Safe Haven (Novella 2): Before Safe Haven [Alex]

by Artinian, Christopher

  “Yes, we did that,” replied Jonathan.

  “Tell me,” said Alex, “Will you be coming at this time every week?

  “Absolutely,” replied Jonathan.

  “Good to know,” said Alex.

  The pair of them walked through the gates and headed straight to the gym where Lorries were still being unloaded. There were a small number of orange hi-vis vests present, but that number would swell later on. Alex walked straight to a large trestle table where a burly soldier greeted him. Alex handed over his ration card and the soldier scanned it. He read what was on screen, nodded and disappeared into the back. The soldier re-emerged a moment later with a large box of supplies.

  Alex retrieved some strapping from his inside pocket and secured it around the box before looping one of the straps over his neck and shoulder, and heading out of the auditorium once again.

  “Shall we head back together?” asked Jonathan, who had decided to take a look around and speak to anyone unlucky enough to make eye contact with him.

  “Can’t,” replied Alex. “Just had a call from home. Jake’s not well, I’ll have to get a move on.”

  “Oh,” replied Jonathan, “too bad. Next week, maybe.”

  “Maybe,” replied Alex. He adjusted the strap around his shoulder and sped out of the car park like his life depended on it. As he continued up the main road, he passed an increasing amount of people in orange vests heading in the opposite direction. He walked past the first police car, and this time looked inside. The occupants nodded, and he nodded back. He carried on his journey. With each step he felt a little more confident. The government had managed something way beyond what any other civilised country had. They had brought structure to chaos, security to danger.

  Just then, everybody in his view came to a shuddering stop as a shot sounded. It was some distance away, but, panic rippled up the road like a river’s current. Alex immediately turned around. He watched the soldiers and the police. Their actions would determine his. The passenger in the police car grabbed the radio from its holder. At this distance, Alex had no chance of lip reading, but he could imagine the conversation. The police and the soldiers stayed put. He turned and squinted towards the police and soldiers at the other junction. There was no movement there either. If there was impending danger, the police and the soldiers would be the first to hear about it. Alex continued his journey while most others remained frozen to their spots for the time being. He adjusted the strap around his shoulder; the crate was heavy, he was looking forward to getting it home to see what was inside.

  Suddenly, he heard vehicle horns honking loudly. He turned around to see two army trucks accelerating up the road. Alex moved to the pavement to let them pass and the vehicles sped by him. He watched as they reached the junction up ahead, they accelerated just enough to take the corner without tipping, but tyres screeched loudly. He looked back down the road, there were no more vehicles, so he resumed his journey on the broken white line in the centre.

  He’d been walking for a couple of minutes when a barrage of gunfire could be heard somewhere in the distance. The volley was sustained, and even to a layman, he could tell there were many guns firing at the same time. Once again, people stopped dead in their tracks. One woman began to cry, but Alex just kept on walking. The safest place was home, and the sooner he got there, the better.

  For a man who had run half marathons and barely got out of breath, he was sweating and breathing heavily by the time he reached the street where he lived. A combination of the weight of the crate and the stress and nerves of this new world outside had weighed heavily on him.

  A short journey had seemed like one of the longest treks of his life. Alex was not a cowardly man, he was not afraid of getting involved in situations if he needed to, but there was something about this level of terror, this level of turmoil, which had an effect on the subconscious as well as the conscious mind.

  He eventually reached the tall garden gate that shielded his property from the outside world. Before he opened it, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. He rubbed his sweaty palms on the thighs of his jeans and unhooked the wrought iron latch. Alex stepped through and swung the gate shut, slipping the lever back into position. Now, in the confines of his garden, he rested his forehead on the stained wood of the gate. He let out a deep breath. “Thank you god,” he whispered.

  “How did it go?” asked Emma from the doorway.

  Alex’s head shot up. The doubt, the nerves, the fear, all pushed down, way down deep inside. He was the head of the family, he had to be confident, he had to be brave, no matter how he felt.

