by Tony Thomas
‘Sure we can,’ Lang said. ‘They’re in breach of quarantine and if you look at them you can see they’re infected.’ He turned back to Private Johnson. ‘Do it Johnno, blow the fuckers away.’
Johnno gulped as he set his rifle to semiautomatic. He took careful aim and shot a three-round burst into the chest of the lead infected. As she dropped, he shifted aim to the next closest and fired a burst. His training made it instinctive to aim for centre mass—the chest and stomach. After he had shot three targets—he couldn’t think of them as people—he noticed that the first two he had shot were getting back to their feet. ‘Fuck me Corp. They’re getting back up after I shoot them!’
Lang replied ‘I see it, Johnno. Try head shots, that works in zombie movies, and they’re getting pretty close.’
‘I’ll try Corp, but that’s a tough shot at this distance and I don’t want them getting any closer. Shouldn’t we conserve ammo? We weren’t exactly carrying combat loads.’
‘Just shoot the fuckers Johnno.’
Both Lang and Johnno started shooting, aiming for the heads of the infected. Lang noticed that despite the few kills they were getting, the number of attackers was growing. There were more infected coming from every direction. Sometimes the ones that went down got back up again. He couldn’t tell why. Lang turned and started shooting the infected coming up the hill while Johnno kept working on the ones coming from the street.
Joanne had had enough. She backed away into the kitchen. ‘I can’t take this,’ she said. She opened the back door and looked into the yard. Would Dan and Joanne accept her back again? She hoped so, she didn’t really have any other options. She put the chair back onto the table and climbed onto the fence for a second time. This time, she deliberately kicked the chair away before climbing to the top of the fence and dropping into Gen’s yard.
The rifle fire stopped. Joanne thought she heard a scream coming from her house as she walked to the door she had fled from so recently.
08:25 SST (10:25 AEST): Singapore
Mick had grabbed the idea of going down the outside of the building with both hands. He had immediately started to work out how they could make ropes from the blankets, quilts, sheets towels, and other items they had managed to bring into the room. ‘You know Chris, we can’t make a rope that will go all the way to the bottom—it’s a fuckin’ long way down. It’d have to be about a hundred metres. All we can do is make enough of a rope to climb down a couple of floors at a time. I think I’d feel safer doing it that way as well. You get a rest every couple of floors and you’d get to the bottom in no time.’
Chris was using his laptop, trying to find news from home. He’d given up on going to sleep after he talked to Pete. Now he was desperate for information about what was happening in Sydney. So far all he could find were a couple of reports that there had been some ‘incidents’ there—but no details.
‘How are you going to fasten the rope?’ Chris asked, as he put down his laptop in frustration. He walked over to the doors to the balcony. ‘The glass screen joins straight on to the safety rail.’
‘I haven’t really looked at that yet. Maybe we could break the glass on each floor as we go?’
‘I don’t know, mate, that’s toughened glass. It won’t be easy to break.’ Chris opened the door and stepped onto the small balcony. After a quick look at the rail and how it was connected he stepped back into the room and said, ‘Problem solved, Mick, there’s a gap in the glass where the rail joins the wall. You can loop the blanket rope thing through it. Then you can undo the loop to release it.’
‘I’m not sure how to do a loop that wouldn’t come undone until I wanted it to. Maybe we run the rope through the gap, then climb down holding both ropes?’
‘I think that would be really dangerous, if one of the ropes slips you’d just fall. Maybe you have someone at the top hold the rope from sliding until the person gets to the bottom, and then the person on the bottom holds it for the person on the top. You could even lower people if it came to that.’
Mick had stood and come to the balcony. ‘That would probably work, but wouldn’t it mean the rope would have to keep being dragged over the rail like a pulley every time? It’s not a real rope you know, just curtains and sheets tied together. It’d probably get stuck or wear out pretty quick.’
Chris was getting excited with his idea. ‘Maybe, but I doubt we’d all be fit enough to go hand over hand down thirty odd floors of building. Three people lowering one would have to be easier. We can tie them onto the rope so they can’t fall. Between us we’ve got the curtains, and three sets of sheets and doona covers. That should be heaps of rope. If it wears out, we just make it shorter.’
