Abe shrugged. He poked the Tall Man’s foot. The Tall Man cried out.
‘Does that hurt?’ said Abe.
The Tall Man looked up at Abe. He sucked his teeth. His foot looked really painful.
‘I’ll kill you, you little shit!’ he said. ‘Just see if I don’t.’
Amber stayed where she was.
‘No one is killing anyone,’ she said.
She sounded in charge.
‘We’re leaving through the front gate and you’re coming with us.’
The Tall Man struggled to stand.
‘You won’t get away with this,’ he said. ‘They’ll never let you leave here alive.’
‘They will if you tell them to,’ said Amber. ‘And you are going to tell them to or I will shoot you again and this time I will aim a little higher.’
She pointed the gun at him. She meant what she said.
‘Start walking towards the gate and tell them all to let us through.’
Amber looked at the rest of us.
‘Stay together. We’re leaving now.’
The Tall Man hobbled. We followed behind him. There was a group of men ahead of us. I slowed down. The Tall Man shook his head.
‘Let them through, lads,’ he said. ‘If they’re brave enough to pull a stunt like this then we should let them get on with it.’
Drive
The men all stood back. I was amazed. How could this happen? We went past them. I hurried. I didn’t look. I thought they would grab us. There was a car by the gate. We were headed for that.
Amber looked at Vinnie.
‘You okay to drive that thing?’
‘You bet. A piece of cake.’
‘Where’s Baxter,’ I said. ‘We can’t leave him.’
Amber nodded. She looked at the Tall Man.
‘Where did you put our dog?’
‘He’s over there, tied to the side of that shed.’
I saw Baxter. I ran over to him. I untied the leash. I took off the muzzle. Baxter licked my hand. We went back to the others.
Amber opened the car’s boot. She pointed the gun at the Tall Man.
‘Get in,’ she said.
The Tall Man looked at her.
‘What about the baby? I’ve kept my word, you’ve got to do the same.’
Amber spoke hard to him.
‘Don’t worry, once you’re safely locked in there I’ll let your daughter go.’
The Tall Man climbed into the boot. He sounded sad.
‘She means the world to me,’ he said. ‘Especially now the world has gone to shit.’
Amber pointed her gun at him.
‘Stop talking and get in.’
The Tall Man stopped talking. Amber slammed the lid of the boot. She turned to the Tall Man’s men.
‘We’ll be taking the baby with us. Once we are safely out of here, we’ll stop and put her down on the ground.’
Amber waved her gun.
‘Until then, keep your distance. If I see anyone too close to us I won’t hesitate.’
The Tall Man shouted. I couldn’t hear what he said.
We got in the car. Amber sat in the front. She held the baby and the gun. I was glad to be inside it. I looked out the back. The Tall Man’s men stood and watched us.
Vinnie drove slowly. He followed the track. The car was new to him. He was very careful. When we were far enough Amber got Vinnie to stop the car.
‘Keep the engine running and be ready to get us out of here.’
Vinnie nodded.
‘Sure thing.’
Amber opened the door. She leaned out and put the baby down. She closed the door again.
‘Let’s go.’
Vinnie got the car going. I looked out the back. The men were starting to run after us.
‘Vinnie,’ I said. ‘They’re coming after us.’
‘Hold tight,’ he said. The car got faster. The men got further away.
‘Is that the Reverend’s pistol?’ asked Vinnie.
‘The very same,’ said Amber. ‘I thought it might come in handy and those dumb oafs were so busy bossing us about that they forgot to search me.’
Amber laughed. She was happy with herself
‘They’ll keep chasing us,’ I said. ‘You know they will.’
‘They will,’ said Amber, ‘but we are heading straight for the army base so if they do decide to follow us then they won’t just have me to deal with.’
The Tall Man was shouting. We couldn’t hear what he was saying.
‘We’ll have to get him to a doctor,’ said Ellis. ‘He’ll bleed to death if we don’t get him some help.’
