Viro (Book 1): Viro

by Taylor, Barnaby

  ‘We’re going to have to try and get you up.’

  Ellis nodded.

  Amber looked at Abe and me.

  ‘You two need to get her arms and I’ll hold her legs.’

  Amber spoke quietly to Ellis.

  ‘We’re going to be careful but this is really going to hurt.’

  Ellis gritted her teeth.

  ‘I know,’ she said.

  Over

  I lifted Ellis under her armpit. So did Abe. Amber held her legs. Ellis howled with pain.

  It was very hard. Ellis was really heavy. Each step we took made her hurt more. She tried to keep quiet but couldn’t. The rest of us looked at each other. This was really bad. We got as far as the ring road. It was hard work. It took ages.

  It was morning now. We could see. The road went off into the distance. It cut a line between muddy fields and wooden fences. I knew that the outsides of towns always looked this lonely. The sky was gloomy grey with heavy clouds. Wet marshland led off towards the sea. There was a freezing wind that blew in our faces. I felt shivery.

  Everything was really slow. Ellis had stopped crying. She wasn’t awake. I struggled not to drop her. My back burned with every step. Abe was exhausted.

  Then we gave up.

  ‘I can’t go any further,’ Amber said. ‘I've got nothing left.’

  She sounded so disappointed.

  ‘I thought we’d be able to do this but I think it’s all over.’

  She steered us to the side of the road. The grass looked soft.

  ‘Let’s put Ellis down here and see if we can catch our breath.’

  We put Ellis down. I sat down next to her. Amber sat on the other side. Abe stood on the road. He was looking around.

  ‘There must be somewhere we can hide,’ he said.

  He looked at us.

  ‘Can we get going soon?’ he said. ‘I can’t stand standing still.’

  ‘This is it, Abe,’ said Amber. ‘Ellis is far too heavy for us to manage and we can’t just leave her behind.’

  ‘I’m not saying that,’ Abe said. ‘No way.’

  He looked back towards the horizon.

  ‘Perhaps there’s a barn near here where we can rest.’

  ‘We’ve got nothing left,’ said his sister. ‘We’ve lost everything.’

  Amber looked at me.

  ‘I’m sorry, Jake,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry about earlier.’

  She laughed.

  ‘I know you didn’t plan to make any of this happen. You’re really brave and loyal but I just got angry when it all went wrong.’

  I looked up. I couldn’t work out what Amber was saying.

  ‘Have you stopped being angry?’ I asked.

  ‘I have,’ replied Amber. ‘I didn’t mean to be so mean.’

  She touched my arm.

  ‘We really like you, Jake. Don’t we Abe?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ he said. ‘You know we do.’

  Abe’s voice trailed off.

  ‘Don’t look now,’ he said.

  Amber and I stood up.

  A massive swarm was splashing across the marshlands. There were hundreds of them. I could smell them on the wind. It was revolting. They were getting near to us.

  ‘Where did they come from?’ I asked. ‘Where are they going?’

  ‘From everywhere,’ said Abe. ‘To everywhere.’

  ‘They must have some kind of memory of their life before,’ suggested Amber. ‘That’s what’s making them head for the nearest town.’

  I was frozen with fear. I couldn’t stop watching the viros. They looked like a giant cartoon blob of angry, hungry dead people all twitching and slipping and trampling. Some of the viros looked like they were dancing.

  All of them looked like they were hungry.

  Driver

  The first viros were so near now. I heard a car engine. There was a green Land Rover. It was driving towards us. I started waving my arms.

  ‘Help!’ I shouted. ‘Please help!’

  Abe and Amber copied me.

  ‘Help!’ they shouted. ‘Please help!’

  The Land Rover swerved and hit a viro. It went flying. The Land Rover drove away.

  ‘It didn’t stop!’ I screamed.

  The Land Rover carried on down the road.

  We’re dead, I thought.

  A thin-looking viro was near me now. There was blood all over its face. It was covered in stinking mud. Its feet were all ripped. It squelched as it moved.

  I threw a stone at it. I missed. The viro stepped closer. I closed my eyes. I waited to be bitten. I heard the screech of brakes. I opened my eyes as the Land Rover ran over the viro. The window opened.

