Ellen’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding?”
“Nope, I’m not. And we’re not leaving there until you shoot the damn target in the head. Is that okay?”
Ellen nodded with a confused expression on her face. “In the head?”
“And more than once,” added Marla as she got up and left the room.
Week 3
Monday, 20
“Hey, it’s me, Marla,” she said, pressing her mobile against her ear as she stepped off the bus.
“I know. I can see your caller ID,” joked Tommy.
Marla sighed, but could not resist a slight grin. “We’re just walking from Tottenham Hale station; should be five minutes or so. We got the bus. There were some sick people on there. Some weren’t even moving, but just staring straight ahead. The driver said he was going back to the depot. I held a tissue over my mouth all the time. Everyone is catching this flu.”
“That’s not good,” Tommy replied. “I’ll put the kettle on. See ya.”
The line went dead. “Fine, bye,” she muttered, before tucking her mobile back in her bag. “How are you feeling, Ellen?”
Her sister shrugged. “I still don’t understand what we are doing. It’s all a bit crazy. Why didn’t you ask Peter along?”
“Long story,” said Marla. “It’s over between us – has been for a long time, but I just buried my head in the sand. That’s changing. Now I just want to look out for number one and number two.”
“So I’m number two?” asked Ellen with a grin.
“Nope.”
The younger girl’s face fell and she pouted. Marla nudged her. “You’re number one, silly – always will be.”
Ellen grinned bashfully and adjusted her rucksack. The carrier bags she was carrying dug into her hands, but she tried not to notice as she worked to keep up with Marla’s stride; her sister, the tough cookie, while Ellen was not really sure if she had a brave bone in her body.
“Here we go,” said Marla, catching sight of Tommy Armstrong’s Cars. “I hope he’s made a decent cuppa.”
“Probably waiting for instructions, so scared of your wrath if he gets it wrong!”
Marla turned her head. “Am I really that scary?” she asked, knocking on the front door to the side of the glass showroom entrance.
“Sometimes, but really only when you’re annoyed.”
“But I’m never like that with you.”
Ellen smiled. “Nope, never with me, and I’ll never forget you kicking my ex in the balls that time.”
“Well, he deserved it, the cheating...”
Tommy opened the door.
“...son of a bitch.”
“Well, that’s nice. A big fucking hello to you too,” he replied.
Marla turned sharply and burst out laughing. “Tommy, you know I didn’t mean you. I guess you remember my kid sister?”
“Yeah, but you’ve changed. Less of the kid now!” said Tommy.
“Hey, don’t get any ideas – she’s my sister!” Marla replied with a dig in his arm.
He answered her back with a frown and an odd but indecipherable expression. “Must be a few years now,” he added, redirecting his gaze to Ellen.
“Yes, many,” Ellen replied. “I’m a school teacher now and I love it.”
“Wow, looks and brains,” Tommy replied. Noticing Marla give him one of her looks, he quickly added, “'Runs in the family was how I was going to end that sentence.”
“Or a chip off the old block,” joked Ellen.
“Yeah, that’s a good one too. Anyway, come in, girls,” he said, opening the door wider. “I was expecting you to bring more stuff.”
“Just the essentials,” Marla explained. “You know, like you were going travelling around the world or something.”
“Whereas we’re just stuck in good old London town,” Tommy remarked.
“Lucky us,” said Ellen. “I’d rather it was Australia, but you know, beggars can’t be choosers.”
Tommy closed the door. They were standing in the blue-painted hallway. “Head up the stairs – my flat is up there, Ellen. The door to the left here goes into the showroom and out the back of it is that makeshift bar you liked,” he added, nodding at Marla. “My chill-out zone and there’s even a bit of a garden that way.”
“Where’s your guy?” asked Marla.
Tommy blinked. “Come again?”
“The young guy who works here,” Marla clarified.
“Sick. He rang in, and I haven’t seen him for a couple of days now,” Tommy replied.
“Oh.”
“How long have you lived here?” asked Ellen, following Marla up the stairs.
