The Road Trip At The End Box Set

by J N Wood

  It wasn’t Michael.

  Please let Mikey Boy be okay. He’s in one of the medical tents getting fixed up. Jack will have found him by now.

  I wiped away the new flow of tears from my face and bent down to pull back the next sheet. Michael’s eyes stared up to the sky.

  I fell backwards to sit on the grass, bringing my hands up to cover my face.

  After a few seconds, I said, ‘No,’ and stood back up. I walked over to the body next to Shannon and bent down to grab it by the shoulders, stopping myself when I realised I was about to start dragging somebody. Looking over to Roy, I said, ‘I need a hand, could you help me please?’

  ‘What do you need? What are you trying to do?’ he asked.

  I loudly sniffed and wiped my face. ‘They need to be together. I’m just gonna swap this person with Michael.’

  If Roy was hesitant about touching a dead body, he didn’t show it. He immediately stepped to the other end of the person, and helped me carry it out of the way.

  We walked over to Michael. ‘Be careful with him please,’ I said.

  ‘Yes, don’t worry about that,’ he replied. ‘Let’s put him next to his wife.’

  We very gently laid him down next to Shannon, so their arms were touching. Then we placed the other body in the space Michael had occupied. I walked back over to sit by my friends’ bodies.

  Roy sat next to me.

  ‘Fuck’s sake,’ I said, wiping my face with my sleeve. ‘I’ve only known them for a few days.’

  Roy patted me on the shoulder, before placing his hand back onto his knee. ‘They say traumatic situations can bring people closer together, and the last few weeks have been kind of traumatic. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your emotions.’

  We sat in silence for a long time, the night drawing in around us. The solar lights on the fence came on at some point. Hundreds of people still busied themselves in front of us, rushing up and down the road alongside the fence. The noisy hissing of the dead could still be heard from the other side.

  ‘Chris,’ Roy said. ‘It’s nine fifteen. We should go back and meet Jack and Pete.’

  ‘Yeah okay. I really don’t want to tell Jack.’

  ‘I don’t think he’ll like it, but I can tell him if you want.’

  ‘No it’s fine Roy,’ I sighed. ‘Thank you, but I’ll tell him.’

  We stood up and started back, before I paused. ‘Could you do me a favour Roy?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Could you ask the guys from Green Team if they know what’s happening with them?’ I pointed towards the line of bodies. ‘I don’t trust myself not to cry. Don’t want to embarrass myself any further.’

  ‘Of course. I’ll be back in two seconds.’

  Roy walked across the road. I looked past the fallen bodies of Green Team, and noticed more bodies on another lawn further up the street. I spun around to look down H Street. More covered bodies filled another lawn.

  I was so incredibly angry, I was fucking livid. Like the guy in Green Team had said, this whole thing had been so fucking stupid. A ridiculous waste of life. Like enough people hadn’t died already.

  Roy was coming back, trying to avoid the many people ferrying equipment.

  ‘They said they aren’t sure. But nothing will be happening tonight.’

  We made our way back to the meeting place. I was worrying about what they were gonna tell me about Ali. Jack and Pete were already there, waiting for us. We walked past Caleb and some of my fellow Blue Team Sweepers. There were nine or ten of them remonstrating with him. There was a lot of aggressive pointing and arm swinging. Caleb cowered away from them, slowly stepping backwards.

  I hope they beat the shit out of him.

  ‘Ali is going to be okay,’ Pete excitedly told us. ‘She lost a lot of blood but she’s going to be fine. I donated some of mine.’ He held out his arm, showing me a cotton pad taped to the inside. ‘I need to go and find Sandra and Theo, get them to donate as well. Okay?’

  ‘Yeah. Which tent is she in?’

  ‘Number four.’ With a quick nod, he turned and ran off in the direction of our house.

  ‘Did you find them?’ Jack asked.

  ‘Yes we did.’ I took a breath to steady myself. ‘Sorry Jack, but they both died.’

  Jack’s face dropped. He brought his hand up and dragged it roughly through his hair, scraping across his scalp. ‘No,’ he whispered. ‘No, no, no.’

  ‘They got injured quite early on I think,’ I told him. ‘They were brought back. Their bodies are back there,’ I said, pointing behind us. ‘Do you want to see them?’

