‘Good question,’ said Vinnie.
He pointed at one of the beds.
‘Sit down and we’ll bring you up to date.’
Everyone
‘Basically,’ said Vinnie. ‘The army have cordoned this place off entirely. No one can get in or out without permission.’
‘Jill thinks that there’s three thousand people in the camp,’ Amber said. ‘That number must be growing all the time.’
I had a think. This sounded good. I was happy.
‘What about Mum?’ I said. ‘She must be here with all these other people.’
Vinnie frowned. He tried to look happy. I knew he was being kind to me.
‘She might be,’ he said. ‘But I don’t want you to get too excited. She might not be.’
He looked worried to say those things. It was hard. I understood.
‘But we’ll help you find out,’ Ellis said.
I felt okay about this. It was better than before. There was some chance. A hope.
‘We need to find the lorries,’ I said. ‘That’s what we need.’
‘But how?’ said Amber.
‘I’ll ask everyone in the camp,’ I said. ‘I’ll start with Jill.’
Crazy
Jill was really nice. She had a smile for me. I felt nervous. It was hard to ask the question. I worried about the answer.
‘I’m looking for Mum,’ I said. ‘I can’t find her anywhere.’
Jill sat down with me.
‘Tell me what’s happened.’
I told Jill about waking up alone. I said my Mum wasn’t there. She worked at the hospital. There was an evacuation. Soldiers and lorries collected everyone.
‘She must be on the lorries,’ I said.
‘They arrived a few days ago,’ Jill said.
She looked concerned.
‘I hear they didn’t all get here.’
‘Some did,’ I said. ‘Where are the people?’
‘In the camp,’ said Jill. ‘Some would be in here, others elsewhere.’
She pointed around her.
‘As you can see, Jake, it’s all a bit crazy here. We still haven’t managed to get much of a list going.’
Jill showed me a clipboard. I looked at the list. It had loads of names.
‘I’m trying to keep on top of it,’ she said, ‘but there’s just so many people and some of them are too traumatized to even tell me their name.’
Jill sighed.
‘Everything is just awful now. I find it really hard to stay positive.’
Jill smiled at me.
‘Sorry, Jake. What’s your mum’s name?’
‘Mum’s name is Lois,’ I said. ‘Lois Bishop.’
Jill looked hard. She read her list three times. She turned all the pages. She ran her finger up and down. Finally, she looked at me. She didn’t smile.
‘I’m sorry, Jake. I can’t see her name on my list.’
My heart exploded. It wasn’t her fault but Jill’s words were nasty. I needed to not hear what she said. I needed her to say the right words. That Mum was here. She was waiting for me. My eyes burst with tears. Jill saw my ache. She tried to help me.
‘That doesn’t mean she’s not here. I have only been collecting the names of people who sleep in this sports hall. Plenty of people are sleeping elsewhere in the camp. She could easily be somewhere around here.’
I understood. I knew what Jill was saying. But I wasn’t happy.
‘I have to find her,’ I said. ‘She’s been missing too long.’
‘The best thing you can do is start asking around the camp. It will be hard work but I can’t think of anything else to suggest.’
Jill’s idea was my idea.
‘I’ll keep my eyes open as well,’ she said. ‘Hopefully, someone knows something.’
Jill hugged me. It felt nice but I stopped her. It was too easy to cry. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to stay strong. I needed to be focused. I had to find Mum.
Gate
Vinnie said he would help. Ellis did too. And Amber.
‘The best thing to do is ask everyone we meet,’ said Amber. ‘You never know what people know until you ask them.’
Abe was silent. I didn’t know what he was thinking. I hoped he would be nicer. I couldn’t ask him. I had to let him alone. I needed to be all action.
‘I’m going to the gate,’ I said. ‘I’m going to ask some soldiers.’
The gate was huge. It had a wall either side made of big metal boxes like the one I had been sleeping in. Soldiers stood on the top. They pointed their guns. They blew whistles. Everyone was angry. Sometimes the soldiers fired. I heard howling and screaming.
There was a big cage inside the gate. Loads and loads of people waited inside. They were crying and begging. The soldiers stood watching them with guns ready. There was a small gate which the soldiers guarded. This led inside. People banged on the gate. They shouted. They cried.
One soldier had a white coat. He looked at the people inside the cage. He pointed and the guards let them through. One at a time. People were begging and crying but the soldiers only let one at a time come in.
I saw a big man at the gate. He was shrieking. He grabbed a lady next to him and bit her. She screamed. The soldiers shot the big man. His head exploded. They shot the lady too. She fell over. A small girl stood next her.
‘Mama,’ she said. ‘Mama.’
No one helped the girl. The soldiers opened the gate and pulled her through. The little girl stood with all the other lost boys and girls. They cried together. They howled like a broken choir.
Other boys and girls waited inside the camp. Mums and dads too. The soldiers were really slow. I watched families pulled apart. They were blocked from each other by the bars of the cage. Babies lay on the ground. Their mums could not reach them. Little kids screaming. But the soldiers didn’t change their rules. They couldn’t.
