The Undead (Book 23): The Fort

by Haywood, R. R.

  Lenski listens for a minute before staring back to Tommy at the epi-centre of the rot spreading through that area. A marked difference to everywhere else in the fort and Tommy’s little section. Everywhere else is industrious, busy and buoyed on with a sense of hope, whereas that area is dark and sullen with Tommy right in the middle.

  She looks around and spots Pamela leading a new group in from the gates and sighs heavily, feeling the sweat roll down over her forehead as the pen lids clicks in her hand and above her the blue sky stretches on, deep and endless.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Day Twenty three

  Under that same deep blue sky lies a quiet road nestled between gorgeous meadows filled with wild flowers. A serene tranquillity brought on by the lack of cars on the nearby road or jet aircraft thundering overhead, and the air fills with birdsong and the buzz of insects. The calls of creatures and the sometimes faint rustle of leaves and branches moving against one another.

  Another noise comes to be heard. A deep booming sound. Rhythmic, persistent, and growing closer with every passing second and those creatures grow still as the Ford Transit thunders along the road. The windows down. The music blaring. A woman with red hair driving and singing. A woman with blond hair in the passenger seat laughing.

  Crazy by Gnarls Barkley thumping from the stereo. The addictive beat so deep, the voice so light and perfect. A CD found in the stereo by Mary poking buttons on the music system.

  ‘Ha ha ha bless your soul…you really think you’re in control? I think you’re crazy…’ Mary sings to Lilly, unashamed and filled with fun.

  Lilly taps her foot, grinning along. Feeling the flow of new energy as her mind undertakes the change that Agatha detected sweeping through the fort.

  The world is over, and anyone left alive now has suffered and lost. Everybody hurts, but they are alive and today is a beautiful day. They have life. They can see the sky and feel the warmth of the sun. Aye. That’s what it is. A resistance to the feeling that they must be meek and cowed. A new voice. A new energy. This is life now, and without risk there is no reward, and so Lilly sings too. Giving voice to a song and Mary takes her turn to laugh. The two of them barrelling through the countryside bobbing heads, tapping feet and banging on the dashboard to make more noise, and when the song ends, so they play it again and keep going.

  A short while later they coast into the edge of the car park and switch the engine off to sit quietly, staring ahead and to the sides, listening intently, scenting the air through the windows.

  ‘Looks okay,’ Mary says quietly. ‘Can’t see any movement…’

  Lilly stares ahead to the retail park. A squared off horse-shoe shape of big fronted stores all bearing bright logos and huge windows filled with incredible offers. A few cars left in the car park. A body seen further down the road, but it looks old. The skin rotten and falling away. Bones showing.

  ‘We going for it?’ Mary asks.

  Lilly nods. ‘Go slow…but be ready to get us out if anything happens.’

  ‘Right. Did you really need to say that?’ Mary whispers, earning a smile in response.

  The van creeps forward. The wheels crunching tiny chunks of grit and gravel as they cross the parking bays and move in towards the huge outdoor store in the middle of the row.

  The van turns as they get closer, going wide to sweep the view and position the van facing out before Mary reverses it in. Bringing the back doors as close to the store front as possible. Then they stop and wait once more.

  Mary turns the engine off and starts to get out, but stops from Lilly’s hand resting on her arm, holding her still. ‘Give it another minute,’ Lilly whispers.

  Ears strain as they listen to the ticks and gentle clunks coming from the engine. Birdsong close by. No other noises. No traffic. No hum of a city. No planes or anything. No wind even.

  Mary realises Lilly’s hand is still on her arm. She can feel it. She looks down at Lilly’s slender fingers, tracking her eyes up along her wrist to her arm and up over her shoulder to Lilly facing ahead and she watches a bead of sweat roll slowly down her cheek as she sits perfectly poised. Perfectly still. Perfectly perfect. She swallows, turning away sharply. Blinking to herself and drawing air.