  He slowly shook his head, continuing to draw his hand through his hair. ‘I need to get back to Beth.’ He turned to walk away but stopped, his head bowed, avoiding eye contact. ‘Erm…we saw Gee’s friend, Matis. The medics think he is going to be alright.’

  ‘Okay, that’s good news. Roy will go back with you.’

  ‘No, I’m fine.’ With his head still down, he walked away.

  ‘I’ll make sure he gets back okay,’ Roy said to me.

  ‘Cheers Roy.’

  I watched them walk around Caleb and the angry members of Blue Team. I made my way towards Caleb.

  ‘Hey Caleb,’ I called out to him, interrupting the argument. ‘Where is your boss? Is it Amber? I’m assuming this fucking plan was her idea?’

  Caleb looked back at me with disdain. ‘She’s dead.’

  ‘Good, means I don’t have to kill her.’ I turned and started to walk away.

  ‘Hey,’ Caleb said. ‘Hey Brit.’

  I stopped and looked over my shoulder.

  ‘Amber never meant for anyone to die,’ he said. ‘We didn’t want anyone to get hurt.’

  ‘Fuck off Caleb.’ I carried on walking.

  Sandra and Theo were stood around Ali’s bed. I was at the back of the medical tent, stepping from right to left, trying to see through everyone rushing around inside. I eventually caught a glimpse of Ali’s face. She was smiling, and looked like she was joking around with her big sister. I left them to it.

  It took me longer than it should have done to get back to the house. I was completely drained of all energy. I felt empty, and not just because I’d hardly eaten anything all day.

  DAY TWENTY

  Chapter 20: Weak

  A loud bang woke me up with a jolt. I thought it sounded like a gunshot. I wiped at my eyes and tried to blink away the sleep. Nothing stirred in the room. There were still people asleep in the beds around me, so it must have been early. I got up anyway, spotting Jack and Beth crammed into one of the bottom bunks as I climbed down. I passed Roy as I left, in a bed by the door.

  When I’d made it back to the very quiet house the previous night, I headed straight for the bathroom. My face in the mirror had been a series of bright red slashes and scratches. Some of my shrapnel wounds had been made torn and stretched open. I spent a long time in the shower, the freezing water not bothering me in the slightest. I could have stood there all night.

  That morning however, I had a very quick, freezing cold shower. I hadn’t been in the mood for a repeat of the previous night.

  The scratches on my face looked even worse in the morning, trying to scrub it clean in the shower must have opened them up again.

  Fuck it. I’m used to having a messed up face now.

  I dressed in the clothes the medic had given me, and went outside using the front door. I sat myself down on the front step and breathed in the cold air. It tasted of blood. I wasn’t sure if that was actually in the air, or just in my mouth. I closed my eyes and put my fingers in my ears, trying to block out the hissing.

  A tap on my shoulder startled me. I opened my eyes to see Sandra smiling down at me. I quickly dropped my hands down to my knees.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘The hissing?’

  ‘Yeah. Annoying isn’t it? Is Ali okay?’

  Her smile stretched even further across her face. ‘She’s fine. Stand up for a second please Chris.’
r />   ‘Okay.’ I painfully rose to my feet, my legs feeling every bit of the running around from the day before.

  Sandra stepped closer, kissed me on the cheek, and wrapped her arms around me. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.’

  ‘That’s okay, don’t worry about it.’

  She stepped back. ‘Chris, it’s not just okay. I will forever be in your debt. You saved my little sister’s life. But right now I have to sleep. The chair by Ali’s bed wasn’t very comfortable.’ She stopped on the way to the front door, and turned back to me. ‘Pete told me about Gee. I’m really sorry. Did you find Michael and Shannon?’

  I had to look away from her hopeful eyes. ‘Yeah, but they died. We found their bodies.’

  ‘Oh Chris, that’s awful.’ She hugged me again. I didn’t want the embrace to end.

  ‘It’s okay,’ I said, gently patting her on the back. ‘You must be tired. Go and see your kids and try and get some sleep.’

