by Matt Shaw
She nodded and couldn’t help but smile. To be fair, neither could I. The first bit of good news since finding out the place had gone to shit.
“Let’s not wait,” she said.
“We have to.”
“No, we don’t. Vehicles are going in and out all the time - soldiers venturing out for supplies and survivors. We could just get in the vehicle and drive out. If they try and stop us - you could just put your foot down. If we wait...What are the chances of another vehicle not blocking us in later on tonight? And then what? We can hardly push it out of the way to make a run for it. Come on, let’s just go...” she continued. She seemed almost as desperate to get out of here as me. Had she seen something else which caused her determination to be my escape partner, or had my fears of staying simply played on her mind a little more. “Come on, please, I just want to go.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Lead the way.”
I knew it was probably safer to wait until it was dark, before we made our move in a stolen vehicle, but I couldn’t help but consider her warnings - the fact that our chosen transport could indeed be blocked in before it was time to leave and then we’d be back to only two options. The first option being to stay put and try again another day - although I knew it was highly risky considering the fragile atmosphere of the camp. The second option was to try and steal another set of keys - with the intention of getting access to a car which wasn’t blocked in.
I followed Fiona away from the main area of various-sized tents and out towards a field which had numerous vehicles parked across it. Not a proper car park and yet organised, to the best of their ability, to mimic one.
“It’s that one over there,” she pointed to a dark green truck. I’m not very good with vehicles which don’t have a Mercedes, BMW or Ford badge so I couldn’t say what it was. I was pleased to note, though, that it at least looked as though it would be able to get us across most rough terrain that we may come across on our journey. A good, strong 4X4.
“Something I can help with you?” a gruff, male voice made the pair of us jump as we passed on by the first of the vehicles. I turned around and saw a stern looking solider. A gun was slung back, over his shoulder and a frown etched onto his tired looking face.
I stammered over my words. My mind was in a million different places and I wasn’t prepared for having to think so quickly on my weary feet. Thankfully, Fiona’s mind was more switched on to the fact that we’d be in trouble if we were caught so we’d better have a damned good excuse ready.
“Just wanted to get away from....Well....” she said. She looked coy. “We wanted some privacy, you know, away from the other people. Just for a minute.” she ran her hand down her breast, which was covered by a shirt although I could tell - by the way the soldier followed her hand - that the shirt was invisible to his imagination. Mine too, to be fair. I swallowed hard. “It’s so cramped in our tent and people are missing their families...We just...” she shrugged. She knew the tone in her voice and the few words she had used were enough to get the meaning across without the need for more explanation.
“Well you can’t be here,” the soldier said. “This area is off-limits.”
“Not even for five minutes?” Fiona purred. I was seeing the birth of a different woman before my very eyes and, I have to say, I found it mildly shocking.
The soldier shook his head, “Not even for five minutes,” he stressed.
“Not even if you can watch?” I offered. Fiona shot me a look - it appears she was just as shocked at my desperate change in character as I was in her own change.
“Get the fuck back to the tents!” the soldier snapped at us, his tone of voice letting us know he wasn’t in the mood for any games.
I shrugged and, without thinking, threw a left hook which connected to his face. Despite not being the biggest of men, I heard his jaw crack. At least, I presume it was his jaw - for all I know it could have been my knuckle and the adrenalin of the situation had dulled down the probable pain. The solider staggered back a few paces before he managed to regain his balance. It had been years since I had been in a fight, and even then I’m sure the last scrap didn’t count as a ‘real fight’, and I only hoped I had enough strength to come out on top or else I’d end up looking really stupid. The soldier threw a reply to my left hook with his right fist which, thankfully, just missed me. Had it connected, I’d have probably been floored.
“Big mistake!” the soldier growled as he threw his gun to the floor and, once again, squared up to me with raised fists. His enthusiasm to fight, as opposed to control with the threat of gun-fire, reiterated how people were really feeling in the current climate. I raised my hands though, not that I really knew what I was doing. I was just copying him to give the illusion of being some great boxer. “I’m going to fucking enjoy this,” he snarled. Despite my best poker face I knew that I, on the other hand, wasn’t going to enjoy it. I grimaced in anticipation of the first punch.
“Back away!” Fiona snapped. Despite her tone, her voice was hushed down so as not to alert anyone else who may have been nearby as to what was happening. We both turned to her. Unlike the soldier’s lack of enthusiasm to try and control the situation with the firepower the army had provided him - Fiona was only to happy to point the gun at someone she wanted to control. The soldier, rightly so, put his hands in the air.
“What, are you crazy?” the soldier stammered over his words. Not so big and strong now that he has an assault rifle pointed at his chest. Unfortunately the soldier and I both knew that Fiona wasn’t crazy and it was clear from the expression on her face - one normally reserved for a rabbit caught in the headlights of some oncoming vehicle - that she wasn’t prepared to pull the trigger. “Give me the gun!” the soldier ordered. He took a couple of steps forward. I followed his lead, before he had a chance to make a move, and took the gun off a thankful Fiona.
