The Dust: The Zombie Apocalypse in Ireland

by Jonathan Lynch

  But Janet was in far worse shit down below than I was by stepping into an empty room. I composed myself and then opened the door. I expected the whole floor to erupt with some sort of alarm as soon as I stepped onto it, but it didn’t. I closed the door behind me and took in my surroundings

  Monty’s quarters was like an open plan penthouse apartment. Everything inside it looked new and expensive. The kitchen was fully stacked with appliances, and all sorts of cutlery that looked as though they hadn’t been used once. His huge bed dominated the centre of the room with its mahogany base, satin sheets, and built in bookshelf that climbed all the way up to the ceiling. Beside the bed were two leather reading chairs covered in plastic. The whole room had soft, warm lighting throughout it. As much as I resented the fucker for living in such a way, I couldn’t help but find the whole place cosy. Monty hadn’t been able to leave his politician lifestyle behind him.

  I took myself over to the large bureau in the far corner of the room. The desk was nearly as big as the bed with the same mahogany outlay. There was a large portrait of James Connolly above it that I recognised from the history books in school. It wouldn’t have surprised me to see portraits of Monty adorning the walls I walked around the desk, pulled the leather swivel chair out of my way, and tried the three drawers. They were all locked, and the setup looked as if a single key opened the lot. I sifted through the bunch for one that looked like the right one. There were 3 small keys of identical size on the bunch and the second one I tried popped the lock.

  The top drawer was full of pens, stationary, and rubber bands. The middle one had a few maps in it, schematics of the building, and a stainless steel hipflask with Monty’s initials engraved across it. I took the schematics and put them on the desk. When I opened the third drawer my stomach somersaulted. I lifted out the strong box and put it on the table in front of me on top of the drawings. I sat down in the swivel chair to take the weight from my shaking legs, and rested my fingertips on the box. I already knew what was going to be inside it without needing to open it.

  I popped the padlock, and then lifted out the leather bound a4 journal. The book that Alan had referred to.

  The Holy Grail. The gospel according to Monty

  My whole skin began to crawl and my mouth went dry. I thought about radioing Janet and telling her what I found and to get up here. Then I thought about taking the journal with me and running to her. But what was in it could have been bullshit. And taking it with me was too risky – it was straying away from the plan. I took a deep breath and opened it.

  Chapter 38

  I skimmed over most of the beginning. It was basically Monty’s version of a captain’s log. His writings at least corroborated what he had told me face to face. The journal then went on to the more mundane day to day goings on inside the building, and Monty rehashing dinner conversations where he wrote about how right he always was. I flicked over several pages with the same bullshit and then stopped when the time of a late night entry caught my eye.

  There were detailed writings several pages long where Monty wrote about his fantasies of fucking the other guys’ wives one after the other while their husbands were tied up and watching him. I puffed out my cheeks and thumbed deeper into the log. I noticed in the middle of the journal that a lot of pages had been ripped out from the spine. I wondered why, and continued until I came upon the first entry about myself and Janet’s arrival.

  Today, I saved another two lives and took them into our family. Eric and Janet. Two survivors battling their way through the infected city in search of answers. The two are young enough, I would give the man not yet thirty, and the girl who I find most beautiful a little younger. At first I thought the two were a couple until the man started to quiz me about the whereabouts of his missing pregnant girlfriend. Had he not been so abrupt I might have told him the truth about her whereabouts instead of lying. I hid my frustrations quite well as we spoke, and I owe that to the thoughts I was having of filthy fornication with the girl Janet.

  When I learned of their respective backgrounds I knew that they could be useful, Janet more so than Eric of course. As much as I don’t like him and will have to keep a very close eye on him, he still has his uses. It’s his eyes you see. I don’t like how he looks at me. He asks too many questions, and I have a feeling that he can upset the harmony of the family if not controlled. I delegated the both of them jobs, but I have told Bruce to keep a very watchful eye on Eric for any signs of trouble. I will monitor the situation carefully and update when necessary. Until then.

