***
Doug and Leah walked swiftly into Antrobus Road and turned left, where the school came into view, constructed on two levels of red brick with a white-painted entrance. A double-decker bus sat in front of it, alongside a Land Rover. Another truck was parked closer to Doug and Leah, and as they approached it, a man stepped out dressed in army fatigues. He raised his arm and said simply, “Stop!”
Leah immediately launched into her rehearsed speech: “Can you help us? We saw your trucks go past, grabbed our things and followed…”
“Where are you from?” asked the man.
“Here. Well, I’m not originally. We travelled up this way. We were living in a house on Cold Harbour behind the school here. It isn’t safe…”
“Town is full of zombies,” Doug added.
“Do you have any bites?” asked the soldier. “If you have, you must tell me or you’ll place everyone at risk.”
As he spoke, a woman with blonde hair stepped off the bus and made her way towards them. “Hi, I’m Syl,” she said in a friendly manner. “Don’t mind Elliott. Are you two okay?”
“Yes,” Leah answered, “but we’ve been lucky.”
“We’re checking the school for survivors – do you know if there is anyone inside and where they might be, to save us time?”
Doug shook his head. “I’ve no idea.”
“Sorry,” said Leah. “We tended to stay inside a lot, only coming out for supplies.”
Sylvia smiled. “I understand.”
“You said you’re looking for people. Where are you taking them if you find any?” Leah asked.
Elliott spoke up. “We’re from a government facility. It’s safe. There’s protection and food, and everything you need.”
“Can you take us?” asked Doug.
“Of course,” answered Sylvia, glancing at Elliott who added, “You have to go into quarantine for a week though.”
“We don’t have any bites,” said Leah, hiding her surprise. Marla had forgotten to mention quarantine. It meant they had less time to plan everything.
“It’s the rules,” Elliott insisted. “Prevents a refugee centre being overrun if someone turns.”
“Makes sense,” Doug agreed. “We’re up for it. I’m tired of running and hiding. It was our lucky day hearing your trucks.”
“Please get on the bus,” said Sylvia, “because sometimes we have to leave in a hurry. You never know what might happen.”
“They tend to come out in big groups later in the day here,” said Doug. “Now it’s never that bad, unless there’s a lot of noise to bring them out.”
Sylvia nodded as she led the way to the bus. When she reached it, another soldier opened the door, and Doug and Leah got on. “Make yourself at home. Pick any seat – it’s empty,” he said, looking bored. Sitting down, Leah looked out the window and watched Sylvia make her way confidently towards the school. The woman sure is ballsy, she thought to herself, remembering that Marla considered her trustable, along with Martinez and the people who had accompanied her to Haven. She smirked at the irony of the name.
Week 17
Friday, 6 September
“If you could bring your things, I’ll show you to your room on level seven,” said the female soldier. “How was quarantine?”
“Well, it wasn’t as exciting as I hoped,” Doug answered. Picking up his rucksack, he slung it over his shoulder before collecting his notebook and pen from the bed.
“Right, I vaguely remember that every day seemed like a week,” she replied, locking the door behind him. “My name is Charlotte,” she added with a slight smile.
“I’m Doug, as you probably know.” He raised his book and an eyebrow. “I write, so it wasn’t too boring for me.”
“That’s good. It’s good to have a hobby, to be honest. You’re basically stuck in here most of the day, although you can go out into the grounds of the facility, but that’s about it. If you venture further, it’s at your own risk,” she explained as the doors of the lift opened. They walked inside and she pressed the appropriate button.
“Been here long?” asked Doug, feeling his guard go up at just speaking to one of the soldiers.
“Yes, pretty much from the beginning, but I remember quarantine. I read a whole lot of books. Here, we are: level seven. This is your key and your room number is sixteen. I hope you enjoy your stay. You’ll find an information book in your room, and you’ll be scheduled to see the therapist and the administrator. That’s regulation.”
