Seasons of Z (Book 2): Dead Spring

by Riva, Aline

  “And I say we make medical supplies and guns priority, followed by food – we already have food rations in the smaller vehicles,” River added, “We should get started, do this is quickly as we can. It looks quiet out here, but that doesn't mean much at all. We don't know who – or what – could be out here with us.”

  “You're right,” Sage agreed, then she followed Joy to the back of the lorry as she opened it up.

  Unpacking and moving supplies proved more difficult than they had first thought. It wasn't a quick job that was over in half an hour, there was storage space to consider, and what to prioritise. While Joy sat in the back of the lorry with Chris, passing guns and ammo and medical supplies down to Alex and Mickey, River and Sage were organising the placing of too much into a small space as the car's storage was soon taken up, then everything had to be reorganised in the van to make extra room, because they still needed to put extra food and water in the back, and still leave room for Joy.

  While the adults packed the supplies, the two kids stood on the empty road close by. Angel watched as Poppy set the bright red toy car down and then activated the controls, sending it shooting up the highway, then it stopped, turned around, and she hit the button to send it racing back, where it came to a sharp stop a fraction from her shoe.

  “I like your car,” said Angel.

  “Thanks,” replied Poppy.

  “Can I play with it?” Angel asked.

  Poppy glanced down at her.

  “No, you might break it. Little kids are not very good with stuff like this – it's an older kid's toy.”

  “Please?”

  As Angel looked up at her, Poppy smiled.

  “Okay, but only one go!” she told her, handing her the remote control, “You hit that button to make it go forward, and this one to turn it around.”

  As Angel looked at the controls, Poppy turned the car around. Angel hit the button and it sped off, then she tried to turn it, giving a gasp as the car shot under an ugly heap of twisted metal they had drove around before they stopped, where two cars had run into each other. Now they stood as buckled wrecks, with glass cracked and shining bodywork buckled as it caught the sun.

  “Angel! That was my car, you lost it!”

  As she said that, Poppy tried the remote control, but all she heard was the whirr of the toy engine, faint and muffled somewhere beneath the twisted wreckage.

  “I'll fetch it,” Angel said.

  Poppy's eyes narrowed. It had been months since she had a new toy.

  “You'd better!” she snapped, “That's my only toy!”

  Then she watched as Angel ran the short distance back towards the crashed cars, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled between the crumpled vehicles as she reached in vain for the car.

  “Hurry up!” Poppy said impatiently, then she began to walk towards the crash site.

  And while she was on her knees, looking under the cars as she watched Angel turn around, her shoes sticking out of the two crumpled wrecks as she rolled on her side to reach again for the car, she didn't see the scuffed boots that staggered up along side her, nor did the adults a short distance away as they unloaded what they could from the lorry to stuff into every space available left in the van.

  Angel reached again for the car, her fingers brushing its red plastic.

  “Try one more time!” Poppy urged.

  “I can't get it!” Angel said as she stretched her small arm so hard it ached and the car shifted further away as she brushed it with her fingertips.

  Then a wheeze sounded, followed by a low snarl. A movement caught her eye and Poppy gave a gasp as she saw the boots and the ragged clothing as the creature shifted closer.

  “Get out!” she yelled.

  Angle looked at her in confusion, still reaching for the car. Then a bony hand reached down and Angel gave a piercing shriek as she was whipped at speed from beneath the car. Poppy jumped up, saw Angel being lifted by the creature as its teeth snapped as she squealed and kicked and struggled.

  “HELP!” she yelled, breaking into a run as she headed for the open van, “He's eating Angel!”

  Joy had already grabbed her gun as Sage dropped her own and instead caught frightened Poppy, hugging her close.

  “He's eating her!” Poppy wailed as the others looked on in horror and Chris listened, hearing her scream again. As long as she could scream, she was still alive. The kid was struggling, too.

  River looked on in shock.

  “Oh god. That poor child!” she whispered in horror.

  Mickey had grabbed his gun and hurried after Joy. He caught up with her as she reached the scene. The creature had human teeth, and its reflexes seemed slowed as it snapped its jaws and the child in its arms struggled and screamed again. It lunged downward, snapping at an arm. Then a shot rang out and the bullet punched through its head with a burst of old blood as a fresh crimson spray ran from it mouth and the arm of Angel as the zombie fell and let go and she dropped to the road.

  Joy lowered her gun, still in shock as the next few seconds seemed to take forever, like time had slowed on this horrible moment. Mickey raced round the other side of the crashed cars, looked to the dead zombie, then saw the break in the cash barrier where it had got in. He reached for Angel and scooped her up as blood ran from a bite mark in her arm. In this warm weather, she had been wearing nothing on her upper body but a short sleeved t shirt, and the creature had bitten into her arm before the fatal shot, it was a deep bite, and Angel was passed out cold as Mickey carried her back to the others as Joy followed, watching as her arm hung limp and left a trail of blood that dripped to the road as it shone under the warm sun. Angel had been bitten. That fact was still sinking in. Joy put a hand to her mouth and stifled a sob as she caught up with the others, who stood around in shocked silence, a silence that was only broken as Poppy wept bitterly.

