by Riva, Aline
“Hey!” she called, “Over here!”
Joy turned her head as she made for the cab of the lorry, seeing Sage on the brick wall, holding her balance as she grasped at the tree branch.
The closest of the dead looked upward snarling, then began to claw at the brickwork as others piled on, climbing over the first to reach the wall, as more got closer they clawed at other zombies, rising up to climb over each other as dead hands gripped the top of the wall. Sage let go of the branch, firing off a shot as a zombie's head raised up over the wall, the shot was clean between the eyes and the creature fell, knocking back others who were clinging on behind. She turned back and jumped down and ran away from the wall.
But just then came an ear splitting crack as bolts off flew buckled and wood splintered. Seeing her on the wall and seeing Joy run for the lorry, the zombies had been whipped into a frenzy and doubled their efforts, busting wide the gate and now they were pouring in.
Joy reached for the handle of the door, slipped from the cab and gave a cry of pain as her knee connected with the step. The dead were at the lorry now, and she rolled beneath it, gasping as her knee throbbed and the dead surrounded the lorry. She heard shots, then more shots as Sage darted through a clear space between the oncoming horde, where the route to the lorry was growing more narrow by the minute. The creatures were heading in two groups now, one for the house, the other for the lorry, and Joy could only lay beneath the vehicle in terror as she heard more shots and saw creatures fall. One of the undead had slumped to its side, clawing at the ground in a dying moment as dead eyes met with hers. Then a living hand shot under the lorry.
“Get out!” Sage yelled.
Joy gave a yell of pain as she rolled and grabbed her hand, scrambling up on her injured knee as Sage snatched up the dropped keys, tugging Joy sharply with her as she opened up the door, climbed into the cab and pulled her in.
Dead hands clawed at her jacket as Joy gave a yell. Sage shoved the rifle over Joy's shoulder, shooting the creature in the face as the shot threw it backwards, felling two more who were close behind. Joy felt Sage tug on her jacket, then the door was slammed shut, and she slumped against the passenger seat as Sage took the wheel, shoving a key into the ignition and turning it.
“They're everywhere!” Joy gasped as she clutched at her throbbing knee.
“Hold on tight,” said Sage, and she accelerated, mowing down the zombies in their path as they headed for the house, as bodies bumped beneath the wheels and bones cracked and blood spattered the driveway. She slowed near the house, turned the lorry in an arc, mowing down those closest to the house and then leaned out the open window.
“Everyone out now!” she yelled, and backed the lorry as close to the front door as she could get.
Still the dead were staggering up the driveway. Some partly mowed down corpses were slithering along the drive, clawing at the gravel to keep moving as guts trailed behind them. Sage stared at the sight as something else hit her.
“Their teeth are different.”
Joy looked to the snarling corpses as they approached, teeth bared – human teeth.
“They're not shedding teeth and growing fangs any more...”
“They're evolving!” Sage said as she gave a shiver. Then she looked back as she heard the door open and aimed her rifle out the window, taking out two more undead as they rushed at the house.
“Cover the other side.”
Joy slid down the window, pain in her knee making her grip on her hand gun shake as she leaned out, took aim, and blew off the back of a zombie's head as it staggered past the lorry.
“Get in!” she yelled, her view of the back obscured as the lorry was too close to the house.
“We're climbing!” she heard Chris call back.
The front door was open, Chris had reached up and climbed in first, as River grabbed Poppy and raised her up, then Chris grabbed her and pulled her in to safety, sitting her down in the back of the lorry as she looked fearfully out, then screamed as a creature rushed at River. Chris jammed the weapon to the side of the narrow gap between the back of the lorry and the house, firing off shots in the direction of the loud snarl. The creature fell and then River yelled his name and he reached for her, pulling her up and inside.
“Let's go!” he yelled, and the lorry sped off away from the house as Chris shifted back away from the open doors, pulling Poppy with him as River clung to his arm and crawled up to follow, afraid that a sudden jolt might send her tumbling out the back.
Now all three were jammed up against a mix of food supplies and weapons as the lorry ploughed through the broken gates. All they saw from the back was a blood spattered view of the driveway and zombies and body parts lay strewn about. Up at the house, a window had just broken. More of them were pouring in, but now their search for living flesh would be in vain... The lorry turned, hitting more zombies as blood sprayed the hedgerows, then the lorry with its blood stained sides looking shiny as it caught sunlight hit a straight run on the empty lane as they drove past the field where the dead hung part eaten on stakes, and carried on going, up and over the bridge, then to a lane where the road climbed and the rooftop of Rainhill house was visible. They went past it, carrying on into the countryside. Later, they would be back for Mickey. But right now, they needed to get far from this place and any chance of that horde picking up on their scent...
