--- Now let me interrupt for a moment. I have this horrible affliction that has not been eradicated by the world going down the gurgler. This particular affliction seems to only strike at teenage boys and here is the major symptom: whenever a cute girl asks me a question unexpectedly my brain and mouth refuse to function beyond a one word vocabulary. ---
As a result my answer to Zoe was, “Huh?” She just nudged me again and took off on her bike. I scrambled to follow hoping she would think my reddening cheeks were the result of too much sun.
I kept pace as she zoomed down the freeway on ramp. We picked up speed and I could hear her shouting with exhilaration. I kept my distance, afraid that she would stop suddenly and cause a pile up. We must have been doing at least sixty as we hit the freeway. I laughed to myself because I had checked over my right hand shoulder as we crossed over the merging lane, no traffic here dickhead! We coasted for a hundred metres or so until I caught up with her. She gave me a sideways glance and a crooked smile. We both burst out laughing. I wish I could freeze that moment forever in time. It was the happiest, most peaceful moment I had experienced in months. At that exact second I didn’t have a single fear or doubt or pang of loss and sadness. It was just me, her and freedom all around.
After a short while we came upon a huge pileup, there must have been thirty cars jammed together. We gave it a wide berth as we eased past. Even from a distance you could see slumped forms through the dirty windows. We reached Springvale Rd and entered the tollway section. I opened my mouth to suggest we turn back but Zoe kept pedalling. I shut my trap and followed, not wanting to spoil the mood.
Not ten minutes later the freeway began it’s downward slope. This was the reason why I wanted to turn back. It was also the reason the freeway became a tollway. A hundred metres directly ahead lurked the Mullum Mullum tunnel. At the first sight of it I stopped dead in my tracks, my bike’s tyres squealing in protest. I sat there gazing into the abyss. It was huge and dark and menacing. It reminded me of the gaping, fang rimmed jaws of the Master vampire. I shuddered involuntarily. All of a sudden I was aware of how far Zoe was ahead of me. She was rolling down towards the tunnel entrance. My heart sank as I watched her tiny figure tumbling into that cavernous empty space. I cried out her name but she kept going. I took off after her, suddenly overcome by the crazy idea that she would just keep on going until the blackness swallowed her whole. I raced along as fast as I dared. I watched helplessly as she took her arms off the handlebars and stretched them outwards, as if embracing the oncoming tunnel. I yelled out again. I think she heard me this time because she jammed on the brakes and stopped mere metres from the tunnel entrance. I pulled up alongside and struggled to get my breath back. “Are you ok?” I gasped.
“Sure. Why? What’s the matter?”
“I thought you were going to go in there.”
“Ha ha. Got you big time.” She laughed and hopped off her bike. I was angry. Not because she had tricked me but because she had flippantly laughed off my concern for her. I bit my tongue though and had a drink from my bottle so she wouldn’t see my frustration. She walked up to the tunnel entrance and said, “Come here.” I joined her and we stared into the inky blackness. The contrast between the bright afternoon sun and the deep dark of the tunnel was extreme. It was as if a black velvet curtain was draped in the middle of the freeway. Zoe placed a small hand on the base of my back as gave me a gentle push. “I dare you to go ten metres inside.” The unexpected contact turned my tongue to jelly. It took my long seconds to recover but I finally replied, “Are you crazy. There are probably a thousand vampires sleeping down there.” It was as if I had burst her balloon. All playfulness left her and she instinctively drew close to me. I could feel the heat radiating off her body in the cool of the shadows. She gazed blankly ahead then hurriedly stepped back from the tunnel. I could imagine what she was thinking, hundreds of grey grasping arms snaking out of the dark, clutching desperately at her clothes and hair, dragging her down into the abyss. I took her lead and trotted back to our bikes. We pedalled away much faster than was necessary, never looking back.
27th January. 11.30am.