Oh, boy, thought Doug, as he took the key. A ruddy therapist, whoopee! “Thank you kindly,” he told Charlotte as the doors of the lift closed on her.
Walking away, he considered how she had spoken to him as if he’d come to stay for a week in a hotel she worked at. I hope you have an enjoyable stay. The words made him bristle and he wondered how Leah was doing. Luckily, writer’s block had not paid him a visit during the entire week and he’d made fine headway with the story he was working on. Smiling to himself, he unlocked the door of room sixteen and walked inside. Dumping his bag on the floor, he sat down on the surprisingly firm mattress and picked up the booklet on Haven that rested on the cover. If only it came with a blueprint of the building. That would have been mighty useful.
A loud knock made him almost drop it. Getting up, Doug reached the door in a couple of strides and opened it. Leah’s cheerful face greeted him. “Am I glad to see someone I recognise,” she announced. “I feel like a bird cooped up in a cage.”
Doug grinned back. “So, where do you wanna fly?”
“Barbados maybe or Florida, and I wouldn’t turn my nose up at Hawaii either. I’m not fussy, me.”
“Ah, you’re so easy,” joked Doug. “Come in.”
“Cheers,” she said, walking inside, “and less of the easy!”
“Ah, you make me miss my wife,” he replied, closing the door, “because she was forever teasing me like that.”
“Sorry.”
“No worries, Leah. You remind me of her in a good way. At least I know she’s safe. She’s better off being in North Carolina than here. I just wish to God I’d never said yes to coming over here for that convention. But, you know what they say about hindsight.”
“Yeah, it’s a bitch!”
Leah sat down on the chair beside Doug’s desk while he perched himself on the bed. “We have to see a therapist and ‘The Administrator’, which made me think of some shoot-em-up Hollywood blockbuster dude,” he said. “Sounds a bundle of laughs.”
She grinned and nodded. “Yeah, but maybe we could head down to the nearest canteen and grab a coffee; get a feel for the place. This place is huge.” Lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, “I keep thinking everywhere might be bugged.”
Doug’s expression changed and he frowned. “Let’s go.”
Inside the cafeteria, they chose a table right in the centre in the busiest section of the room where it was noisy. Doug stirred his coffee. “They seem to have everything here that people need – clean rooms, water, food, cafeterias, gyms and even a cinema…”
Leah put her mug down and raised her eyebrow. “Yeah, everything except freedom. I get the impression you can’t just walk out and there’s no internet access – no contact with the outside world.”
“The guard who brought me out of quarantine said people can leave, but it’s at their own risk.”
Leah shook her head and leant forward. “I bet you any money that you can’t. I have this feeling. I’m wondering how we are going to leave this place.”
“Just walk out,” said Doug. “Easy.”
“I’m not so sure.” Leah took a bite of her chocolate bar and surveyed the room. “The people here look happy and relieved.”
“Yeah, but why shouldn’t they? Probably glad to be safe. If I didn’t know what we know, I’d probably be grinning like it was my birthday too.”
Leah nodded. “Mmm, me, too. Anyway, ignore me. When do you want to talk to this Tommy?”
“Soon as,” Doug r
eplied. “I could speak to him and you to Marla’s sister.”
“I was thinking vice versa,” said Leah. “I could make it look like I was flirting with the guy. There’s less chance of suspicion, in case they are keeping a close eye on him.”
“Well, maybe I could flirt better…”
Leah almost spat out her coffee. “I wondered what I’d missed about you!”
“Yeah, I bet my wife is thinking the same thing…” Doug smirked and drank his coffee.
“So I guess we just need to find out what he and she look like. It’s a shame Marla didn’t have any photos.”
“He has a dog, so that’s a big clue. A Labrador, she said, and the only dog here, apart from the soldiers’ dogs.”
Leah smiled and leaned back in her chair. “Great, I forgot about that. See, I said I missed you!”