‘Serves him right,’ said Abe. ‘I hope his miserable life drips out through the hole in his silly foot.’
Abe was just so angry. I didn’t think he would ever be calm again.
‘He’ll get everything he deserves,’ said Amber, ‘once we hand him over to the soldiers.’
Coast
The road was narrow. It was dark. Even with the headlights it was hard to see. All I saw was the big shadows of trees as we passed them. The Tall Man kept shouting. His voice sounded underwater.
‘How do we get to the army base?’ asked Ellis after a while.
‘I’m not too sure,’ said Vinnie.
‘I think I saw it,’ I said.
I was nervous. I didn’t want anyone to shout at me.
‘After I left the Reverend’s house I climbed to the top of a big hill. I saw it in the distance. There were bright lights and helicopters everywhere.’
‘But where is it?’ asked Abe. ‘I don’t care what you saw, I only care where you saw it.’
Abe stared at me. I stopped.
‘Can you remember where it was?’ asked Vinnie.
‘Fran and John said it was up the coast,’ I said. ‘That’s what I saw.’
‘Further up the coast,’ said Abe. ‘That could be anywhere. Scotland is further up the bloody coast. How much further up the coast?’
I hated Abe being angry. I hated it. I thought we were best friends. We weren’t. Amber saw I was upset.
‘Ignore him, Jake,’ she said. ‘He’s just being stroppy.’
Amber turned to her brother.
‘I would have thought that after everything Jake has done for us you’d be a bit more grateful.’
‘Whatever.’
Vinnie followed the narrow road. Then we came to a junction. A sign said thirty miles to Dungeness. Vinnie turned on to a wider road. The streetlights were not on.
‘This is more like it,’ he said. ‘We’ll be there in no time.’
The fuel light blinked on the dashboard.
‘Damn,’ said Vinnie. ‘We’re going to need some petrol real soon. Everyone keep your eyes open. There must be a service station somewhere around here.’
We drove in silence. There was a small road in the distance. It went off the side of the main road. There was a sign with a petrol pump on it.
‘Here we go,’ said Vinnie.
He followed the road. It went uphill. We reached a roundabout. The petrol station was below us. It looked dark and deserted.
Vinnie went around the roundabout. The car ran out of fuel. Vinnie let the car glide down the hill. He stopped next to the pumps.
‘Let’s be quick,’ said Vinnie. ‘We need to get some fuel and then head off again. I’ll try the pumps while the rest of you see what supplies you can grab.’
The Tall Man was still shouting.
‘Best we leave him in there for now,’ said Amber. ‘We don’t want to be arguing with him at the moment. We can leave that to the soldiers.’
I opened the door. Baxter jumped out. He stood on guard. Ellis and Abe followed me. Amber opened the other door. She stepped out. She was holding the pistol.
The station was completely dark. I tried the glass door. It opened. We stepped inside. A counter and a till stood by the door. There was a row of fridges. Food wrappers were all over the floor.
‘Looks like someone got here be
fore us,’ I said.
‘Grab what you can,’ said Amber. ‘I’ll look for bottles of water. You lot look for food, torches, batteries and anything else you think we might need.’
Safe
We split up. I wondered what was behind the counter. There might be something useful. A plastic screen stopped me from climbing over. I had to go around to the side. I opened a small hatch.
There were two shelves under the counter. I saw till rolls and a broken pen. There was a small metal box. It had a dial and a large handle. I knew it was a safe.
I crouched down. It might have something valuable inside. I turned the dial. It clicked. I turned it the other way. It kept clicking. I thought I was acting in a film. I put my ear to it. The sound was mad. I kept turning the dial. It was fun to pretend. I was playing with the safe when Baxter growled. I stopped playing. I carefully peeped out the window.
Viros.
It looked like hundreds of them.
They were walking and worrying.
I saw them everywhere.
I looked for the others.
