by Cenz Barone
Chapter 2 - Before The Petrol Runs Out
So Grant scoped the area, his eyes darting around the terrain as he drove onwards. He still had no idea where he was within Oxford but now he had to make a decision, he felt like he was making all the decisions for the group, the kid Kenny in the back was not being helpful, the women were sleeping, but everyone appeared to look to him for leadership and guidance. Grant just hoped something would draw his attention. He needed to find a spot, but the suburban streets were all the same to him.
It was time to rest up he knew and he opted to do what he had been doing previously when he was tired, since finding the van when it had far more petrol than it did now, and this was him locating a quiet isolated spot to settle up and plan the next move. Only now with the petrol so low, the luxury of stop and starting was no longer what it was.
Grant felt relief wash over him, because up ahead he saw a place to lay low, he saw a wide alleyway between rows of houses. He pointed briefly but Kenny was just sitting in the back unaware what was taking place with Grant, so he could not see Grant's hand movement. Grant turned to see if Kenny was behind him but he was not, so he called out "Kenny look". Kenny stood up from sitting down. Kenny rested his hands between the seats and saw Grant was just pointing up ahead. Kenny could see where he was going "That looks okay" said Kenny, realising they were finally going to settle down somewhere to decide their next course of action. Grant headed towards the alleyway. He slowed down a few meters before the junction to turn into the alleyway and then using the side mirrors he reversed the van backwards down the alleyway between the houses.
Thankfully it was wide enough for the van to be reversed down but the alleyway was narrow enough to act as a blockade on either side of the van. This meant any threats would be seen from the front and also those people would only be able to bang the back of the van should they come up from the rear. The van was sturdy enough to withstand this and the sides were protected with hardly any leverage between the van and walls of the alleyway.
Grant drove 10 metres into the alleyway and turned off the engine and finally, everything went quiet, bar the trickling rain on the roof of the van which became louder now the engine was silent. Instantly Grant demanded of Kenny “The map, where is it?”. Kenny shrugged his shoulders indicating he did not know. Frustrated Grant fiddled around his passenger’s side, he was careful not to wake up the sleeping woman in the passenger seat. Grant noticed the head of the map amongst some rubbish within the foot space of the passenger side. He grabbed the map booklet and lifted it up as he sat back in the driver's seat. Grant stared at it. The map was an A to Z of Great Britain with the Oxford section page flipped over.
Grant went towards the dashboard and took a cigarette lighter, he lit it up and then using its light, he opened the map book. Straight away Grant went to the section at the back detailing Oxford. Even though he was using the lighter, it was still so hard to see but neither he nor Kenny wished to put on the light within the van on. Grant hopelessly muttered "This map lacks any detail. All the ways out are blocked and nothing I have seen since driving matches what is on the map. For fucks sake this is ridiculous. This is for the immediately cite centre, I do not know what area I am. We must have gone way outside of the centre. Fuck. Why can't the internet work" he complained. Grant went towards his phone but upon looking at it, he still had no signal and his battery was very low.
Kenny pointed at the part of the map he thought they were at and remarked "Do you think that is where we are?". Grant shook his head and replied "I do not even know what street we are on Kenny. This is just a superficial look at the area. We need far more detail, and it is so dark I cannot recall street names". Kenny shook his head annoyed as he voiced "You would if you kept a track on where we were going, instead of daydreaming". Grant sighed annoyed at the passenger in the back and replied "That should be your job. You have eyes and a memory don't you. I am focusing on driving". Kenny did not reply, and Grant was about to scold Kenny some more because he was outraged by Kenny putting all the pressure onto him to deal with everything.
Before Grant could do this, both men went silent as they heard a blood curdling scream from outside the van. It was a horrified sound that echoed louder and went right through each of them. The sound was all the more amplified since the engine was switched off. The lighter in Grants hands went off instinctively, and he went tense, almost frozen to the seat. Grant whispered "It sounds too close". Kenny disagreed and replied, himself also whispering "Do not worry. It is nowhere near where we are, sound travels further when it is quiet". Kenny was guessing but he did not want to move from the alleyway, he knew how low they were on petrol and he did not like the fact Grant drove around aimlessly. All Kenny wanted was some course of action to commit to, and he was just hoping to locate a place to hold up by using this downtime they were affording themselves to work out where.
Inside the van the three other passengers were still sleeping, the lady in the passenger side and the girl in the back of the van opposite Kenny plus the woman at the foot of the vans rear, near the doors who was resting her head on some baggage. Grants eyes were straining as he was checking the side mirrors, moving between the side mirrors and the front. He fearfully muttered “I am moving out of here if I see one of those things again Kenny, you hear me!". Kenny knew he would react erratically and even though Kenny was scared he was trying to think rationally.