  ‘I think it’s okay,’ she says, sliding out from under Lilly’s hand to step out of the van into that searing, crushing heat. She gasps a little and half wishes they hadn’t used the air-con in the van as it makes it feel so much worse now. A glance over to Lilly getting out with her rifle already up and raised. No sounds anywhere and it’s almost eerie because of that silence. Thoughts in her mind. Weird thoughts that she has never felt before. Weird feelings too. She shakes her head, dismissing them from her mind. It’s the heat and a result of the massive life-changes underway. That’s all it is. Mary has only ever really known life within the camp, or within the circles of that life. Now there are new influences and new things so for sure, she’s just a bit too excited about it all. That’s all it is. She looks over to Lilly again and lifts her eyebrows at seeing Lilly already staring at her. A smile shared and they go back to taking in the world about them.

  The windows to the stores all intact. Most of them clothes shops. Fashion outlets. A few jewellers, cosmetics. Things to make you look good, smell nice and glint under the nightclub lights. All now meaningless and rendered obsolete.

  ‘There’ll be some stuff in there we could use,’ Mary whispers, nodding at a health food shop. ‘The rest is a bit shit like…’

  They head for the outdoors store and try the doors. All locked. The windows intact. ‘Safety glass,’ Mary says quietly. ‘No point shooting it…we’ll have to use the van…you want to keep watch and I’ll ram the arse in…’

  ‘Sounds interesting,’ Lilly says with a smile, walking off as Mary blinks and thinks that sounded a bit flirty. Was it flirty? Lilly doesn’t flirt. She’s not the flirting type. What the hell is she thinking? They’re both girls who like boys. Mary likes boys. Lilly is sleeping with Nick, who apparently is like a model or something. But still, it did sound a bit flirty.

  Lilly moves off as Mary gets back into the van, turning to face out while holding her rifle ready and wondering if she just flirted a bit. Did she? It just came out. It wasn’t flirting. It’s just a lightening of the mood. It’s hot too. Really hot. Mary’s arm felt hot when she rested her hand on it. She frowns and shakes her head. She likes Nick. Nick is handsome and strong and they made love and it was amazing. But Nick also fucked off with Howie and left her. She blinks again, frowning harder. Howie is fighting back and that’s important. Yeah but he couldn’t just leave one behind to help?

  Still. It doesn’t matter. She’s with Nick. Nick is amazing, and a man, and Lilly fancies him. Definitely.

  She blasts air and turns to see Mary giving a thumbs up with a smile and grins back with all thoughts of Nick vanishing in a heartbeat and she watches as Mary starts the engine, eases forward, selects reverse then slams the van back into the window.

  A hard bang. A smash and the van goes through the glass, tearing a hole through with an almighty noise. A crunch of the gears and she comes out, bringing the van clear before silencing the engine and popping out.

  ‘How was that for a bit of arse ramming?’ she asks, making Lilly snort a laugh. They head through the gap, pausing to let their eyes adjust.

  ‘Bloody hell,’ Mary says quietly. ‘Doesn’t it feel weird being in a shop now…like all clean and neat…’

  ‘Apart from the huge hole in the window you mean,’ Lilly says, turning to look back.

  ‘Aye,’ Mary says, turning at her side to stare at the same thing. ‘Apart from that. Right, tents is it?’ she asks, looking at Lilly.

  ‘Aye,’ Lilly says, rolling her eyes at using that phrase again.

  ‘Tents are back there,’ Mary says, pointing as she walks off. ‘We should get boots too. And thick socks…and waterproof clothes…oh and sleeping bags and have you seen these headscarves?’ she stops at the counter, fingering a display o
n a rotating stand. ‘I like these, Blondie. Nice and stretchy. Keep the sweat out of our eyes. What do you think?’

  ‘Try the red,’ Lilly says, taking one from the display to hold near Mary’s head. ‘Matches your hair.’

  ‘Yeah?’ Mary asks, staring into her blue eyes.

  ‘Definitely,’ Lilly says, staring into her green eyes as that energy spikes a bit more. A bit higher. Rushing through them a bit faster. Making their hearts beat that bit harder as they both blush and laugh to hide the weird feelings. ‘They’re nice,’ Lilly says, nodding at the display. Serious, studious and frowning as she tries to ignore her heart beating too hard and the blood rushing past her ears. Another silence. A little bit awkward. A little bit heavy.

  ‘It’s hot,’ Mary says.

