by Nick Harland
Even as Mathew fell other doors flew open and the street rapidly filled with Zeds. I yelled at Esme and Eve but they were already jumping into the back of Mary and pulling the tailgate shut. I heard Eve say, ‘Drive, we can’t help him.’
Within seconds the street was swarming and the truck was covered. Esme grabbed the radio and yelled, ‘Drive, drive’ but it was too late. I wheel span down the road away from the truck but not quickly enough to be spared the vision of a large Zed putting its head through the trucks side window and Marion being dragged out through the open space.
In the faint background of the surreal reality I retreated to I heard a shout, ‘Brad, steer!’
I came back to myself but not in time to avoid the parked car we were headed towards. Eve grabbed the steering wheel so we scrapped down the side of it rather than career straight into its rear quarter, and I pulled it together in time to get control and carry on down the road. Eve’s voice was still distant somehow but I heard, ‘Back to the airport, we need distance.’ I could hear Esme crying and Eve comforting her but we were out of the village before the world seemed real again.
I drove us back to the airport and we were only a minute out when the Radio crackled into life, ‘Hello, this is Ben calling from the airport survivors, do you read me.’
I turned to look at Eve and said, ‘Do you want me to?’
Eve shook her head and brought the radio to her mouth. Her usually pristine lipstick had smudged. Yes, even in apocalypse she liked to look good, but her face was wet with tears; she was still holding Esme’s hand. She wiped her face, shook her head and replied, ‘Hello Ben, we’re here. Please forgive how I sound, it’s not that we’re not glad to hear from you, it’s just that we just lost two to the Zed’s.’
There was silence for a moment then a reply, ‘I’m sorry, we all know what that’s like. We lost too many to count in the first few days but we didn’t know each other then. We’ve had a few more deaths since then and as more time passes they get harder. I’m sorry.’
A brief smile crossed Eve’s face, ‘Thanks, we know we’re not the only ones to have struggled but together we can be stronger. We’re almost back to the airport and we’ll wait outside for you. There are three of us in a blue Range Rover covered in mesh and stuff, you can’t miss us. How’s your progress?’
Ben replied, ‘We’re doing good so far, better than expected, but we’re still at least on hour out. Edward is alerting us to any problems ahead and he tells us the road isn’t completely blocked anywhere. I think most people pulled over when they started to feel ill. We are in a convoy of six vehicles. I’m in a rig at the front so we can clear the way if we need to. We’ll radio if we get delayed and look forwards to meeting you. I know I speak for all of us when I say we’re really glad you made the effort to look for us. We were doing ok but it was getting difficult, I’m sorry you lost people looking for us. Hopefully see you soon.’
The radio went silent and Esme sniffed and said, ‘He sounds nice.’
I stopped outside the airport’s front doors and said, ‘He does. How’re you doing?’
Esme nodded and said, ‘I’m alright. I’m sorry for falling apart. Out of all of it, seeing Marion get dragged out of the window kicking and screaming has been the hardest thing. I can’t even imagine the fear. It was……’
Esme chocked up and Eve sidled closer on the back seat and held her again, ‘It’s ok Esme, there’s nothing to be sorry about, we’re all still human and we have emotions. If that stuff starts not meaning anything, then we’re really dead.’ Esme just nodded.
Eve looked at me and said what was on my mind, ‘There’s a truck full of supplies back there we could really do with, especially now, and that shop was fully stocked and stacked floor to ceiling. What do you think?’
I hadn’t really known what it was, the burning weight in my stomach and the tenseness in my muscles, but now I did. I knew why I wasn’t sad, it was because I was still too angry. I said, ‘I say we torch the fucking lot of them. I say we fill everything we have with petrol and go back there and pour it all over a road just round the corner. Then we get the fuckers to follow one us and when they swarm we light them up. The Q3 still has mesh on the windows and its pretty sturdy, but the pickup is better so we can sacrifice the Q3. You two stay in Mary and I’ll take the Q3. You get them to chase you through the petrol then light it. When they panic because of the fire I’ll use the Q3 and drive into them so they can’t run. Then you can use Mary to mop up the rest.’