Kenny said "Grant, we are in a van in a tight alleyway. You came here for that purpose right. I won't object if a lot of them come here but if it is one or a handful it is wise to just wait it out. Look, we should try to find the hospital. Do you know where it is? Maybe there is some kind of safe zone around there, isn't that what the radio said". Grant went back to eyeing the map as his eyes were straining in the darkness even though he once more was using his lighter. But as he focused he was just struggling to locate where he was on the map, the hospital was easy enough to see because it was labelled on the map with the letter H, but there was three of them all in different parts of the city map and its outskirts. Yet, considering where they were in the van, it was all but a guessing game, and with all those strange objects on this very simplistic map of so many unfamiliar buildings, it was literally a matter of life and death to be sure where they were. They could not afford to gamble on a direction.
Grant in frustration voiced “I would say it is 18 miles away from wherever we are”. Grant said in reference to their supposed distance from the hospital. Kenny found Grants comment inaccurate and protested “18 miles away! That cannot be right Grant no matter how far we are from the hospital. This city is not 18 miles in length it is not London for fucks sake" immediately Grant countered “I am talking about 18 miles of me turning down streets and getting lost. I hardly read maps like this. Whenever I go around anywhere I use GPS. This piece of junk van with a paper map is lost on me. I mean what kind of a guy uses maps in the 21st century. I have no idea what to do, just give me a GPS and I will know exactly where to go but going by where we are, wherever that is, we can rule out the hospital. Not like the GPS would be beneficial, I don't know why the internet is struggling so much. Besides, we do not have the luxury anymore of getting lost, we have to just try and hold up anywhere, even a house”.
Kenny sighed, and in a depressed tone replied "We have been in this van forever haven’t we? You are obviously right about us needing to find a secure place, anywhere secure. That was the plan if we could not find a more official place. There is no point trying to get out of here or chasing down places we think will be safe, hospitals, schools or military barracks. Who knows what state they are in, no matter what the radio might say. I would take my chances in a shed at this point mate. Anywhere that isn't on the streets. Just driving around until we run out of petrol is just asking for trouble. What good will it be if we are surrounded by those things" Kenny echoing Grants sentiments.
In reply Grant said “We are already stranded in the street mate, we have just got this metallic wall separa
ting us from realising it. And it only feels secure because we got petrol left inside. It is not going to last long I am afraid”. Kenny to try and speak to the positive said "Still Grant, better this metallic wall than no wall. Better than being out there with nothing separating us, right?” Grant knew Kenny was making sense. They had after all gone from one supposed rescue centre to another, only to find it overrun or outdated, all within such a short time, but the carnage was too much and the amount of creatures and fighting by unaffected people meant they had to escape for their lives. Kenny said more quietly than normal “Let’s put the radio on to find out what’s going on out there” by out there Kenny meant not just beyond Oxford but for the entire country as well as the world itself. It was clear this was a national pandemic from what they had learned previously on the radio, with even further reaching consequences.
They had put the radio off during their journey to focus on the streets and try and get out of the city because the information on the radio was so distracting, with what was being described, and many a times the frequency was too fuzzy. Finally though they could lay up for a bit, it was a good means to take stock of the situation. Grant put on the radio and the rain had picked up intensity and started to smash down instead of trickling down on top of the van. There was something comforting in the rain to both men, especially to Kenny who hated the rain as a child, even as a young man he was not too keen but now he smiled and was tempted to scream in excitement at how relaxing it was. Grant was trying to find the correct frequency.
Grant was cursing "I swear it was on this frequency before" Grant was adjusting the radio knob until the static was heard and then finally there was a glimmering of a voice. Grant hearing this voice was gentle in his caressing of the radio knob, trying to enhance the voice from the sound speakers. And then eventually the two men sat back and listened in as Grant had acquired a regional radio station detailing Oxfordshire. Kenny remarked “This this isn’t a national station?” Grant replied “It doesn’t matter Kenny, the point is it’s a voice”. Once the voice streamed Grant shuffled through the side door near the driver's side and took a bottle of water, which only had a quarter left within. He sipped some, he was conscious of rationing but he was desperate to gulp it down but he abstained.
The radio announcers voice was heard clearly on a low volume and said “The situation has in many parts of the county been put under control; the army and air force are assisting operations in Oxfordshire. All residents are still advised to find their way to rescue stations which are being streamed on televisions under a state of national emergency. And we have bulletins still running every 30 minutes to list the necessary rescue stations. We are always being asked on behalf of the police to state if your emergency calls have not been immediately responded to that it is because they are being inundated with an overload of people trapped and awaiting rescue throughout the county, and beyond. Rest assured though, your calls are documented so please bare this in mind. You are going to be rescued by the authorities".
