by Russ Watts
“Okay, thank you,” Kelly said giving Tug a pat on the shoulder as he left. “Right then,” Kelly said as she whirled round to face Will. “Don’t think you’re getting let off the hook either, Mr Forrest.”
Suzy knew he was in for it and inched herself away towards the sofa. Claire and Tricia looked petrified and Suzy tried to give them a warming smile.
“No matter how much he winds you up, I expect better of you, Will. I’ve never seen you act like that. I know this is a fucked up situation, but we have to try to get on. If we end up fighting one another, we’re won’t get anywhere, certainly not home. Poor Josef and Wilfred will never be going home. Please, Will? I need you with me on this.” Kelly was calming down and knew Tug had provoked Will. Still, she had to take control and stamp out any problems immediately.
Will gave Kelly a hug and quietly apologised in her ear. “I’m sorry, Kelly. I’m sorry I couldn’t save Wilfred.”
As he pulled away, Kelly saw Will’s eyes and knew Tug had hit a nerve. It hadn’t been Will’s fault that Wilfred got left behind. She was about to say something to him when Will spoke first.
“I’m sorry about all that, everyone. I was just a bit...out of my head, you know?”
Everyone looked back at him and said nothing. He could see Claire and Tricia were scared. Suzy was looking at him with sympathy. He was expecting her to give him a blasting too for going off the handle the way he had. Her eyes were kind though and he only felt worse, his guilt about Wilfred resurfacing when he looked at her.
Kelly drew her breath and let out a long sigh. “Okay, we stay here tonight. I want everyone to double up and find somewhere safe to bed down. Tricia, can you please stay with Claire. I’ll bunk in with Suzy, Rasmus can keep an eye on Tug, and Will, you can share with Mark. Is that okay with everyone? I expect there must be at least four bedrooms in a house this size?” She looked at Will and he nodded. Nobody answered her so she continued. “We’ll leave at sunrise. Tricia and Claire, I’ve got a job for you. Have a look around, quietly, and see if you can find anything we could use for weapons. There might be some knives in the kitchen? I don’t know, just have a look please. Suzy, you’re in charge of our bags and rations. Can you tidy it up please and bag everything up. We might need to leave in a hurry so we’d best be prepared.”
Suzy began gathering up the pile that Tug had built whilst Tricia led Claire out of the room. Kelly sat down on one of the vacant chairs beside the fire. She picked up a book and ripped the pages out, throwing them onto the fire.
Will knelt down beside Suzy and helped her pick up their belongings. “How’re you doing?” he asked her.
“So-so.” Suzy looked up at Kelly and signalled for Will to do the same. They both saw Kelly sitting with her head in her hands. She had finished destroying the book and she was just sitting quietly, looking into the fire. Suzy zipped up the bags and motioned for Will to follow her out of the room.
“What is it?” asked Will once they were out in the dark, cold hallway.
“We need to keep an eye on her. She banged her head real bad in the crash. I’m worried that she might have concussion. If she’s feeling sick, she probably isn’t going to tell us. You know what she’s like.”
“Yeah. She acts like a tough bitch, but she’s putting it on half the time. She feels responsible for us. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
Will put his hands in his pockets and to his surprise, found a portion of a Snickers bar he hadn’t finished. He brushed fluff off it and offered it to Suzy.
“Um, thanks, but I’ll pass. You have it. There’s barely a mouthful left anyway.” Suzy smiled as Will devoured it in one go. He was still a bit of a mystery to her. Sometimes he was incredibly tough and masculine, other times he just looked cute, like now, as if he was still a boy. She could picture him as a young boy, running around his parent’s Wisconsin farm, and it made her feel comforted, warm, thinking of him like that. How he had been back there with Tug was not the real Will. She vowed to herself that when they got back to New York she would buy him a bucketful of Snickers.
“If you’re sure,” said Will. The chocolate bar was gone in five seconds and he shoved the empty wrapper back into his pocket. “Look, what Tug said about...”