Vinnie was hiding down the aisle. I crawled to him. Baxter followed me. Ellis and Abe were beside a freezer. Amber was kneeling next to them. She was trying to open a door. The sign said ‘Restrooms.’ It was locked.
‘We need to get through this door,’ she said. ‘It’s the only way.’
I looked at Vinnie.
‘They came from nowhere,’ he said. ‘Luckily I heard the swarm coming down the road so I was able to get in here before they arrived. I managed to block the door with a pile of shopping baskets but it won’t hold them off for long.’
Amber looked at me.
‘Did you see a key anywhere when you were behind the counter?’
I shook my head.
‘It has to be somewhere,’ she said. ‘The counter is the obvious place.’
‘You’re right, Amber,’ said Ellis. ‘In places like these you would need to ask to use the bathroom and the person behind the counter would give you the key. I remember being with my dad once when he needed to go and the lady behind the counter gave him the key.’
Ellis smiled.
‘The lady gave me a lollipop while I waited.’
Viros kept arriving. It was getting louder out there. They would be inside soon. We needed the key.
I crawled back to the counter. I tried to stay in the shadows. Part of the shop was open. I needed to cross that part. I couldn’t let them see me. I hid behind a newspaper stand. I waited for my chance.
The pile of baskets fell over.
Leg
Something was trying to get in. I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to go. I crawled to the hatch. I tried to pull it open. My hand trembled. I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t do it.
I slipped round behind the counter. The shadows of viros fell all over me. I felt their darkness. I ignored the safe this time. I ran my hands along both shelves. My heart was in my mouth.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
The viros were screaming. I guessed there were hundreds of them. They would see me. How could I hide much more?
I checked the shelves again.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Something.
My finger felt a hook. It was empty. I looked on the floor under the hook. There was a small gap under the shelf.
I put my finger underneath. I felt something. It was the key. My hand was too fat. The key was too far. I had to find something to slide it.
I remembered the broken pen.
I grabbed the pen. It went under the shelf. The key came towards me. I quickly picked it up.
I crawled back to the others. I wasn’t looking.
I bumped into a leg.
A viro was in the doorway. It looked down. Our eyes met. It looked confused. The viro had once been an ordinary man. It could have been a dad, or an uncle or a neighbour. Now it was just a viro covered in smelly mud. I didn’t move. I held my breath. The stink was horrible. My nose wrinkled. I thought I was going to choke.
The viro stood still. I knew it wasn’t thinking. It looked like it was trying to remember a thing. The sound of the screaming outside got louder. The viro turned away. It heard their call. The viro went back to its friends.
I crawled back to the others.
‘Wow,’ said Vinnie. ‘That was close. I was just waiting for the chance to come and help you.’
‘I was alright,’ I said.
I wasn’t sure. I felt like lying down for a long time.
‘The key,’ said Amber. ‘Did you find it?’
I handed it to her. She unlocked the door. The door opened. We went inside.
It was a small dark corridor. There was a door on each side and a window at the end.
‘The window,’ said Vinnie. ‘If we can open the window then we should be able to get away while the swarm is gathering on the forecourt.
The window was small. The glass looked hard to break. The latch was rusty. Vinnie pulled it. He tried really hard. He finally got it open.
‘We’ll never get through that,’ said Ellis.
‘We’ll have to get the whole window out the frame,’ said Vinnie.
‘How?’ said Amber. She pointed at the window. ‘We only have our hands.’
‘A fire extinguisher?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ said Vinnie, ‘but where would we find one?’
‘Back in the shop,’ I said. ‘There’s one by the front door. I saw it earlier.’
‘Okay,’ said Vinnie, ‘but the shop is probably full of viros by now.’
‘I know,’ I said.
Extinguisher
‘I’ll wait by the door,’ Amber said. ‘Knock twice when you want to come back in.’
I nodded. Amber unlocked the door. I listened. I couldn’t hear anything. I got down on my hands and knees. I pushed the door open.
