Brian and Linda’s front door was open, so I entered the small lobby area and called out “Anybody there?” in my sternest voice.
“I’m coming, I’m on my way,” came the reply from Mary.
The living room door opened and Mary appeared in front of me with Linda close behind, grinning broadly.
“It’s OK, James. I got side-tracked,” Mary continued.
“Hi, Dad,” said Linda, smirking.
“I’ve still got to tell Mat about the meeting,” said Mary.
“No, you don’t – I’ve already done that,” I said. “I’ll see you shortly, Linda.”
Mary pushed herself past me and went out into the close, with me close behind.
“So, what happened to keep you so long?” I asked.
“Err … we were just talking about the move and various other things.”
I knew it would be a waste of time to pursue the matter and said no more, mainly to stop Mary coming up with even more excuses.
We entered the kitchen just as John was finishing making the tea.
“Do you want a cup? I’ve boiled plenty of water,” he asked.
“Tea for me, John,” I replied.
“And coffee for me,” added Mary.
We waited for John to make our drinks and then took them into the living room.
“We’d better be quick – it’s a quarter to eleven already,” remarked John.
“Yeah, James, you don’t want to be late for your own meeting,” joked Mary.
John and I briefly discussed a plan for the move and we agreed to put it to the others, by which time it was 10.55.
Looking through the living room window, I could see some of the neighbours standing in the middle of the close.
“Time to go, James,” said Mary.
The four of us went outside into fast-moving shadows on the ground as the sky started to cloud over. Miles, his elder son Jeffrey, Mat and Sara were waiting for us. As we approached them, Maria and Lucy joined the group.
“Hello, James and Mary. So, do you have a plan?” asked Miles.
“Well, John and I have just had a brief discussion and came up with a few ideas which we’ll put to the others. When they arrive, that is,” I said.
“We have a plan too, but we’ll listen to yours first, as you never know – it may be the same,” replied Miles.
As we were speaking, Brian and Linda, Bill and Rose joined us. While we were making small talk, Kevin and Kate also joined the group. Finally, Elizabeth, Martin, Jack and Ziggy came to the edge of our rapidly expanding group, chatting to each other.
“Is everybody here? James has a plan,” announced Miles, putting me on the spot.
“No – we’re missing Ruth and Tom,” Mary noted.
“Nothing to worry about – they’re usually late,” said John.
We all turned towards number 39, waiting for Ruth and Tom to appear. A minute later, the front door opened and Tom appeared, followed by Ruth. As they approached, Miles just had to say something, as usual.
“Nice of you to honour us with your presence,” he said with heavy sarcasm.
“Trouble with the children,” replied Tom.
“OK, then,” I began. “This is the plan John and I have come up with. First of all, we need to check out the farm and the big house nearby – there just may be someone still living there. Let’s assume for the moment that it’s empty, which I think is quite likely. We went there a few days ago to take the dog for a walk and try out John’s high-powered rifle, and there were no cars in front of the big house and we didn’t see any signs of life at the farm. Admittedly, we were a couple of hundred yards away.
“The reason for picking this farm is that two of the fields are completely fenced off, and it has a gate to block the entrance, as does the house. There are also sheep grazing in one of the fields, and the other field we can plough up and plant whatever vegetables we need. There are also crops of wheat, barley and rapeseed, plus a few extra barns and also a small wooded area, which would be useful for collecting firewood for cooking and keeping warm in the winter months. And just so nobody needs to ask, the reason for moving now is that it’s already late in the growing season so we can’t afford to leave it any longer to plant new crops.
“If everything is clear, sometime in the afternoon we will move some of our supplies and equipment to the farm. On Sunday, we’ll move the rest of our gear and get ourselves settled in. Any questions?”
“Just what I was thinking,” said Miles, the first to speak.
“Sounds good to me,” said Brian. “Who’s going on the reconnaissance trip? Let’s face it, it would be a bit crowded if we all went.”
“What we need is a few volunteers. Anybody?” added John.
The group went silent, so John began, “Dad and I will go”.
“Nice of you to volunteer us, son,” I said.
“Well, it was our plan, Dad!”
“I’ll come, James,” said Miles. “Do you want to join us, Jeffrey?”
“Yes, I’m with you, Dad,” replied his son.
“I’ll be coming too,” said Mary. “You’ll need at least one woman there to check the place out – we can’t leave everything to you men.”
“I’ll come too,” said Brian.
“I’ll come with you, Mum,” said Josephine. “I don’t want to be here on my own.”
“That should be enough of us – the rest can hold the fort, so to speak,” I said.
“What time should we leave?” asked Jeffrey.
“What about ten in the morning?” suggested John.
We all agreed on the time and spent the next ten minutes in general discussion. The sun had disappeared and thickening grey clouds had replaced the blue sky. Dark spots started to appear on the tarmac before droplets of rain hit the side of my face.
