“Erm, would you like to have a coffee with me some time?” Robert blurted out.
Ellen was unsure how to respond. The guy looked slightly awkward and shy, which she had not expected of him. He also appeared to be very earnest. On the one hand, she wanted to say yes, but on the other, recent events made her wary, frightened even. She shook her head and looked the other way.
“No worries,” he said. “I didn’t mean to alarm you.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I didn’t want to disappoint.”
He frowned. “That’s the second time you’ve said that. Why d’you think it?”
“I have bad luck with men,” she answered, biting her lip. “I think it’s best not to get involved with any.”
“Right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to back you into a corner, but if you fancy a ‘friends’ coffee some time, let me know. Just to talk, get to know you, because I thought you were a nice person straight away. I’m not the type who asks all the girls out – you can ask anyone. But there’s something about you, like you’ve got this glow…” He fell silent and looked even more embarrassed.
Ellen grinned in spite of herself. “It’s nice… to be asked. I had a bad experience on the way here. There was this guy, younger than me. I was friendly, but he wanted more. I didn’t.”
“He didn’t take it so well?” Robert asked.
“That’s an understatement. A girl died and he flipped. I think something bad happened to him earlier, before I met him. It’s a long story, Robert, but in the end he kidnapped me and he died.”
“Oh, Ellen, that’s awful. Shit, I really put my foot in it. I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories. Now I get it. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve often felt that people want more from me than I can give. I’m just me, but they seem to think I’m someone different and want to change me, or they’re just disappointed when they realise I’m not who they thought I was.”
“That sucks, but are all people so demanding?” Robert asked.
“I think so. I’m just me. What you see is what you get, nothing else. I can’t give what people seem to want.”
“Ah, I didn’t mean to get all heavy.”
“No, Robert, it’s me. It’s been a crazy few months. I guess I’m tired. I need to work through things. You asked me to go for coffee and I’ve turned it into something else, but at least you can see how crazily confused I am about everything right now.”
He nodded. “I can see it and I’m not surprised, and I don’t blame you. Friends then?”
Ellen beamed. “Friends!”
Robert held out his hand and she shook it. “When I want coffee, I’ll let you know,” she said.
With a grin, he did a fake bow and walked away, glancing back only the once to find she was still looking in his direction. Surprised by this turn of events, Ellen opened the door to the gym and walked inside wearing a smile.
Tuesday, 25
“Why do you have to go?” Ellen pleaded for the second time. “You’re safe here.”
“Because other people don’t have this,” Marla replied, gesturing to their neighbours eating in the cafeteria. “I want to help those who are still out there, like we were.”
“But it isn’t safe.”
“I’m going too,” said Tommy.
Ellen grimaced. “That just makes it worse,” she scoffed. “You can be the one to tell Barney because I’m not. If you two want to act like superhero idiots, it’s up to you.” Getting up, she stormed off, leaving the other two to stare after her fast disappearing butt.
“Still wanna go?” Tommy asked Marla.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I can’t think of anything better to do today. Can you?”
“It’s a bit like old times, but with freaks to deal with.”
“Sure is. I don’t know why, but I’m looking forward to it in a strange way, because I want to find people. Do you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I feel the same, only I’m not really looking forward to it.”
“Well, you’re just freaky then,” added Marla, flicking her straw at him. She giggled and got to her feet. “I’m going to head up, so I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Sure.”
Making her way to the exit, Marla contemplated the rows of people eating and talking in a way that was as close to normality as they would probably get now. Remembering old times, she smiled wanly. It was worth going out, even if it saved one person, and she had a bad case of cabin fever. Heading to the elevator, she made it up to her room quickly, where she changed and freshened up before grabbing her faithful Glock and taking the elevator down to the first floor. The rest of the patrol were already waiting in the guards’ meeting room opposite Caballero’s office, including Tommy, who gave her a big grin as if to say ‘beat you’. “Hi,” she greeted them.
The eleven men and one woman nodded in reply. Marla was relieved to see the latter was Sylvia.
“Right,” said Caballero, “now that everyone is here, we will be going out in two Panther CLV vehicles, which have general-purpose machine guns. Each one will be manned by a crew of three: driver, soldier and gunner. In the middle will be a Vector and a bus. All survivors will travel back in the bus. The Vector has loads of room in the back for passengers in a section separated from the front, and it’s mounted with a machine gun. Any people who need to be separated will travel in the Vector.”
Marla had a sudden urge to question the ‘need to be separated’ line, but stopped herself when she felt Caballero’s eyes upon her.
“I will be in the Panther at the front. Marla, I want you with me, along with your friend, Tommy. Sylvia, you take the Vector with Juan and Bill. John, Robert and Elliott, you’ve got the other Panther. Martinez and Leroy, you’re on the bus. It’s up to you guys how you want to work things. I leave it up to you. But, hell, I’m driving! We’re taking extra fuel in the back of each vehicle. Any questions?”
“How will we know if the survivors are infected?” asked Sylvia.
