t have to worry about them not being there.
‘Dale?’ He heard Beth roll over on the bed. Her face appeared over the side. ‘What are you doing down there?’
‘Nothing,’ he said. He didn’t move.
Beth yawned. ‘Come back to bed.’
‘I’m fine down here.’
‘You’re being silly.’
He didn’t say anything. She rolled away from him and he heard her getting up. She stopped by the door at his feet. She was wearing the pink pyjama shorts and vest that she’d gone to bed in.
‘Do you want something to eat?’
‘Downstairs?’
‘That’s where we normally eat.’
Dale nodded. ‘Make sure all of the curtains are closed. And check outside to make sure no one’s there.’
Beth sighed and left the room.
Dale stared at the cracked ceiling. It had been three weeks since he’d moved in with Beth and Dawn.
The house was dark when he got downstairs but he could hear Beth and Dawn in the kitchen. He stopped outside the door and listened to them.
‘Just keep your nose out of it,’ Beth said.
‘I’m only saying. You’re the one who’s always saying I should tell the truth,’ Dawn said.
Dale wondered what they were talking about. He could hear pots and pans being moved around and plates being put down.
‘That’s not the same as just saying whatever stray thought happens to pop into your head.’
‘Or maybe it’s because I’m saying what you’re already thinking.’
‘That’s not what it is. Are you ready for school?’
‘It’s a Saturday.’
‘Is it? Of course it is.’
Dale went into the kitchen. They were standing by the table. There was something burning on the stove.
‘Morning Dale,’ Dawn said. She was grinning.
‘Hi,’ he said. He was glad she wasn’t going to school. Whenever she was at school, he worried about who she was talking to. Who she was telling that he was staying with them. He turned to Beth. ‘Smells good.’
Beth had frozen in the process of putting a clean glass on the table. When he spoke she turned to look at the stove. ‘Oh shit!’ She dropped the glass and it hit the floor. She stopped halfway between the oven and the table.
‘It’s alright, I’ve got it,’ Dale said. She nodded at him and then went to the stove. He crouched down and started picking up pieces of glass from the tiles.
The kitchen only looked out on the back garden but the curtains were closed. It was dark but he could see well enough to pick up the glass. He cradled it in his hand and carried it across to the bin.
Beth had taken the frying pan off the heat. She had put it in the sink and was washing the blackened remains of the eggs she had been cooking down the drain.
‘Is everything alright?’ Dale said.
She bit her lip and nodded. ‘Everything’s fine.’
Dawn was standing by the door, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
‘We might go out for a walk later,’ Beth said. ‘Do you want to come?’
Dale turned away. ‘You know I can’t.’
‘What if we wait until it’s dark?’
He shook his head. ‘It’s too dangerous. If someone sees you with me… they might hurt you.’ He didn’t think that they would really. He just didn’t want to tell her what he was really afraid of.
‘You need to get some fresh air,’ Beth said.
‘I’m fine.’
She turned back to the oven and stared at the curtains which were closed across the window. ‘How long are we going to have to live like this?’
Dale walked up behind her and put his hands around her waist. ‘It won’t be forever.’
‘How long though?’ Her body jerked slightly. Dale thought she was crying.
‘I don’t know Beth. It’s not like I planned it. I don’t like it any more than you do.’
‘But you’re not doing anything about it.’
‘What am I supposed to do? I can’t fight an army by myself.’
She turned around in his arms. Her eyes were pink but she was no longer crying. ‘What if you don’t have to fight? We could leave.’
‘Leave Harmony? Where would he go?’ The idea was ridiculous. They were lucky to have what they had. ‘You don’t know what it’s like out there Beth. We’d be fighting every day just to stay alive.’
‘We could do it though. Couldn’t we?’
Dale shook his head. ‘Maybe but why would we? It’s safe here.’
‘Please Dale. We can’t carry on like this. The army isn’t just going to leave. They’re making this a home. Annette Harris is dating one of them.’
‘They might go. When they realise I’m not here.’
‘It’s not just about you anymore, though, is it?’
‘I don’t know.’
They looked at one another until Dawn cleared her throat. They turned to look at her. She was still standing by the door.
‘What?’ Dawn said.
Beth shook her head and extracted herself from his arms. She took the frying pan out of the sink and then dropped it. She started to cry.
Dale put his arms around her and held her tightly. She put her head against him and sobbed into his chest.
Dale looked at Beth. She was sitting by the window wearing a pale blue dress. Her hair was down and she was wearing makeup. She had her arms crossed and she was scowling at him.
He turned away from her and looked at the mantlepiece. Other people’s belongings were gathering dust. Old magazines sat untouched in a basket by the side of the sofa.
‘You know we couldn’t,’ he said.
‘I know you said we couldn’t.’ She got up and brushed down the front of her dress.
Dale stood. She was already walking to the door. ‘Beth!’
‘Save it Dale.’
He stopped at the door and watched her walk away. She went up the stairs and he returned to his seat by the firep
lace in the living room.
Dale sat up on the floor. He heard the door close and for a moment time was disjointed. He wondered if the door had woken him or if it had been something else. It was still dark in the room. The sun hadn’t risen.
He pulled himself to his feet. The bed was unmade. He walked to the door, onto the landing and down the stairs. The house was still.
In the kitchen he found an empty coffee cup and a notebook on the table. He picked up the notebook but there was nothing written on it. The cup was still warm.
He peeked through the blind into the back garden. Still dark. He had no idea what time it was.
Dale sat down at the table and wondered where they had gone. After a moment, he stood and walked back up the stairs. He stopped outside Dawn’s room and listened. He didn’t hear anything. He opened the door and looked inside. The bed was unmade and there was nobody in it.
He began to worry. His mind started to play tricks on him. He imagined the front door bursting open and a dozen soldiers storming in and arresting him. What had made Beth and Dawn leave the house in the middle of the night? What if she’d had enough of him and gone to tell someone where he was?
It was a ridiculous idea, he told himself. But it was easy to believe.
He walked through the house and wondered what he should do. He could leave. If he wasn’t there when the soldiers arrived, they wouldn’t be able to arrest him. But he had nowhere to go. They weren’t coming to arrest him. Beth wouldn’t do that. While it was true that they had been arguing more than usual lately she wouldn’t do that.
But what if she did?
He stopped in the living room and stared at the window. The curtains were closed. Outside soldiers might have been approaching the house. But that was impossible. He didn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it.
But what if he was wrong?
Dale sat down on a chair facing the window. He was tired and his body ached. It had been a month since he’d last been outside. A month away from life in the village. A month with only Beth, Dawn and occasionally Wesley for company.
He knew only from reports that there were soldiers everywhere now. They marched through the streets claiming they were protecting people from zombies. But he knew that wasn’t what they were really doing. Velma had been declared the Mayor but she hadn’t changed anything important.