  The seating plan was swiftly rearranged. River and Chris took the van with Poppy in the back. Alex took the bike and Sage drove the car with Joy beside her and Mickey sat in the back as Angel laid across the seat and her put an arm around her shoulders, cradling the unconscious child as the drive began.

  The van led the way as the bike rode alongside, and the car took up the rear. From the route below the bridge the way was clear, a few cars were scattered about the road but the vehicles could easily avoid them. They had three miles to go and were about to either discover a town over run by zombies or maybe find a place where hope still existed – and the mood would have been optimistic, if not for the fact that Angel had been bitten, it was a deep bite, and that sealed her fate...It was Sage who broke the silence as they drove onward.

  “We have to be ready for when she turns. That's why Poppy's in the van. She can't see that happen.”

  Joy paused for a moment, feeling sympathy for young Poppy, who had not stopped weeping as they had set off on their journey. She blamed herself, even though Sage had reminded her, neither of them knew about the break in the barrier, and no one expected zombies on that quiet stretch of road. Then Joy turned her thoughts to the one subject no one had yet brought up – and something needed to be said, and right away, in case it happened rapidly...

  “She's got a deep bite. She's going to turn. And that means one of us will have to... stop her.”

  Mickey had been looking down at the pale, unconscious child in his arms. He had looked at her and thought about the children he had never had, the fact that he had never been a father, and he was also saddened at the sheer loss of potential, the loss of a young life had to be the very worst of all... He looked up and spoke in a lowered voice.

  “She hasn't turned yet. It could take her slowly, everyone is different with this virus! Maybe she'll be lucky, some people don't turn – not if the bite is shallow enough.”

  “River said it was deep.”

  On hearing those words, Mickey took a deep breath, looking away to the window as they passed by fields and then, in the distance, there was another glimpse of sun on water. He knew tear
s were stinging at his eyes and he blinked them away as he looked down at the child he cradled in his arms. Her face was pale and she was starting to perspire as the virus got to her, but she had not transformed yet.

  “I realise you think, because I've lived on the wrong side of the law, that I can easily put down anyone affected by the bite,” he said, and as Joy looked back from the front seat she met his gaze and he looked right at her as he kept his voice low.

  “But I'm not shooting a kid! No way, she's a child. I can't do it!”

  “One of us has to,” Joy reminded him, “She will change – or maybe...” she fell silent for a moment, hating to drag out the words - but it had to be said, “Maybe it's not right to let a child turn into one of those things!”

  Mickey blinked. His gaze was like steel as he glared back at her.

  “So you think I should put a bullet to her head while she's sleeping? I'm surprised you haven't asked River to shoot her full of sedative and put her down like an animal! She's a kid who has a bite – and for now, she's still a kid, Joy! There's no zombie in this car!”

  “Not yet,” Joy replied quietly, then she looked away, taking a deep breath as she fought back tears. She hadn't rescued Angel to damn her to a terrible fate like this...

  Mickey cradled Angel a little tighter as the car went over a bump in the road, and she slowly opened her eyes, as her fingers closed about his weak hand.

  “It's alright, Angel, you're safe,” he said softly.

  She looked up at him through misty vision.

  “The zombie tried to eat me...” she murmured.

  “You're safe now,” Mickey repeated.

  She closed her eyes again as she briefly gripped his hand.

  “I know that, Uncle Max...” she whispered, then she slipped back into unconsciousness.

  “Okay, I'll be Uncle Max, I'm Max, if you say so, just rest, Angel,” he said as his voice trembled.

  “Mickey, are you okay?”

  He blinked rapidly, taking in a sharp breath as he looked to the window, avoiding her gaze as Joy looked back from the front as a tear ran down his face. Sage glanced at Joy, who looked back at her in silence. They didn't know what to do. Angel had been bitten, and it didn't seem right to end her life before they had to, even though they knew eventually, she would turn, and then they would have no choice in the matter...

  Chapter 10

  As the scenery shifted from fields to nearby coastline, there were two routes that led into town. They had seen a sign that said they were a mile from town now, and as the van stopped, River checked the map and looked left and right, weighing up which turn would take them past less debris, as the car stopped too. Alex slowed his bike to a halt next to the open window of the van, looked in and then looked about the roads ahead of them, discussing the best route with River.

  In the car, as Angel started to cough, Joy leaned in the back to help as she coughed again and shivered. Mickey sat her up as Joy put a hand on her shoulder to keep her steady, then Mickey grabbed his coat from the floor and wrapped it around her as she laid back in his arms. Joy gave a gasp and drew her hand back quickly as Angel's eyes snapped open. Sage heard her gasp and reached for her rifle.

  “Mickey my arm hurts!” wailed Angel, and as she started to cry, Mickey held her close, rocking her as he kept her shielded from the view of Sage, rifle pointed right at her as her eyes widened in surprise.

  “I thought she -”

  “You thought wrong!” he whispered as he comforted the child wrapped in his coat, “And no one will do anything until the change happens.”

  “And then what?” Joy asked as she looked sadly at the shivering child huddled in the coat.

  “And then...” Mickey blinked away more tears, “I'll do it, when I have to!”

