by West, Mark
‘I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?’
But William doesn’t give her an answer. He turns his back on the only girl he ever loved. The only girl he will ever love.
His mind is hurting now, not from the thought of losing Eden forever, but from the boiling pressure in his head. It’s happening.
‘Please, Will!’ Eden screams.
But William ignores her and turns his attention to the Mutations. They are coming for him like a speeding train. He is sure the impact alone will kill him. If not the savage teeth and claws that follow will. He hopes his death to be quick and painless, and prays they don’t spare his body. He doesn’t want to walk the earth like one of them.
William closes his eyes. He can hear the sound of the bike as it squeaks away. He fills his mind with thoughts of Eden. If only his time with her could have lasted forever.
Chapter 67
The Kid
I leave the complex the next morning at around nine, after deciding to stay the night and rest before heading out in search of Victoria. Cameron has lent me one of his rifles and filled my bag with enough supplies for three days. I intend to be back in two, but either way, I’m prepared.
I say my goodbyes to Amy and kiss Isabelle on the forehead, before making my way to the front gate. Raymond is standing there. He’s a stocky guy with an afro like a basketball. He removes the chain and opens the gate for me.
‘Good luck out there, Mr Kidd.’
He holds out his hand and I shake it. His skin feels warm.
‘Thanks, I’ll need it.’
Raymond peers out through the bars on the gate.
‘You won’t catch me wandering about out there. Too many of them crazies if you ask me.’
His accent is American, but with a hint of Australian twang. He explained to me at dinner that he migrated to Brisbane about ten years ago, taking a factory job making furniture. He came, he said, because Australia is the best country in the world. I wonder how he feels now?
‘Trust me, mate. If I didn’t think Victoria was alive, I’d absolutely stay. But I know she is. I can feel it.’
That’s not all I can feel. I want to warn him, because I have a strange tingling in my stomach again.
‘I’ll see you in a few days,’ I say, and go to turn away. But Raymond puts his hand up, stopping me.
‘Take this map. You may already have one, but this has nasty areas marked in red. Someone left it here a while back. May come in handy.’
I take the map and nod. ‘Thanks.’
‘Good luck, Mr Kidd,’ he says, and shuts the gate.
The moment I leave the complex, the tingles in my stomach subside. I get a sudden sense of anxiety pass over me, for leaving Isabelle and Amy with strangers I have known for less than twenty-four hours. I try to tell myself they will be okay, but I don’t know that. I only know I can trust Amy to protect Isabelle.
My thoughts drift to the horde by the highway, then to Lincoln and then to the woman and child. Victoria appears in my mind, screaming and trapped somewhere in a room being chopped up like Vivian. Vivian fills my mind and stimulates my senses. I can taste her again. I can smell her blood – feel it dripping over my skin. I remember every moment of pleasure.
By the time I hop into the Range my stomach is complaining. I look through my bag in search of something to eat and take out a packet of chips. They have lost their crunch and taste like cardboard. I check the packet and find they are six months out of date but eat them anyway, hoping they will suppress the hunger. They don’t.
Vivian fills my mind again: the way she tasted; the warmth of her blood. And Raymond – the touch of his hand, the warmth of his skin. My mouth floods with saliva, and I know what the tingle in my belly is, the tingle that grows stronger every day. My body is craving something – flesh.
I turn the key in the ignition, trying to blank thoughts of Raymond’s warm hand. The engine rumbles, but dies as I shut it off. I look back at the complex and tell myself I shouldn’t do it, but find myself outside the car. Something is taking over my body, and I can’t help but walk back, hands twitching in my pockets.
‘You’re back already?’
I try not to speak, but it feels as if something else is controlling me. My mouth opens unexpectantly. ‘Yep,’ I snap.
Raymond frowns. ‘What’s up, Jackson?’
My face muscles twist and contort as I try hard not to bare my teeth. I need to walk away, but it feels as if it’s too late. I’m losing the battle; the infection is winning again.
