“Watch out for any dogs,” said Philip. “Last thing we want is to end up like Hannah.”
“She was lucky,” explained Kamiyo. “A dog’s jaws are filthy, and her wounds were deep. If the antiseptic she brought had not been enough…”
“That’s why we’re out here,” said Philip. “We’ll find what we need.”
“The world is a garden,” said Aymun. “It shall provide.”
Kamiyo climbed up onto the thick roots of an oak tree and hopped over a tangle of bushes. When he landed, he turned back and waited for Philip and Aymun to do the same. Philip didn’t do it with the same grace, and his awkwardness betrayed his lack of agility, but Aymun seemed almost to float over the obstacle.
“Thanks for coming with me, guys. It took guts.”
Philip shrugged. “It doesn’t feel like that.”
“What do you mean?”
He stumbled a little through some weeds, but then made it up beside Kamiyo. “When I saw the demons on TV, it terrified me. Bray was with me, but my wife was at home. I tried calling, but she wouldn’t answer. I didn’t know whether to stay or leave, and both options scared the hell out of me. After a while, I knew my wife was dead, and some of that fear left me, but then…” He swallowed, visibly struggling. “When Bray died, the last of my fear went away. All that’s left now is this,” he gripped his stomach, “nothingness. It’s like I don’t care anymore. I know what’s right and what’s wrong, but… I don’t know. It’s not bravery that brought me here.”
“Depression,” said Kamiyo. “It’s a normal stage of grief, Philip, I promise. The good news is that it usually comes before acceptance. I am so sorry about Bray. I wish I had done something more; that I was a better doctor.”
Philip nodded, but gave no indication of how he felt. “If I make it back to the castle in one piece, perhaps I’ll eventually feel different. But if I die out here, I don’t care.”
“To die is not something of which to be ashamed,” said Aymun, “so long as it is not done so willingly. You must fight to live, Philip.”
Kamiyo stared hard at Philip. “I won’t let you give up. Bray might be gone, but there’re three dozen kids behind us that need you. There aren’t many adults left, and without us, those kids will grow up with none of the things we need to teach them. You were a businessman before all this happened, Philip, and it’s obvious you were a good father. The kids need to learn from you. Heck, maybe I do too.”
Philip sighed and then looked away with an awkward grunt. “Thank you for saying that. And… thank you for trying to help my son.”
It didn’t feel right to say, ‘You’re welcome,’ so Kamiyo just left it at that.
They walked in silence for another hour until they found the road. It was still early, so the sun was bright and blinding. After several days of dreary, cloud-covered days, the weather was pleasant.
They exited by the coach Hannah had told them to look out for, then headed along the road. They kept to the ditch, ready to dash back into the trees at the first sign of trouble. The good thing about being a wasteland survivor in the UK was that it never took long before a road took you somewhere. What nightmare must it have been in rural America or mainland China? There you could walk a hundred miles and still find nothing. Both were countries Kamiyo had one day hoped to visit, but was there anyone left who could fly a plane?
Maybe in Portsmouth?
Would rescue ever come? It felt impossible.
Just focus on the now. And the now is an imminent castle siege by a horde of demons. Today’s Netflix special…
“Bray would have loved this,” said Philip after a while of walking. “He was breaking his neck to get out of the forest. Adventure was his middle name.”
Kamiyo chuckled. “I was always stuck indoors reading as a kid. Looking back, I think Bray had the right idea. Life is for the living. I wish I’d done a bit more adventuring in my younger days.”
“You’re still young,” Philip commented, “but I understand what you’re saying. I worked so hard to make a fortune, to make a life for my family, but all I did was end up being away from them. If I’d known things would end up like this…”
“That’s how I feel,” said Kamiyo. “I spent my life studying for a future that no longer exists. All that hard work was supposed to pay off later, but now there is no later.”
“I spent my life fighting for a lost cause,” said Aymun. “I could have devoted myself to peace and love, but I convinced myself I was put on Earth to fight my enemies. It appears we all three spent our lives unwisely.”
