The Farm

by Carter, Stuart

  “If we escape this building where do we go next?” He asked her.

  “It looks like there’s no army left to protect us, so we’re on our own. That means we need to get to where there are as few infected as possible. London’s to the South. Birmingham’s due West. The people already here came from the North. That leaves the East, and I don’t think there are any big cities from here to Norwich. Lots of farmland and not many people out that way. Short of reaching Northern Scotland I can’t think of a safer place.”

  “What about if we head for the nearest coast and take a boat out to sea?”

  “Do you know how to sail a boat?”

  “I went out a couple of times as a kid. I’m sure I could remember enough to get us moving. The infection might not have left Britain. If we can get to France we might be safe from this.”

  “I hope you’re right, but if we can make it to France then someone who’s been bitten will have done too. The infection isn’t instant. Someone could have got on a plane or ferry after being bitten before anyone knew what was happening.”

  “Do you think the whole world is in danger?”

  “We’ve not heard any news in days. Anything could have happened. For now we should just focus on heading East. It’s the closest coast as well as probably the safest place to travel.” He appeared downhearted at her negative take on the crisis, but to her it was the only realistic way to think of the dangers surrounding them. He would always think there was a solution to fix any problem. She would do all she could to stay alive for as long as possible, but the world was irreparably broken now.

  The conversation was over. They moved to the door to look and listen for any movement outside. There was none. The emergency lighting still illuminated the hallway. Through the peep hole there was no sign of the catastrophe that had befallen them. Phil checked his watch. It would be getting light outside soon. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. The experiments that they’d carried out on their infected colleges did not include testing their night vision or ability to track potential victims in the dark. He hoped that the benefit that they would have in daylight would outweigh the advantages that it gave to anyone pursuing them. They could definitely travel faster and quieter in the daylight.

  Hannah slowly eased open the door and looked in both directions. She was ready to leap back into the room at the first sign of movement, but there was none. Stepping out again after what she had already seen was the most terrifying thing she had ever done, but she was reassured by Phil’s presence behind her. The logical part of her brain did not doubt that they were going to die, but at least they wouldn’t die alone.

  They inched down the corridor, neither making a sound. At this pace Phil’s injuries did not affect him. If they were seen and had to run their hopes would fade fast. Nothing seemed to be moving near them, but in the distance it sounded like there was continued fighting. Rather than the massed gunfire that had been audible at the start of the battle it seemed like a lone gun firing sporadically, moving position rapidly between shots. A lone survivor hopelessly outnumbered she thought.

  They made it down another two corridors unnoticed, and were welcomed by the green light of a fire escape. On reaching it they stopped and pressed their ears against the door. The single gun fired another shot, but it was far from them, and receding. There was no other sound. As quietly as the mechanism allowed they pushed open the door. Not a word was spoken. Both knew the course they had to take without discussion. What neither had considered, was if the door was connected to a fire alarm.

  The clunk of the bar opening the catch on the door was immediately drowned out by the wailing siren. They both looked around in a panic at the attention they had just drawn to themselves, before realising that the sound was coming from all around them. There was no reason for the infected to focus on their location more than any other. Any sound they made now would be masked, as would that of any quiet attacker. Looking around the area looked safe. A single corpse was visible, and not moving. A large part of its head was no longer attached, with fragments of it running down the woman’s lab coat.

  Forcing herself to look away from her former colleague, Hannah asked, “Should we find something to hold the door open?” It was said quietly, but with the supporting gestures was clear enough.

  “That would give us a way back in, but there’s more chance of something coming out and creeping up behind us if it’s open. With the alarm we’ll struggle to hear anything coming from that direction.” He answered.

  She let it close. “It’s death in there. If we go back we might last a few more hours, but I’d rather take our best chance at escape.”

  He nodded and started to edge forwards, clutching tight to the dismembered leg of his bed. Hannah followed close behind him. They were at the epicentre of a massacre, with the perpetrators still in the area looking for more victims. If they could get clear of the buildings and into the surrounding countryside unseen they may have a chance. They stayed close to one of the walls that led them towards the periphery of the facility, ducking under the windows as they passed them. The wall was to their left. To the right the bombed out remains of one of the secondary labs was coming into sight. In front they could see the previously well mown lawn that once crossed would give way to the fence that marked the limits of the facility, then some woodland, with the well-ordered trees of a managed forest. It was still all clear as they crept passed the edge of the building and took their first steps onto the grass. Hannah’s faint hopes began to rise too soon.

  They had made it far enough away from the fire alarm to hear the groan before they saw the figure moving towards them from the left. With one accord they started to run. Phil made it a few strides before the stiffness of his legs tripped him up. Hannah helped drag him back to his feet and got him moving again immediately. There was a hundred meters between them and the fence. As she had turned to help Phil she had had a look back at what chased them. The man ran awkwardly, obviously slower than he would have done in life, but he ran, and it was more than they were managing. Three more had joined him in the chase. It would be close, but she thought they could get to the fence first. What protection it would offer if they could get over it she didn’t know. It hadn’t kept the dead out, so probably wouldn’t keep them in long, but there was no other hope. She dragged Phil along as fast as he could move, but always losing ground.