“Check them for bites and look at their eyes,” Caballero answered. “You know the score – bloodshot or white, drained of colour, no focus, no expression, and looking dead. Not much else we can do until we get them back to quarantine. You’ll have to use your judgement. You’ve all had experience of this before, except for Tommy, Marla and Bill. I trust you know what you’re looking for?”
Everyone nodded and glanced at the people who were to join their team.
“Right then, there’s no time to waste, so let’s get going. We have six hours until 4 p.m., and wherever we are then we are coming straight back here, no questions asked. Okay?”
“Okay, sir,” everyone replied in unison.
“Right, up you get and less of the sir. Time to go.”
***
The doors of the facility opened and the armoured vehicles moved out one by one. From the windows of the building some curious faces peered out, watching them go, hoping they would return swiftly and safely. Soldiers closed the metal gates, securing them with heavy bolts, while the convoy swept down the narrow, winding road between the lines of leafy trees. To any passersby, the verdant countryside looked inviting and tranquil, as things once were before everything changed.
“What’s the route plan?” enquired Marla.
“We scout the general area,” Caballero replied. “We’ve been gradually moving further out while hoping people manage to get somewhere near this facility. We owe it to them to keep looking. You never know how many are out here. We’ve put posters in various places to help.”
“Cool idea,” said Tommy, gazing out over the peaceful scenery. Nothing stirred, except the leaves. “It’s weird to hear birds.”
Marla nodded. “I know. I expect to hear nothing. You know, like everything is dead, not just...”
“Yep,” muttered Caballero, keeping his eyes on the road. “It draws you in and makes you forget. Sometimes it’s hard to remember what’s happening in the cities – mayhem! The closest big town is Salisbury, but we haven
’t dared venture there yet. Population is around 40,000 and no one was evacuated.”
“No one?” gasped Marla. “At all?”
“The government was too late in this area, like many places. We’re going to Amesbury; population 9,000.”
Marla gazed out, keeping her eyes peeled as they reached the bottom of the hill and turned towards the A338.
“Which of you can use the machine gun?” asked Caballero.
“Both,” Tommy answered with a grin.
Caballero nodded as he turned on to the main trunk road. “Great.”
The other three vehicles followed closely behind and soon they were all motoring along in a convoy, with the Vector and the black-painted, double-decker bus in the middle.
“It’s too quiet. I can’t get used to not seeing any cars,” said Marla. “To start with we weren’t the only ones on the road, but gradually I saw fewer vehicles and then nothing. That was the weirdest thing – how quickly things changed.”
Caballero nodded again and checked his mirror. “So many places got overrun too quickly. This time of day it’s quiet until you get into the residential areas. You can drive along thinking there’s nothing to be scared of out here.”
Marla bit her lip and looked at Tommy, but she could not think of any light-hearted conversation. As the landscape sped by, she noticed a trickle of fear creep around her neck. Trepidation over what might lie ahead.
“We visited this place, Shipton Bellinger, recently and put up messages. We only found a few people,” commented Caballero, breaking the silence. “From here we turn on to the A303 to Amesbury. We need to put up signs there too, just in case.”
“Have you checked this town before?” Marla asked.
“Amesbury? No, this will be the first time.”
After half an hour’s drive they reached the target town and drove into it via Porton Road. A sign pointed to a Holiday Inn and a car park, but Caballero kept going. Noticing a supermarket, he turned off the roundabout and stopped outside it. The convoy behind him did the same.
“I’m going to put one of our posters on the notice board here. People tend to go to the main meeting places, like town halls and churches, to seek refuge – strong, secure looking buildings or others that seem safe just because they’re familiar. And they’ll head to supermarkets looking for food.”
“You think people will see that?” asked Tommy.
The commander shrugged. “We’ve got to try. Cover me.”
“Sure,” said Marla, keeping an eye on Caballero as he stepped down to the ground. He walked straight up to the board outside the supermarket and taped a poster across it. She noticed how the soldiers in the vehicles behind had their guns trained on various parts of the street. The place was creepy in its stillness. It unnerved her more than any sudden noise could. Within minutes Caballero slid back inside the vehicle and she asked him, “Where next?”
“No plan. We just look around and see what we find. But we need to stay on the main roads with a lot of visibility,” he replied. “Okay...” Starting the engine, he drove off, followed by the convoy. “There’s one,” he muttered, nodding to the left.
“Freak,” mumbled Tommy, nodding towards a shadowy, slumped figure in a shop doorway. “Doesn’t like the sun that one.”
Caballero laughed. “You call them freaks?”
Tommy gave a wry smile. “Yeah.”
“Fitting!”
As they progressed along London Road, Marla noticed one of the dead traipsing along the pavement with his neck bent. Wearing dirty clothes, he was wrapped in a blanket that resembled leather. She squinted at him and noticed that he did not stagger as he walked; he moved straight and sure. “Caballero,” she said abruptly, “I think that guy there is alive.”
The commander turned and glanced out the far window to the right. “You think?”
She nodded. “I know. Can I get out and speak to him?”
“Sure that’s safe?” asked Tommy.
“I can’t see anyone else down there, can you?”
“Not yet.”
Caballero stopped the vehicle. “I’ll give you a few minutes. We’ll cover you.”