  ‘Get in,’ said the woman inside. ‘Quick, before they get here.’

  Amber opened the door. Abe and me shoved Ellis in. We jumped in after her. We landed on top of each other. Amber hopped in and slammed the door shut.

  ‘Is there anyone else?’ asked the driver.

  ‘Just us,’ I replied.

  ‘Thank goodness,’ she said, looking in her rearview mirror, ‘because we can’t go back that way. Those things are blocking the whole road.’

  The Land Rover raced back past the caravan park. Amber climbed into the front passenger seat. I tried to make Ellis more comfortable.

  ‘Is she ok?’ asked the lady.

  ‘We don’t know,’ said Abe. ‘I think she’s broken her ankle.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ the driver said. ‘I’m a nurse. I’ll take a look when we get home.’

  ‘Where’s home?’ said Amber.

  ‘The Sussex Hotel. We’ll be safe there.’

  I knew the Sussex Hotel. It was a massive place on the other side of town. Me and Mum went past it once on the bus.

  ‘What the hell were you kids doing out there? It’s not safe anymore with all those things about.’

  ‘We’re looking for my mum,’ I said, ‘and Ellis’s brother.’

  ‘Well, you’re not going to find them like this,’ she replied. ‘You’re just going get yourselves eaten.’

  The Land Rover slowed down.

  ‘When we get home, I’ll fix your friend’s ankle and make us all something to eat. You must be starving.’

  Rachel

  The lady’s long blond hair was in a bun. She looked pretty. I thought she was the same age as my mum. She seemed very nice. I thought I might be safe now. I looked at Abe. He looked relaxed.

  ‘I’m Amber,’ said Amber. ‘That’s Jake, Abe and Ellis.’

  ‘Who are you?’ Amber continued. ‘Where were you going when you drove past us?’

  ‘I’m Rachel,’ the lady said. ‘I was trying to get back home but had to take a detour due to a huge crowd of those things. I nearly didn’t stop when I first saw you. I thought you might be robbers but then I wondered how I would feel if my children were stranded on the roadside and about to be eaten.’

  Rachel shuddered.

  ‘Family is everything to me so I turned around to get you before those things could.’

  ‘Viros,’ I blurted out. ‘We call those things viros. Virus. Viro. Viros. Do you get it?’

  Rachel laughed. I liked the sound of her laughter.

  ‘Then I shall too,’ she said.

  Rachel stopped the Land Rover outside the hotel. She looked around. She pointed her keys at the hotel. A big metal door opened. Rachel drove through the door. We went underground. The door closed behind us. Rachel stopped the car. She checked the mirror and got out.

  ‘Right. Let’s get your friend upstairs.’

  I climbed out with Abe. Amber and Rachel helped us get Ellis out. We carefully carried Ellis to a door. Rachel opened it with a key. We stepped inside. It was a lift. The lift started to go up. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked crazy.

  I used to gel my hair. I liked it looking good. Now it looked all dirty and flat. My clothes were dirty too. My jeans had mud on them. The knee was ripped. My nice new high tops were scratched. I looked at Amber and Abe. They lo
oked as crazy as me. Rachel smiled.

  ‘It’s funny the shock we get when we see ourselves sometimes, isn’t it?’ she said.

  I nodded.

  ‘Don’t worry; I’ve got plenty of hot water and a washing machine. We’ll soon have you looking brand-new again.’

  ‘Will Ellis be brand-new?’ I asked.

  Rachel nodded.

  ‘I have everything we need upstairs.’

  Cozy

  The lift stopped. We stepped out. It was a dark hallway. Rachel turned the light on. Everything looked orange.

  ‘Let’s put Ellis in here,’ Rachel said, opening a door. She turned on the light. The room was a bedroom. We put Ellis on the bed. The curtains were pulled shut. Rachel turned on a lamp on the bedside table. It made Ellis look cozy. I thought Rachel was going to read her a bedtime story. Rachel looked at us.

  ‘There’s a bathroom down the hall,’ she said, ‘if anyone wants to have a bath. There's plenty of hot water.’

  Rachel went to a chest of drawers. She took out a big first aid box.

