It was dark in there so I rummaged around in my backpack and withdrew my Dolphin heavy-duty torch. The light speared through the darkness illuminating the swirling dust of a month’s inactivity. “I don’t want to go in there Tom,” Zoe breathed in my ear. She was clinging to my upper arm. I could feel her trepidation through her touch. “It’s ok,” I said, trying to sound upbeat and unafraid, “If there are any vamps in there, they’ll be napping.” The grip on my arm didn’t let up. I changed tact, “You can stay here. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.” Her hands squeezed harder against me at the thought of being left alone in this vast structure. “Come on then. Let’s go before I lose my nerve.”
We didn’t spot any vamps inside the supermarket. I made my way directly to the canned good section and filled the backpack quickly. Zoe shuffled along beside me, never leaving my side. It was intensely quiet among the aisles, even more so than in the rest of the centre. As we were leaving I played the light down each of the aisles. On the second last one Zoe gasped. Alarmed, I looked at her face and then followed her staring eyes. A security guard had fallen against the aisle in his death throes. It looked like he had brought down the entire chip stand on top of himself. I approached him cautiously but Zoe tugged me back. “Don’t Tom,” she hissed. I turned to her and said, “He’s a security guard. He might have a gun. We could use it.”
“No. Let’s just go,” she pleaded. I shook her off and stooped over the guard. He had been there awhile. I could smell the decomposition. I flicked packets of Samboys and Lays off him with my foot. I bent down and examined him. He was only armed with a nightstick but I saw something glinting in the glare of my torchlight. It was a set of keys. I unhooked them from his belt trying hard not to touch him. I made the mistake of looking into his face. His eyes were missing and something was squirming around in those deep sockets. I rushed back to Zoe trying to hide my revulsion. I didn’t want to worry her.
We climbed the escalators to the top floor in silence and wandered into one of the open plan restaurants. We sat next to the floor to ceiling windows and looked out on the world below. Doncaster shopping centre has a commanding view to the west. The city skyline stood like a silent monument to our country’s past glory. I cracked open a tin of pears and dished them out onto two plastic plates. Zoe didn’t even acknowledge the food. She just gazed despondently out the window. I didn’t feel hungry either but I forced myself to eat. “You ok?” I asked. She gave me a wan smile and returned her attention to the outside world. The oppressive silence began to get on my nerves too. Eventually she said in a little voice, “What do you think his name was?” It took me a moment to realise who she was talking about, and then I replied, “The security guard?” “Yeah.”
“Oh, that was Percival.”
“Percival?” A quizzical grin broke through her formally dour expression.
“Yeah. Percival. His name was Percival Harrington the Third.”
“What?” She broke out in laughter then, bringing the cavernous space alive. We tucked into our pears and finished it off with a bottle of luke warm Solo. After that she talked. I doubt I could’ve got a word in if I tried, but I was happy listening to her. We wandered the stores hand in hand together, her chatting away, me half listening. We ended up in David Jones, in their bedding department. And that’s where we got into trouble.
I woke up in a panic. I wasn’t sure why I was so anxious until I pressed the light on my watch. It read 8.45pm and my heart dropped to my navel. I swore repeatedly and shook Zoe awake. “What is it?” she murmured groggily.
“The sun set five minutes ago. We gotta get the hell out of here.” That woke her up quick smart. We hurriedly dressed and I scrambled to pack up our things into the backpack. I fished out the crucifix and gave it to Zoe. I slung the backpack on and clutched my little bottle of holy water like a good luck charm. We ran out of the store and onto the main concourse. It was almost pitch black inside so I paused to find my torch. We were on the top level and had a good view of the storey below. I played the light all around us and found nothing. Zoe grabbed at my backpack and noiselessly pointed down. I could barely make out shapes moving down there, but I could hear them. It grew louder and louder, the sound of hundreds of shuffling feet. I shone the light downward, fear rising in me like a volcano. A multitude of grey faces turned upwards towards us, their eyes glinting yellow in the reflected light. Zoe screamed. A forest of arms rose upwards, futilely attempting to reach us. A chorus of hungry moans wafted throughout the shopping centre, echoing like a perverted church choir. I flashed the light all around us, expecting to be overwhelmed at any time. Now that the fiends knew they were not alone, they advanced like a rolling wave. They boiled up the escalators and stairs, falling over one another in their desperation. I grabbed Zoe roughly under the arm and we ran.