  She looked at me with tear filled eyes. ‘Those two things don’t really go hand in hand, but I’ll try. Why don’t you go and see Ali. She’d love to see you. She’s in medical tent number four.’

  I decided to check on Michael and Shannon on my way to visiting Ali. As I got closer to H Street, it sounded like there was a lot going on down there.

  Aren’t we supposed to be keeping extra quiet now the dead are so close?

  At the end of 11th Street it looked like something was being constructed. Somebody must have listened to Braveheart’s idea.

  I made it to the end of the street and stood on one of the front lawns. A new fence was indeed being hastily built. It seemed H Street would soon be within the new no man’s land, and no longer be walkable.

  The Fencers must have been up all night.

  A huge framework of scaffolding had been erected, and hundreds of people were still busy with its construction. Metal panelling and wooden planks were piled up on H Street. I walked back down to the lawn where I’d found Michael and Shannon. The bodies were still there. A large wooden cart sat on the grass next to them. A man sat on the edge of the cart, smoking a cigarette.

  I walked up to him, surprised to find he wasn’t smoking weed. ‘Any idea what’s happening with the people that died yet?’ I asked.

  ‘Yeah, I’m just waiting for someone. Then we’re taking them over to the harbour for the cremation. It’ll be for everyone that died, including the people who were killed by the psychopaths in town. Going to be at midday I believe. They’ll be sending out runners to spread the word.’

  ‘How many people were shot by the gunmen?’

  ‘I don’t know, not doing them. I’m only working around here this morning. Heard it was hundreds though.’

  ‘Anybody know why they did it?’ I asked him.

  He shrugged and exhaled smoke. ‘Nobody that’s talking. Someone will know.’ He took a quick glance around us. ‘I think it was some of those religious zealots. The ones who thought killing zombies was against God’s will and all that.’

  ‘That’s a bit hypocritical,’ I suggested. ‘Isn’t it?’

  He shrugged, saying, ‘Crazy is as crazy does.’

  Staring at the shapes I thought were Michael and Shannon, I asked, ‘Could you take care of these bodies please? My friends are among them.’

  He looked offended. ‘Don’t worry. We know how to respect the dead.’

  ‘Yeah sorry, I’m sure you do.’ I walked over to where Michael and Shannon were laid out and crouched down behind them. ‘I realise this may be difficult, but if you could try your hardest to keep these two together, I’d be very grateful.’

  He nodded. ‘Yeah sure, we’ll try our best.’

  I thanked the man and left him to his waiting. I walked along the partly constructed fence, trying to stop my mind from wandering. I kept imagining the guys haphazardly throwing the bodies into the cart, like the body collectors during the bubonic plague times.

  I’m sure they won’t do that.

  I walked past medical tents one, two and three. The Fencers would have to wait for the temporary hospitals to be dismantled before making the new inner fence one solid piece.

  I stood outside tent number four, nervous about going in for some reason. I entered and headed towards Ali’s bed. She was fast asleep. I’d forgotten it was still early, so I sat in the seat by her bed, and waited for her to wake up.

  ‘Chris. Hi Christopher. Hey, Chris.’

  I opened my eyes, taking a moment to remember where I was. People were hurrying past me, carrying medical equipment. I looked to my right to see Ali’s scratch covered face. She was sat up in bed, smiling down at me.

  ‘Hi Chris. Good sleep?’ she asked.

  I stood up and stepped closer to the side of her bed. ‘Morning. Sorry, must have nodded off. How long have you been awake?’

  ‘Only a few seconds. How you doing?’

  ‘I’m fine. More importantly, how are you?’

  ‘I’m okay. They said I have to be out in a few hours. They’re packing up,’ she said, gesturing to the mayhem going on around us. ‘Sandra is coming back to get me.’

  ‘How’s the face?’ I asked. ‘Looks a bit sore. Sorry, but I had to drag you through a load of zombies.’

  ‘I’m trying to beat you and Jack in the fucked up face awards.’

  I laughed, saying, ‘Nah, you’ve got a while to go before you catch us two up.’ I pointed at my own face. ‘Especially now.’

  ‘Yeah, your face also looks like it’s painful. I imagine that happened getting me out?’

  ‘No, not all of it,’ I replied.

  ‘I’m sorry you got hurt helping me.’

