Haven
I Dream of Zombies, book 2
By Vickie Johnstone
Haven
Copyright © Vickie Johnstone, May 2014
Published by Vickie Johnstone, May 2014
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.
Cover images used in montage:
Woman with gun: iStockphoto/inhauscreative
Corpse: iStockphoto/aaronrutten
Acknowledgements
I would like to say a big thank you to my beta readers, Alistair Campbell, Stewart Bint, Penny BroJacquie and Claire Rees for volunteering to read a draft of this book. I’d like to thank them for their feedback and comments, and constructive criticism, and for just being so nice.
Dedication
This series is dedicated to my dad and all those zombie lovers out there. Thanks to my dad’s addiction to things that go bump in the night, I was watching Hammer House of Horror and scary films from the age of 12, and devoured whatever was out by Stephen King as a teenager. But of all the monsters and scary things out there, the things that made me tremble most were the zombies... even the ones that couldn’t motor very fast. And between you and me, I still can’t play a certain zombie game without flinching, jumping and making the odd squeak.
Books by the author
3 Heads & a Tail
The Sea Inside (Cerulean Songs, book 1)
I Dream of Zombies (book 1)
Haven (I Dream of Zombies, book 2)
The Kiwi Series
Kiwi in Cat City (book 1)
Kiwi and the Missing Magic (book 2)
Kiwi and the Living Nightmare (book 3)
Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle (book 4)
Kiwi in the Realm of Ra (book 5)
Kiwi’s Christmas Tail (book 6)
Smarts & Dewdrop Mysteries
Day of the Living Pizza (book 1)
Day of the Pesky Shadow (book 2)
Poetry
Kaleidoscope
Life’s Rhythms
Travelling Light
Others
The Gage Project charitable children’s anthology, published by Inknbeans Press
Haven
Prologue: Ellen’s dream
So hypnotic, the man’s eyes draw her in, but they are different. White in colour, their irises erased; translucent, staring globes of nothing with lines of red etched across. He offers a grim smile as bile slides out from between his cracked lips, once so full and sensual. It drips upon the surface of her hand, burning into the skin, searing, and she withdraws it quickly, yet it remains there on top of the bed. Why doesn’t her hand move? She gazes down at her skin turning red from the liquid, bubbling, as a stinging pain spears all the way through to her palm.
Fear grips her senses, squeezing.
Turning, she wills her body to run in the direction of the exit, stumbling into a wild sprint, not daring to glance back. She feels the movement, slow but sure, like gliding through a thick fog, yet her body is still there; she can see it frozen by the bed as the man gapes at her, his eyes fixed on her face, the mouth opening wider to reveal a black endless nothing.
She screams, but its existence snaps silent. Out of the corner of her eye she notices the tick-tock sway of the bulb flickering its last and she senses she is doomed; knows it as surely as the fact that the rusting chain will swing again, back and forth, relentlessly, forever.
His face moves closer, the skin flaking in the way of old paint curling away from a wall, the edges creeping up. Then it disintegrates altogether. Beneath, the muscles continue to ebb and flow like water as he smiles. Blood oozes, dripping, as his teeth sink into her flesh.
From the far distance creeps the incongruous ripple of laughter and a man’s voice echoes all around, “This is a warning. This will be the last warning before the end.”
June 2013
Week 7: Sunday, 16 June
Marla stretched her arms high above her head and gazed out across the green, open fields upon which the summer sun cast its golden glow. Though not a cloud broke the clear blue sky, two blurred figures interrupted the view. Creeping out of the distance like litter blown on the wind, dragging their wasted legs in a jagged gait, the dead drifted. She imagined their ghastly calls in this restless hunt to satisfy their morbid hunger. As she watched they dropped to the ground out of sight, wiped off the face of the earth by gunfire. Their bodies would be transported away to be burned with the others that managed to seek out this place; a daily routine at Haven. Once more, nothing corrupted the peaceful scene. Here, you could almost trick yourself that the dead no longer existed.
Turning away from the window, Marla cast a last, lingering look around the small room where she had spent an entire week alone with her thoughts, recollecting the arduous journey here from London. In a way she would miss this stillness, this calm away from the world during quarantine, but it was high time she returned to the living. Hibernation had never been a cure for any ills and the dead-lookers she spied in the field every day were a constant reminder that death was never far from their door, no matter how solid these walls or strong the fences. Now and then she’d had to remind herself not to forget; never to assume her own safety and that of those closest to her. The vivid dreams of the dead still haunting her sleep seemed to promise that she never would.
The tap of footsteps grabbed her attention, soon followed by a knock upon her door, and she ran towards it, her mind buzzing.
“Are you ready?” a voice called out.
“Was I ever?!” Marla responded, grabbing her jacket and rucksack. The lock clicked. When the door finally opened, she launched herself out of the room enthusiastically, only to bump straight into Robert.
“Steady,” remarked the soldier, backing away.
“I was dying to get out of there.”
“Bit bored were we?” he asked with a glint in his eye.
Marla rolled her eyes and laughed. “I was climbing the walls!”
