A small smile emerged under the man's nose; he sat back and crossed his legs. "We were attacked two hours after the television broke the news about ... whatever the hell it is."
Gordon tried to speed the story along. "And?"
"And," the man sighed, "the next thing we knew, a group of these ... people came running into the village on Sunday evening. About six of them. They started attacking the people that were left."
Joan scrunched her face in puzzlement. "Left?"
The man nodded. "Once the news broke most of the villagers fled in their cars. The ones that stayed behind ended up getting attacked."
"Can't have been many," said Joan, "We've seen these things run through windows to get at someone, and we didn't see many broken windows in the village."
"Anyway, I hid in the church, and went to the top floor. I was there for two days before I was brave enough to move. As soon as I walked out into the fresh air, I could see that the place was like a ghost town."
Joan asked the man, "Why didn't you go across the road and try the hotel for supplies?"
"I was too scared to," the man said with no shame. "I could see that there were no cars parked in the car park, which meant the guests and the owners had left, but I was still too scared to move in case some of those things were inside. The bravest thing I could manage was to run ten yards from the church to this house. I've been living off what's in the fridge and the cupboards since last week."
"So this place is free of the Runners?" questioned Joan. "The village, I mean."
"Runners?" The man looked confused.
"The infected."
The man smiled and said, "Pretty much. Although occasionally you see a few ... drifters, shall we say, passing through."
Gordon and Joan told the man their names. The man smiled.
He said, "The name's George Jeffers, but my friends called me Jory."
"Well, Jory, we'll leave you in peace and we'll see you later on. Maybe you can come over."
Jory nodded. "Maybe."
Gordon got to his feet and Joan copied him.
"Do you have to go yet?" It sounded like there was pleading in Jory's voice and both Joan and Gordon felt for the man. "There's a camping stove downstairs, water ... I could make you both a cup of tea. This place lost power a day or so ago, but I bet the cities are still going strong in the UK."
"Tea." Gordon nodded and said, "That sounds..."
"Perfect," Joan laughed. "I haven't had a cup of tea in a while."
Jory got out of his chair and began to make his way onto the landing, moaning about his knees whilst he did this, then took the stairs and went down to the ground floor. Joan and Gordon followed behind.
"Incidentally," Joan began. "How old are you? You seem a tad rough."
"Joan!" Gordon scolded, unsure whether to be outraged or laugh at her cheek to a man she had only just met. "Don't be so rude."
"That's okay," Jory said, and went into the kitchen to put on the stove. Joan and Gordon sat on the couch in the living room. Jory added from the kitchen, "I'm fifty-nine."
"Jesus," Joan scoffed, "You must have had a tough paper round."
Jory responded from the kitchen, "I like you, Joan. You say it as it is, but there's a reason why I look so rough."
"Oh?"
"Let me make you the tea and I'll tell you all about it."
Chapter Twenty
Marvin sat down on the couch in the lounge area, and smirked at Kelly Bronson as she sat on a stool at the bar, eating a packet of crisps. She tried to ignore the man and had no idea what his problem was, and why he was like this, especially now the world had turned into an ugly place. He was the strangest person she had ever met.
Lloyd and Junior were deep in conversation at the other end of the room, and Marvin smiled and got off the couch, his head still pounding from his antics the night before.
Kelly looked and rolled her eyes. Oh, please don't come over.
Marvin strolled over in her direction, cleared his throat and leaned against the bar, only yards from Kelly. With his forearms resting and his head cocked to one side, Marvin cleared his throat, trying to catch Kelly's attention, but she knew he was already there. She just didn't want to converse with the vile man.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot," he began.
She smiled and began licking her fingers; she had now finished her crisps. She screwed up the bag and left it on the bar. She wiped her hands on her blue jeans and finally said, "I think we're done. You and me don't have nothing to talk about."
"I'm trying to be nice here."