  I rubbed my eyes and gritted my teeth. I knew that piece of shit knew what became of Lauren. I banged my fist on the table and read on a couple more pages, but there was no more mention of where Lauren could be. I thumbed on, and then stopped at the very last one.

  3.22 am

  I had the nightmare again. Only this time there were more people in it. Dead and alive. And the rats, oh so many rats. I am back inside the dock and they are all staring at me with those terrible eyes. But it’s the humans’ stares that make me tremble the most. They all scream at me asking why we did it. Over and over. I try to speak but nothing comes out. I want to tell them that we are sorry. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t orchestrate the whole thing. They did what they thought was right. It was a joint decision. A global one. But the words don’t come, and when they don’t, they advance on me, and it’s too late. I wake up in soaking ruffled sheets. I get out of bed and take a drink, which of course doesn’t help. I feel the only way to save my sanity would be to sit the group down and tell them. But I know that would mean my death. I would be banished from the building for the dead to feast upon me. Bruce has begun to notice my change in demeanour too. He keeps asking me whether I am ok. I lie of course, but I know he has his suspicions – one of his qualifications is in human body language. To him it probably looks like I have guilt inscribed all over my face.

  I also feel that I should destroy this journal. Should anybody find it I dread to think what would become of me, even though I have removed the more incriminating stuff. I don’t know where my thinking was at writing it down in the first place. It wouldn’t take a particularly clever mind long to decipher what has happened. But writing is my release. It is the closest thing that brings me to a confession without saying the actual words aloud. Bottling it all up is tearing me apart.

  ‘Eric? Come in Eric! Are you there?’

  Janet’s staccato voice boomed over the radio. I jumped with fright and picked up my radio

  ‘Yeah I’m here what’s going on?’

  ‘I’m in deep trouble down here Eric I need you right now.’

  ‘What’s happened Janet? I’ve found something up here that you wouldn’t believe.’

  ‘Fuck that shit right now Eric! You’ve got to get down here. I’m in the room where we left Monty. I’ll explain when you get here. And Eric, make sure you’re armed!’

  I cursed under my breath and hung my head. I closed Monty’s journal and ran my fingertips over the front of it and considered taking it with me. I didn’t know what I was going to be walking into down below, but part of me had a feeling that I’d never have the chance to get back up here again. I put the journal back into the strongbox, and left the desk as I had found it. I then went to the kitchen and looked for weapons. After a short search I equipped myself with the best arsenal available – a meat mallet and a butcher knife.

  I left Monty’s quarters knowing I was under- armed, but I was too full of rage to care.

  Chapter 39

  Janet opened the dining room door to me and I stepped inside quickly even though I hadn’t encountered any problems on the way down. Her bottom lip was a little swollen and the corner of her eye was bleeding.

  ‘What happened?’ I asked her.

  She looked at Monty who was still in the same position as I had left him.

  ‘He’s out cold, don’t worry.’ I said while wiping some blood from her face.

  We went and sat down at the end of t
he table. Janet put her thumb over the cut on her eye and then spoke.

  ‘Sarah did this to me. Caught me unawares.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Well, when I eventually got inside their room after a lot of begging and persuasion, her and Ellen began to quiz me about Alan and Marty. Ellen was right up in my face asking for answers. So I told them what happened.’

  ‘Aw shit,’ I said.

  Janet nodded and licked her lip. ‘I know, and I’m sorry, I should have held it together a little bit longer.’

  ‘So what happened then? And where was Bruce?’

  ‘I’ll get to him in a minute Eric. When I told Ellen what happened she took off. She went running towards the workshop in search of Marty. She was gone before I had a chance to stop her.’

  ‘Well, that’s one unaccounted for.’ I muttered looking back to Monty who stirred momentarily.