Mick shook his head, ‘Chris, a couple of problems. If you just tie it together the knots are fucking huge. They won’t fit through that little gap. Also—I don’t think just tying the sheets together will be strong enough. As soon as it gets a small tear, it would rip right through. The only way to make it strong enough is to weave it into a rope. That makes it a little bit shorter, but it won’t tear easily and will probably run a bit smoother. We can probably tear all the curtains and sheets in half lengthwise, and the doona covers into four. That’d give us about, um …’ Mick looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘It’d be about 4 metres from the sheets, another six from the doonas and we could use the curtains to make a harness. So 10 metres, looped in half and knotted together that’s probably only enough to go a floor at a time.’
‘What if you tore them into more strips?’
‘I’m not sure it’d be strong enough. They’re only cotton.’
‘Maybe we could test it using a couple of pillow cases? See how thick it has to be to hold your weight,’ Chris said.
‘That’s a pretty good idea. So how about we tear a pillow case into thirds to start with? That’d make each strip about 45 centimetres wide. If that holds we can make heaps more rope with the sheets.’
‘Let’s give it a go.’ Chris walked back inside and grabbed one of his pillows and tossed it to Mick, who had followed him back in. He picked up the second pillow and stripped off the case. Before he ripped it he said, ‘Maybe we should just do the one in case it doesn’t hold. What do ya reckon?’
Mick had already torn the pillowcase along the seam. ‘Okay, that’s probably a good idea. Besides, we might need to try different ways of tying it as well. I was thinking a braid before but maybe we should wind it like a rope.’
‘I think winding it would just unravel. We can try both. We aren’t in that much of a rush and this beats the crap out of watching cities burn on TV.’
10:30 AEST: Panorama House Lookout
‘Hi, Gen, is everything okay?’ Rita asked. They had been repacking the car and getting ready to move on when her phone rang. Brick waved her to keep talking as he finished packing. She was a little surprised how slowly Brick was moving. He didn’t seem himself at all.
‘Rita, you won’t believe this, but it really is zombies,’ Gen said.
‘What makes you say that, Gen?’ Rita asked, she was a bit distracted, Brick had stumbled when he picked up the esky, and almost fallen.
‘Dan and I just went to check on what happened next door. Dan saw someone get shot in the chest and get back up. He saw someone get shot in the stomach and not make a sound. They’re zombies Rita. They’re dead people who are walking.’ Gen sounded like she was on the edge of panic.
Rita was struggling to focus on what Gen was saying. Apart from how ridiculous it sounded, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Brick. After almost dropping the esky into the trailer he had turned and sagged against the wheel arch. He was slouched over with his hands on his knees and his head drooping forward. Sharn and Max had walked over to the lookout and hadn’t noticed what was happening.
‘Rita, did you hear me? They really are zombies!’ Gen said again.
‘Sorry, Gen, I think something’s wrong with Brick. I’ll have to call you back.’ Rita clicked off her phone. As she walked towards Brick he col
lapsed. ‘Kids!’ Rita yelled. ‘Come back, I need your help!’ She rushed to Brick who had collapsed at the rear of the trailer.
Rita rolled Brick onto his side, his breathing was laboured and he had a pronounced wheeze.
‘What’s happened to Dad?’ Max asked, as he rushed up.
‘I think he fainted, mate,’ Rita said. ‘Can you grab me a water bottle please?’ Rita looked at Sharn, ‘Can you find me a towel or a blanket to put under Dad’s head?’
As both kids rushed to the car, Rita tried to adjust Brick’s position to make him more comfortable. As she put his hand under his head, she felt his whole body spasm. As Brick’s body relaxed, he stopped breathing. Rita immediately rolled him onto his back. She put her ear to his mouth and could not hear him breathing. She had gone into full automatic and immediately started compressions.
Sharn and Max had both come back. ‘Is Dad okay?’ Sharn asked.
