“It’s my fault,” Aiden said. “I shouldn’t have left.”
“Don’t blame yourself. You’re just a kid, you’re allowed to make mistakes.” The words were meant to ease his pain; instead, they stabbed him like a dagger through the heart. Just a kid. She turned towards Mila. “So what the hell are we supposed to do now?”
Another creature appeared out of nowhere, lured by the sound of the engine. Mila ploughed over it, prompting a further flurry of frightened screams from the back of the van. “First, we put some real distance in between us and that smoke. Then we’ll figure out where we’re going to sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss what comes next.”
chapter 29
They had driven back to the small layby where they always parked for their Inverness vigils. By now the sun had gone down completely, the smaller children were complaining about how hungry they were, and the realisation was dawning on everyone else of just how grave their situation was.
Robyn reached into her rucksack and pulled out her emergency granola bars. She handed them to Candice. “Two bars aren’t really going to make much of a dent in eleven bellies, but do your best.”
“I am going to have a little walk, make sure our surroundings are clear. Are you coming?” Mila asked.
“Sure, why not?” Robyn said, grabbing her weapons.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Aiden asked. “Y’know, for protection.”
“No, you stay here and keep everybody safe,” Robyn replied.
“Okay,” he said, trying his best to mask his disappointment.
Robyn and Mila climbed out and walked along the road until they could no longer see the van.
“We are up the shits creek. You know this, yes?”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that out.”
“We’re not going to get far with the diesel we have left, but maybe we can make it to one of the settlements on the east coast that the sisters traded with.”
“What, the ones who came looking for them you mean?”
“They said they traded with a few. There must be someone who is willing to take us in. We cannot look after nine children by ourselves. We cannot feed them and keep them safe. What happens if one of them gets sick?”
“We’ve managed to look after them so far.”
“Yes, Robyn, when we had a roof over our head, when we had ample food and warmth and water. We have nothing now.”
“Maybe we can find somewhere else like the hospital.”
“The hospital was in the middle of nowhere. It was cut off from one side, and you needed to travel a long way from the other direction to get to it without good reason. It was situated in a huge forest.”
“You never know, there might be another place like that.”
“Yes, and I might wake up tomorrow morning and find out that this was all a bad dream. We need to think logically. I believe finding one of the coastal settlements the sisters talked about will be our best solution.”
“It’s a really big risk, Mila.”
“Robyn, we are out of choices. We have no food, no water, hardly any fuel.”
“If we went, we’d have to check it out properly. I mean, we can’t just show up assuming they’re good Samaritans.”
“No, really?”
“I’ve told you before, sarcasm doesn’t suit you.”
“So tomorrow we drive to the coast?”
“Yes,” replied Robyn reluctantly, “tomorrow we drive to the coast.”
✽ ✽ ✽
They all awoke early the next day. Mila emptied the remaining diesel from the jerrican into the tank and they set off. Nobody slept well, they were hungry and thirsty, but most of all they were scared.
They drove through villages and towns, occasionally they were chased down by small hordes of the infected. They did not bother stopping. They saw all the tell-tale signs that every last morsel of food, every last drop of fuel had already been claimed. The winding roads seemed to take forever to navigate, and the diesel gauge just kept going down and down. Mila and Robyn were the only ones who could see it, and they shared the occasional concerned look but had no choice other than to continue.
“Poppy needs the toilet,” Candice said.
“We just stopped twenty minutes ago,” Mila replied.
“She says she’s desperate.”
Mila let out a sigh. “Okay. I’ll find somewhere to pull up.” They carried on up the hill and turned around a bend then, suddenly, there it was, the blue-grey North Sea stretching out in front of them like an enormous shimmering blanket. Mila brought the van to a stop.
“Right, everybody stretch their legs for five minutes,” Robyn said as they all climbed out of the van. She and Mila walked to the verge and looked down towards the coastline. They each retrieved their binoculars and scoured the landscape in the distance, looking for any sign of life. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“Our tank will be empty soon. Every vehicle we have come across has been drained of fuel. Every shop, every house has been emptied. It’s not a case of wanting to. It’s a case of having to.”
“Okay. Well, we can’t see anything from up here.”
“We can. We can see the coast road. That is where we need to go.”
A few minutes later, they were back in the van. Candice did a headcount, and Mila eased off the handbrake once again. Now that the sea was in view, the mood lifted just a little. They joined the coast road and continued for fifteen minutes before reaching a sign that read, “Andrew’s Bay 2 miles.” They carried on for another minute and then Mila pulled the van into a passing place. She proceeded to do a three-point turn.
“What are you doing?” Robyn asked.
When the van was facing the way they had just come, she turned off the ignition, climbed out and walked around to the passenger side. “I won’t be long,” she said with a forced smile to the children in the back then grabbed her rucksack and swords. She looked at Robyn. “Come,” she said.
Confusion was ingrained on Robyn’s face as she climbed out of the cab and shut the door. “What’s going on?”
