John and I went into our living room to find Mary and Josephine looking at a caption on Fox News, an American channel. There was no newsreader, just a statement, basically the same as the message on the BBC World Service. The interesting part was at the end, stating that a limited service was expected to be up and running within two days.
“Mum, Josephine, I’m going to turn off the generator now,” said John.
“Oh, do you have to?” said Mary disappointedly.
“Yes, it attracts the infected.”
John went out through the back door and within a minute the generator fell silent.
As John came back in, he asked, “Any chance of a drink and something to eat?”
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” I said.
John and I stared into each other’s eyes, waiting for the ladies to reply. Eventually Mary broke the silence.
“Alright, alright – I’ll do it. What would you like?”
We put in our orders and Josephine offered to help, while John and I took up residence in the vacated armchairs. We checked the guns over and reloaded all the empty magazines, as had become our routine. We had just finished when the drinks and sandwiches arrived.
“So, what are you going to do next then, James?” asked Mary.
“That’s easy – nothing!” I replied.
“OK. Josephine and I are going to visit our daughters, so we’ll see you later.”
“OK, I’ll pop over later,” I said.
Mary and Josephine left the room, leaving behind them a strange silence. After my sandwich and tea, I fell asleep.
“Dad, its four o’clock,” said John, giving me a prod.
“Is it?”
“Yeah, Miles and some of the others are outside. Are you coming? I think they’re going to check on the fire.”
I extricated myself slowly from the chair and stretched.
“Let’s go, then,” I said, still feeling a bit sleepy.
We collected the guns and I followed John out of the front door, joining Miles, Jeffrey and Mat in the centre of the close.
“Err … James, glad you could join us. We’re just about to check out the fire,” said Miles.
“OK, you lead and I’ll follow,” I said, still trying to wake myself fully.
We arrived at the edge of the green to find our fire still well alight, although it had died down considerably from when we had left it. There were a few partially burnt corpses at the periphery. After scouting the area for any possible danger and with a bit of effort, we managed to throw them into the centre of the fire which was still burning strongly. Once we had finished we turned our attention to the crows that were covering part of the main road, feeding on the bodies we had left there after our previous skirmish with the infected. Fortunately, Miles and Mat had brought their wheelbarrows with them.
“I think we should get the bodies out of the road,” said Mat. We all looked at him until Miles broke the silence.
“OK, then – let’s do it.”
There were only seven or eight of them, although it was hard to tell under the layer of crows and magpies. As we walked towards them, the birds took to the air squawking, not only from the road but also from the cricket pitch and village hall car park. I was very tempted to take a shot at them with the shotgun, but thought better of it because of the noise it would create.
Within half an hour the bodies in the road had been cleared, but the crows continued to circle high above, occasionally issuing their menacing caw. It reminded me of a film I once saw – The Birds – in fact I probably saw it about five times or more. We then said goodbye and made our way back to our own houses.
John and I dropped the guns off at home, and made our way to Ruth and Tom’s house, but nobody was in, so we continued to Linda and Brian’s. We found everybody there, including Miles’s younger son Martin and his daughter Ziggy. The younger children were playing in the garden while the teenagers were in the kitchen and the adults in the living room.
“I suppose you want a cup of tea, Dad,” were the first words out of Linda’s mouth as she rose from the armchair.
“You must have read my thoughts,” I replied.
“Would you like a biscuit too?”
“Yes, please,” was my instant reply.
“Tom and I have been talking about our next move,” Brian said to me. “If things don’t improve, the food is soon going to run out or go rotten. The question is: how are we going to survive?”
“We’re going to have to grow our own,” I said. “I think the tinned food should last about a year, but we will also have to grow our own if we wish to have fresh vegetables. The problem is that it’s the middle of May, so we don’t have much time before the growing season ends.”
“So, does anybody have any suggestions on what to do next?” Brian continued.
“The way I see it, we’ll have to move to a farm,” answered John.
“Yes, that’s a good plan, but when?” said Josephine, who always talked about growing our own vegetables in the garden, although we never got round to doing anything about it – probably because Mary was not the keenest of gardeners.
“If we give it to the end of the week, say Saturday or Sunday, and no concrete news has come from the government on a cure or any other solution, I would suggest we move to Culver Farm, just down the track off Church Road,” I said. “Mainly because it is well fenced off and there are a few sheep, plus they have bred a number of game birds on the surrounding land. And it’s surrounded by fields of wheat and rapeseed that will ripen this year. We just need someone who can operate the farm machinery and knows how to cultivate crops.”
“Yes, apart from the large farmhouse there is a large residence nearby that we could live in and they have a number of large barns for storage,” John added.
“Of course, we’ll have to discuss this with the others first,” cautioned Mary.
“By then we’ll be running out of food again,” said Linda.
“We can go to that garden centre along the main road and collect packets of seed – at least the packs will tell us how to grow them,” suggested Josephine.