The radio announcer could be heard whispering in a low key tone, and what he was whispering in exchange to another voice heard was too quiet to be appreciated by the listeners. Eventually the radio announcer came back and spoke clearly, after coughing to clear his throat, as he continued to say "Maintain the same advice which has been given since the beginning of this mass hysteria and find a secure and safe location, the advice is to make sure you are protected and hidden. The authorities have also called for patience and calm, so please know the situation is being dealt with. Board yourself up and remain secure, make sure you have enough provisions, water and food but do not put yourself into unnecessary danger to seek out more or go looking for help, especially if it means moving along the streets without access to vehicles. It is wise to wait in one location after your call has been documented by the emergency services, if you struggle to obtain a phone with a signal just make sure you are safe. There is much confusion out there this evening about some areas having phone and internet down whilst others areas are unscathed. We really wish we could bring you....”
Kenny muttered under his breath "Bullshit. They are acting like this is under control. It is total bullshit". The radio announcer went on as Kenny sounded off. Grant though was listening attentively to the broadcaster who went on "These mass murdering gangs of criminals appear to be out in force, if you have access to a TV. I suggest you put it on. Some of the scenes are astonishing especially within major cities. I will repeat what I have been saying earlier on from the government statement. All citizens must avoid large crowds of unusual looking people. I know this is ambiguous but you people must use common sense and the perpetrators are quite distinctive. You should also keep updated on social media if you can, to keep up to date for instant feedback on what is occurring around areas you are located in. People are uploading videos and pictures, but also giving update in safe places and dangerous locations”.
Grant once more looked at his phone which was completely out of battery, he shook his head and cursed himself for not getting his charger from the office as he the radio host went on “Later on we have a criminologist coming in, an expert I am told who can shed light on the situation, he who wrote criminal mania, a book released to critical acclaim and he also managed to be shortlisted for prestigious awards whose title I am ignorant of as of now. But my research team will get the correct title of his award. The academic in question is Dr Barry Hunt who has kindly asked to join us to..."
Grant finally spoke up like Kenny had and voiced his disgust. Grant stated "A bloody criminologist. The last time we listened they had a biologist on. What the hell, a criminologist shortlisted for an award, and his research team are going to find out what it is! Is this guy for real" Kenny also found it ridiculous to hear and it was as though this radio announcer was still trying to run a show when this madness was engulfing the streets but the radio host went on, his remit to sound as composed and in control as possible. "We also have the MP Dorothy Graham coming in via phone. Whose own constituency in London appears to be relatively unscathed at this present time, even though vast areas of London appear to be touched by this uh, this uh...hysteria. But Dorothy will be providing information from the government related to the situation nationally, and won't be focused on London. I am sure none of you care about London right now unless you are there yourself, or have family or friends there. I just know how risky the situation is in the county from what you are texting in and from your phone calls. But it is not just us down here that are affected".
The radio host was heard shuffling through papers, stuttering as though to buy time until he continued to speak. Eventually he went on "It appears some parts of the country are more affected than others like I have said. At least this is what the government website is saying and various spokespeople from both the government and military. London for example is a mixture of what are termed hotspots and green zones. All of the worse parts appear to be areas with a high concentration of people, your big cities and big towns for example. There have also been some reports, well actually with evidence that is visible online via videos uploaded that some towns and city areas are being surrounded and blocked off by the authorities. It is difficult to process but people claim they are being prevented from leaving and gunfire has been reported from the authorities to people seeking assistance. These are all mixed reports, so please take care. Martial law has been implemented in certain parts of the country and due to the mixture of information, it is wise to just follow and listen to instructions of all military and police personnel you encounter..."
Kenny shouted aloud at the radio "Damn right they have blocked off the roads. The fuckers are keeping us trapped in here". Grant asked Kenny to be quiet as the radio host went on. "Mrs Graham will be coming in to speak about the problems in relation to what she calls riots and how it relates to inequality, she is adamant this is some extension of similar unrest in cities we have had before, do you remember the London riots and how it spread to other cities. This is
her theory, she basis it on class".
Grant angrily said "A fucking class issue! Is she fucking serious? This is not a riot. Are these people purposely giving us wrong information? People are being murdered out here, the people doing it are not normal, there is no riot. It is not looting. This is government spin, this is disgraceful, are they are still keeping us in the dark. How can they say this, have they not seen what is happening. Fuck I wish I had access online, I will get a better idea what is happening out there than listening to this trash" Kenny remained quiet as Grant was arguing with the radio and growing more disgusted by what he was hearing.
The radio host went on "I have no idea how Mrs Graham plans to make such an argument nor indeed how Dr Hunt does but I am sure you will all be appreciative listeners who are still with us. The majority of the listeners to this show I like to think are open minded people with a thirst to learn, and you will need to open your mind and be as thirsty as you’ve ever been in order to begin to understand this terrible situation we are experiencing at this present time in our great country. Now as I have said, I have had word from officials in government who have said the situation is under control so all people exercise caution and remain vigilant. Co-operation is key, and following guidelines already passed out by the authorities is how you will protect yourself and your families".
