“Shush. I can hear you, just shut the hell up. We’ve kept those bleeders in the restaurant quiet until you showed up!”
Carla clamped down and Rick kept a strong hold on the now catatonic Anna. I looked down at the bundle in my arms and thought of checking for a pulse. I tried to be more subtle, and with him crooked in my arms placed a hand on his cheek, two fingers over his mouth. It took longer than I thought it would and my heart skipped a beat, but I did feel the gentle warm breath of a living being stroke over my skin. I didn’t know how injured he was, but he was alive. I was going to tell Anna, but our saviour had reached the gates and was fumbling with a chained padlock. I took Thomas in both arms again and paid more interest to what was going on. There was more than one heavy bike chain wound around where those gates joined, and I’m assuming there were bolts aplenty behind it too.
He must have been either nervous or frantic as he was shaking and making a right pig’s ear of getting the chains unwound. Behind us there was a dull thud of palms hitting against the glass. I wondered how long it would hold out.
“Shit shit shit.” There was a rolling clatter as one of the chains slid free and down to the decking. He made a start on another one as someone else ran up to join him. This one was an older man. He had a paunch and seemed more quiet industriousness. I’m guessing it took him so long to arrive because the only exercise he generally did was lifting pints.
“What are you doing? Chain it back up!”
Obviously I took an immediate dislike to him.
“Sir I... we can’t just leave them out there! There’s women and children!”
“So? We’ve got women and children in here and there are more of us. What if any of the infected get in? We’ve got to look after our own.”
“We are your own!” Carla growled. “We’re not infected. We have supplies. We can help. Please for fuck’s sake just let us in!”
“Why do you need to tell me you’re not infected, hey? Hiding something?”
“Yes,” I growled “I’m hiding a shotgun and I’m going to shoot off your fucking knees if you don’t finish opening that gate.”
“Oh ho, so a violent lot as well? Leave the locks there Jez, these ones are a pack of trouble and make no mistake about it.”
“Please, we’ve got two women, and a child. Just let them in,” I thought to add quickly “and we’ll stay out here.”
Rick looked at me as if I’d gone insane. The thumping behind us was gathering momentum and I was petrified that a runner would round the corner any second. At least this was a plan. Vague, but a plan.
“And your supplies?”
“Yes. And the supplies.”
The twat with the paunch nodded at Jez, who was evidently some sort of minion. Thankfully Jez was an obedient minion, and he carried on unfurling the chains without a fuss. Doughy wasn’t exactly without gumption, and as the gate crept open he pulled out a sizeable axe, brandishing it at me and Rick. Still, Plan A was well in place.
“Just the women. Fine looking women, too.”
That comment cemented my faith in the plan. I gestured that I had to hand Thomas over. Doughy had no idea which woman was the mother, so I picked Carla, who was closer to the entrance. Even better, the gates opened inwards to the pier. With Thomas deposited, I shoulder-charged the gate. Doughy had been half-shielded by it, his axe hand in the open space. The force of the gate sent him flying, and the axe went spinning to the wood. I was on him straight away, straddling his chest, grabbing his shirt to force him down and brandishing my bloodied hammer in his face.
“You listen to me you selfish fuck. The gates are open, so we’re coming in. All of us. We’re survivors. We’re practical. We can help.” I leant closer so the others couldn’t hear me. “And if you don’t like it, I’m going to shove the head of this hammer in your arrogant mouth. It’s covered in infected blood and I don’t really fancy your chances for long afterwards. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Doughy nodded his head furiously, though his eyes betrayed his anger. “Jez, lock up before the town comes in to see what’s happening.”
Jez didn’t need a second telling. As the gates clangedshut, Rick left Anna to help him lock up. We heard a shattering of glass come from the restaurant, but there was no tsunami of bodies heading to us. I didn’t get off Doughy until I saw the deadbolts slide across and the floor bolts hit home in to the (hopefully) concrete blocks sitting beneath the head of the pier. I snapped to my feet and stepped backwards cautiously. Doughy lifted himself to his elbows. Jez scuttled over but was swatted away. He slunk back until he came up against the pier railings. From there he crouched and watched us, on guard and suspicious, like Gollum watching Samwise Gamgee.
“I’d say welcome to Bennington Pier, but you were obviously coming in whether we wanted you to or not. So the least courtesy you can do me is tell me your names. You there,” he pointed at me “are head to toe in blood, so I’d like to personally find out that you’re not infected. You get to stay down here until we’re sure. Our boys further up will keep an eye on you.”
“Fair enough.” I answered. This man obviously considered himself in charge and until I could gauge what was actually going on here, I didn’t want to end up in the sea the first time my back was turned. “But first do you have first aiders? The little one is hurt and I don’t know how badly.”
Doughy apparently wasn’t without a heart. He nodded his accent, so Carla passed Thomas over. That brought a cocked eyebrow of accusatory suspicion. “The woman is Anna. The boy is Thomas. She lost her husband on the way here.” The cloak dropped, a little bit of sympathy showing through.
“I think we’ve probably all lost people. The rest of you?”