“Looks like we’ll have to go on another food-finding trip, then,” commented Brian.
“Shall we invite the other residents over now, so we can finish this?” asked John.
“OK, I’ll get Miles and his family,” I said.
We broke up the meeting while John went to collect Bill and Rose, Brian and Tom went to get Mat and Sara, and Mary and Linda went to collect Lucy and her children. Within half an hour all the adults and teenage children were congregated in Brian and Linda’s living room.
Brian outlined our plan, with John adding the finer details. Finally, he asked: “Any questions?”
“You do realise this is going to be a major operation?” Miles pointed out.
“Yep, we’re going to have to check out the farm first to see if it’s viable, and the house,” I said.
“May I suggest that, assuming we hear nothing from the powers that be, we start our investigation on Saturday morning and if everything is OK we move some of the gear across in the afternoon and make our final move on Sunday?” Tom added.
“Seems like a plan,” said John.
“You sure we have to do this?” asked Mary.
“We have no choice,” I said. “Come winter time, food will be in short supply, and if we leave it later we won’t be able to grow anything,” I added, trying to relieve Mary’s fears. The other women were also looking extremely apprehensive.
Finally, the meeting came to a natural close. Lucy spoke for the first time.
“Well, ladies, shall we make something to eat and drink? We can have a bit of a party, to be honest – I’m fed up with being on my own.”
“I’ll supply some beer and a bottle of scotch,” said Brian.
; “John, I’ll get our two bottles of wine and a pack of your lager,” Josephine chimed in. “Mary, we can make some sandwiches too. We can’t use all of Linda’s food.”
“I’ll get the drinks, while you make the eats,” suggested John.
In the end, the male adults collected the drink from their houses while the ladies got the food. An hour later, we were all back in Linda’s house, drinking and eating. Unfortunately, there was no music, but who cared? It was good to relieve the built-up tensions of the past week. What were we celebrating? The fact of still being alive and not infected.
The party broke up at 9.00 pm as the sun started to dip below the horizon, and as we walked back to our own residences there were none of the sounds to which we had become accustomed before the infection. A menacing stillness filled the air, not even a breeze to rustle the leaves on the trees. We said goodnight to our neighbours as the light began to fade, and were pleased to get back to the safety of our own home once again before the night turned pitch-black.
Once we were settled in the armchairs, Josephine made tea for me and herself, while Mary had her usual coffee and John continued to empty the beer cans. He tried the radio at 10.00 pm as usual, but again there was only the recorded message. We then discussed what we needed to take to the farm, apart from food, medical supplies, torches, batteries and the generators, but came to no concrete conclusion. The answer depended on what was usable in the farm and house, which of course we had all assumed were unoccupied. We all went to bed early, the alcohol making us feel more relaxed and sleepy than usual. I remember hearing a lone dog barking and a cat crying in the distance before I fell into a deep sleep, unusually quickly.
Day Ten
Wednesday 21 May 2014
“James, James! Wake up – Linda’s here. Christine is very ill!”
Mary was shaking my shoulder vigorously as she delivered the news about Linda’s youngest daughter.
“She is?” I said sleepily, not quite registering the implications.
“It’s nearly eight o’clock. Get yourself dressed – we have to go round to the doctor’s surgery.”
“You do realise there won’t be any doctors there?” I observed, getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom.
“We may be able to find something – she’s being violently sick,” Mary continued from a distance.
“OK, OK,” I said, doing everything as quickly as I could. “Let me get myself a cup of tea, first, then John and I will go and see what we can find.”
“Josephine has made the tea. I’ll come with you just to make sure you get the right medication,” Mary replied. She had obviously been reading her medical book before waking me.
John and I collected our weapons and walked out into the close. Mary was already moving the Micra from the barricade. John drove through and waited the other side for her. We were soon on our way, turning left into the main road then right into Plantation Road and right again at the end. We were now less than a hundred yards from the doctor’s surgery. John pulled into the small parking area and turned the truck round in front of the main doors, facing the car park exit. We all got out of the truck, and Mary was the first to try the doors, which were unlocked.
“Mary, wait! John and I will go first,” I said.
I cautiously pulled the door open, entering the small lobby with John and Mary close behind. The frosted glass in the door to my left, which led into the doctors’ waiting room, had been completely smashed, while the one to our right, leading to the pharmacy, was till intact.
“Dad, listen,” John whispered.
There was a rustling sound coming from the waiting room.
“Hello, is anybody there?” said Mary, louder than usual.
“Shh!” I whispered.