“Now you get your life back,” he said, opening the door opposite. Ellen walked out carrying her rucksack, another bag and some books. “Can I hold on to these?” she queried.
Robert nodded. “Of course you can. You just need to take them back to the library once you’ve read ‘em.”
“Great,” Ellen replied. “Hey, Marla, how…” She didn’t manage to get any more words out, because her sister wrapped her up in a bear hug and squeezed tightly. Ellen giggled, almost dropping everything. From behind her, Ruth wandered out, peering up shyly under her fringe and dragging her doll, Jemima, along the ground. Marla bent down and asked, “How are you, Ruthie?” but the little girl hid behind Ellen’s legs again.
“Hey, girls!”
They all turned to see a grinning Tommy standing in the corridor. Bob bounced at his feet while Barney rushed over to hug his sister, sandwiching Jemima between them.
“How are you doing, Barney?” asked Ellen.
“Cool,” the boy replied. “Can I play football outside?”
“Maybe Tommy will give you a game,” she suggested and Barney nodded, staring up at the man who smiled down at him. “Hey, Bob! Miss me?” added Ellen, distracted by the Labrador wagging his tail for all he was worth.
Tommy’s attention remained fixed on Marla and he strode right up to her. “Am I glad to see you?! Come here,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.
Marla breathed in the scent of him, his sudden proximity making her feel awkward. While they ha
d grown closer during the trip to Haven, it now seemed a lifetime ago. Too many thoughts crossed her mind simultaneously. Pulling away, she tried to read his expression, but it was impossible, as always. The guy needed invisible thought clouds to the side of his head, she thought; it would make things much easier. In what way exactly? She had no reply for her own subconscious.
“It’s good to see you too,” she answered, holding her jacket in front of her like a shield. “How did the week go for you?”
“Neither dull nor lonely.” Tommy nodded towards the Labrador and the boy, peering at the books that Ellen was showing.
“Since when could your dog read?” Marla joked and he chuckled. A tap on the shoulder made her turn to catch sight of Billy. “Hey, girl,” he said and she grinned brightly. At that moment Peggy and Harold appeared right behind him. “My, you too look well,” Marla told them. “Sort of energised…”
Peggy looked startled for a second, and Marla thought she saw a hint of sadness, almost shame pass over her face. She wondered what troubled the older woman, yet within a moment her expression changed into a smile and she replied, “Best sleep I’ve had in years.” Yet Marla had the odd impression that Peggy was forcing herself to sound cheerful; perhaps the couple had argued?
“We did nothing but talk and read, and sometimes we did nothing at all,” said Harold, tightening his arm around his wife’s waist. Marla smiled and put her concerns aside.
“Well, guys, I’ve got to take you to your new quarters now,” Robert interrupted, “unless you want to go to the cafeteria first. It’s up to you. Secretly, I think you might have a welcoming party there.”
“Oh?” asked Tommy. “Who…?”
Robert grinned. “That would spoil the surprise. What’s it to be?”
“The cafeteria, of course,” said Marla. “You’ve got me curious.”
“Agreed,” Tommy added.
“Right, follow me,” Robert told them as he led the way to the lift. “We’re heading to the cafeteria on level six where you’ll all be living from now on. We’ve given you rooms as close together as possible…”
“Can I share with Marla?” Ellen chipped in.
“Of course,” he replied, entering the elevator. “Everyone squeeze in. Tomorrow you’ll meet with one of the childcare experts to discuss the children and the administrator for an introductory talk.”
Ellen looked down at Ruth. Much as she had enjoyed looking after the little girl, she knew she needed a proper carer. It was a bittersweet smile that passed over her lips. When the doors of the lift reopened, Robert strode ahead towards the cafeteria with the group traipsing behind. The place was huge, scattered with round, white plastic tables surrounded by matching chairs. To one side stood the service area, manned by two young-looking men and an older woman. It was a welcoming room in which the rich aroma of coffee and various foods hung around.
“Now I feel hungry,” Marla commented.
Ellen smiled, hugging her books to her chest. “Me too, and it feels so great to stretch my legs, walk around properly…”
“God, yeah, I was going crazy in that room.”
Ellen giggled. “You could never sit still for long.”
“To the back,” instructed Robert, eeling his way through the tables.
“Is it always this busy?” Tommy asked him.
“Yeah, but it’s always busiest now at breakfast time. Some folks just come here to hang out and meet up with friends. There are common rooms too for that. Here we go – it’s that table over there.”
As he spoke, a group of people stood up and waved their hands. Tommy recognised a familiar face from the coach straight away and he hastened his stride. “Hey, Eric,” he called out loudly, making a few heads turn. “I never thought I’d see your ugly mug again!”
“Nor me yours!” Eric replied with a laugh as he clapped Tommy on the back.
“Thanks for leaving us that note,” said Marla.
Eric’s grin widened. “No worries. I was so scared it’d blow away that I stuck it down with a whole roll of tape. What took you so long?”
“We sort of took a detour,” Tommy explained, “on just about every type of transport going, including a barge.”