  “Went fine, it all runs like a well-oiled machine,” he replied.

  “I was worried,” said Emma, “We heard gunshots.”

  “Yeah, they were miles away, nothing to worry about. There are police and soldiers everywhere.”

  “I want to go next week,” said Mike, pushing into the doorway next to Emma.

  “Erm, we’ll see.”

  “No, we alternate, that’s the fair thing to do. You shouldn’t get lumbered with it every week,” replied Mike.

  How the hell was he going to play this? He didn’t want Mike running the same risk he just had, but then again, if he was ardently against it, they would all soon realise things were much worse than he had admitted. And...Mike could take care of himself better than any one of them.

  “Okay, but let’s just get this box unpacked shall we? It weighs a bloody ton.”

  “Give us it here,” said Mike, helping Alex pull the strap from around his shoulder.

  Sammy and Jake ran up to Alex flinging their arms around him as he entered the living room, while Mike and Emma placed the box down on the dining room table.

  After bathing in the adoration of the two youngsters for a moment, he joined Mike and Emma. He removed the hi-vis vest and folded it neatly, before taking off his anorak. Sweat stained the armpits, chest and back of his light blue t-shirt. He looked down, then looked up towards the two older siblings. “I’m obviously getting out of shape,” he said. “So, what have we got?” he asked quickly, trying to take the attention away from his clothing.

  Mike and Emma unpacked the contents of the box. Once again there was lots of dried food in packets, but this time, there were tins too. Spam, corned beef, ham, tuna. “Delicious,” said Mike.

  “We’ve still got a few packets of soya mince for you, and when that runs out, the beans and peas will be a good protein source for you until we can figure something else out,” said Alex.

  “No booze then?” said Emma.

  Alex smiled. “We’ve still got bottles of this and that hanging around. C’mon kids, at least we’re not going to go hungry.”

  “I suppose,” said Emma as she began to put the rations away. “You go get changed Alex, she said, looking once again towards the sweat patches on his clothes. And you,” she continued, looking at Mike, “Stay the hell away from my system.”

  “Seriously, you are such an anal-retentive nerd. I’m surprised you’re not cataloguing all the food and storing the information on index cards,” he said smiling.

  She raised her middle finger, grabbed a pile of tins and walked into the kitchen. Alex and Mike laughed, then Alex picked up his anorak and the vest, before nodding his head to the side, intimating that he wanted a private word with Mike out of the earshot of the others. The two of them walked through the living room where Sammy and Jake were playing a game. They went upstairs, and when Alex was happy that nobody was going to interrupt them, he turned towards Mike.

  “Those shots, they weren’t that far away. The worst thing about all of this is not knowing. It’s the total lack of reliable information. I mean how many outbreaks have there been? Those shots weren’t just to take down one man...thing...whatever the hell they are.”

  “I want to go next week,” said Mike.

  “No. I don’t want you taking that risk.”

  “You said there were soldiers and police and it was a well-oiled machine,”
replied Mike.

  “There are, and it is, but…”

  “Listen Alex, we’re in this together. I’m not a little boy any more. If the family is going to get through this, you and I need to be the ones to shield them. I don’t have a problem getting my hands dirty,” said Mike.

  “You’re right,” said Alex, “you’re right. We’ll take it in turns, you and me.” Mike nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, and Mike…”

  “Yeah?”

  Alex reached into the pocket of his anorak which he had flung on the bed. He pulled out the screwdriver which Mike had put there for him. “I didn’t need it today, but that’s not saying one of us won’t need it at some point. You’re the errand boy next week, make sure you carry it on you.”

  Mike took the screwdriver, “Let’s hope neither of us ever have to use it, eh?” and with that he left.

  chapter eleven

  Day 212

  “Cheers, CJ,” said Alex as he tightened the strap around the box and flung it over his shoulder. “See you again in a couple of weeks.”

