by John Moralee
The soldiers didn’t see me until I was almost upon them.
Driving at sixty.
They scattered, firing wildly. Bullets zinged past me. A few struck the lorry and I heard banging from inside, reminding me that I was not alone, that I had passengers. I had to be more careful with the safety of everyone aboard. I broke through the barricade, smashing it into pieces. A severe hand hit the windscreen, its fingers still moving. I ploughed through the zombie mob and left a trail of destruction in my wake.
I was nearing the point where I had let the dead into the city. The breach had expanded as more zombies climbed free of the trench. They had amassed into a formidable army, well beyond the number I had expected to see. It seemed as though they had swarmed to the smell of fresh meat in their thousands. I bet the Pure Bloods were regretting their zombie-filled trench now. They had completely filled the streets ahead. The Pure Bloods had erected a few barricades to stop them getting further. Their soldiers were cutting them down in waves – but they kept coming. I turned away from the battle down another road. Something flew over my vehicle shining a spotlight down. The helicopter. It was up in the air, flying over my position. I felt sure they sniper would shoot at me – but then the helicopter raced off towards the breach. I was dismayed to see the sniper aboard shooting the zombies with ruthless efficiency – but I was pleased he had not targeted me. The helicopter was turning the tide of the battle.
I drove past the prison and spotted the other lorry. I pulled up alongside it. Maggie and Terry were in the front. I leaned out my window.
“Maggie, we’ve got to go now.”
“I’ve just seen the helicopter! You said you were going to destroy it! That was the whole point of this mission!”
“It’s busy fighting the zombies. We might make it if we go now. Is everyone in the lorry?”
“Yes – but the helicopter!”
“There’s no more time, Maggie. The Pure Bloods are winning the battle. It’s now or never. Follow me.”
I drove towards the main gates. Maggie drove the second lorry behind mine. There was a barrier crossing the road. There was also some guards. They must have been told to stop anyone exiting because they raised their guns. I poked my rifle out my side window and sprayed them with bullets. They ran for cover. I crashed through the barrier and drove onto the road beyond. Maggie’s lorry was right behind. Terry was firing at the enemy all the way out.
The road in front was dark – but behind me everything suddenly lit up as a truly massive orange fireball erupted into the sky. It was followed by an earsplitting boom that rocked my vehicle and almost made me crash.
Looking back, I saw Oxford on fire in several areas as multiple explosions sent roiling white, yellow and orange flames high over the city. The sky was burning with flying debris, including burning bodies of the living and the dead. The helicopter disappeared into a cloud of black smoke and burning petrol rising into the night sky. It appeared again with its tail burning and someone jumping out on fire, falling to a quick death. Another explosion shot something burning bright yellow at the helicopter. It looked like a barrel of oil. The burning object clipped the blades and knocked the helicopter sideways. Out of the pilot’s control, the helicopter spiralled down into the thick smoke and exploded into the side of a college building, pieces of spinning broken blades flying over the river. All of the electricity suddenly went off, leaving just the fires lighting the burning streets.
Oxford was no longer the city of spires.
It was the city of fires.
Neal had done it.
He had saved everyone.
He had destroyed the Pure Blood base, turning it into a zombie-infested inferno.
We were free.
ENTRY FORTY
Any pleasure I might have taken at the destruction of Oxford’s Pure Blood base was muted by the loss of Neal. I didn’t know how I would break the news to Angela, who was unaware of what had happened because she was inside the back of the lorry I was driving, along with many other survivors. I had several miles to go before we got to our destination and I was keen to get there as fast as possible – before dawn if I could do it. Unfortunately, I had not travelled more than five miles on the dark road when the other lorry behind me flashed its lights and stopped. Wondering what was wrong, I pulled over too. I got out and yelled to Maggie, who had already gone to the back of her lorry with Terry. They had their guns out. I looked around nervously, wondering if they had been shot at by someone.
“Maggie, what’s going on?”
“Just heard a gunshot inside my lorry!” she shouted back. “Terry, get around the other side. I’ll open the door. You cover me.”
Maggie took up a position at the rear opposite Terry. I ran to join them. I aimed my gun at the doors, hearing shouts and more shots from inside. There were infected people in there. Had one turned and started killing? Who was shooting? Maggie opened the door. I saw a man with a gun and a body on the floor. A lot of people were crying and trying to get away from the gunman. They jumped out and ran into the pitch-black field. The man was waving his gun in the air, terrifying everyone.
“Drop the gun!” Maggie ordered.
“I had to shoot her,” the man said, looking dazed. It was Slater. I remembered he had wanted to leave the sick behind. “She was turning. I saved lives!”
Maggie spoke in a low, commanding voice. “I said put it down.”
“Put what down?” Slater said, and then looked at the gun as though he had not realised it was in his hand. “Oh.” He dropped it and started weeping. “I want to go home,” he said, sounding like a little boy lost. “I’m so tired of this. We’re always in danger from them. They kill us and kill us and kill us. When will it ever end?”