“If we proceed in the van and enter hostile territory, we will all be captured. If—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. That’s what we’ve been doing ever since we left the Cairngorms, what makes this so different?”
“Think about it. Nobody would set up a settlement in any of those places when they were so close to the sea.”
“Loch Uig wasn’t anywhere near the sea and they did.”
“Loch Uig was different. And the sisters said the places they traded with were coastal settlements. It makes sense. They don’t need to defend all sides like somewhere inland.”
“I suppose, but I’m going to go with you,” Robyn said, turning back to the van to collect her belongings.
“No!” Mila replied, grabbing her arm. “Listen to me, Robyn. The children cannot be left alone. One of us has to stay with them.”
“Fine. Then you stay with them.”
“No. You still have a sister out there somewhere, I have no one. If something happens to me, then it will happen while I am protecting the only family I have left.” She gulped and tears appeared in her eyes.
“I don’t want you to go,” Robyn said. “Let’s just head the other way and try to find somewhere else.”
“That’s what you must do if I don’t come back within an hour. But this could be the answer to our prayers, Robyn. This could be a place where we can start a new life, be part of a community, have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.”
“We could find that if we head the other way together.”
“Both ways share equal danger. If something happens to me, there is no guarantee that it won’t happen to you heading in the other direction, but at least it will be one more chance. Wait one hour exactly. No more, no less. If I am not back, you must leave.”
“I really don’t want you to go,” tears flooded Robyn’s eyes too now.
“I
have already decided. With luck, soon we will both be sitting down with warm tea in our hands and food in our mouths.” Mila embraced Robyn tightly. “I love you, Robyn. You are the best friend I have ever had.”
“Don’t say that.”
Mila pulled away, looking hurt for a moment. “You don’t feel the same?”
“No, I mean don’t say it like that. It’s like you’re saying goodbye,” she replied as the salty streams trickled down her cheeks.
Mila nodded and forced a smile through her own tears. “I will see you shortly,” she said and turned to leave.
“Mila!” Robyn called after her.
Mila stopped and looked back. “What?”
“Check the place out carefully. Don’t take any risks.”
“I won’t.” She turned and started walking again.
“Mila.”
“What is it?” she asked, turning once more.
“I love you too.”
Mila smiled. “See you soon.”
Robyn watched until her friend had disappeared from view then she wiped her tears away, headed back to the van and climbed in. She looked at the clock on the dashboard display—12:30.
“Where’s Mila gone?” asked Ellie, one of the younger children.
“She’s just gone to check the road up ahead for us to see if it’s safe,” Robyn replied.
“I’m hungry.”
Robyn turned to look at Ellie and the others. Anger flared in her for the briefest moment. She was hungry too. She was hungry and tired, and if Mila didn’t come back, then everything was going to be on her. It was a stress and a pressure she would never have asked for in a million years. She wanted to scream at the top of her voice, but as she looked into the children’s eyes, she understood; she had to be the grown-up. Whether she wanted this responsibility or not was irrelevant. She was responsible. “I’m hungry too, Ellie. We’re all hungry. That’s why Mila’s out there. She’s trying to find us food and a place to stay. She might be a little while, so I tell you what, why don’t you guys have a game of snap or something?” Robyn reached into her rucksack and handed the deck of cards to Aiden.
“I prefer pinochle,” he said.
“Yeah, well, if you want to teach them another game, feel free.”
Aiden let out a sigh and took the cards. There was no fun or laughter as the children played. The game was merely a grim accompaniment to the passing minutes.
Robyn kept a vigil in the mirrors, hoping beyond hope that she would see Mila appearing from around the bend with a beaming smile on her face, but with each minute that passed, her heart sank a little further. She heard someone climb into the passenger seat. “How long has it been?” Candice asked.
Robyn looked at the clock. “An hour and twenty minutes.”
“How long did—”
“She said an hour.”
“What are we going to do?”
Robyn looked towards the children in the back of the van. “Let me talk to you outside,” Robyn said, climbing out of the cab.
Candice climbed out too, and they headed a few feet away to make sure none of the conversation could be heard by the younger children.
“Look, I need to go find out what’s happened. If—”
“No!” Candice snapped.
Robyn’s eyes widened. “I—”
“You can’t. You can’t leave us.”
“I can’t leave her.”
“If you leave us, we won’t make it through the day.”
“Listen to me. You’re fifteen, Candice. My sister was only that age when we parted, and she was a hell of a lot more capable than I was, she—”
“I’m not your sister. I might have book smarts, but that’s the full extent of my superpowers, Robyn. Aiden is just a wannabe action hero like most boys his age, but there’s no way we can look after seven kids by ourselves.”
“Aiden can drive.”
Candice let out a bitter laugh. “If you can call it that, but that’s beside the point. What happens when the fuel runs out and we have to make it on foot?”
“The same thing would happen if I was there or not.”
“Yes it would, Robyn, but you’re our leader.”
“I’m not a—”
“Of course you are. You freed us. You protected us all this time. You taught us how to fish, how to make spears, you taught us how to fight.”