  “Cheers, Alex,” replied the soldier, and they both nodded a farewell to one another. “See you in two weeks.”

  Alex had collected the rations several times now. Each time the same soldier had been there to hand them out. For a while, he looked surly and officious, but then one day Alex just asked him his name. It was a skill he had. Alex could make anyone feel valued, feel like an old friend. His two stumbling blocks had been Mike and Emma. But...but in the end, he had won that battle too. He loved Mike and Emma just as much as he loved Sammy and Jake now. They were all family. All for one and one for all.

  He walked through the side gates just as a military ambulance drove through the main gates. Alex remembered back to the first time he had stepped out of the house since the curfew. It had been a cold, damp day. Life and the future seemed grim. Now, though, this was the norm. If nothing else, the quantities and variation in the ration boxes had improved. It was a sunny, mild day, and for the first time in a long time, Alex felt lucky to be alive. This new life, despite the chaos, despite the danger, it was the way things were going to be for the time being at least. But he had his health. He had his family, and today, he had the sun beating down on his face as he walked up the street back home. If he squinted, he could even blot out the police cars parked at a diagonal at each junction and the soldiers guarding them. For the time being, no shots were ringing out, and that only leant itself to a delightful slice of normality. A time before the rapture. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, momentarily allowing himself to buy into the illusion.

  Just like he had shielded all the bad he had encountered from Emma, Sammy, and Jake, so he would shield this. He felt guilt for this levity, as mad as it sounded. Yes, he was risking himself, the same way Mike did every other week, to go out and bring back the family’s supplies, but right now, right this minute, with the sun on his face and the warm, gentle breeze caressing him, there was nowhere he would rather be. He looked across at the cemetery as he walked by. It was serene, green and picturesque as always. A throwback to a different time, when death meant everlasting peace and not eternal torment.

  He turned onto his street and noticed Jonathan up ahead of him. “Oh dear God,” he muttered to himself as he consciously slowed down so as to reduce the risk of not being noticed by him. He thought for a moment about turning back, just heading around the corner long enough to let Jonathan get out of sight, but then the rational side of him took over. There was not too far to go. At worst, if he was seen, he would need to suffer five minutes of the man. He could manage that.

  Almost as if Jonathan had a sixth sense, he turned and saw Alex. “Oh crap,” said Alex under his breath.

  “Alex! I’m glad I turned when I did, I’d have missed you otherwise,” said Jonathan.

  “Yes, what are the chances?” asked Alex.

  “Come on then, catch up,” said Jonathan.

  Alex began walking a little faster, this wouldn’t be so bad, it was more like three minutes until they got home. “Beautiful day,” he said.

  “That it is,” replied Jonathan. “You could almost forget about what’s going on around us.”

  They followed the bend, enjoying having the street to themselves, then they saw a door burst open and one of their neighbours, Colleen, ran up the path screaming, “Help me!” She struggled to open her gate, and when she could not, she climbed over clumsily, flopping to the ground on the other side.

  Just then, another figure charged out of the house. It resembled Colleen’s husband, Sean, but from the second he came into view, both men could tell there was something wrong. Gone was the rosy cheeked complexion, and in its place was an unnerving pallid grimness. As the figure issued a loud guttural growl from the darkest depths of its soul, what had once been Sean began to sprint up the garden path, its arms outstretched, its teeth bearing like a rabid animal.

  “Help me!” called out Colleen again, sobbing and desperately trying to get to her feet.

  The two men looked at each other. Alex immediately unstrapped the box from around his neck and dropped it to the floor, while Jonathan dropped his and started running for home.

  “Jonathan!” Alex called.

  “I’ll call the police,” he screamed in a high-pitched tone, and began to run even faster down the road.

