The Undead Day Twenty

by RR Haywood

  ‘Right, listen up,’ Paula says outside. Clearly addressing everyone. ‘Heather doesn’t like people staring at her. So don’t stare at her. But be subtle. Not too subtle. Be subtle but not too subtle. Just don’t stare at her. But then don’t all look away at the same time either because that will be really obvious…’

  He stops playing with his pen and puts his notepad back in his bag before going to the back door to idly look out and round at the others. His gaze rests on Maddox for a few seconds.

  ‘…so just be nice but normal, but not too normal or weirdly nice. Just don’t stare…I mean, not all of you stare but don’t start whistling at the same time or checking fingernails…’

  Reginald looks round from his perch. Everyone else is here. Howie is here. An idea comes to mind. Will it work? Will they see any difference? Will Paco pick up on everyone else’s reaction and do the same. He’ll need to be isolated.

  ‘One or two can stare, more like casually looking but not staring…right, Blowers, you look over with Nick…er…Clarence, you glance but then glance away as though looking at the trees…’

  ‘Mr Howie?’

  ‘Yes, Reggie?’ Howie exclaims, glad of the distraction from Paula’s increasingly detailed instructions

  ‘Am I free to speak?’

  ‘Er…yes?’ Howie says carefully.

  ‘About Paco and Heather. Can they hear me?’

  ‘Not from this distance if you keep your voice down,’ Howie says.

  ‘How do we know Paco is not a Trojan Horse?’

  ‘A do what now?’ Howie asks.

  ‘A Trojan Horse? A spy.’

  ‘Oh…oh I see…I was thinking of condoms then for some reason.’

  ‘Ah yeah,’ Marcy says, clicking her fingers and nodding at Howie. ‘So was I.’

  ‘Yeah?’ Howie asks. ‘Makes me feel better.’

  ‘I was too,’ Paula says.

  ‘And me,’ Nick says. ‘What you tutting at?’ He asks Maddox.

  ‘Nothing,’ Maddox says, looking away.

  ‘Blowers was thinking of condoms too,’ Cookey says, ‘on men’s will…’

  ‘Good lord,’ Reginald says, huffing loudly. ‘Paco may be a spy.’

  ‘Oh…er…and that’s a bad thing?’ Howie asks as Nick glares at Maddox rolling his eyes with the frustration now evident in his expression.

  ‘Yes! Yes it is a bad thing.’

  ‘Roger that. Paco being a spy is a bad thing. Got it.’

  ‘We must be sure he is not a Trojan…stop sniggering. We must be sure he is not a spy.’

  ‘Righto, Paula?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Find out if Paco is a spy.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Ask Reggie.’

  ‘Reggie?’

  ‘Gosh you are all insufferable. Completely insufferable.’

  ‘Sorry, Reggie,’ Howie says.

  ‘Sorry, Reggie,’ Paula adds.

  ‘Sorry, Reggie,’ Blowers takes it up.

  ‘Sorry, Reggie,’ Cookey passes it along.

  ‘Stop it!’

  ‘Sorry, Reggie,’ Nick says.

  ‘I mean it. I really do mean it. Stop that…’

  ‘Sorry, Reggie,’ Blinky says.

  ‘Good gosh! Someone stop them. Clarence?’

  ‘Stop it,’ Clarence rumbles.

  ‘Thank you,’ Reginald snaps.

  ‘Welcome…sorry, Reggie.’

  ‘You are all damned idiots!’

  ‘They’re only playing,’ Marcy says, waving at her hand at him. ‘So go on then brainache?’

  ‘We may have a spy in our midst and you are making blasted jokes again.’

  ‘Want me to say sorry again?’ Howie asks.

  ‘No I do not. I do not wish that. I wish you to bring on that hive mind thing when he comes out so…’

  ‘Oh no,’ Marcy groans. Everyone groans apart from Maddox who looks round with fresh interest.

  ‘It’s the only way,’ Reginald says firmly.

  ‘For fuck’s sake,’ Marcy sighs.

  ‘Mr Howie, we have to know if Paco is within our hive mind.’

  ‘Hive mind?’ Maddox asks, looking at Howie.

  ‘Tell you later…I’m lost, Reggie. How does that prove anything? He doesn’t speak.’