  It seemed to take forever, but they hit the fence. It was about eight feet tall, with barbed wire angled away from them at the top. Never the athlete, she took the foot up offered without thinking. She reached the top of the fence and pulled herself up. Gracelessly she fell over it, scratching her entire body on the barbed wire in the process. She was caught in so many places that it was only the tearing of her clothes that allowed her to make the unceremonious eight foot plummet to the ground. She was stunned for a moment before she looked up to see what was happening behind her.

  Phil was trying to climb. His hands were on the barbed wire section, but his legs were still in easy reach. She saw him try to pull himself up as he was grabbed by the fastest of the zombies, which pulled his trailing leg towards its mouth. He tried to kick at it with his other leg but couldn’t find enough power to break its grip. A second later he was outnumbered, with both legs being dragged downwards. Before they could bite he let go of the fence and allowed himself to drop to the ground, landing badly, but momentarily free of the grasping hands. He pulled the bed leg free from his belt and swung wildly at the first face that closed in on him. It connected perfectly, sinking deep into the skull, releasing a dark spray of blood and brain matter. He tried to get to his feet while pulling his weapon free of the now immobile corpse, but he was bowled over by three more of the infected. Pinned face down on the grass he felt teeth sink into his calf, his shoulder, the soft flesh around his waist. His cries of pain received no mercy, as a hand slipped inside him and started tugging at his intestines.

  Hannah could not watch any more. She ran.

  Newc
astle

  Paul swung the car around as soon as he had built a gap between them and the people chasing. It did not take long. Despite the noise of the engine, all attention was focused on Simon, who was exposed and alone. Paul hesitated.

  “We’ve got to save him!” Ruth shouted.

  He put his foot down, and the car lurched forwards. Their friend had found a bird table and was wielding it with some success. The top section smashed into one head, then he brought the base down hard onto another, but he was hopelessly outnumbered. Even with his foot on the floor, and the engine shrieking they closed the distance painfully slowly. Simon was still thirty meters away when they collided with the first body. By the forth impact they had lost nearly all of their momentum, and the windscreen was a spider web in front of them. He shifted down and tried to force a path through the crowd. He could no longer see where Simon was, just trying to get to where he had been. From the back Natalie cried, “We’re too late.”

  “Get us out of here. We can’t save him.” Lucy shouted at him. Paul heard Simon’s screams of agony and did not need to be told again. He wrestled the steering wheel around and tried to point the car away from the bulk of the crowd. The car was heavy, and quickly gaining weight as more bodies piled upon it. The engine screamed as it found the power to inch the car forwards. Hands and faces smashed against every window. But each was holding. Paul could not see where he was going, but gradually he gathered speed. Bloody faces were all around him on the outside. Instinctively he leant in towards the centre of the car and felt himself pressed against the other three. They all held weapons ready to repel anything that made it through the glass, but with so little space to swing he didn’t know how they could be effective.

  Ruth was first to be tested as the window beside her gave out. A face quickly pushed through it, oblivious to the ring of cuts it was inflicting on itself. A hand gripped the broken glass, and blood seeped from it. Ruth did not try to swing, using her bat to stab at the bloody face. On the third blow it fell from the car. Others tried to push their way to the broken window, but blocked each other’s paths. Some started to stumble and fall as the car finally started to gather pace. Paul knew they were back on the road by the jolt of them dropping off the curb, rather than by sight. He swung the car round, and with the extra grip on the tarmac the car lurched forwards. Seeing the two windows on the passenger side already missing he accelerated as wildly as the car would allow, praying that he would see any obstacles before he hit them. The car pulled clear of their attackers.

  As the last body fell from the bonnet he started to slow down, trying to peer through the damaged glass. “Don’t slow down, you idiot, they’re still following.” Ruth screamed at him.

  “I can’t see. We’re going to crash.” He replied. Before another word could be spoken Lucy put a bat through the windscreen. Shards of glass rained down upon then, and suddenly the road ahead looked clear. They were past the banks of smoke, and the streets were deserted. The two in the back looked behind them and saw that they were clear of any pursuers.

  In the distance behind them Simon was still alive. He had seen the car coming for him, and had lashed out with the remains of his bird table with renewed hope. A couple of good blows had subdued the closest attackers. A second look towards the car and he saw it was slowing with each impact it made with one of the dead. It did not have the power to reach him. As he realized this, he also discovered that one of his blows had not left its target as incapacitated as he had assumed. He felt teeth sinking into his calf, that didn’t seem to have much trouble passing through the denim of his jeans. With the adrenaline flowing through him he felt little pain, but cried out nevertheless, knowing that his death was only moments away. He tried to fight, but there were dozens of them. He had a small reprieve as many turned to follow the car, but several gripped him tightly, biting into whatever flesh they could sink their teeth into. He was dragged to the floor and could do nothing but suffer as the flesh was torn from his bones.

