No one said anything for a moment. At the sight of a shadowy figure coming into view through the driver’s side window, I put a finger to my lips before motioning to Misfit and Clay to follow me into the back of the van. The three of us squeezed though the gap between the driver’s seat and the passenger seats and crept onto the futons with Kay and Charlotte. The curtain at the window in the side door was closed but the one on the opposite side was still partially open and Misfit carefully pulled it shut. The five of us ducked down low so as not to be seen by the zombie that had staggered to the front of the van.
‘If they don’t know we’re in here,’ I said in a whisper, ‘they’ll eventually wander off. Then we can either get the van moving again or find another vehicle tomorrow when it’s light.’
No one actually answered me but this time I guessed the silence meant consent.
After a moment and as my left foot began to fizz and burn, I realised I was sat awkwardly with my leg under me. But I didn’t dare move. None of us did. I closed my eyes but I couldn’t shut out the banging of rotting fists against metal and the swaying of the van. It couldn’t shut out the tooth numbing sound of fingernails scratching the paintwork. The rain continued to thud and the wind howled. I prayed the glass in the windows would hold while I did my best to ignore the pins and needles in my foot.
Slowly, the banging began to ease as one by one the zombies began to forget about us and the van ceased to jerk from side to side. Soon the banging and shuffling stopped all together. Still we didn’t move, knowing that the slightest sound from us would bring them straight back again. We waited, my foot numb, and we waited.
When we hadn’t heard anything other than the weather battering the vehicle, for a good ten minutes, I eased my foot from beneath me and placed it on the floor. ‘Ow,’ I said as I tried to put weight on what was now a hunk of useless numb flesh and I stood and limped on the spot for a moment while wriggling my toes to try and bring back the feeling to my foot. The fizzing in my toes began to ease off and I placed my foot flat on the dirty laminate floor.
‘I think we should get settled for the night,’ I said in a whisper.
‘No, now’s the time to slip out,’ said Kay.
‘And what would that achieve at this time of night other than get us killed?’
I snapped. ‘We need to sit tight.’
‘She’s right,’ said Misfit after a moment. ‘Let’s just take the opportunity for a rest break and head off in the morning.’
‘Useless, buggers,’ said Kay, then, after a moment, she shrugged and nodded.
Everyone shifted off the futons so me and Misfit could figure out how to lower them. As quietly as we could, we pulled the futons into the centre of the van so that they met in the middle and we shoved the backs down to make a large bed that went from one side of the van to the other. Clay and Charlotte managed to find some pillows and blankets in an overhead compartment while Misfit dug out a packet of cereal bars. After a quick snack and cosily wrapped in blankets, the five of us lay down to sleep.
Of course, sleep refused to come. Even though I couldn’t see in the dark, I imagined the others each lay as rigidly as me, listening to the storm and for any signs of zombies. It was unnerving not knowing how many remained out there around the van. The occasional thud on the side of the vehicle reminded me there were at least a few, but whether they were passing by or whether there was a crowd building up out there – waiting for us to emerge – we just didn’t know.
My whirring brain told me there was no chance of sleep coming. I knew that – even before I heard the sound of someone calling from somewhere outside.
‘What the fuck was that?’ Kay said.
‘You heard it too?’ said Charlotte. ‘I thought I must be imagining things.’
‘Heard what?’ said Clay.
‘The voice,’ said Misfit. ‘Didn’t you hear it, mate?’
‘No.’
‘Maybe it was the wind?’ said Charlotte.
‘Or a zombie groaning,’ said Kay.
‘Shhhh,’ I said as I heard it again. I sat up and strained my ears. It wasn’t the wind or a zombie groaning.
‘You hear that, mate?’ Misfit said.
‘No,’ answered Clay. The sound came again, slightly louder as though whoever was out there was heading in our direction. ‘Oh yeah,’ said Clay. ‘I heard it. What it is?’
‘Sounds human,’ said Misfit.
As improbably as it seemed, it was clearly a human voice, faint over the sound of wind and rain, but definitely human.
