by Peter Hall
“Fuck off.”
“I thought not. Okay, bring your weapon, stay a few yards behind me and keep quiet.”
Juliet made a mock salute. “Yes, sir!”
Ten minutes later, they were getting very close.
“Can you smell cooking? Fish?” Juliet whispered.
“Yes,” Cal whispered back. “They’re not making any attempt to hide themselves. Either they’re not afraid of anything, or they’re stupid.”
“It smells good, I just realised I’m hungry.”
“Want to go back and have some dinner?”
“You’re not getting out of it that easily.”
“Okay. We’re really close now. No more talking.”
They came to a hedge overlooking a wide slow-moving stream and, on the bank, was a campfire. Two people were lying on towels, apparently dozing in the sun. The man was bare-chested and looked in his thirties. His skin was black as charcoal and his hair trimmed so short, he almost appeared bald. Lying by his side was a woman of the same age, wearing a small red bikini. She was slim with long caramel coloured hair and large sunglasses. Her skin appeared bleached compared to her companion. The pair could have been transplanted from a beach at a Mediterranean holiday resort.
The woman rolled on to her front. “Ken, can you do my back?” She handed him a bottle.
“Sure, hon,” he replied, and began rubbing sunscreen over the woman’s shoulders. Cal and Juliet frowned at each other. Were these folk for real?
“Are those fish nearly done yet? I’m starved,” said the woman. Over the open fire, three fish sizzled on a metal plate.
“Oooh, hot, hot, hot,” Ken said, after touching them with a finger. “Yeah, I think they’re ready and so am I.”
Cal nudged Juliet and pointed to a shotgun lying next to Ken. Juliet nodded, then put down her rifle, stood up and walked through the thin hedge, holding her hands in the air.
“No. Wait!” John mouthed, but Juliet had gone. By choice, he would have watched and waited for much longer before approaching them.
“Hi there,” Juliet said in a friendly voice.
Cal fixed the sights of his rifle firmly on Ken.
Ken grabbed his shotgun and pointed it at Juliet. “Stop right there,” he shouted.
“Okay, okay, I don’t mean any harm. I just want to talk. I can turn around and walk away if you’d rather.”
The woman raised her sunglasses on to her head and appraised Juliet. “Put the fuckin’ gun down Ken.”
“Shut up, Susan. You’ll get us killed one day.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Susan said, lying back on her towel. “Why are all men such pricks?”
“I think it’s genetic,” Juliet said.
“Are you armed?” Ken said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You can see I’m not. And now you should ask me if I’m alone.”
Ken paused for a second. “Okay. Are you alone?”
“No, there’s someone hidden nearby with a rifle aimed directly at your head. If we meant you any harm, you’d already be dead.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Well, if I’m bluffing, then I’m harmless, and you can lower your gun. And if I’m not, you’re fucked and you should still lower your gun. Either way, you should lower your gun, Ken.”
“Told you,” Susan said.
Ken’s face displayed indecision for a few seconds before he shrugged and lowered the shotgun.
“I think your fish is burning,” Juliet said.
“Shit!”
“Men!” Susan said.
Cal shouldered his rifle and walked out into view.
“My name’s Juliet Davenport and this is Cal. We saw your smoke from the road as we were passing.”
Ken stood up and offered his hand to Juliet. “Hi, sorry about that. My name’s Ken, Ken Black and please don’t make any jokes. I’ve heard them all. This is Susan Anderson.”
“Hi Juliet. Hi Cal,” Susan said, continuing to lie on her front. “We were just about to eat some… slightly burned fish,” she said as she watched Ken trying to loosen the fish from the hot plate. “Come and join us.”
“Oh, we couldn’t,” Juliet said. “There’s only enough for the two of you.”
“Well, we’re not going to eat with you looking on drooling. So you can either join us, or clear off,” Susan said.
Juliet smiled. “Oh, well, since you put it like that, some fresh fish would be lovely, thanks.”