  ‘We shall be able to tell from his reaction,’ Reginald says. ‘I will go inside the hallway with Dave and Mohammed to monitor him. You commence the hive mind and I will gauge his reaction.’

  ‘You sure?’ Howie asks reluctantly. ‘I can only do it by thinking bad things…’

  ‘We will be attacked imminently. We need to know if…’

  ‘Eh? We’re being attacked?’

  ‘Yes! That’s the whole point of knowing now…’

  ‘When? Which way? How…’

  ‘Whatever they have left in this area of course.’

  ‘Fucking hang on. We’re going to be attacked here?’

  ‘Yes, Mr Howie. Did I not just make that clear?’

  ‘Maybe you could have opened with that?’

  ‘Opened with what?’

  ‘Being attacked. Right…so you want me to…I can’t hear anything.’

  ‘Oh well I am sure they have changed their mind and gone somewhere else then based on your astute sense of hearing.’

  ‘Meredith isn’t reacting.’

  ‘Good Lord. They are going to attack. I would attack if I had resources here. They will attack. You will kill them then we can get on with our jobs…now, please wait until Paco and Heather are in…what now?’

  ‘I didn’t say anything,’ Howie says.

  ‘It looked like you were going to say something.’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Wait until they are in the hallway then commence the hive mind…’

  ‘What if I can’t?’

  ‘You must. You did it last night.’

  ‘Yeah but I’m all chilled out now. Had a coffee a few minutes ago and…’

  ‘I am sure Marcy can do something to prompt you. Now, wait until we are in the hallway. We will pass a message when we are ready. Dave? Mohammed?’

  ‘Yes, Reginald.’

  ‘Did you hear all of that?’

  ‘Yes, Reginald.’

  ‘Good good. Good stuff. Now, you must wait, Mr Howie. Do not commence it until we are ready.’

  ‘Fuck…do I have to?’

  ‘Yes. Yes you must. We must know. Paco is a big man and very strong and anything he hears or sees will be known by the other player if he is a spy.’

  ‘It does make sense,’ Paula says.

  ‘Does it?’ Howie asks. ‘None of this makes sense. Nothing makes sense anymore. We’re outside a big old house somewhere near the fort surrounded by bodies waiting for a world famous actor and his shy girlfriend to come down so we can see if we’re all fucking telepathically linked. Yeah that’s so normal that is.’

  ‘Stop ranting,’ Marcy says.

  ‘Keep ranting,’ Paula adds quickly.

  ‘Good point. Keep ranting,’ Marcy says. ‘Think bad things.’

  ‘Not yet,’ Paula says. ‘Reggie isn’t ready.’

  ‘Think nice things,’ Marcy says.

  ‘Not too nice though,’ Clarence adds helpfully.

  ‘Think medium things…like in the middle,’ Marcy says.

  ‘What the fuck?’ Howie says slowly. ‘What the actual fuck?’

  ‘You know, things in the middle…build up slowly…er…think of…think of…’

  ‘Stepping in dog shit,’ Cookey says.

  ‘Good one,’ Marcy says. ‘How annoying is that? Stepping in dog shit?’

  ‘Oh my god,’ Howie states. ‘This is fucked up.’

  ‘What’s up from dog shit?’ Marcy asks.

  ‘Ooh,’ Paula says thinking hard.

  ‘Getting dog shit on your fingers,’ Nick says.

  ‘Imagine,’ Marcy says, staring at Howie, ‘getting dog shit on your fingers.’

  ‘And you burnt your dinner,’ Cookey says.
<
br />   ‘And your dinner is burning,’ Marcy adds.

  ‘And you ran out of milk and can’t have a cuppa,’ Paula says.

  ‘Oh that’s so annoying,’ Marcy says. ‘Yeah, imagine you’ve got dog shit on your hands and your dinner is burning and you ran out of milk…’

  ‘It’s the fucking apocalypse,’ Howie mutters. ‘There is no milk…’

  ‘Late for work?’ Clarence asks.

  ‘Alarm didn’t go off,’ Nick says.

  ‘Slept in,’ Cookey says.

  ‘Shit the bed,’ Blinky says.

  ‘Slept in, shit the bed and the alarm didn’t go off and now you’re late for work,’ Marcy says.

  ‘I don’t have a job. It’s the apocalypse.’