Esme and Eve looked stunned and didn’t answer straight away. Then Esme said, ‘You know you don’t have to do this, you know you’re angry and it’s affecting your judgement?’
‘I know, but it’s still a good plan and we still need the supplies. If I get to vent my anger at the same time then that’s a bonus. It would take time for a fire on the ground to stop a vehicle and we know a diesel tank wouldn’t blow from the fire, it’s hard enough with petrol. Even if I get bogged down I’ll be fine, as long as you rescue me at some point.’
Eve said, ‘He’s not wrong, it could work. We have an aqua-roll we can fill with petrol and there are plenty of cars around here we can collect petrol from. It’s a bit dramatic, to say the least, but there are too many to even consider getting out of the cars and not really enough space to just use the cars without banging them up badly and taking some risks. I can’t say I look forwards to seeing you drive headlong into burning street full of burning Zeds but the fire won’t last long if its spread out on the road and it’ll stop them organising around you.’
Chapter Eleven – Wheels of Fire
We used a tray that fitted underneath the cars to fill with petrol from parked cars and although it took some time we managed to fill the aqua-roll. I tried not to get too much petrol on me in the process, considering I was planning to drive into a fire, but I stank of it by the time we’d finished. I knew I’d be safe in the car, even if it stopped, but I have to admit some of my anger had turned to nervousness about what I was about to do. I don’t know if Eve sensed it or not but before we collected the Q3 she said, ‘You know you don’t have to do this?’
I replied, ‘I know, but it’s the best plan we have.’
I yanked on the mesh on the windows of the Q3 and it was holding firm. The tyres were all in good shape and it had half a tank of fuel. I had a radio and Eve was at the wheel of Mary. We drove back to the shop and although none of us wanted to see what had happened to Mathew and Marion, we needed the vehicle and supplies. All thoughts of the pickup being cool to drive had vanished and I don’t think any of us ever wanted to drive it. The others stayed at the airport in case the survivors got there before we were done and we didn’t want to risk anyone else anyway.
We approached as slowly and quietly as we could and stopped just around the corner from the street where the pickup and Zeds were. The houses from the street had emptied to join the charge but we were ready to run at a moment’s notice. Esme got out and emptied the aqua-roll of petrol onto the street. She had a thick piece of card dipped in petrol and a lighter and I think her job was even scarier than mine. She hopped onto the curb and jogged to the end of the street so the Zeds would be able to see her. I saw her shout and wave then turn on her heel and start running while fumbling with the lighter. She crossed the road just after the pool of petrol so most of them would be in the road when she lit the fuel, not on the pavements.
A moment later the horde came running around the corner and Esme waited a moment before lighting and throwing the burning card behind her. She started running towards Mary even before it hit the ground. At the same moment I floored it and dropped the clutch.
The effect of the fire hitting the petrol soaked road, or rather the vapours coming off the road, was awe inspiring and not a little scary. The sound was like one of those big airzooka toys, except a hundred times louder. Esme almost lost her footing as the wall of sound and heat hit her, but I was concentrating on the horde in front of me. I had about thirty feet of ru
n up but I had no intention of doing anything other than continuing to accelerate until a wall of bodies stopped me. It was hard to see through the heat and flames, but Esme must have caught most of them in the blast. I had a clear run down the road but it took all my will not to take my foot off the accelerator as I hit the flames.
I could just about make out the bodies in front of me and I hit them with enough speed that they flew off to the sides or away from me. I’m sure I saw a Sprinter start to emerge from the pack as the petrol lit and the thought that it was the one that had killed Mathew spurned me on. Some of the Zeds hit the windscreen before falling off to the sides but the mesh held. Inevitably I soon hit the first bodies that had landed on the floor in front of me and I was thrown around inside the car as I ran over them. It was properly scary to be surrounded by fire and Zeds but I thought of Marion and kept it floored; she had deserved better.