The shop looked empty. The viros on the forecourt were screaming loudly. They might not hear me. The front door was over there. The fire extinguisher was on the wall. It was too open. I would have to go to the counter. I could grab it from there.
It was easy at first. I sneaked along the shelves. I got to the counter. I put my back to it. I moved towards the front door. I was going to reach out for the extinguisher. Someone fired a gun.
It sounded far away. I heard more guns firing. They were coming closer. It was the Tall Man’s men. They had found the car.
I peeped round the counter. There were viros everywhere. They attacked the car. They must have heard the Tall Man shouting. The viros bobbed like angry water. The night flashed. The men were getting closer. The viros roared. It was so loud.
I went to grab the extinguisher. The door banged into me. I was winded. Viros were pushing up against it. They would get inside. I picked up the extinguisher.
I ran for it. The door crashed open. A pile of viros fell inside. They looked confused. I got to the toilet door. I knocked twice. Amber let me in.
‘The Tall Man’s men,’ I said. ‘And viros. We’ve got to go.’
Vinnie grabbed the extinguisher. He started hitting the window. It was really loud.
Crash.
Crunch.
Crash.
Vinnie did a big swing.
Crash.
The window fell out.
‘Quick,’ he said. ‘Let’s get going.’
Vinnie stuck his head out the window.
‘When you get out the window, you need to run to the left. There you’ll see a steel shed. It looks like there is a small wood behind it. Wait there until we are all out.’
Abe went first. He struggled to get through. Vinnie went to help. Abe got mad.
‘Don’t touch me. Nobody touches me ever again!’
Abe’s legs disappeared. He was gone. Ellis and Amber were next. Vinnie helped his sister out the window. Amber followed. She waited outside. We passed Baxter out. Vinnie looked at me.
‘You
’re next, Jake. Don’t forget to wait behind the shed.’
I nodded. Vinnie helped me. I fell forwards. I landed on my arms. The concrete was wet. I picked myself up. I ran to the shed. We waited for Vinnie.
I saw his head and shoulders. He was struggling. I thought he was stuck. I ran back. Vinnie was panicking.
‘I’m stuck and the viros have broken down the door. They’re right behind me.’
I grabbed Vinnie’s arms. I put my foot against the wall. I pulled really hard. Vinnie screamed. He fell through the window. He limped as we ran away.
Cut
Vinnie was really hurt. His trousers were ripped. He had a bad cut above his ankle. It was hard to see in the dark.
‘I think I’ve been bitten,’ he said. ‘I’m sure one of those viros got me as I climbed through the window. They were right behind me.’
‘I didn’t see,’ I said.
I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know. How could I?
‘We need to find somewhere to hide,’ said Amber. ‘Those fake soldiers will be looking for us.’
‘Where?’ I said.
‘We can’t head straight for the army base,’ said Amber. ‘The Tall Man would have heard us saying that’s where we’re going. They’ll have all the roads covered and spot us easily. We’ll have to swing around in a different direction and then double back.’
Amber looked at Vinnie.
‘Will you be alright?’
‘I’ll have to be,’ he said. ‘What choice do we have?’
We found a muddy path. It led us through the wood. We walked for a while. The trees were big. I heard sounds everywhere. I thought we would be shot soon. I thought we would meet viros everywhere. Ellis stopped.
‘We need to get off this path,’ she said. ‘You wouldn’t need to be an expert tracker to find our footprints. We should find a stream or something to confuse anyone who is following.’
Ellis was really calm. I wasn’t at all. Angry men with guns were chasing us. Viros were all around. Nowhere was safe. Ellis was so sensible. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell her what I was thinking. I couldn’t. Abe was too near.
Abe’s face was swollen. One eye was puffy. His lips were heavy and split. He held his tummy as he walked. Abe was really hurt. He looked so sore. I wondered what had happened. Abe would never tell me. I knew he never would.
Viro [Book 2] Page 6