‘I’m not being funny but who would be walking around in the dark, in a storm and shouting like there weren’t any flesh eating zombies around?’ said Kay. ‘They have to be bloody fucktards.’
Not one of us had an answer to that.
The eerie voice carried over the wind and the rain, growing louder. I expected it to cut out suddenly as whoever the lunatic was that roamed the dark countryside finally succumbed to the zombies that infested it. But no, whoever it was, managed to stay alive.
I’m not going to lie, my pounding heart made me reach out to find Misfit’s hand in the darkness, and I entwined my fingers in his. He squeezed my hand and shuffled closer to me on the mattress.
‘What do we do?’ asked Clay.
‘We get ourselves ready,’ said Kay. There was just enough light available for me to see Kay reach down to the floor and pick up her axe.
‘Ready for what?’ asked Clay.
‘Ready to fight the shitstorm coming our way,’ said Kay. ‘Someone’s bringing us trouble on a plate.’
‘They might need help,’ said Charlotte.
‘Help fucking off,’ said Kay, ‘before they bring more zombies this way.’
‘Nobody would be wandering around at night if they weren’t in trouble,’ said Charlotte. ‘We should help them, right? Sophie?’
‘Huh?’
‘We should help them.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘D’you reckon they’re male or female?’ asked Clay, giving me some breathing space.
‘I can’t tell,’ said Kay. ‘What difference does it make?’
‘Cos I’d be more inclined to help a female, you know?’
‘This isn’t an opportunity to pull,’ snapped Kay.
‘Nah. I didn’t mean that. I’m just saying, I’m not sure I trust someone crazy enough to be out in a storm with zombies on the loose. But if they’re female, I might trust ‘em just that little bit more.’
‘I don’t trust them at all,’ I said. ‘This is freaking me out. I wish they’d go away.’
Misfit wrapped his arm around me. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone in trouble out there – alone – but I couldn’t bear the thought of one of my few remaining friends dying for the sake of someone we didn’t know. God only knew what danger we could be heading into. I raised my palms to my ears and squeezed to try and shut out the voice.
‘Female. Definitely female,’ said Clay after we’d been listening to the voice for what felt like forever but was probably no more than half an hour.
The calling grew louder as whoever it was out there drew closer to us. I still couldn’t make out what was being said, but the voice was clear enough now to know that Clay was right. It belonged to an adult female. I hoped that whoever it was, they would pass by the van without dragging us into whatever they were doing – not too much to ask, right?
‘They’re close. Really close,’ said Kay.
‘They’re on this road, or at least in the field alongside,’ said Misfit. THUD – something hit the side of the van, followed by a scraping sound. ‘Zombies,’ said Misfit.
‘Whoever it is out there, they’re going to get us killed along with them,’ said Kay.
‘They need help,’ said Charlotte.
‘And we’ll die giving it!’ said Kay.
‘You were all up for going out there earlier,’ said Clay.
‘That was before this fucktard turned up and got the zombies all exc
ited,’ said Kay. ‘And if they want to commit suicide, that’s up to them.’
The curtains were drawn but I could see enough through a little gap to know it was still pitch black out there. I guessed we still had hours before first light. I knew Kay was right, it would be suicide to go outside. But…
‘I can’t take this,’ I said, turning to the others. I crawled across to the window on the right hand side of the van and pulled the curtain back just an inch. I could make out the dark shapes of a few zombies lumbering around in the road outside the van. They had been drenched by the pelting rain. No sign of anyone living but I couldn’t see much either way down the road.
I heard another shout. It sounded like it came from the right, to the back of us. I wished the camper had a window in the rear doors. No such luck. As I tried to see as far to the right as I could from the side window, I saw the zombies lumber off in that direction. I had no idea how many where out there.
‘Shit,’ I said. ‘We have to go out there.’
‘Fuck that,’ said Kay.
‘Sophie’s right,’ said Charlotte. ‘We can’t leave anyone out there alone.’
