I looked under the sink. I found three plastic bottles. The water was loud as I filled one bottle. I turned the tap off. We looked at each other. We waited. Nobody heard us. I filled the other bottles.
Amber opened the fridge. She made a sick noise.
‘Ugh!’ she said. ‘Maggots.’
The fridge was alive inside. Each shelf was overflowing. The maggots fell down like mouldy snowdrops. They were all over everything. Amber closed the door.
‘That’s disgusting,’ she said. ‘Really disgusting.’
‘There must be tinned food,’ I said. ‘Let’s look.’
There was big cupboard. It was next to the fridge. We looked on the shelves. We put twelve tins of soup in a box. There were nine cans of peaches. Amber took a tin opener. She also found a first aid kit. There was a bunch of keys on a hook. I put them in my pocket.
‘Hello,’ someone said behind us.
It was a young boy. His school clothes were very dirty. He had messy, sticked-up hair. His face was full of tears.
‘You’re not teachers,’ he said.
‘Who are you?’ said Amber. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘My name is Anthony Oswald Jones and I’m waiting for my parents to come and collect me for the holidays,’ the boy said. ‘I think they’re running a bit late.’
‘Are you alone?’ I said.
The little boy shook his head.
‘Everyone is still in the swimming pool. The teachers won’t let them out until the Open Day is over.’
‘The Open Day?’
‘Three days ago, a gang of strangers came to the school. They were loud and rude and made people cry so I hid in the attic. I heard the Headmaster shouting about the swimming pool but when I came down later the door was locked. I heard people moaning inside but didn’t know what to do. I think Mummy and Daddy are in there as well.’
‘Are you the only one left outside?’ asked Amber.
‘I think so,’ Anthony said. ‘I haven’t seen anyone else since the Open Day.’
Anthony started to cry.
‘I’m really scared,’ he said. ‘I just want my parents to take me home. I don’t want to be at this school anymore.’
‘Do you live near there?’ asked Amber.
‘Oh no,’ said Anthony. ‘It takes me all day in the back of a car to get home.’
‘Well, we can’t get you home tonight but you can come and stay with us if you like. We’re sleeping down at the boathouse.’
‘Why are you sleeping there? There are loads of beds here.’
‘True,’ said Amber, ‘but we thought it was more of an adventure to sleep down there.’
‘Are you camping?’
‘Could be,’ I said.
‘Do you need blankets and pillows?’ asked Anthony. ‘I know where they are kept.’
‘Great,’ said Amber. ‘Let’s grab some and get back to the others.’
‘This way,’ Anthony said.
Home
We got back to the boathouse. It was nearly light. Ellis opened the door. She smiled at the boy. Her voice was kind.
‘Who are you?’ she said.
‘My name is Anthony Oswald Jones and I am very pleased to meet you.’
Anthony stood up straight. He stuck out his hand. Ellis laughed as she shook it.
‘How do you do?’ she said. ‘My name is Ellis.’
I put the boxes down. I put the keys next to them.
‘We found Anthony in the school,’ Amber said. ‘He was very helpful so we thought he’d like to come and camp out here with us.’
‘Only for a little while,’ said Anthony. ‘Once my parents are finished with the Open Day I’m going home.’
‘The Open Day?’ said Vinnie.
‘Anthony says that three days ago a group of people came to the school to have a look around,’ Amber said. ‘These people were mean and made them all cry so the teachers sent everyone to the swimming pool and locked the door from the inside. Anthony thinks that his Mum and Dad in there with everyone else.’
‘Once they have finished with the Open Day they will take me home,’ Anthony said.
‘Where is home?’ said Vinnie.
‘A very long way away,’ Anthony said. ‘Far too far to walk.’
‘How do you know that your parents are going to be able to take you home?’ Abe said.
‘What do you mean?’ said Anthony. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘He doesn’t mean anything, Anthony,’ said Amber. ‘Do you, Abe?’
‘Apparently not,’ said Abe.
Cold soup was better than no soup. Anthony ate his very quickly. He was starving.