“Get back!” I ordered him. I won’t lie, it felt good to be the one issuing the orders. The soldier didn’t move. He was just standing there with a look on his face that suggested he was trying to deduce whether I had it in me to pull the trigger or not. It’s fair to say that I didn’t even know the answer to that myself. Hell, for all I know...
“The safety is on,” the soldier smirked.
Dammit.
Without hesitation, and without checking the status of the safety switch, I lunged forward and cracked him in the side of the head with the butt of the gun. His smirk disappeared from his smug face immediately as he fell to the floor seemingly unconscious.
I turned to Fiona, “Quick, run!”
She led the way as we both ran towards the vehicle which she had earlier pinpointed. I highly doubted that any of the soldiers would be willing to shoot at us for our actions but I wasn’t willing to stick around to put it to the test.
As soon as we got to the truck, Fiona threw me the keys and informed me that she wasn’t able to drive. I caught them, one-handed, and unlocked the vehicle permitting us access in the process.
“THEY’RE GETTING AWAY!” a voice called from the distance. I turned, in the driver’s seat, and noticed the soldier was on his feet again. He was calling to his colleagues. A quick look into the distance was enough to note that they had heard him and were running to his aid. I slammed the driver’s door and started the truck with a quick twist of the key in the ignition. Thankfully the engine spat to life with minimal fuss and, seconds later, my foot was down on the accelerator.
“You might want to buckle up!” I told Fiona.
With my heavy right foot, the truck didn’t take very long to gather a fair amount of speed but I still feared it wasn’t enough. I took my eyes off the field’s dirt-track for a split second to alleviate one of my other concerns and I was pleased to note that we had nearly a full-tank of petrol. With the way everything else had gone, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see that the truck was nearly on empty.
As we sped towards the gate, which took us onto the main country road, I looked in the rear-view mirror
half expecting to see vehicles giving chase but there were none. The soldiers weren’t even moving to get to any transport. They were simply standing there, watching us, next to where we had left the aggressive soldier.
“That was easier than I thought it would have been,” said a visibly shaken Fiona.
I didn’t reply.
I thought it would have been harder too. With the exception of the run in with the soldier it was pretty easy. I couldn’t help but wonder whether, if asked, they would have just let us leave on our own accord. I suspected the answer may have been a ‘yes’. Not that they would have let us take one of their vehicles, I’m sure.
Most people would have been happy about how easy it was to get out of there. Most people would have considered themselves fortunate and that the Gods were looking down on them. I’m not most people though. Had I been in the soldier’s position, I’m so stubborn I would have given chase without a second thought. The fact that they were so reluctant just sent alarm bells ringing in my mind...Why didn’t they want to come after us? It’s not as though they’d be scared of us. Not when you consider the fact they’re trained to go to war-zones and fight with enemy whenever they’re called upon.
So my thought was this: what is out here that’s so bad that even the army are reluctant to face it?
D A Y T H R E E
H O M E S W E E T H O M E
I had driven through the night despite my tiredness. On several occasions I had wanted to stop but I didn’t dare. The stories of spiders infesting nearby towns, and the fact their bite was one hundred percent fatal, made me want to just keep driving until I reached the sanctuary of my home.
On several occasions my tired mind reverted to its pessimistic ways and I found myself thinking about what would happen if I returned to my home only to find it had become infested with the spiders too, along with everywhere else. The spider in the shower, on the morning when it all kicked off, had looked like a normal spider but - what if it was one of these new spiders? What if it was just the start of my home infestation? I knew Emma should have just killed it, instead of throwing it out of the bedroom window. There’s nothing saying that the little bastard hadn’t just turned right round, and climbed straight back inside again.
I looked over at Fiona, she was still sound asleep. Had been for a few hours now. At times I felt as though I wanted her to wake up. I wanted the conversation with another person - just to take my mind off of its recurrent thoughts of my family, not being able to save them and the fact we’re probably all doomed anyway. It didn’t seem fair to wake her, though. It just felt as though I was being selfish - even though I’m sure she wouldn’t have begrudged me for disturbing her peace.
I turned my attention back to the main road. Passing through another city. It concerned me how empty the place appeared. There wasn’t even the sight of any possible struggles or fights and we’re only about ten miles out from my own city. The city close to where I live was the centre of gunfire and fires and yet here - it just seemed as though it was deserted. I was tempted to stop and knock on one of the doors, or try one of the many shop doors to see if they were open for business - for no other reason than curiosity, to see if anyone was actually home or not. Was it possible people have been evacuated and moved to other areas? I mean our campsite was big but I’m sure it wasn’t big enough to house all the inhabitants of the places we’ve passed through on the way home. Exactly how many sites were there now and what made them so much safer than just staying at home? But then - maybe they are simply at home with doors and windows locked until the threat passes, or is neutralized.