They walked for perhaps another couple of miles, the road going by fast. Philip was running out of breath, not as seasoned as Kamiyo or Aymun. For Kamiyo, there was a comforting familiarity about being lost on the road again. You never knew what bounty you would find next. Or what danger. The unknown could excite, even if it terrified.
The outskirts of a town formed, and they passed a row of terraced cottages. Next, they passed a builder’s yard and a church. Ten minutes after that, they spotted a supermarket—and then two more right behind it. The three glass and brick buildings clustered together, competing via their giant signs and posters.
“Wow,” said Philip. “That actually turned out to be pretty easy. I thought we’d get ripped apart by demons the moment we stepped out of the forest, but we haven’t seen a single one.”
Kamiyo nodded. “They move in packs. Sometimes you can go days without seeing any if you avoid the towns and cities. Stay on your toes though. You never know when they’ll suddenly leap out and try to eat you.”
Philip nodded, and it pleased Kamiyo that the man had forgiven him enough to accept advice.
Kamiyo stepped over to a line of hedges and crouched behind them. “Come on,” he whispered. “Quick and careful.”
Philip and Aymun did as Kamiyo asked, and the three of them hurried towards the first of the supermarkets. It wasn’t a brand he often frequented before the fall of civilisation—too expensive to please the thrifty buying-habits of his parents. Now money was no object, so he prepared to fill his boots with whatever he could find.
The automatic glass doors obviously didn’t open as they approached, and when Kamiyo tried to open them with his hands, they didn’t budge. “Damn it.”
“We’ll have to smash our way in,” said Philip.
“That might bring attention.” Aymun looked left and right. “If the damned dwell nearby, they will hear.”
Philip scanned the car parks on both sides of the main road. “It looks clear. I don’t see what other choice we have.”
Kamiyo explored a short distance. “We should try around back. The loading bay. Staff doors. Windows even.”
Philip shrugged. “Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. Want me to check?”
“We should all go. Stick together.”
The others held no objection, so they followed the building around to the back. They passed a massive collection of trolleys, and a row of giant wheelie bins.
Kamiyo couldn’t quite understand it, but something wasn’t right. He told Philip and Aymun to keep their eyes open.
A large gate barred access to a side road leading to the supermarket’s loading bay, but a small access hatch was unlocked. They passed through it into a litter-strewn area with a single parked lorry. All the litter lay in piles around the perimeter.
They climbed a set of cement steps up onto the loading bay and looked around. Philip tried to lift one of the large square shutters, but it was locked and rattled defiantly. “Looks like we might have to go back to the smashing the doors open plan,” he said.
Kamiyo sighed. “I don’t think they’ll shatter easily. Those things are thick.”
“Then how about we try to kick in one of these back shutters?”
Aymun spoke up. “Just as noisy. We need to think about this.”
Kamiyo studied the iron poker in his hands. “Maybe we don’t need to get the shutters open. Maybe we can just… make room.”
Philip
didn’t understand, but he knew enough to stand back from the shutter and wait to find out. Kamiyo stepped up and rammed his poker into the gap between the shutter and the track it ran in. The poker was too blunt for stabbing, but it was narrow enough to shove into the gap and lever back and forth. Grunting like a mule and trying to ignore the pain in his damaged hands, he worked the poker in every direction until he popped a section of the shutter out of its track. It created a slim opening, wide enough to pass an arm through.
“Wow,” said Philip. “You’d think supermarkets would have tougher security.”
“Most were staffed 24-hours a day, with security alarms and cameras too. There was no need for them to have six-inch steel doors.”
“You think you can work it any wider?” Philip patted his tummy. “I’ve lost a few pounds recently, but not that many.”
Kamiyo locked his knees. He wrenched and levered higher up the track, trying to unseat more of the shutter. Every inch widened the gap further, and after a while, Philip and Aymun pulled at the shutter while Kamiyo worked at it. Eventually, the shutter was flapping about like a towel in the wind. It was still locked in place at the bottom, and attached to the roller mechanism at the top, but there was enough slack for Kamiyo to yank open a gap just wide enough for Philip to pass through. It wasn’t the most delicate of entries, but he made it to the other side with some effort.
