The Zombie Proof Fence

by Tony Thomas

  ‘Is that another chopper?’ Dan wondered out loud.

  With a sudden rush, two scary-looking black helicopters tore up the bay from the west. They slowed as they reached the varied watercraft and gradually made their way to the boats closest to Bundeena. Many of the boats had turned and headed back to where they came from. ‘They must be warning them off,’ Gen noted.

  At least half a dozen boats persisted. The helicopters moved back to again hover over the moving boats. Dan could see the people on three of the boats yelling and gesticulating at the helicopters, although most turned back. One of the helicopters pulled ahead of the boats, turned, and lowered to just above the wave tops, then hovered menacingly.

  ‘Shit, I think they’re going to … ,’ Dan exclaimed as flames burst from the gun turrets on either side of the hovering helicopter. The shots sent jets of water into the air. Two of the boats immediately turned and started to head back to the shore.

  One boat kept going. The driver mustn’t have believed the threat was real. Again, flames burst from the gun turrets. The boat suddenly exploded, a huge fireball enveloping it. The helicopter that had fired lifted and followed the other boats back towards shore.

  The other helicopter raced further up the bay, clearly patrolling for others with similar ideas.

  11:45 AEST: Centennial Park

  Pete stopped suddenly. Jeff walked another few steps before realising something was wrong. ‘Are you okay, Pete?’ he asked.

  ‘Can you hear that droning? That doesn’t sound like a plane coming in to land,’ Pete said.

  They were walking on a road between two ponds. On any other day, Jeff would have really enjoyed the park, manicured lawns sprawled between several large ponds. It was completely empty of any life except for a few ducks. Jeff thought it would be a wonderful picnic area. Jeff stopped and listened, ‘It sounds like choppers to me,’ he said.

  They both turned, trying to work out where the noise was coming from. With shocking speed, two transport helicopters roared overhead, travelling to the north.

  ‘I wonder if they’re going to the Hordern to evacuate people?’ Pete mused.

  As they watched, the helicopters disappeared into the distance. ‘I guess not,’ Jeff said. ‘We can’t be more than a mile or two from there and they sure didn’t slow down.’

  ‘Probably evacuating politicians,’ Pete said, and again started walking. ‘They’re bound to get them out if there’s any problem.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Jeff said, still looking to the North, rather than turn and walk on he paused, squinting. ‘Pete—that looks like a fighter jet. Do you have F35’s?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Pete started to ask as two fast flying jets screamed overhead. They both turned and tracked them as the jets banked sharply and ascended. Jeff saw a black line fall from one of the jets.

  ‘It dropped a goddam bomb!’ Jeff screamed. ‘Get down.’ Jeff dropped immediately to the ground, covering his ears with his hands and ducking his head. Pete took a moment longer to react. As he dropped, the preliminary pulse of the shock wave knocked him flying a few feet before he landed on the grass. He covered his ears as he had seen Jeff do.

  Within a fraction of a second, the full shock wave blasted over them. Then a pulse of searing heat and noise. They both stayed lying on the ground. Pete started to ask ‘Is that. . .’ as the air suddenly rushed back towards the explosion, almost dragging them from the ground.

  They both continued to lay huddled for another minute before Pete demanded: ‘What the fuck was that?’

  Jeff lifted his head from his hands and said, ‘That, my friend, was a thermobaric explosion. I didn’t know the Australian military used them. Short of a nuke, they can be the biggest bomb you can get. Since we’re still alive I suspect that was a little one.’

  ‘That was a little one? Fuck me, it set some of the trees alight. That was a monster of a blast.’

  ‘If it was a big one we’d be roasted alive,’ Jeff said.

  ‘How do you know about this stuff?’ Pete asked.

  ‘I was in Desert Shield,’ Jeff said. ‘Mainly logistics but I saw a few of these bad boys. I’m really glad we left when we did.’

  ‘Me too, and I’m really glad you knew what to do. I would have stood and stared at it and been blinded and burned.’

  ‘Probably not, but it was better to be safe than sorry,’ Jeff said. ‘Like I said, it was a little one.’