‘Jackson?’ Raymond’s hands fiddle with the lock on the chain.
‘Range’s not working,’ I blurt out.
Shit.
‘Argh, dang. Bad fuel?’
Raymond continues to work the chain. Part of my mind is telling him to stop. But every sense is aroused. I’m excited. I want him to keep going.
I shake my head, trying not to make eye contact. ‘Not sure.’
Raymond glances behind. ‘I’m not supposed to leave my guard, but I guess I could take a look.’ He grins. ‘I’m a bit of a car enthusiast. I know a thing or two.’
I am trying so hard to walk away, but the urge is too strong. Instead, I nod and give him an awkward smile.
‘Great.’
I step back from the gate, hands still buried in my pockets, and allow the barrier between us to swing freely. Raymond steps out, gun cradled in his arms. He looks about cautiously. I sense his nervousness. He clicks the safety and looks down the road towards the Range Rover.
‘Lead the way.’
Raymond stays a few paces behind me. I can hear every breath, every movement, every slow and wary stride. The closer we get to the Range, the faster my thoughts play out in my mind. I have no idea what I’m about to do and it excites me. I tell myself I’m sick, but the craving is too strong. I’m allowing it to win. I need that taste again.
‘It’s just around the corner,’ I say calmly. But I’m not calm. I’m using every bit of strength not to turn around – not yet.
Raymond walks up to my side as the Range comes into view. He is a few centimetres taller than me, bulky and fit. I take my hand out of my pocket and rest it on my knife. I’d have no trouble bringing him to his knees, despite his gun.
I spot a pushbike leaning up against the Range and frown. Someone is moving around the back.
‘What the?’
Raymond draws his gun. ‘Who’s there?’ He glances at me suspiciously. ‘What’s this? A trap?’
I can sense the panic in his voice. He steps away from me, the gun now at my head. He thinks I have set him up. I almost did. I draw my knife from my sheath.
‘I don’t know.’
Raymond sweeps around the right as the figure ducks down behind the car.
I move to the left to cut them off. ‘Come out!’ I yell, finding my voice again.
They begin to stand, hands above their head.
‘Don’t shoot!’
A girl emerges, rake thin with blonde hair, around mid-teens. She eyes Raymond’s gun cautiously.
‘Please don’t hurt me.’
Raymond gives me the ‘who the hell is she’ look, and turns back to the girl.
‘Are you alone?’
The girl nods slowly. ‘Yes.’
Raymond glances about. ‘You sure?’
The girl nods again, this time a bit more vigorously. She points to the bike.
‘I came on that – alone. No one else.’
‘What’s your name?’ I ask. ‘Where did you come from?’
‘South. I came from the south.’
She backs away from the Range, showing off her ripped jeans and worn-out runners. It’s clear she has been out in the elements for months.
‘South?’ I feel my shoulders relax. ‘Whereabouts?’
Raymond lowers his gun, but keeps one hand hovering over the trigger. He keeps his distance. I approach her cautiously.
‘Sydney,’ she responds, watching my feet.
‘Sydn
ey?’ I repeat. ‘That’s a long way.’
I stop by the side of the Range Rover and look for any hidden weapons. She seems defenceless.
Raymond turns to me. ‘Aren’t you from down that way?’
I nod, sheathing my knife.
‘Yeah, but further south. Canberra boy.’ I tap my chest and wink at the girl. She smiles back.
‘Why are you here?’ Raymond asks.
I glare at him. I’m about to say something but the girl speaks up.
‘I came with a friend. We were trying to find refuge, somewhere safe … the stadium. But when we got there, it was deserted. And my friend …’ Her arm is across her stomach. She’s almost doubled over. ‘Please, I’m so hungry. I can’t run anymore.’
I had forgotten entirely what I was about to do. But then I notice the tingle inside, simmering. I look at Raymond and wonder how he would he have tasted.
‘Jackson?’
Raymond is staring at me.