I looked at the dead body of a young woman with red hair like Angela. The victim’s face was grey and mottled. She would have died soon and become one of the zombies. Slater had probably done the right thing – but he had panicked everyone doing it. At least ten people had fled into the darkness. Slater could have waited until the girl had actually died – by which time we might have made it to The Family’s rendezvous point. Now we had lost people in the dark. I cursed Slater for creating a panic.
“COME BACK! IT’S ALL RIGHT! HE’S DISARMED!”
Three people returned. Six or seven did not.
An elderly woman was the relative of one of the missing people. She begged us to look for her eleven-year-old niece Julia.
Maggie sighed. “I’m sorry. We can’t wait for them. We have to get going. We’re not safe on this road, even with Oxford destroyed. Some Pure Bloods will have made it out. They’ll be looking for revenge. Ben, what do you think?”
Reluctantly, I agreed. We couldn’t chase the missing down in the dark. “We’d better get that body out of there and leave. But I’ll have a quick look for them while your people do that.”
I turned on my torch and set off into the field, calling out for anyone in hearing distance to come back. I found one scared teenage boy and persuaded him to go back to the lorry. I also saw another person – a man with black hair – but he ran away from me like I was going to shoot him. I didn’t find Julia. I made my way back to the road. I told the elderly woman the bad news. “I’m sure The Family can send someone to look for her tomorrow, when it’s light. But we can’t stay here now. We have to get everyone else to safety, including you.”
“No. I’ll stay here. Julia might come back. I want to be here if she returns.”
“It’s dark and dangerous.”
“That’s exactly why I must stay.”
I saw the determination on her face. “Do you have a weapon?”
“No.”
“Here. Take this gun.” I handed her the weapon belonging to Slater. I figured she would put it to greater use, if she needed to protect herself. “Find shelter if you can. Mark an X on the ground outside. I’ll tell whoever comes to look for it.”
“An X marks the spot,” she said. The elderly woman thanked me for
the gun. I hated leaving her – but we had to go.
I never did find out her name.
By then Terry had removed the dead body and dragged it to the roadside. Slater was tied up for everyone else’s safety. I went back to my own lorry and opened the rear to tell everyone why we had stopped. There were no infected people in my lorry – but several people did need medical treatment. In our escape a few had got some new bruises, which were my fault for driving like a maniac. I promised everyone we would soon be at our destination. “Angela, you want to ride up front with me?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said, hopping down. We closed the doors and went around to the cab. Angela frowned at the two empty seats. “Where’s Neal, Ben?”
“Neal’s gone,” I said.
“Gone?”
“He’s dead.”
“What?”
“He was turning … so he sacrificed himself. He blew up the helicopter and the wiped out the Pure Bloods. For us. He saved our lives.”
Angela was silent. We climbed into the cab. I drove on. Angela stared at the road, tears running down her cheeks.
“Neal was a great guy,” I said.
Angela nodded. “Ben, I didn’t even get time to thank him properly for saving me.”
“You didn’t have to thank him. He loved you. He loved us all. We were his family.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Oh, God, are Hayley and Jason and Sadie dead, too?”
“As far as I know they are still alive,” I said. I told Angela about what had happened after Neal had taken her from the camp – the attack, our escape through the woods, my capture and the Pure Blood massacre, meeting Dex and Maggie, the mission to Oxford. It seemed like such a long time ago when I had last seen Hayley, Jason and Sadie. “Billy’s gang captured me – but they didn’t get them, which is a good sign they made it to the alpha site unharmed. They should be waiting there.”
“Ben, we have to get back to them.”
“I know,” I said. “But first we have to get these people safe.”
Two miles on, a sign flashed by, lit by my headlights.
I sighed with relief.
We were almost there.
ENTRY FORTY-ONE
I stopped the lorry at a caravan site in a farmer’s field, near an old farmhouse taken over by The Family. I was welcomed by armed men and women pointing guns and crossbows. They could see me wearing a Pure Blood uniform, which would have required some serious explaining if their leader had not been expecting me. Fortunately, Dex was there. He ordered them to lower their weapons and let me park in the field. My vehicle was followed by Maggie’s. The two lorries were emptied of their passengers with the help of The Family. Everyone injected with the necrovitalis virus went to a large tent for a medical examination. They would have to be quarantined. I knew most would die in days – but they would die free, not in a cage. It was the most anyone could do for them when nobody had a cure for the zombie virus. As for the others, they were also isolated for the time being because The Family needed to be cautious. The Family could not welcome a bunch of strangers without taking precautions. Some people – like Slater and Dr Frost – needed to prove themselves trustworthy.
Dex greeted me with a hearty handshake. “Well done. You did a lot better than I hoped. I heard Oxford blowing up from here. Sounded like thunder. I would have enjoyed seeing that. You deserve a good rest before I debrief you. There’s a caravan for you and your friend. It has solar panels on the top providing electricity for a hot shower and cooked food. I suggest you get yourself cleaned up and eat breakfast before coming to the farmhouse.” He grinned. “I imagine you’ll eager to get that PBA uniform off?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I feel like a bad guy wearing it.”
“That’s how I used to feel too. Well – get some rest for that debrief. We’ll do it in an hour.”
Angela and I were shown to the caravan, then left alone. The caravan smelled like fresh linen on a summer day. Someone had gone to town spraying an air-freshener. I appreciated the effort. The caravan looked brand-new. Clean and shiny.