"I don't think you have the capability of doing that." Kelly took a long hard look at Marvin. She wasn't scared of him. She was used to dealing with tougher and creepier individuals than Marvin Dickinson. He was a pussycat compared to some of the inmates she had had run ins with.
"So is that it?"
Kelly released a heavy breath out and said, "Don't get me wrong, I don't wish you any harm, not really. But I don't think there's any point me and you talking anymore. I don't like you, and you don't like me."
"That's not true."
"Let's be honest here, Marvin. The only reason why you're with these people is because you're Lloyd's brother. That's it. Joan doesn't like you and neither does Gordon."
"You know how to make a guy feel wanted," he tried to joke, moving closer.
"You don't do yourself any favours, do you?"
"What the fuck are you on about?" Marvin's anger began to snowball. Although he was making an effort to be nice, this young girl was rubbing him up the wrong way.
"If you have to ask me, then there's no point." Kelly slowly got off the bar stool and added, "Do you really think that the way you behave is normal? The way you talk to people and behave around women is uncomfortable. I mean..." Kelly paused and wasn't sure if she should ask the next question. She didn't like Marvin, but she didn't want to antagonise the man either.
"Go on, Screw," Marvin said with a growl in his words.
"The way you behave..."
"Yes?"
"Is that because you were abused when you were a child or..?"
Marvin pushed his palm forwards and caught Kelly on the chin, knocking her to the floor. She wasn't expecting this act of violence from the man, and this time he was too quick for her to react. Dazed, she lay on her back, her eyes wide open, trying to get her bearings together.
He climbed over the bar and grabbed a pint glass and smashed it. He climbed back over, then leaned over her with the broken glass and placed his foot on her head before she could get up.
Lloyd was now making his way over, but Marvin pointed the glass at his brother and told him to keep away. This tussle was between him and the screw. Lloyd stopped walking and stayed where he was, a couple of metres from where Kelly lay.
Marvin put the broken glass on her cheek and said, "What you don't understand, Screw, is that there's no law anymore. I could easily cut your throat and nothing would happen to me. The world has changed."
Kelly looked at him with a dazed look and was just starting to understand what was happening.
Lloyd took a step forward and held out his hand. "Give me the glass, man."
Marvin was panting and never looked up at his brother, the glass was still pressing against Kelly's cheek. Marvin wanted to teach the little bitch a lesson. Ever since she had put him on his arse in the woods, he wanted to teach her a lesson. He smiled and imagined cutting her throat with the glass ... whilst he was fucking her.
"Marvin!" Lloyd tried again, but this time raising his voice.
Marvin slowly turned his head to the side and snapped, "What?"
"You know what. Give me the glass."
Marvin looked at Kelly and chuckled, "Not so fucking tough now, are you, slag?"
He stood up straight and threw the glass against the mirror behind the bar. He walked past Lloyd.
"I'm not finished," said Lloyd.
"Well, I am," Marvin stormed off and said, "I'm going back to
my room."
Lloyd walked over to Kelly, crouched down and offered his hand to help her up. She refused his hand, slapping it away, and pulled herself up. She leaned against the bar and her head was lowered whilst Lloyd tried to apologise to the young woman for his brother's inexcusable actions.
"Save your apologies," she said. She looked up at Lloyd and said, "Why?"
Confused by her short query, Lloyd asked, "Why what?"
"Why is he here?"
"He's my brother." Lloyd had no other answer. Marvin wasn't still in the group because he contributed massively, or he was popular with everyone. The only reason why Marvin was walking alongside Lloyd, Junior, Joan and Gordon was because he was Lloyd's brother. That was it.
Kelly said, "He has to go."
Lloyd was taken aback by her remark and bit his lip in fury. "Hang on a minute. You only joined us yesterday and you're now telling me who should be in the group. Seriously?"
"Nobody likes him." She ran her fingers through her short red hair. "Gordon doesn't like him. Joan hates him."
"But he's my brother."