‘Is there any more?’ he asked. There was soup on his chin. Amber handed him half a can of peaches.
‘Go carefully,’ she said.
Anthony drank the juice.
‘This picnic is great fun.’
He slurped.
‘What are we going to do next?’
‘We’re going to stay here and keep quiet,’ said Amber.
‘Why?’ said Anthony. ‘That’s no fun.’
‘It is,’ said Ellis. ‘It’s lots of fun. We’re playing a game of hide and seek with some people and it’s our turn to hide. We need to make sure that they can’t find us. If they do, we lose.’
‘Don’t you mean Sardines?’ said Anthony. ‘In Hide and Seek you hide on your own. In Sardines you all hide together.’
‘You’re right, Anthony,’ said Ellis. ‘We’re playing Sardines.’
Anthony lay under a blanket. He was next to Vinnie. Anthony fell asleep. He was a small boy. He looked peaceful now. I was glad he found us. We could help him. It must have been really scary being here alone.
Abe was by the door. He had a blanket over his shoulders. He was all hunched. He didn’t look peaceful.
Amber called Ellis and me over.
‘What are we going to do with Anthony?’ she said.
‘He’ll have to come with us,’ said Ellis. ‘He’ll never survive on his own.’
‘He’s done better than some people.’
‘He has, Jake,’ said Amber, ‘but Ellis is right. We need to get Anthony to safety. There’s no knowing what has happened to his parents.’
‘I think we can all guess,’ said Ellis.
‘You’re probably right,’ continued Amber, ‘but we can’t have that conversation with him, can we?’
‘We should probably get some rest,’ said Ellis. ‘It would be a good idea to head off down the river tonight. We’ll attract far less attention in the darkness.’
‘Yes,’ I said.
I needed to sleep. I picked up a blanket. I made a bed under the canoes. It felt safe here. I was happy we found this place. It would be safer on the river. It was easier than muddy fields.
I closed my eyes.
Ellis woke me up. It was later. She was worried.
‘Anthony’s gone,’ she said. ‘He’s taken the keys with him.’
Pool
I joined the others.
‘It was a stupid idea in the first place,’ said Abe. ‘I knew the kid would be trouble with his stupid story about his parents and the Open Day.’
Abe snorted.
‘The school got attacked by viros and the teachers locked everyone, themselves included, in the swimming pool. That little idiot was too stupid to get himself eaten and has been wandering around ever since. He’s probably unlocking the door to the swimming pool even as we speak.’
‘Then we had better stop him,’ said Amber. ‘He’ll be eaten for sure if he gets inside.’
‘Leave him to it,’ said Abe. ‘So what if the dumb shit gets eaten? That’s all the world is now anyway, one giant set of blood-stained teeth trying to chew everything it can.’
‘Abraham Arthur Hopkins,’ said Amber. ‘How can you say those awful things?’
‘I’m only saying what we should all be thinking,’ Abe said.
He pointed at his sister.
‘In case you hadn’t no
ticed, Sis, it’s survival of the fittest from now on and for ever more. We’re having a hard time taking care of ourselves without signing up for babysitting duty as well. If we bring him with us he’ll only whine and get in the way. Little twerps like him simply get eaten now, that’s the way of the world.’
Amber was horrified.
‘That’s enough, Abe,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to hear any more from you.’
Amber looked at us.
‘I’m going to try and find him. Does anyone want to come with me.’
‘Me,’ I said.
‘And me,’ said Ellis.
‘I’ll come as well,’ Vinnie said.
‘No,’ said Amber. ‘We need you to stay here and look after Abe and the boats.’
Amber gave her brother a filthy look.
‘We don’t want anyone else doing anything stupid, do we?’
We ran back to the school. There was the low building with glass doors. A sign said, ‘Swimming Pool.’ Anthony was standing in front of the doors.
‘Are you in there, Mummy?’ he shouted. ‘I’m ready to go home now.’
‘Don’t open the door,’ I said.
It was too late.
Anthony unlocked the door. He went inside. He was shouting.