  ‘While you’re doing that I’ll take a look at Ellis’s ankle. ‘

  She shooed us out of the bedroom.

  ‘I’ll call you if I need you,’ Rachel said.

  I didn’t know what to say. No one did. I thought we were going to die back there. Now we were safe. The flat was warm and dry. Rachel was kind. She was helping Ellis. I was going to have a bath. It nearly felt normal. It was crazy.

  Amber opened the bathroom door.

  ‘I’ll go first,’ she said. ‘My hair really needs a wash so I may be some time.

  I kicked my shoes off. Abe copied me. We found a large front room. Two sofas looked really comfy. There was a big low table. The television was also big. Long dark curtains reached the ground. There was a kitchen behind us. It had a breakfast bar. I saw a fridge. I nudged Abe.

  ‘This is just mad,’ I said.

  ‘I wonder why the curtains are still drawn?’ said Abe.

  ‘To make sure that no one knows we’re here,’ said Rachel walking in behind us. She smiled.

  ‘I meant to say that I have plenty of spare clothes for everyone, courtesy of my many nephews and nieces.’

  She pointed back down the corridor.

  ‘There’s another bedroom right down the end and in there you will find a large chest of drawers. Help yourselves to anything that you fancy. Once you are bathed and changed, leave your clothes in a pile by the fridge and I’ll put them in the washing machine.’

  Rachel headed back to Ellis.

  ‘When I’m finished with your friend I’ll make us all some food.’

  Bath

  It felt amazing in the bath. I lay back. The warm soapy water came up to my chin. I liked the feeling. No viros could get me here. I hoped we were safe.

  I thought about Mum.

  Was she ok?

  Was she scared?

  Was she looking for me?

  Was she?

  Was she…?

  I tried not to think the frightening thing. That thought scared me the most. I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t let those things inside my head.

  I thought about Ellis instead.

  It was my fault that she got hurt. I was showing off. It went really wrong. I wanted her to like me. I wanted her to see me like a hero. I didn’t want to be a baby any more. I thought I could rescue the twins and that would make Ellis like me.

  I really liked Ellis. She was strong and brave and funny and clever. She made me feel happy and sad together. I had new feelings because of her. I was growing up inside.

  I brushed my hair in the mirror.

  How did they all see me now? I know she said she wasn’t but I still thought Amber was angry with me. I had lost everything we owned. That wasn’t very good. She had said it was my fault.

  If I had lots of friends then it wouldn’t matter. I could speak to other people. Amber could cool down. We might be friends again later. But I didn’t have lots of friends. I only had Ellis, Abe and Amber. I needed Amber to be my friend. I needed all of them. I couldn’t survive alone.

  Abe was nice. He was cool and funny and calm. He was also crazy. I guess he couldn’t stop himself exploring the caravans. Amber had to help him. She wanted to protect him.

  But why was no one angry with him for being so silly? He shouldn’t have been on the roof. I didn’t need to rescue him. We didn’t have to run away. But he was on the roof. I tried to help. Then we had to run away. That’s why we lost everything. And Ellis hurt her ankle more.

  Everything was muddled in my head.

  Pasta

  When I came out the bathroom I saw Abe, Amber and Rachel sitting at the dining table. Something smelled really nice.

  ‘There you are, Jake,’ said Rachel. ‘Take a seat and I’ll get you some food. I’ve made meatballs and spaghetti.’

  Abe and Amber smiled. I felt better.

  ‘I was starving,’ said Abe with his mouth full. ‘This is my second helping.’

  ‘You were born greedy,’ laughed Amber.

  She looked at me.

  ‘How are you feeling, Jake?’

  ‘Alright, I think,’ I replied. ‘I’m worried about Mum. I really don’t what’s going on. I do feel much cleaner.’

  ‘You certainly scrub up well,’ said Rachel.

  She put a bowl of pasta in front of me.

  ‘Milk or water?’

  ‘Milk, please,’ I said.

  The pasta was amazing. I kept eating. My plate was empty. Rachel gave me some more. I ate it all.

  ‘You sure were hungry,’ she said.

  I blushed.

  ‘My mum is good at making pasta …’

  I stopped.