The fish was moist, tender and tasty. Cal sucked the bones to get every last shred of meat. Ken told them he had caught it in the stream only an hour previously. Fishing had been his hobby before the Yellow Death and since then it had become a way of supplementing their diet. Ken and Susan normally camped near a river or lake, so that he could provide their supper.
“Actually, you’re doing me a favour by turning up,” Susan said. “To be quite honest, I’m having nightmares about eating fish. I don’t want to appear ungrateful, because we never go hungry, but fish every day?”
“Maybe Ken could show us how to fish?” Juliet said.
“Sure, that’d be great,” Ken said. “But it’s not something you can pick up overnight. I’ve been at it for years and still learning. I began when I was ten. My Dad taught me. Now, he was a genuine expert.”
“Oh, no,” Susan said. “Now you’ve started him off.”
Cal and Juliet decided to camp where they were for the night, and Cal brought the Land Rover closer.
“Jesus man,” said Ken. “That’s one cool set of wheels.”
Ken and Susan lived in an ancient sky-blue Land Rover that had been converted into a motorhome by building a large living space on the rear. It was clearly an amateur conversion and looked top heavy and ungainly. Nevertheless, they loved it and assured Cal that it served them well. Cal’s first impression was it stuck out like a sore thumb and was impossible to hide at night.
The evening was very sociable. They sat around and talked, ate and shared stories, as travellers always do. Ken caught two more fish for Cal and Juliet, which were paid for by exchanging tinned ham. Both sides of the party were glad about the change of diet. Susan opened a bottle of brandy.
Ken and Susan met shortly after the Yellow Death. They joined a dozen other survivors, searching for a place to start out again. The couple bonded at once, but found themselves on the fringe of their group.
“Most of the others were real serious dudes,” Ken said. “They acted like we had to follow all the rules from before. One day, I caught one of them putting rubbish in a litter bin. I told him the Council wouldn’t be emptying the bins anytime soon, but he just glared at me.”
“Perhaps they were finding comfort in following familiar habits,” Juliet said.
“I guess so, but that was part of the problem. They were so rigid and stuck up. There were a couple of kids with us and they used them as an excuse to keep us in line. We weren’t supposed to get drunk in front of the kids.”
“Or swear,” Susan said.
“Or fuck,” Ken said, laughing.
“Especially not that,” Susan said. “They made us pitch our tent away from the main camp in case we made any sounds at night that might let on we actually had some fun.”
Ken imitated a wolf howling at the moon.
Cal sat stiffly and attempted to keep his face neutral when he really wanted to frown. This couple acted like big kids. Yet Juliet kept laughing and seemed to be enjoying their antics. He hoped she was only being polite, as was he. This was a horrible mistake. Juliet held out her cup as Ken poured a shot of brandy. Cal declined.
Susan continued the story. “The friction between us came to a head one day when we were scavenging a large mansion for supplies. We found a massive greenhouse the previous owners had used mostly for veggies. Most of it was rotting, but there were sacks of spuds and something else…”
She looked at Ken and they smiled at each other, sharing the memory. “I’d never seen them before, but Ken recognised them straight away.”
“Cannabis plants,” Ken said. “Hundreds of the bloody things. They were past their best, but I managed to salvage and dry enough to fill three carrier bags.”
“Why would they be growing cannabis?” Cal said.
“Why not, man? I’m guessing you’ve not tried it?”
“They may have grown it for medicinal purposes,” Juliet said. “Cannabis has traditionally been used as pain relief for long-term illnesses.”
“Whatever,” Ken said. “We couldn’t believe our luck.”
“Until we lit up the first time,” Susan said. “Then all hell broke loose. You’d think we’d strangled a baby or something.”
“The others told us to burn the entire stash.” Ken said.
“So we split. We had more than enough of their stupid rules and regulations.”
“Yeah. There was too much of that shit before the Death. We’ve been travelling alone since then. Taking life as it comes and living it to the full.”
