by Tony Thomas
‘Shit—could he have turned that quickly?’ Chris asked.
‘He must have,’ Mick answered. Then joked, ‘It’s not like they ate him or anything, there’s no gore.’
‘Not funny, Mick,’ Lincoln said. ‘I thought they said it took a few hours to change?’
‘They said minutes to hours, maybe it can happen in seconds,’ Lara said. ‘I’m glad this place is locked down, if they get in a building you could never get out.’
Lincoln looked at Lara. ‘You know, I think I’m going to ring down to the front desk and make sure the building really is locked down, if nothing else it would be good to know if we can get Uli and Stefan over here.’
Lincoln lifted the room phone and pressed the front desk button. He listened intently for several moments. The others gradually turned away from the window to look at him. After almost a minute, he said, ‘Hello? Hel …’
Lincoln listened for another few moments, then pulled the phone from his ear and looked at it before hanging up.
‘Well?’ Chris asked.
‘It kept ringing for a while, then a few clicks and I think it transferred. After another couple of rings, it was answered, or I thought it was. I think the person screaming might have knocked it off the hook.’ Lincoln looked like he had been gut punched. ‘They’re in the building.’
06:40 AEST: QF12 Sydney
As Jeff looked at his watch for the hundredth time, he was surprised that fifteen minutes had passed without incident. The tension in the plane was palpable. Despite people being able to access their phones, no one was using them to talk. There were frequent beeps and message tones but otherwise the plane was deathly quiet.
Jeff had flicked through his emails while he was waiting. He was shocked at how fast things were falling apart at home. He decided not to worry about the cost of mobile data and accessed some news sites. The more he saw, the more worried he became about what was happening to Jim.
The drink service offered by the captain didn’t look like it would happen. The crew were busily trying to keep people calm. Most people seemed to be sitting keying their phones and waiting for the thirty-minute time period to elapse.
Jeff had been working his way through various news sites when he was startled by a text message. It was no surprise that it was from Jim.
Dad, Don and Roy are here. They are OK.
Jeff breathed a sigh of relief.
‘That your boy?’ Pete asked.
‘Yes, his friends have arrived.’
‘Good news then.’
Jeff returned to his phone.
That’s great news Jim. Glad you are all safe.
Wot about you?
Still stuck on the plane, at least another 15 before we get off.
That sux. Don and Roy want to go to the rescue station
Pls don’t. Just stay home until it seems safe
Don said his mom is infected. He went to Roys house to get away from her. He sez its not safe in houses
Jim, theres no one in that house but you three. Its as safe as it can be. It cant be safe on the street
They said it was scary getting here
Exactly why you should stay. Tell them I think it is best you lock up the house and wait in the basement.
Why the basement?
Because no-one will know ur there
OK. Will talk to them
Jeff put his phone down, leaned back, and closed his eyes. Jim was a bit of a follower. He would rarely push back or disagree with his friends, and usually just did whatever they wanted him to do. It had led to him being a bit of a class clown and had been the subject of much ‘discussion’ with his ex-wife on how to correct the trait.
‘Is everything okay?’ Pete asked.
‘I think so, his buddies are trying to convince him to go to the rescue station. I tried to talk them out of it. I’m waiting to hear back on what they’re going to do.’
‘I don’t get why you’re so against going to the rescue station. It’s got to be safer than anywhere else.’
‘Look, I know it might sound safe while things are under control, but you have to get to it, and that’s not a sure thing. They’re on foot, so getting there is a major risk. Also, even if you make it—will it still be safe once you get there? Whatever this is, it sounds like it’s a long way from being over.’
‘Why do you say that?’
Jeff looked at Pete as if he were insane, and then realised that the only news Pete had heard was from the announcement on arrival. He hadn’t been looking at news on his phone like almost everyone else, nor had he had any messages.
‘Pete, I know you haven’t heard any news other than what the captain said, but this is a long way from being under control.’