The noise of new bodies hitting the car and the jolts of others going under the wheels merged into one and I quickly lost speed and felt the engine begin to stall. I slammed on the brakes and slid forwards. I ended up half in and half out of the flames. I had done better than I expected. I could see a few Zeds running down the street but I couldn’t chase them, the front of the car was slightly lifted up on what I figured was at least a couple of bodies. I rammed it into reverse, floored it, span the wheel to full lock, and dropped the clutch. The cars wheels span for a second but then found some traction and sent me spinning backwards and to the right. I hit the brakes a moment later but it didn’t’ stop me mounting the curb, hitting one of the houses with a bump, and smashing the front window with the impact.
The flames were dying down as I put on the opposite lock and accelerated forwards again. I could see the mangled bodies I had left behind me and that, as the remaining Zeds had run out of the fire, Eve had driven into them, stopping just before the fire. She was just starting to reverse. I accelerated forwards but there was a grinding and banging from the back of the car and it didn’t quite go where I told it to.
It was always a one way trip for the Q3 so I floored it and headed just to the left of Eve where about five Zeds had avoided her. It was hard to keep in a line but I managed to hit four of the Zeds and avoid Mary before coming to a stop, jolting over the couple that went under the wheels. I tried to put it into reverse again but only got a grinding noise. When I tried to force the gear lever in and accelerate it flipped out and the engine screamed but went nowhere. I was done.
I was stationary and I could see and more clearly smell the black smoke from the front and rear of the car and figured the tyres must be on fire; which was hardly a surprise. Despite the situation I thought it must look pretty cool, and must have looked really cool whilst I was still moving. I watched as Eve stopped her reverse run and, turning to avoid some of the bodies on the road, slowly drove back towards me. I heard the radio crackle. Esme’s voice said, ‘You know you’re on fire and that if you get out there is a chance any petrol you got on your clothes earlier will set you alight?’
I smiled and replied, ‘Yes I’m aware, thanks. I was pretty careful, and it’s been a while, so I figure I’m safe hopping out the back.
Esme replied, ‘Your funeral!’
I smirked to myself and popped the back. I crawled to the back of the car and had to kick open the crumpled boot. There were no Zeds I could see and no flames from the back of the car so I jumped out and gave the burning tyres a wide birth as I walked over to Mary. I can admit to admiring my handy work as I looked back at the Q3 and I may even have sauntered at one stage.
I hoped in the back of Mary and Eve said, ‘Well, that went as well as could be expected. Almost all the Zeds that got away were on fire to some degree and the heat in the middle of that must have been intense, if only for a second or two. It’s possible one or two might come back but I can’t see any more than we can handle on foot bothering us.’
The flames died completely and the road was a mess. I had done a good job on my fist run and it was no wonder the Q3 had come off badly. None of us wanted to confront the scene where Mathew and Marion had died but that was what we had come to do. Eve drove around the block to avoid the bodies and stopped Mary about ten feet from the truck. She said to Esme, ‘I don’t suppose it will do any good to say that you don’t need to do this?’
Esme’s mouth was a thin line and she said quietly, ‘No, it won’t.’
Eve said, ‘What are we going to do with them.’
Mary smelled of petrol from the aqua-roll and I looked around at it in the boot, ‘Is there any left?’
Eve said, ‘Yes a little, if they’re…together, probably enough.’
I got out of Mary saying, ‘I’ll do it, but cover me.’
Esme got out and stood a few feet behind me with Seven at the ready. I had seen lots of mauled bodies before but not one I had known, and not like that, so fresh and…oozing. It was bad. There had been a quite a few Zeds and they must have been hungry. In a way it was good that I couldn’t recognise them, but it was still grim work to say the least. I pulled Marion over to where Mathew had fallen a few feet away from the truck, dragging her by one leg of her jeans, and laid her almost on top of him. Eve popped the boot and I pulled the aqua-roll out and emptied the last little bit of petrol on top of them and lit it, remembering to stand back as I did so; I didn’t want to join them.