Week 18
Sunday, 8
Leah propped herself against the nearest door and pretended to rummage in her bag as the guy she hoped was Tommy sauntered past with a dopey looking Labrador dog. It could not stop wagging its tail and she felt the breeze it created as it trotted past, panting. Why do I have to be a cat person, she wondered, watching them enter the lift out of the corner of her eye. As soon as the doors closed and she heard the contraption move downwards, Leah hastened over and pressed the button on the wall.
Taking the lift down to the ground floor, she stepped out into the corridor and then exited the back door leading out to the grounds at the back of the facility. Blinking in the bright sunlight, she closed the door quietly and followed the gravel path that wove between the grassy areas. A few guards dotted the perimeter of the fence, all armed, watching over the average Joes, as she had heard the non-guards being called. Forever under scrutiny.
Leah took in the cameras perched on the top of the fence, each guard and then the other inmates. Some people stood in groups talking and enjoying the sun while others just wandered around on their own. A girl lay down reading a book and she almost envied her serenity. Within moments, Leah caught sight of the dog, running for a ball thrown by his owner.
How to do this? Opening her rucksack, she removed her book and sat down on the nearest wooden bench. Placing her bag on the ground between her feet, she flicked to a page and pushed a stray hair behind one ear. The light bounced off the white paper and the black words swirled together as she processed her thoughts. Best that it is done quickly, but how to say it?
Reaching into her jean pocket, Leah breathed a sigh of relief to find the thing still there. For a second she hadn’t remembered picking it up. Now or never, she told herself. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she wandered in the direction of the fence, pretending to read. Meandering closer to the barking animal, she focused on the words as they swam, plunging off the page into the fresh air. Leah breathed it in, having almost forgotten she had not been outside for a week. She welcomed it, inhaling deeply as the words were swept away.
“Hey!”
Leah glanced up in mock surprise. “Oh?”
“Careful. I didn’t want you to get jumped on.”
Taking in Tommy’s appearance, Leah momentarily concluded that she wouldn’t have minded before erasing the thought immediately. She forced a look of awkward clumsiness. “Thanks! I didn’t even notice him, so wrapped up in my book.”
“Must be a good ‘un then cos his barking could wake the dead… erm, I mean…”
Leah laughed. “No offence taken.” Closing her book, she placed it back in her bag. “What’s his name?”
“Bob,” Tommy replied. “He won’t bite you or anything. Soft as sh… well, he’s a softy.”
She bent down and the Labrador immediately tried to lick her face. Chuckling, she rubbed his ears and focused on his eyes. “I’m going to tell you something, Tommy, and I don’t want you to look surprised. Don’t look at the guards either. Just keep talking or even laugh, but don’t look surprised.”
“How do you…?”
Leah peeked up at him quickly with a tense expression before patting the dog and ruffling his ears again. “There’s a good boy – down boy! Tommy, I came here to talk to you. Just pretend I’m flirting or something, can you?”
Tommy moved closer, so that he could speak more quietly. “Is this a joke?”
“No,” she replied, “and don’t react, but I can’t speak to you inside. I don’t trust it. There are cameras and I think the place might be bugged. I can’t risk it. Good boy!” she added louder, and then more quietly, “Marla is alive and she’s safe. Good boy!”
All the breath seemed to depart Tommy’s body, and then an inexplicable anger surged up to replace it. “What the fu…?”
Leah cautioned him with a look. “I have a note from her and I’m going to slip it behind his collar here. You can read it and you’ll know I’m telling the truth. We can speak again, but not about anything important inside the building. I’m pretty sure they’re watching you and Ellen. I’m going to go now.”
Tommy stared in bewilderment as she stood up and patted Bob once more. When the dog jumped up and attempted to lick her face again, she laughed as though everything was normal. “He’s lovely,” she said loudly. “Hope to see you guys around again. I love dogs. I so miss mine. He was a Poodle. My name’s Leah. I just got out of quarantine,” she said with a huge smile.
“I’m Tommy,” he replied, but he could not force a smile. Bending down, he fastened Bob’s lead to his collar, and watched Leah walk back to the bench and sit down. As she opened her book, he turned his attention to his dog, eager to discover what she had hidden, if anything. “Come on, Bob,” he said. “Walkies is over, boy.”