"And is that what you're gonna tell the group every time Marvin fucks up?" Kelly was feeling better now, less dazed, and had her hand on her hips, waiting for an answer off of Lloyd, but he was struggling for words. She continued with her rant. "What if he kills someone? What if he endangers the group because of his crazy behaviour? Is that what you're gonna tell the group if they want him out? He's my brother?"
"You don't understand."
"No, you're right, I don't." Kelly took her hands off her hips and walked over to the couch in the reception area. "I think when Gordon and Joan come back, we should have a vote if we should keep him in the group."
"You have no authority—"
"What if he puts Junior's life in danger?" she asked as she was walking away.
Lloyd waggled his head from side to side. That wouldn't happen. He was sure of it. "Junior is his nephew."
"He's a nephew that Marvin doesn't give a shit about. Any fool can see that."
"And what if we do vote and Marvin is allowed to remain in the group?"
Kelly stopped moving, looked over her shoulder and said to Lloyd, "Then I'm out of here."
Chapter Twenty One
Both Gordon and Joan slurped on their mugs of tea as Jory sat back down. He was sitting in the armchair, opposite Joan and Gordon, and smiled as they drank and enjoyed their hot beverages.
"Been a while since you had tea?" he asked.
Both nodded.
A silence enveloped the three of them and Gordon and Joan took another slurp each of their hot beverage.
Joan put her mug down on the carpet, by her feet, and broke the silence between the three of them. "So why do you look so rough? What's wrong with you?"
"Joan." Gordon shook his head. "Don't be so rude."
"It's okay," laughed Jory, making Joan and Gordon smile. "I'm not easily upset. I've got more things to worry about."
"I suppose we all have now." Joan smiled and said, "Sorry if I'm a bit tactless."
"No worries." The thin and grey George Jeffers leaned back in the armchair. "Even before this shit kicked off I never had long to go, so any kind of laughter is welcome. And you, young lady, are funny. You probably don't realise it."
"It's been a while since I've been called a young lady," Joan said.
"What do you mean?" Gordon was puzzled by what Jory had said earlier.
Jory queried, "About what?"
"About not having long to go, even before this disaster occurred?"
Gordon waited patiently for an answer and could see that Jory was rubbing his hands together nervously, now shifting in his chair uncomfortably. Joan also stared at the man, waiting for what he was about to say.
Jory cleared his throat. "I was diagnosed with bowel cancer a few months ago."
Gordon and Joan took a gape at one another.
"I'm sorry about that." Gordon was the first to respond. "It's bad enough with everything else that's happening. And you've got this hanging over you?"
"Tell me about it." Jory smiled and continued before any more questions were fired at him. "It's terminal. It's gone too far, and even if it hadn't..."
He didn't need to continue. They both knew what he meant. For the time being, hospitals were no longer available. Even if his cancer was in the early stages he'd be fucked, because now the future of the health service looked pretty bleak.
"What happened?" Joan asked.
Jory said sadly. "I was having problems down below for months. I was constipated for ages. I tried everything: Flaxseed oil, prunes ... everything. Then it came to the point that I couldn't go to the toilet for days. When I did there was blood in my stools. I decided to go down the extreme route and took laxatives. I eventually went to the doctors and all he did was put me on a course of Laxido for two weeks. By that time I was in agony. I saw an expert and he took blood tests. I then had a CT scan, and a month later I had to go to hospital for an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. That wasn't much fun."
Joan nodded. "My dad had an endoscopy. That's where you get a camera down your throat."
"That's right." Jory scratched at his head and added, "When I eventually got to hospital they gave me the endoscopy first. That was a fucking nightmare. They forgot to give me the throat spray, so I spent all the time retching whilst they shoved a camera down my throat. They took a few biopsies from my stomach, then I got the colonoscopy. They told me ten minutes later that I had cancer."
Joan gasped. "That soon?"
"Yeah. I was gutted back then, but now ... I'm not so bothered."
"Why?"
"Because we're all fucked anyway."
This time Gordon stepped in. "We don't know that for sure."