Eve got out and stood next to me. Esme stepped to my other side and slipped her hand into mine. I grabbed Eve’s hand and was I trying to think of something to say when Eve saved me, ‘They were strong and survived when others didn’t. This was better than they deserved and we will remember them as they were, fighters.’
The flames rose as did the smell and Esme said, ‘The others will be here soon so let’s get to work. I’ll radio them to say we might be a little late as we’re collecting some supplies but that the others are there waiting for them.’
Eve pulled Mary up to the shop while Esme radioed the other survivors. I peeked into the shop and it was empty. We worked quickly and quietly and loaded up Mary. The Zeds seemed to have abandoned the area. We knew the houses should be empty but we weren’t in the mood to go house to house and we would still have to carefully check each one to be safe. I made a mental note of a potentially empty area for scavenging but we left it alone.
When we were done it was decision time. I said, ‘One of us has to drive the pickup and it’s got a broken window. What happened earlier doesn’t count now and I’m not letting either of you do it, it’s not as safe as Mary. Maybe we can rig something up when we get back to the airport.’
Esme began to speak but Eve interrupted her, ‘Ok, follow us and don’t take any risks.’ Eve and Esme hugged and kissed me before we split up and headed back to the airport.
It was only a few minutes’ drive back to the airport and the other survivors looked like they had just arrived. Leading the convoy was an impressive looking semi-truck used to pull an 18-wheel trailer, but there was no trailer attached. There were also a couple of SUV’s and three other cars.
We got out of Mary. A tall thirty something looking olive skinned man with short badly cut black hair approached and put his hand out, ‘I’m Ben, I’m glad to meet you. Sorry again for your recent losses. I know if we hadn’t…’
I interrupted him, ‘It’s ok, it’s not your fault. It could happen to any of us anytime and if we hadn’t come here we would have been scavenging somewhere else. You guys took a bigger risk travelling to us. I’m glad you all made it safely.’
I looked over his shoulder and nodded, ‘Nice rig, yours?’
Ben smiled, ‘Thanks, it is now.’ Looking over my shoulder he added, ‘You’re not doing so badly yourselves. Are you going to introduce me?’
I spluttered and even found heat enter my cheeks, ‘Sorry, this is Eve and Esme, we’ve been together almost since the start. We rescued the others you’ll meet back at base. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know the names of all the others with us as they only joined us recently,
there were eighteen of them initially but they lost two during the rescue. They can introduce themselves later.’
Eve stepped forwards and offered her hand too, ‘Brad is being a bit shy. He rescued me on day seven and we rescued Esme a few days later, none of us would be alive if it weren’t for him and he has an uncanny ability to sense when something or somewhere is really dangerous. A lot more of us would be dead if it weren’t for him.’
Ben nodded, ‘I’ll bare that in mind. I’m afraid we’re probably only alive because we were the scared ones in the middle of the group when we got out of the airport and took the garden centre. We saw the mess the airport was in and the Zombies on the runway and our captain drove the plane we were on through the fence so we could try and escape without having to go through the airport. Unfortunately, he was one of the first to go as the noise attracted a swarm of them. There must have been almost a hundred and fifty of us who left the plane and without weapons we were like baby turtles on a beach. Quite a few of us ran to the garden centre and grabbed whatever we could as weapons but it was only us that survived the fight. If the swarm from the airport hadn’t stopped to…make the most of all the people who had fallen…It was…’
Eve said, ‘It’s ok, we’ve all seen it and we’re all screwed up by it. You don’t have to say.’
A woman from the group that had gathered behind Ben came forwards and said, ‘I’m Izzy and Ben is also being a bit shy. He led the charge into the garden centre yelling instructions the whole time and everyone followed him. A lot more of us would have died if he hadn’t helped organise us. He’s been our adopted leader ever since but I’ve been following him for years.’ Standing next to him and holding his hand she added, ‘He’s also my husband.’