  ‘Yeah,’ Janet added. She checked her fingers to see if the blood had stopped flowing and went on. ‘Then Sarah took her turn at having a go at me. She rushed at me and started screaming all sorts of crap. When I eventually got her to calm down I asked her how Bruce was doing.’

  ‘Still hoping that Bruce could be saved I bet?’

  ‘Yeah pretty much. She told me he was fine. But I knew she was lying. It was the way she spoke, and how quickly her manner changed that gave her away. She said he was resting in the other room – the kids’ room – and that he was restrained, but not infected. And then, as if right on cue, he let out a big gurgling groan that sent shivers down my spine.’

  ‘So he is infected then! Did you kill him?’

  Janet shook her head. ‘No. As soon as I heard the groan I reached for my gun. It was pure instinct. But Sarah was faster. She clocked me. I didn’t even see it coming. The bitch packs a punch too, she knocked me right on my ass.’

  ‘So you just bailed then?’

  ‘She pulled a gun on me,’ Janet replied. ‘Told me to get the fuck out while I still could. She said the only reason she wasn’t pulling the trigger was because she didn’t want to wake her kids up.’

  ‘So it looks as if Sarah’s lost the plot as well now,’ I said hanging my head.

  ‘Yeah… well kind of,’ Janet whispered while looking back at Monty.

  ‘Kind of?’

  ‘After I left the room Sarah locked herself in. I backed away from the door but hung around the hall thinking of what to do next. Then I heard the groaning and then screaming. It sounded as though Bruce had broken free and attacked his wife.’

  ‘Oh fuck!’

  ‘Her screams were louder than any gunshot I’ve ever heard Eric, believe me.’

  I rubbed my temples. ‘What about Christian and Elaine? Did they not come when the screams erupted?’

  Janet shrugged her shoulders. ‘I didn’t hang around long enough to find out. I came back here, locked myself in, and then radioed to you.’

  ‘Ok,’ I leaned forward and rested my forearms on my thighs. ‘We’ve got Bruce and Sarah infected. As long as they are locked in that room then they’re pretty much contained. For now. Ellen is on the warpath, and we still don’t know about Christian, Elaine, and the kids.’

  ‘Let’s not forget him’ Janet said nodding in the direction of the comatose senator.

  When I looked at Monty my blood began to boil. ‘Him?’ I said through gritted teeth. ‘I’ve got a plan for that piece of shit.’

  ‘What did you find upstairs Eric?’

  I turned back to her and wiped my sweating forehead. ‘You won’t believe what I’m about to tell you.’

  Janet reacted to the news the same way as I had when I read it. When I was finished talking all she could do was stare at me with an open mouth. After a long time of silence she spoke.

  ‘You… are you sure? I mean what are you saying that all of this shit was planned? It couldn’t be Eric, it just couldn’t be. I mean how the fuck?’

  ‘I don’t know Janet. As crazy as it sounds I had an idea something wasn’t right with this whole thing ever since my trip to the medical centre to find Lauren.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean when I was in that centre I couldn’t help but be surprised at how well the place was laid out. The equipment they had for a place that was apparently knocked together in a hurry was pretty sophisticated too!’ I got up from my chair and looked around the dining room. ‘Then there is this place. Look around you Janet. Everything about the building spells out a setup. The amount of reserves, the controls and the equipment, the people running the place, the getaway plan. It’s all too convenient. The notion that all of this was planned is fucked up – yet it still makes sense when I think of all of the other stuff.’

  ‘Eric come on, there’s no way that all of this could be planned. Who would do such a thing? And why?’

  ‘Terrorists, the government maybe,’ I said shrugging. ‘Why? I don’t know. But Monty does, and when he wakes up, I have to play him again the way I did before I spiked him. I’ll feed him more crap about us pulling together and, pretend everything is ok with the rest of the group. Then he’s getting it Janet, and if I have to put your gun in his mouth for answers then so be it.’