"Oh, I do."
Gordon and Joan lowered their heads. Neither one of them wanted to argue with a condemned man.
"Listen," Gordon took another drink of his tea and said, "why don't you come over to the hotel, meet our group?"
"I don't know." Jory began to chew on his bottom lip in thought. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Aw, come on," Joan said. "Safer in numbers."
"I've done alright on my own so far."
Neither one of them wanted to push the man. Gordon stood to his feet and thanked Jory for the tea. Joan did the same.
"Well," Gordon began, "if you change your mind."
"Thanks." Jory stood up to see them out. "I won't."
*
"What's up?" was the first question Joan fired as soon as her and Gordon entered the hotel's reception area.
Both could feel the tension in the room the moment they walked in. Only Lloyd and Marvin were present, Junior was in his room, but the sound of Joan's voice had enticed Kelly from out of hers.
Lloyd told Joan and Gordon, "There was a little altercation while you were away."
"A little altercation?" laughed Kelly as she entered the area. Lloyd never saw her approaching and blushed once he heard her voice.
Marvin was sitting at the bar, and Gordon and Joan had correctly guessed that the 'little altercation' being spoken about involved Marvin Dickinson.
"Is somebody going to explain to us what happened?" Gordon looked panicky, unsure whether this altercation was as bad as he thought. If it involved Marvin Dickinson...
There was quiet and Lloyd decided to speak. "Kelly wants us to have a vote."
"A vote?" Joan's face was devoid of any emotion. "For what?"
Before Lloyd could answer, it was Kelly Bronson's turn to jump in. "This prick," she pointed over at Marvin, "is more of a danger to us than these Runners."
"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little," said Gordon. "He's not that bad."
Marvin smiled and cockily saluted Gordon from the bar for, sort of, backing him up.
"Oh really," she guffawed falsely and said, "We had an argument while you two were away and he lost his temper."
"So what's new?"
"He hit me, then
smashed a pint glass and put the broken glass to my face."
"Shit on a stick." Joan wasn't expecting this story. Marvin had done a few despicable things since he had arrived, but he had now crossed the line. "So, you want a vote to see who wants Marvin to stay?"
Kelly was becoming emotional now and said with a quiver, "I want him out. Or I'm going."
Joan and Gordon looked at one another and nodded in agreement, to Lloyd's displeasure ... and Marvin's.
"Enough is enough." Joan nodded, clocking Lloyd's dissatisfaction. "If we're turning on each other in that way..."
"Go on," urged Lloyd.
"Then maybe it's best if we cut him loose. Look what he did to me earlier. "
Gordon began grinding his teeth and said nervously, "Agreed."
Lloyd stood in silence. He knew they had a point, but Marvin was his blood. He was in a hopeless quandary. If they voted, the best he could hope for was a three-two loss. That's if Junior wanted his uncle to stay.
"You're quiet over there, little brother," Marvin called over.
"Let's not bother with some daft vote." Lloyd released a heavy sigh, then looked at Joan, Kelly and Gordon. He then peered over to Marvin. "Maybe they have a point. You are a bit of a loose cannon, and I do have Junior to think of."
"Charming." Marvin's face had turned and he screwed his face in anger.
"I don't have the power to kick you out of the village, but the best option I can come up with is for you to stay in one of the houses, away from the rest of us. At least then you'll be away from the group and you'll have no one to antagonise. Doesn't mean we're not gonna see each other. And if we leave, we leave together."
Surprisingly, Marvin huffed, "Fine." He got off his stool and stormed through the reception area. He never looked at either Gordon, Joan or Kelly as he went past them.
"Let me know which house you're gonna stay at, man." Lloyd yelled to Marvin's back. "And I'll come over and see you."
Marvin never responded. Gordon disappeared and followed him out to see which house he was staying in. A few seconds later, Gordon returned and looked at Joan. "He's gone into the house opposite the hotel."
Joan widened her eyes. "That's where Jory's staying."
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