by West, Mark
I’m a little concerned with his demeanour so I try a bit of reverse psychology to try and see how he is really feeling. ‘I don’t understand how you can be so calm about all of this.’ My toast pops from the toaster and I reach for the vegemite.
His face creases and I see worry for a second or so before a flash of anger fills his eyes. ‘I’m not!’ he snaps. I take a step back, hands out in front as if to say calm down.
He realises what he has done and shakes his head. ‘Sorry.’ I wait a moment and am about to talk when he continues, ‘Look, from what I’ve seen they’re slow and stupid. Besides, we have an advantage on them.’
‘What’s that?’
‘We have guns.’ Lincoln takes in a deep breath and begins blowing at his coffee. Small ripples radiate across the liquid, causing a few drops to splash over the sides. ‘Damn. Still too hot.’ He frowns and blows some more.
‘We don’t have that many guns.’
‘Yeah, but we have enough to do what we need to do.’ Lincoln holds the mug against his lips and takes a sip.
I’m not sure I agree with his comment. ‘I suppose.’ I peer out the kitchen window for a moment. A moth slaps across the glass, leaving a trail of dusty residue behind. ‘Well, like you say, let’s hope we go into town and it’s all over and we can go home.’
I turn my attention back to my toast and dig deep into the jar with my knife to extract a clump of tarry vegemite, then spread it across the bread’s crusty face. Satisfied it’s covered, I shove it into my mouth with delight.
‘We need to find something to help with communication,’ I say. It comes out a bit muffled with the toast rolling around my palate.
‘Communication?’
I swallow, hoping to quickly fill the void in my stomach. It growls for more. ‘Yeah, you know, like a radio or something. Something we can use to keep in touch if we get separated.’
‘Could be something like that at the hardware store. If not, I’m sure we could rob a Police Station.’ His smirk says it all and we both begin to chuckle.
‘We can only hope.’
Lincoln takes another sip of coffee and begins moving towards the front door. He glances down at Koda sniffing around my legs and slaps his thigh, hissing at the animal for attention. ‘Koda, come,’ he demands. ‘Durry time, Mr Kidd.’ He slides open the door and Koda follows him out.
I take another bite, pour a glass of water and gulp it down. The water feels refreshing in my mouth. Tank water. You can’t find water as clean as this in the city.
Feet pound down the timber treads in a slow march. Rohan and Doug are descending the stairs. They seem weary, bodies lethargic, and they yawn repetitively. I bet it is the first time either of them has been up this early in their lives.
‘You guys need to get a move on. We leave in twenty minutes.’ The clock on the wall now says eight minutes past five.
Doug sniffs under his arm, pulling his nose away quickly in disgust. ‘Enough time for a shower?’
I shake my head. ‘No time. Just get some food into you and let’s get moving. We want to be on the road before the sun comes up.’ I take another sip of water and wait for a predictable complaint. I’m surprised when it doesn’t come.
Rohan rubs at his stomach and gives himself a decent scratch to the groin. He walks into the kitchen. ‘What’s for breakfast?’
‘Yeah, I’m starving!’ Doug joins in. I can see clumps of sleep resting in the corners of his eyes.
Both boys stare at me, waiting eagerly for me to miraculously produce a meal. I shrug my shoulders, indicating I’m not a slave and nod towards the pantry. ‘Whatever you can find you can eat.’
I’m annoyed at their lack of initiative and pick up my glass and make my way back to the bedroom.
After saying our final goodbyes, we pack into the two trucks and leave slightly ahead of schedule. I know the area well so lead the way. Riding in the front next to me is Doug. Rohan and Lincoln are following closely behind in the Colorado.
Both cars descend the mountain at a steady pace, leaving a plume of dust in their wake. A few times I notice Lincoln backing off from poor visibility, but we arrive at the bottom of the mountain with no incidents.
At around ten to six we reach the highway, only a few minutes from the edge of town. The sun is slowly making an appearance, lighting up the heavy fog that swamps the lower edges of the hills and back down through the centre of town. It makes the place look very mysterious, like a lost city hidden away for a thousand years that we have just discovered.