  ‘Fair enough, but I sure as hell owe you. Anyway, let’s get our arses out of here. I want to get as far away from that as I can.’

  12:00 AEST: Sydney

  Dan and Gen were pale with shock as they came back to the lounge room. Before coming inside they had heard several more muted explosions. It was pretty clear that no one was being allowed to leave by water.

  Joanne, oblivious to the actions in the bay, tried to relate the update she had seen on TV. ‘The news said that this is just a virus. They said that scientists everywhere are working on a cure. They’ve even given it a name ‘Severe Psychotic Syndrome’. They say it can make someone come back from the dead,’ Joanne paused and realised Dan and Gen weren’t looking themselves. ‘Are you okay? What happened?’

  ‘We just saw an attack helicopter shoot a boat out of the water,’ Dan said. ‘Then we heard it happen again and again.’

  ‘We’re trapped here Joanne,’ Gen said. ‘They’re not letting people leave.’

  Joanne took this all in impassively. ‘Well they said there was a curfew, they have to enforce it don’t they?’

  ‘Blowing people out of the water seems a little extreme to me,’ Dan replied.

  Joanne started to reply, then noticed the ‘Breaking News’ banner on the TV. She pointed to it and said, ‘This might explain it.’

  The news presenter spoke almost immediately.

  ‘We now cut live to a press conference with the prime minister.’

  The screen flashed to the prime minister. As usual, he was flanked by two or three lackeys, and stood in front of at least six Australian flags.

  ‘My fellow Australians.’ Joanne noticed Dan wince, and wondered why. ‘I have good news to report.’

  ‘After consultation with the Defence Forces and Police, we can report that the incidents in Sydney are now totally under control. All the infected people have been contained and the disease is no longer spreading. Sydney will remain in lockdown for another twenty-four hours.’

  There was a rumble of dissent from the assembled journalists. The PM continued,

  ‘There have been no indications that the infection has spread outside of Sydney. On that basis, if the rest of the country remains infection free, we will soon be able to lift quarantine and curfew limits.’

  A strident voice broke through the general rumbling of the press conference,

  ‘And what about the YouTube videos of zombie attacks in Sutherland posted less than half an hour ago? Is that contained?’

  ‘Hey, that might be my video!’ Dan exclaimed.

  The PM continued unabashed,

  ‘As I indicated, all outbreaks have now been contained. While I can’t talk on operational details, I can confirm that there are no current reported situations in which the infected have not been contained.’

  Another journalist spoke up,

  ‘And what about the reports that the quarantine centre in the Hordern Pavilion has been attacked? What is happening to those people?’

  The PM stuck to his stock replies,

  ‘I repeat, I can’t speak on specific operations, but all outbreaks have been contained.’

  A calm voice spoke up,

  ‘Prime Minister, can you comment on reports that these outbreaks have been suppressed through the use of thermobaric devices in the case of Mascot and Randwick, and the use of attack helicopters to destroy boats attempting to leave any of the waterways within Sydney? Or is the killing of Australian citizens an operational matter?’

  At last the prime minister seemed ruffled. He raised both hands i
n a calm down gesture and looked like he was struggling to speak. After a few moments, he finally managed,

  ‘I will not comment on operational matters. I remind you all to consider the provisions of the National Security Bill. The situation is under control. That is all.’

  The PM turned and started to walk away. His lackeys followed looking uncomfortable.

  Dan turned to Gen and Joanne and said, ‘I think we’re fucked.’

  12:00 AEST: Randwick

  After they left the empty park and were on suburban streets, Jeff started to get the creeps. ‘It’s so weird. It’s the middle of the day and there’s no one in sight.’

  ‘What’s so strange about that?’ Pete asked. ‘It’s a weekday and you’re in a working class suburb. Most places are like this during the week.’

  Jeff could see people looking at them through gaps in their curtains as they walked past. For some reason, Pete had chosen to walk in the middle of the street, rather than the sidewalk. Jeff had followed suit. They hadn’t seen a moving car yet so it felt safe enough. ‘I guess so, it just seems creepy, especially with people looking at us and hiding behind drapes.’