“Exactly. I’ve taught you. You know everything I do now.”
“That’s crap, and you know it is.” Candice pointed in the direction of Andrew’s Bay. “If you head that way, we won’t see you again, just like we’ll never see Mila again. Me, Aiden, everyone in that van, one by one we’ll die; whether it’s down to the infected, starvation or whatever. We will definitely die.” She pointed in the other direction. “If we all head that way together, then there’s a chance. I’m not an idiot, Robyn, I know it’s not a great chance, but it’s some chance.”
A tear trickled down Robyn’s face. “She was my best friend.”
“I’m sorry. I really loved Mila too, but she made a decision, and she told you what to do if it didn’t work out. We need you now more than ever.”
Robyn wiped the tear away with the heel of her palm and walked back to the van. She climbed into the driver’s seat, and Candice got into the passenger side. Robyn turned the key in the ignition and started the engine.
“Where’s Mila?” asked Ellie.
“Mila’s going to catch up with us later,” Robyn replied, and the van slowly pulled away.
chapter 30
Robyn’s biggest fear had been running out of fuel while travelling on the outskirts of Inverness. The fuel light had been on for what seemed like an age. They crossed the bridge, and she put her foot down even harder on the accelerator. They might only get another mile or two, but it was a mile or two farther away from the city with a population of forty-odd thousand.
“Where are we going?” Aiden asked, shuffling towards the front of the van.
“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Robyn replied.
Aiden retreated once again, and Robyn eased off the gas pedal as they reached the brow of a hill. She put the gear stick into neutral, and they coasted down the incline before re-engaging for the slope on the other side.
“How long do you think we’ll last before we run out?” Candice asked.
No sooner had the words left her lips than the engine began to judder. “I think I’m going to start calling you Jinx.” Robyn pulled the van over to the side of the road. “Okay,” she said, turning towards the others, “we’re walking from here.” Poppy and Ellie began to cry. Robyn turned to Tess. “Why don’t you help everybody get ready? I’m heading outside for a minute with Candice and Aiden to make sure everything is safe and then we’ll all set off.”
“I want Mila,” Poppy said, sobbing even more.
Robyn ignored the small child and looked towards Aiden and Candice. The three of them climbed out of the van. Woods lined the road on either side and leaves littered the verges. “Okay, this is officially where your childhoods end. You are my guys now. You’re the ones who are going to help me keep everybody safe.”
“But I’m not—”
“No buts, Candice. You don’t have a choice.” Robyn handed her the hunting knife from her belt. “You’ll make a spear with this then you’ll make spears for the others. Aiden, you’ll have the bow—”
“But you’re a thousand times better with it than me.”
“Yeah, well, I might borrow it from time to time, but I can’t fire a bow and use swords as well, can I?”
“I suppose.”
“Where are we going to go?” Candice asked.
“We’re going to keep walking this way. I saw a sign advertising a place called Rogie Falls. Where there are falls, there’ll be a river. A river means fresh water and fish. I think we should head there then follow the water cross country. At some point, we’re going to come across a farmhouse or something.”
“I’ll go get everybody ready
,” Candice said, leaving Robyn and Aiden alone.
“You’re going to be my number two. Do you think you can handle it?”
Aiden’s chest puffed out with pride. “Yeah, course I can.”
“Good. Come on, let’s get going.”
Robyn marched in front by herself while Aiden brought up the rear. Candice stayed with the others, keeping them occupied by looking for suitable branches by the side of the road that could be fashioned into spears. The leaf-covered highway seemed just about as far from civilisation as anywhere could be, but as they came to a signpost for the village of Dounais nervous chatter began to ripple around the small group.
“Robyn!” Aiden called from the back.
Robyn turned. “Keep your voice down,” she hissed.
Aiden looked embarrassed for a moment then jogged to meet her. “Sorry. Do you think we should head into the woods? Give this place a wide berth?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What do you mean?”
“Can’t you smell it?”
Aiden lifted his head and sniffed at the air like a wild animal. “Infected?” he said, suddenly looking scared.
“Yeah. If they’re in the area, they’ll be all around.”
“Th-then m-maybe we should head back.”
“We’re going forward. Just be ready and keep quiet.”
The nearer they got to the village, the stronger the smell became. Robyn stopped. “What are you doing?” Aiden asked.
“You two stay here,” she said, looking at Aiden and then towards Candice.
Both of them wanted to argue. Both of them wanted to say, “We should all stick together,” but their fear was overwhelming. Robyn continued alone. She was too sad to be scared. As she walked into the village, she reached around and drew her two swords from their scabbards. Part of her was hoping she would be attacked. She wanted to shout and scream and cry and take out all the hopelessness and frustration she was feeling on a horde of zombies. So what if they got to her? Then at least she would die bravely, protecting a group of youngsters.
“That’s not bravery, that’s cowardice.”
The End of Everything (Book 7): The End of Everything Page 21