  Rachel sat down.

  ‘I know you’re worried about her,’ she said. ‘Abe and Amber told me everything. You’ve all been so brave.’

  Amber put her knife and fork down.

  ‘Rachel says that the emergency services are trying to do all they can. If your mum was still at the hospital then there’s a good chance that she’s been evacuated.’

  ‘How will we know?’ I asked.

  ‘We won’t,’ said Rachel. ‘At least not at the moment but we have to hope that she is safe.’

  ‘What about Vinnie?’ I continued. ‘Ellis has to find him.’

  ‘Hopefully he’s safe as well,’ replied Rachel. ‘And in any case, Ellis isn’t going anywhere for a little while. Her ankle isn’t broken but it is badly sprained. I’ve strapped it up and given her something for the pain. She’s sleeping now but when she wakes up you can all go and see her.’

  Rachel stood up and started to clear the table. I looked at her.

  ‘What about you, Rachel?’ I said. ‘You seem so normal.’

  She smiled again.

  ‘I’m a trained nurse, Jake. It wouldn’t be much good if I panicked every time something terrible happened. There wouldn’t be a patient safe in their sickbed anywhere.’

  Lucky

  Ellis woke up later. We went to see how she was. She was sitting up. She looked much happier. Abe and Amber sat on the bed. I stood by the door. I felt really shy.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ asked Amber.

  ‘Much better,’ said Ellis. ‘My ankle is still really sore but at least it’s not broken.’

  ‘You’ll be back on your feet in no time,’ laughed Abe. ‘There’ll be no more wheelbarrows for you.’

  Ellis looked at me.

  ‘How about you, Jake?’ she said.

  ‘You look much well better …’

  I blushed. My words came out wrong. I didn’t know what to do. I shrugged. Ellis nodded. I felt a big blush fill my whole face.

  Ellis changed the subject.

  ‘Rachel seems really nice. I think we’ve had a lucky escape.’

  ‘She found us just in the nick of time,’ said Amber. ‘I hate to think what would have happened if she hadn’t driven past.’

  I stood still while they chatted. I didn’t know what t
o say. It was my fault we ended up on the side of that road. Rachel did save us from the viros. She also saved them from my silliness. I felt really sad inside. No one noticed.

  ‘She makes the most amazing pasta,’ continued Abe. ‘I had three helpings.’

  ‘You should have seen him, Ellis,’ said Amber. ‘It was hard to see where the pasta ended and Abe began.’

  Abe punched his sister on the arm.

  ‘I was starving,’ he said. ‘I’m a growing boy and need all the energy I can get.’

  Ellis looked at me again. She wanted me to say something.

  ‘What about you, Jake? Did you get enough to eat?’

  ‘I did,’ I said.

  I was awkward.

  ‘I didn’t eat as much as him but I had enough.’

  I liked Ellis asking me questions. I liked her looking at me. I didn’t like answering them.

  ‘No one could eat as much as Abe,’ said Amber. ‘He’s the biggest pig I’ve ever met.’

  ‘Enough, already,’ said Rachel.

  She came into the room carrying a tray.

  ‘Ellis needs to eat something and she won’t be able to do that if you lot are getting in her way. Why don’t you go and wait in the other room? I’ll call you when Ellis is done.’

  ‘See you later, Ellis,’ said Abe. ‘Eat up and get some rest.’

  ‘We’ll come back soon,’ said Amber.

  They both got off the bed and let Rachel put the tray down.

  Ellis smiled at me.

  ‘Thanks for coming to see me, Jake. I’m really glad to see you.’

  I didn’t say anything. I waved and stumbled out of the room. I felt like had clumsy bones holding me together. I didn’t know how to think. It was all really mad. My mum was missing. I was safe. Rachel was kind. The twins were funny. Ellis was friendly. I liked her. Did she like me?

  I had to be a better man now. I needed to stop worrying about everything. I wanted to do the right things. I had to grow up now. I didn’t want to be a little boy. I was going to be stronger. I wanted to say the things I needed to say.

  The world was black now. It was a dirty dangerous place. Weak people were going to get eaten. I didn’t want to be weak. I didn’t want to be eaten.