“Ah, years,” said Tommy. “I bought the business when I was still with my ex, Hanna, and Ash. He’s my boy...”
“You have a kid?” Ellen gasped.
“Yeah, I guess your big sister hasn’t told you much about me.”
“Erm, not really...”
“Figures,” Tommy mumbled, adding “women” when Marla turned her head.
“Ah!” screeched Marla as her eyes settled on the landing in front of her. She stepped back as the thing ran forwards, drooling and breathing heavily. In the process she almost knocked Ellen backwards. Tommy stopped and put his arms up, but the girl did not lose her footing.
“So that’s where Bob got to,” he said, crossing his arms.
Both sisters caught their breath and then went all gooey-eyed as they bent down to pat the Labrador on the head. The dog thought all his Christmases had come at once and wagged his tail for all he was worth.
“He’s lovely,” said Ellen.
“And looking so much better. I remember him being a bit scruffy and dirty most of the time,” said Marla.
“It’s not the same dog,” Tommy explained.
“Oh,” she said, turning red with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to insult the other dog.”
“Wow, you guys haven’t kept in touch much, have you?” Ellen remarked.
Tommy nodded. “Your sister only gets in touch in an emergency.”
“That isn’t...”
“Really?” asked Tommy. “When was the last time you rang... before all this ‘I’ve had a nightmare’ rubbish?”
“It’s not rubbish,” said Ellen, grimly. “Hey, Bob, who’s a good boy then?” she added as the dog slurped his tongue as if to lick her face.
“He is cute,” said Marla. “How old is he?”
“He’s about four, but he came from a rescue place and they weren’t sure. Sometimes I call him Mutt or Mister Stinky, but most of the time he’s Bob,” Tommy answered. “Anyways, you girls can kip in my spare room. There’s a big double bed in there and a wardrobe – well, all the things you expect to find in a bedroom really. That okay?”
Marla nodded. “That’s cool. When can we take off?”
Tommy shrugged. “I figure the weekend. We can head off Friday night.”
“That’s the end of the week,” she groaned.
“Yeah, well, I’ve got my business to think of.”
“I was thinking we’d be leaving soon. You didn’t take me seriously, did you?”
“Hey, I found the car you wanted,” Tommy said to change the subject. “I got the guns you asked for, and ammo, and I said you can stay here until you sort things with Peter. What more do you want? I thought you’d be pleased.”
“My idea was to get away – head out of the city, maybe visit my Mum to check she’s okay,” Marla argued. “There’s something big happening. I told you.”
“Yeah, that old government conspiracy thing. I’ve been thinking and, well, Friday night is good with me.”
Marla sighed. “So you won’t mind if we head off without you then?” she asked.
“That’s not fair, Marl. I fancied a road trip. I figured it would be a good way to spend the weekend with two great ladies and Bob, of course.”
“I can’t believe you. I thought you were on my side. And don’t call me Marl.”
“Okay, Marl-a, b
ut, seriously, you can’t expect me to believe killer zombies from who knows where are about to turn up on my doorstep and eat me.”
“Men!” she spluttered as she stalked into the bedroom, and dumped her bags and rucksack on the floor.
Ellen followed silently behind and did the same thing, muttering, “This is weird.”
“Tea or coffee?” Tommy called out.
“Coffee!” the girls chimed together. “Strong.”
“I thought you were a tea girl, Marl-a,” he remarked.
“I was,” she replied, “until I started having shit scary dreams.”
“A-ha,” he muttered to himself as his footsteps echoed down the hall.
“What’s your plan?” Ellen asked her sister.
Marla scratched her head. “Maybe we could take the jeep and just get some things we might need for the road trip,” she said, placing a sarcastic lilt on the last two words.
Ellen giggled. “Sounds like a plan. We should get enough to last us a month, I think.”
“That’s gonna weigh down the car,” said Marla, smiling, “but it’s a good idea.”