  ‘I did most of this on my own. The only people who should be getting any blame are Amber and the rest of the bosses. Fucking idiots. Oh, Amber died by the way.’

  I maybe said that last bit with a bit too much satisfaction.

  My hands were resting on the bed. She placed one of hers on top of mine. ‘Pete told me about Gee, I’m really sorry.’ She gave my hand a brief squeeze. ‘Last night he also said you were still looking for Michael and Shannon. They were right next to me as we walked up to the outer fence, but when the zombies came at us, I got all turned around. I didn’t know where anyone or anything was.’

  ‘They’re both dead.’

  She gasped and brought both her hands to her mouth.

  ‘We were told they were injured quite early on, and brought back into the camp,’ I told her. ‘We found their bodies with the rest of the Green Team’s dead. The guys that brought them back are also dead, so we don’t really know what happened.’

  ‘They were right next to me,’ she said through her fingers.

  ‘There’s gonna be a cremation for everyone that died, the shooting victims as well. It’s today at twelve.’

  ‘I have to be there,’ she said, her hands dropping back to the bed. ‘Sandra is picking me up at eleven. I’ll be there.’ She suddenly had a determined look on her face.

  ‘Okay,’ I said.

  ‘They were so nice, a lovely couple. You could tell they loved each other just from looking at them.’ A single tear ran down her face.

  I stayed silent, not really knowing what to say, and worried I might cry.

  ‘Chris?’

  I’d been watching the large canvas tent being dismantled around us. ‘Yep,’ I answered.

  ‘When are we getting out of this place?’

  I looked back to see her looking even more determined. ‘As soon as you’re well enough,’ I answered.

  ‘Tomorrow, I’ll be ready tomorrow.’

  ‘What about Sandra and the kids?’ I asked.

  ‘She said they can’t stay here. It’s not safe. Pete and Theo are coming too.’

  I nodded. ‘Okay. Whenever you’re ready.’

  ‘Thank you for coming for me yesterday Chris. It really does mean a lot, it means everything.’

  I shrugged my shoulders. ‘What are mates for? You rescued me from
the gun shop basement.’

  She smiled back at me. ‘Go and get some breakfast. You must be starving after yesterday. They’ve been force feeding me in here. Make sure Sandra is on time, earlier if possible.’

  ‘Will do,’ I said. ‘See you soon.’

  The two guys were loading the bodies into the cart when I passed by them again. Thankfully, they were being very careful and gentle.

  I honestly didn’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t been.

  Back at the house, everyone was up and just about to head out for breakfast. Beth hugged me, saying how sorry she was. Pete shook my hand again, saying thank you, again. I also got an awkward hug from Theo, while thanking me for helping Ali.

  I told all of them about the cremation as we walked to breakfast.

  ‘Will it be a big funeral pyre?’ Roy asked me. ‘Like a Viking funeral?’

  ‘No idea, didn’t ask,’ I replied. ‘We’ll find out when we get there.’

  ‘I suppose there’s nowhere inside the camp to bury that many people,’ Sandra pondered.

  ‘Who is organising it all?’ Beth asked. ‘Is there an overall boss that runs everything? Or has someone just taken it upon themselves to do it?’

  ‘I thought you and Roy might have known the answer to that,’ Sandra said. ‘You’ve been here longer.’

  ‘No, we don’t know,’ Roy said.

  ‘I don’t think anyone knows the answers to those questions,’ Jack said. ‘This place is a mess.’

  I nudged Jack and nodded behind me. I slowed and he got the idea, falling into step alongside me. ‘Ali and Sandra have said they want to leave here, as soon as possible.’

  ‘Good,’ Jack said. ‘Because so does Beth.’

  I smiled as relief flowed through me. I’d desperately not wanted to leave them behind.

  ‘That’s fucking brilliant news,’ I said. ‘Ali said she’ll be ready to go tomorrow.’

  ‘I want to get out of here now Chris, two days ago if it were possible, but is that not a bit soon for her?’

  ‘She said she’ll be ready, and I believe her.’

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘It’s really hard to imagine doing anything without Gee, Shannon and Michael. If it hadn’t been for them, I definitely wouldn’t be here.’