Dead Tropics

by Sue Edge

  “I couldn’t not come.” He said simply, coming to kneel beside me and take my hand comfortingly between his rough ones. God, I couldn’t deny how happy I was to see him.

  “Oh Mike, you idiot.” I cried, tears pouring down my face. The look of tenderness in his eyes made my heart ache even more. “The others…”

  “Ken’s using a buggy to take them to the creek that separates the course from the marina. They’re going to wait there for us. I made them promise to go on if we don’t join them in the next half an hour, though.”

  “Oh God, Mike.” I laughed tearfully, horrified and touched in equal measure. “They need you! Without you there, they won’t make it.”

  He smiled at me. “Yeah? Funny, they said the same thing about you.”

  “You shouldn’t have come,” I whispered. “But I’m so happy to see you. I always feel stronger with you, like I can do anything.”

  He smiled, reaching out to stroke my hair reassuringly.

  “You’re the strongest woman I know, Lori. You fight, love and play with every inch of your heart, body and soul. You’ve done nothing but amaze me since the moment we met.” The warmth in his eyes left me in no doubt of his sincerity.

  The sound of cracking glass brought us quickly to our feet. As I feared, the window was cracking under the pressure of all the bodies outside. From the bedroom, came the sound of glass hitting the floor. Even as we looked at it, the front door splintered. A hand pushed through a hole in the door. Mike swung Sarah in his arms and headed into the stairwell, with me following closely behind. As exhausted as I was, fear drove me on.

  The garage door had already splintered. I could see a head pushing its way through. Mike sprinted up the stairs, heading for the second floor. The second apartment on the left was unlocked. We slipped into the dark apartment and closed the door behind us. I knew instinctively that we weren’t alone in the apartment. I guess the body is able to hear or see things that the conscious mind cannot register because Mike immediately handed Sarah to me and pulled out his hatchet.

  I swung Sarah onto my hip, parang held forward, and slid along the wall while Mike walked slowly beside me. Nothing in the lounge room. The kitchen was empty. He jerked his head at the bedroom. I nodded and followed him down the corridor.

  As he pushed open the door, something shot out. I only just managed not to scream as my brain registered that it was a cat. As the large grey tabby disappeared, I breathed a sigh of relief. Not much chance the cat could have survived this long in a room with a flesh-hungry corpse. That only left the bathroom. The door was closed. I hesitated. Maybe I should just leave it like that. Anything in there wasn’t likely to be able to get out.

  As I deliberated, Mike slipped by me and pushed the door open. A moan sent a shiver down my back. Glancing at Mike, I glimpsed a fleeting look of sadness on his face as he looked inside. “Stay here.” He ordered me as he walked in. Yeah right. Putting Sarah down, I gave her a firm ‘stay’ signal and then I followed him in.

  A little girl of about two with dead eyes and a bloodstained mouth faced us. Long dark ringlets framed an angelic, plump face as she stood naked in the bath. Her mouth opened and shut as she reached futilely for us. Dried blood pooled on the floor before her and bloody fingerprints marked the walls of the bathroom.

  I couldn’t help but join the dots. The child had been infected first and had turned while her mother was bathing her, maybe in an attempt to bring down her fever. From the amount of blood on the floor and walls, I guessed the child had torn out a major artery when she’d bitten her mother and the woman had quickly bled out and died. She’d then wandered off, leaving the child trapped in the bath.

  “We can’t leave her like that.” I said sadly.

  “I’ll take care of it.” Mike responded. “You find a way out of this apartment.”

  Chicken that I was, I left him. Sarah was waiting obediently outside. Happy to see me, she held up her arms up in a familiarly demanding gesture. Even though I knew she still had a lot of pain medication in her system, it still amazed me to see how quickly she was returning to her old self. The resilience of kids.

  A look out over the balcony showed at least a hundred corpses pushing their way into the building. Even if we made a sheet rope, there was no way past them. I briefly considered going onto the roof but I had not observed a ladder on the outside of the building. We would be trapped and, come dawn, the corpses were going to be the least of our problems. At the end of the building, however, I observed a possible solution…

  Thud! I whirled around as the door splintered. Mike joined me, a few new blood splatters on his t-shirt.

