‘Hurry, Maggie. They’re everywhere.’
Maggie steered the tractor up the lane. She knocked the last cows out the way. I thought we would be alright now. But then I heard Ellis scream.
A spindly viro had grabbed her. She was fighting. The viro was strong. Ellis was terrified.
‘Help me, Jake.’
I tried to shoot but didn’t want to hit Ellis. The viro was pulling her over the side. Ellis was really struggling. I looked at Vinnie. He finished loading his rifle. He stepped over to the viro. He put his rifle against its head. The gun was loud. The viro let go of Ellis. She fell back. I looked at the viro. It had no face now. Maggie was trying to steer us away.
‘Hold tight, everyone. We’re nearly there.’
Cows were mooing and mixing with the viros. Some viros attacked the cows. They jumped all over them. The cows screamed. It was horrible noise. Everyone was feeling so sad. I stared at the animals. I couldn’t stop looking. One cow was on its knees. It was crying really loud. Five viros were biting it all over. One viro bit a big hole in the cow’s neck. Blood fell out. It was everywhere. The viros shouted. They loved the smell of blood. It was their favourite. I kept watching.
Then something grabbed me.
I fell backwards.
I landed on the road.
My arm got bent.
It really hurt.
Arm
‘Jake! Get up, Jake!’
Someone was shouting. It was Abe. He was standing in the trailer. He was worried. Really worried. Everyone was.
I was laying on the road. My left arm was really sore. The viros were coming for me. The nearest viro was a small kid. It stared at my face. It didn’t see me. It only saw food. I didn’t want to be the viro’s dinner. I stood up.
My arm was useless. I couldn’t fire the catapult. I looked at the trailer. Everyone was shouting. Ellis was pointing behind me.
‘Look out, Jake.’
I felt something hit my back. I was pushed down again. I hit my arm on the road. I screamed. The viro kid was nearly on top of me. It was grabbing at me. A heard a gun fire. There was a scream behind me. Vinnie was reloading his rifle.
‘Jake, you’ve got to get out of there.’
He pointed up the road.
‘Run that way, we’ll hold them off.’
I think I knew what he said. I started to run. I saw an open gate to the side. I ran in there. It was a muddy field. I saw a load of trees the other side. That would be a good place to hide. I didn’t look behind me. I just kept running. This was my only plan.
When I got to the trees I didn’t think I was far enough away. I ran through the trees. There was another field. I kept going. I still didn’t look behind me. I didn’t want the viros to get me.
At the end of the field there was a small river. It had bushes all along the bank. There was a green wooden fence behind it. The fence looked strong and safe. I knew that the viros wouldn’t see me if I hid behind the fence. But I couldn’t climb. My arm was no good.
I kept running with the fence to my side. The field stopped at a gate. There was a track behind the gate. I got over it somehow. The fence was alongside the track as well. I followed where it went. There was eventually a bigger gate. I went through.
I was standing in a car park. There was some big sheds around the edge. The concrete had plants growing out of it. I chose the last shed in the corner. It was shaded by big trees. They leaned over the fence. I thought I would be safe in that shed.
Smile
The shed stunk of old oil. The door was rotten. It was hanging off the hinge. I crept inside. My arm was so bad now. It hurt so much. My head filled with pain. I tried to close the door behind me. Some of the wood fell off. It make a horrible loud crunch. I stood still.
There was sunlight coming through the skylight. The shed was full of car things. I saw engines and seats and wheels. Everything was covered in cobwebs. Plants with long purple flowers came through the broken windows. A pigeon was above me. It was cooing. It was strange to hear a normal nature sound now.
There was a small office at the back. I tiptoed that way. There was a window and a door. I looked through the window.
Someone was sitting in a chair.
I didn’t move. I held my breath. If it was a viro then it would smell me.
I waited.
Nothing happened.
It was not a viro.
It was an old man. He had dirty overalls. His glasses had fallen onto the floor. It was so silent. I knew he was dead. His face was bright red. He was sitting in a picnic chair. There was a desk in front of him. There was a small book. It was open. The pages were covered in scribbly writing. I didn’t want to read anything. My head hurt too much. There was a crinkly photo next to the book. It was a nice lady. She was standing next to a white pram. There was a big smile on her face. I felt very sad.
I didn’t touch anything. I was too frightened. The old man’s world was his and not mine. I had no right to see him like this. Or think about the lady in the photograph. In any case, the world must be full of old photographs now. Each one someone dead now. Or worse. I hoped that she was not a viro. Or the baby in the pram.
Metal
My head was full of pain. My arm was throbbing. It made my eyes water. I sat down on the desk. The old man didn’t care about me. He was somewhere else. I hoped he was happy. Or at least happier than before.
I thought about how many people I found who had killed themselves. The man under the bridge. He was protecting his family. This old man. He was protecting memories. Daphne kind of killed herself by going down the ladder. Susie shot Murphy so he wouldn’t be one of those things. It wasn’t quite the same but almost.
