by Matt J. Pike
I pushed Phoenix between the stands once again, then looked around the magnificent venue. I was looking through different eyes this time though, potential mega base. I picked a spot in the Riverside stand, got a bit of a run up and drove Phoenix over the ash-covered seats. They formed a giant, hovercraft friendly ramp, good enough to get me to the walkway that went around the entire stadium (although I think it was gated off at the members area). From there I was able to move Phoenix back to the second walkway, behind the stands, where I found a secluded – looking spot underneath a set of escalators. I tarped her up and went for a walk.
Now, I’m sure there’ll be a better spot for Phoenix, but even leaving her in that little nook under the escalators gave me far more confidence she’d be there when I returned than any spot I saw during the afternoon.
My priority was to find a secure spot or two to claim as a home base, but first I wanted to pop my head into a few of the food venues to see if there was anything worth salvaging from there. If there was any stock in the fridges it was long gone. Most of the storage cupboards behind the fridges were blocked by ash (even 6-7m above the playing surface – makes you realise how high the waters were) and required digging out or were locked. I’m pretty excited about the locked cupboards. Surely I could find a key if I searched this place hard enough? Asterisk.
I worked my way back behind the stands and took the stairs up to the first level. There were doors lining the stadium side – some lead to the terraces, others to corporate boxes. I checked two of the boxes – identical. There were fridges and a bar at the back of the room, dining table in the middle with seating at the front. It could make for cosy little digs… great views of any potential incoming threat too, although I don’t think the window would make for ideal privacy with lights on at night. As far as immediate problems, like food, went – nothing! Ah well.
Actually, if I could secure one of these corporate boxes to not let out any light at night, it might be a pretty good spot. I could run the generators with less fear of being heard and the views are sensational – great security. Plus, it’s some pretty prime real estate… almost fit for a king. OK, maybe that’s ego talking… but then again.
It was getting late by that point and it had been a long, long day. I’d gone into the adventure thinking I would let the quality of potential future locations dictate whether I’d stay the night or not. I ended up at the oval with a half OK potential place and little time to ponder its true suitability with night closing in. The find at Woolworths makes it more tempting to take a risk and stay, but there’s a part of me burning, knowing it doesn’t feel right.
I knew I had to head back to the burbs for the evening.
I decided that I would come back to the oval early in the morning, check the entire place out from top to bottom, work out if it really is suitable and, if it is, begin the task of moving supplies and other equipment into town.
I left my three bags of food supplies in the cupboards at the back of the corporate box and looked over the room and the view once more. I imagined what it would look like decked out with a bed, a game system and all the other essentials, smiled, then headed down to Phoenix.
She was still there, thankfully. As it turned out, I wasn’t parked too far from the main Riverside stand gates, but there was no way of getting through in that direction. Instead I reversed my little loop on the way in – from outer walkway, to inner walkway, over the ash-covered terrace seats to the playing surface (well, somewhere above it anyway), then through the gap between the stands and out.
I decided to head back via the mall, just to see if I could observe any further signs of activity from my new bogan friend – thinking there might be some tell-tale footprints giving clues to what direction he heads.
Yeah… that’s not quite what happened.
I decided to take the same path as I did last time, thinking I would see if he’d followed my steps and therefore knew where I parked Phoenix. And, sure enough, when I got there I could see footprints all over the place. He’d obviously followed my trail from the shopfront and seen it head up the alley, then, judging by the unpatterned nature of the prints, he’s become very confused with what I did next. It’s a good result, even though I don’t think I can park there again.
The trail ended up heading back to the mall so I followed it around the corner... and into craziness. The first thing I saw was a body lying just outside the Woolworths entrance, blood soaked in the sort of colour that let me know it was fresh. And it wasn’t bogan man either. I started to freak out.
I was only going slow, but can remember slamming the steering stick way too aggressively to move Phoenix away from the body. That’s when I heard yelling. I looked up to the remains of the mall canopy to see two men standing over bogan man. All three were bloodied. I realised the yelling was intended for me. “Get out of here!”
I slowed Phoenix to a stop as quick as I could but her forward momentum, even at low speed, meant nothing was happening instantaneously. I was just going to back up and out of there as quickly as possible and not stop until I reached home, when I saw one of the men standing over bogan man aim a gun at me.
Two shots tore through the air, missing me. I jumped from Phoenix and into the ash, then reached for my crossbow. I found some cover behind a pile of ash (presumably over a bin or something). I was probably a good 30-40m from the shooter, his mate and the bogan. I heard a struggle, took a couple of deep breaths to slow my crazy heart, then peeked around the corner to see what was going on.
Bogan was wrestling with the guys who shot at me, while the other man was heading towards the pair, also with gun in hand.
There was so much going through my head. Who were these guys? Was this their first time here? I was sure the signs pointed to very few numbers in the city now there were tracks, people and mayhem everywhere. Were they Norwood hubbers, some local city gang or something else entirely? Who should I be siding with? Actually, that part was pretty clear – despite my run-in with bogan man, he never shot at me. The other two were the enemy.
