She thinks of tomorrow and how it will be even harder than today, and the day after that will be harder still because this is the new world and the old world is gone. This is life now. This is living now. So why shouldn’t she swim in her underwear at night to cool off? Where’s Nick? Where is he? Where’s Howie now? They’re off fighting. They’re off doing hard work, but that doesn’t mean the work here is any less hard, and they left her on her own. All of them went. The same as her father.
‘You know what,’ she says firmly. ‘I will have a swim. Lenski?’ she asks, turning to see Lenski already stripped off. Her body so tall and lean, statuesque really. Her ribs showing and her flat stomach sweeping in. Long shapely legs. Her breasts small and covered by a white bra and Lilly cannot help but steal glances at the shape of other women’s bodies. She looks to Mary. Seeing she is shorter and wider, her frame more solid but not fat. Bigger boobs, bigger hips, muscled thighs and a soft belly that is every bit as attractive as Lenski’s defined shape and she blinks as Lenski strides past and dives into the water, going deep and long before surfacing with a gasp.
‘Is so nice,’ she says, somewhat breathless while sweeping her blond hair over her head.
‘I’m in,’ Mary goes next, plunging in with a splash as Lilly unfastens her pistol belt and trousers, tugging them down and off before taking her top off as Mary surfaces. Gasping the same as Lenski did. Splashing as she turns with a grin and wild red hair plastered down her face. A look from her to Lilly. The moonlight shining down as Lilly walks to the edge of the beach in her bra and knickers. Moonlight coming down. Darkness about them. The air sultry and heavy and she looks from Lenski dunking back under to Mary and the gypsy woman’s broad, beautiful face staring back at her with a slow smile forming. A moment in time. A feeling inside. Lilly smiles back at her. Mary widens her eyes and motions with her head, inviting Lilly in. She goes for it. Diving out with a splash and feeling the contraction in her chest from the lower temperature of the water. The instant coolness of it. The heat of her body seemingly robbed within a second and she kicks out, seeing nothing but darkness in every direction before she surfaces to see Mary still smiling at her.
‘Nice?’ Mary asks softly.
‘Aye,’ Lilly says. ‘Very nice.’ Both of them treading water. Mere feet between them and in that moment, Lilly does not think about Mr Howie or Paula. Not the infection or Reginald’s ideas or what it all means. She doesn’t even think about Nick.
They are not here.
They left.
Agatha was right. The fort is changing, and with it, the people too.
Chapter Eleven
Day Twenty Three
Lilly wakes before dawn. Darkness outside but a feel about the world that it’s almost ready to wake up. She stretches, languid and slow. Her muscles flooding her body with chemicals that help bring her mind to the fore and she lifts her head, blinking as she looks about the room.
On her feet. Her heart racing as she grabs her rifle and runs hard. Her mind spinning. Her brain frantic. Light coming from the office. Noise within. ‘The kids are…’ she stops at the doorway, her chest heaving. ‘Gone,’ she says the last word, shaking her head at seeing Amna, Rajesh, Milly and Billy at the table and Mary at the back by the drinks table in shorts and a vest. Her red hair piled on her head.
‘They dive bombed me,’ Mary says.
‘What are you doing?’ Lilly demands, striding in to glare at the kids suddenly freezing as they look at her. ‘Why did you sneak out? Answer me!’
‘Lilly,’ Mary says from the back. ‘They’re fine…’
‘It’s not fine. I’ve told you not to sneak out. You wake me if you need anything…look at me. All of you…’
‘Sorry, Lilly,’ Billy says quietly.
‘Sorry,’ the others join in. Quiet, soft and all filled with that special kind of remorse reserved for small children.
‘It’s dangerous.’
‘Aye, it is, but there’s plenty of people about,’ Mary says. ‘And the gates are locked…plus they came and woke me so….’ She trails off, not wanting to undermine Lilly but trying to gently suggest Lilly doesn’t need to be so angry. She offers a smile. Her green eyes twinkling in the soft light.
‘Even so,’ Lilly says, wincing inside at her harsh tone.
‘No, it’s a fair point it is,’ Mary says. ‘You kids, don’t do that again. Okay? If you want to dive bomb me in the morning, you’ll have to wake someone up, or better yet, move down to these rooms so we’re all in one place. Lilly, you wanting a coffee now?’
