Winter Smith (Book 1): London's Burning

by Strange, J. S.

  She strode back to the window, lifted one candlestick and hurtled it through the air. It smashed the glass of a shop opposite them. The shattering glass was loud and fierce, attracting the attention of the zombies gathered at the bottom of their house. The coast became clear while they ran to investigate the source of the commotion. Violet knew they didn’t have much time.

  “Go now, Zach. I’ll get more things to throw, just go now.”

  Violet turned to look at Zach. He was just standing there, looking out of place and defeated.

  “GO!”

  Zach had no choice. He picked up his gun from the side of the bed and left for the hallway. Violet followed him, barking orders.

  “I’d say you have about a minute to get to the helicopter and back. It’s pretty close. Probably only about five feet away. If I think they’re coming back I’ll distract them again. You’ll be fine, Zach, just don’t make any noise or bring their attention to you.”

  She opened the door and pushed him out. He stumbled over the stone ground and stood where he was in fear. He wasn’t surrounded, but seeing the scene from here Violet thought this really was crazy.

  “Violet…”

  “Go.”

  She shut the door as quietly as possible; hoping that the click she heard was not as loud outside. She made to go back upstairs, then remembered what she had hidden in the room next to her. She knew she didn’t have much time, but she remembered there being books inside that could be heavy enough to cause some distractions.

  She opened the door and ran straight to the bookcase. She hadn’t heard anything outside yet that signalled that Zach was in trouble. She realised she hadn’t even told the kids about what was happening. She thought she should.

  As she pulled out heavy book after heavy book, she found the notes she had hidden from Zach earlier. She picked these up and folded them, hiding them away in the left side of her bra.

  Then, she left the room with the books, struggling to carry them upstairs. Her heart was pounding as she suddenly thought she was out of time. Zach could have been attacked and had no time to call out or fight back. For all she knew he could have left the scene and left her behind.

  Would she be double crossed by Zach? Was it possible he was playing her, too?

  As she passed the kid’s bedroom she heard them inside. She stopped and popped her head around the corner. They had one window here looking out onto the side street. She thought that it would probably be full of zombies, too. Still carrying the books she went to the window and peered down, seeing the heads of the dead fighting over a dead body. Had someone been nearby only moments ago?

  She drew the curtains so the kids wouldn’t see outside and turned to see them watching her.

  They looked so tired and ill. The girl was sniffing constantly, while the boy seemed to tremble.

  “Don’t go to the window, okay?” Violet said. “Stay inside here, okay?”

  The kids nodded.

  Violet smiled at them unconvincingly and left for the main bedroom she was sharing with Zach. She strode to the window and saw that Zach was in the helicopter dialling away at something she couldn’t quite see. The zombies were still investigating the shop window she had smashed. Others were investigating the second half of the helicopter, looking at the flames but not getting too close. Others were staggering away from the street, and then there were two or three heading towards Zach.

  They seemed to be walking slowly, almost cautiously, as if they weren’t quite sure if they were seeing someone alive or one of their own. Violet knew if they got closer they would realise he was alive, and they would alert the others.

  She picked up the second candlestick and aimed at the house in front of her. She hoped no one was inside as she threw the stick through the upstairs window, similar to the one they had here. The zombies approaching Zach ran to the house opposite, while the others stopped to look but went back to what they were doing. Zach looked at her and nodded.

  Had he contacted someone? Or was he thanking her?

  She wanted to call out. She wanted to speak to him. Suddenly, she wanted him back inside.

  He moved. The helicopter groaned and moved to one side. The window hit the ground and snapped in half, creating a loud noise. Violet saw what was about to happen before it did.

  The zombies, all investigating something else, knew this was a moment too good to miss. They turned to the helicopter and as one they spotted Zach trying to escape. They began to run, and Violet, seeing that Zach was struggling to get out, knew he would be set upon in seconds.

  She screamed and began firing her gun at any zombie she saw. She only managed to hit a few down, but the sounds she made alerted more zombies her way. Zach was out of the helicopter now and running towards the door, the nearest zombie only inches away.

  Violet sped out of the room, her heart pounding, her body filling with guilt. If Zach died she would never forgive herself. Never.

  “Kids, get in the other room, kids!” She heard herself scream as she stumbled down the steps.

  She jumped the last few and sprang to the door. Before she got there it opened, and Zach was turning to shut it. It was so close to shutting when the zombies from outside began to push it back on them. Zach shouted, but Violet couldn’t make out a word he said. Her heart drowned out any other noise.

  She tried pushing the door shut again, but the more zombies being added to the door, the more they were outweighed. Then, the door swung back on them, and Zach fell to the floor.

  Violet screamed and picked Zach up. He wouldn’t stand so she had to drag him, ignoring his protests as he hit the steps, ignoring her body telling her she wasn’t strong enough to carry him.

  Then he stood and they sped up the steps, aware that the zombies were behind them and inside the house.

  The stench filled their nostrils. Violet swayed on the uneven floor of the landing. The kids were stood in the doorway, and when they saw the zombies climbing the stairs, they screamed.

  Zach was the last into the room and he slammed the door. He locked it, gasping for breath.