The lorry had turned off the country lane and taken a turn on to a main road. Here the way was more or less clear, far off in the distance there was an ugly wreck of cars piled up, but they would not be straying too far from the place where Mickey was held captive. They reached a supermarket with a large parking area, went in and Sage finally parked and shut off the engine. The others got out the back, then Sage got down from the cab and River climbed up, bringing her medical bag with her. Joy turned in the seat, tugging up the leg of her jeans as River examined the injury.
“I think it's just bad bruising - and that cut will need antiseptic cream and a dressing,” she told her, “But it's minor - I hope - although I can't be totally sure without an x ray.”
Joy looked from the window of the cab, seeing Sage and Poppy standing nearby.
“Did everyone get out?”
“We all got out.”
“And we lost the car and the van, we have more supplies to go back for!” Joy reminded her.
As River tended to Joy's leg, she focussed on cleaning the wound and then she started to dress it. A shot rang out across the car park, and they both looked out to see Sage had just felled a lone zombie as it wandered around from the side of the store.
“They will probably be gone from the farmhouse once they know they can't feed there,” River told her, “We can drive back after we get Mickey out, if it's clear, we have the keys to the other vehicles so we can pick them up on the way out.” she finished dressing her leg, then closed her medical bag, “Does that feel any better?”
Joy tugged down the leg of her jeans.
“I just want to know Mickey's safe!” she said, and as she followed River out and climbed down from the cab, she stepped carefully to the ground, leaning hard on her other leg as her knee throbbed.
“And you're walking and your first thought is Mickey, that's all the confirmation I need that nothing's broken!” River said.
Chris was standing a short distance away, listening for sounds of the dead and hearing nothing.
“Where are we?” he asked as he heard someone approach and recognised the footsteps as Sage.
“It's a large supermarket with a huge car park around it and on the way here, we saw motorway signs that point in several directions – one is to the next town, and that's on the way to the city. And in the other direction, it's about thirty miles to the coast.”
“And that's the route we need to take,” Chris replied.
“It's a safer bet than the city,” Sage agreed, “And there's a small chance I might find Bess.”
Chris smiled.
“Maybe a good chance...
” his smile faded, “How big is the town likely to be?”
“Pretty big, it's Wickstall on Sea,” she replied, “Got a huge seafront, its own pier, massive town centre – it's a fairly large place.”
“And the bigger the place, the more zombies,” he reminded her.
“Or more people,” she replied, “It depends, the further out we go, the less we see hordes and I checked the map – it's surrounded by countryside, a few motorways and the nearest town is twenty miles away.”
“We can try for it,” he told her, “But if it's over run, we can't risk the others. I know you want to find Bess, but you're not going to find her in a place taken over by the dead.”
“I know that,” he heard her say, and detected the sorrow in her voice.
“But we won't know until we get there,” he added, then River called to him and he turned away, heading back across the empty parking area to join her.
Poppy had turned from the blood splashed vehicle and looked back to the road, thinking about the house they had fled a few miles back.
“Our home is gone, the zombies took it,” she said sadly.
“And when the zombies realise we're not there, they will leave,” Joy reminded her, “Then we can go back for the vehicles... after we get Mickey out.”
By now, Sage had joined them again. She looked to the supermarket, the lights were on and they shone out brightly, showing no movement within.
“I think I should move the lorry closer to the store,” she said, “Then we should check it out. That place looks empty.”
Joy cast a glance about the car park. Here and there, vehicles were abandoned. But what ever carnage had happened here, had been several months before. The whole area seemed deserted.
“And the next stop is the coast,” Chris added, and as he said that, Sage smiled.
“It could be a good move and maybe, Bess is there waiting for me.”
“Don't get your hopes up,” River said to her as the others headed towards the closed doors of the supermarket, “Let's assume that possibly, she might be there. Just don't build those hopes too high, we know what a terrible place this world has become.”
Sage smiled as she climbed back into the cab of the lorry.
“It's not such a terrible place – we've all managed to get this far,” she reminded her, then she started up the engine as River headed towards the closed supermarket doors where the others stood around, figuring a way to get in.
They had gathered at the sliding doors and looked to Joy, who looked back at them and shrugged.
“In absence of a key, the only way in is force. If we shoot out the glass that will sound the alarm, we only assume there's no zombies lurking. If we're wrong, we could be attacked very quickly.”
“But you must know a way in. You're a copper!” River said in surprise.
Joy's heart ached as she gave her reply.
“Breaking and entering is not my thing, River. Mickey would have worked it out, but he's not back with us yet.”
Poppy pointed to a small window nearby.
“Maybe I can get through there and find a key.”
Sage had rejoined them, and she and Joy exchanged a worried glance.
“We don't know what might be in there,” Sage told her.
Joy walked over to the window and peered inside.
“It looks like an office area,” she said, “The door is closed, too... And Poppy is the only one small enough to fit through.”
Sage felt tense as she saw the way Poppy smiled as she looked up at Joy and said, Let me try!