I watched Anna walk away. Doughy bawled at Jez to follow them, otherwise no one would know why she was there. He skittered off. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. What a creepy little man.
“I’m Warren. This is Carla, my sister. That’s her boyfriend, Rick.”
“Rick? That’s a great name for a situation like this. You a policeman too, because that’d be damn funny.”
Rick smiled tightly. “Not a policeman, no. Got a shotgun, though.”
Doughy didn’t think that was damn funny. Carla smiled sarcastically. “So, what’s your name? And which one of us women were so fine that we caught your eye first?”
“Heh. Understand me mate, that was just a bit of humour. No harm meant by it. My name’s Austin. My friends call me Oz.”
“Well Austin, if you ever joke like that with me again, I’ll make sure your balls end up on display on the gates.”
“See this is where I would usually put in some kind of protective boyfriend line, but I really don’t need to. Insult her again and I’ll help her pin them up.”
“Well I can see you three are all sun and light. Take it you’ve been having a swell time of things out there?”
“You have no idea.” I drawled “Is there anywhere we can sleep?”
“There’s a lot of us holed up at the top of the pier. If you promise me you won’t threaten my life for at least ten minutes, I might be able to explain it all to you.”
We all shrugged, and Austin hauled himself all the way on to his feet. None of us offered to help him up. He brushed himself down and cast a cursory glance at the gates, which appeared secure. A slow, shambling form was making its way to us, so I asked Rick for my own piece of mind. He reassured me that there was plenty to keep the world at bay. At least for now. With nothing else to do, but feeling safer than I had done for quite some time with closed iron gates behind us, we followed Austin to the top of the pier. Not far up from the gates the decking was split in to two. There was a thin wall with glass windows, and there were empty benches placed at regular intervals. There were dark smears here and there, and I saw there had been at least some kind of struggle to make this place safe.
“How long have you been here?” I asked. Austin looked over his shoulder. “I was here at the start. Was fish
ing this morning. Love my early sea fishing. Heard what was going on over the radio. Family are too far away for me to do anything, and decided this would be safe as any place. Easy to defend. Hard to get to as well. People would have to fight through one hell of a swarm to get to us. Which leads me to where you all come from?”
“High Salvington.” Carla offered bluntly, before I could say I’d come out of London.
“Ooh. La-dee-dah. And what made the seafront safer than your nice big house on a hill?”
“My dead neighbour trying to eat my family.”
“You and the rest of Bennington, love.”
“How many are here?” she asked, not wanting to get involved in conversation with this man.
“There’s twenty eight of us. We closed the gates before dark. You’re the first living things that have made it here. Well, I say living, we’ve had quite a few bitten folk try to get in. Needless to say, I didn’t welcome them with open arms. That’s why we need to be cautious, you see. I don’t really want to see this joker’s turkey swinging in the breeze. And you don’t seem like the kind of folk that would carry injured. You say that woman lost her husband?”
“Yes.” Rick offered. “Just down the road, too. Nearly made it.”
“Was he dead when you left him?”
“Nope.” I added tensely. “Might as well have been though.”
Austin searched for my gaze. I met and held it. I knew what he was looking for. I knew the answer he wanted.
“If I was bitten, I wouldn’t even be here. I’d pull the trigger myself.”
He nodded firmly. “I thought so. You seem like the type.”
I bristled, but Carla patted me affectionately on the back. “Well done, big brother. It’s a horrible thing to have to say, but you finally said something right.”
“So the only thing I’ve said recently that you approve of, is me committing suicide?”
“That’s about the sum of it, yeah. But in the nicest possible way.” I snorted. “Oh shut up. I’m trying to be nice. Now let’s get to wherever we’re going. I want to lie down and have a sleep.”
“Can I get an amen?” Rick muttered. It’s not as if I could blame them. I felt like a dead man walking, but I didn’t trust Austin Doughy as far as I could throw him. Given his general girth, that wouldn’t be far at all. He had, however, started wandering off again. I put in some long strides so I could be alongside him. I remembered the hammer, and tucked the shaft absentmindedly in the back of my trousers. I could burn the shirt later; I had brought spares.
“So, twenty eight? Well organised?”
“As well as you can be in a situation like this. Everyone’s petrified. I just happen to be the least petrified person here. Don’t want to be in charge, don’t like it, people just assumed I was.” I doubted that very much. I thought Doughy very much elbowed his way to the front of the pecking order, and we hadn’t asked who the leader was; he volunteered the information.
“I understand what you mean. Had to hustle everyone out of my sister’s as quick as we could, otherwise I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Here now, you’re not local. I can tell from your twang. Where did you come from?”
“London.”
You could virtually see the cogs in his brain begin to whirl. Pretty much the same as Dan’s had before him, he was wondering whether or not he could trust me, and just how long I had been out of the capital. I rolled my eyes. “First thing this morning. Really early. I mean really. Think I saw one of the first ones out on the street. Cycled down here. Haven’t been bitten. But I do need sleep. And whisky, if anyone thought to bring any with them.”
Austin grinned. “You know, I might actually be able to get to like you.” The feeling wasn’t mutual. “So you just got the batshit out of there, no checking on people?”