  Janet frowned back at me but didn’t speak. She could have been questioning my sanity. She had already seen enough people break down inside the building tonight, and she was probably worried that I was on my way to being another one. To be honest I didn’t blame her. My mind was racing since reading that journal. My head was beginning to ache again, and the booze I had supped earlier wasn’t helping.

  My body was flowing with adrenaline and anger, yet I still felt the ever present symptoms of fatigue. But we needed to act. The ivory tower was beginning to crumble, and we had to do something before we were buried.

  Chapter 40

  ‘You ready to rock?’ Janet asked me

  ‘Y… yeah I am. What are we doing exactly?’

  ‘Well, we’ve got to kill Bruce and Sarah, find Ellen, check in on Christian, Elaine, and the kids, and then deal with that old fucker. Then I guess we should get as far away from here as possible in that jeep.’

  I stood to attention when Janet finished speaking. ‘You really think we need to kill Bruce and Sarah?’

  ‘Yes we do Eric. We both know that they are fucked, and we need Bruce’s key to get to the jeep don’t we?’

  ‘Yeah we do.’

  ‘Look Eric I don’t want to go opening that door no more than you do, but we have to. This whole place is one big pressure cooker, we have to act fast and get the hell out of here. We don’t know how bad its contaminated either, or if the rest of them have bailed already and left the doors open. ’

  ‘Ok’, I said. ‘Let’s do it.’

  Our stealthy approach to Bruce’s room had been pointless. His door was wide open and smeared with blood. So too was Christian’s and Elaine’s room a few feet further down. Both dwellings were abandoned. Janet looked at me and shook her head. We didn’t speak but we were both thinking the same thing. We were in deep shit. The building had an outbreak of zombies, and in many ways we were worse off inside than out on the streets. We found Bruce’s bunch of keys easily enough, and we took Sarah’s gun that she must have dropped when she was attacked. We sterilised both finds in the bathroom, and when we were done Janet gave me a quick lesson on how to use the weapon.

  We left Bruce’s room and made our way to our own. We were going to gather our stuff together and get to the jeep. I wanted to go back to Monty’s quarters to get that journal and then interrogate the fucker, but I knew it would be too dangerous. I was pretty sure that the rest of the group, dead, or nearly dead, were down below in the workshop. And if we wanted to get to that jeep, we were going to have to go right through them.

  Chapter 41

  We were halfway through packing when Janet stopped and looked at me. She put her hands on her hips and frowned.

  ‘Why are we running Eric?’

  ‘What? You know why! This place isn’t safe Janet. I mean
fuck this was your idea remember?’

  ‘I know that Eric! I just panicked up there earlier and made a snap decision. But current situation aside, I think that leaving here might not be the best idea after all.’

  I snapped the clips on the backpack closed and looked at Janet. We don’t have time to be indecisive here Janet. If you don’t want to leave what are you suggesting then?’

  ‘It’s just a thought ok? But what if we took care of Bruce and the others, Monty too, and then kept this place for ourselves. I mean we’ve got more than enough supplies to keep us going for a while.’

  ‘The place is massive Janet we couldn’t keep it going by ourselves. It kills me to leave the amount of supplies behind but the place would be unmanageable.’

  ‘Why would it?’ she came back at me with upturned palms. ‘All we have to do is shut down the areas we wouldn’t be using. We could ration , and be more energy conscious. We’d get a hell of a lot further on the fuel as well with just two of us. We could last a very long time.’

  I ran my hand over my face and thought about her proposal. It did make some sense. Especially if the rest of the group had all turned. The only problem was getting to them before they got to us. We had the firepower alright, but then there was the cleaning up and disposing of all of the bodies. Then there was Monty too. He would have to be dealt with somehow.

  ‘It’s not a bad idea Janet. But if the others have all turned then we’re risking a lot trying to take them all out. I mean we’ve been incredibly lucky to make this far. I’m not being negative but luck does run out, and I think if we try take them on we could end up fucked. I personally prefer the smash and grab approach over the stalking and slaying.’