“Okay, I’m in,” he said from inside the supermarket. “You think you can get through as well?”
“I think so.” Kamiyo pulled the shutter aside and forced his right leg through. As he moved his weight from one side to the other, the shutter pushed back against him, causing him a mild amount of agony, but with his mangled hands, pain was something he was used to by now. He forced his way through the gap like a struggling cat, face pulling back on his skull as he forced it through. Just when he thought he might get stuck, the thickest part of his chest and skull made it inside the supermarket and he slipped through the rest of the way easily.
He found himself in darkness. Aymun was already halfway through behind him, so he grabbed the man’s arm and helped him through. “Thank you, my friend.”
“You’re welcome. Hey, Philip, what are you doing over there?”
Philip gave no answer. His eyes were wide and there was nothing visible in the darkness of the shadows where he stood. Kamiyo took a step towards him, but before he could take another, something pressed against his head and clicked. “Drop yer weapon. One wee step, pal, an’ I’ll blow ye fooking’ ‘ed off.”
Kamiyo put his hands up, remembering clearly the day he had first met Frank. Why does this keep happening to me?
37
DR KAMIYO
“Okay, okay, just take it easy!” Kamiyo was more annoyed by the gun to his head than afraid. If they were going to shoot him then what could he do about it? He was human, and they were human, which meant they should be on the same side. He told himself to have faith that things would pan out okay.
“Who are ye?” the man at his back demanded, which reinforced Kamiyo’s faith that this was a simple case of frayed nerves.
“My name is Dr Christopher Kamiyo. My friend’s names are Philip and Aymun. We’re just looking for food and medicine. We didn’t know anyone was here.”
“Well, there is, and ye fooked up, pal.”
“Why don’t you guys take a minute to calm down and act like gentlemen?” said Philip quite reasonably, but then had to add, “instead of a bunch of neanderthals?”
Kamiyo heard Philip grunt and realised someone had struck him in the back of the head. He tried to turn back to get a look, but the man behind him poked the gun into his back. “Keep moving.”
“We are men of peace,” said Aymun.
“Ye’ll be men in pieces if ye dinna shut up.”
They moved through a well-ordered warehouse filled with pallets of food, drinks, and… beer! Christ, they had pallets and pallets of beer, wine, and spirits. Kamiyo almost drooled before they pushed him out of a set of open double doors and into the dimly lit aisles of the supermarket. He wasn’t even a big imbiber but getting rat-arsed sounded quite splendid after so long without an emotional release.
The shelves of the supermarket were only half-full, and after a moment’s inspection, it became clear that all the perishables had been removed. Everything else had been organised fastidiously. These people were efficient and careful. That was why the outside was so neat and tidy. It hadn’t added up earlier, but now it did. Most places Kamiyo had ransacked on the road were scenes of riots and demon attacks. Few places remained in order like this. The people here had taken care of the place. It was their home.
There were about two-dozen people, grizzled strangers with faces like battered shoe leather. These people were survivors like Kamiyo and Aymun, not fortunate bystanders like those back at the castle.
“Wow,” said Philip. “Look at this place.”
Kamiyo scanned the crowd, trying to find a friendly face. “How many of you are here?”
His captor kicked the back of his knees and sent him to the ground. “Shut it! Any questions will be coming out of my mouth, not yours.”
Philip and Aymun were forced to the ground as well. Kamiyo did what he was told and said nothing. He did, however, try to take in as much detail as he could. The first thing he noticed was the smell of bleach on the hard-wearing floor.
Then he took in the survivors. They were a mixed bunch—men and women both, and a few infants, but there were no teens or preteens. They all wore clean clothes and were visibly healthy and well-fed. The supermarket had obviously provided well for them. Despite their easy living, however, there was a weariness to each of them that betrayed past ordeals. They glared at Kamiyo with an undertone of violence. Tribalism. He wasn’t one of them, and people who were not one of them were a threat to what they had. They were Iraq sitting on a stockpile of oil, and he was America.