‘I will. Yes please,’ she says, moving to kiss her brother’s head. ‘I panicked…I couldn’t see any of you.’ She moves from one to the other, leaning down to give kisses and hugs. ‘What are you doing anyway?’
‘Drawing,’ Rajesh says. ‘I drew a doggy…it’s Mr Howie’s doggy.’
‘That’s very good,’ Lilly says, looking at the big black splodge that kind of resembles a thing with four legs and a tail. ‘Is that Mary?’ she asks Billy, seeing a stick figure with a big red splodge of hair.
‘And you,’ Billy says, pointing at a stick figure with yellow hair. ‘And Lenski, and Pea and Sam and Joanie…’
‘Amna, what are those?’ Lilly asks.
‘Cats,’ Amna says, scribbling away. ‘All running and running…’
‘Nice,’ Mary says, bringing a mug of coffee over for Lilly. ‘Who’s that then?’ she asks Milly, staring down at her drawings.
‘That’s Cassie and that’s Gregory and that’s the boy,’ Milly says.
‘Ah is it now?’ Mary says. ‘You seen this, Lilly? Good little artist here.’
‘Let me see,’ Lilly says as Mary holds the picture up. Crude figures but the lines are clear, the sizes too all appearing in scale. Two adults and a child all hand in hand. All three of them smiling and drawn in lighter shades but with darker figures behind them. Scale given to show they are further back and all of them with red eyes. Lilly smiles sadly as Mary bends down to hug Milly.
‘Did you know them?’ Mary asks gently, thinking the figures to be family taken by the infected.
‘No,’ Milly says. ‘They live far far far far away,’ Milly says, turning to grin at Mary.
‘Ah I see,’ Mary says. ‘And what’s the boy called?’
‘Cassie calls him the boy and Gregory calls him the boy and they play frisbee. Can we play frisbee later?’
‘We’ll have to find a frisbee first, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled I will. Kids eh?’ she says, standing up to look at Lilly. ‘You’ve got a bit of bed hair going on there, Blondie.’
‘I woke up with a start,’ Lilly says. ‘And I don’t have a hair band.’
‘Ach, how do you modern girls cope?’ Mary asks, grabbing a pencil from the table as she walks over to stand behind Lilly. ‘Just pull it all back,’ she says, taking Lilly’s hair in her hands as the four children watch on with interest. ‘Nice and tight, then twist it over…and stick the pencil in there…’
Lilly frowns, reaching back to feel the pencil poking through the rough bun. ‘I’ve never been able to do that.’
‘Gypsy magic,’ Mary says, winking at the children before leaning to whisper in Lilly’s ear. ‘Go and put a bra on before people wake up…’
‘Pardon?’ Lilly asks, glancing down at her chest showing a bit too clearly through the thin material of her top. ‘Right.’
‘This fort’s hot enough without them bouncing about,’ Mary says with a laugh, heading back to the drinks table. ‘Can your kids drink tea? I think it’s decaf? It might be decaf. Ah hell, it’s probably not decaf…it’ll be fine. I’ll make it weak.’
‘I shall go and dress,’ Lilly says, holding her hands over her chest. ‘Tea’s fine, but not coffee.’
‘Blondie,’ Mary tuts. ‘I wouldn’t give a kid coffee,’ she says, rolling her eyes as Lilly goes out. ‘Who wants coffee?’
‘Me!’ Milly calls as Lilly ducks back in to glare over.
‘Ah, I’m joking. Go on with
you. They can go and jump on Kyle in a wee bit.’
Lilly smiles, walking towards her own sleeping rooms while thinking they really need a set of rooms where they can all be together, preferably with a lockable door. ‘Morning, Alf,’ she says, spotting him walking towards her pushing his wheelbarrow.
‘Miss Lilly,’ he says, ignoring her hands clasped over her boobs.
‘Any losses?’
‘Just the one. Old fella from the infirmary. Blood poisoning, I think. He’s wrapped up and ready to go…’
‘Yes, of course,’ she says. ‘Er, don’t suppose you’ve checked the suicide…I mean the room at the back, have you?’
‘Not yet, want me to look?’
