The two men could see that the house was open-planned and could see the living room, the kitchen and the staircase leading to the first floor. Not a soul could be seen.
“There you go,” said Marvin in an annoying loud voice. “Nobody's home.”
“Have a little stealth, for fuck's sake,” Lloyd reprimanded.
Both men stepped inside; Marvin went in first, and headed for the kitchen. They went through the cupboards, drawers and the defunct refrigerator, but there was nothing for them. They went into the living room and went through a cupboard. Marvin smiled and pulled out a full bottle of Jim Beam.
“Don't even think about it,” Lloyd scolded. “Not after what happened before.”
Lloyd was referring to when they were back at Blanchland, in the Lord Crewe Arms Hotel, where Marvin became drunk and abusive.
Marvin petulantly threw the bottle back into the cupboard, causing a loud bang, angering Lloyd.
“There could be people upstairs, hiding,” said Lloyd with his teeth clenched, “and you're making that racket.”
“Well, let's go upstairs and see, shall we?” Marvin laughed and stomped his way up the stairs, like a child in a bad mood, making as much noise as he could.
Lloyd was still at the bottom of the stairs as Marvin reached the landing, and shook his head and mumbled under his breath, “I swear, if you weren't my fucking brother...”
Lloyd ran up the stairs after Marvin and could already see that he was in the bathroom. Lloyd stood by the frame of the door as Marvin went through the medicine cabinet, but it was bare.
“Looks like whoever stayed here,” Lloyd began, “had decided to pack up and leave.”
“Was their leaving their choice, though?”
“What do you mean, man?” Lloyd wasn't sure what Marvin meant by his comment.
“Like Junior said before, maybe the people were told to leave. Maybe the army came in and ushered them to some kind of quarantined place. Look at where we're staying. When we turned up, no one was there and not a car was left behind.”
“So you're saying that the army told people to gather their belongings and they all drove in a convoy to some secluded place?” There was mocking in Lloyd's tone and shook his head. “Really?”
“I've no idea,” said Marvin. “But it's no more unrealistic as infected people running about the country and biting others, is it?”
Marvin left the bathroom and both men could see that there were three bedrooms to check. All doors were closed.
Marvin placed his ear against the nearest door and opened it fully. Lloyd raised his crowbar, gripping it with both hands, unaware if there was anything in there that could harm them. Both men stepped inside and could see that it was a guest bedroom. The bed was made, and apart from a little dust, the room was immaculate.
The second room they entered produced the same results. The room was clean and the bed was made. Whoever left must have left during the day, rather than first thing in the morning, as there was no sign of any untidiness which would occur if individuals were panicking and rushing about to leave.
“Last one,” Marvin sighed. He turned the doorknob and kicked the door open. Nothing.
Marvin turned to Lloyd and was about to say something, but the expression on Lloyd's face stopped Marvin from beginning his sentence. Instead, he asked Lloyd what was wrong.
“I heard a noise,” said Lloyd.
“What?”
“Downstairs.”
Marvin cackled, “But we checked downstairs. There was nothing there.”
Lloyd gazed at Marvin and asked in a soft voice, “Did you shut the door behind you?”
Marvin shook his head. “I went in first. Didn’t you shut the main door?”
“Oh shit.”
Marvin and Lloyd shuffled their feet across the landing and slowly peered their heads around the wall and looked downstairs. Somebody was at the bottom of the stairs.
Chapter Seven
Gordon had found a pack of cards in one of the cupboards and asked Joan and Junior if they wanted to have a game of poker, to kill some time. Both declined Gordon's offer.
All three were sitting on the couch and Gordon peered over at Joan and gave her a cheeky smile. They both knew that if Junior wasn't there, they'd be ripping each other's clothes off by now.
“So now what?” asked Gordon.
Neither Joan nor Junior gave him a response. What would they have done in the old world?
All three glared at the defunct TV that was sitting on a wooden cabinet. Weeks ago, Junior would have been on his games console or on his phone, masturbating to some video from some porn site.
“Can I go back to my caravan?” Junior asked. “I'm gonna have a lie down. There’s nothing else to do.”
“I don't think that's a good idea,” Joan said. “Your dad told us that you're not to leave our side.”
“That's crap,” the teenager huffed.
“Why don't you have a lie down in one of our rooms?” Gordon suggested.
“And why don't you mind your fucking business?”
“Don't be like that,” Gordon snapped. “We're trying to do your dad a favour.”
“By smothering me?”
“By watching your back. You've never killed any of those things before.”
“Things?” Junior scoffed. “They're still people.”
Ignoring his comment, Gordon added, “If you stepped outside for a minute and got attacked by one of them...”
“I'd be okay.”
“No, you wouldn't.” Gordon smiled and added, “Don’t you remember the way you panicked by the canal? You'd be infected and then me and Joan would have two to deal with.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” huffed the teenager.
“Marvin gave you the chance to kill one by the river.” This time Joan had decided to get involved and was a lot harsher than Gordon. “And what did you do? You cried like a baby. So stop fucking whining and do as you're told.”