  “The bed,” he said. “Put the bed against the door.”

  Violet grabbed one end of the bed while Zach grabbed the other. He dragged it backwards while Violet pushed it forwards until finally the metal frame of the bed was against the door, giving them protection. It was small, and they knew that if the door splintered in the middle they were doomed.

  Zach ran to the open windows and looked down into the street. What he saw was the dead spilling out of the house, banging on the windows and staring up at them. They were trapped.

  * * *

  Winter and Connor strolled through the woods feeling slightly on edge. It was dark now and Winter didn’t really know where she was going. All that consoled her was that she held Connor’s hand, who was still crying silently.

  “Thank you, Winter,” He whispered as they walked. “You let me tell you everything. I have never been able to tell these stories to anyone before.”

  “You’ve been giving yourself too much of a hard time, Connor. What you say you’ve done can easily be explained as childhood mistakes and growing up.”

  Connor stopped. They were at the edge of the woods now. Winter could just make out the memorial park. A fire was burning inside the fortress of the walls. It looked so safe and welcoming.

  “I know we really haven’t known each other all that long. But I’ve seen you popping in and out of that coffee house for awhile now and I’ve never been able to say anything to you.”

  He looked down at his feet, scuffing his shoes against the ground.

  “Then we finally go on a date and we almost die.” Connor laughed.

  “That’s why I avoid relationships.” Winter joked.

  “But you’re different to anyone else I’ve ever been with. You’re understanding, you’re cute and there’s something about you that I really love.”

  He looked up at her and bit his lip.

  “I love you.” He said w
ith a shrug.

  Winter smiled slightly, but she felt slightly panicked. Love had always frightened her. She had never really had an opportunity to be in love with anyone. Except for a girl in a history class when she was younger, but nothing had happened there.

  “I’m glad we found each other again.” Connor leant in for a kiss, and Winter kissed him back. She liked Connor, but she didn’t know if she loved him. What was she supposed to say? Should she say the same and not mean it?

  Then they heard running footsteps, crunching over fallen leaves and fallen twigs.

  Winter and Connor broke apart. The turned in fear, expecting to see zombies hurtling their way, but instead they saw Oliver.

  “Oh my god, he’s bleeding.” Connor gasped.

  “Run, they’re behind us, run.” Oliver shouted.

  He barged through Winter and Connor, knocking Winter off her feet. Connor hurried to pick her back up.

  “Has he been…?” Winter began to ask, dusting the dirt off her clothes.

  Something fell in the woods behind them.

  “I don’t know, but we need to get back to camp,” Connor said.

  They did just that. They could see Oliver running, knew they needed to keep close together. Winter gripped Connor’s hand, not wanting to lose him or let him go.

  She had felt safer by the woods, surrounded by trees. Now, being out in the openness of the park, it just made her realise how vulnerable she was.

  They finally reached the wall of the memorial park and Connor lifted her over the wall before climbing over himself.

  Winter could see that Oliver, who was lying on the ground clutching his bleeding arm, spooked everyone else. Gerry and Laura were knelt next to him, trying to calm him down to hear what had happened, while William was stood above them holding a gun which was slightly pointed in the direction of Oliver, should he turn.

  “Shh, shh, Oliver, tell us what happened.” Laura soothed, looking at the others for guidance.

  “Has he been bitten?” William asked.

  “I can’t tell if it’s a bite or just a wound.”

  Oliver began to sit up, and William trained his gun to Oliver’s head. Winter stepped forward, craning down to look into Oliver’s eyes.

  He looked back at her, a look that was empty and bored but not dead.

  “I’m fine,” he said, still clutching his arm, where blood was still pouring. “I haven’t been bitten, either.”

  “Then what ‘appened?” Gerry asked.

  “Helena is dead.”

  Everyone was shocked. Nobody said a word. The only sound came from Laura, who had gasped.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s obvious, she’s dead,” Oliver said, his voice frosty. Winter noticed the scene of panic and upset he had caused just a moment ago was gone. He was empty and emotionless again. “She waited for those pair.”

  Oliver glared at Winter and Connor. His look was accusatory, as if it had been their fault Helena had waited to meet her end.

  “And I came back to get her. It was getting dark. She couldn’t wait in those woods alone. Then two of those zombies came, and they attacked us. Helena tried to get them with a knife she had but she got me instead, and when she was apologising they jumped onto her.”

  “How many were there?” Connor asked.

  “I just said. Two.”

  William had lowered his gun. Laura was crying. Gerry hadn’t uttered a single word.

  “And how did you escape?” Winter asked. She didn’t buckle under the stare of Oliver. One that was untrustworthy, poisonous and malicious.

  “I tried to help her. I tried to save her. But then she turned, and so I ran. I left them.”

  “Oh no,” Laura was saying. “Oh no, she can’t be dead.”

  “You don’t look like you were attacked yourself,” William said.

  “What do you fucking call this, mate?” Oliver challenged, holding up his wounded arm.

  “I mean, if you tried helping her, you don’t look particularly flustered, or dirty.”

  “I looked dirty anyway. We all fucking do. A little bit more dirt is hardly going to show up. She turned. She was a goner as soon as she stopped to help me.”