  ‘And and…your girlfriend just dumped you,’ Paula adds, nodding eagerly.

  ‘I don’t have a girlfriend.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘I meant…’

  ‘You don’t have a girlfriend?’

  ‘No, I meant…’

  ‘You don’t have a girlfriend?’

  ‘I meant…’

  ‘Did you really just say that?’

  ‘Fuck’s sake…’

  ‘What the hell am I then?’

  ‘I meant before. I meant…’

  ‘Oh we just have sex do we? Fuck buddies are we?’

  ‘Awkward,’ Cookey mutters.

  ‘Is that it? Fuck buddies? Just a fling? Just a fling am I?’

  ‘No…I meant before.’

  ‘Before what? Paula said your girlfriend just dumped you and you said…I don’t have a girlfriend cos I’m Howie and I’m single and like to shag everyone…’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You are not bloody single.’

  ‘Okay! I am not single. I have a girlfriend…’

  ‘You did, Pal. I’m dumping you. Be single and shag everyone.’

  ‘What? Grow up…I said…’

  ‘Grow up? Grow up?’

  ‘Stop repeating everything I said…’

  ‘Now, Mr Howie…’

  ‘I can’t,’ Howie says, flinging his hands up. ‘I’m more worried I upset you now. I never meant I don’t have a girl…’

  ‘Get angry…’

  ‘I can’t…I…’

  ‘Go on…wind yourself up with something.’

  ‘Argh I can’t…I didn’t mean I didn’t have a girlfriend. I meant before, like before all this happened…’

  ‘Yeah forget that. Get angry and do the…’

  ‘Now, Mr Howie.’

  ‘Fuck’s sake…Reggie, I can’t…’

  ‘You must. Marcy…you must provoke him.’

  ‘Er…sex is shit,’ she blurts.

  ‘Eh?’ Howie says, the hurt and shock clear on his face.

  ‘Oh no, honey. It’s not. It’s beautiful,’ Marcy adds quickly.

  ‘What the…’

  ‘NOW…make Howie angry…’

  ‘I can’t,’ Marcy says, flapping her hands at her sides.

  Good lord, if you want something done properly…Reginald smiles at Heather and Paco standing at the bottom of the steps. His hand comes up, motioning for them to wait a minute. His fingers press the button to open the radio channel. He draws breath and he speaks. ‘Howie, you failed that girl in the square.’

  ‘No,’ Paula gasps to the intakes of breath going through the group.

  ‘You failed her. She died because you were too slow…’

  ‘Hey,’ Howie says, stepping back with his hands moving towards his radio.

  ‘She screamed for help…where were you?’

  ‘Please…’ Howie whispers.

  ‘STOP IT,’ Marcy shouts.

  ‘Where were you, Howie? You were crying on the floor weeping while she was tortured. A little girl, Howie. You heard her. You cried while she was…’

  ‘Stop,’ Howie backs away, his face changing with each step.

  ‘She cried for her mother. Where were you? Where were you, Howie?’

  ‘No…Stop it…’ Howie swallows, breathing harder, his heart thumping stronger in his chest. Paula turns towards the house. Blowers too. Charlie’s mouth opens to tell Reginald to stop.

  ‘She cried for her mother while you wept and you failed because the infection is stronger…’

  In that instant the whole of them know a mistake has been made. Howie changes. He becomes. His eyes darken to blaze with energy. A split second of life that passes normally until the energy comes but it comes provoked by a woman who took life and made them suffer and for that Howie knows no mercy. He explodes out, moving faster than any man has a right to move. As one they run in. As one they go to stop him knowing he will tear Reginald limb from limb because the monster inside has been fully unleashed. Every one of them fills with incandescent rage that surges through guts and muscles that makes hearts thunder in chests and eyes grow wild with fury but towards Howie they go. A mistake made. A provocation too great. A monster let loose that will destroy everything if it is not stopped but not just one. Two monsters unleashed. Two that turn with utter violence to charge towards the house.

  Reginald feels it and it’s good. Very good. His dark eyes furtive, cunning and filling with the rage surging up. It’s stronger than yesterday. Far stronger. He braces against the tide and focusses on Paco and Heather at the base of the stairs. Paco instantly tense, his hands balling into hard fists. Heather staggers back as though gut punched but comes back snarling with her eyes blazing.