“The only family I have is Carla. She’s the only one I was bothered about seeing safe.”
“Her and her boy?”
I shrugged. “Yeah I suppose Rick’s okay.”
“I’m you’re hero, you nonce.”
“Yeah yeah whatever. I always wanted to look up to an unemployed gunslinger.”
“He’s not unemployed, he’s a house husband.”
“You have any idea how gay that sounds Carla?”
“Gay isn’t an insult Rick, have some manners.”
I rolled my eyes, but hoped the playful banter would at least make Doughy lower his hackles enough to let me lower my guard and rest. We came up to a building that was emblazoned with the word “Amusements”. I couldn’t hear any noise coming from within. That was a blessing, though I wondered if we’d be able to keep ourselves entertained on anything. Like a child on holiday, I still coveted the coin pushers, though even in adulthood still couldn’t bring myself to stretch to the 10p ones. To my surprise, Austin headed in the building.
“This is where the majority of folk are holed up. We’ve decided women, children and elderly can stay here. There’s a building at the end of the pier, used to be a nightclub. Neither have windows, so we can keep lights on as long as we like and keep safe from prying eyes. No point having the lights on outside, might as well advertise a drive thru. The end of the pier, it’s a good vantage point. Flat roof. So the men take turns on watch. Women too, if they like, before your little firecracker has her say. It’s just that the women we have so far have children, and they don’t want to let them out of their sights. I’m not running a dictatorship. I’ve seen what’s going on in the town. We need as many hands as we can get.”
“Then why weren’t you going to let us in?”
“I couldn’t trust that you weren’t bitten. It’s not as if you were being calm about your entrance. And who knows what could have been running up behind you? Whilst I’m on to it, you threatened me with a gun. And that wasn’t the worst of it.”
“And think of it from our perspective. We weren’t bitten. We had vulnerable people with us. We were desperate.”
“Desperation breeds mistakes. You think you’re going to survive this by running around and yelling at people? You need to be a bit more calculated about what you do. But you were quiet, weren’t you? I think me you’re going to survive no matter what other people think about you, Warren.”
He virtually spat my name and I knew then that my instincts of trust were right enough.
“Can we rest tonight? I think I’ve been up over 24 hours, napping aside. I’m desperate to properly close my eyes. I’m sure the others feel the same.” Carla and Rick nodded their agreement, and Austin ushered us further in to the amusement arcade.
“I can understand that. Like I said, I’m not completely heartless. We just need to make sure everyone’s safe. I’m sure you’ll be welcome additions to the guard here. Those bags your supplies?”
“They are. We need to break out clothes but we can share with you everything we have, if that makes us welcome.”
“More than. We’re absolutely fine for food – that’s why there’s so many demons in that there restaurant. Accidentally rustled them up stealing from the kitchens. Plus there used to be a pub here. And they had a kitchen too, so we might be able to cook if we can sort out some kind of supply that won’t get us attention. You might even be fine for your whisky, Action Man.”
“I think I’ll leave it for now. I just want to lie down.”
“Everyone’s in the middle. Furthest from all the entrances, just in case something happens.”
And they were. Huddled near the booth where you exchange expensively-acquired tickets for substandard fairground prizes were a number of lumpy blankets which presumably contained people. There was a faint snoring. It was almost homely. If you didn’t mind having fruit machines and teddy grabbers scattered around your living room. Austin waved us in the general direction of the floor, and we threw our bags down. I suppose I should have washed myself up at least a little bit, but my eyes were trying to close themselves and my head was hot with the desire to sleep. I curled up, not even stopping to cov
er myself with a blanket.
I had intended to stand a guard to make sure Austin didn’t deal my back a traitorous blow in the dark. But I’m pretty sure I was asleep before I heard his steps even leave the group.
+++
Chapter Seven
“The scars of others should teach us caution” – St Jerome
It was nice to wake up without the sound of screaming echoing in my ears. I nearly shit myself though when I opened my eyes and saw a young face directly in front of mine. I bolted upright, from groggy to awake in less time than it normally takes me to fart when I first wake up. The child was startled too, and scooted back to its mother. She looked at me accusatorily, but then told off the kid for being nosy.
“Sorry. Wasn’t expecting that.”
“It’s okay. She should know better. I’m Heather. That’s Macy. She’s at that age, curious about everything. Can’t stay angry at her, she’s too cute.”
I had no opinion on her nosy child’s cuteness one way or the other. Macy had already gone off to prod someone else out of their lie-in, and this seemed to be tolerated by the adults, by and large. “Don’t worry about it. Possibly the best sleep I’ve ever had.” I looked around the cavernous room, trying to figure out whether it was day yet. I didn’t even know what the time was, and asked Heather.
“It’s about 10am. Your friends have already headed outside.”
I swore and went to get up when Heather spoke to me again.
“Bit of advice before you go and join them? There are toilets down the end of the hall, and here’s a bar of soap. There are towels in there. Have a wash. You look like shit. And you stink.”
Great Bitten: Outbreak Page 12