Tuesday, 21
Marla drove the jeep into the half-empty supermarket car park and found a suitable spot in the middle. As she turned off the engine, she noticed a guy wearing an orange uniform pushing a line of trolleys in the direction of the main entrance at a snail-like pace.
“He looks happy,” Ellen remarked on his sour expression.
“Maybe he had a good night last night and he’s feeling the hurt,” Marla suggested, grabbing her purple bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Once they were out of the car, she locked it. The girls walked across the tarmac and entered the building through the automatic doors. Ellen headed for the magazines, muttering, “need reading material”.
“Very light reading material,” Marla acknowledged, picking up a copy of National Geographic.
“Okay, brain box, I’m after something light and refreshing that I can lay on that comfy bed and read when we get back. I just want to chill and snooze.”
“It’s only the afternoon!”
“Yeah, but I’m catching up on all that sleep I lost when I was living on my own and too scared to shut my eyes,” Ellen answered. “Right, these two will do. Nice. Wow, he’s a bit of all right.”
Marla glanced at the page and grinned. “Double hot. That’s a latte with cream.”
“Eh?”
“It’s my favourite,” said Marla, stumbling over her response. “Erm, I wouldn’t kick him out of bed on a cold night either.”
“I wouldn’t kick him out on a hot one.”
“Really, little sis? You vixen!”
“Vegetables?” suggested Ellen, raising an eyebrow.
Marla drew a blank. “Eh? Is that a Freudian slip? Banana, anyone, or are you thinking plums?”
Ellen giggled. “You can start there. I’m heading to the women’s stuff section. I don’t wanna get stuck without you-know-what in the middle of who-knows-where.”
“Okay, I was still on the hot man track and thought you were talking all suggestive. Anyway, good plan, but I’m coming with you. We’ve never liked the same in most things.”
“You think?” asked Ellen.
“Yeah, we’re like chalk and cheese in a lot of ways, but... mind out!” said Marla, skidding to the side.
A pool of reddish liquid streaked the floor. “Watch out for glass,” added Ellen.
“Can’t see any...”
“They must have cleared that bit up then.”
Marla glanced up and grabbed a bottle of red, which she placed in their trolley. “That’s for later.” Turning around, she added some bottles of water and cartons of juice. Next came some bacon and eggs, vegetarian meals for Ellen, and then tins; loads of tins, coffee, tea and powdered milk. Ellen grabbed some flip-flops – “You never know how skanky hostel showers are” – and with a grin, Marla got some too. They moved to the next aisle and chose some toilet rolls and the requisite ‘women’s things’.
“Condoms?” asked Ellen, putting on a serious expression.
“Who for?” enquired Marla.
“Well, Tommy’s kind of cute.”
“You’re joking... you like him?”
Ellen grinned even wider. “I don’t mean me.”
Marla nearly choked. “No way! He’s a friend, like a brother. No, like a girl even. And I haven’t seen him in years.”
“But you have to admit he’s cute.”
Marla shook her head before poking Ellen in the back and heading off in the opposite direction. “Shampoo,” was her end comment. Still shaking her head, she glanced along the rows of bottles and chose a couple. Hair bands, I’ve definitely run out of those.
Taking her time, Marla turned into the next aisle and looked over the books. The latest bestsellers glared back: thrillers and romances. Something quirky and thought provoking would be good as she liked novels with interesting people. Often, nothing much happened, but the characters were the thing; the more complex, the better. Simple was just too boring. I guess I need a proper bookshop, she thought, turning around to check out the CDs. A tap on the shoulder made her jump. Turning, she came face to face with her sister.
“Down the next aisle there’s a woman being sick everywhere,” said a pale-looking Ellen. “She’s doubled up on the floor and looks really ill.”
“We should get someone,” Marla replied just as a member of staff headed their way, walking swiftly.
“There’s a girl being sick,” said Ellen.
“I know,” the employee snapped without pausing. Her badge read Sharon.
“Nice,” remarked Marla, turning back to the CDs.
“You buying any?” asked Ellen.
Marla shook her head. “Not really, just looking.”