‘We’re almost there,’ I say, when we’re approaching the town. ‘Have your gun set to go in case we need to use it. I’m going to pull over and check to see if the others are ready.’
Doug lifts the .22 Magnum from between his legs and holds it by his side. I can feel his anticipation as he fumbles with the box of bullets. He has only ever shot a gun a few times in his life and every time was with me, when I used to host parties at the Block when I was younger. The most experience he has had is playing video games and shooting monsters on a screen.
I brake and come steadily to a halt, leaving the handbrake down in case we suddenly need to leave. We are surrounded by open fields. The fog is lifting, and we have a clear view of at least a few hundred metres in every direction. Horses and cows fill the paddocks, some staring back at us, curious as to what we’re doing.
As the other truck approaches, I can hear a low thumping noise emanating from the vehicle. ‘Seriously,’ I grumble. ‘How can those two idiots hear anything coming with that music playing so loud?’ We are all feeling the tension. Perhaps this is their way of calming their nerves.
A moment later Lincoln pulls up by the side of my truck. The passenger window on the Colorado slowly rolls down and Ice Cube screams out. Both boys are wearing a pair of ski goggles and have their hats turned backwards. They’re slumped in their seats, eyes focused to the front of the car and heads bobbing in unison. I watch irritably for a minute or so until Lincoln flicks off the music and I can get his attention.
‘Sup, G?’ he calls out, giving me a head flick of acknowledgement and raising his smoke.
Rohan swivels his head and lifts his machete in a salute. ‘Ready to do this?’ he asks, then slips his ski goggles back onto his forehead, his curly hair entwining with the strap.
‘Ready and waiting.’ I raise my eyebrows and feel my forehead crease as I become all serious. ‘Look, I love the tunes guys, but we need to focus. You can’t have music playing that loud when we enter the town. Besides, we don’t want to attract any unwanted attention, do we?’
‘Yeah, yeah. We know,’ Lincoln grumbles, huffing with displeasure.
I brush off his dissatisfaction. ‘You remember the plan?’
‘Got it.’ Rohan grins confidently. ‘We go right through the town and stop for nothing until we get to Cameron’s Hardware. When we arrive, we’re to circle out front until we know it’s safe to pull in.’
Lincoln cuts Rohan off abruptly. ‘And we keep in close to the back of your tray and if we need to stop for anything flash the lights.’
‘Perfect.’ I give them the thumbs up. ‘If it doesn’t look safe, we should keep driving to the other side of town and assess the situation there. Okay?’ I indicate to my right, pointing to the far distance towards the edge of town.
‘Got it.’ Lincoln returns a thumbs up and begins revving his car. It groans, popping a few times from the exhaust before cutting out.
Rohan shows his impatience by lifting his machete out the car window, pointing it forward and signalling us to move on. ‘Let’s do it!’ he yells. I shake my head, trying not to grin, lock the gear stick back into first and move forward.
As we arrive in town, I get a sense almost of disappointment. I guess I was expecting something else; perhaps that it was all a dream or a hoax, and that everyone I have seen or killed will jump out and yell ‘surprise’.
I suppose this is what others must feel when a war breaks out around their city, destroy
ing everything they have worked so hard to protect. Maybe it’s fear, fear of the unknown and what lies ahead, because I know I’m scared, and I know what stands before me is something bigger than anyone could have imagined. Only nightmares can prepare you for this.
‘Infected!’ Doug screams, arms waving frantically around at the masses before us.
I can see Infected everywhere: on the roads, behind fences, trapped in cars and, worst of all, right in front of us. A few lurch around aimlessly, whereas most stand virtually frozen, still shuffling ever so slowly in a hypnotised state until they see our presence and snap to attention, coming alive once again and moving towards us. I don’t stop but continue forward, Lincoln tucked closely behind, and ignore the fact dozens of snapping teeth are begging for me.