Leading his dog towards the back entrance of the building, Tommy ignored Leah as best he could before he reached the door and opened it. Inside, he stood still for a second, trying to gather his wits. What if she is alive? He hadn’t allowed himself to believe otherwise. There was no body… He tried to get a grip. Come on, Tommy, something always told you this place isn’t quite right… she knew it. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to think her name.
“Come on,” he said to Bob, walking his companion towards the lift. As it rose up the building, he was tempted to check the dog’s collar, but he resisted. He had to wait. What if the girl is right and there are cameras in my room? Was it possible, feasible even? Not in the bathroom, he reasoned; they would never put a camera there. They would probably stop at bugging the rooms, if anything. He examined the box as the doors opened. Are they really watching me?
It was countless minutes before he entered his room and closed the door. Setting Bob free, Tommy hung up the lead on a hook by the door and bent down. “Come on, Bob, stay still, no wriggling. It isn’t a game,” he said plainly, dipping his fingers behind the collar. They hit something rough and he pulled it out. The piece of folded, beige paper felt weightless and yet his heart hung heavy. Taking a deep breath, Tommy stepped into the bathroom and pushed the door closed. From the other side, he heard Bob scratch the wood. Unfolding the note with trembling fingers, he felt a rush of pure adrenalin. It was her writing; it was her. Sitting down on the tiled floor, Tommy rubbed his forehead as he read.
Tommy, it’s me, Marla. I’m fine. I hope you and Ellen are okay. I miss you.
I checked the basement and found a secret lab – Jakob’s. You were right not to like him – don’t trust him. I found Robert in there and what they had done to him you wouldn’t believe. There were also survivors from the church who had turned, but they were kept for experiments, for want of a better word.
Jakob found me. One of his men said there are cameras in the building. They saw me go through the labs and down to the basement. I was locked in a cell in the facility. I don’t know where, but I think they are beneath the basement.
Some guards told me that you and Ellen had been told I was dead, and then they took me into Amesbury where they left me. For some reason they gave me my gun. They said someone had a soft spot for me – I have no idea who. Caballero must know what’s going on. I
t was a crazy thing for me to check the basement. I’m sorry I took the risk
Luckily, I was found by people I trust. Do you remember Nick, the man with the skins on his blanket? He saved my life. Doug and Leah are two of them, and they’ve come into the facility to tell you this and get you out. You and Ellen must leave. It isn’t safe. They are experimenting on people, human as well as the dead. It’s insane, Tommy, and I wish we could get everyone out of the building.
A man I’ve met said his brother (a soldier) was murdered and he blames Will Acre. He also said two patients who had the dreams went missing. I’m so worried about Ellen.
We have a plan and Leah or Doug will tell you.
Hope to see you soon. Take care. Love, Marla.
Tommy leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to gather the thoughts that swirled around his mind in waves, sinking and rising. Experiments? Not safe? Well, he had guessed something was not right here, but this was worse than he had ever imagined. Yet she was alive; this was evidence. She had written it, for sure. A lump formed in his throat and his pulse raced. He held his head and rested his back against the bathroom door. She wants us to leave, to go to a safe place. Where is safe? Leah and Doug… The girl’s name was Leah.
He wondered what other people Marla had met since leaving and then began to imagine how awful her circumstances must have been until he thought it would drive him crazy. Making the assumption that she had not been injured as she would have mentioned it, he thanked his blessings and turned back to the letter again. He reread it about eight more times until the words sank in perfectly and then he stared at the curves of each word. She was alive. Marla. He wanted to hold on to the letter, this piece of hope, and keep it with him until he saw her again, but he recognised the risk in that.
With a sigh, Tommy began to tear up the paper into increasingly smaller pieces, until he could grasp them in one hand. Then he put the first piece into his mouth and swallowed.
I Dream of Zombies (Book 2): Haven Page 30