‘No, it’s fine. I can do it,’ she says as he nods and walks off then tuts at herself still holding her boobs. She carries on walking, looking at the first hints of light in the sky, thinking of yesterday, thinking of the work they need to do today, thinking of Lenski, of Mary and smiling at the jokes last night. It was nice swimming with them both. They sat in the offices and drank tea while drying off after. Lenski is changing, she’s more natural now and less stern. Mind you, everyone is like that.
A few minutes later and she groans softly in the doorway. Staring in at the figure slumped against the wall. Then she frowns at hearing strange noises and her hand moves instinctively to her hip, ready to draw her pistol that isn’t there. She thinks to back out then realises what the noises are. Cats purring. The ten cats are in here. She spots the crates, the shape of them becoming clear as her eyes adjust to the gloom. A heavy sigh and she heads in, moving to the corpse. A dead woman with a big cat purring on her lap. Whoever the person is came in and opened one of the crates before dying.
Something moves against her leg. Soft, warm and also purring, and Lilly corrects her thought processes; whoever this person came in and opened all of the crates before dying. Awesome. That means they now have a fort full of cats.
She bends down, wincing as she presses her fingers to the neck of the corpse that twitches and snorts, making Lilly panic and punch it in the face while jumping back, thinking it’s only the infected that makes noises when they should be dead.
‘Ow!’ the corpse cries out, keeling over. ‘What the fuck?’
‘Oh shit,’ Lilly says, her heart booming, her fist still clenched.
‘Why’d you bloody punch me?’
‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry…I thought you were dead.’
‘Dead? I’m not bloody dead. I’m asleep…’
‘I know. Oh god…are you okay?’
‘No! You just bloody hit me. Jesus, right in the cheek too. That really hurts…’
‘I am so sorry. Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I mean, you made a noise so I punched you…’
‘What!?’
‘Okay, sorry, let me start again. I was going to get my bra and thought you were dead…’
‘Who punches dead bodies?’
‘No! You made a noise…’ Lilly says, wincing at the woman. ‘Are you okay?’ she asks again, moving closer.
‘I’m fine,’ the woman says, wilting back as she gets to her feet while rubbing her cheek. ‘I wanted to check my cats…’
‘Oh. Right. They’re your cats. Yes, that makes sense now…er, why did you let them out?’
‘What? My cats are out?’
‘Yes. I just said that.’
‘I’m sorry, you just punched me in the face while I was sleeping…who let my cats out?’
‘Oh, I thought you let your cats out?’
‘Why would I let my cats out?’
‘Right,’ Lilly says, remembering Amna’s drawing of the cats running. ‘Gotcha. That’s a mystery. Blimey. Never solve that one. Er…I need to put a bra on. Sorry for punching you…um…bye then! Oh the infirmary is down the other end if er…if the cheek is sore or anything…’ she heads out, tutting, wincing and cursing at the kids sneaking past her to let the cats go before dive-bombing Mary and making her punch sleeping women.
‘What about my cats?’ the woman calls from behind.
‘I’m sure you’ll catch them all!’ Lilly says before scarpering with her hands back over her boobs.
Chapter Twelve
Day Twenty Three
The Meeting
‘Safety announcement,’ Mary calls out to a packed table in the main office as the morning meeting gets underway. ‘Don’t anyone fall asleep or Lilly will punch you in the face,’ she adds to a few laughs. The story already well-told from the cat-lady walking about displaying her black eye.
‘Our little dictator strikes again,’ Lisa says, sucking the humour from the room. ‘Oh come on now, don’t all look so offended. Or is it a case of not being able to speak out for fear of the consequences? Like say, starving people and denying them shelter from the sun?’
‘What the hell are you on about?’ Sam asks.
‘Perhaps we should ask Lenski,’ Lisa says.
‘You mean what I say to the lazy people,’ Lenski says as everyone looks at her. ‘They shout at Colin and make him feel bad. Sit in sun all day. No work. Drink tea and go blah blah. I said to make their own shelter and work. One man, he has tattoos…’
‘That’ll be Tommy,’ Norman says.
‘Him. This man. He shout and angry and swear. I get angry too. I say half food unless work. I no mean this,’ she adds, waving a dismissive hand. ‘I say it to make them work. They eat full food. I no care.’