‘Daddy, can we go home now?’
We reached the open door. It was dark inside. Anthony was opening another door.
‘Anthony,’ Amber said. ‘Come out of there. It isn’t safe.’
Anthony turned around.
‘Oh Hi,’ he said. ‘The Open Day is nearly over. I’ll be going home soon.’
I went to go inside. I had to stop Anthony. Amber stopped me.
‘It’s not safe, Jake. We need to stay here. We don’t know how many viros are in there.’
‘Anthony,’ Ellis said. ‘We haven’t finished playing Sardines yet. Come back with us and let’s keep playing.’
Anthony shook his head.
‘Don’t want any more games,’ he said. ‘I just want to go home.’
The viros started howling. The noise echoed. I saw shadows moving. It looked like a scary dance. I didn’t like it one bit.
‘Anthony,’ Amber said. ‘We’ll take you home.’
‘Yes,’ said Ellis. ‘Come with us.’
Anthony turned away.
‘Too late,’ he shouted over his shoulder. ‘I think I can see my Mummy in here.’
I watched Anthony. He went inside. The shadows danced around him. There was new screaming. The door closed. Anthony was gone.
Kitchen
‘That’s it,’ Amber said. ‘We’d better grab what we can and get out of here. Those viros won’t take long to get out and once they do we won’t be safe at the boathouse.’
‘I’ll run back and warn the others,’ said Ellis. ‘Don’t be long.’
‘We’ll be quick,’ I said.
Ellis ran back to the boathouse.’
We climbed back into the kitchen.
‘They won’t get in through the window,’ Amber said, ‘but once they’re wandering around the grounds then we’re going to have real problems.’
Amber pointed at the larder.
‘Grab what you can,’ she said. ‘I’ll try and find something to put it all in.’
Amber went out the kitchen. I went back into the larder. I saw loads of tins. Most were too big. I saw a box of Spam. Those tins had their own keys. I grabbed a box. I also got a box of biscuits.
Amber came back.
‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘I haven’t got time to explore the whole school so we’ll have to just bring things we know we can carry.’
I pointed at the boxes.
‘Spam and biscuits?’ said Amber. ‘What a combination.’
‘The biscuits aren’t heavy. The tins have a key.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Amber.
Amber found a box of jelly babies.
‘These must have been for the tuck shop,’ she said. ‘They’re not much but at least we can carry them.’
Amber climbed out the window. I gave her the boxes. I jumped out. We headed for the boathouse.
Some viros had got out the swimming pool. They were wandering on the fields. They had blood all over them.
We stopped.
‘They’re not too bunched together,’ said Amber. ‘We could probably run through them if we’re careful.’
It was a bad idea.
We had no choice.
‘Follow me,’ said Amber.
We dodged through the first viros. I ducked under grabbing arms. I ran past lazy bodies. It was going well. I was even having fun. I felt like a hero.
Two large viros wobbled towards me. I planned to zigzag past them. The boxes were heavy. I changed how I was holding them.
I didn’t see Amber. She was dodging as well. We crashed into each other. She cried out. I fell on top of her. The boxes went flying.
‘What the hell, Jake?’ said Amber.
I didn’t have time to speak. The two viros were close. Four more were coming our way. We both stood up. We were surrounded. We looked at each other.
I gulped.
We were trapped.
The six viros really stunk. Amber squeezed my hand. We moved. We didn’t want them behind us. Amber had the gun. She pointed it. She didn’t fire. The closest viro snarled. It stretched out a dirty hand. I closed my eyes.
‘Oh no you bloody well don’t,’ shouted Ellis.
I opened my eyes. The viro fell over. Ellis hit it again with a big paddle. Baxter ran to me. He barked. The viro didn’t move.
Vinnie hit a viro right on the jaw. He hit it so hard. The viro flew in the air. Abe stepped in front of Amber. He rammed his oar in a viro’s face.
‘We’ve got to launch the boats,’ Amber said. ‘Quick, Jake, grab the boxes.’