‘What do you mean?’ Pete said, looking a little confused.
‘All the emails I got from work were people talking about how close they came to being killed. I’ve spent the last few minutes looking at news web sites. Europe is in a really bad way. Back home they’re saying there are riots all over the place. Hold on a sec, there’s a map on the Times site.’
Jeff quickly flicked to the map on his phone and passed it to Pete. ‘Those little red dots represent outbreaks. See what I mean? This is a really long way from being under control.’
Pete looked up from the phone. ‘It shows an outbreak here in Sydney.’
‘No wonder they’re being so careful about us. They can’t risk another outbreak.’
‘I think I can see why you’re so worried about your young bloke going out on the street now. Why don’t you get him to look at this web site?’
‘He had seen it earlier, but you’re right, I’ll get him to look again,’ Jeff said as he reached for his phone. He rapidly started to text:
Jim – have you looked at the news since that map was on CNN?
Only a second or two passed before he received a reply
No dad. Still talking about going to rescue station
Jeff said, ‘Good call Pete—he hasn’t looked at the news again’, at the same time thumbing:
Please put on news or have a look at NY Times web site before you decide what to do
OK dad
‘You know, I’m sure that when I was sixteen I would have watched the news in a situation like this,’ Jeff said.
‘You reckon? I wouldn’t have had a clue,’ Pete said. ‘Give him a break, at sixteen all you’re thinking about is sport and girls.’
As Jeff was about to answer his phone chimed.
The school isnt on the list of rescue stations anymore dad. The guys and I are going to stay here until we work out what to do.
Jeff breathed a sigh of relief, turned to Pete, and said, ‘The rescue station at the school isn’t on the list anymore. They’ve decided to stay home.’
‘I’m not really sure it’s good news that rescue stations are disappearing but I’m glad your boy is safe.’
‘Me too,’ said Jeff, as he replied to Jim’s text.
Keep an eye on the news and on the web. Make sure you keep out of sight as well. Stay safe.
You too dad. Let me know when you get to your hotel
Jeff breathed deeply as he leaned back into the seat. He wished he was back home and not half a world away from his son.
06:45 AEST: Sydney
Dan had just dozed off when he woke abruptly. There was a thumping noise he couldn’t identify.
‘What the hell is that?’ he asked himself. The noise was coming from somewhere downstairs. It was rapid but seemed to stop and start.
‘Can you hear that?’ asked Gen, as she came into the room. ‘It’s coming from downstairs.’ The lower floor of their split level house was downhill, fenced off from the street and below their main living area. There shouldn’t have been any noise coming from down there. The rooms downstairs were the laundry, a bathroom, and a rumpus room that they had converted to a home theatre. Nothing was turned on that could be making a thumping noise.
‘I have to go down and have a look,’ Dan
said. ‘It sounds like someone trying to get in, but no one should be able to get through the side gates or the fences.’ He climbed out of bed, dragged on tracksuit pants, and slipped his feet into Crocs.
‘I agree we need to check, but why not look from the back veranda? If someone’s down there, they shouldn’t be able to see or hear you if you’re quiet.’
‘Great idea Gen!’ Dan said, it was obviously the most sensible thing to do and it bothered him that he hadn’t thought of it. He really did need to get some sleep. Still, the adrenaline had kicked in now and he was wide awake again.
Dan walked quickly to the back of the house and opened the glass door to the veranda as quietly as he could. He then slid back the security grille. Immediately, he heard a woman’s voice ‘Dan, Gen, are you in there? I need help.’ Then the knocking started again.
Realising it was Joanne, he rushed over to the edge of the veranda, ‘Joanne, we’re upstairs, what’s wrong? How did you get down there?’
Joanne looked up, saw Dan, and immediately ran towards the stairs at the side of the veranda. Dan, still a little spooked and remembering the women on the street, saw Joanne running towards him and immediately dived back inside the house, slamming the security grille shut and pulling the glass door closed.