  “Things are going to get mighty cosy in here in a few moments.” He observed.

  “Yeah. Follow me. I have an idea.” Sarah on my hip, I hurried into the bedroom and pushed open the window. A tall mango tree loomed nearby. “If we can reach the tree, we can climb down.”

  Mike was silent as he did some calculations. I didn’t need him to tell me how hairy an attempt it was going to be. A thin ledge ran to the neighbouring balcony. The tree stood within jumping distance of it.

  He tucked his machete in his belt. “I’ll carry Sarah.”

  I nodded silently. The gap between the building and the tree was at least five feet. Her extra weight would make it very likely that I’d fall short.

  The sound of breaking wood and loud, hungry moans intensified. Hurrying to the doorway, I saw arms and heads pushing through the splintered door. I shut the bedroom door.

  “We need to go. Now.”

  4

  Grabbing a sheet, Mike made a sling around his torso, swinging his gun out of the way. “Ready.”

  I smiled at Sarah. “Time for a piggyback ride with Uncle Mike.”

  Unprotestingly, she let me tuck her into the sling. I hesitated a moment and then, grabbing a nappy from the nearby change table, wrapped it around her eyes.

  “Mummy!” She protested.

  “Ssh.” I said firmly. “You’re not allowed to look until I say so.”

  Once we stepped out on the ledge, we needed to proceed in total silence. I couldn’t take the risk of her being frightened and alerting the corpses to our presence in the tree. She pouted but subsided.

  The banging on the bedroom door made it clear that our time had run out. Over the windowsill, Mike stepped carefully out onto the slim ledge running along the length of the building. Fingers grasping firmly at the gaps between the bricks, he slid a foot along the ledge. My heart in my mouth, I watched his progress. My daughter sat trustingly on his back as he sidled along the wall, blindfold obscuring most of her face. Now it was my turn. As I stepped nervously onto the ledge, a hinge on the bedroom door gave way. The corpses would be in the room in seconds, I knew. I squeezed my fingers into the millimeters-thin gap between the bricks and resolutely slid my feet along the narrow ledge, one at a time, until I had left the safety of the window.

  My fingers quickly started to shake from the strain of holding on to such a narrow gap. Just keep moving, I told myself firmly, one foot at a time. Time seemed to slow as my focus narrowed to my fingers and toes maintaining contact with the building. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Mike’s comforting shape. Finally, I saw him clambering over the balcony and as I, too, reached it, Mike grasped my hand firmly and helped me over the railing. Gasping, I stretched my aching fingers.

  “Ready?” Mike queried gently. I nodded. As ready as I’ll ever be. My fingers dug into my palms as he balanced carefully on the balcony. Even though I trusted Mike with my life, watching him prepare to leap across a five-foot gap with my daughter terrified me. I needn’t have concerned myself. He made the leap with a surety I could only envy. Balancing on a thick outlying branch, he gestured to me. My turn.

  Swallowing, I sat on the balcony’s edge. I looked over at Mike who smiled encouragingly at me. Okay, here goes nothing. I pushed off with both feet, aiming to hook my arms around the branch. I hit it with my chest, knocking the wind out of me. As I fla
iled in panic, trying to get a footing, Mike reached down and gripped my hand firmly. I relaxed, knowing he had me and would never let go.

  Once I’d found my feet and regained my breath, we started carefully making our way down the old mango tree. The horde was gathered only thirty feet away, so we made our way down with excruciating slowness and quietness. As we crouched on the lowest branch, Mike whispered. “We need to hit the ground running. Head for the back of the golf club. Ken said he’d leave keys in a golf cart for us.”

  I looked at him askance. “Golf cart? They’re not very fast, are they?”

  “They just need to be faster than those things.” He tipped his head at the mob. Point taken.

  Mike lowered himself to the ground quietly, the thick trunk between him and the horde. Then I swung down and let him lower me quietly to the grass. Taking a deep breath, I nodded to let him know I was ready. He held his hand up, watching the sky. He was waiting for cloud cover, I realised. Without the moonlight revealing us, we might actually make it across unseen! Excitement and renewed hope filled me.