‘But it’s their bloody fault they’re out there. We didn’t ask them to plod around in the middle of the night shouting and that,’ said Kay. ‘If it was one of you lot outside, I’d be there like a shot. I couldn’t care less what happened to me. But it’s some bloody stranger!’
‘It’s a woman,’ said Clay.
‘So?’
‘She’s on her own.’
‘So?’
‘You’ll get to kill things with your axe.’
‘Oh bloody hell, you’re not going to shut up are you?’
‘No.’
‘For fuck’s sake, come on then,’ said Kay, holding her axe in front of her. ‘Fucktards, the lot of you,’ she added.
With the windowless back doors being a blind spot, I motioned for the others to follow me to the left hand side door. I eased the curtain over slightly with my forefinger and peered out into the damp gloom. I could just make out that there was enough space for us to squeeze between the van and the tall hedge that ran along the van on that side of the road. There was not enough room for any zombies to have wandered into the gap without any humans as bait, so I knew we could clear it safely in order to get to the road behind us.
Misfit pulled the door open and slid it to the side. We all clenched our teeth at the noise it made but figured it didn’t rate high over the sound of the storm or the crazy shouting woman. I heard her call out once more. I thought I heard, ‘Amy!’ or ‘Annie!’ or something similar. Definitely a name. Then I heard a scream.
We all jumped down from the van and into the slight ditch that cause the van to list to the right, and slid, one by one, past the cold wet metal of the vehicle. The hedge scratched my skin and tugged at my clothes. Long, unkempt branches like skeletal fingers licked me, soaking me, while rain pelted me from above. At the back of the van, I paused for a moment to get my bearings. Misfit squeezed beside me, between my body and the hedge. I could see movement in the darkness as the slow, writhing bodies of zombies headed away from the van. I couldn’t see the woman but I heard her call out once more so I knew she wasn’t dead – yet.
‘The zombies are blocking the way,’ said Misfit.
‘Over there,’ I said, nodding my head to a wooden gate set into the hedge on the other side of the road. ‘We can climb over into the field. It might be a clearer way to get past that lot.’
‘Good thinking,’ said Misfit and he stalked off towards it, careful not to make any noise to alert the zombies further up the road.
I beckoned to the others to follow me, and we each darted across the road to the gate. I grabbed a handful of wet, slippery wood as I climbed the rungs and hoisted myself over. I landed in knee height grass in the field on the other side. I was relieved not to spot any zombies, not close enough to see in the dark anyway, and I could just make out Misfit weaving his way along the edge of the field ahead of me. The hedge to our right was over head height and very overgrown, so I didn’t need to duck at all. I sprinted after Misfit, stumbling occasionally on the uneven and slippery ground.
I could see Misfit had stopped up ahead. When I caught up with him, I noticed he stood by a gap in the hedge and for the first time I could see the wire fence that the hedge had grown through and into. I peered out into the road where what little moonlight there was revealed a woman, though I couldn’t tell how old she was or anything about her other than she had long hair that billowed behind her in the strong wind.
The rain had started to ease off and without the constant patter of it hitting the tarmac, I could hear a scuffle as the woman tried to avoid the zombies that were closing in on her. I saw her swing what I could just make out was a crowbar. She hit a zombie in the head and it went down.
‘Stay back!’ I heard her cry out. ‘Amelia! AMELIA!’
‘Come on,’ said Clay and he shoved between me and Misfit and hoisted himself up and over the fence. I saw him slip his gloves on as he ran, and he began spiking zombies – left, right… left, right. Misfit flew over the fence next, followed by me, Kay and Charlotte.
I had my knife out. There wasn’t a lot of light which led to the disconcerting problem that I couldn’t be 100% certain that what I was slamming my knife into were zombie heads and not the heads of the living. As dark shapes swarmed around me I prayed, Please don’t let me kill one of my friends.
The sounds of groaning and shuffling around me were cut short by the squelch of my blade through brain matter and the splat of bodies falling into muddy puddles. Soon we had cleared enough zombies from around us to take stock.
‘Is everyone OK?’ I asked and was relieved when I received positive confirmations from all.