  ‘Yeah, that is a bit weird I guess,’ Pete said. ‘Well, this is Dangar Street. It’s just up here on the left. No one in sight so we should be good.’

  Jeff chuckled. ‘Is that D-A-N-G-A-R Street?’

  Pete looked at Jeff as though he was insane before guardedly replying, ‘Yeah, I think so.’

  ‘So it’s almost Danger Street. That’s kind of funny don’t you think?’

  ‘Fuckin’ hilarious,’ Pete said, deadpan. He started walking to the curb. ‘Here it is.’

  The house had a low fence, really just a border, with a path running down the left side. There was no door on the front of the house, just two windows, both had bars. The house itself looked to be stucco over brick and very solid. They walked down the path, the entrance door was to the side. The door had a very solid security screen. The windows at the side of the house were barred as well.

  Pete kept walking towards the shed at the end of the path. He opened a gate between the garage and the house and went into the backyard. The back garden had a large vegetable patch. Jeff could spot tomato plants that seemed to be growing wild, as well as a pumpkin vine. The windows on the back of the house were also barred.

  Pete walked into the veggie patch and bent down. Jeff couldn’t see what he was doing, but a moment later, he stood and held up a pair of keys on a ring. ‘We’re in!’ Pete said. They walked back to the door at the side of the house.

  Pete let Jeff into the house and locked the door. ‘I’ll just go find the car keys and then we can head off,’ he said.

  Jeff looked around. The house was quiet and dark. He thought for a moment and said, ‘Pete, why don’t we stay here?’

  ‘What? Why?’ Pete said, he was still looking for the car keys.

  Jeff found the kitchen. One of the cupboards was a pantry. There were plenty of cans and some packets of pasta. ‘This place looks pretty secure to me. There’s food in the kitchen, and I saw tomatoes and pumpkin in the garden.’ He opened the door of the fridge. ‘Nothing in the fridge but it still has power.’ He turned a tap on and off. ‘There’s water as well. Don’t you think we’d be better off staying here rather than taking his car and trying to drive somewhere when they’re dropping bombs?’

  Pete walked into the kitchen swinging the car keys on one finger. ‘To be honest it never crossed my mind to just stay here. Brett, the bloke that owns the place, never really has any house guests. The only reason I knew where the keys were is that he asked me to check on the place while he’s away. He’s hiking in Nepal for three months.’

  ‘I don’t think he’s going to make it back’ Jeff observed. ‘If India and Pakistan are trading blows, then there’s no way anyone is going to get out of Nepal.’

  Pete walked over and looked out the kitchen window, through the iron bars covering them ‘I don’t think I ever noticed the way this place is secured. You might be right, maybe we should just hang here for a while. I’m going to turn on the telly and see if there’s anything on the news.’

  12:10 AEST: Illawarra Regional Airport Quarantine Station

  ‘Gen, you’re okay?’ Rita asked.

  ‘Yes, we’re still safe. At least I think we are at the moment. How about you?’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure,’ Rita said. ‘They had the highway exits all blocked to funnel anyone on the road into a quarantine station at the airport near Albion Park Rail.’

  ‘Will they let you go?’

  ‘I don’t know. They haven’t told us much. We got directed from that big roundabout at the end of the highway to go into the airport. We’re queued up along the runway, a line for trucks and a line for cars. There’s probably a hundred or a hundred and fifty cars and trucks in here, another one comes along every few minutes. It looks like they’re doing inspections or something up ahead. We move forward every so often, so I guess something’s happening, but I’m not sure if anyone is leaving.’

  ‘You have to be safer there than you would be here.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘Have you heard that last press conference from the PM?’

  ‘No. I haven’t had the radio on, I’ve been trying to keep the kids entertained and distracted. What did he say?’

  ‘He got caught lying. He said that Sydney is under control and that curfews would be lifted. Then a reporter asked him to comment on bombing people and shooting boats and he just walked away.’

  ‘Sounds like some pretty stupid claims to me, why wouldn’t he walk away?’