‘What?’ I blurt out, still distracted.
‘I said, I’m going to take her back to the complex. Are you coming?’
‘Go back? But I was …’ Then I remember I had told him the Range didn’t work.
Shit.
‘One of the guys can look at your Range Rover later. I need to take …’ Raymond looks at the girl. ‘What’s your name?’
I don’t wait for her answer ‘I um …’
Raymond glares at me and gestures for the girl to follow him.
‘Wait,’ I call out. ‘I’ll try it once more. I really need to go.’
I don’t wait for Raymond to respond. I hop in and pretend to be fiddling with something, trying to make it not seem obvious the Range was always working. I turn the key and the engine roars into life first go. Raymond gives me a suspicious look.
I shrug and yell out to him ‘Must have flooded it.’
He rolls his eyes. ‘Must have.’
He turns to the girl and gestures for her to follow. I watch the pair walk up the road until they disappear, the engine rumbling steadily in the background. I turn the wheel and move off. Enough time has been wasted.
I have to find Victoria.
Chapter 68
A fight to the death
I pull up on the side of the road in front of an old box factory. The windows are smashed and the building is covered in graffiti. I’m about two kilometres from the complex in an old industrial area – concrete on concrete. For the past twenty minutes I have been twisting through endless suburbs in an attempt to avoid the major roads. It’s a long slog back south towards Surfers Paradise this way, but I need to be wary of the horde. Who knows where they are assembling.
My mind has been in a spin since I drove away. I feel angry and confused about the whole situation. I’m worried about how close I was to killing Raymond, yet I’m disappointed I didn’t. It’s weird.
Up ahead, I notice two Infected ambling towards me, likely pissed off and seeking food. I cut the engine and draw my hunting knife, checking the blade for any faults. I leave my gun on the passenger seat and hop out.
The air is warm and, by the looks of the cloudy sky, it’s going to be another muggy day. I can feel my shirt already beginning to stick to me. It’s better than the cold though. I put on a tan-coloured hat with a flat brim that I found in the house. At least it will keep the sun off my face.
My stomach groans as I watch the Infected approach. It still feels empty – ‘hangry’. I have been shovelling in food since leaving the complex, but it isn’t enough anymore. I need meat and I need it soon, before I act like a savage again.
I begin stomping impatiently towards the Infected, gaining their attention. I hear their familiar snarl and wave the knife in the air angrily.
‘Get over here!’ I demand, feeling an unexpected rage begin to build inside. ‘I said, get over here!’
They begin to run. I brace for the impact.
Bizarrely, as they draw close, they slow to a staggering walk and come to a stop. I frown at them.
What the hell is going on?
The pair of female Infected glare back at me with blank, yellow eyes, with their mouths shut and arms glued to their sides.
‘What the hell is wrong with you two?’ I show my knife. They don’t respond. ‘Well?’
One of the them steps forward. She has crusty, saggy skin. I angle my knife ready for an attack, but she just points at me.
I look down at my shirt. ‘What is it?’
She begins to moan and swings her arm in the direction of a building. A moment later, three more Infected come wandering out towards us. The sight of them makes me nervous. I take a tense step back and glance at the Range, wishing I had my gun. The three join the other two and form a kind of semi-circle around me. I can feel the infection inside begin to wake from its slumber.
‘What the hell is this? What do you want?’
All five look at me blankly as if waiting for me to make the first move. They smell like shit and I just want to get out of there, but I need an answer. I look at each one, questioning.
‘Well?’
Something crashes close by and I look around to see glass falling from a second-floor window. Someone briefly looks out before slipping back into the darkness. We are being watched.
The five Infected react with a long, low moan, catching me off guard and making me jump. They brush past me and amble towards the building in one long line. It’s one of the strangest things I have ever seen. It’s like I now don’t exist, that I’m invisible.
As the Infected draw close to the building, two thin figures appear at the entrance. They have stiff arms that are covered in growths and slimy-looking skin. They seem like Infected but are more alien looking. There’s something almost primal about them. It’s as if they are creatures from another world – or mutations.