“Wait,” she told her sister, then she got up close to the doors, looking about the abandoned check outs and the brightly lit aisles. Nothing stirred within. It looked like the place had been locked up and left with lights blazing – around here, power had not been disconnected, but there was no sign of anyone lurking, living or dead.
“I'll cover you,” she told Poppy, “You go in through the window, open the door and go out to the supermarket, the doors are close by – if there's a key, you can unlock the doors and let us in.”
“What if there's no key?” asked Poppy.
“Then you go back in the office and climb out again,” she told her, “We don't wait around in case trouble shows up. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Poppy nodded.
“It's only one room,” Joy reminded her, “Then straight out into the store and the doors are next to her – and we can see there's nothing in there.”
“If I get the slightest hint of trouble, I'm shooting that glass out and I don't care about the alarms or how fast we have to get back to the lorry,” Sage said, “I'm not taking a chance with Poppy.”
“We're all here for Poppy,” Joy reminded her, then she went over to the window, raised the butt of her gun and cracked the glass. It took several attempts before the tough glass began to break, but no alarm sounded as she took off her coat, used it to push out the final shards and then draped it over the open window.
“Ready?” she asked, and Poppy nodded keenly.
It was Sage who lifted her carefully, then helped her to scramble through. She watched anxiously for a moment as Poppy jumped to the ground, then she got up easily and ran for the door.
“Hurry!” she told her, and Poppy nodded, turned the handle and opened the door wide, running out into the brightly lit supermarket as Sage hurried back to the glass doors, her weapon ready for the first sign of trouble.
On the inside of the supermarket, there was a bad smell that Poppy recognised as fresh food that had rotted. But the place was quiet and as she looked about, she saw no one. There were keys on the floor and she picked them up and showed them to the others through the glass. There were several keys on the keyring, and she gave a shrug.
“Try them all,” Sage said through the glass.
Poppy understood, giving a nod as she began to try one key at a time to see if it fitted the lock to open up the doors. The last key slid in and turned easily, there was a click and as she smiled in triumph, Sage hit the button next to the doors and they slid open. She went in first, followed by the others. The fresh air escaping in helped to lift out the smell coming from the fresh fruit aisle nearby, where the putrid remains were anything but fresh. The doors slid shut behind them and Sage turned the key, locking them in, and slipped the keys into her pocket to be sure no wandering dead found open doors and got inside.
Joy stood with River as Sage hurried off after Poppy, who was keen to explore.
“It's a very big supermarket,” River said as she gave the description to Chris, “And very abandoned – we're the only ones in here. We're standing in the middle of the store, there's check out counters in a long row and beyond that, I see tinned goods and magazines and what was ready made food to the far left of the place, then there's bread and fresh fruit and bypassing the stink of that, we have tinned goods and dried foods, and so on, for many aisles, and up the other end of the store is stationary, household and clothing...there's a sign far off at the back that points to a cafe area and a pharmacy.”
“We should make the most of this and grab more supplies,” he told her.
“I'm heading for the pharmacy,” she replied, “Come with me, I'll need help. We should stock up on medication and first aid supplies at every chance we get.” Then she led the way as he walked beside her, and they cut down a middle aisle, heading for the pharmacy.
Joy had caught up with Sage as they walked down a deserted aisle as Poppy ran on ahead in the direction of the toy section.
“It's weird how moments like this can feels so ordinary,” Sage remarked, “She always did that in the old days, straight for the toys and then the stationary...”
As she passed by an aisle of tinned goods, Joy stepped back, pausing to look at something that had caught her eye. Sage turned back too, looking as puzzled as she felt as she watched Joy reach out to touch a piece of paper taped to a shelf. It was a drawing made of crayon, and showed a child's drawing of two stick people and a small
er stick child, and they were all wide eyes and sad faces as red strokes of crayon showed blood coming from limbs as the stick man was bitten by a stick zombie, drawn in green with huge teeth.
“This was done by a child,” Joy said.
Now her instinct kicked in at once, and she looked further up the aisle to see more scattered drawings, but these were strewn about the polished floor. Sage called to Poppy, who had just reached up to a shelf and grabbed a remote control car, and she ran back with the packaged car in her hands.
“What's wrong?” she asked.
Sage shook her head slowly and exchanged a glance with Joy.
“Nothing... I hope. Just stay here with me, we can look at the toys later.”
“Why can't we go now?” Joy heard Poppy ask, and as Sage spoke to her again, Joy walked slowly in a circle around the scattering of drawings as her police instinct came to the fore and she tried to piece together what story these pictures told:
A child, maybe aged five or six, two parents, mother and father, then father gets bitten... she looked down at the drawings of the father partly shaded green and now with huge teeth, reaching for the mother. Mother bitten by the father. A picture of a child with big teardrops on her face and a sad, down turned mouth... a child all alone...
“Sage,” she said as she spoke quietly, “I think there's a child in here – living alone...”