  ‘Rita, it was all lies. We saw helicopters shooting boats in the bay. There’s zombies roaming our street still, we saw them. I don’t know what he’s trying to achieve, but I think Sydney is in trouble.’

  ‘Gen, that’s crazy! Why would they shoot boats in the bay?’

  ‘They were trying to get away and were heading towards Maianbar and Bundeena. There was a big group, most of them turned back, but one guy kept going. They shot at him and his boat exploded.’

  ‘But you’re safe aren’t you? You’ve got those big fences and all. Nothing can get in.’

  ‘We’re not bullet proof or bomb proof, and that is starting to worry me. If they’re dropping bombs on these things we don’t stand a chance, especially since there’s so many on the streets here.’

  ‘God, maybe you’re right. Maybe we are better off here.’ The line began to move ahead, Rita crept the car forward. ‘At least the lines here are moving a little. That must mean people are being passed through, or processed somehow.’

  ‘Rita, if they’re doing processing, I don’t think you should mention what happened to Brick,’ Gen said.

  ‘What? Why?’ Rita asked. She looked nervously into the back seat to make sure the kids weren’t paying attention; fortunately both were engrossed in their iPads. Rita took the telephone off hands-free and held it to her ear, ‘I have to tell them he’s changed and on the loose.’

  ‘I knew you would feel like that Rita, but I really don’t trust what the authorities are doing. I bet if you mention Brick they’ll lock you all up in some refugee zone, just in case he passed it to you somehow.’

  Rita thought about this for a moment. ‘But they have to know he’s infected and on the loose. He could hurt more people.’

  ‘Rita, all I care about is you getting safely away. You know how this country treats people in refugee camps. Please, don’t mention Brick. Convince the kids as well. Say that it’s just the three of you. You don’t even need to lie, just don’t mention him.’

  ‘Uh, I’ll think about it, Gen, okay?’ The line moved forward again. ‘Look, we’re getting close to the checkpoint. I’ll talk to the kids. Either way, I’ll let you know what happens. Okay?’

  ‘Okay, Rita, talk soon.’

  10:15 SST (12:15 AEST): Singapore

  ‘Looks all clear,’ Mick said. ‘But this is a bigger drop than the others were. We
’re going to have to tie the rope off and leave it so that it can be long enough.

  ‘No problem, Mick, we won’t need it once we’re down,’ Chris replied.

  ‘I guess so, but I’ve kind of gotten attached to it,’ Mick said—holding up the knot he had just tied around his waist.

  ‘Oh for fuck’s sake, Mick!’ Lara muttered, as Chris and Lincoln smiled and shook their heads.

  ‘Okay, seriously now,’ said Mick. ‘Once we get down we’re going to need to keep moving. We can’t see any zombies but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Chris, once I’m down, lower the weapons to me straight away, I know they’re just desk legs, but they’re better than nothing.’

  ‘Maybe you should take one with you just in case?’ Chris suggested.

  ‘Actually, minor change of plans, I think we might do it all a bit differently this time.’ Mick said, ‘This time I think we lower all the baggage at once on the climbing rope, if it attracts a zombie or two we’ll see them and can wait for them to clear off. Once it’s down I’ll climb down the loops hand over hand. I’ll hold the rope tight once I’m down so that you all can take turns climbing down. We’ll leave the rope behind.’

  Mick tied a loop in the safety rope and passed it over his head and shoulders and let it rest at his waist. ‘I’m tying this rope so that if you fall it’ll catch you about halfway down. I’ll tie it off up here. Once it starts to get tight on the way down, you just slip it over your head and it can get pulled up for the next person. You climb the last few metres without a safety rope.’

  ‘You make it sound easy,’ Lincoln said with a nervous tremble.

  ‘Linc, you’ve climbed down over thirty floors. This is a piece of cake,’ Mick said reassuringly.

  Mick tied the climbing rope through the handles of the four small carry-on bags. ‘One more thing, only one at a time, no matter what, we’ve come too far to take unnecessary risks.’ Mick lifted the bags and started lowering them slowly to the ground, with Chris and Lincoln acting as belays. Lara leaned over the rail, scanning for anyone coming near.