Marla winked at Tommy. He moved his legs and she slid past him before jumping out. As soon as her boots hit the ground the man on the pavement paused and pushed back his hood to look at her. Immediately, he took off running.
“Hey!” she called after him. “We came to help survivors!”
The man stopped dead in his tracks and spun around. His face was smudged with dirt, as was the blanket that he grasped tightly beneath his neck. As she had guessed, the surface of it was draped with what looked like... “Skin? Is that human?” Marla asked, nodding towards the stuff from which she recoiled so visibly.
“And if it is?” asked the man. “Is it a crime if the man was dead?”
“I guess not,” she answered, scratching her head. “New times…”
“You’re telling me, girly.”
“What are doing wandering around here?”
“Same as I always did,” the guy replied.
Marla realised that beneath the grubby complexion, he was probably in his late fifties and seemed used to the outdoor life. Suspecting he’d rarely spent a night off the street in the past, she asked him, “Where do you sleep?”
“Any place I can find where they are not,” he answered cryptically. “Right now I’m looking for whisky – takes the edge off. Things, they ain’t so frightening then. I have a place to sleep that’s safe, if that’s what’s worrying you. Are you looking for a safe place?”
Marla shook her head and smiled. “No, I have one. We were worried about you. All of us live in a safe building in Rickslaw. It’s big with everything you could possibly need. It’s called Haven. Do you want to come with us?”
The man glanced at the truck and grimaced. “No, lady, old Nick ain’t used to living it straight. I’m a man of the streets. This is my world and those monsters aren’t taking it from me. So long as I ain’t in the way when it gets dark, things ain’t so bad. They can’t run fast – you noticed? Like clueless snails they are.”
“Yes, I have noticed,” she said, almost chuckling, “but we’re short on time. We’re looking for survivors. I guess we’re a rescue party, looking to help people. Have you seen anyone around?”
“Me? Yeah, of course. They’re in the church – old building that, but safe as houses. They hold up in there. Some come out by day to get food.”
Marla sighed. “Cool. Could you drive with us for a bit to show us where it is?”
“My pleasure,” said Nick, “but I’ll need a lift back here after.”
“No problem.”
“And I’m not coming back to this big, fancy house of yours. I like my freedom.”
“No problem either. Thank you for helping.”
“It was lucky you ran into me,” considered Nick, gripping his blanket in place beneath his chin.
Tommy opened the door of the Panther for Marla and she climbed in. Then the trampy looking man slid in behind her, squeezing past Tommy who grimaced at his dress sense and tried not to inhale.
“I’m Caballero,” said the commander, studying the newcomer.
The man nodded beneath his hood. “Nick.”
“Does that work?” asked Caballero, gesturing at the hide pinned on the blanket.
“Works for me. Zombies, they go by sense of smell, you see. If you smell like them they don’t bother you none. This skin has saved my own many a time,” he added, laughing at his own pun.
“Good idea,” said Tommy. “Smelly, but innovative.”
“Nah, you’d get used to it after a while. Want some for your jacket?”
“No, I’m good,” Tommy replied while Marla bit her tongue to stop herself laughing out loud.
“Do you know the Beatles stayed here one time, at our Antrobus Arms Hotel in 1965? They were filming Help! – do you know it?”
“I love that song,” said Marla. “You’ve lived here long then?”
“All my life, love. I used to pop to Stonehenge many a time, but not since the grisly men arrived.”
She smiled. “Which way do we go?”
“Ah, the place you want is St. Mary and St. Melor – known as Amesbury Abbey it is. You know, there’s been an abbey here since the year 979? Nah, well, you don’t need to know that. You just drive straight up this road. It runs into the High Street and then Church Street,” Nick explained, looking as if he felt a fresh sense of purpose. Marla presumed he hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to anyone in a while.
Caballero drove forward with the convoy in tow. As they passed a narrow alleyway, Nick pointed towards it. “There’s loads of zombies down there. It leads to garages and back gardens. Never go there. They like gardens and alleys, they do – dark hiding places,” he added.
“We had a bad encounter near some garages behind a pub,” Marla remembered.
The man nodded. “You see… Have you ever been to Stonehenge, girly?” he asked.
Marla shook her head. “Can’t say I have.”
“You should. It’s beautiful, mystical, but not at night time… anymore. Never go by night,” he said, staring off out the window.
Marla studied the buildings: everyday houses; some with their curtains drawn and others open. A couple of windows were boarded up, which could be promising, she thought, but the church was first. She wondered how many people had managed to leave this town. “Did you say this place wasn’t evacuated?” she asked, looking at Caballero.
He shook his head. “We were too late here. Anyone who made it out did so of their own accord.”
“And there was me thinking London was bad,” Tommy stated.
“No, that’s the tragedy of it. People were concentrating too much on the capital. The army and police were focused there.”
“You think the government strategy was wrong?” asked Marla.
Caballero sighed. “Doesn’t matter what I think. We just have to clean up the mess now.”
Marla glanced at Tommy who shrugged. “Nearly there now,” mumbled Nick.
I Dream of Zombies (Book 2): Haven Page 6
