Lockdown

by Stephen Lewis

  She gasped. ‘That’s him!’

  I grabbed her wrist. ‘Let’s go,’ I said and we ran in the opposite direction.

  We arrived at Nkata’s house and I noticed the garage door was still standing open from the night before. His mom’s car was also missing. We entered through the connecting door and found Nkata sitting in the lounge, staring at a blank TV.

  ‘Nkata? What’s going on?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he replied, sounding defeated.

  ‘Where’s your mom?’

  ‘After you left, I tried to tell her about Walter. She told me to stay here while she goes to fetch him. But she hasn’t come back. I tried calling, but she doesn’t answer. What do we do, Lucas?’

  I sat down next to him. ‘Did you call the security?’

  ‘Yes, but there’s also no answer.’

  Nkata looked up at Stephanie, who was standing awkwardly like the guest who had not been introduced. ‘What’s she doing here?’

  Stephanie waved politely. ‘Hi Nkata... it’s been a while.’

  Nkata greeted her with a nod.

  ‘Someone was chasing me,’ she said, explaining her presence.

  ‘It was a zombie, Nkata. I saw it. Just like last night. Whatever happened to Walter... it’s made him sick and now it can spread to other people.’

  Nkata put his head in his hands.

  ‘That’s crazy brah!’ He rocked back and forth.

  ‘I know, but what else can it be?’

  ‘Do you hear what you’re saying? Zombies?’ Stephanie looked at us like we were joking.

  ‘I’m serious,’ I replied, standing up. ‘I know it sounds like I’m making this up, but I don’t have another explanation. I told her about what happened the night before.

  ‘And that thing that was chasing you was the body I tripped over last night. It came back to life!’

  She looked at me blankly.

  ‘I think I should go home.’ She turned to leave, but I grabbed her arm.

  ‘No, wait. That thing is out there.’ I could feel her skin was cool and now that the adrenaline had worn off, she must have been cold in just a running vest.

  ‘We’ll take you. Just don’t go out there alone.’

  She could see in my eyes I was being earnest and nodded.

  ‘Okay... still the boy scout,’ she said, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

  I looked around and saw one of Nkata’s hoodies hanging off the back of a chair. I tossed it at Stephanie and told her to put it on.

  ‘What do you think is causing this?’ Stephanie asked, pulling the hoodie over her slender shoulders.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I replied. ‘But it must have something to do with this GEOIT-20 virus. What if it’s mutating somehow?’

  ‘But how? It just a flu strain. How is it turning people into zombies?’

  ‘Something must be altering the strain on a cellular level.’

  ‘What are you a doctor now?’ she asked, crossing her arms, the large hoodie making large folds around her body.

  ‘No, but my dad is. He’s told me about how through trying to find cures for diseases, people have unexpectedly created something worse...’ I suddenly remembered the vials in Walter’s room.

  ‘Nkata, didn’t you say Walter was talking about a cure at the hospital he was working at?’

  ‘Yeah, but he talks a lot. Sometimes he exaggerates – you know how he is, brah.’ Nkata still looked forlorn on the couch.

  ‘But what if he took something from the hospital and it’s made him worse.’

  ‘Which hospital did he work for?’ asked Stephanie.

  ‘Well, it is more of a lab. They don’t have patients. It’s in Pretoria... CSR or something.’

  ‘CSIR?’ I responded.

  ‘Yeah. That one.’ Nkata didn’t sound enthusiastic.

  ‘Dude, that’s a research lab. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. My Dad has done work with them before... if Walter took something from there, it would be highly experimental.’

  I walked past the kitchen towards Walter’s room, Stephanie and Nkata following me. It looked the same as we had left it, but that putrid smell had become stronger.

  ‘Ew, what’s that stink?’ cried Stephanie from the doorway, pinching her nose.

  I didn’t answer and reached for the two vials on the dresser, stopping just before I touched them. They might be contaminated. Looking around, I took the plastic liner out of the dustbin in the corner and used it as a glove to pick up one of the vials.