‘AMELIA!’
‘Shut up,’ I snapped at the woman. ‘You’ll bring even more zombies to us. Groaning and shuffling nearby confirmed that we hadn’t killed them all and more were lurking in the darkness between us and the van. ‘Do you like fighting zombies or something?’
‘My daughter,’ said the woman. ‘She’s missing. Please help me find her.’
‘Your daughter’s out in this?’ said Clay. ‘Of course we’ll help you find her.’
‘How old is she, sweetie?’ asked Charlotte.
‘She’s seven. She’s only seven. And she’s just a little thing for her age too.’
‘Oh God, no wonder you’re out looking for her in the dark,’ said Charlotte. She wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders. ‘Is it just the two of you?’
‘Yes. It’s been just me and Amelia for so long now. She’s all I have.’
‘And fuck all use to her you’ll be if you get yourself bit,’ said Kay. ‘You need to get home and come back and search in the daylight.’
‘She’s right,’ I said. ‘I know you must be going out of your mind – I mean I can’t really imagine what it must be like – but looking for her in the dark and in a storm is crazy. Where are you staying? Is it far?’
‘I’m not giving up–’
‘No one’s asking you to give up,’ I said. ‘Just that it’s dark and she’s probably hiding. I’m sure she’s fine but we should get you back home so you can rest. Then we’ll all head out as soon as it’s light to look for her. She’ll probably be more willing to come out of hiding in the light.’
‘I’m not giving up. I can’t–’
‘Bloody hell, we’re going to help you but when it’s light and it’s worth helping you,’ said Kay. ‘Sophie’s right, Amelia will be fine. She’ll be scared and that’s the best thing because she’ll crawl somewhere where no zombies can get her. Take us back to where you’re staying and we’ll help you in the morning. She might be there right now and worrying where her mum’s gone.’
‘I don’t know who you are,’ said the woman. ‘How can I trust you?’
‘Erm, we’re the ones who’ve just risked their necks saving you from a crowd of zombies in the middle of the night,’ said Ka
y. In the darkness I could just about make out Kay using her axe on a zombie that had wandered too close.
‘And right now I think you’re better off trusting us than yourself. You’re all emotional and you’ll get yourself killed out here,’ I said.
After a little more cajoling and a few stray zombie heads bashed and slashed, we managed to convince the woman – who introduced herself to us as Marsha – to take us back to the cottage she and Amelia had been staying in, just a twenty minute walk away in the direction we had driven from.
As Marsha led us up the garden path, Clay stopped. ‘Guys, I’m staying out,’ he said.
‘What? Are you mad, Clay,’ I said. ‘It won’t be light for hours.’
‘I can’t stand the thought of a little kid out here on her own.’
‘Oh thank you. Thank you!’ said Marsha as she wrapped her arms around Clay. ‘Thank you. You are an angel. My angel.’ She pulled away from him. ‘Thank you.’
‘No worries,’ said Clay. ‘I wouldn’t be able to sleep with a little one out here. I’ll do what I can, OK?’ he added and, gloves on, he turned and disappeared into the darkness.
I waited for Misfit to say something annoying like, ‘I’ll go too’, but he didn’t and I was relieved. I guess he knew what a dumb idea it was.
We followed Marsha into a little stone cottage that I guessed was the perfect size for Marsha and her daughter but a tight fit for an additional five guests. I hoped we wouldn’t be here long and that Amelia would be found safe and sound in the morning. Until then we’d just have to breathe in. Marsha led us through the hallway and into the kitchen and as she lit some candles on the dining table I was surprised by the surroundings. From the building’s façade I expected cute and quaint inside, with original features like a range and fireplaces. Instead, the kitchen had been, at some point, gutted and started all over again. It was bigger than I expected, an extension having been built, and the room was modern and minimalist with clean lines, glass, chrome and white everything. In the day, I imagine the room to be light, bright and spacious. In the dark, I felt a little exposed with all the glass doors and windows in the extended section, like I was in a fish bowl.
Blog of the Dead (Book 3): Lost Page 15