There was a clang outside. Something metal fell over behind me. It was loud. The pigeon flapped its wings. I looked through the window. An old lady was walking towards me. She was a viro. Her face was all red and bloody. Her teeth were covered in blood as well. I thought I knew her. I thought I had seen her face.
Then I knew.
She was the old man’s wife.
The old viro stopped in the doorway. It was blocked. I couldn’t get past. I stepped back. My hand felt something on the desk. It was a big heavy metal thing. I picked it up. I knew that people used them to unlock tires on cars.
The viro was staring bad at me. It had really red eyes. I wondered what it could see. Did I look human to them? Or did they just see me as food? The viro twitched. It was like it was trying to decide what to do. I didn’t wait.
I hit the viro in the head. It roared. I hit it again really hard. It made my other arm hurt. The viro fell over. I hit it one more time. The viro didn’t get up.
I stepped over the body. I was breathing heavy. My arm was so sore now. There was blood on the metal thing. I didn’t throw it away. It would be handy to have.
The old viro lay on the floor. The old man was still in the chair. I pushed him on the floor with his wife. I thought he would like that. At least they could rot together forever now. They looked like they were both asleep.
I wanted to make the old man happy.
Sweets
The pigeon came back. It was flapping in the roof. Then it cooed again. I looked around the shed. I needed to eat. My tummy was rumbling. I needed something for my arm. It was throbbing. My hand was all swollen. My fingers felt like they would burst.
I stared at the cobwebs around me. They were thick on the shelves. I could see old rusty pots. Plastics bottles with clear liquid in them. It would not be water. It was probably the stuff people used to clean paintbrushes.
The shed had two broken cars in it. One was by a big door. The other was up on a ramp. I could walk underneath it. The car by the big door was all rusty. I couldn’t open the door. It was locked. The other car had one door open. I found a stool and climbed up. It was hard to get in the car with my bad arm. I struggled and struggled. Then I got in the passenger side.
I looked in the glove box. There was a small tin of sweets. I put one
in my mouth. It was strong and minty. The flavour made me gasp. I put some more in my mouth. It was better than nothing. I turned round to look in the back.
I saw something under the seat. I had to twist around and lean over. I squeezed between the seats. I reached down. It was a small envelope. I sat down. It was hard to open. I tipped the envelope onto the seat. A strand of hair fell out. It looked like some from a baby. I was disappointed. I was hoping for something better. I couldn’t do anything with this silly old hair.
There was noise. I heard footsteps in the car park. It was very loud. I hoped it was Vinnie and the others. I started to get out the car. Then I heard the singing.
It wasn’t my friends.
It was the viros.
They had found me.
Wedged
It was hard to get out the car. My arm was so stiff. I was wedged between the seats. I pushed with my legs. I grabbed the seat with my good hand. I pulled. It was really sore. My neck got twisted as well. I heard it click. My knee was caught. I pushed again. My knee popped. I fell back into the passenger seat.
The shed door was pulled open by the viros. They came inside. I saw twelve. I couldn’t fight them with my metal stick. I would die quickly. I couldn’t run past them. They wouldn’t let me.
I was stuck in the car.
I pulled the door shut. I pressed the button down. The doors locked. I was safe inside the car. But the viros would get me in the end. I was trapped. The car was my coffin. I was buried alive.
The viros came all around. There were two tall ones. One used to be a traffic warden. It still had the yellow jacket. It was all streaky with red. The other tall viro had a big beard. The hair was thick with mud and blood. They were staring at me. I stared back at them.
I looked in the beardy viro’s eyes. There was nothing. No light. No hope. Just dark greedy anger. It didn’t see me as Jake. It saw me as food. The viro licked its lips. I saw green teeth. They were all broken. It would hurt so much to be bitten by them. To have lumps of my skin ripped apart. I didn’t want my blood to be on its lips.
All the viro stood around the car. It started to shake. They were trying to knock the car off the ramp. The traffic warden hit the window with a dirty hand. It left a nasty print. The glass would break in the end. It could not last like this for long.
So this was where I would become a viro. They would get me out the car. I would lay on the floor. They would all bite. Twelve hungry mouths all ripping me at once. Would I fight back? I could try. But how? I was not strong enough. I might push one away. I might trip another one over. But they would get me. They would eat me.
Maybe I could make it easier? Help them kill me quicker. Push my neck at them. Would that help? Would it let me bleed everywhere? I knew I would faint quickly. It would be like falling asleep. The first bite would hurt. But the rest might not. I would not feel them.
The viro smacked the window again. It was so loud. The glass cracked. I looked at the door. I saw the handle. If I let the window down the viro could grab me. That would be easier. I could put my neck out. The viro would bite me. I could fall back inside the car. And go to sleep. I wouldn’t know anything. That was the best plan I had.
I grabbed the handle.
Eaten
There was another crack. The viro’s head bashed against the glass. There was blood coming out its ear. I heard more cracks. The viros were falling over. The rest of them headed for the door. I heard them roar. I watched one viro drop down. It had a big hole in its head.