One of the slimy-skinned creatures lets out a god-awful scream. I take a step back in fright and point my knife, ready to attack.
‘Shit.’
The Infected moan and snarl in protest. I look around at the Range again. It now seems so far away. My legs have gone stiff and my heart is racing, making me feel giddy. I haven’t felt this scared in a long time. A brutal fight is about to go down and all I have is my crummy knife. I turn to run, but the pair of Mutations begin sprinting towards the Infected and I can’t help but watch.
The first Mutation slams into an elderly Infected with a gut-wrenching crack, causing her body to buckle. The Mutation then begins ripping at her flesh as if digging in the sand. The attack is relentless and unsettling.
The other four Infected put up more of a fight against the second Mutation, bringing it to its knees with sheer numbers. The first Mutation soon discards the remains of the elderly Infected and joins in. It pulls away one of the four attackers and digs at its face.
‘Holy shit!’
I begin edging closer towards the car, eyes wide with horror. My whole body is shaking. I don’t want to stick around, yet I feel drawn to watch the fight. Another Mutation comes running from a building across the road. It crashes into one of the Infected and sends it skidding across the forecourt and into a gutter. The Mutation then turns to another Infected and bites at its neck, ripping away stringy tendons as if eating pulled pork.
It’s a blood bath. The Mutations prove to be the more agile and the more ruthless. The slow, dumb Infected are no competition. I close my eyes momentarily and flashes of red and black fill my mind. The carnage is engraved on my mind. If I live, this moment will haunt me forever.
I begin running to my car, knowing I will be next if I stick around. But a pack of Infected have come up the road and are surrounding my vehicle, cutting me off from escape. I pause, staring at them. A black figure darts out from between the legs of the mob, barking madly.
‘Koda!’
Koda comes running up towards me, a friendly, dumb grin on his face. He stops by my side and I lean over, eyes still on the Infected, and scratch him behind his ear.
‘I have mis
sed you boy.’
Koda barks twice and turns his body. His fur is torn away on one side. The cuts are angry, red and deep. A few seem infected.
‘Damn, boy, look at you.’
I can’t help but feel for the poor animal.
Another figure emerges, taking me by surprise.
‘Lincoln!’ I exclaim, dumbfounded by his sudden appearance.
I had anticipated this moment since I saw from the clifftop, yet I hadn’t quite processed his existence. The sight of him makes me light-headed and nauseous.
Lincoln takes a few steps towards me. His eyes are glassy and unthreatening. He pauses when there is a grunt from the back of the pack. The woman with black hair is moving through the mob, the little girl by her side.
I turn quickly to Lincoln. ‘You don’t have to listen to her, Lincoln. Come back with me; we can fight her together.’
But Lincoln doesn’t move or answer. He is like a statue. My friend is seemingly gone, yet I see something in his eyes that tells me he understands.
The woman steps up beside him. Koda has run off. I’m alone again. Who knows what is about to happen.
‘Why are you following me?’ I yell, waving my pitiful knife.
The woman grunts again and the mob behind her moves a few paces closer, slowly surrounding us in a semi-circle. I step to one side, drawing them away from my car. If I can break free somehow, I may have a chance.
‘Answer me!’ I shout.
But she says nothing.
I find I’m surrounded and turn to Lincoln. ‘Get over here, damn you!’ There’s panic in my voice. ‘Please!’
Lincoln continues to stare, fixed in place. We lock eyes, and for a moment I feel that he understands me and I understand him. I can see he is struggling with a demon – but the demon is winning.
I face off with the woman, ignoring the child who is looking over at another fight between Infected and Mutations – I have no idea who is winning.
‘Get it over with then!’ I shout at the woman.
The woman grunts, and two Infected step from the circle and face me, snarling and showing their fractured teeth. I grip my knife and pray I can outlive them long enough to see another day.