  Sage had put the rifle back on the floor. She looked around to the back seat.

  “We're about to head into this town,” she said in a low voice, “With a child with a bite! What makes you think they'll let us in – assuming there's anyone left alive here?”

  Determination burned in Mickey's eyes.

  “I'll say she's my daughter!”

  “What difference do you think that will make?” Sage demanded.

  Joy took a deep breath, blinked away tears and spoke up at once. She had seen the way Mickey had defended that little girl, and now her mind was made up, she was going to do the same.

  “I'll say I'm her mother,” she added.

  The look of thanks she saw in Mickey's eyes made her want to jump in the back and hug him, as Sage looked at her in surprise.

  “You both want to risk us getting turned away - or shot, because we're carrying an infected person with us?”

  “She's just a child!”

  “Yes, Joy I know that but she's a bitten child! And I have my baby sister to think about and everyone else here!”

  “I will do the right thing at the appropriate time,” Mickey stated quietly, “I'm armed, it would take a split second and I'm ready for it.”

  Sage turned back to the front and took a deep breath.

  “Okay, but you both take responsibility for this – and remember how it's going to end!”

  “We know,” Joy replied.

  Then River leaned out of the van as she indicated they were taking the route that ran left to go into town. Sage gave her a nod, then the bike pulled out as the van started up and moved off. Sage started up the car and they followed the others. Joy watched as the road took them around a turn that led on to a smaller highway, now they were driving alongside a short strip of land that dipped on a slight downward slope, showing a view of yellow sand and sea beyond that rolled to shore on calm waters. The way the coastline curved, it was possible to see a glimpse of houses, and somewhere in the distance, a fairground rose up against a blue sky. They had just passed a sign that said Welcome to Wickstall on Sea. The beach looked deserted. On the other side of the road was a flat, wide open space and beyond it, glimpses of houses dotted about, where windows were broken and curtains flapped about on the sea breeze.

  “It's a ghost town,” Joy murmured.

  “Maybe...” Sage said in reply as she drove on, following the others.

  In the back, Angel gave a sudden cough, then she spluttered and tensed and her eyes opened wide as she gave whine of pain and confusion. Mickey held her tightly as he looked down at her. She was still pale, she had a burning fever – but her eyes had not changed, she still seemed to be human.

  “It's okay, you're safe,” It was all he could think to say as Joy looked back at him as Sage spoke up.

  “I think she's changing,” she said quietly.

  Angel gave another cry, then a low strangled growl came from her throat as her hand formed a fist and she trembled.

  “Mickey...” Joy whispered, blinking away tears, “I think -”

  “I know,” he said quietly, gripping the shaking child with an arm around her as he reached for his gun.

  Then Angel looked up at him.

  “My arm hurts!” she said tearfully, as he realised that growl he had heard was her venting frustration as the pain had throbbed deeply. He drew his hand away from his gun, cradling her once more.

  “It won't hurt for much longer,” he told her, “We just have to get to town, then River will try and fix your arm.”

  Sage shook her head on hearing those words. They were about to reach the town, Bess might be waiting for her, there could a be a place of safety here for all of them – and they had a child in the back who was about to turn into a zombie... She wished there was something she could do to help Angel, but she knew the bite was fatal. And that made it harder to take, that Mickey had just promised the girl that River would make her better when they reached town...

  “Are we there yet?” Angel whispered as she looked up at Mickey.

  “Almost,” he replied, forcing a reassuring smile, then looking away from the shivering, sick child as he blinked away tears. This was not how he had expected life to go, after surviving t
he rise of the undead and going on the road and coming through so much. He had been through a lot before the outbreak, and since, he had seen too many terrible times. But nothing came close to this, it had to be the very worst moment of his life, as they drove towards an unknown place, while he cradled a dying child in his arms...

  And then as the bike slowed to a halt and River stopped the van, Sage stopped the car. The were all looking ahead, where in the distance, they saw tall, barred fencing that surrounded a fairground. The fencing was partly boarded up and those boards ran past the fair and off between open space and trees the other side of it... This town was partially protected?

  “What do you see?” Chris asked as River looked out at the view.

  “There's a fairground... and I see to the left where the coast is visible, there's a large pier, too. This part of the town seems to be barricaded and those barricades go past the fair and into the land that leads through town, I presume. It looks that way, like there's a part of the town that's been saved...I can't say how much of it but there's a watch tower beside two huge gates and I see someone up there leaning out... and two armed guards on the gate.” River paused, watching as the person in the tower far off gave a wave.

  “They're waving to us.”

  “We should get closer, but I've got my gun ready just in case,” Chris replied.

  “Okay, that sounds like the best logical move,” River agreed, then she leaned out of the car and looked back at the others.

  “We're going closer - have a weapon ready in case of trouble. But so far, it looks okay. We won't know until we get there. Are we doing this or not?”

  Sage nodded.

  “But Mickey and Joy are holding on to Angel. They're going to say she's their daughter.”

  River glanced back at Joy and Mickey.

  “You realise they might not let you in, with a bitten child?”

  “Then we'll wait outside with her,” Joy replied, and she glanced into the back at Mickey, who nodded in agreement.