‘Oh I see,’ Lisa says. ‘Sorry. I didn’t fully understand. Only it sounded to me that while Lilly was threatening to shoot Muslims unless they removed their burkas, Lenski was denying food and shelter to sick people…which, of course, is before our little dictator punched someone in the face for sleeping…’ she lifts her hands, splaying her fingers as everyone starts talking at the same time. ‘And how many people were hurt yesterday on the beach? Broken arms, broken fingers…severe heat-stroke. But hey, they work or don’t eat. Right?’
‘Fuck off!’ Sam shouts. ‘It’s nothing like that…’
‘We couldn’t see their eyes,’ Pea says.
‘Sure. So you threaten them at gunpoint. Best way to resolve everything.’
‘You’re such a fucking bitch,’ Sam yells.
‘Lisa, it wasn’t like that now,’ Kyle says calmly.
‘Wow, sure. Nobody can speak out against our little…’
‘Call her a dictator again and see what bloody happens,’ Mary yells, striding across the room as Norman moves to block her path.
‘That’s enough. Thank you,’ Lilly calls out, standing at the head of the table.
‘I no deny food. I only say this to make them work,’ Lenski says, her tone harder and defensive.
‘The sick and injured have to work?’ Lisa asks. ‘Are you going to come into the infirmary and make them work too?’
‘Lisa, what’s got into you?’ Ann asks.
‘Nothing has got into me. I’m just not getting sucked into the Lilly cult…’
‘Ye fucking twat!’
‘Mary!’ Lilly says. ‘Enough. Thank you. Lisa, your views are valid, but do not goad for the sake of a reaction. It is beneath you…’
‘Who the hell are you talking to?’ Lisa snaps, losing her cool instantly. ‘Patronising little schoolgirl. Excuse me. I have work to do. May I go please, Miss Lilly?’ she smiles, wide and icy before storming out.
‘Well, that escalated quickly,’ John says into the silence.
‘Fuck her, we can have a nice meeting now,’ Sam says, glaring at the door as though to send daggers after Lisa.
‘Heat and pressure do things to people,’ Ann says. ‘This weather…it’s enough to drive anyone crazy.’
‘You’re not lying there, Ann,’ Kyle says as Peter and Mary share looks with both knowing someone saying things like Lisa would be dealt with very quickly in the camp.
‘You think hot on the beach?’ Lenski asks. ‘Colin, what was temperature in the fort yesterday?’
‘Forty two Celsius,’ Colin r
eplies with a wince to a few sharp intakes of breath. ‘There’s no breeze you see.’
‘There’s no breeze over there either,’ Pea says. ‘I felt like I piddled myself yesterday I was that wet…what?’ she asks when everyone looks at her. ‘It did feel like that…’
‘No, you’re right. It is like that,’ Sam says. ‘Still, you are getting on a bit, Pea dear. Bit of piss leaking out yeah?’
‘Oh fuck off,’ Pea says to a few chuckles.
‘I think a storm will come, yes?’ Lenski says as the others murmur in agreement. ‘This worry me. If rain now we no cook for everyone…no have enough tents. People get wet and cold…’
Lilly nods, leaning in to rest her elbows on the table. ‘My apologies but we’ll need to work harder today. Lenski’s right. We need structures up, somewhere to cook and tents…and we need to start on the wall too…’
‘I’ll jump in here,’ Peter says. ‘I took a few lads up to an army base overnight. The Father said it used to be an army prison and had sectional wall we could take…’ he trails off, thinking back to a few hours before and standing in the army base in the hours of darkness with his rifle gripped and ready.
‘What the bloody hell happened here?’ Patrick asked quietly, looking about with distaste.
‘No idea,’ Peter said, staring down at a mangled corpse reading the name on the front tunic of the camouflage clothing. ‘Major Donaldson…’
‘He’s a very dead Major Donaldson now,’ Patrick said. ‘Looks like he’s been hung, run over, stabbed and shot a few times…oh and someone chopped his head off…it’s over there I think.’
‘We didn’t stay long,’ Peter adds after explaining what they found in the meeting. ‘But we did check the walls. They’re buried too deep to dig out, so I’m thinking unless we find a place with new ones then we might as well go for the shipping containers…’
‘Aye, you know, I didn’t think about that,’ Kyle says wistfully. ‘My error, apologies. Of course they’ll be sunk in…Henry would know where to find new ones but I don’t…’
The Undead (Book 23): The Fort Page 15