A feature of autism is an inability to pick up on social cues and read body language. This did not stop Cal from taking an instant dislike to Ken and Susan. They were stupid, reckless and inconsiderate. And they shouldn’t be smoking cannabis in front of children.
Cal was aware that before long, the couple will need to join a settlement and will rely on those folk who have been grafting to get it established, while they’ve been taking an extended holiday. They have nothing to offer the settlers except Ken’s world renowned fishing skills. Wasters!
But if Juliet was feeling the same as him, she was not showing it. She laughed hysterically at the stories of their ludicrous antics.
“Shame it’s got to end,” Susan said.
“Yeah. Finding stuff is getting difficult and we can’t live just on fish.” Ken said.
“So we’re looking for a farm or settlement with a friendly community to make a home.”
“One that’s near a lake, or river, so I can fish. I reckon my skill is invaluable. Fish is very nutritious and it’ll be my contribution to the settlement.”
So that’s it. While most people graft in the fields, that loafer thinks he can stand on a riverbank doing his hobby. They wouldn’t be invited to join any settlement I was leading.
Throughout the evening, Cal stayed quiet. He had no wish to talk of his past, and no interest in how Susan and Ken had spent their time. For Cal, this evening was like dutifully listening to a neighbour describing their holiday photographs.
However, Juliet gave the impression of having a great time. She drank a lot of brandy and did a lot of laughing.
Towards the end of the evening, when everyone but Cal was thoroughly drunk, thoughts turned to the future.
“I’ve got an idea,” Susan said. “How about we all try travelling together? Just for a few days. See how we get on? We’d be safer in a group and could share all the chores.”
Cal mentally screamed ‘No!’ but Juliet, relaxed and with brandy flowing through her veins, turned to him and said, “That sounds like a fantastic idea. What do you think, Cal?”
Cal felt trapped by his promise to be sociable, so shrugged his shoulders. “Fine, just for a trial period, though.”
“Wonderful, that’s settled then,” Susan said. “Let’s celebrate.” She poured another round of brandy.
Ken and Susan eventually retired to their campervan and, even with the doors and windows closed, Cal could still hear their raucous laughing and joking.
Cal prepared for bed in silence and climbed into their sleeping bag with his back to Juliet.
Juliet sighed. “Okay, what’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, don’t be so childish. Just tell me what the problem is.” Juliet waited patiently until he spoke.
“How could you agree to join up with that pair?”
“Come on, Cal, they’re great fun. Ken and Susan are just the sort of people you need to mix with and there’s only two of them. You’ll not find a smaller group to travel with. You agreed you needed to mix more.”
“Yes, but not with them. Those two will get us killed.”
“Will they? I wonder. They seem to have survived just fine so far, without booby traps and paranoid delusions.”
The comment stung Cal. They lay in silence, back to back. After a few moments, Juliet relented. “I’m sorry, Cal, that wasn’t fair of me. I appreciate your caution, but when you meet people like Ken and Susan, you have to wonder if we don’t go a bit too far with the security thing. Maybe we’re missing out on life a little?”
Cal said nothing. All he wanted to do at that moment was go to sleep and pretend the world didn’t exist.
Juliet turned over to face his back. “Are you worried because you haven’t been able to set your trip wires tonight?”
Cal also turned, so they were face to face. “A little, but we’re well off-road. I doubt we’re in any real danger for one night.”
“Then what is it that’s really bothering you? Is it because I agreed to travel with them without checking with you first?”
“A bit.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I was in a good mood and got carried away in the moment… and the booze didn’t help. Listen, this is only a trial. Just give it a couple of days and see how we get on. Ken and Susan are looking to join a settlement soon anyway and who knows, they may not like travelling with us.”
“I suppose so.”
Cal had a sinking feeling his perfect life had gone forever.
CHAPTER 23
Kim & The Pills
TIMELINE: At the time of the Yellow Death
“Plague has hung over human history. The biggest human extinction was after 1492 in North and South America when the mortality rate was 95 per cent, which is enormous. But again, I'm actually giving you grounds for optimism: There were enough to continue.”