The man who’d been holding a gun to Kamiyo’s head stepped out in front of him now. He was handsome and strong, with forearms covered in tattoos. His head was shaven, but he wore a thick beard.
“Where did ye three come from?”
“Nowhere,” said Philip. “Why are you doing this?”
Philip’s indignation wouldn’t get them anywhere. Kamiyo took a quick scan of the group, counting numbers and weapons before taking a calculated risk. “We came from a camp in the forest. There are sixty of us.” A calculated exaggeration.
“Don’t tell them anything!” Philip shouted.
“It’s okay,” Kamiyo gave the strangers a subtle smile. He noticed one of them was heavily pregnant. “These are good people, like us.”
“You dinna know shit about us,” said the man with the gun. “So, where’s this wee camp I’m supposed to believe ye have?”
Philip grunted. “Dr Kamiyo. Don’t!”
“Kielder Forest Park, right near here. It’s at the activity centre.”
“I know the place,” said the gunman, taken aback. He ran a thick palm over his bald skull. “There are really people there?”
“Yes! Good people. We’re all staying at the cabin by the lake.” Kamiyo saw Philip’s expression change as he realised he wasn’t giving entirely accurate facts. He seemed to settle and go along with things after that.
“Well, we might be neighbours, but this stuff is ours.” The gunman turned to some others standing behind him. “Tie em up and lock ‘em in the offices. If there’s another group, it might come in handy having some of their people as prisoners.”
Philip leapt to his feet. “No way. We need to get back. There’s going to be an atta-”
The bald gunman head butted Philip and sent him to the ground bleeding and moaning. At the sight of his companion being hurt, Aymun leapt up and tackled the gunman, knocking him backwards on his heels. Not willing to stand by, Kamiyo got involved too. He launched from sitting, and took the gunman around the thighs, lifting him up and sending him crashing onto his back. Kamiyo landed on top and smashed
the man in the face with his elbow. Quickly, he was able to snatch the pistol out of the man’s hands.
“No one fucking move!” Kamiyo bellowed, turning the gun and pointing it in the bald man’s bleeding face. All in all, he was pretty proud of himself.
No one moved. Aymun helped Philip off the ground.
The elbows to his face had rattled the bald man, but slowly his eyes stopped rolling about in his head, and he was able to focus again. Then he cracked a smile and broke into laughter.
Kamiyo didn’t understand. He shook the pistol in the man’s face to show this was no laughing matter, but then he realised something was off. The weapon was light, not heavy like he would expect a chunk of metal parts to be. It felt hollow, and as he stared at the barrel, he saw it was not jet black like it first appeared to be, but streaky with flecks of orange showing through from underneath. The gun had been painted black.
“A wee toy,” said the bald man, still lying underneath Kamiyo. “A wee squirter.”
Kamiyo raised his fist to hit the man in the face, but arms wrapped around him from behind and dragged him away. The man on the ground climbed back to his feet and snarled. He stepped up to Kamiyo, no longer laughing. “Me gun might be fake, but me fists are real, pal.”
He smashed Kamiyo in the middle of his face.
The lights went out.
38
TED
Ted was fairly pleased with the rope swing. The lengths of thick climbing rope he’d employed were springy yet tough, and the children bounced vigorously as they swung back and forth. The large wooden crossbeam Ted had attached the swing to had another, more important purpose, but today it worked just fine as a swing.
Moods at the castle were down since Kamiyo and Philip failed to return after two whole days. While there had always been the chance they might remain on the road for a while, the hope had been that they’d return the night of the day they’d left. Ted knew what it was like out there, which was why he was probably most worried of all. That was why he’d set himself to a task, to occupy himself, but he didn’t work on any more defences. No, the camp needed to focus on something other than merely surviving. Just for today.
Hell on Earth- the Complete Series Box Set Page 103