  Alex began to run to Colleen just as the creature lunged for her over the gate. It collapsed on top of her and Colleen’s startled sobs became muffled as her face was pressed against the tarmac by the beast’s weight. Alex reached into his pocket for the screwdriver and plunged it into the creature’s back. Without missing a beat the creature was back on its feet, and ignoring Colleen for the time being, it lunged towards Alex. Its teeth gnashed at him like a piranha’s and the speed and force of its attack made Alex lose his footing as he went back off the curb and fell heavily, with the beast landing straight on top of him.

  With all his might Alex tried to fight off the creature. Several times he dodged his head like a boxer ducking punches, as the beast’s jaws made vicious attempts to tear Alex’s flesh. He could not sustain this for long, he could feel himself weakening as he tried to avoid getting bitten. Alex took a deep breath of rank, decaying air and pushed with all his might. The creature flipped off him, onto its side. It scrambled towards him once again, but Alex jumped to his feet and gathered himself. He looked towards Colleen, her face was badly scraped and cut from her encounter with the vicious monster, but she was on her feet, and she was clutching onto her garden gate to steady her shaking.

  The creature scraped itself from the floor and lurched towards Alex again. Alex put up his foot and kicked with all his might, sending it toppling back. It would just keep coming at him unless he ended it, and quickly. When the beast began to drag itself up again, Alex spotted the handle of the screwdriver still protruding from its back. Without thinking, it was Alex this time who lunged forward, grabbing the screwdriver and pulling it free. Just as he did, the beast swivelled, and grabbed Alex in a vice-like grip by the forearm. Alex tried to pull himself free, but couldn’t, without any further thought, he thrust the screwdriver into the eye socket of his once neighbour. Within a split second, the grip on his forearm slackened as the creature’s ghoulish grey eyes closed one final time.

  Alex let out a big breath. “Thank Christ for that,” he said, turning towards Colleen. “Are you okay love?” he asked.

  Colleen was in shock, but as Alex approached her she snapped out of it. “Alex!” she said pointing in horror at his arm. Alex looked down to see scratches on his forearm. They lay exactly where the beast had him in its grip.

  “Oh!” he said softly.

  chapter twelve

  When Alex had been brought home in a military ambulance, Doctor Ramirez and a nice young nurse, both of whom who had helped him at the scene of the attack had asked to speak to Mike and Emma. Neither of them had discussed the nature of the conversation, but Alex could guess the substance of it.

  The ch
ances were better than good that he was going to die and reanimate as one of those horrific creatures. There was a big part of him that wanted to end his life, take the burden of guilt off the shoulders of Mike and Emma, but there was the other part that thought, what if he was one of the ones who woke up? They had been told that some scratch victims in other countries had actually recovered. They had been the best chance to find a vaccine, a way of combatting this virus, but the infrastructure in those countries had collapsed so quickly that despite pockets of resistance here and there, the effectiveness of the isolated scientific research stations and medical labs had been limited.

  To Sammy and Jake, who had seen no one barring family members in the last few weeks, the arrival of a doctor and nurse was nothing if not exciting. They understood their father had been in a fight trying to help save someone, which he had. They also understood he had been scratched, and sometimes scratches could get dirt in them and go bad, which is why the doctor and nurse had dressed the wound so carefully and given him shots. They had even left replacement bandages. Anything more than that, the children most certainly did not understand.

  The family spent the whole day together. They spent some of it out in the back garden, where they even made use of the last beef and veggie burgers they had by having a barbecue. Granted, the homemade bread wasn’t quite the same as a burger bun, but it was something different to what they had been eating these last few weeks, so, it was a welcome change.

  What was most important though was they did everything as a family. They ate, drank and played together all day. They enjoyed the sun, they ignored the sporadic gunfire which Alex explained away to the younger children as the sound of bird scarers for the thousands of acres of new crops that were being planted nearby. Alex, Mike and Emma all did well to hide their sadness apart from one time where Emma excused herself to go to the toilet and Alex found her upstairs fifteen minutes later crying her eyes out.