Plague Of The Revenants

by Chilvers, Edward

  “This is a man’s world I am afraid,” said Blake, looking towards Kit with regret. “Here it is all about brute strength and pragmatisms, virtues which I fear a woman does not possess. It is almost as if we have gone back to the primitive tribes of old, but then I was always fascinated by those ancient cultures, weren’t you? Those who survive will quickly learn the rules of the new world because they never really fitted into the old. But then you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

  I looked down at my feet and said nothing.

  “You haven’t told them?” Blake raised his eyes in mock surprise, and now he turned to Paul and Kit. “Your friend here is a killer alright but it wasn’t exactly for queen and country.”

  “What do you mean?” Demanded Kit.

  “Your friend here is a convicted murderer,” said Blake sweetly. “And not just any murderer. He’s a professional gangster who was serving a whole life sentence before all this happened for shooting dead three people in a botched drug deal. A loser in the old life now turned into a hero in this.” He laughed softly. “Funny how the world turns, don’t you think Grant?”

  “Guess some of us are more stoic than others,” I replied with a shrug.

  Isn’t that the truth,” laughed Blake. “You know I always had it in the back of my mind that you might have lived. You out of all the other scum. I always admired you, Grant, do you know that, and you know what else? I was this close to asking you to come with me, thought I could use a good strong man like you when I decided to break out of the stadium. Of course in the end you weren’t reliable enough, had too much of a conscience, or were you just broken by those eight long years inside? How many more men have you killed, Grant? How many revenants? I can’t tell you how glad I’ve found you before you found me. I think you might have been a real threat.” He leaned in close. “Now you see, Grant, I usually kill threats, just ask the other poor cunt who was in charge of this operation before me. But I admire you, Grant, and I think I might be able to find a use for you. What do you say, my boy? Do you want to be king of the slaves like you were the king of the inmates back at the prison? Think you could be my man? Who knows, maybe one day, albeit a long time from now, I might trust you enough to make you one of us.”

  “I’ll never be one of you, Mr Blake,” I said defiantly. “I haven’t broken out of one prison to become a common slave in another.”

  “But you must think of yourself as quite a hero,” sneered Blake. “How many of you are there then, huh?”

  “Just the three of us,” I said defiantly.

  “Oh yeah?” Blake raised his eyes. “Where’s your hideout? Come on, you might as well spill the beans. It’s not as if you’ll be going back there any time soon.”

  “It’s a cottage just up the road,” I replied, looking the prison officer dead in the eye.

  “I have seen men who have lived from day to day on the road,” muttered Blake. “And you hardly fit that description. You are well fed, clean and unbroken. No, I think you are lying to me. I think you have a nice little arrangement going somewhere, and I want in.”

  “More like you want to enslave them all,” Snapped Kit angrily.

  “Oh don’t start getting all moral with me,” sneered Blake. “When you’ve spent a good few days in the quarters you’ll see yourself it is better to be lumbered with a little hard work and guarded by men with machine guns than it is fending by yourselves out there in the big scary world.”

  “We’re doing fine,” retorted Paul. “Why don’t you just leave us alone?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” replied Blake, feigning regret. “In this new world strength is power. I’m afraid I can’t afford to tolerate any rivals, no matter how small fry they might be now. Call it, if you will, a colonisation, a reclamation.”

  “I don’t go in for any of this visionary bullshit,” I told him calmly. “Believe what we say or don’t, but you won’t get any more from us.”

  Blake looked at me very closely. “I need to know where your companions are, Grant,” he said darkly. “Don’t make this any harder for yourselves, or for them. I will find them. Look at what we’ve got here, the power I have, the firepower. Can you compete with that, Grant? Oh but I expect you’re the leader, aren’t you? I don’t expect they’d be shit without you. You might as well tell me, Grant. We’ll go, pick them up and bring them back here. It’s not so bad here really. You’re fed, clothed and the high fences and guns keep you safe from the revenants.”