Bogan man was fighting shooter man for control of his pistol. I think he saw the other guy approaching because he pulled into some crazy move which saw him and shooter man hit the floor then roll over each other through the ash. They screamed and grunted as they fought for control. The second guy had neared their location by that point and was hovering above them with his gun doing circular patterns as he tried to aim it at bogan through the chaos.
Then everything unfolded in a flash.
The scuffle escalated, with arms and legs going everywhere. I couldn’t make out what was happening until shooter man screamed in pain. Bogan had stabbed him in the chest a couple of times. There was a momentary pause as the change in circumstances sunk in for everyone. Bogan and gun man #2 had a staring showdown before bogan reached to grab shooter man’s gun – as he did so he made sure shooter’s body stayed in front of him for protection.
Shooter wasn’t dead either. He moaned in between nasty gurgling noises. Behind him bogan’s arm extended, pistol aimed at gun man #2, who slowly tried to circle for a better angle. They started yelling at each, both telling the other to drop their weapon. In between them and the shouting, the gurgles and moans just stopped. Again, there was another short pause as the shooter’s death, and what it meant, kicked in.
I don’t even know who fired first, I just remember hearing a lot of shots. Gun man #2 kind of backed away as he fired in some crazy dance and bogan fired blindly from behind shooter’s body. Bogan ran out of ammo and swore, gun man #2 stopped retreating, inspected his arm, which was bloody after taking a hit, then advanced.
Bogan man tried to inch backwards, while keeping the corpse of shooter on top of him, but it was no use – he had nowhere to hide. He started saying ‘no, no, no’, over and over again – louder and more panicked each time. Gun man #2 seemed to slow down once he knew he held all the cards. What an asshole. He walked forward until he was close enough for an easy shot but far enough awa
y not to be in danger of being lunged at. He aimed his weapon… and that was when I shot him.
My arrow nailed him in the rib cage; he twisted sideways and dropped to the ground. Bogan man was up in a flash, pushing away the body of shooter and sliding across the ash to grab the pistol gun man #2 had dropped. He aimed and fired the rest of the clip into the fallen man. Then he slumped back on his ass and started crying.
I can remember feeling cold and stunned – at the scene, at myself, at everything. I was looking at the bodies in the aftermath of what I had been a part of, and the cold wasn’t a temperature thing. That was a confronting moment. It was different than what happened with Josh, my life wasn’t directly threatened here. And, even though I didn’t actually kill anyone, I certainly changed the outcome of two lives, maybe three. And why? I did it to protect a territory, food stocks and my future plans. It was all a calculation… calculating… that’s the word that scared me most. I had a say on who would live or die based on what worked best for me.
I didn’t like that version of me.
But what choice did I really have?
Now a path had been set, actions had been taken and they required further action to deal with them. The bodies, who they were, where they’d come from, who would be looking for them, the signs of struggle pointing straight to the best food stash there is, bogan man – everything. It was just a puzzle in my mind – a series of riddles that needed to be resolved in a certain order and in a certain timeframe to give me the best possible outcome. Because this had happened and there was no going back now. I told myself that as much as I didn’t like the cold me, I was being practical.
I reloaded the crossbow and headed towards bogan, who was still crying. I stopped when I got to within a few metres and waited for him to acknowledge me. Personal space seemed to extend quite a way in these circumstances. It was a nervous wait. We both had weapons, we both had reasons to use them but, deep down, we probably both realised we needed each other alive (for now at least), to clean up the mess.
I remember him looking up at me and saying, “This is all your fault. I had this place to myself until this morning. Asshole.”
I was looking at him, but focusing on the gun in his hand. I could tell he was doing the same with my crossbow. “We need to get rid of these bodies, before their friends start looking for them.”
“Who are they?” he said.
I told him I thought they were from the Norwood shopping centre crew and told him about some of the things I’d seen them do. It didn’t do much for his mood. He swore. A lot.
Eventually we agreed to put weapons down and hashed a plan to relocate the bodies at the top of Rundle St. It was a good 500m away from the scene of the crime and hopefully enough to put a search party off the scent… and Woolworths.
He told me about a fourth body inside the entrance to the shop. We ended up loading the first two onto Phoenix and heading East. It was the first time anyone else had been in Phoenix since Fi… two corpses and a bogan weren’t quite the same. The raiders’ tracks came straight down Rundle St/Mall. I drove over the top of them as best I could to hide the evidence. Judging by their approach direction, I was more and more sure they were Norwood folk.
Just past Frome St there were the remains of a little convenience store. It didn’t look like there was anything salvageable within, but it seemed like the best place to dump the bodies. Hopefully it would appear to any rescue party like the dead had investigated the store, been spotted by a larger group and taken out. Fingers crossed that would get them paranoid enough not to travel further into the city, not knowing who and what was there.
We also realised the alternative was for them to come back in larger numbers (and more heavily armed) than before. That brought us back to the stock still remaining in Woolworths. It was an awkward subject to discuss as we both had our own plans as to what to do with it. But really, everything was awkward – I was constantly thinking he could easily over-power me and take Phoenix for himself, especially once the second lot of bodies had been dumped. He sure did ask a lot of questions about it, made me feel uncomfortable.