She’s a lot happier now. The bike ride has freed up her spirits somewhat. After we had left the tunnel we had ridden for hours. It was fun. She’s more like she was when we first met. She didn’t pay me a visit last night, so I guess she’s on the mend emotionally. I was a bit disappointed. It feels nice being together like that. There is no way would I ever say anything about it, she hasn’t even acknowledged it ever happens.
Still, she’s more upbeat, can’t ask for anymore than that.
28th January. 0.00am.
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29th January. 0.00am.
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30th January. 14.30pm.
We’ve fallen into a bit of a routine. That’s why I haven’t written for a few days. It’s good not to be under constant threat and just hanging out. We tend to go for a ride in the morning and then lay about in the afternoon, reading or snoozing. At night we might play cards or a board game. Its fun, I enjoy hanging out with her. And I think she likes it too.
31st January. 23.04pm.
I gave Zoe a surprise today. I had been thinking about doing something to help her feel more at home. I got the idea from a conversation we had at lunchtime. We were talking about what our favourite movies were. I said Raiders of the Lost Ark of course (it’s a no-brainer). She said hers was Amelie (not even sure if I’m spelling it right). I had never heard of it so she went into great detail describing the plot and characters. It was good to see her that way, sitting with her legs crossed, waving her arms around. She was quite excited. Then she lamented the fact that we’ll never be able to go to the movies again, that there are a lot of things we’ll never get to do again.
I jumped up before the mood could grow too morose and said, “I can fix that.” She gave me that crooked smile and answered, “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. I just got a good idea is all.” I gathered up the keys to the Jeep and said, “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
“Sure, can you pick up some milk as well?” We had a little laugh and I left her in good spirits.
I made three stops on my excursion. The first was to my local video store. I was able to crowbar open the back door. This joint was locked up tight, so no vamps had taken up residence. It took me awhile to find ‘Amelie.’ I hadn’t realized it was a French film. I had been looking in all the other categories, except foreign. I also grabbed an armful of other flicks to watch later, including Raiders. My next stop was a supermarket. They had real popcorn, but the only way to cook it was with a microwave. I settled for some pre-cooked sugar flavoured popcorn. Better than nothing, at least its popcorn. The third stop was at the big Harvey-Norman store in Nunawading. They have a good computer section there. I found what I was looking for: a 22-inch wide screen monitor that can run off my laptop’s power supply. Lastly I also grabbed a set of small desktop speakers that will also connect to the laptop.
I took my new gear back to the church and forced Zoe to go on a walk while I set it up. I threw my doona over the set-up and waited till she got back. I led her in and sat her down on the couch. Then with the flair of a theatrical magician I flung the doona aside. She clamped her hands to her mouth and then clapped in joy. On the little screen, the title menu for Amelie was displayed. She jumped off the couch and gave me a hug.
We had a great afternoon. The battery gave out halfway through the second film, but we did manage to watch all of Amelie. It was a pretty good movie actually. A bit kooky but then Zoe is a bit kooky too.
1st February. 12.44pm.
Finally found another Jeep. We don’t really need a car at the moment but it could be useful. A situation might arise where we might require motorized transport. We must be prepared for every contingency possible, like a quick getaway for example. I am comfortable driving a Jeep and truth be told a bit upset after losing Rory’s Dad’s one in the battle with the Master. So I had been keep
ing an eye out for a new ride during our various journeys.
I saw this one out of the corner of my eye down a side street and had to circle back to check it out. It’s a bit dusty but looks in good condition. The hardest thing was trying to find the keys because the car was parked in the street and not in a driveway. After searching three houses, I found the Jeep’s keys. They were sitting in a little bowl inside the fourth house. I topped up the radiator and checked the oil. I drove to the nearest petrol station with Zoe pedalling behind me. I had to rope my bike to the roof. It scratched the shit out of the paintwork but who cares.