  “Just like it was back in the stadium,” I muttered resentfully. “Worked to death, summary executions and when the shit really hits the fan you’ll sell us out and be off again, leaving us to the mercy of the revenants.”

  “This isn’t like it was back at the stadium,” snapped Blake. “I’m in charge here. Here we’ve got some real firepower. We won’t be breached in a hurry. How about you, Grant? Your people had any close escapes yet? You lost many? I can put an end to it all, you know. Just tell us where we all are and we can keep them safe.”

  “Fuck you,” I spat.

  Blake was unperturbed as he turned to the others. “Either of you two want to show sense?” He asked reasonably. Kit and Paul put their heads down and said nothing. Blake shook his head sadly. “You’re making a big mistake,” he told us. “But if that’s how you want to play it we’re going to have to get the bigger toys out.” He turned to Lanky and Stocky. “Bind their hands and take them to the pit,” he told them. “Save the big guy till last. Maybe seeing his boyfriend and his bitch ripped apart will clear his head a little. If not, let him turn.”

  Lanky kept the gun upon us as Stocky came forward and tied our hands tightly with thick twine. “You’re a fool, Grant, you know that?” Said Blake sadly. “You could have had a nice little cut of all this. Instead I’ll be seeing you again, although you won’t see me. Or perhaps you will talk after all? You see I’ve saved you for last, Grant? I really don’t want to do this. It can end at any time. All you need to do is give me a location.”

  There was no way we could talk, not with all the children and the old who would be put at risk. Most likely the older people would be killed outright whilst the children would be indoctrinated until they were ready to join the Elite, just mindless killing machines working for Blake with barely any difference between them and the revenants. We were dead, had been dead as soon as the soldiers shone the headlights upon us.

  “You’re wasting your time,” said Kit defiantly. “We’ll never talk. We can’t talk. You might as well just shoot us dead here and now and save yourselves the effort.”

  “I think you’ll be surprised at what you’re capable of,” said Blake sweetly. “But either way I’m prepared to give it a try.”

  We were taken outside once more and herded back into a truck where our hands were bound behind our backs. Lanky and Stout got into the cab. This was a new truck with three partitions going across the back trailer, like a sort of cattle truck. The three of us were bound to the back wall closest to the cab. The engine started up. The truck rattled over the stony ground and it was clear we had turned off into a dirt track, although the tarpaulin walls of the truck with their metal supports gave nothing away.

  “Do you think we’re going to be killed?” Asked Paul.

  “Not immediately,” I replied. “Or probably one of us will be killed as an example to the others to divulge the information.”

  “Well I’m certainly not about to talk,” said Kit darkly. “What is the alternative? To become a slave? I’d rather die.”

  “I think we’re all just about immune to the fear of death after what we’ve been through,” I said. “The worry is that the others might come looking for us afterwards.”

  “This couldn’t have gone much worse,” said Paul pessimistically. “Even if the others don’t go looking for us your friend Blake will doubtless come looking for them, and he’ll find them too.”

  “You think we could talk to these two goons here?” Asked Kit.

  I shook m
y head. “No chance,” I told them. “This is the best they’ll have ever had it. No way they’ll ever turn. I doubt they have the intelligence to think for themselves. I’ve seen their type before.”

  As we travelled I thought about what was going to happen to the others. They would be expecting us back by tomorrow at the latest. After that what would they do? Most likely Hammond would take Dev, Stan and Gloria out searching for us. Perhaps they would get captured and tortured themselves. In that case I didn’t doubt Stan would betray them straight away, not that I would blame him. Either way the others would soon be found, taken into slavery. Some would be killed. And all because we had fucked up and allowed ourselves to be captured. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to think. There was nothing for it. We had to get out of here. I tugged hard on my bonds but I was bound tightly. I strained to try and see where we were going but all was shrouded in darkness. I assumed we were returning to the woods through which we walked earlier.