  ‘It is.’

  ‘Should we get the tents then?’

  ‘Yes. Yes I think we should…’

  ‘Good. Because this isn’t awkward at all right now,’ Mary says, winking at Lilly and making her snort as they turn away with Mary instantly regretting saying it and Lilly wanting to ask what she means. She doesn’t ask. That would be weird, and so they get to work. Rushing back and forth side by side.

  In and out with armfuls of tents and sleeping bags and boxes of boots. Anything that might be usable. Camping gas cylinders and stoves. Batteries. Waterproof clothing. Knives. Multi-tools. Fishing rods, reels and the sweat pours as the work. The heat sucking the air from their lungs.

  ‘Oops, sorry, Blondie,’ Mary says, stepping back into Lilly with an armful of clothes.

  ‘My fault,’ Lilly says, placing her hands on Mary’s hips to guide round and past her. The touch fleeting but they both feel it and smile as they work. Joking and throwing socks at each other. Pausing when outside to listen, standing side by side, close enough to almost feel the heat coming from the other. Gentle brushes against one another become jokey nudges with Mary moving close behind Lilly to push her on, making them laugh as they go. The energy between them so natural and organic.

  They work fast too. That relentless nature within Lilly not easing one jot, but Mary keeps pace and if anything, seems to relish it.

  ‘I bloody love this!’ she says, striding back in with Lilly. Both sweating and breathing hard. ‘Ach, I mean like this beats camp work any day of the week. Not that I love being here with you. Not that…I mean that’s cool too. Don’t get me wrong now. Great…’ she smiles, pulling a face that indicates she doesn’t know what she’s saying that makes Lilly burst out laughing. ‘Are we having a swim later? We should have a swim…with Lenski! Not just…I mean…right well. We’d better keep going then. Busy or what. Do you need a drink? You look hot. Like, your face is red I mean and…wow, I’m soaked through I am…’ she says, only too aware of the gabbling words falling from her mouth as she pulls her sodden top away from her body.

  ‘Change it,’ Lilly says, fanning her face as she walks to the counter to her water bottle. ‘There’s enough here…’

  ‘Hey now, that’s why you’re in charge of everything. Being all smart like that,’ Mary says, slipping her rifle off before grabbing the hem of her vest and pulling it up overhead to show her body glistening with sweat. ‘Chuck us a pack of them wet-wipes on the counter there will you, Blondie…’

  Lilly grabs a pack, glugging water as she turns to throw it over with a sudden nervousness stealing over her at the sight of Mary stripped down to her bra. The flare of her hips. The softness of her belly. The swell of her breasts. So very feminine in every way.

  Mary feels her watching but doesn’t know how to react. The energy shifting again. Charging and becoming tense, but not unpleasant, not unpleasant at all. She feigns not to notice and wipes her body, detecting in her peripheral vision when Lilly pulls her top off and steals a quick glance.

  ‘Fuck,’ she says without thinking, seeing the old faded bruises on Lilly’s body. ‘Is that what they did to you?’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Lilly says, looking down at the darker patches on her ribs and stomach.

  ‘I didn’t see them last night,’ Mary says. She moves closer and stretches her hand out to touch Lilly’s ribs, but stops with a micro-second of hesitation before the contact comes. Her fingertips gently touching the bruise and so soft is that touch it brings goose-bumps over Lilly’s flesh and a shiver running down her spine. ‘Do they hurt?’ Mary asks, her voice catching a little in her throat.

  ‘It’s fine,’ Lilly says, studying Mary’s features. ‘I don’t feel pain like I used to…’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘It’s possible I’m infected,’ Lilly says, expecting Mary to pull her hand back sharply, but she stays still, listening and waiting for more. ‘Reginald thinks we have a mutated strain of the virus…’

  ‘Right,’ Mary says quietly, knowing there should be a hundred questions forming as a result of that statement but right now not one of them comes to the fore of her mind.

  ‘Freak, right?’ Lilly says, offering a tight smile.

  ‘God yes,’ Mary says, wide-eyed and nodding emphatically in a way that makes Lilly laugh again. ‘Do you feel any different?’

  ‘I do, yes,’ Lilly replies with raw honesty. ‘I feel very different…but not from that.’