We did exchange names though. Bogan was actually Shane… kinda suited him.
Things lightened up a bit when we were dumped the second lot of bodies. We couldn’t just pile them up and leave them, we had to place them in a way that looked natural, well, natural enough for a multiple murder scene. Anyway, as we laid them all out we constructed some story between us of how it all unfolded. Shane even acted out their last words and articulated their arms to play out their death scene. It was quite funny actually. You know what, reading this back now it sounds more than a little bit creepy, but in the moment, and given it could have been us lying stone cold in the ash… well, just, it was a coping thing!
It also made me see a little more of Shane’s personality. Sure, he had some crazy in him, but who doesn’t on the other side of the end of the world? Especially when they spend so much time by themselves. I’m probably crazier than I think I am too. No… not probably.
As we headed back to the Woolworths I asked him how many other people he’d seen around the city. He told me there had hardly been anyone and those he had seen he’d terrorised into moving on. I took this as very good news.
When we arrived back at the scene of the crime things got tense again. I got this creepy feeling he was sizing up the possibility of taking Phoenix for his own. And maybe he was sizing up how easy it would be for me to off him and have this huge stash to myself. What’s a fifth dead body after all?
Behind that we were both weighing up the alternative – teaming up. It had a lot more going for it – safety in numbers etc. It was like we had reached a pivotal moment in the future of our entire lives! That’s a mindbender of a concept, especially when the obvious decision, the one that makes the most sense on paper – teaming up – requires that little thing called trust. Until this morning I didn’t even knew this guy and I haven’t trusted anyone since Fi died. That’s not something I hand out to just anyone, that’s the gold seal. Shane was a long way from earning the gold seal.
But after a bit of tense small talk I just came out and said it all and that I’d be willing to work with him to relocate the stock and protect it from whoever would come back in this direction. He looked at me – I’ll never forget the way he looked at me – through me. He held that stare for a long time. Then he nodded and we were officially in business.
It was almost dark by that point. We agreed to meet back at the store at first light. And with that we went our separate ways.
*
As far as days in the apocalypse go, that one was a showstopper. My head is completely spinning and my thoughts scatter from one topic to the next – resources, relocating, Shane, the invaders, possible search parties, staying protected.
Seriously, my mind was in rapid fire mode. It got to the point I prescribed myself some of Dad’s scotch… for medicinal purposes, as he used to say after a stressful week at work.
Must calm down… yet there is so much to do.
*
I just chatted Fi through the events of the day. It didn’t help me resolve anything but it did calm me down a little bit.
Thinking about it all with that little bit more distance, the thing that makes me feel most uneasy is everything relies on Shane. Right now, he’s probably back at wherever he lives, weighing up the pros and cons of teaming up with me – a guy who is capable of killing, a guy I just met. Sure the vibe seemed good when we went our separate ways this afternoon, but will it be like that in the morning?
I figure he needs to have more to gain from our relationship than not. I bring the hovercraft, which is a logistic game-changer for transporting supplies, but, really, can I count this as a pro? He could just kill me and take it for himself. But on the other side of the argument, I built it in the first place – not only would I be able to fix it if it’s broken, but he must figure I have a certain amount of ingenuity that could be an asset to him going forward.
Also, I have more intel on the Norwood folk than he does and knowledge, surely, is power. Then there’s safety in numbers. Look I’m rambling, but I think I’ve got a lot going for me in the ‘don’t murder him’ argument. The cons for me – he travels light, he gains a hovercraft, and he gets access to twice the food.
It’s a real teaser. Personally, I think the benefit of teaming up has too many positives to ignore. Logic and everything I’ve seen tells me it makes sense. But, who knows what Shane’s logic, based on everything he’s seen, is telling him.
I’ll just have to keep my wits about me and my trust levels low – so, business as usual. I might even bring it up with him when I first get there – not are you going to kill me, but what he hopes to get from our partnership. I think I’ll be able to drill down into his thought process from his response.
I don’t know… I’m still thinking too much – at least I’ve narrowed it down to one topic now. I’ll go in tomorrow with eyes open, knowing if there’s enough benefit for each of us, partnering up makes sense. If not, I’ll back myself in to be aware enough to keep my distance. And I’ve thought on it all enough for one night.
*
October 15, 2014
I was up before dawn and headed into the city with the first signs of light. There was no wind and it looked like it’d be another clear day. I didn’t bother with my anti-surveillance tactics either, given no one else would’ve been mad enough to be awake that early. I just pointed Phoenix towards Stepney Rd and was on my way, breaking just about every rule I’d set for myself about travel.
The sky was still dark in the west as I drove (or is that hovered?) in. It was a true black – endless and thick. Until the hazy glow of the limited sun hit it, that sky lurked like some hidden monster watching your every move – impossible to see and impossible to ignore. That was another thing the comet had stolen from me – stars. I hadn’t seen a star since the third or fourth night after impact. Not one. If I get lucky these days (nights), I might occasionally see a soft glow that represents the moon, but that’s rare… and that’s it for the night sky. Stars – forget it!