  “Any chance we have we have to try and get away, even if the situation seems desperate. If one moves the rest must be ready to follow,” I said.

  “Is that your army training speaking again?” Said Kit archly, although she was smiling.

  “I hope we’ll have the time to discuss that later and clear the air,” I said dismissively. “For now I hope you’ll continue to trust me.”

  Eventually the truck stopped abruptly and we were thrown forwards, landing in a crumpled heap against the back of the cab, an action which I was certain had been done deliberately. The truck then backed up a bit. A moment later Lanky and Stout pulled open the doors and flashed their torches inside. “This is risky business what we’re about to do,” said Lanky warily, and I could detect a hint of fear in his voice. “So it would save us a lot of trouble if you’d just tell us where your friends are and save us all the bother. You could be home in time for supper.”

  “No talking,” I said darkly. “And in this I speak for all of us.”

  Lanky and Stout exchanged glances and shrugged. “On your heads be it,” said Lanky.

  The two of them disappeared again. I head the cab doors open and slam. The truck backed up some more. From outside I heard a creaking sound like a gate being swung open. There was a noise on the roof as though somebody was climbing on top of it. A moment later the door was pulled open again. This time there was no light but instead lumbering footsteps which I recognised full well as belonging to revenants.

  “First time of asking,” said Lanky. “Where are your friends?”

  “Open all of the gates,” said Kit defiantly. “This is pointless. We’re not going to talk.”

  The first partition duly swung up. The revenants shuffled in straight away and started reaching their decaying hands through the next set of bars.

  “There’s more at stake than just our lives,” snapped Kit defiantly. “Do you really think we’d sell out our families to a bunch of slave traders?”

  “Blake said you might struggle,” laughed Lanky.

  I did not, at that point, think we stood a chance but I was determined we would not go down without a fight. I strained hard against the bonds. The rope was thick but old. I felt it give a little. But I needed to keep them talking. “Why are you doing this?” I called out to them. “Can’t you see you are barely more than slaves yourselves? Why don’t you come with us, come back to where we are. We have food and freedom, safety too. We could use your guns, use two strong men.”

  Stocky laughed. “You can’t know Blake as well as you think you do,” he sneered. “Even if we were of a mind to do as you ask we wouldn’t last out the week. Can’t you see that? Blake is like a dog with a bone. He won’t let go until he’s got exactly what he wants.”

  I started to rub the bonds against the metalwork of the truck. They were starting to cut loose, but very slowly. “Then you are doomed,” I told them, searching for something to say. “You’ll never win with a man like Blake. He’s only in it for himself. Aren’t you scared of him? I’d be more afraid of him than I would the revenants.”

  “We are,” put in Lanky. “And that’s why we’re going to do exactly as we’re told.”

  At that moment the bonds loosened against my hands. I was free. I kept my hands behind my back and watched as the final barrier was opened and as soon as it was wide enough I reacted, much faster than the revenants, throwing myself to the floor and rolling along the ground to knock all four of the monsters off their feet. I seized hold of the nearest revenant by the head and threw him upwards with my full strength towards Lanky. The revenant latched on to him immediately and tore three of his fingers off in one bite. Lanky let out a cry and stared at his ripped hand with abject horror. He knew he was a doomed man. Now was the time to act when his guard was down. I made a dive upwards and seized a hold of Lanky’s leg, pulling him down where he landed on the floor of the lorry with a heavy thud where the revenants were upon him at once, creating exactly the sort of distraction I needed. The other guard swung open the door, his rifle raised, but I was ready for him. I charged forward with my head down and connected hard with his stomach, sending him flying out of the vehicle and on to the hard ground beyond where I landed on top of him in a heap, winding him and giving me ample time to leap to my feet and deliver a hefty kick into the side of his head, after which he lay still. With the way now clear the three of us charged past the feasting revenants and out of the truck, fighting to put back the partitions as we went.