“Forget it,” said Suzy shivering. “He’s an idiot. He’s just as scared as you and me. Come on, let’s go up and see what Rasmus and Mark have found. My clothes are so wet it’s a struggle to warm up.”
They wandered upstairs, checking in all the rooms. There were five bedrooms in total, and two bathrooms. They were all cold and dark, but in good repair. The doors and windows had been kept shut, and no vermin had apparently found their way in so the bedclothes were still intact and clean. Eventually, they found Mark and Rasmus in one of the bedrooms.
“We were just coming back down. There’s a surprisingly good amount of decent clothes actually. Look at this.” Rasmus held up his arms and turned around, showing off the tweed jacket he had found. “Dry socks too. Even a few boots.”
“How about you, Mark?” asked Suzy, picking up some of the clothes they had stockpiled on the bed. She could see he had thrown on a brown chequered shirt that was easily a size too big for him.
“Yeah, not too bad. I’d say a big family lived here once. There are men and women’s clothes, and a good spread of sizes. Everyone should be able to find something. As long as you like tweed.” Mark rolled his eyes and Suzy and Will laughed.
“Especially if you like tweed,” said Rasmus proudly, failing to notice Mark’s sarcasm and holding up a tweed flannel shirt.
They rifled through the clothes and found some things they could wear. They filled the men in on what had happened downstairs and what the plan was. They told them of how Kelly wanted them to sleep in the house tonight and make a move first thing in the morning, how Claire and Tricia were looking for things they could carry, and how there would be no supper tonight as they were saving their only food for the morning.
“I feel for Claire, I really do,” said Rasmus. “Poor thing must be wondering what is going on. I’ll bet she’s missing her mother terribly.” Rasmus was looking through the curtains at Tug outside in the yard. He had placed several dishes and saucepans of varying sizes around. There was no question that he would get a decent amount of water collected by morning.
“I’ll look in on her before we turn in,” said Suzy. “Look, we’d better get this stuff downstairs. Everyone’s feeling the cold. We should get down to the fire, dry out, and figure out where we are actually going tomorrow.”
Down in the sitting room, everybody found some dry clothing to put on and tried to warm up as best they could. There were many grumbling, empty stomachs, but nobody complained. They knew they had little choice in the matter and would have to wait. As they sat around drying out, Claire and Tricia showed what they had found in the kitchen. They had managed to pick out two large carving knives, but little else. They had brought some smaller knives that they all agreed would be little use in a fight with one of the dead. Tug had noticed a small shed in the side garden when he had been outside, and suggested they check it out quickly in the morning. If it contained gardening tools, then shovels and pitchforks would be very handy. He ignored Will and avoided looking at him. Will reciprocated, and Kelly was thankful the animosity had been forgotten.
Rasmus wrapped Claire’s wrist again in fresh bandages they had found upstairs. The bathroom had turned up plenty of useful drugs and medication: headaches tablets, sleeping pills, plasters, creams and bandages. Mark had brought them down, and after Kelly had popped a couple of pills dry, packed them into their two solitary bags. They all agreed that, despite their desire and nerves, it would be dangerous to take sleeping pills. They would need to remain alert and awake, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
They all chatted for a while, reminiscing about Josef and Wilfred, remembering their former colleagues. Rasmus told them a story they hadn’t heard, about a convention he had attended with Josef some ten years ago in Milwauke
e. It had involved several glasses of scotch, a mix-up of room keys, and some grovelling apologies to the hotel manager the next morning. Rasmus told them he still hadn’t gotten over the hangover from that night and the mood in the room lightened.
Eventually, the conversation headed to more serious matters. It was universally agreed that rescue was unlikely. They discussed the Deathless and Claire realised with every passing minute that they were in terrible danger. Her wrist still ached, but the pain had numbed and Suzy had let her take two paracetamol. She didn’t have much to contribute to the discussion about how to get off the island. She had not even been aware of its existence until a few hours ago.
“Look, we’ve basically got three options,” said Kelly. “One, we wait here for rescue. I think we’ve all decided that is not going to happen. Secondly, we head for the coast. It’s not far away; the coast never is on this island. We head west and hope we get there quickly. I know we can’t get past the fences and borders, but if we get spotted then we may get picked up. They patrol and monitor these waters regularly so I think that’s the quickest way home.”