‘What was it?’ Gen gasped as Dan fumbled with the door lock.
‘It’s Joanne, she. . .’
At that moment, Joanne hit the top of the stairs and rushed towards the door. She could see Dan and Gen inside and banged on the door sobbing. They could see she was saying something but couldn’t hear what it was.
Gen looked at Dan and then Joanne. ‘What are you thinking Dan?’ she said, ‘Joanne needs our help.’ She reached for the door.
Dan blocked her. ‘She could be infected, she ran towards me when she saw me.’
‘Dan for goodness sake—she’s talking and crying. She doesn’t look rabid.’ Gen turned to the door and banged on the glass where Joanne continued to sob. She raised her voice and said, ‘Joanne! Joanne, we need you to show us you aren’t infected. Please, tell us what happened?’
Joanne looked up at Gen through the window. She said what looked like ‘Please, help me!’, but Gen couldn’t hear her through the double glazed door.
‘We will help you sweetie, we just need to know you’re okay. Tell us what happened.’ Gen turned to Dan and said, ‘Will the security door be good enough to hold her back? I don’t want to keep shouting.’
‘I guess so,’ Dan said and slowly pulled it back.
As soon as the door opened they heard Joanne sobbing, ‘Please, please, help me, let me in.’
Gen immediately flicked the lock on the security grille and pulled it back, allowing Joanne to collapse into her arms. ‘Dan, get the doors,’ she said, helping Joanne to the lounge. Dan swiftly slid shut and locked the security grille, and then closed the glass door before coming back to the lounge.
Joanne clung to Gen, sobbing. Dan looked on, unsure of what to do. ‘Would you like a cuppa?’ he said.
Gen looked at him and nodded, as she gently manoeuvred Joanne towards the lounge.
‘Joanne, sweetie, what happened?’ she said, stroking Joanne’s hair. Joanne was clearly in shock and continued to sob.
‘Mark is infected. He went crazy. He chased me. He. . .’ Joanne shuddered and started to sob again.
‘Did he hurt you?’
‘No, I heard him roaring, I ran out before he could get near me.’
Dan brought over a blanket and wrapped it around Joanne and his wife, receiving a smile from Gen as a reward. He went back to the kitchen to make the tea.
‘Go back to the beginning, Jo, what happened when you left here?’
‘Well’, Jo said mechanically, ‘I heard a scream as I got home.’
‘We know about that,’ Gen said. ‘Dan saw the attack on the street.’
‘That was an attack? Dear lord! When I heard the scream I locked the front door. I went to check on Mark, he was sick with what I thought was the flu. When I went to get him some water, the phone rang. It was some guy from AQIS who told me Mark might be infected and to lock myself in a room until the army got there.’
Dan handed a mug of tea to Joanne and another to Gen. ‘The army are coming here?’
Joanne looked up at Dan, ‘Yes, they should be here any minute. They said they would come to help me.’
Dan looked at Gen, ‘I think I should keep an eye out the front. If the army come we might be able to get help from them.’
‘Hold on a sec, Dan,’ Gen said. ‘Jo, what happened to Mark?’
‘I went to check on him and he heard me coming. He roared like an animal. I ran out the back door and climbed the fence into your yard. He smashed his way out of our room and ran into the kitchen. When he saw me sitting on the fence he ran straight towards me and slammed into the kitchen bench. His eyes … he was crazy, he had gone completely mad. He didn’t even recognise me. He just roared and came at me. When I jumped down into your yard I could still hear him howling.’
‘Did he hurt you?’ Dan asked, again becoming scared that Joanne might be infected.
‘No—last time I touched him was when I woke him up to see if he was okay after I got home. I got out of the house really fast after he changed.’
‘How long did it take for him to change?’ Dan asked.
‘I don’t really know,’ Joanne said. ‘He looked like he had the flu. I went to get him a glass of water and a Panadol, and while I was doing it, I got the call from AQIS. They were ringing to check if Mark was sick. In the time it took for Mark to ask for a glass of water until I went back to the door, it was only a few minutes, but Mark was sick before that.’