“Let’s just get our stuff and go, eh? I’m feeling kind of tired.”
“The girl being sick freaked you out?”
Ellen nodded. “Yes. We just keep seeing more and more people looking ill. Do we have to wait until Friday to leave? I want to go and see Mum.”
“Me, too,” Marla agreed. “We can always go and Tommy can meet us later if he feels like it. Three can be a crowd anyway. He pissed me off a bit last night with some of his comments.”
“Guess he hasn’t had the dream.”
“Guess not.”
Marla replaced the CD she was looking at and followed her sister down the aisle. At the end of it she gave into the temptation to get a look at the sick girl. She was lying on her side, heaving her insides all over the floor. Kneeling beside her, the woman called Sharon was saying something; probably urging her to sit up, thought Marla. Behind her, two other employees appeared.
The flu was spreading. Marla brushed her hand across her mouth and turned tail to find her sister, who was pushing the trolley towards the section where she remembered chocolate to live. Good idea, she thought, rushing after her. On passing some white chocolate, she could not resist and picked up a few bars, followed by a carrot cake and some bags of cashew nuts. With her hands full of sweet stuff, she turned the corner in the direction her sister had taken and then she dropped everything.
Ellen looked to be frozen on the spot, her hands rooted on the handle of the trolley. In front of her a pool of deep red liquid was spreading slowly across the floor, trickling towards her feet. A woman lay sprawled, her arms fluttering like butterfly wings on the cold tiles. Her stocking-clad legs were trembling and her feet twitched, one foot twisted the wrong way. A carton of milk had burst open, the pure whiteness swirling amongst the red, creating a pattern resembling a twisting snake.
Marla swallowed. It was the woman’s insides that stole her attention and sent a chill through her body. Sickness crept into her throat, but she reminded herself that she had seen worse in warzones. But no, it had been nothing like this. Never had she seen anything like this. The man leaning over the woman was ripping the organs from her stomach, splashing blood all over himself while her body twitched. How could s
he still be alive? His bony fingers weaved through her entrails, scooping them up and emptying them into his mouth.
At that moment Ellen screamed and the man looked straight at her. But man was the wrong word, Marla realised. His eyes were white and bloodshot, and the skin of his face was as pale as a corpse, but what made her skin crawl was the lack of any expression. There was nothing there in his eyes; nothing resembling consciousness. Then he rose to his feet. Stumbling towards them, he slipped in the pool of blood and crashed into the trolley. It hurtled backwards, throwing Ellen to the floor.
Behind her, Marla heard footsteps and screams from different voices. Everything was happening too fast, and yet time seemed to slide like mercury gliding over a flat surface. As her head swam, she grabbed the handlebars of the trolley and rammed it into the man, who did not have any reaction at all. He did not try to move out of the way and neither did he push back; he simply collapsed backwards into the shelves behind him. Tins poured down over his head, but still he did not react.
Marla blinked. What the hell is going on? Then she remembered her dream... Sinking its teeth into her neck and ripping... Shaking her head in disbelief, she rammed the trolley into the now standing man again. He moaned and sank to the ground. She noticed then how one of his ears was missing and the side of his head resembled a congealed mass of blood. The greying skin was hanging off and one of his arms was twisted in an unnatural way. An unearthly groan filled the air and a putrid smell reached her nostrils. It was all she could do not to wretch. She rammed him once again, but then the corpse on the floor began to twitch. It was moving. It was alive.
“Marla!”
She turned, trembling, to see her sister standing behind her with eyes as wide as saucers. Ellen was tugging her arm, but she had not even felt it. In that second she came to her senses. Grabbing her sister’s hand, Marla charged down the aisle. The place was filled with screaming shoppers, frozen to the spot in fright. “Run!” she shouted at them. “He killed a woman!” People turned to follow as they ran towards the exit of the shop. Marla did not dare to turn. She skidded as they turned the corner. “A woman’s been murdered!” she shouted at the cashiers, who glanced her way with blank expressions. “Get out!”
I Dream of Zombies Page 5