The emptiness, lack of human civilisation, is creepy. I half expected to see tumbleweed bounce across the road I’m driving down but there’s not even that. No bodies, no tumbleweed, distinct lack of evidence pointing to any trouble or any kind.
Definitely creepy.
“Where are we?”
Fiona’s voice startled me. A quick glance to my side; she was awake and rubbing her sleepy looking eyes.
“Not too far from home now,” I said, “probably another half an hour or so...”
“Where is everyone?”
“It’s been like this at every place we have past. Remote villages, towns...All the same. It’s as though people have just disappeared. It’s early - I was thinking they’ve either locked themselves in until morning or they’ve been evacuated.”
“It doesn’t look as though there has been any trouble here though,” she said - echoing my own thoughts.
“I know. I guess taking people away in the surrounding areas - or forcing them to stay in - was a way of controlling the spread of the spiders? At least - it’s a possibility anyway. We’ll probably never know for sure.”
“It’s creepy. Like we’re the only two people left.”
It was obvious that we weren’t the only two people left - what with having come from the camp - but I knew what she meant and it was definitely a scary thought.
“Shit!” I said.
“What is it?” she asked. She followed my gaze and saw that the road we had turned down was blocked off with various cars in state of abandonment. She didn’t say anything or require an answer from me.
“Okay,” I said, “it’s okay, we knew it wouldn’t be a straight run through.” We didn’t know. Truth be told, I hadn’t given it a moment’s consideration until just now. I pressed my right foot on the clutch and dropped the gearstick back into the reverse position. “There’ll be other roads we can try, it’s fine.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to reassure her or whether I was trying to reassure myself.
A quick three point turn, in the middle of the road, and we were headed back the way we came. I’ll just take the next left, I thought to myself. There’s a saying, after all, that all roads lead to Rome. Not entirely sure who made the saying up and I’m even less sure about the proof that they had regarding this fact but I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, under the circumstances.
“What if all the roads are blocked?” Fiona asked.
I didn’t respond. I just hoped they weren’t. If the roads were blocked then we’d have to drive out of town and try and find another route through. It would be possible, of course, as there is always more than one possible route to take. I’m just not sure as to whether the petrol situation would permit us the luxury of many more detours. Pretty sure the petrol stations won’t be open around now and, although I could loot some petrol, I’m not entirely sure I’d know how to. Funnily enough, it’s never been something that I’ve had to learn.
I leaned forward and flicked the radio on, “Let’s see if anyone is talking. Maybe there’s talk of a plan, escape...Something.” I started to twist the dial through the various frequencies. I knew the chances of finding a station that was broadcasting were slim to none but it was better than having to ignore another question from Fiona that I wouldn’t be able to answer. Especially as my lack of communication back to her was not only not very comforting for her, in her obvious hour of need, but also - her questions were starting to freak me out a little bit more too. Questions I hadn’t necessarily thought of when I had decided to leave the camp.
These past few hours, driving on the road, part of me had been worrying as to whether we had done the right thing by driving off in a stolen vehicle. What if that was the safest place for us? What if our only sanctuary was the comfort of that damned camp - even if it wasn’t guaranteed for the duration of this...Whatever this is? I had been feeling worse, fretting more, since leaving too - because I had dragged Fiona with me. I couldn’t help but shake off the feeling that I could be leading her to her death. I fucking hope not. She doesn’t deserve that. She seems nice enough.
“There’s nothing,” I said. “Damn it.”
“Here, I’ll keep trying,” she offered.
I moved my hand so she could resume twisting the dial around. We both knew that there was nothing there and her actions were pointless but, if they made her feel better, who was I to tell her to g
ive up?
“This looks clearer,” I said. I was trying my best to remain upbeat but I think the tone in my voice gave me away as the pessimist I really was.
“Hopefully,” replied Fiona. Just as my tone had given me away - her tone had also done the same to her. She gave up with the radio and leaned forward to the glove compartment, “Maybe there’s a map in here, or something. You know, just in case we come unstuck again. Might help us find another route?”
The glove compartment dropped open, in front of her knees. I glanced down out of curiosity and noticed that it was full of various pieces of paperwork.
“Looks promising,” I said, not that I really needed a map. Years of driving a van around, before moving into the office where I worked now, had given me quite a good knowledge of the south. Still, I supposed that it could have come in handy.
“What’s this?” she asked. She pulled a tape cassette out from underneath the different pieces of paperwork. Another quick glance down, once again taking my eyes off the road momentarily, showed it to be nothing but a blank tape. No markings, or labels, on it to reveal it to be anything different. “Haven’t seen one of these for years,” she said, “I guess the military are more concerned about spending cash elsewhere than they are with updating the vehicles radios to allow for CD players.” She slid the tape into the tape deck and, after a few seconds pause, 80s music started to play through the rattling speakers. She shrugged, “Better than nothing.”