“Wow,” Angela said. “This is pretty luxurious for a caravan, like something a celebrity would own. Is this a dream, Ben? Am I going to wake up in that horrible hospital still a prisoner?”
“No – this is real. That’s over.”
“I still can’t believe Neal is gone.”
“Neither can I.”
“We’ve got to find Hayley and the others.”
“I know.”
Angela opened a door and looked into a room. “Uh-oh. There’s only one bedroom. Do you think Dex thinks we’re a … you know?”
I frowned. “A what?”
“A couple.”
“Oh. Maybe.”
Angela smiled awkwardly. “That would be … weird, right?”
“Yeah - weird,” I said, though I thought it wasn’t so weird, really. If we hadn’t just gone through hell, I would have told her the truth, that I didn’t think it was weird at all. “Look, I’ll sleep on the couch in this compartment. It looks comfy. You can take the bedroom. You need to get a good sleep in a real bed, not a hospital one. Do you need to take more painkillers or anything?”
“No, I’m fine. Very tired – but fine. Thanks for asking.”
While Angela went for a lie down in her bedroom, I stripped off my hated uniform in the bathroom, which had a clean toilet and a mould-free shower cubicle. Everything smelled of another air-freshener – a lavender one that made me sneeze. I stepped into the shower and turned it on. Hot water! I did feel like a dream. An amazing one. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the hot water running down my weary body. Nothing had ever felt so good. I showered off dirt, blood and sweat, lathering my body with all kinds of luxuriant shampoos and shower gels.
“Ben?” Angela said through the bathroom door.
“Uh-huh?”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For coming to find me. Thanks.”
“Ben?” she said again, softly.
“Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t mind it.”
“Mind what?”
“Being a couple. I’d like that. It wouldn’t be weird. It would be great.”
Her words left me breathless.
“Ben, are you okay? Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes,” I said. “I heard. I’d like that too.”
“Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Is there room in the shower for two?”
ENTRY FORTY-TWO
Angela made me forty minutes late for my debriefing in the farmhouse – but it did not matter. Dex was too busy for that when I saw him. One room – a dining room – had been turned into a command centre filled with radio operators, a large map table and a projector displaying a live satellite feed. I was surprised and impressed that The Family had a link to a satellite – but I understood how they had managed it when I noticed a load of cables running from the projector over the floor into a corner, where Lynchpin was hunched over a bank of computers, his fingers typing furiously. Lynchpin was their tech wizard and a former political hacktivist. Amazingly, he had hacked into a functional satellite, providing a great view of Oxford from above in the early morning light. Cyrillic letters on the screen gave me a clue to where the pictures were coming from – an old Russian spy sat somewhere in space, looking down on what was left of England long after its Russian masters had died in the zombie plague.
The picture kept breaking up every few seconds – but it was excellent when it was on. I could see details as small as people on the ground. I could even see them fighting the horde of zombies inside the city. Dex was at the table commanding his guerilla army via a radio headset. They had arrived at Oxford in armoured Jeeps and trucks, setting up attack positions, making it impossible for any Pure Bloods left inside the burning city to escape without surrendering or dying. Maggie was standing next to him drinking coffee and telling Dex tactical information. She acknowledge my arrival with a nod, then resumed her
duty.
There really wasn’t much for me to do except watch the operation on the satellite feed. I didn’t need to ask things were going. Dex’s people had a huge tactical advantage over the Pure Bloods. I was handed a cup of coffee.
“Drink that, mate.”
The voice belonged an old friend – Kim. It felt like a month since I had last seen her. The Australian joined me watching the screen.
I grinned. “It’s good to see you.”
“Never thought I’d see you again,” she said. “I reckoned you’d croak it when you went off on that suicide mission. Looks like you gave the Pure Bloods a bloody nose.”
“Yeah. How did Lynchpin get a satellite working?”
Kim shrugged. “No idea. Apparently he’s been working on cracking the codes for months.”
Dex continued giving orders until the feed went down.
SIGNAL LOST flashed on the screen.
Dex swore. “LP, can you get the picture back?”
Lynchpin shook his head. “The satellite’s gone out of range, boss.”
“Can’t you get another one?”
“It’s not that easy. There aren’t many working – but I’ll scan for a signal. Maybe I can find another. There should be some geostationary weather sats. Not as good as spy sat – but they’ll have Britain covered if I -”
“Just do it!” Dex shouted. “I need to keep our people informed on the PBA’s movements, LP.”
“It’s not easy hacking into a military satellite,” Lynchpin moaned. “It takes time even for a genius like me.”
“We don’t have time. Seconds matter. I don’t want any of them escaping because I can’t see them.”
Lynchpin’s fingers flickered over a keyboard.
Dex removed his headset to wipe sweat off his brow. “I’m blind here. I need to update the ground forces, LP. We still have active enemy.”
“I might have found something,” Lynchpin said. “It’s French. They never shared the codes with the UK – but I hacked into a DARPA server last month and they had … Got it. I am amazing. Voilà! Live infra-red in high definition, brought to you by Lynchpin TV.”