“And the third option?” asked Suzy. “If the coast is the quickest way home, then let’s just do it.”
Tug shook his head. “It’s the quickest, yes, but it’s also risky. What do you think the border patrol does when it sees someone walking across the beach to their fences? I can tell you right now, they would be shot down, assumed to be one of the Deathless. Even if we go out there, making a lot of noise and waving a white flag, there’s no guarantee we’d get picked up. What if they think we’re infected? We’d be shot down the same as the dead.”
“So option three,” said Kelly. ”The plane came down over the north of the country on Te Ika-a-Maui.”
“So? What does it matter where we crashed?” asked Mark. “It’s not like we can head to the airport for a lift back to New York. Every inch of this damn place is a death-trap.”
“True,” replied Rasmus. “But I believe we came down quite close to what was the once the capital city. If that’s the case, then we may just have gotten lucky.”
“Lucky? That’s a good one,” said Tricia. “It’s like winning the lottery and losing your ticket before you collect on it, isn’t it? We might as well have crashed into the ocean.”
“Actually, that’s a good point,” said Will. “If we’re near the old capital then we’re near the research base.”
Will drifted off in his own thoughts and Rasmus picked up the conversation. “The Deathless were thrown on this island, but they weren’t completely left alone. There’s a scientific base in the city where they are working safely, trying to find a cure for the disease; to find some way of repairing the bad job we did years ago. If we can get to that base, we’ll find help. There’ll be people who can help us with food, water, and shelter. The people working there will have satellites, telephone lines, radios, I don’t know - something anyway that will help get us off this island.”
“So what’s the catch?” Suzy looked at Will who was still lost in thought.
“The catch is that we have to get into the city.” Kelly almost wished she hadn’t thought of it. Getting to their only way off the island was going to lead them right into the heart of the country. “Where do you think the majority of the dead like to hang out? The city is going to be full of them. What we saw back there is nothing. I don’t know if we can make it. Perhaps the coast is our best bet. Shit, it’s like being caught between the devil and the deep, blue sea. We should vote. If we’re going to do this, we need to be fully in on this all together. I want a show of hands, please.” She waited a moment and then asked them. “So who’s for heading to the coast?”
The room was silent as Kelly counted the hands. It was going to be a close call. “Now, who is for the city?”
Kelly stood up. “That’s that then. Let’s get some sleep everyone. Tomorrow morning, we’re heading for the coast and getting off this island.”
SEVEN
“How is she holding up?” Suzy was talking to Tricia whilst Claire used the bathroom.
“Not too bad, all things considered. She’s obviously in pain from her wrist. She’s not saying much either. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad.” Tricia climbed into bed.
Her room had two single beds and it was covered in dust. It looked as if it might have been a guest room. The wardrobes were empty and everything in the room had been laid out like a hotel. It was immaculate and the owners must have left in a hurry. She half expected to find a mint on her pillow when she got into bed.
“Well, at least I know she’s in good hands, Tricia.” Suzy walked across to the window and peeked out of the curtains. The yard was empty.
“I think we’re okay for tonight,” said Tricia. “I’m going to say my prayers. We need Him now more than ever. I can’t help but think that tomorrow...”
“Don’t,” said Suzy tucking her hands into her pockets for warmth. “Just don’t think about it. If you do, you’ll not sleep. I can’t even begin to think about today. What if...”
Claire came back into the room and quickly clambered into her bed. “What if what?” she said
“Nothing, honey,” said Suzy. She crossed the cold room and leant over Claire, giving her a kiss on the forehead. “How’s your arm, feeling any better?”
In the dark, Claire gave Suzy a shrug. “Sort of. I’m trying not to think about it anymore. Rasmus has strapped it up good and tight. Besides, when I start thinking about what’s happened, I forget all about the pain anyway.”
“Well, Tricia here is the best. You need anything you just holler,” said Suzy as she softly walked to the door.