  ‘No label.’ I said, looking at the other two still in the doorway. ‘This could be anything.’ I turned the bag inside out, letting the vial fall inside and tied it at the top. I put it in my pocket.

  ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  ***

  When we got to the front gate, it was deserted. It was Stephanie’s idea. As we left Nkata’s house, she suggested we go to the security office at the front entrance to report her attack before we drop her at home.

  We took Nkata’s father’s car again. Nkata didn’t seem too keen, but I convinced him we didn’t have a choice, especially if there was a zombie on the loose. The outside steel gates to the estate were still rolled down and locked. Security usually closed it at midnight and opened it again at five AM. It was nearly half-past six. I opened the car door.

  ‘Where are you going?’ asked Stephanie.

  ‘I’m just going to look around. Stay here.’ I remembered the vial in my pocket and put it in the glove compartment before closing the door.

  The narrow office splitting the entrance and exit boom gates was empty. Usually there was at least one guard on night duty and two during the day, but there was no sign of anyone. To the left was another small building that had a bathroom. I approached it - the door squeaked as I pushed it open.

  ‘Hello?’

  The bathroom was empty except for a red smear against the mirror and red drops on the basin. Was that blood? I took a step closer. It stank, making me cover my nose and mouth with my arm. It was definitely blood, mixed with something else... something yellow. It was like the stuff in Walter’s bed. I turned and walked out and back towards the car.

  As I looked up, I saw Nkata waving. I waved back comically, thinking he was goofing around. Then he waved with both hands. I lifted my hands and shrugged to suggest I had no idea what he was waving at. The window of the Mercedes glided down and he screamed out the window.

  ‘Brah! Behind you!’

  Something brushed against my back as I turned. I flinched and stumbled backward, falling onto the road. Looming over me was a zombie in a security uniform like the security guard wore from last night. His arms were outstretched and he was missing fingers on his right hand. It was crudely bandaged, caked in dried blood – this must have been where the blood in the bathroom came from. Like Walter, his eyes were sunken and milky, and there were smears of yellow puss around his mouth and nose.

  He groaned, and I recognised the same stench that I had smelt in earlier Walter’s room.

  ‘Lucas run!’ Nkata called again.

  The zombie moved forward and was almost on top of me. I scrambled backwards on all fours, instinctively kicking out to protect myself. One of my feet connected with his shin, causing him to stagger, then tumble awkwardly forward.

  I rolled sideways, avoiding the falling body and scrambled to my feet, sprinting to the car and only looking back once I was inside. The zombie was writhing on the ground, thrashing and trying to get up.

  ‘What the hell!’ Stephanie screamed. ‘Was that a zombie?’

  ‘That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you!’ I shouted back.

  ‘That was too close,’ Nkata said, with a tremor in his voice. ‘I keep telling you... you’ve got to watch your 6!’

  He floored the accelerator, the tires squealing slightly as we sped away.

  ENTRY 7

  We headed back to Nkata’s house – no one told him to, he just drove back on autopilot with everyone remaining sil
ent for the whole trip. Sitting in his lounge, I was still quite shaken after my encounter with the zombie at the security office. Stephanie must have sensed it.

  ‘Here.’ She handed me a glass of cola. ‘You’ll need the sugar for the shock.’

  The Mothership usually doesn’t have fizzy drinks in the house. I drank the entire glass in a few gulps – it was sweet but good.

  ‘So what are we going to do?’ asked Stephanie leaning against the breakfast bar.

  She was trying to look calm and composed in an oversized hoodie, but I could see she was also scared.

  ‘I don’t know...’ I replied, my mind racing.

  ‘Can we just take a moment to understand what we’re dealing with here!’ Nkata sounded frantic.

  Stephanie went into the kitchen and poured another glass of cola for Nkata, who was obviously in a state of shock too.

  ‘It’s zombies, Nkata.’ I said as if that explained everything.

  ‘No duh, brah. But how? This was supposed to be a lockdown for some sort of super-flu and now there are monsters, which are only supposed to exist in movies, out there.’