  The night darkened as the moon disappeared behind heavy black clouds.

  “Now.” Mike whispered and we bolted into the open. Trying to run fast but lightly, I fought to keep pace with Mike’s long stride. We managed to make it halfway across the park before the moon reappeared.

  As we entered the car park, I saw the remainder of the horde, a large group of at least two hundred, mobbing the heavy doors of the clubhouse. Hopefully, that meant the horde didn’t realise the group had gone already - and not that the group was still trapped inside. Racing for the side of the building, I heard the excited moans of the mob. We had been spotted.

  My chest burned but knowing what awaited me if I slowed gave me the impetus to keep up with Mike as we rounded the back of the clubhouse. There, in a row, were three buggies. The first and second carts didn’t have keys but, with deep relief, I saw that the the third cart did. Jumping in as Mike turned the cart on, I held on as the vehicle jerked forward. It darted forward over the landscaped grounds as corpses spilled around the corner. God, it seemed to go so slowly, even though I knew it was probably travelling at least twenty miles an hour.

  Slowly, slowly, the distance between the mob and us increased. As we traversed a small hill and they disappeared from sight, I breathed a sigh of relief. The buzz in my head made me lightheaded. Grinning, I looked over at Mike and saw my baby still patiently sitting with her eyes covered. Laughing, I reached over and removed the blindfold. Blinking, she focused on my face and smiled in response to mine. Then she saw where she was and clapped her hands. “Ooh, buggy ride!”

  Mike grinned at me. “That’s what I love about kids. So easily pleased.”

  We steered clear of all dark patches as we drove across the beautifully manicured lawns. We didn’t have the time or inclination to deal with any stray corpses lurking in bushes. Some minutes later, I spotted the gleam of the creek separating the golf course from the bay upon which the marina had been built. To my delight, I saw the dark shape of the two other golf carts and the figures standing around them. They were still here and safe!

  Jumping out, I ran into the embrace of my family and friends. I kissed my children, then Jessie and Kaye. Mike was confronted by an ecstatic chihuahua who fought her way out of the backpack to jump into his arms and cover his face with licks.

  I paused as I came to Ken and Lucas. As happy as I was to see them, the pain in their faces reflected the loss I was feeling. Wordlessly, we drew together in a long, tight hug. Finally, dropping our arms, I took Lucas’ face in my hand. “She told me to take care of you, Lucas. You need to know that you are family - now and always.” He nodded, eyes dark with emotion.

  I turned to Ken. He was clearly struggling to be strong. We looked at each other for a long moment.

  “We’ve only got a couple of hours till dawn, folks.” Mike reminded us gently, returning an enthusiastic Phoebe to Jessie’s backpack and picking up his own backpack, which Ken had been shouldering. “Let’s get across.”

  “Um, aren’t there crocodiles in this creek?” Michele asked nervously.

  “Probably.” I admitted. “Stick together and we should be fine. They like to pick out the stragglers.”

  I had no idea if that was true, actually, but we needed to get across that river, regardless.

  The creek was only about thirty feet across. Ken seemed pretty confident that we could walk across, so the guys and Kaye, who was the tallest female in the group, carried the babies on their shoulders as we entered the cool water. Michele and Jessie stayed firmly in the middle of the group. I could see Michele casting nervous glances around us. Maybe I should have been more worried but I had yet to hear of a crocodile attack on a golf course in Cairns. Still, we all breathed a sigh of relief on making it safely to the other side.

  “What now?” Ken asked, trying to squeeze water out of his shirt. A slight breeze made our dripping clothes chilly and uncomfortable. Mike nodded at the sand dune blocking the view of the marina.

  “Let’s check it out.”

  Ken, Mike and I struggled up the sandy bank and lay down just below the dune’s edge. Mike pulled out the binoculars and focused on the marina sprawled below us. A few lights shone from boats moored there. In the dark, it was difficult to see any other details from the dune.

  “What do you see?” Ken asked.

  “Walking corpses.”

  I sighed. Figured. Part of me had hoped that the marina was somehow miraculously empty, silly as that was.