When I reach the main road, I find it’s full of Infected who have gathered like a herd of animals. They are packed in tightly and swarm around our truck like a virus, preventing me from escaping. All I can do is run them down like I’m a ball and they are the pins at a bowling alley.
Doug grips his gun tightly, eyes darting from left to right. ‘Damn man, this is crazy! You sure we can get through?’ His Iron Man, long-sleeve top is damp with sweat.
‘As long as we keep up the momentum, we should be fine.’ I’m gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles are white.
Lincoln is still right on my tail, bull bar almost kissing my tray as he attempts to stop anything getting in between us.
‘I’m guessing there’s at least a few hundred here.’ The truck rocks; a body is rolling under my wheels. ‘But I can feel more coming.’
Doug gives me a questioning look. I have no idea why I just said that and quickly change the subject. ‘Are you ready?’
He nods, ‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’
‘Good. Let’s hope they start to thin out, we’ll be at the hardware store soon.’
I spray the windscreen and turn on the wipers to clear the blood that’s covered it. We press forward until we are through the horde. Ahead I see the store’s sign, its yellow words appearing through the haze just a few hundred metres ahead of us.
‘There’s still so many behind us. What should we do?’ Doug asks nervously. His hands are squishing again.
‘We need to lose them.’ In a snap decision, I turn down Bradley Street away from the store. ‘Let’s double back down a few streets. Head them off away from the town.’
Bradley Street seems clear and I slow down, allowing for the horde to catch up. I crawl along, Lincoln still right behind me, and wait patiently until the horde is about fifty metres from us before gaining speed. When I approach the end of the street, I turn down Mittagang Road, knowing this will lead me to the edge of town.
Lincoln races up beside me and I roll my window down. He is trying to get my attention. ‘What are we doing?’ Rohan yells.
I glance forward at the road in front, ensuring it’s clear before turning and yelling back. ‘We need to draw the group away from town! We can’t risk having them gather outside the store while we’re inside!’
Rohan nods. ‘Too easy man! Might just stick beside you for a bit, if that’s okay. Kind of getting sick of looking at your tray and missing out on the action!’ He slaps the side of the truck in excitement.
I smile, but I can’t imagine why anyone would enjoy this. ‘Okay, just need to go a few kilometres up here to lose them. Then we can double back to the hardware store.’ Lincoln gives me the thumb of approval then quickly changes to the middle finger.
‘Idiots,’ I mutter.
Over the next few kilometres we see only six Infected walking the streets. I watch as Lincoln swerves deliberately to hit all six of them. He gets overconfident, missing a street pole by less than a metre. Luckily, he regains control and in no time he’s driving back alongside, both boys laughing at the near-death experience. It’s just dumb luck they made it through unscathed.
When I’m sure we are far enough from the centre of town, I take one last look at the horde behind us. I swear it has doubled in size. It now swarms across the road, paths and lawns like a massive parade. ‘I think it’s time we lost this group, don’t you?’
Doug doesn’t answer. I take it for a yes, pressing my foot down on the accelerator.
In a few seconds the horde begins to shrink into the distance. When I can no longer see them, I take a left down Oran Avenue, picking up more speed so they can’t follow. A few turns later and I can see the yellow sign again, clearer and more pronounced. The sun is higher and the mystical fog has now been totally eradicated by the burning rays. The horde is long gone, but just as I think we are safe to approach the hardware store I notice more Infected creeping down the street, ducking in and out from behind the trees as if sneaking up on us.
Chapter 14
THE HARDWARE STORE
Lincoln pulls up beside me, windows down and smoke drifting out intermittently. The front is covered in the black and red blood of Infected, but there doesn’t seem to be any body damage.
‘We doing this?’ Rohan asks, cigarette dangling between his lips.
‘A few Infected coming up the road.’ I point out the Infected, who have now moved onto the road. Rohan shifts in his seat for a better look. ‘I guess we deal with them when they come?’
Doug calls out, cutting our conversation short, ‘Check it out.’
I follow his gaze. The side gate is open and the roller door of the store is up, allowing us access. ‘Jackpot.’