“You betcha,” said Tricia. “Goodnight, Suzy.”
Suzy left them alone and headed across the hallway to her room. She hesitated and then turned around. She wanted to make sure Will and Mark were okay. Kelly had already gone to bed and fallen asleep almost straight away. She was probably exhausted. Suzy knew Kelly was trying to keep it together, not just physically, but mentally trying to stay strong for the sake of the group. She passed by the room where Rasmus and Tug were staying and hoped that Rasmus would cope with his bunkmate. Rasmus seemed to be coping well, considering he had just lost two of his old friends. Tug was a handful and she hoped he would give Rasmus some space. Suzy knocked on Will’s door and went in.
“Hey, Suzy, what’s up?” said Mark. He was sitting cross-legged on top of the bed, looking at his camera. “I’m just looking at the photographs I’ve gotten. I can review them, edit them, and even email them straight to my editor from this baby. Well, I could if there was any service around here.”
“There’s some grim stuff on there. He’s got a good eye, that’s for sure,” said Will who was perched on the edge of the double bed next to Mark.
Suzy went over and sat down next to Will and looked at the view-screen on Mark’s camera. She saw a picture of Judgeford. She saw the wreckage of the plane and marvelled once again how they had managed to walk away from it. Mark flicked onto the next picture. The photo was taken from a strange angle and she realised Mark must’ve taken it when they were running. Looking closer, she could see herself and Will bending over Wilfred’s body. In the background, she counted at least twenty of the dead. She looked away. “That’s horrible.”
“Reality is,” he said. Mark turned the camera off. “Look, I don’t intend to publish these, not ones like that at least. But all I do is capture what I see. I’m not going to apologise for what I do. They say every picture tells a story, right? Well this is my story now. This place: The Grave. This is a chance nobody has ever had before. Probably never will again. I have to record as much as I can. When we get home, the world is going to want to know what we saw, what we experienced and how we lived through it.”
“You think we’re going to live through this?” asked Suzy, still unable to look at the camera. All she could see now was Wilfred’s body as they ran away, leaving him to the clutches of the Deathless.
“We have to,” said Will. “We can’t give up now. There’s so much to tell, so much to do. I need to get home.”
Will trailed off again. Suzy waited for him to speak, but he said nothing.
“I’ll be back in five,” said Mark getting up, putting his camera on the bedside table. “Bathroom break. Then I might hit the hay. See ya, Suzy.”
Mark closed the door behind him and Suzy didn’t even realise when Will put his arm around her. She was still thinking about Wilfred.
“I know, I can’t get him out of my head either,” said Will. “We won’t forget him, but we have to move on. We have to focus on the future, Suzy, or we’re never going to get out of here. Do you think Tug is grieving right now? I’ll bet he’s sound asleep. He’s a pain in the neck, but he has one thing correct. We have to think about how we’re going to survive this.”
Suzy let out a long sigh and looked at Will in the dark, cold room. His face was troubled and his brow furrowed. In the dark of the room, he looked more handsome than ever. She wiped her red eyes and suddenly felt like crying. She knew she was on the verge, but Will was right. There was no time to grieve. She had to get home.
“Why did our plane crash, Will? Seriously, I am so pissed off. Some tiny thing probably, some little bolt or nut that wasn’t screwed in quite right. Some engineer who didn’t spot the metal fatigue or...” Suzy sighed. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter now. I miss my family. I only see them occasionally. You know what it’s like in New York. There’s always something that keeps me busy and stops me getting home as much as I’d like.”
Will smiled and Suzy’s lips trembled. She really didn’t want to cry in front of him, but she began thinking about her brothers and how she might not see them again.
“We’ll make it. I know it. Suzy Q, as tough as old boots, right?” Will licked his lips. Sometimes Suzy seemed a lot more fragile than she let on. Will wanted to let her in. He found it difficult to open up, but he felt at ease with Suzy. “I told you my mom was sick, but I didn’t tell you how sick. She’s in St. Luke’s. They tell me she’s got a few weeks at most. I sure would like the chance to see her one last time.”