I didn’t have any particular destination in mind. In fact my mind was filled with sheer naked terror. Instinctively we just had to get away from the horde that was slowly surrounding us. We rounded one corner and were stopped by a surge of creatures mounting a staircase. We did a 180 and ran on. Again we were blocked by more vampires. They had gained the upper floor now and more and more were piling in. Zoe whimpered beside me. I swung my torch in a wide, desperate arc, trying to keep all of our foes in my sights. It was useless, there were too many, and they were getting close now. The light washed over a narrow corridor branching off to our left. The leading edge of vamps had already reached it, but it was our only hope. Zoe saw it too and we sprinted to get there before it was completely blocked. I unscrewed the bottle of holy water and flung half its contents at the couple of vamps blocking our way. They shrieked in pain and clawed at their skin where the fluid was burning like acid. I dropped my shoulder and rammed them out of the way. They were too preoccupied with their own agony to attempt to grab me. We gained entrance to the corridor and sped down into the darkness.
At the end we found three doors leading to public toilets. Zoe tried to open each one in turn and screamed in frustration when she couldn’t gain access. I kept moving the light from her to the other end of the corridor. The wounded vamps had been shoved out of the way and their brethren where staring to pour down towards us. They crowded five abreast in the narrow corridor; I couldn’t even see the walls they were jammed in so tight. Zoe pulled the backpack off my shoulders and began rummaging around. She yelled at me to give her light and I obliged.
That was the worst moment I think. I could hear them approaching but couldn’t see anything. Time seemed to drag on agonisingly. Zoe broke the tension with a triumphant ‘Ha.’ She was clutching the security guards’ keys in one small fist. I kept the light on her as she attempted to open the nearest door. After four nervous attempts, the fifth key slid into place and the door opened. I swung the torch around to get a bead on our pursuers. I had expected them to be at least a few meters away but a horribly mangled woman’s jaws snapped the thin air just centimetres away from my outstretched arm. I swung the torch in a wild sidearm motion. The heavy-duty metal caved in her temple and she crumpled to her knees. Half a dozen more vamps crushed her body underfoot as they clambered for our blood. I retreated a few steps to the toilet entrance and sprayed the last of the holy water in a wide arc. The torchlight illuminated their tortured forms through the smoke thrown up by their melting flesh. More and more vamps pushed past the wounded, it was a never ending tide of death. Zoe snagged me by the back of my collar and pulled me inside. I fell on my butt and watched as she placed the crucifix outside the door and slammed it shut. She locked it and then joined me on the floor. We sat with our backs to the door and listened, holding our breaths. Their moans and shuffling feet were mingled with the agonized cries of the ones I had burnt with the holy water. Every few moments we could hear one approach the door and then cry out in despair. It seemed the cross was keeping them at bay. Thank god Zoe had the foresight to place it there. I don’t think the door would’ve held with a hundred of them crowding behind it.
Once we felt relatively safe we surve
yed our surroundings. We were in the parent’s room. Five rows of change tables stretched along one wall, a small playroom sat in one corner and three private booths for feeding lined the other wall. We found some small couches in the later and dragged them over to the door. They didn’t provide much of a barricade but it made us feel a little better.
So that’s were we are now. Zoe has finally fallen asleep. Her head is resting on my legs under a bundle of clothes. My right leg has gone numb but I don’t mind, she needs to rest. She is so exhausted. My tapping on the keyboard hasn’t even woken her up. I promised I would stay awake and alert.
Only six more hours till sunrise.
13th February. 7.19pm.