Rita ignored her and said, ‘Max, call triple 0. Tell them Dad has collapsed and we’re at Panorama House.’ Rita paused to listen to see if Brick was breathing. She took a deep breath and puffed it into his lungs before looking at Sharn and saying, ‘Grab my phone from my pocket, call Aunty Gen, tell her what’s happening.’
Rita continued with compressions. Brick was completely flaccid, in her head Rita knew he was gone, but she couldn’t stop trying, not with both kids watching her. She could hear Sharn trying to explain what has happening to Gen.
Max said, ‘I can’t get through. It’s just ringing.’
‘Keep trying, mate,’ Rita replied. She was starting to tire. Rita didn’t think she could keep going for much longer. CPR is an intensely physical task. Aside from the stress of it, Brick was a big guy, she had to push hard to do the compressions.
‘Mum, Auntie Gen is saying you should be careful. She says he might turn into one of those monsters. She asked if he got bitten or cut or anything by the ones at home.’ Sharn sounded on the verge of tears, which was hardly surprising with her father dying in front of her and her aunt talking monsters in her ear.
Brick suddenly went into another spasm. This time his whole body arched and he roared in what sounded like agony. Rita jumped back. Her suspicion about Brick’s hand injury and the risk of infection suddenly burst into her mind. ‘Kids, quick, get in the car!’ she screamed, lunging away from Brick. Max was standing next to the rear door which had been left open. He quickly climbed inside, while looking back to see what was happening. Sharn was standing to the rear of the trailer. She was looking at her mother and father in total shock. Rita stood and rushed to grab Sharn, who seemed almost catatonic. She had started to drag Sharn around the back of the trailer away from Brick when Sharn let out a squeal. Brick had grabbed her by the ankle.
Rita tugged hard at Sharn but Brick’s grip was unbreakable. She stepped in and stamped on his wrist. Brick didn’t react at all, not even flinching or looking at her. Sharn bent down to try to pry her father’s fingers free, Brick swung his other hand back towards her. Rita kicked hard at Brick’s free hand and dodged back before he could grab her. Sharn was collapsing into a blubbering mess. She had never seen her mother or father fight physically. ‘Please stop, Mum!’ she cried.
Rita was sure Brick had changed. She felt him die. This was not her husband anymore. Rita took a half step back before stepping forward and kicking Brick in the face with as much force as she could muster. She heard a cracking sound as Brick’s head rocked back. He let go of Sharn’s ankle and tried to grab for Rita’s foot. Rita surged back, lifting Sharn and dragging her behind the trailer and out of Brick’s reach for the moment. She got a better grip on Sharn and rushed up to the car. Rita pushed Sharn into the back seat before slamming the door and getting into the driver’s seat.
Rita clicked the central locking as she saw Brick rounding the back of the trailer and come lumbering forward. She noticed the doors had not locked, looking around, she saw that Max’s door was still open. ‘Max—shut that door!’ Rita screamed. Max pulled the door shut and Rita flicked the central locking again, this time it worked.
Sharn screamed. Rita’s head snapped towards her to see Brick scrabbling at her window. His eyes were blank and staring, and his mouth snapped open and shut with long tendrils of drool dripping from his jaw. Sharn backed away towards Max. Somehow she still had Rita’s phone in her hand and Rita could hear Gen’s voice. Brick had stopped slapping at the window. He bent down and stared inside, turning his head to the side a little, as though trying to get a better view. Sharn screamed again and dropped into the footwell at Max’s feet. Almost simultaneously Brick let out a roar and started to bang on the window with open hands. Rita knew they had to get away. She went to start the car and found the keys weren’t in the ignition.
‘Oh fuck!’ Rita said. She took the phone from Sharn who had curled into a foetal position under Max’s feet. ‘Gen, are you still there?’
‘I’m here Rita. What’s going on?’
‘Brick died. He’s changed into one of those things. We’re trapped in the car. I think the keys must be in Brick’s pocket.’
‘Oh shit Rita. Were any of you hurt?’ Gen asked.
Rita took a moment to assess how she felt and realised she had a throbbing pain in her foot. ‘I think I hurt my foot kicking him in the head,’ she said. ‘He grabbed Sharn just after he changed. I don’t think she was hurt. Max is fine.’