Margaret Atwood (1939–)
Kim spent the rest of the day at home with Katy. The streets of London had become unfamiliar and terrifying. Everybody acted edgy and treated strangers as threats. Those few venturing out wore masks, or covered their faces. Sirens sounded in the distance, accompanied by the occasional bang or crash of glass breaking. During the afternoon, a persistent drizzle bathed everything in a sheen of wetness.
Kim thought about going to her mother’s house. She ached to have some company and worried about how her mum was coping. Normally, it was a twenty-minute drive, but today? Who knew if she could even get there, with roadblocks, abandoned vehicles and looting gangs. The television was full of pictures of terrible things happening everywhere. Had Kim been alone, she would have taken the risk, but she had Katy to think about.
So she locked all the doors and windows and closed the curtains. The world had turned evil, and she wanted to shut it out. She played a few games with Katy, read her some books, and let her watch a DVD. When Katy napped, she watched the news. The lights flickered several times. The phone lines stayed dead.
Kim felt the need to keep peeking through the curtains, checking for danger. Every sound from outside made her jump. In the late afternoon, Katy spilled a drink and Kim screamed at her out of frustration, regretting it even as the words left her mouth. Katy started crying and asked where Daddy was for the hundredth time.
By the time Kim put Katy to bed that evening, her head was throbbing. She took aspirin, but it made no difference. The doorbell rang, and she flinched. Grabbing the largest kitchen knife she had, Kim raced to the living room window, peering around the curtain to view the doorway.
It was her mother. Kim breathed a sigh of relief and rushed to open the door. Rachel’s eyes widened when she saw the carving knife in Kim’s hand. “Not exactly the welcome I was hoping for.”
Kim smiled and put down the knife. “Sorry.” They embraced like never before.
The pair sat at the kitchen table, drinking tea. Rachel reached across to hold Kim’s hand as she spoke about her journey. “I sat around the house all day thinking of you. I spoke to Nigel before th
e phones died and he said you were on the way to Devon, so there was no point in me coming round here. But then I saw the traffic being turned around on the TV, so thought perhaps you’d be here after all. By then the phones were down, so I had no way of knowing. I sat for hours plucking up courage to make the journey. In the end I thought ‘sod it,’ nothing’s worse than sitting here stewing, so I jumped in the car and came over. Quickest journey here I’ve ever made, there’s hardly anything moving on the roads now. Everyone’s gone to ground.”
“I’m glad you’re here. I worried about you too.”
“Well, everybody’s worried about everybody and everything at the moment. I can’t believe this has happened so fast.”
Kim looked down and shook her head. “It’s crazy. I don’t understand what’s happening. The Government claims there’s no confirmed cases at the same time they’re blocking off London. This must be more serious than they’re letting on.”
“I’m afraid it is. That’s one reason I had to come and see you. I know the truth. Well, as much as anyone does at this stage.”
“How? What?”
“Have you got a drink, something stronger than this, I mean?” She indicated her cup of tea. “You’re going to need it.”
“We’ve got a bottle of port left over from Christmas we never opened.”
“That’ll do for a start.”
Kim took two wine glasses from a wall cupboard and poured them both a glass of the dark red liquid. Rachel sniffed her drink before downing half of it in one swallow. “Oh. That’s a bit rough.”
“Nigel’s boss gave it to him at Christmas. He’s a renowned skinflint.”
“Never mind. It’ll do the trick. Top me up again. I’m not going to be driving anywhere.”
Kim did so.
“Right, where do I start? You’re aware your dad worked for the Government, but you were never told what he did. Well, to tell you the truth, neither was I, especially in his last few years—after our ‘falling out’. I do know that it was connected with national security, counter-terrorist intelligence, and stuff like that. He was pretty high up in the food chain. Over the years, I met many of his colleagues at official functions. There was one man in particular that I got to know very well.” She gulped her port. “In fact, I got to know him very well indeed. We became… familiar.”