I woke Zoe about half an hour after sunrise. We discussed it and decided that we should give it another hour before opening the door. That hour was pretty frustrating for us both, just waiting and watching the clock. It reminded me of a plane trip in some respects, you know, just when you land after a long flight there is those twenty minutes or so of waiting for the boarding ramp to connect, you just want to get off as quick as possible.
We had an argument at one stage, just over something stupid. It got quite heated until Zoe started laughing. She said I looked cute when I’m angry. That took the sting out of it and we sat together in silence till the hour passed. We got our gear together and cracked the door open. Faint light was spilling down the corridor. Four bodies lay in the shadows, obviously the vamps I had assaulted with the holy water. Other than that the coast was clear. We ran down the corridor, jumping over their prone bodies. The shopping centre was empty, you would never have known that a horde of undead was here just hours ago. They must sleep down in the underground car parks where it is nice and dark. There has to be a couple of thousand down there. It still makes me shudder to think about it.
The appeal of the centre was completely lost on us now. We made straight for the Jeep and found it unmolested. We drove back in complete silence. Halfway home I was starting to worry about Zoe, but she placed her hand over mine and nuzzled her head into my shoulder. Once we got back to our little church she was her old bubbly self again. I was glad to see it, but couldn’t match her glee. I was so tired. I lay down on the bed and virtually passed out.
14th February. 0.00am
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15th February. 0.00am.
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16th February. 12.12pm.
Not much to report the last couple of days. We’ve been taking it easy after the shopping centre adventure. The only thing we’ve done outside of our normal routine is organising a bath. We’ve agreed that we should do it at least twice a week. Deodorant can only cover so much funk.
17th February. 0.00am.
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18th February. 07.07am.
I’m sorry that more gaps are appearing in the journal. Some days just whiz by so fast. I’m finding that spending time with Zoe is lessening my emotional reliance on this journal. That’s a good thing right?
19th February. 0.00am.
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20th February. 01.14am.
The moon was incredible tonight. It hung there so clear and bright, at least the size of a dinner plate. It was amazing. I was looking out the broken window, admiring the satellite when I saw her. Kelly. My stomach dropped like a bomb and I quickly ducked down out of sight. I’m too scared to look again. I’m not scared of her seeing me so much as me seeing her.
Just that brief glimpse sent me wild again, all those old emotions stirring around. She was still in that white nightdress. It clung to her body like a second skin. Her hair trailed behind her as she floated along. I’m not joking, she actually appeared to be floating like an apparition. The red ribbon blazed like a firebrand against her pale skin and attire.
Even though I’m with Zoe now I am afraid of what I’ll do. I can’t sleep. She’s out there, only metres away. Doe’s she know I’m in here? How did she find me?
21st February. 09.55am.
I told Zoe this morning about Kelly. It was hard at first, admitting my desire and weakness for her, even now. But once I started I couldn’t stop. I told her everything. Zoe was really good about it. She was initially angry and a bit jealous, but by the time I had finished I think she understood. She had heard the seductive voice of a master vampire herself, so she could relate to my anguish. She even said as much. She also said she was proud of my willpower to resist that temptress.
21st February. 21.20pm.
Zoe is keeping watch. I’ve asked her to. I also asked her to make sure I don’t go anywhere near the windows. She’s angry with me. She won’t say so, but I can read her moods pretty well now. She wanted to read over my journal entries regarding that initial run in with Kelly. I didn’t want her to, but I know we shouldn’t keep anything from each other. I watched her face as she read, the change was palpable. It was as if storm clouds were slowly brewing the further she got. When she was finished she left the room and didn’t come back for half an hour.
I just sat there feeling rotten. It’s not like I had cheated on her, but it still felt like a betrayal. When she came back she hugged me and said everything was fine. I said it all happened before we got together and she understands that. But she’s still a bit pissed off. I’m typing here while she’s on lookout. I need to keep busy and not think too much about her.
21st February. 22.59pm.
Kelly is back.
Zoe saw her about an hour ago. And it gets worse: she knows I am in here.