  I rummaged around the open truck and soon found a knife which I used to free the others.

  “How long do you think we have?” Asked Paul.

  “Long enough to steal this truck, the guns and get the hell out of here,” I replied.

  “They’ll come looking for us,” said Kit with concern.

  “Indeed,” I said. “I’m afraid we’ve fucked up.”

  “More like they were even better organised than we expected,” muttered Kit.

  “What are we going to do with him?” Asked Paul, nodding towards the unconscious guard.

  “Information,” I replied shortly. “We’ll take him back and see what he knows.”

  “And if he doesn’t talk?”

  “Then we’ll arrange a little treatment of our own.”

  I saw now it was a large truck that was probably originally used for transporting troops. I wondered where the Elite had got it from, where they had gotten most of their stuff. I resolved to question Stout closely in the morning. As I backed up the truck I drove into the back of the revenant’s gate, purposely breaking it open. The twenty or so undead inside would not trouble the Elite for long but it might give them something to think about for a few hours at least. Better still I had defeated Blake, albeit temporarily and I was determined the tyrant would not have seen the last of me. Driving along the road I stopped in an isolated area and undid the back of the truck then got moving again. The revenants tumbled out one by one and struggled back to their feet, vainly trying to stumble after our fast retreating vehicle.

  “It’s not all bad news,” I said cheerfully as we drove back. “After this little stunt they’ll know we’re not ones to be fucked with easily. They’ll tread carefully around us.”

  “Either that or they’ll come down on the camp with all guns blazing,” replied Kit warily. I could not deny it was a possibility.

  “Stout and Lanky were right,” I said. “Knowing Blake as I do he’s not going to take this little stunt of ours lying down. I imagine we should be safe for tonight but come tomorrow there’s going to be an all out search for us.”

  “Do you think we can hide out?” Asked Paul.

  “Not indefinitely,” I told him. “We’re far enough out of the way that they won’t find us straight away but rest assured they will find us.”

  “So what are we going to do?” Said Kit.

  “We have two choices,” I said. “We can either decamp and run somewhere else or we can find the means to fight.”

  “How will we find the means to fight?” Asked Kit.
/>
  “I don’t know,” I replied with a shrug.

  “Which only leaves…”

  “And that has its own risks which are only too apparent,” I told them. “You’ve seen how bad the roads can be. We might be able to pile everyone in this van and take another one for supplies but there’s no guarantee we won’t run into swarms and I doubt we’d find a place as good as we’ve got.”

  “Can we take them on?” Said Kit. “Attack first I mean?”

  “Again I don’t know.”

  A few miles before home I pulled the truck up at the council houses we had looted the other day. “What are you doing?” Asked Kit.

  “I’m not running the risk of taking him back to base,” I said, nodding towards the unconscious guard. “Bring him back to base and we’ll have to kill him, because there’s no way we could risk him getting away and giving up our location to Blake.”

  I dragged the guard roughly out of the truck and brought him inside the house, dragged him up to the first floor and cuffed him to the sturdy radiator I remembered being in there. I remembered the way he had taunted us, how he had been prepared to kill us in the worst way possible, to subject us to a living death. I clenched my fists and tried to resist the urge to beat him to death with my bare hands. Before leaving I locked the door. It would not provide much protection against a determined swarm but provided he didn’t cry out he would be safe enough until I came back for him. Stout stirred and opened his eyes, looked at me fearfully. I ignored him, refusing to meet his gaze. He could stew here and contemplate his fate. I wondered how long it would be before the two of them were missed.

  Even though it was very late at night by the time we got back Thorpe was still waiting up for us. The Reverend was pacing up and down by the light of the fire in the kitchen and was most relieved to see us. His relief faded after we outlined what had happened at the racetrack.

  “At least you’re all back alive,” said Reverend Thorpe with relief.

  “For now,” I replied wearily.