“I’ll see you all at ten tomorrow morning, then,” I said, as a sudden gust of wind and more rain struck my face. This was followed by another gust, and sudden sheets of rain driven by a strengthening wind broke up the group, and we hastily headed for the shelter of our homes. Once in our living room, we looked through the window to see bands of driving rain making rapid progress across the now-shining road surface.
The rest of the day was spent checking the guns and getting the truck ready for the next day’s trip, and this time I remembered to put the binoculars in the glove compartment of the truck, so we could survey the farmhouse from afar before we tried to go in. Mary also decided what she wanted to take, including a bottle of orange juice and something to eat. Perhaps she thought we were going on a picnic.
“Do you think we should take the dog for a walk at the same time?” she asked.
“No!” John and I said in unison.
“She hasn’t been out for a few days now, you know,” Mary commented.
“No,” was our joint reply again. Josephine smiled broadly at our reaction.
It rained on and off for most of the day, as heavy showers passed overhead. Between cloudbursts John managed to fire up the generator. We spent over an hour scanning TV and radio channels on the television but nothing new was broadcast. The generator did allow us to use the electric kettle to boil water for our drinks.
All too soon, it was starting to get dark and eventually we went to bed at eleven. The rain had started again, and as I lay awake in bed Mary started to snore very gently – in fact it was more like a hissing sound. The last thing I remember was the unbelievable quietness that enveloped the night, apart from the muffled sound of raindrops hitting the double-glazing.
Day Thirteen
Saturday 24 May 2014
“Time to get up, James – big day today. It’s eight o’clock and you have a cup of tea downstairs,” said Mary loudly.
“What big day? Oh yes, our move,” I replied, still half-asleep and pushing back the bed
covers.
“Get yourself moving – John and Josephine are up.”
After the bathroom, I got dressed, thinking this could be an interesting day – or a very disappointing one if the farm is occupied. I took the opportunity to look through the window, to see white clouds moving across an otherwise blue sky. Thank God, it’s not raining, I thought, as that could have put a real dampener on things. It’s quite amazing the things you miss when there is no working technology, like the weather forecast.
In the kitchen, John and Josephine were occupying the chairs while Mary leant against the worktop.
“I’ve made you toast, Dad,” said Josephine.
“That’s nice of you,” I replied, heading for my cup of tea on the worktop.
I collected the tea and two slices of toast and retired to the living room, commandeering one of the armchairs. I did like to eat in comfort. Sheba followed me and sat in front of me, hoping to acquire any titbits. I had nearly finished when John came in, just in time to see me feeding Sheba the last piece of crust.
“I’ve put the wheelbarrow in the back of the truck, just in case we have to move a few bodies,” he said.
“Yeah, good idea. I dare say we’ll forget something – we always do,” I replied.
We collected our guns and additional ammunition and put them in the truck while Mary and Josephine were getting themselves ready. We then went over to see how Miles and Jeffrey were doing. John tapped on their front door, which was soon opened by Miles.
“How you doing, Miles?” I asked.
“Nearly ready,” came the reply.
At that point Brian joined us.
“Hi guys. I thought Miles and Jeffrey would like to go in my MPV – no point in taking three vehicles,” he said.
“That’s OK with me,” replied Miles.
Brian never liked to be driven by anyone, especially his wife. The only time Linda would get to drive him was when he had had a few alcoholic drinks.
“OK, guys. John and I will organise the ladies and we’ll see you in half an hour,” I said.
John and I entered the kitchen to find Mary and Josephine uncharacteristically ready to leave.
“You two ready to leave, then?” asked Mary.
“You’re a bit early, Mum. It’s only half past nine,” observed John.
“What’s the rush, Mary?” I asked.
“It’s just nice to get out once in a while, you know,” she replied.
“It could be a bit of an adventure, I suppose,” added John.
We made small talk for a little while, going over what we had to do.
“Let’s get in the truck – it’s nearly ten o’clock,” John said finally.
Mary picked up the bag she had prepared containing food and drinks. Then she turned to Sheba and patted her on the head saying, “You be good”.
We went out of the back door, Josephine locking it behind us. In the street, Brian was standing by his MPV waiting for Miles and his son to arrive. I gave him a wave and sat in the truck.
“James, you’ll need these,” said Mary, handing me the keys to the Micra.
I had completely forgotten that we had to move the Micra to get out – old age, I supposed. The car burst into life on the first turn of the key and I drove it forward onto Bill and Rose’s driveway. Bill waved at me through the living room window and I gave him the thumbs-up.
I turned to look for any sign of Miles or Jeffrey. I noticed Linda talking to Mary through the truck’s rear window, and Tom had come out to speak to Brian. I felt a right twit sitting alone in the Micra with the engine ticking over. I had just decided to give Miles a wakeup call when his door opened and Jeffrey appeared, followed by Miles himself. They were both carrying guns and extra ammo and what looked like waterproof clothing. I wound down the Micra’s window.
“Ready when you are, guys!” I shouted. “I’ll put the car back in the barricade once you’re through.”
John waved at me and gave Brian the thumbs-up once Miles and Jeffrey had stowed their gear and got themselves seated. John was the first to go through the barricade, followed by Brian. I reversed the Micra back into position in the barricade and gave the keys to Linda as she waved her husband off.