When someone came out the cage their family would hug them if they were there. Some people came through and no one hugged them. They had no one to hug. I watched a little boy. He was just standing still. He was covered in blood. No one spoke to him. He was just crying. It was so bad. I felt so sad again. Everyone was feeling pain.
A lady was standing next to me. She saw me looking at the crying children.
‘Are you alone?’ she said.
I nodded.
‘Where are your parents?’
‘My Mum is missing. I don’t know where she is.’
The lady looked very sad. Her face was so tired. She was muddy all over her clothes. Her shoes were broken.
‘I’ve been standing here all day for days now. I’m waiting to see if my brother and his family get here.’
The lady’s eyes were really red. She sounded so tired.
‘He’s a local doctor,’ she said. ‘He has a wife and three children. He must be on his way. He said he would meet me here.’
I knew who the lady meant. I thought I had news for her. I didn’t think all the way. I spoke by accident. It just came out.
‘We found a doctor,’ I said.
The lady grabbed my arm. She looked hard at me.
‘Found?’ she said. ‘What do you mean, found?’
She was strong. I knew my words were wrong. She wouldn’t let go. I got worried. I pulled my arm away.
‘What do you mean, found?’ she said again.
‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I shouldn’t have said anything.’
The lady pointed at me. Her face was red. She was nasty.
‘You stupid little simpleton. I’ve been waiting for news about my brother and then you come along with your idiot face and say stupid things.’
The lady leaned at me. I saw her yellow teeth. Her breath was bad. The lady spat her words. She started to shout.
‘I hope you never find your Mum, you evil, little cretin.’
She shouted loud. People looked at us. Everyone stared. They could all see me. All the lady’s angry words stuck in their heads. They all
knew she was talking about me.
My eyes got full. I cried. I tried to get away. I pulled hard. She had a tough grip. I had to fight. I got out of her hands. I started to run. I didn’t know where. Anywhere. Not next to her.
‘Come back here, you filthy moron!’
Florence
I kept running. Bumping into people. Nearly tripping over. I didn’t turn around. The lady might be chasing. She was so angry. Some people shouted. I didn’t answer. I wanted to get away. I had to hide my head. It was too much. I didn’t mean to upset that lady. I thought I knew how to say things. But I said it wrong. Her brother had killed his family. It was such a horror show that my head couldn’t forget it. My bad memories spoke for me.
I ran away from the front gate. I followed a thin road between two big buildings. There was small fence at the end. I pulled myself up and over. It was an old car park. Big black bags were open everywhere. Seagulls pecked at things they found. Newspaper blew everywhere.
There was only one rusty yellow van. It had blurry letters on the side. The backdoor was open. I climbed inside. I huddled down to hide. I thought I might be safe. My tears fell hot. I couldn’t breathe. I thought she might still find me. I waited.
‘You okay?’ someone said.
The voice was kind. It was a kid. I sniffed.
‘No. I hate this world.’
‘We all do,’ said a girl. ‘Nothing is right now.’
The girl was friendly. She sounded small.
‘Who are you?’ I said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘My name is Florence and I live in this van.’
‘Jake,’ I said. ‘I’m Jake.’
I was confused. I didn’t get it.
‘Why do you live here?’
‘That’s simple,’ said Florence. ‘I don’t have anywhere else.’
‘What about your family?’
‘Not here yet. They’re still out there somewhere.’
I didn’t say anything. Florence still talked.
‘We were hiding in the woods near here. Me, my mum, my dad and Jo, my older sister. I was trying to get some sleep. A gang of those creatures surrounded us. Dad hid me in a tree. They didn’t want the creatures to find me. They had to leave. Dad said I should get to this place and wait for them.’
Florence sounded sensible. It was good for me to hear.
‘I’m still waiting,’ she said. ‘I had to wait in that cage for a day and a bit before they let me in. I’ve been here ever since.’
‘I saw that cage,’ I said. ‘It looked terrible.’
‘It was, but I got out in the end. The soldiers shot a whole family in front of my eyes.’
Florence shuddered. I said about my mum instead.
‘My mum is missing. She went to work and didn’t come back. I think she was on a lorry later. She might be here. I don’t know.’
Florence nodded.
‘I’m going to wait a little bit longer and if they don’t arrive then I’m going to go back out and look for them all.’
‘How?’ I said. ‘The soldiers won’t let anyone out.’
‘They won’t know,’ said Florence. ‘I heard some people talking about the smuggling tunnels.’
Florence started to whisper.
‘Apparently, this used to be a small town and had loads of smugglers living in it. They made lots of tunnels everywhere so they could hide all their stolen stuff from the police.’
Florence looked at me.
‘If I can find these tunnels then I should be able to get out of here, find my family and bring them back in.’
‘Where are the tunnels?’
Florence was quiet for a bit. Then she spoke.
‘I don’t know yet but I’ll find them. How hard can it be?’
I had no idea. It sounded impossible.
Dirty
‘Are you hungry?’ said Florence.
‘I’m starving.’
I was. My tummy had nothing. It was rumbly.
‘There’s a soup kitchen around the corner,’ Florence said. ‘It’s always open.’
Florence led me the way. She was younger than Ellis and Amber. She seemed very sensible. She did not look scared.
‘How old are you?’ I said.