I am unable to look out the window so I got Zoe to describe everything she saw. About an hour after dusk, Zoe called down to me. She said that a girl was gliding down the street in our direction. At first I was prodding her for information, but Zoe was just staring out the window, transfixed. I had to physically shake her to get her attention. She blinked at me, not even acknowledging my presence at first. I led her away from the window to the couch and we sat down. I took her hand and kissed it. This seemed to register and she shook her head, clearing the cobwebs.
She described what she saw to me, hesitantly at first. Kelly had glided down the street and paused at the gate leading up to our little church. Lesser vampires were milling around but they weren’t afraid of her like they were with the master vamp. She would reach out and gently touch them almost in a motherly fashion. Zoe said this sign of affection mesmerized her. Kelly would even smile at the creatures. Then her head snapped up and she locked eyes with Zoe. Zoe sad she couldn’t break away from her. Kelly had smiled so sweetly and demurely that she felt like she was falling into a well. The seductress had beckoned with one slender hand and Zoe couldn’t wrench her own eyes from the vampire’s sensuous movements. She had even felt herself beginning to climb out the window involuntarily. That was when I had spoken her name and touched her shoulder. That seemed to break the spell slightly, enough for her to lower her eyes.
One good thing out of this is that Zoe said she completely forgives me now. She understands the lure of that thing. I said it’s doubly worse for me because I had loved her. She nodded and we clutched each other’s hands. Zoe said that she had never in her life felt any attraction to the opposite sex. But in that brief moment she had never felt so much sexual exhilaration in her life. The mere thought of that scenario would excite me if I weren’t so scared. Zoe said the feeling has gone now though, she just feels sick and frightened by its intensity.
We are going to try to ignore her for the rest of the night. If we stay together we should manage.
22nd February. 08.23am.
We wandered outside soon after dawn. Kelly had left a note for me. Well it was addressed to both of us really. The envelope read, “Dearest Tom & his pretty friend.” Zoe snatched the letter out of my hand and tore it up. I snapped at her in anger and disbelief but she just took my face in her hands and kissed me. God bless her. Kelly’s power over me even made me react that way to Zoe, I can’t believe it.
We’ve been talking about the whole fucked up situation since then. Last night was a nightmare, neither of us slep
t. We spent the whole time on the bed, exhausted, holding onto each other. This can’t go on. There are only two options open to us. We either kill her or we run away.
I can’t kill Kelly. I know she isn’t Kelly anymore, but I still couldn’t bring myself to do it. That other master vampire was different, he was a cold-blooded killer, a relentless monster. Let’s say I did attempt to slay her, put her out of her misery. That means I would have to go back into her bedroom. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about going to see her in there again. Even though I’m with Zoe now, my willpower isn’t that strong. We didn’t even bring up the option of Zoe turning vamp killer, it’s just not going to happen.
The only option left to us is to run. We can’t stay here another night. It sucks but what can we do. We thought of finding another church but what’s to stop her finding me again? She tracked me her and it’s over five kilometres from her place. Zoe suggested Phillip Island. We hunted around and found a neighbours radio. They are still broadcasting. So we’ve decided. We’re going to pack up and leave within the hour.
23rd February. 21.10pm.
There were a few tears when we said goodbye to the old church. I’m not embarrassed to admit it. The little bluestone building had been home to us for many weeks now. Initially it was a safe haven from the assault of that first master vamp, and then it became a home for us. This is the place where Zoe and I got to know each other, where our special bond grew and nurtured itself. I’m sad to leave it behind. Maybe we can come back one day.
We loaded up the Jeep and hit the road. Zoe leaned out the window and watched the little old church until it faded from view. I patted her on the leg and she squeezed my hand. We wound through the suburban streets until we found Maroondah Highway. The morning was already growing hot. The blue sky was cloudless and the air was fresh and clean. It felt good to be moving and soon Zoe began humming a little tune to herself.
The Journal of Tom Barnett: Vampire Apocalypse Survivor Page 18