‘The woman I saw change on the road only took a few seconds.’
‘You saw someone change? When was that?’ Joanne asked.
‘Sorry—that scream you heard, that was an attack out on the street. I went to see if I could help but it was no use. The woman that was attacked changed in less than a minute. Then she attacked the guy who went to help her.’
‘Maybe the way you’re infected has something to do with it,’ Gen suggested. ‘The woman on the street was covered in blood and being beaten by the crazy. Mark wasn’t beaten up was he?’
‘No, I don’t think so. I think he must have caught it on the plane.’
‘Where did he fly in from?’ Dan asked
‘He came from Bangkok, but he was on the London flight the day before—he had a stopover.’
‘London have reported outbreaks they can’t control, but there’s no reports from Bangkok yet,’ Dan said. ‘He could have caught it either place or on the flight.’
‘I suppose it really depends on how long it takes from infection to symptoms. Uh, Jo, did the AQIS guy say when the army was coming?’
‘He said it would only be about fifteen minutes—they should be here any second,’ Jo said.
‘I’ll go keep a lookout out the front,’ Dan said. ‘Just make yourself comfortable, okay?’
‘Thanks Dan,’ Jo said. She was looking increasingly pale. Dan worried that she might be going into shock as the enormity of what had happened to her husband was only just beginning to hit her.
06:45 AEST: Princes Highway
Brick had gone uncharacteristically quiet. His hand felt like it was on fire from the graze, which was bothering him more than it should have. At the same time, he was churning through all the back roads and fire trails he knew of, trying to think of a way around the roadblock. He figured that all the major roads would already be blocked. He assumed that the minor roads would be watched and would also close pretty quickly. That left fire trails. He had already driven past some trail entrances while he was thinking about the best way to go.
He figured he needed to get on a fire trail in the Heathcote National Park. He was just about at the Mirang Road trail. He knew that road fairly well—he had worked on it just before the last fire season with some of the Volunteer Fire Fighters when they had done some back-bu
rning early in Summer. Not only that—he still had a key to the gate blocking the trail. He had hung on to the copy he had been given, thinking he might take the kids riding on one of the tracks. It looked like it might just be a drive instead.
‘You guys ready to go off road?’ Brick asked.
‘What do you mean Brick?’
‘I think we should take a fire trail. I did some work on the one just ahead last year. I know where it goes.’
‘I’m game if you are—I really won’t feel safe until we get away from here.’
Brick pulled over just short of the intersection with the fire trail. ‘Rita, can you drive please? When you see me unlock the gate drive through and go about 100 metres up the road. Far enough that you can’t see the highway. I’ll try and time it so that there aren’t too many cars going past, but either way, just drive through. I want to shut the gate behind us to cover our trail a little.’
‘Do we really need to worry about that Brick?’
‘I don’t know, but better to be safe than sorry.’ Brick looked in the rear-view mirror to make sure it was clear then quickly climbed out of the car and shut his door before walking between the car and trailer—checking the connection as he climbed over the hitch. Rita briefly considered sliding across to the driver’s side—but bucket seats and centre consoles had made that more difficult than it was worth. She opened her door and stepped out of the passenger seat, then walked around the front of the car and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Brick tried to look like he was checking a tyre as he watched the cars drive past for a second or two. No one had paid any attention to him. He wandered over to the gate, and then ducked under it before leaning on it and watching the traffic. He unlocked it while still leaning on the fence.
Southbound traffic was bumper to bumper and moving in short spurts. The road block was still making cars turn around in groups after talking to the drivers. He wondered how long that could last. Northbound traffic came in bursts—every few minutes another small group of cars would go past. Brick figured they must be blocking the road in both directions, otherwise there would be a steadier stream of cars. The people in the southbound cars all looked grim and determined. The northbound drivers looked panicky and confused.