  Mike lowered the glasses. “It’ll be too dangerous for all of us to go to the marina. I suggest a couple of us fetch a boat while the rest wait on the beach.”

  “Yeah.” I responded tiredly. “Makes sense.” Turning to Ken, I asked. “Will you lead them to the beach, Ken? Keep them quiet and out of sight?”

  Glancing from me to Mike and back, he looked ready to protest. Then he sighed. “I guess you two are a good team. You’ve already shown that. Okay, I’ll wait for your signal.”

  Scrambling back down the dune, he gathered the group. I looked at Mike who was staring at me. “What?”

  “You could sit this one out, you know, Lori.”

  Could I? As much as the thought appealed, our lives hung on the success of this mission. I knew how Mike worked, he knew how I worked. Ken was right; we were a good team. I wasn’t about to risk the group’s life by changing things up now. I smiled at him. “What, and miss out on all the fun? Not likely.”

  5

  Keeping to the long grasses and palm trees that grew along the edge of the sand bank, Mike and I crept towards the marina. The moon glinted in the water which sloshed soothingly on the beach. It was a picture of serenity and beauty. I knew better. As we drew alongside the first row of boats, I could see dark figures wandering along the pier. The boathouse above the pier stood dark and forbidding.

  “How are we going to do this?” I asked in a low whisper.

  Mike nodded to the boats before us. “We swim out to the end of the pier, climb up the ladder and work our way through the boats till we find one with keys and fuel. Considering some of the owners must have been killed while still onboard, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

  I swallowed, pretty confident it would be bloody hard. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  I glanced uneasily at the horizon. Was it my imagination or was there a ghost of a light already there? I knew dawn couldn’t be far away.

  Staying low, we slid into the gentle waves. I’d never really liked swimming in the sea. Between sharks, jellyfish and crocodiles, I had always found it hard to fully relax and enjoy the experience. Now I could add the possibility of walking corpses to the list of things that could be waiting for me beneath the water. However, except for a couple of scary moments when I felt unseen things brushed my legs, the swim to the end of the jetty was uneventful. Mike pulled himself up the ladder and paused at the top for me to join him.

  “I’ll check the left side, you check the
right.” He whispered. “Stay alert, Lori.”

  I nodded and scurried into the nearest boat, a fifty-foot sailing boat. I checked the ignition. Nothing. Pulling out my parang, I crept down the stairs into the living area. It was small but comfortably decorated, designed to feel like home. I glanced around, wondering where the owners would keep their keys. The kitchen? Keeping a wary eye out, I backed into the compact kitchen. No keys on the bench tops or hanging on the walls. I started searching through the drawers. As I bent down to peer into the bottom drawer, a sixth sense alerted me.

  Spinning around and falling on my bum, I saw a man rushing at me. Swallowing a scream, I thrust my parang up defensively as the man flung himself on me. The knife lodged in his chest, giving me the space to throw him to the side. Scrambling to my feet, I swung my parang down, cleaving his forehead. Pulling the knife out, I brought it down again with all the force I could muster. Brains spilling out of his skull, the body stilled.

  Breathing heavily, I spun around in case the noise had attracted any other corpse lurking in the ship. But nothing moved. Heart thumping, I quickly checked the rest of the ship but there were no further surprises. I moved back out onto the pier. Mike emerged from his ship and shook his head. Damn it.

  I stepped onto the next ship, a fishing boat. Again, the keys weren’t in the ignition. I searched the entire ship cautiously, but there was no trace of the keys. Feeling the dawn pressing on me, I hurried onto the next ship, a motor boat. As I searched the galley, I heard footsteps pounding down the stairs. Mike appeared in the doorway, looking grim. “We’ve got company.” Oh hell.

  Rushing out, I saw a wall of dark bodies flooding down the jetty towards us. So many corpses pressed down the narrow wooden walkway, that bodies spilled into the sea continuously on either side.

  Wordlessly, Mike and I ran to the next boat, a catamaran. Again, no keys. I smacked the side of the boat in frustration. As Mike searched below, I ran across the jetty to a large motorboat. To my delight, I spotted keys in the ignition.