“Just in case you need to move the car,” I said. “We shouldn’t be too long,” I said, turning back towards the barricade.
“Be careful, Dad – you know I’m going to be worried sick until you get back,” said Linda.
I turned back to face her.
“I can’t see there being any problems – it’s not like going to the shops, and the farm is probably empty, anyway,” I said, tongue-in-cheek.
I made my way through the barricade and climbed into the front passenger seat of the truck, as Mary passed me the semi-auto shotgun. I couldn’t help myself and said “Wagons ho!” John gave me a funny look as we moved along Connor Way.
We turned left onto the main Boreham road and, 200 yards later, right into Plantation Road, only to be met by a gruesome sight. Half-eaten bodies lay on the pavements and in the adjoining gardens, with the occasional body in the road itself. Now the sun had returned, the vermin were back in force, mainly crows with the occasional rat extracting itself from the internal organs of a partly-eaten body. Fortunately, there were no live infected people.
At the end of the road we turned left and after another hundred yards left again onto the farm track. It was now only a quarter of a mile to the large house, and halfway there we passed a barn on our left and then the big oak tree on the right. John stopped at the top of the slope, just past the big house on our left, from where we had a clear view of the farmhouse across the fenced-off field about 200 yards away. I opened the glove compartment, took out the binoculars and started to survey the farm in more detail, first using the eight times magnification and then turning it up to thirty times. By that stage I was resting the binoculars on the dashboard to stop me from shaking.
My heart sank when I saw a Range Rover parked only a few yards from the front door of the house, indicating that someone had managed to get home. The main building at the front, with whitewashed walls, appeared to have three floors including an attic with a small window in the centre of the sloping roof. Good for a lookout position, I thought. Behind the main building were at least two others, the more distant of which seemed to be even larger, and there appeared to be a substantial connection between them, indeed it was big enough to be another residence. Joined to the right of the main building was a smaller one, perhaps some sort of annex. To the left of the main house was what appeared to be an open-sided garaging facility for three or four vehicles, with a steep sloping roof supporting a small clock tower in the centre.
“John, can you move down to the bottom of the slope so we can get a different angle?” I asked.
“Will do,” replied John, and he started to move forward.
He stopped by the small brook, 200 yards from our previous position. A track led to the house, following the course of the brook. Our new position was unfortunately partly obscured by trees, but we could see that there was a window between the sloping roofs on the front building. As on the opposite side, this would be a very good place for a lookout. We now had a better view of the side of the building to the right, which had a central window between the sloping roofs surrounded by whitewashed walls with black supporting beams.
“OK, Dad, let’s do this,” said John.
We followed the track along the side of the brook, finally turning right as we reached two large barns surrounded by farm machinery. Now only 100 yards from the farmhouse, John slowed the vehicle to a crawl, eventually stopping parallel to the Range Rover but on the opposite side of the track. I looked to our rear to make sure Brian was still with us, just in time to see him come to a halt three yards behind the truck.
“Mary, Josephine, you’d better wait in the truck until we have checked the farm
out,” I said.
John and I collected our guns and got out of the truck. Brian, Miles and Jeffrey were waiting for us, with guns loaded. All five of us approached the front door, trying not to make any sound as we crossed the gravel track. The door was slightly ajar.
“Who wants to go first?” I whispered to the others.
“It’s OK, James, we’ll let you go first,” said Miles, not being very democratic.
“That’s nice of you,” I replied sarcastically.
I pushed the door open with the shotgun barrel. It started to creak, sounding unbelievably loud in an environment devoid of the usual sounds of daily life such as traffic and aircraft. I paused for a few seconds listening for any type of sound, human or otherwise. Nothing stirred, so I continued until the door was fully open, revealing a small open area with doors leading off to the left and right. Further away on the right, a stairway led to the upper floors. A dimly lit passage stretched out in front of us, leading to the back of the house. I whispered to Miles, who was directly behind me.
“You take the rooms on the right, and John and I will take the left.”
Miles nodded, not wishing to make any sound. As John and I reached our allotted door, I looked across at Miles as he put his hand on the handle of the other one. A threatening silence filled the air, I mouthed the word ready, and he gave a quick nod of his head. I pulled the handle down and pushed the door, raising the shotgun to my shoulder as it slowly opened. I moved inside quickly, making sure nothing was hiding behind the door. John followed me inside, and we scanned the room with guns firmly planted in our shoulders ready to fire.
A glass coffee table occupied the centre of the room, surrounded by one three-seater sofa and a pair of two-seaters, one on either side, with a large television screen attached to the opposite wall. Against the right-hand wall were four oak chests of drawers, topped off by a central bookcase, with glass cabinets on either side, containing various ornaments.
John and I vacated the room and moved further down the passage to the next door. Miles and the others had still not finished inspecting the room opposite. I pressed down the handle on the next door and, pushing it open, started to look inside.
Infected- The Beginning Page 33