Junior petulantly folded his arms and released an angry breath out and dipped his head, staring at the floor. Gordon didn't know where to look and asked Joan if she wanted a drink. She said no, and Gordon Burns couldn’t think what else they could do. Junior stood up and walked out of the living room, heading to one of the bedrooms.
It looked like he was going for his lie down after all.
“So what do we do?” Gordon asked Joan with a small grin, watching Junior storm off into one of the bedrooms.
“I ain't noshing you off, if that's what you're thinking,” Joan laughed.
“Why not?” Gordon feigned disappointment.
“You haven't washed this morning.”
“Fair point.” Gordon smiled. “A cuddle instead?”
Joan moved closer to Burns and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and gently kissed her on the top of her head.
“This is nice,” she purred.
They remained where they were for minutes until Joan announced that she needed to pee.
She groaned and stood to her feet. She stepped out of the living room, down the corridor, and opened a door that was opposite the bedroom that Junior had gone in.
She did her business, left the bathroom but stood still for a while, staring at the bedroom door where Junior decided to go to have a lie down.
She stared at the door and could hear it gently rattling. She approached it and placed her ear against it. She could hear the gentle wind outside and already knew what awaited her before opening the door.
She eventually opened the door and groaned, “You stupid boy.”
The bedroom was empty and the window, Junior's escape route, was left open.
Joan stomped back to the living room and Gordon could see by her face that something was wrong.
“What is it?” he asked her.
“Stupid little fucker.”
“What?”
“He's gone.”
Chapter Eight
Both Marvin and Lloyd glared at
the individual, too scared to move and not entirely sure if it was a Runner or not. Marvin decided to bite the bullet and released a sharp whistle. The female individual standing at the bottom of the stairs looked up, its bloodshot eyes widened, and it began to run up the stairs.
“I've got it,” Lloyd pulled Marvin to the side and raised his crowbar.
The female Runner was near the top of the stairs and Lloyd brought the bar down. The metal struck the top of her head; she stopped moving, her eyes rolled and then she fell backwards.
Marvin and Lloyd watched as she tumbled down the stairs. She stopped moving once she reached the bottom, and Lloyd pulled a face when he saw her left leg at a funny angle. Her leg was broken.
“Ouch,” Marvin snickered.
Lloyd began the slow descent down to the ground floor, but Marvin grabbed his shoulder and asked what he was doing.
“We're leaving,” said Lloyd. “There's nothing here for us. Gonna try the barn.”
Marvin followed behind Lloyd as they both made their way to the ground floor. Lloyd bent down and checked her pulse. Once he was satisfied that she was dead, Lloyd stood up and stepped over the body.
The pair of them stepped outside and looked over at the barn.
“Ready?” Lloyd asked Marvin.
Marvin nodded.
Lloyd and Marvin made their way to the jeep and were crestfallen that their visit never came to much, but they still had the barn to check. They didn't hold out much hope, and their pessimism was justified when they opened up the place to find that it was bare.
“Looks like it's the supermarket,” Lloyd sighed.
“And what happens if there's fuck all there?”
“We go back to the site, empty-handed.”
“Empty handed?”
Lloyd nodded. “Then we need to make a group decision about what to do next. Are there any other towns around here?”
“Here? I don’t even know where here is?” Marvin scratched his head and said, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You’re from around these parts.”
Ignoring Marvin, Lloyd continued, “I think the nearest town is Stanhope. That’s where the supermarket is. The River Wear runs through it.”
Lloyd returned to the jeep and fired the engine before Marvin got in. Once both men were in, Lloyd pulled away, left the farm, and was now back on the country road. Lloyd didn't want to take any risks and kept the vehicle at thirty. The lanes narrowed now and again and the bends were sharp. Even with no oncoming vehicles, it appeared that a crash was possible if they were driving too fast.
They were only on the road for a matter of minutes and had taken another sharp bend, but Lloyd had to slow down once his eyes clocked two figures up ahead. He brought the vehicle to a stop but kept the engine running. The two figures were a fair distance away, and both men couldn't figure out if they were infected or not, as both were standing still, in the middle of the road, and had their backs to the jeep.
“What do you think?” Lloyd asked.
Marvin pulled out his knife. “Drive closer.”
Lloyd moved forwards and it was getting clearer that both were males, but they still couldn't figure out if they were contaminated souls. There was only twenty yards between the two males and the jeep.
“I wonder if they're infected or not,” mumbled Lloyd.
“Fuck it.” Marvin leaned to the side and hit the middle of the steering wheel, giving off a quick blast of the horn.
Lloyd was incensed. “What the fuck are you doing, man?”
The two males ahead of Marvin and Lloyd quickly turned around and ran at the vehicle, both snarling as they ran.
“Go through them,” Marvin urged.
“I'm not damaging the vehicle.” Lloyd jumped out, holding the crowbar.
Marvin stepped out of the other door and watched as the nearest one went for Lloyd. Lloyd hit it once with the bar, but the thing still grabbed him and took him down.
“Shit,” Marvin said, and saw the other one heading for him with its wide demonic eyes.