I pull into the side car park. It’s slightly hidden from the main road. I’m hoping, if we keep quiet, we can remain undetected during the duration of the raid. The area seems clear, so I pull into a parking space and immediately shut the engine off, cutting all sound that we have arrived. We all jump from the cars, drawing our weapons ready for the small huddle of Infected that followed us through the gate.
We alternate between fanning out and bunching again until Doug lifts his gun and calls out. ‘I got this one!’
‘No, wait!’ I hiss. He lowers his weapon, staring back at me confused. ‘We need to be silent. No guns. Let’s not draw any unnecessarily attention unless we have to.’
Doug reluctantly clicks the safety back on. ‘So, what do you suggest then?’
I think for a moment, trying to remember any movie I have watched that could help us in this situation. ‘Spread out guys, but not too far, we want to split the group up that we can attack without being jumped by another Infected.’ To my surprise everyone listens and follows my directions. ‘We have learnt that we need to attack the head, so I guess attack the head.’
‘Works for me,’ Lincoln adds, clutching his shovel.
‘Call out if you need help and … Good luck.’
My last few works linger in my mind. Good luck to you too, Jackson.
We stand there like statues, weapons ready. I peer around and can see everyone is nervous as hell. This is a big deal: our first attack where we are ready and prepared for the worst. We’re going to break the ice between death and survival. I just hope we live.
The first to strike is Rohan. He leaps into the air and slices the blade of his machete through a young woman’s neck. He seems to do it effortlessly. Her head is decapitated in a single swing, falling onto the ground with a satisfying thud as he lands back onto the ground like a ninja. Blood coats him from the waist up like he’s had a spray tan. It’s a good thing he is wearing goggles otherwise it would have sprayed into his eyes.
Lincoln lifts his shovel, running towards a small child who he towers over. He slams the metal scoop into her chest with anger, lifting her up into the air like a skewered piece of meat. The child tugs at the timber handle, unsure of what to do next before she is slammed into the ground with a crack. Her body tears apart, the shovel partially cutting her in two. But it doesn’t kill her. Lincoln drops the shovel and walks across to where she lies. He peers down at his victim and I can see no pity in his eyes as he drops his foot repeatedly on her skull, crushing it under his boot. I watch in horror, wai
ting for my moment to arrive.
Doug begins to scream in rage, running up to a woman and firmly kicking her in the chest. She tumbles backwards, falling to the ground and he lifts the pitchfork he found in my shed and slams the prongs into her face.
I’m stunned and momentarily forget what’s happening around me. I hear a groan beside me. I turn to and see a small boy staggering up. He is slow and I decide to take my time. Nothing special Jackson, just kill the thing, I remind myself. He takes a step closer and I dance to my left, faking my step, then jump to my right. The hunting knife is clutched firmly in my hand and I swing my arm across my body, connecting the blade with his head. I feel it jolt in my hand before sliding in. The boy’s body twitches, nerve endings shutting off as he goes limp and crumples to the ground.
A rush of power overwhelms me as I inspect the carnage. I’m breathing heavily and feel my heart thumping like a war drum. But this time I’m numb; I have no sense of regret whatsoever with what I just did.
Doug steps forward and examines the woman a little more closely. ‘We’re sick.’
‘Better them than us,’ Rohan says grimly, wiping down his face and goggles with a rag he pulls from his pocket.
Lincoln kicks the shovel that’s embedded in the child’s broken chest. ‘I want to find a better weapon in here. How come my weapon always seems to be a damn shovel?’ He shakes his head in disgust as he twists the shovel and reefs it out. The plug is released and more blood spills out.
‘The store is full of garden tools.’ Doug’s face is pale. He turns away from the bodies.
‘Let’s go,’ I interrupt. ‘We don’t have much time.’
We approach the back entrance to the building. The structure towers over us as if we are ants. One large oversized roller door stands before us, a few closed doors either side. The roller door is open almost to the height of the roof and is wide enough to fit a small house through. Inside I can see rows and rows of shelving packed with boxes, timber and other items ready to be sold.