  It thunders inside Mo. An instant change of absolute pure hatred and blind pulsing anger that demands to be spent. A hand on his throat. His feet leave the floor. Dave in his face glaring deep into his eyes. Dave dragging Mo at his side towards the door. Dave seeing everything. Dave knowing everything. Mo sees it. With that rage inside. With that pulsing sickening surge he sees Dave as never before. He sees Dave standing beside Howie at the bitter end while everyone else lies dead. He sees Dave’s coldness of life and thoughts and lack of love for anything apart from one man that will fix this.

  ‘Swallow it,’ Dave’s voice passing through Mo. Dave’s voice demanding a thing be done. ‘Swallow it. We are not them. We stand apart. Swallow it…’

  Mo swallows it because Dave demands this be done. Anger does not aid them unless anger is needed. They are control. They are cold. They are dispassionate. They stand apart and not with the others. This is what Dave meant. Dave sees the control coming back in Mo and with the smallest of motions from one arm he rights Mo to walk at his side instead of being dragged. Mo lands on his feet and in that first step he gains control to view the world as Dave views it. At what is a threat and what is not. As every person as a piece on a board from a game to which they know all the moves. He will kill them all if that’s what it takes. He will stand by Dave apart from the others because that is what they are and that is what Dave demands.

  Howie will kill Reginald. Marcy will kill Reginald. Two monsters. Two demons that have to be stopped. The rest feel the both of them, as organic and as natural as before.

  Paula screams out, running in. Blowers goes hard, screaming Howie’s name. Nick, Cookey, Charlie, Blinky, Roy, Reginald…the whole of them running to stop the two reaching Reginald.

  As Howie goes so does one other. One other that is faster than he. One other that has only instinct and purity of heart and knows pack does not fight pack unless for the dominance of leading and only the small man that trains the pup could challenge the pack leader.

  That one other stops him. She launches from the ground to slam into his side to take him off his feet. She clamps her jaws on his shirt and yanks him side to side, tearing the material but with enough force to rag Howie across the ground. The man is fast. The man reacts to fight her but she is instinct. She is power and control of motion. She twitches to grip his trouser leg to spin him round as he rages to gain traction. She grips his boot, ragging hard with enough power to lift Howie from the ground.

  Mo and Dave run in. Streaking like the wind over the fallen bodies. Runnin
g without expression to view it all and see everything. They see Meredith take Howie down. They see Meredith grip his shirt then his trousers then his boot to keep Howie from reaching Reginald. They see the dog holding the line against a demon that was never expected to be released. They see Clarence diving forward to pin Howie. They see Paula slamming into Marcy’s side to take the woman down. They see Cookey and Nick behind Blowers. They see Blinky run past them, faster and harder than they to dive in with Clarence to pin Howie. They see Charlie impact into Marcy as she flails against Paula. They see Roy diving after the lads. They see these things and negate each as a threat. Each is a piece on a board from a game to which they know the moves.

  Mo sees this. He sees this all in the blink of an eye. He sees Maddox moving backwards with a look of absolute fear in his face. He feels every single one of the others apart from Maddox. He feels the essence of all of them apart from that man who is lifting a rifle in fear of a thing he is seeing that he cannot comprehend. He sees Maddox’s right hand move towards the trigger of that rifle and veers off. A threat is anything that poses risk to Mr Howie. His right hand blurs. His upper body twists. His pistol gripped in his hand as Maddox runs away from a thing everyone else is running towards. We negate that threat. As Maddox lifts the rifle so Mo takes him from the side. Slamming him down and away with his pistol rammed in Maddox’s face. Maddox goes down hard. The assault rifle yanked from his hands so hard it snaps the buckle fastening it to the weapon. Speed, impact and overwhelming shock see Maddox staring up into the cold eyes of Mo holding his pistol at Maddox’s forehead with a hard kneecap pushing into his throat.

  As Maddox is taken down so Dave turns in a circle with his pistols held out either side. Mo draws his other to aim up the driveway then round to the house as he detects Dave aiming at Heather and Paco running from the house.

  ‘SAFE DAVE SAFE DAVE,’ he shouts, digging his knee in harder to choke Maddox.

  Dave eases the pressure already applied to the triggers but holds the aim true and straight.