“On a canal? Wow! Can those ugly fu…” Eric paused when he noticed Barney’s young eyes staring straight at him. “I mean can those fierce uglies swim?”
Tommy shrugged. “Not really, we discovered, though they try to get you anyway.”
Eric winced. “Crap, but you’re safe here. Man, it’s so good to see familiar faces. Marla, Ellen, Billy, this is cool.”
Everyone greeted one another and introduced the people whom others did not know before grabbing some refreshments and sitting down to catch up on things properly. Robert announced that he would be back in an hour’s time to show the newcomers to their rooms. As he left, Marla noticed him take a fleeting look at Ellen, who was preoccupied with Ruth. “So, what’s it like here?” she asked once he was out of sight.
“Okay,” Bella replied. “It’s safe, which is the main thing, and there are things like a cinema, hang-out rooms, gym, a school and stuff. You can take courses and learn things…”
“But you can’t leave,” Claire interrupted with a sour expression.
Marla stopped eating her cereal. “At all?”
“Well, no,” said Isabel with a glance at Graham who was sitting beside her. “It’s too dangerous, but you can walk around the grounds. That’s enough for us, isn’t it?”
Graham nodded. “We’re protected from what’s out there. That’s the important thing.”
“But I’m gonna go stir crazy,” Marla complained.
Ellen nudged her. “It might not be so bad. Maybe they organise safe trips?”
“Not so far,” said Eric. “I don’t want to put a damper on things, but the only guys who go outside the facility are the members of the guard. Anyone can leave, yeah, but you do so at your own risk and most people are too scared. If you’re with the guard you’re armed.”
Marla smiled. “So then I have to join up!”
Ellen’s face fell. “You’re kidding? We’ve only just got here and you want to go out there again?”
“Well, maybe not now, little sis, but soon. I need to do something useful. What do the guards do out there?”
“They look for survivors and useful things like medicine,” Isabel explained. “Sometimes we watch the soldiers going out in their big trucks. They always come back, sometimes with new people.”
“Some people ask to be transferred to other facilities,” said Bella. “That’s one way to leave, I guess.”
“Why would anyone want to leave?” Ellen asked, perplexed. If she never saw another one of those grisly dead creatures ever again it would be a day too soon.
“You know, if you’ve got family at another refugee centre, you can ask to move,” said Graham. “The administrator told us that. You’ll meet her soon enough. She seems in charge and you’ll have to see the therapist.”
Tommy laughed. “A what?! That’s a joke, right?”
Eric shook his head. “No, mate, everyone goes to see him. They want to check your mental state after facing zombies or whatever experiences you’ve had. It’s not so bad.”
“Ah, he’s a bit creepy though, that therapist,” Bella added, making shivery motions.
“Eric is right,” said Isabel. “I had problems sleeping because I couldn’t stop thinking about all the horrible things I saw, but Doctor Grice gave me some tablets and now I doze off like a baby.”
“Isabel, would you like to go for a coffee with me sometime?” Peggy asked her. “I think we’re about the same age and it would be nice to talk to you about things.”
The older woman chuckled. “I would like that very much, but I think I’ve got a good few years on you, dear. You must be only fifty, if a day, and I’m pushing seventy.”
“Oh, you look much younger.”
“Thank you. That’s sweet of you to say so. Do you have family here with you?�
��
Peggy looked crestfallen and she shook her head. Before Isabel could say anything else, Harold replied, “Only us. But, tell me, how long have you been here?”
“I just realised who’s missing,” Tommy cut in loudly over everyone’s chatter. “Simon, the young soldier guy, what happened to him?”
Eric took a sip of his coffee and shrugged. “Soon as we got here he was off with the soldier dudes and hasn’t given us the time of day since. Not that I mind cos I didn’t take to him. He got us here though, so I thank him for that. The commander here is called Juan Caballero – that’s the guy Simon was speaking to when we were stuck on the coach. He told him to drive here.”
“I’m just glad we’re not still out there, waiting and praying in the middle of nowhere,” remarked Bella solemnly and everyone went quiet for a moment, reflecting on the truth of her words.
“Well, I think a toast is in order,” Tommy suggested in a bid to cut the silence. Offering the group a broad grin, he raised his mug. “I know there’s no alcohol to be had in here, according to the rule book that was in my room, and do I miss it, but cheers everyone! We made it!”
The others raised their cups and mugs, and clunk them together amongst a resounding chorus of “Cheers!”
Monday, 17
Tommy held the door open for Ellen, Marla, Billy, Harold and Peggy to walk through into the meeting room, which was rectangular in shape and painted a pale green. Groups of sofas and wooden tables rested at the far end while rows of black plastic chairs were arranged in the centre, occupied by about eight people. Suspended from the ceiling on metal wires, a white screen was positioned in front of a projector perched on a desk.
“Hello, you must be the new arrivals,” a female voice called out and some faces in the audience turned around. A woman stepped from behind the white screen and approached briskly.
I Dream of Zombies (Book 2): Haven Page 1