It was Vinnie. He was shooting the viros. Maggie too. They had found me. I sat in the car. I was no help. They did not need me. My friends shot all the viros. Ellis came over to the car. She was smiling.
‘We found you, Jake. I was so worried.’
I smiled as well.
‘I thought I was dead. I was waiting to be eaten.’
Ellis shook her head.
‘Never, Jake. We were never going ot let that happen.’
I unlocked the car. My face had pain on it.
‘I think my arm is broken. I hurt it earlier.’
Ellis helped me get out the car. She saw my bad arm. Ellis led me out to the car park. The others were all there. There were bodies everywhere. Maggie said hello to me.
‘You’re a fast runner. Luckily, I thought this is where you’d end up so once we lost those things we were able to get here.’
She looked at the bodies.
‘Just in time, by the look of it.’
My arm was really sore. Maggie could see my pain. She opened the red cross box. She helped put my arm in a sling. That made it feel a bit better. Maggie pointed at the tractor.
‘I don’t think you’ve broken your arm. It’s more like a bad sprain. That sling will have to do until we get to the asylum. We’d better get going before we run out of daylight. I don’t want to meet another swarm of those things at night. We’d never get away.’
Maggie called the others. Vinnie and Abe helped me get into the trailer. Abe teased me.
‘It was like watching the Olympics seeing you run across those fields. We were shouting for you to stop but you just kept going.’
‘I thought the viros were on me. I didn’t want them to get me.’
Vinnie laughed too.
‘I’m glad we found you, Jake, but remind me never to take you on in a footrace. You’re the fastest runner I’ve ever seen.’
Policeman
The sign said three miles to Watling. Maggie said the asylum was on the edge of the village behind the church. We were nearly there. I felt good inside. At last we would get Mum. She would be so pleased. My heart felt full. It wanted to burst. Ellis saw me. She knew my thinking.
‘It won’t be long now, Jake.’
The tractor stopped. I saw Maggie. She was talking to someone. It was a policeman. He was standing in the road. Maggie nodded her head. The policeman pointed at the tractor. Maggie nodded again. The policeman climbed into the trailer.
‘I’m PC James and I am here to escort you all to safety.’
The policeman didn’t sound nice. He was unfriendly. I said something.
‘What about the Asylum?’
The policeman looked annoyed.
‘What about it? No one is getting in or out of there. Those things have it surrounded. We have to follow the detour.’
I didn’t like those words.
‘Detour? Why detour? We need to find my mum. She is at the asylum.’
PC James shook his head.
‘The detour has been created for everyone’s safety. Orders are orders.’
The policeman shouted to Maggie.
‘Head down the lane as far as the second gate and then turn in there.’
Maggie said she would. I thought this was very weird. I looked at the policeman.
‘Who says we have to obey you? There are no laws now. Not anymore. Just survival or death.’
The policeman got angry.
‘How dare you question me? The law is still the law, you know, even for idiots like you.’
Ellis got angry as well.
‘Jake is not an idiot. He is our friend. Don’t say that about him.’
The policeman had a gun. He grabbed Amber. It was a headlock. She struggled but was stuck. The policeman put the gun against her head.
‘I suggest you all calm down. I’m in charge here and don’t any of you forget it.’
Minibus
The tractor stopped. We were under some trees. There was another policeman. He was standing next to a minibus. PC James told us to get out the trailer. He was still holding Amber. We had to leave our weapons behind. The other policeman laughed.
‘Who do we have here, Ivor?’
‘Just some silly kids out for a joyride. They’re just in time to help us.’
Maggie was angry. She stood up straight.
‘Put Amber down at once. You have no right to grab her like that.’
The policemen laughed. PC James did not let go.
‘I
told you earlier, we are the law and we will be obeyed. Isn’t that right, Ken?’
The other policeman went to the trailer.
‘You bet it is.’
Ken climbed into the trailer. He was happy.
‘Guns and food and water. What a result!’
Ken picked up Vinnie’s rifle. He looked at PC James.
‘I guess you can let her go now.’
The policeman let go of Amber. She looked at him.
‘Don’t you ever touch me again, you filthy beast.’
‘Or what? What are you going to do, you little bitch!’
Amber did not say. She stared at the man. He got angry.
‘Stop staring at me. Go and join the others.’
Amber did not move. The policeman shouted again. His friend spoke next.
‘Welcome everyone to the Free State of Sussex. Given that society has now collapsed and there are no countries and borders anymore, myself, Ivor and a few others have taken it upon ourselves to start all over again. We have claimed this land for ourselves and are now looking for volunteers to join us as we take a stand against the darkness that has engulfed this island.’
PC James laughed.
‘Congratulations, everyone, and by the power invested in us by ourselves, we hereby decree that you are now all officially citizens of the Free State of Sussex.’
Gatwick
The policemen made us sit on the dirty wet ground. PC James told us not to speak.
‘Once the others get back, we’ll decide what to do with you all but for the moment rest assured, there is a lot of work to do and you are all going to be very busy.’
Viro (Book 4): Viro Page 7