After a lot of effort I got one of the petrol pits open and fed down a length of garden hose. I ran into trouble here. I had seen a guy in a movie siphon fuel using this method. The actor sucked on one end until the fluid begins to flow. I sucked and sucked until I was blue in the face and nothing happened. Zoe found all this quite amusing. Amid her hysterics she suggested that I cut the hose to the shortest possible length. I did as instructed and tried again. This time I copped a mouthful of unleaded petrol. I coughed and spluttered and almost threw up. Zoe howled with laughter again but was wise enough to grab the end of the hose and fill up the Jeep. My mouth was burning, my eyes were watering and I was trying to spit the horrible stuff out. Zoe continued to giggle as she fed me water. After rinsing my mouth out a hundred times she helped me to my feet. That was when she hit me for six. She dusted me off and said, “You need a breath mint. No way am I going to kiss you now.” I pretended to cough some more because I didn’t know how to respond.
Does this mean she was thinking of kissing me? Or was it a flippant remark?
2nd February. 0.00am.
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3rd February. 11.00am.
I can’t figure her out. After three normal nights, Zoe came into my bed again, just for comfort I guess. But why doesn’t she say anything the next day? I have heard it said that men find it hard to understand the ways of the opposite sex. I always thought that the dudes who said that just weren’t trying hard enough. But it’s true, sometimes I think I’ve got her figured and then she does something like this.
I can’t complain though, I like it. And I think I like her more each day, she is very cute, especially her smile. But she is four years older than me so I won’t be holding my breath.
4th February. 0.00am.
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5th February. 7.06pm.
We ran into a spot of trouble today. It was quite frightening now that I think about it. I wasn’t really that scared but Zoe was, so that in turn made me afraid for her. We had taken the Jeep out to do a bit of shopping. Zoe had suggested the Tunstall Square shops. I agreed as it is a large open area and has a (hopefully) well-stocked supermarket.
We arrived without incident and I killed the engine. Something seemed out of the ordinary. It took me a moment to figure out what it was: dogs were barking somewhere close by. It was a nostalgic sound, something I equate to lazy weekend afternoons. It sounded almost like normal background noise. All we needed to add was the low rumbling of cars and you would think that the world was back to normal. “Do you hear that?” I asked Zoe. She nodded, “Yeah. Sounds like a regular dog show over there.” She leapt out of the Jeep and hauled her backpack out of the back seat. I retrieved my own pack and wondered aloud, “Maybe we could get ourselves a guard dog?” Zoe dropped her pack on the ground and put her hands on her hips. “No way in hell. I have enough trouble taking care of one scruffy animal, let alone two.” “Ha Ha,” I replied sarcastically and threw her pack at her. She caught it deftly and laughed. I pushed her playfully in the direction of the supermarket.
One of the plate glass windows had been smashed wide open. I could see tyre skid marks leading up to the damage. “Looks like a ram raid,” I said. “Or they forgot their key,” Zoe joked. Neither of us laughed. I took out my gun and gave Zoe the flashlight. She nodded to me and we stepped through the shattered window. I winced as glass crunched loudly under our feet. We checked every aisle and the back rooms. The place was empty, no humans or sleeping vamps to be seen. I sighed with relief and replaced the gun with a torch of my own. Zoe smiled at me, obviously happy now the tension had passed. She slipped her hand into my own and said, “Let’s go shopping dear.” We wandered down the first few aisles gazing at all the now useless products. Zoe seemed to be oblivious to the fact we were holding hands, but it was all I could think about. Her hand was warm and soft. I could feel my own palm growing clammy with sweat. I was paranoid that she would be grossed out. Suddenly she let go and squealed with delight. She ran ahead and skidded to a halt in front of the shampoos and skin care junk.
I wandered over to the deli section, holding my nose to avoid the stink of spoilt meat. I couldn’t stop thinking about how she had held my hand. Should I take that as some kind of sign? Does she want something more than just friendship? We have been thrown together against our wills, and I guess it is human nature to want to band together, but is there something more here? I certainly wouldn’t be against it. I think she’s great. But the more I ponder it, the more I think she held my hand on a whim.
I’ve really got to stop agonising over these things. At least I have something pleasant to worry about.