‘Eleven,’ she said. ‘I’m twelve next birthday.’
Florence looked at me.
‘What about you?’
Her eyes were strong. It was hard for me to look at her. I thought she was reading my mind.
‘I’m nearly fourteen. My birthday is in July.’
Then I knew. I didn’t know what time it was. What day. The clock in my head didn’t work anymore. I had spent so long wandering that I had forgotten lots of things. Everything now just seemed the same all day every day. I felt silly. I couldn’t tell Florence. She was new. I said something else.
‘I have friends here,’ I said. ‘Ellis and Amber. Vinnie and Abe. We also have a dog called Baxter.’
Florence smiled.
‘That’s a nice name for a dog.’
‘I didn’t choose it,’ I said. ‘He was called that when I rescued him.’
‘Rescued him?’
‘Yes. From a car and a viro.’
‘A viro?’
‘Those things out there attacking everyone.’
‘Viro. Is that what the scientists call them?’
‘How would I know?’ I said. ‘It was Ellis who invented the name.’
Florence laughed. I liked her laugh.
‘Viro. It sounds so funny.’
Then she stopped. Florence was sensible again.
‘Why do you think this all happened?’
I shrugged. How could I know?
‘Some soldiers said a virus. Or terrorists.’
‘My dad said it was started by a dirty bomb.’
‘A dirty bomb? What’s that?’
‘Full of germs and stuff, he said. Designed to make everyone sick.’
‘But who would do such a thing?’
‘Dad didn’t know.’
I shivered. Someone had done this deliberately? Why? It was so unfair. All this upset and horror just because someone wanted it this way.
Florence stopped next to me.
‘That’s it now,’ she said. ‘There’s no going back to how it used to be.’
She looked around. Me too. I saw broken bricks. Empty buildings. Sad people wearing dirty clothes. Grey skies. Doomy gloom. I knew Florence was right. But I didn’t want to know it. I hated this.
‘I want you to be wrong. I want this all to stop. For everyone to get better.’
I started to cry. I felt like one of the kids standing by that gate. No one was waiting for me. There was no one here for me. I was really alone. The words fell out my mouth.
‘I want to see my mum.’
Soup
I saw a truck. It was open at the back. A lady was stirring a giant pot. There was a table with bread on it. Another man was giving it out. Florence joined the queue.
‘Hello, young lady,’ the man said. ‘How are you today?’
‘Same as ever,’ Florence said. ‘Still waiting.’
The man nodded. He was nice to her.
‘Don’t give up,’ he said. He looked at me.
‘And who are you, young man?’
‘I’m Jake,’ I said. I wanted to be brave. I worried I wasn’t.
‘I’m Keith,’ said Keith. ‘It’s very nice to meet you. Are you new here?’
I nodded.
‘Are you hungry?’
I nodded again. The man smiled.
‘Kathy,’ said Keith to the lady stirring the pot. ‘Please could you set another place at the table.’
I looked around. There was no place for a table. Keith saw I looked confused.
‘Just messing,’ he said. ‘Grab yourself some bread and Kathy will give you a mug of soup.’
I did what he said. The lady gave me mug of red soup. It was tomato.
‘Are you on your own as well?’ she said. She looked frie
ndly.
I shook my head.
‘I have my friends here. The soldiers rescued us from a big battle near here.’
Kathy suddenly looked different. Keith looked at her. His eyes went narrow.
‘I heard about that,’ she said. ‘I hear that everyone who lived on the farm got killed.’
I didn’t know. I said that. Kathy looked unhappy. It wasn’t nice now. I felt unsure. Kathy spoke again. Her voice was different now.
‘My cousin owned that farm. He lived there with his family. We were very close.’
I didn’t speak. I knew Kathy meant the Tall Man. I thought about Abe. I thought about how mean the Tall Man was to me. I got worried. Kathy sounded angry.
‘Did you meet him?’ she said. ‘Did you see my cousin during the battle? Do you know what happened to him?’
My face went red. I couldn’t speak. My tongue felt big. I had no ideas. This was bad. I wished that Vinnie and the others were here. Kathy stared at me. I said nothing. No way would I say what happened. Florence saw me. She knew I was scared. She put up her mug.
‘Please could I have some more soup, Kathy?’
Kathy stopped looking at me. She looked at Florence.
‘Of course, you can, my dear.’
I put down my mug. My hands and head were shaky. I had to get away from Kathy. She couldn’t ask me anything now. I had to keep the secret safe.
‘I must go,’ I said. ‘My friends are worried. Thank you for the soup.’
Kathy looked at me. Her eyes were weird. She was not nice now.
‘I look forward to hearing all about your adventures some other time. Perhaps you might tell your story to my friend, McKenzie? He’d love to hear about what you and your friends have been up to.’
She didn’t smile. I knew she was angry. Keith stood next to me. Kathy nodded at Keith. He nodded back.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘McKenzie would love to meet you and your friends.’
Upset
‘Really?’ said Vinnie. ‘That’s bad.’
‘What did you do?’ said Ellis.
‘I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t speak about the Tall Man. Not to his cousin.’
Viro (Book 3): Viro Page 2