  ‘We have to warn everyone,’ said Stephanie, handing Nkata the glass.

  ‘No!’ I snapped. ‘People are safest in their homes. If we start screaming about zombies, it’ll cause panic... that’s if they believe us. We need to keep this quiet and call the police.’

  Nkata picked the phone up off the counter and dialled. ‘Hello? Please send the police... and the army. There are zombies in our estate. They’ve already eaten the security guards...’ He lifted the phone away from his ear and looked at us. ‘They hung up.’

  ‘That’s because it sounds like some kids playing a prank.’ Stephanie sat down on the couch next to me.

  ‘As long as people stay in their houses, we can contain this thing. We just need proof...’

  ‘Contain?’ Stephanie shot me a sharp look. ‘We’re not zombie hunters, Lucas! Those things attacked us. They tried to kill us.’

  ‘I know! But what must we do? Sit here and hope it goes away?’ I stood and paced in front of the couch. ‘Look, people are dead, and more people will be in danger if we cause a panic. We have to get people to believe us somehow.’ This was just like the book I was reading the other night about Bigfoot. Was this what it felt like when no one believes you? We needed hard evidence – conclusive proof that zombies were real.

  ‘We film one.’

  ‘What?’ I looked over at Nkata. ‘We film one and put it on social media. Then people will believe us.’

  ‘They’ll think it’s a prank video. Fake news,’ said Stephanie.

  ‘No, wait. Nkata’s on to something. If I send my Dad a video he’ll believe me and will know what to do. Until then, it’s up to us to keep this from spreading.’

  ***

  We sat around the coffee table as if we were conducting a meeting to save the world... maybe we were.

  ‘So what do we know?’ asked Stephanie.

  ‘It started with Walter,’ I began.

  ‘Then he bit that security guard,’ Nkata continued.

  ‘And don’t forget about the body I tripped over – the vagrant. Walter must have attacked him first.’

  ‘And that’s the same zombie that I saw this morning?’ Stephanie was making mental notes.

  ‘Right. And then there was the guard missing the fingers this morning. So that makes four zombies on the loose.’ I held out four fingers.

  ‘That we know of...’ Nkata’s face dropped.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘My Ma... She still hasn’t come home.’

  My heart suddenly dropped. In all the action, I had totally forgotten about Nkata’s mother. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. His brother was a zombie and his mother was missing. I put my hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Then this has also become a rescue mission.’ He nodded and stood up.

  ‘Just going to the bathroom quick.’ he said, wiping his eye.

  There was an awkward silence after Nkata left. Stephanie and I were sitting on the couch like people in a doctor’s waiting room.

  ‘You don’t have to do this,’ I finally said to her. ‘You can go home. I know it’s dangerous.’

  ‘Because I’m a girl?’ She smirked.

  ‘Uh, no. Because we may be fighting zombies.’

  ‘I’m teasing you, Boy Scout.’ She smiled - it was like when we first met, she seemed to enjoy pushing my buttons.

  ‘I’m not a boy scout.’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Taking on zombies all by yourself to save the world? Trust me; you’re a boy scout... a super boy scout.’

  I felt myself blush a bit. I knew she was trying to tease me, but it almost felt like a compliment.

  ‘And no. I’m not going home. If we’re the only thing stopping this virus or whatever from spreading, I’m going to help. I’ve got a twelve-year-old sister at home. Parents as well. I don’t want this lockdown to turn into an apocalypse.’

  ‘Fair enough,’ I replied. ‘You know, you’re not nearly as stuck up as I first thought.’

  ‘Stuck up?’ She sounded offended. I raised my hands in surrender.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just... after we first met, you were sort of a b-’

  ‘Don’t say it!’ she snapped. ‘I’m so tired of people calling me that.’ Her cheeks flushed. ‘Being determined and ambitious is not being stuck up. Success takes hard work and I’m not going to apologise for trying my best and giving my all – least of all to you.’

  Seems like I had touched a nerve. We sat in silence for a bit more and I felt slightly embarrassed.