  Another silence with eye contact held until the nerves give out and they both smile, suddenly sheepish and shy. Turning away to wipe and dress and talk about how hot it is.

  ‘Will you look at that now,’ Mary says, easing the speed down as they drive along the shore road towards the bay and Lilly leans forward, hardly believing what she is seeing.

  ‘That,’ Mary says proudly. ‘Is your bloody wall that is…’

  It’s only the start but already it makes such a visible difference. A solid line of shipping containers stretching from the sea across the land with a gap for the shore road to pass through.

  They slow down as they approach to watch the crane hoist another container from a lorry trailer and drop it down for Norman and a few others to rush in and get the doors open, peering inside before waving their arms.

  ‘Nothing good,’ Norman’s voice on the radio. ‘Get it stacked in…’

  ‘Right you are, Norman…mind out now…’ a male voice from whoever is driving the crane and the container goes back up into the air and swings out, only to be dropped down at the end of the row where a digger is poised and ready to shunt it into position. Men guiding it in. Men shouting out. Radio messages flying thick and fast and both Lilly and Mary hear as the digger slams into the container’s end, ramming it flush alongside the next one along.

  ‘Drop me off here,’ Lilly says, looking at Mary. ‘Can you take this van down to the beach and let Pea know it’s full of tents…’

  ‘Leave it with me, Blondie.’

  She drops out into the heat, smiling at seeing Mary grinning inside and the van drives off, leaving Lilly to stare up at the eight and a half feet high container wall.

  The infected will get over it with ease. They’ll body-pile or just jump and grip the top ledge and climb over. But then the infected are not the only danger now. Other people are too, and this sends a signal.

  Besides, they can easily stack another layer on the top and make it five metres high then cover it with razor wire.

  ‘Lilly!’ Kyle shouts when she walks in. ‘Did you get to the retail park?’

  ‘Aye,’ she calls back over the noise, tutting at herself for saying it yet again. ‘I mean yes we did. Tents, sleeping bags, camping stoves…loads of things. But this is incredible…’

  ‘Mayhem too,’ he yells back. Diesel engines roaring by them. Men shouting. The whir of the crane and the clang of metal on metal.

  ‘Lilly, you okay?’ Norman calls, coming over.

  ‘Fine. Anything inside of them?’

  ‘Fridges,’ Kyle and Norman both say together as Peter walks over. Sweat pouring down his face. Sweat pouring down all of their faces.

  ‘This heat,’ Peter shouts, pointing skywards.

  ‘Storm coming,’ Kyle yells bac
k.

  ‘Got to be,’ Norman says.

  ‘Lilly, we’ve shoved a container in the sea,’ Peter explains, pointing to the shore. ‘It was shallow enough to just walk around the end…’

  ‘Okay,’ Lilly says, spotting the top of the container poking out the water. ‘How many have we got?’

  ‘Forty three,’ Norman says. ‘Each at twelve metres long…so just over five hundred metres which is about half the distance you wanted enclosed…’

  ‘I’ve got some lads going back to the docks to bring more, we can’t do as many as this morning…’ Peter says.

  ‘That’s great. We can do another run tomorrow,’ Lilly says, looking past him to the trucks still holding containers parked all over the place. ‘These trucks waiting…we can get them into position now…I mean where the wall will run. That way the crane only has to move along...and that hedge needs to come down. I’ll get one of Bobby’s team up here to rip it out…’

  Mary finally reaches the beach after navigating the chocked road and bounces out while singing to Gnarls Barkley playing on the stereo again. People everywhere all packed into the tiny area and she rushes over to the marquee tent taken from her Uncle Jack and into the shade to see Pea, Sam and Joan having a quick brew made from a kettle connected to a small chugging generator. Ann and Anika tending to chairs filled with more people suffering the effects of heat-stroke or wrapping bandages on injuries.

  ‘There she is,’ Sam calls out. ‘Must have heard the kettle boil…’

  ‘Good timing or what,’ Mary says, waving her hand as Sam moves to make another drink. ‘I’ll do it…we’ve got a van full of shiny new gear for the fort we have. Tents, sleeping bags…’