  “Where is she now?” Connor asked.

  “In the woods. She’s one of them.”

  Connor and William exchanged glances.

  “I’m going to go and find them,” Connor said.

  Gerry looked at him. It was the first time he had looked away from Oliver since his revelation.

  “You can’t.” Winter gasped, before anyone else could talk. She couldn’t see him go back to those woods. What if he never came back?

  “She’s right, Connor,” Gerry said. His voice was strained. “It’s too dark. It’s too dangerous.”

  “If there are zombies out there, we need to kill them, Gerry.” Connor argued. “We need to make sure they don’t come any closer.”

  “We’re locked in. We’re safe here.” Laura whispered. “Besides, what is the point? Helena is one of them now.”

  William was looking at Gerry, waiting for his instructions. Winter wondered what they were all thinking. Nobody seemed to be sympathetic to Oliver at all, considering he had supposedly just witnessed Helena’s death.

  “We have to leave ‘ere,” Gerry said. “We have to leave ‘ere tonight, I think.”

  “You just said it’s too dangerous in the dark,” Connor said.

  “Yes, it’s too dangerous ‘ere.” Gerry nodded. “Nobody sleeps tonight. We wait for the sunrise and we get out of ‘ere together.”

  Gerry stood up and held out his hand to Oliver. Oliver took it with his good hand and was pulled to his feet.

  “Laura, go and find us a first aid kit. That arm of Olly’s needs to be seen to.”

  Oliver’s jaw clenched, but with a slight shake of his head any emotion he had had was gone. He glanced at Winter, who was watching him, working him out.

  Connor looked slightly out of place. He ran a hand over the back of his head.

  “Gerry, let me just go and see if there is any chance Helena is alive…”

  “No.”

  Gerry turned away from Connor and followed Laura to the tent. She disappeared inside and Winter knew she would be crying. She suddenly remembered that the memory of Helena was all over that tent. Winter was also wearing her clothes. She suddenly felt odd.

  “Connor…”

  “Just give me a second.”

  He glanced over at Gerry, who was bending down to enter Laura’s tent. Connor turned and headed to the wall. Winter wanted to shout after him, but if she did so she would alert the others. Instead, she began to follow.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I just want to check something.”

  “You can’t. You heard what Gerry said. It’s too dangerous. We’ve already lost Helena, we can’t lose you.”

  “Winter, I won’t be going far.”

  “I can’t lose you, Connor.”

  Connor stopped next to the wall. He looked at Winter.

  “Why not?”

  “I guess I love you, too.”

  Connor wrapped his arms around Winter. She hugged him back. He smelled her hair, rubbing his hands over her shoulder.

  “I’m not going anywhere, Winter. I will only be about five minutes. I just need to check something, okay?”

  The pair broke apart, and Winter looked into his eyes. She noticed how brown they were, how honest. She knew he could look after himself. He was smart, he knew how to survive.

  “Don’t be long.”

  “Wait here with the others.”

  Connor checked Gerry was not looking before leaping over the wall.

  Once over, he hurried to a set of trees where he could see the memorial garden but he could not be seen.

  He sat down on the ground; aware he was cast in the dark and the shadows. He muffled the sound of the walkie-talkie being turned on and spoke into the device.

  “Did you hear her?”

/>   He waited. He didn’t know if anyone would be on the receiving end.

  The device came to life in his hands. He jumped.

  “Yes, I heard her,” A male voice said. Young, but important. “What are your plans now?”

  “We’ve just lost one of our team. Gerry says we have to leave the park tonight.”

  “Good, good,” The voice said, slightly crackled. “The last boat is leaving the Thames soon. You don’t have long left.”

  Connor waited for the person on the other end of the talkie to leave their transmission open before speaking.

  “I know. I realise that. We’ll be out of here soon. Are you going to meet us at the docks?”

  “I am.”

  Connor waited. He thought about what to say next. But before he could say anything else, the device made a noise again.

  “I don’t care if anyone else dies. But you keep her alive. We need her.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Connor knew the conversation was over. He knew there was nothing else to say. He hid the walkie-talkie in his pocket and rested his head in his hand, trying to get a few minutes of calm before going back to camp.

  Winter approached the tent back in the memorial garden, where she knew Laura would be crying. She popped her head in and saw Gerry was patting Laura’s knee. Laura’s face was red, her eyes wet, but she seemed to have stopped crying for the moment. Gerry had successfully managed to console her. They both smiled at Winter as she climbed in, zipping up the tent door behind her.

  “Are you okay?” Winter asked, already knowing the answer.

  Laura shrugged. She had been close to Helena, despite being so young. Laura was only a year younger than Winter, but she could see she was still just a little girl, lost in this newfound world.

  “We’ve lost people before her, but obviously Helena made her mark.” Gerry explained. “I knew her from uni.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “We weren’t close.” Gerry shook his head. “Few classes, knew her as a teen. We only made friends here, really.”

  “Still, we’ve lost someone important.”

  Gerry and Laura nodded.

  “So where are we going to go in the morning?” Winter asked. She was glad they had decided to move. She was beginning to feel like they were wasting time, and time right now was vital.