  ‘I was going to say brat... The word I was going to call you... it was ‘brat’. I’m sorry I upset you.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ she replied, forcing a smile. ‘I can be a little...’ She paused. ‘...tightly wound.’

  ‘We all have our issues,’ I replied, not wanting to make eye contact.

  ‘What issues?’ asked Nkata walking back into the room, picking up the end of the conversation.

  ‘I was just telling Stephanie about your flaws,’ I replied, turning the conversation away from Stephanie.

  ‘Flaws? I’m perfect, you know that.’

  ‘You’re lazy!’ I tossed a pillow at him, which he batted away.

  ‘You got me there, brah. I could spend all day in bed. Some weekends I don’t even take off my pyjamas.’

  ‘That’s gross!’ giggled Stephanie. ‘I’d go crazy lying in bed all day. I get up at five every morning.’

  ‘Even on weekends?’

  ‘Even on weekends,’ she repeated.

  Nkata shook his head in disbelief. ‘I think I would die if I had to get up to five on a Saturday.’

  ‘Literally die!’ We laughed, and for a second I forgot there were still undead people wandering around in the estate in which we live.

  ‘Are we going to do this?’ I asked, looking at the other two. Stephanie nodded and Nkata scratched the back of his head. ‘You only live once, brah... or come back as a zombie, I guess.’

  I took my phone out of my pocket.

  ‘All we need is to get a video of one of them. I’ll send it to my Dad and he will send help.’

  ‘But we may need to protect ourselves,’ said Stephanie, standing. ‘And your sweet kung fu moves are not going to be enough.’ She mimicked my moves from mowing the lawn days earlier.

  ‘What’s that supposed to be?’ asked Nkata, cocking his head.

  ‘Ask the boy scout,’ she grinned.

  ‘I’ll tell you another time,’ I replied, deflecting the question.

  ‘But you don’t do kung fu,’ Nkata asked, confused.

  ‘Drop it,’ I said through my teeth, my eyes widening to drive home the message. ‘Do you have anything we can use as weapons?’

  ‘I got just the thing. This way.’

  ***

  Nkata led us to the garage. Next to the tumble dryer were large cupboards, stretching all the way to
the ceiling.

  ‘Usually my Dad loses his temper when we go through his stuff, but this is a special occasion.’ He opened the cupboard, which was full of equipment, instruments, and some other stuff I couldn’t identify.

  ‘This is all his geology stuff from the mines, but what we want is in here.’ Nkata pulled a long drawer open that held an assortment of tools. He handed me an axe with a bright yellow handle. It wasn’t too heavy, and I practised using the weight by rotating my wrist.

  ‘And for the lady.’ He handed Stephanie some sort of hammer with a sharp spike at the end.

  ‘What’s this?’ she asked, holding it up in her right hand.

  ‘It’s a rock pick. It’s used by geologists and rock nerds for breaking rocks apart.’

  ‘What are you going to use?’ I asked, looking at the axe and noticing it also had a square hammer at the end.

  ‘It’s bigger brother,’ Nkata replied, lifting a bigger rock pick out of the drawer. It had a longer handle and a much longer spike at the end. ‘I call him Stormbreaker!’ he cried, lifting it up above him in a dramatic pose.

  I rolled my eyes. ‘You watch too many superhero movies.’

  ENTRY 8

  ‘Where are we going?’ Stephanie held the rock pick tightly between her legs as she sat in the front seat of the Mercedes.

  ‘Where all this started,’ I replied, sticking my head between the two front seats of the car. ‘We found Walter last night on the far side of the estate. That vacant area that’s still being developed.’

  ‘I’ve never been out that way before.’ She glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

  ‘Nkata and I used to ride bikes out that way when we were younger.’

  ‘Yeah, made some wicked ramps... until I scraped all the skin off my back.’

  ‘Ouch, yeah. I remember that,’ I said, recalling the day he flipped his bike and went down a gravel hill on his back. There was hardly any t-shirt left by the time he came to a stop.

  ‘I still have the scars, brah.’ Nkata took a left. Despite being his third time driving, he was still going at a snail’s pace.