  The car rolled on, slower now. It was cold with the windows broken, and there were random piles of debris on the roads to navigate. The streets they passed varied. Some burnt out, like their own street would soon look. Some looked untouched by the violence, others were lined with broken windows and signs of violence. There were a few corpses, but it seemed that most had risen to walk again. They did not know what to say to each other, and it made sense to make as little noise as possible anyway. The streets were as silent as they were.

  Their house had been on the outskirts of the city where the rents were cheaper. The buildings soon thinned out. They hoped that meant that it was safer. A couple of times the car was chased, but each time a steady pace was enough to pull them clear. The wind must have been with them or something for how little attention they drew.

  They drove for an hour in silence. It took them well clear of Newcastle, They weren’t following any planned route, just sticking to back roads. They didn’t give any thought to what direction they were heading, just trying to get away from the scene of Simon’s death. The silence was broken as the car drifted towards the side of the road and was shaken on the grass verge. It woke Paul as he started to fall asleep. “I need to stop.” he told them.

  Ruth took a look out of the windows, only now realizing that both Lucy and Natalie were asleep, and she had been close to it as well. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. This is probably as safe a place as any to stop for a rest.”

  “I’ll look for a layby or something to pull into. Make sure I don’t fall asleep before then.”

  “Look, there’s a sign there. There should be somewhere to park in half a mile. It won’t be comfortable, four of us sleeping in the car.” She fell silent as she realized that there should be five of them. They didn’t speak again until they reached the small layby that would be their home for the last couple of hours of the night.

  “Do you think there are many other survivors out there?” Paul asked.

  “I’m sure there are. People hidden in houses, and all the small villages and farms where there aren’t many people. One by one I think the people infected with whatever this is can be fought once living people know what they are. It’s only in the cities where there are thousands of them that it’s hopeless. If we could get to my parents farm I’m sure that it would be safe.”

  “I hope you’re right.” He didn’t mention his own parents, who were in Sunderland, who he hadn’t been able to contact. “Do you think one of us should stay awake to keep watch?”

  “We should try, but I’m not sure either of us can, and these two are already out cold.”

  “Do you want me to stay awake while you get a bit of sleep?”

  “I can’t drive. It’s probably better if I stay awake now and get some sleep while someone else is driving. You get some sleep now. I wish we still had windows all around us.”

  “We should look for a new car in the morning. This one’s getting low on fuel and I don’t know how we can refill it. And we’ve probably lost the warranty with all the dents in it.”

  Ruth was already asleep as he finished the sentence. He resolved to stay awake until someone else woke. He failed.

  The sun rose early. The two on the left of the car were woken by it first. “Where are we? Why have we stopped?” asked Lucy.

  “None of us could stay awake any longer. Paul had to stop or we would have crashed.” Ruth answered. “I have no idea where we are. We were just following the quietest looking roads.”

  Outside the windows there was nothing to see but fields on the left. On the right was the road, with a hedgerow blocking the view beyond it. The early morning sun was bright, and already warming the occupants of the car, who, on waking were feeling the chill of the night through the broken windows. It looked like a beautiful day, and beyond their car there was no evidence in sight of the horror that had befallen the country. Nothing had disturbed them while they slept, and nothing seemed likely to now other than the sound of birdsong.

  “Shoul
d we wake the others?” asked Lucy, whispering now, where earlier she had spoken loudly.

  “We might as well let them sleep a bit longer. Let’s have a look around and try to work out where we are.”

  They stepped from the vehicle and both tried to stretch out muscles cramped by the night in the car. They tried to keep quiet, neither was particularly successful, but the two sleepers did not move. Ruth led the way, stepping out across the field.

  “Shall I try the other side of the road so we cover more ground?” she was asked.

  “It’s probably better if we stick together. We don’t know what’s out there.”

  “When you put it like that, I’m going back for a weapon.”

  Once they were both armed they decided to cross the road and see what was hidden behind the hedgerow. The field was long grass and gorse, which in the distance seemed to end with some trees. That way would be a long walk until they found anything. The other direction was a mystery.

  “Any guesses about where we are,” Lucy asked, appearing uncomfortable in the silence surrounding them.

  “We’ll we’ve been heading south. We haven’t reached the Pennines to the West, or the coast to the East. That gives us a pretty big ball park to start from. And South of Newcastle there is a lot of sparsely populated country before you get to Yorkshire. I’m pretty sure we’ve reached the edge of nowhere.”

  “Do you even know we’ve been heading South? You said we had just been following roads at random. Couldn’t we be on our way to Scotland?”

  “No. Look at where the sun is. It rises in the East, so the car is pointing south. We might have meandered a bit in the dark, but we definitely ended up going towards Yorkshire. I don’t think we were going in circles and the roads tend to push you up or down the country.”

  They slowly pushed their way through the hedge. It was not thriving on the roadside, offering more dense twigs than leaves. It was a quiet road, and with traffic reduced virtually to zero it should have been thriving, but it seemed to be clinging on to the stoical spirit that had allowed it to survive through far tougher times. Countless Northern Winters, and car crashes were behind it. An apocalypse would not tempt it to let its guard down.