Something fell, and a chair was scraped across the floor. Then a very large, overweight man appeared at the waiting room door, followed by a medium-built middle-aged woman. I was momentarily stunned as I looked up into the man’s bright red eyes, not six feet from me. He lunged forward, passing through the doorway, but fortunately for me he tripped over the bottom sill of the door which had once held the glass in place. I instinctively took a step backwards, bumping into John, as the man fell forward at my feet. Pointing the shotgun at the back of his head, I fired, creating a God-awful mess on the floor and walls. I quickly swung the shotgun towards the fast-approaching woman, but as I took aim the crack, crack! of John’s Ruger almost deafened me as it went off next to my ear, and two .22-calibre holes appeared in the lady’s forehead as she collapsed to the floor.
“Mary, next time it might be a good idea not to say anything until we’ve checked a place out,” I said, my heart still racing.
John followed me into the waiting room and, after checking that there were no more infected about, we joined Mary back in the lobby.
“James, the door to the pharmacy is locked,” Mary commented.
“Now we can call out,” I said.
Mary didn’t need any further encouragement and at the top of her voice shouted, “Hello! Is anybody there?”
We waited in silence for a reply. I moved back a couple of steps and had lifted the shotgun gun ready to blow out the glass in this door, when a faint female voice replied.
“Yes, there are two of us.”
“Can you unlock the door?” I asked.
“Is it safe?”
“It is now – there are three of us,” replied John.
A woman in her thirties appeared on the other side of the glass door, dressed in a nurse’s uniform and looking a bit stressed out. Even so, speaking as a bloke she was still very easy on the eye. She produced a bunch of keys from her uniform pocket and began to look for the correct one. As she was doing so a slim, middle-aged man appeared behind her, dressed in a dishevelled suit and open-necked shirt.
“Hello, doctor,” said Mary. Doctor, I thought – that could be useful.
Finally, the nurse opened the door, and John, Mary and I walked into the pharmacy.
“Thank God, Kevin – we’ve been rescued!” exclaimed the nurse.
“Slow down a minute – how long have you been in here?” I asked.
“Must be ten days now, why?” the doctor replied.
“Oh, we’ve only come here to collect some medical supplies, as my granddaughter is very sick,” I replied.
“What’s the current situation outside?” asked the doctor.
“We reckon ninety-five percent of the population have either been infected or are dead,” I said. “There’s no power, and the only information we’ve received recently has come from the radio and that appears to be a recorded message. It’s going to be a mission just to stay alive and remain unaffected by whatever the disease is that has now spread across the world.”
“Across the world! Is anybody trying to find a cure?” he asked, his doctor’s instinct starting to show through.
“The government has asked anybody who has been bitten and not become infected to go to a place in Cambridge where they are trying to find a cure.”
“I lost contact with my wife five days ago. The same applies to Kate and her husband. Do you live close by?” the doctor asked.
“Connor Way, near the Six Bells pub.”
“If you get your medical supplies, I can help you. I’ll look at your granddaughter before Kate and I go to check on our families in Hatfield Peverel.”
The doctor then spoke to Mary about Christine’s symptoms, and went behind the small counter facing us where the prescription drugs were kept. He came back holding a number of small boxes, while Mary collected aspirin and paracetamol tablets from the customer shelves, together with plasters, bandages and various antiseptic ointments.
“Shall we go?” said the doctor.
“I’ll lead the way, but be careful – Dad’s created a bit of a mess out here,” said John, walking out into the small lobb
y with the doctor and nurse close behind.
“My God!” cried the doctor.
“Oh, Lord,” exclaimed Kate, as they both surveyed the remains of the big man’s head and bloody mess on the floor.
Once outside, the doctor got into the driving seat of a large silver BMW, the nurse beside him.
John, Mary and I climbed into the truck, Mary placing the medical supplies on the back seat. John moved off, turning right out of the surgery car park and right again along Church Road. Passing the gun shop on our left, we turned right and entered the main Boreham road. Two minutes later we passed through our barricade, and John pulled up in our driveway with the BMW behind us.
Linda was already at the side of the truck before we came to a halt.
“Have you managed to get something?” she asked, not taking any notice of the following vehicle.
“We have everything – including a doctor and a nurse!” replied Mary.
The doctor was now standing beside Linda.
“You’d better show me your little girl. I take it you’re Linda. Call me Kevin.”
“Yes, doctor … err, Kevin – follow me,” Linda said, looking surprised and setting off to her house.
“I’ll come with you,” said Mary as she got out of the truck with the medical supplies.
John and I were left looking at each other.
“Kevin – can I speak to you before you leave us?” I called through the open truck window. “Mary, I need the car keys.”
Mary stopped in her tracks and returned with the keys.
“Yes, I’ll speak with you when Kate and I have finished,” replied Kevin.
John went through the side gate, taking both weapons with him, while I moved the Micra back into position. I eventually joined John and Josephine in the living room with a very excited Sheba.
Josephine made us a cup of tea while we waited for Kevin, Kate and Mary to arrive.
“Well, John, a doctor and nurse would be a great asset to our group,” I said.
Infected- The Beginning Page 30