We finished up our shopping and carried the bags back to the broken window. I was fishing in my pocket for the car keys when a deep guttural growl scared the crap out of me. Behind me Zoe screamed and clutched at my shoulder. At the window entrance stood a huge dog. And I mean huge, its powerful shoulders were at least as tall as my waist. Its black coat was matted with dirt and other foul substances. Zoe later remarked she thought it was a cross between a Rottweiler and a German Shepard. I reckon it might have had a bit of Cujo thrown in for good measure. The beast bared its teeth and let out a long growl that ended in a snarling bark. I held my backpack in front of me like a shield and backed away slowly. The dog stalked forward not letting me put any distance between us. It stopped suddenly and looked over its shoulder. I thought we might be given a reprieve but my heart sunk as I saw at least a dozen more dogs run up to join the leader. I assume it was the leader because it was the biggest and meanest one there. The pack was made up of all different kinds of dogs. There were small dogs and large, some pretty poodles and some mutts. You could easily imagine some of them being good-natured household pets. But now they were all feral and vicious.
The pack formed up behind their alpha male leader, growling and yelping. They could sense fresh meat was close at hand. The alpha stalked closer, more confident now his pack was there to help take us down. I threw my backpack at him in desperation. The bag was full of canned goods. It struck the beast heavily and knocked it to the ground. The other dogs began to tear at the bag in a frenzy while their leader sprung to his feet unfazed by my attack. I backed away further inside the store as the beast resumed its advance. A primal terror began to overcome me at this point. Instinctively I knew how our ancestors must have felt while being stalked by lions on the savannah.
I felt Zoe tugging at the back of my jeans. For a crazy moment I thought she was trying to undress me. Then I realised she was trying to free my gun from it’s makeshift holster. The gun! I had completely forgotten about it. Some action hero I am, the damsel in distress is the one going for the heavy weaponry. I drew the pistol out and aimed directly at the dog’s head. White spittle was foaming out of its jaws now and I knew we didn’t have long. Zoe shouted at me to stop but I ignored her. I fired at point blank range just as the snarling monster leapt at my throat. The dog slumped to the ground motionless. The rest of the pack yelped at the ear splitting gun report and fled. Zoe slumped to the ground behind me sobbing hysterically. I didn’t know if it was through sheer terror or in sympathy for the dog.
She wouldn’t let me console her so I did the next best thing I could think of. I carried our supplies to the car and then returned to help her. She shrugged off my hand in an exaggerated manner to show how pissed off she was. I threw my arms in the air and left her alone. After half an hour s
he joined me in the Jeep and we drove home in silence. We’ve been back now for a few hours and she’s still giving me the silent treatment.
5th February. 9.33pm.
We’ve made up now. I was in the churchyard outside watching the sun go down when I heard her walk up behind me. I thought she was still angry so I didn’t turn around. I jumped a little bit in shock when she put her arms around my neck from behind and rested her head against my back. My heart started racing. I realised that she would be able to feel it and that made it worse. She didn’t seem to mind though. After what seemed an eternity she kissed me on the side of my neck and left without saying a word. I waited until the dusk air had cooled down my burning skin and joined her inside.
6th February. 0.00am.
It’s Dads birthday today. I don’t want to talk about it.
7th February. 0.00am.
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8th February. 1.53pm.
The last couple of days have been great. Zoe and I are really getting this place in order. We seem to get getting along together now too. I think it takes awhile for two people to get to know each other. I know that sounds obvious but I’ve never been in this situation before. For example: I know she takes a long time to wake up in the morning. I’m the exact opposite, I jump straight out of bed raring to go. She on the other hand will lay under the covers for half an hour after she wakes. Once she does get up she is sluggish for the next hour. I realised I was annoying her with my early bird exuberance, so now I give her some distance in the morning. There are probably a thousand other things I do that piss her off but we’ll work them out. We’re going to have dinner soon and watch a movie so I better go out and get another car battery.
The Journal of Tom Barnett: Vampire Apocalypse Survivor Page 16