It grabbed Marvin and both males fell to the floor, but Marvin stabbed at the side of the creature's neck as they fell, and it was dying by the time they were both on the floor. Marvin pulled the male off of him and stood up. His hand and arm was covered in blood from the wounded neck, and wiped the stuff on his jeans. He then went over to Lloyd who was clearly struggling with his infected assailant. The crowbar had been dropped and both of Lloyd's hands were around his attacker's throat to stop it from biting him.
Marvin giggled and went over to make the easy kill. He grabbed the hair of the Runner and pulled it back, ramming his blade into the back of the skull. He dragged the infected male off of his brother and received a volley of abuse from Lloyd for sounding the horn.
“We were gonna have to get rid of them, one way or another,” Marvin argued his case. “It's not my fault you couldn't even take one out with a fucking crowbar.”
“I didn't quite catch it right,” said Lloyd.
“No shit.”
Lloyd walked by his older brother and put his head in his hands. That was a close one. He could have been infected. And that was just two of them. Maybe going into town wasn't such a good idea.
“You okay?” Marvin asked from behind. “Having second thoughts?”
“Nah, fuck it, man. We're still going. It's either that or we eventually starve to death.”
Lloyd turned around to see that Marvin had unzipped his jeans and was now pissing on the head of the dead Runner that had been attacking Lloyd.
Lloyd Dickinson watched in shock and began to shake his head. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I'm peeing.”
“But...”
“But what?” Marvin cackled and said, “When you've got to go…”
Chapter Nine
Gordon and Joan decided to stay together whilst searching for Junior. They both agreed that splitting up could result in further problems, especially if there were any Runners about. They walked inbetween most caravans and only had the large shed to check.
They approached the two large doors of the shed, and opened one of them wide enough so the pair of them could have a peep inside. Gas canisters were present, empty ones, as the rest had been stored in Marvin's caravan, and Gordon went inside and had a quick look around.
“That's it,” Joan huffed. “He's left the site. Stupid little bugger.”
“We don't know that for sure,” said Gordon.
“Well, where else could he be?”
“There is one more place to check, but I can't see him being there. Not with the body and ... the smell.”
Joan knew what he was talking about and nodded. Gordon meant the office, through the back, but they didn't need to go through the shed to see if anyone was inside.
They both walked round to the side of the shed and both clocked the high window of the office, the same office where Marvin had raped and then killed a Runner. Gordon struggled to peer inside and could see the body still in there, but there was no Junior.
He looked at Joan, thinned his lips and shook his head.
“Fuck,” she cussed.
“I'm not entirely sure where else he could be.”
“He's been with us for what? An hour? And now we've lost him.”
“It's not our fault. The little shit sneaked out of the bedroom window. How were we supposed to know—?”
“We can't go out too far,” said Joan. “If we do and he returns to the caravan and finds that we’re not there, he might panic.”
“Oh, what a shame.” Gordon pulled a face and petulantly ran his forefinger over his lips repeatedly. “Poor Junior might get scared. Seriously, if we go out there and anything happens to you, I'll stab him in the throat.”
“No, you wont,” Joan laughed, and could see Gordon getting all worked up.
“Okay,” Gordon dipped his head, “So maybe I'll just punch him in the throat.”
“Right,” Joan began. “I don't know this place, s
o which way do you think he's gone?”
“How the fuck should I know?” Gordon exclaimed. “I don't know this place either.”
“Okay,” Joan sighed. “There're only two places that he could have gone. He could have turned right and along the road, or right and back down the canal where we were days ago, when we left Blanchland.”
“Why not left?”
“Because that’s where Lloyd came from when he was in the jeep. I remember Lloyd telling us the story of the dozens and dozens of Runners following him when we were at the canal, when we all left Blanchland. Junior looked scared to death when Lloyd told us lot that there could still be some lingering around that area.”
Joan and Gordon stood in silence for a few seconds and Joan asked him which way she thought they should go.
“I think we should turn right and go along the main road, the same one Lloyd and Marvin went on in the jeep, and be out for no more than an hour. Like you said before, if Junior turns up and we’re not there, he might freak out.”
Gordon and Joan both patted their pockets to make sure they were carrying their knives and Gordon also had the claw hammer in his back pocket.
“You wanna go back for a drink before we head out?” Gordon asked Joan.
Joan shook her head and said, “I'm reasonably hydrated. I had a drink this morning.”
“Okay, let's go and find this prick before his dad and uncle get back.”
The two strolled towards the exit/entrance of the caravan site and stepped out onto the road. They looked left and right and both roads looked clear, but they didn't know for how many yards the roads were clear because they were very bendy. Every bend was going to have to be approached with caution.
They had only been on the road for ten minutes and sweat began to run down the side of Gordon's face and also down his back. It was a dull morning, muggy, and Gordon Burns put his sweating down to a mixture of the high temperature and nerves. He looked to the side and could see that Joan didn't have a single pearly bead of sweat on her head.
They had cautiously approached the second bend in the road and crept along it, sticking to the side with their blades out. The pair of them had never been this way before, so neither knew the layout of the road and what was at the sides of the road. At the moment, on either side of Joan and Gordon were fields and no sign of a secluded house, farm, pub ... nothing.
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