‘You kicked him in the head? Calm down and tell me what happened.’
Rita thought she was being remarkably calm under the circumstances, being told to calm down really didn’t help. ‘I think I am pretty fucking calm considering my husband is banging on the windows trying to get in and kill me and I’m trapped without keys,’ she said.
‘Sorry, Rita, but can you tell me what happened? How did Brick get sick?’
‘It must have been when he punched one of them at our place when we left. He had bloody knuckles. He said he had a lot of pain in his hand earlier. Maybe that’s how he was infected. I don’t really know. All I know is that he collapsed, died, and turned into a something that is not Brick.’ Rita paused for a moment. ‘He wasn’t moving fast like the ones that ran at our house. He was kind of staggering.’
Gen interrupted her, ‘Are you sure you don’t have a spare key in your handbag or anything?’
‘This is Brick’s car. I’ve got a key at home I think but in the rush I didn’t bring it with me.’
‘Do you want me to try to call the police, see if they can get some help to you?’ Gen asked.
‘It’s probably best if I do it. Max has been trying to call 000 but no good, all the lines are busy.’ Rita was starting to get the shakes. The shock of what was happening was finally hitting her. Brick was still pounding on the window. Every so often he would stop and look in, which was terrifying because he was no longer the Brick she knew, but some kind of monster.
Gen said, ‘Have you tried the 131 number? Dan got through on that before.’
‘What 131 number?’ Rita almost yelled.
‘It was on the news this morning—131 000. They said to use it instead of 000.’
‘Okay Gen. I’m going to call it now. I’ll call you back.’ Rita hung up. As she did she looked up briefly. A small white Toyota was stopped at the entrance to the car park. Rita looked across at Brick. He had stopped pounding on the window and started slowly moving towards the other car. The Toyota drove into the car park and came towards them, oblivious to the danger.
Rita hesitated. She knew she had to warn the other driver but had no idea how. At the same time she was very glad to not have Brick staring in the window anymore. Rita unlocked her door and opened it. She stepped half out of the car and waved to the Toyota, trying to signal it to come around beside her. Maybe if they were lucky they could get into the other car and get away.
Brick was almost to the Toyota. It stopped and the driver wound down his window. Rita screamed ‘NO!’ just as Brick lunged through the open window. Rita looked on aghast. The Toyota sped up and slowe
d down in jerks, as the driver struggled against Brick. It narrowly missed them and continued to the edge of the car park before pushing up against the fence at the cliff side boundary of the car park.
Rita sat back in the car, wondering what to do next. As she lifted the phone to call for help, Max piped up. ‘Mum, I think Dad left the keys on the driver’s seat.’
Rita looked back at Max and said, ‘Are you sure?’ Max nodded. Rita lifted her bottom and ran her hands along the seat, but couldn’t find them. She turned to Max again, ‘I’m not sitting on them, are you sure he put them back in the car?’
‘Pretty sure. When he got out I saw him turn and toss them onto the seat before he shut his door.’
‘He always does that, Mum,’ Sharn said, sniffing.
Rita tried to feel down the side of the seat but couldn’t find anything. She looked back to see if she could see Brick, but the view was blocked by the trailer. It was now or never. She unlocked the door again, opened it, and quickly climbed out. As she stood she could see the Toyota jammed against the safety fence. It looked like its engine had cut out, at least it was no longer moving or making any noise. Brick’s legs were still churning and he was climbing further in to the window of the Toyota. Rita bent down and looked at the sides of the seat and the floor in front, she couldn’t see the keys.
‘Max, can you reach under the seat and see if the keys are under it?’ she asked. Leaning over the seat.
Max wiggled over and reached under the seat as far as he could, he ran his hand backwards and forward before yelling excitedly ‘I got ’em!’ as he pulled the keys out and handed them to his mother.
Rita quickly climbed back into the car and locked the doors. She put on her seat belt before starting the car. After a brief look back, Rita gunned the engine and drove from the car park back onto the motorway. She had only been driving for a minute or two when she started to shake uncontrollably. She pulled to the edge of the road and stopped.