I grabbed them. Vinnie hit another viro really hard. It collapsed. We headed back to the boathouse.
‘Jake, Baxter and I will take the rowboat and the supplies,’ said Vinnie. ‘The rest of you grab a canoe each and get going.’
‘What about lifejackets?’ I said.
Vinnie laughed.
‘The lifejackets are hanging up by the door. Don’t forget to grab one each before you go.’
We got to the boathouse. We went inside. Vinnie wedged the door with a paddle. I slipped a lifejacket on. I stepped on the rowboat. It wobbled. Amber handed me the boxes. I put them at the back.
‘Come on, boy,’ I said. Baxter hopped onto the boat. I rubbed his head.
Rowboat
Vinnie helped the others get the canoes off the wall. They all had lifejackets on. Ellis stepped into the canoe. She pushed away. Amber pushed off and waited beside Ellis.
‘You’re next, Abe,’ said Vinnie. ‘Get going.
The viros started hitting the door. Abe pushed off. Vinnie stepped onto the rowboat. He stepped off again. The viros were nearly through the door.
‘Vinnie!’ I said. ‘We’ve got to go.’
‘We need the first aid kit.’
Vinnie bent down to pick it up. The door broke open. The viros came inside.
‘Vinnie,’ I said. ‘Come on.’
Vinnie reached the boat in three steps. He threw the kit. It landed next to me. He untied the boat and jumped aboard. He pushed away. A viro stood over us. The boat moved away. The viro fell in the water. It just missed us.
Vinnie rowed slowly out the boathouse. Two more viros tried to get us. They fell in the cold water. It confused them. They started to sink.
We headed off down the river. Amber and Abe paddled really well. They looked like they had done this before. Ellis was good as well.
The viros stood on the edge. They were howling. Some of them walked into the water. They tried to get us. The water was too deep. They went under.
The water looked glittery. The river flowed fast. We started to go faster. Vinnie relaxed. He wasn’t rowing.
‘That was close,’ he said. ‘Close but exciting.’
‘It was,’
I said, ‘but I don’t want excitement. I just want ordinary.’
‘If only,’ said Vinnie. ‘You know nothing will ever be ordinary again.’
Vinnie shivered in the moonlight.
‘With every hour that passes there are more and more of them and less and less of us. We have all been at school long enough to know that those kinds of odds are just not sustainable. We are headed for extinction.’
‘Like dodos,’ I said.
‘Yes,’ said Vinnie, ‘but with one crucial difference. The dodos were too stupid to know that they were headed for oblivion. That’s why they didn’t run away. We, on the other hand, are going to spend the rest of our lives running away.’
‘That’s a cheery thought, Vinnie,’ said Ellis.
She was next to us.
‘Jake must be having a great time on your boat.’
She laughed. I felt good about her again.
‘He’s a great brother,’ I said. ‘You’re really lucky.’
‘Correction,’ smiled Ellis. ‘I’m lucky to have two great brothers.’
‘Poor old Jake,’ laughed Vinnie. ‘I couldn’t think of anything worse that becoming a member of our family.’
‘I couldn’t think of anything better,’ I said.
The blush filled my face again.
‘Well,’ Ellis said. ‘Be careful what you wish for.’
I kept quiet. I touched the cold water. I thought it would help my red face. I saw Amber and Abe. They were paddling back to us.
‘We’re need a plan,’ Amber said. ‘We can’t just keep paddling until we run out of river.’
‘Will that happen?’ I said.
‘We need to decide where we’re going,’ continued Amber. ‘We should stop somewhere and consider our options.’
A giant bridge was further down the river.
‘Let’s aim there,’ she said. ‘We can shelter beneath it.’
‘I’ll scout ahead,’ said Abe.
He paddled off.
‘Should you go as well?’ I said.
‘I probably should,’ Amber said, ‘but he’s so upset about something that I think leaving him alone for a while might be a better idea.’
Amber paused.
‘I know something terrible happened to him back in the Brig.’
Viro [Book 2] Page 8
