Dead Meat | Day 5

by Clausen, Nick

  “I … I want to come with you …” he croaks.

  “Yeah? Well, that’s not going to happen. We don’t want fucking traitors around.”

  “I’m sorry,” Eli says, moving in place. “I … I didn’t mean for that to happen … I didn’t think he’d kill her … I just … I just really wanted to get on the helicopter …”

  “Sure, you wanted to save your own sorry ass,” William spits. “And your selfishness killed Dorte.”

  “I didn’t kill her!” Eli protests, his voice shaking as though he’s about to cry. “I didn’t pull the trigger! He did!” He points to the guy still lying unconscious on the ground.

  “Fuck you!” William shouts. “I’ll pull the trigger on you if you don’t fuck off!”

  “William,” Henrik says again.

  “No, don’t you start!” William says, snapping his head around to look at Henrik. “Don’t you go good cop on me. We can’t trust him. He’s not coming. End of story!”

  “I didn’t say we could trust him,” Henrik says, keeping his voice calm. “I’m just saying, we could fly him somewhere safe, then part ways with him. Do you really want to just leave him here? He’ll probably die.”

  “Serves him right for what he did,” William says, grinding his teeth as he realizes to his horror just how close to tears he is.

  “I’m the one who told you about the helicopter!” Eli argues. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d have no way out of here either!”

  William is about to approach Eli, when Henrik steps in front of him.

  “Listen, you’re better than this,” he says in a fatherly voice, ignoring Eli completely. “If we leave him to die, wouldn’t that make us murderers?”

  William is still pointing the rifle at Eli, but the barrel is shaking so much now, he would probably miss the shot if he fired.

  “All right,” he finally says. “All right, we’ll have a vote. We’re a democracy, right? Every opinion matters. By show of hands, who wants to bring this piece of shit along with us?”

  To William’s utter surprise, Dan puts up his hand almost immediately.

  So does his father.

  And Nasira. And a moment later, Ali.

  Neither Sebastian, Lærke nor Josefine raise theirs, filling William with a sense of relief.

  “I agree with William,” Sebastian says. “With very limited space, we should only bring people we can trust. It’s a matter of survival.”

  “Thank you,” William says, looking around. “Well, looks like we have a tie.”

  “I think Dorte’s vote should count, too,” Henrik says.

  William looks at Henrik like he just made a bad joke. “Seriously? I think her vote is pretty fucking obvious.”

  Henrik shrugs. “You tell me; you knew her. What would she have voted? To leave this guy to die? Or to bring him along to safety?”

  William opens his mouth to say something, then changes his mind. Instead, he shakes his head, squeezing his lips together. “That’s not fair …”

  “What would she have voted, William?” Henrik persists.

  William shakes his head even more vigorously. “She was trying to help us,” he says, his voice suddenly raw. “She risked her life for us. She barely knew us, and she did it anyway.”

  “Yes,” Henrik says, nodding. “She was very brave. And we’ll remember her for that. But we won’t sacrifice anyone else in her name. That wouldn’t be what she wanted, would it?”

  William finally lowers the rifle to his side, fighting back tears now and making no particular effort to hide the fact. “I … I knew her since high school … I had a crush on her for the longest time …”

  Henrik puts a hand on his shoulder. “I’m very sorry.”

  “It’s all fucked up,” William whispers, lowering his head. “Everything is turning to shit … we’ll all be dead soon … it’s just a matter of time …”

  He expects Henrik to say something, but instead a soft female voice comes from behind: “That’s true.”

  They all turn their heads to look at Nasira. She’s standing there, holding Ali’s hand, smiling that soft smile at them.

  “We will all be dead sooner or later. That’s true. That’s always been true.”

  William scoffs. “You’re not good at pick-me-ups, Nasira.”

  Her smile doesn’t falter. “What I mean is, death is coming for all of us. We don’t control that. God’s taken that choice out of our hands. Instead, He gave us control over how we choose to live. The test is to do the right thing.”

  A moment of silence. Then, Josefine raises her hand. “I’m changing my vote.”

  “You can’t,” William objects.

  She goes on: “I’d be okay with taking him somewhere safer, then dropping him off. I believe he didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt.”

  “I am changing my vote, too,” Lærke says, looking up at her father. “Dad?”

  Sebastian raises his eyebrows. “Well, shit, I guess I am, too.”

  They all look at William.

  He wipes his nose and shakes his head. “You’re all insane. You want to bring someone who betrayed us once?” But his voice is weak, defeated; he can hear it all too well.

  “I think we need more than a majority to make this choice,” Henrik says. “I think we should all agree, or it’s a hung jury.”

  William looks around at them, then throws out his arms. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to bring that Judas along just because I’m afraid of being judged by a god when I’m dead.” He glances at Nasira. “Sorry, but that seems hypocritical to me. My vote is still no.”

  Nasira just smiles at him with understanding.

  No one else seems to know what to say.

  Suddenly, Dan steps over to William. He speaks to him so low that none of the others can hear—not even Henrik. “Back at Sebastian’s place, you told me about his brother—what was his name?”

  William glances over at Sebastian, then whispers: “Janus.”

  “Right. You said he went and tried to get his girlfriend out from a grocery store, but they both died. And he called you a coward for not going with him.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “Would you do it now?”

  “Would I do what?”

  “Would you go with him into that store if you had another chance to do it?”

  William looks at Dan for the longest time. Then, finally, he nods.

  “So you regret you didn’t try and help him?”

  Dan asks the question with no judgement, and William takes no offense, simply nods again.

  “There you go,” Dan whispers. “We all make mistakes when we’re scared.”

  William looks down. Then back up at Dan. “I knew I shouldn’t have picked you up. I knew you’d be nothing but trouble.”

  Dan smiles. “Sorry.”

  William smiles back. “No, you’re not.” He turns to Henrik and says: “I change my vote.” Then he looks over at Eli. “But if you do anything like that again, I promise you, I’ll personally kick you off the damn helicopter.”

  FORTY-TWO

  “Everybody, please gather around!”

  William waves the group closer together in front of the helicopter.

  Dan looks back over at the road as he hears a car passing. Luckily, though, it just speeds right by.

  William’s car is still parked by the roadside. He decided to leave it with the keys still in the ignition, donating it to whoever might come by and need it.

  Sebastian’s car, on the other hand, has been driven onto the moor and is parked behind a couple of trees, so that it’s not immediately visible from the road.

  Sebastian decided to hide it on the off chance he’ll come back here and need it. Not that he thought it likely, he added.

  Dan can’t see why they would want to return. In fact, he’s itching to get out of here.

  The green SUV is also still parked by the roadside. Inside it is the guy, who has regained consciousness and, judging from the way the car is s
waying, is trying to get free from his restrains.

  William found a packet of shells for the rifle when they put the guy in the back of the SUV. They decided to take along both the rifle and the ammo.

  “Had this been in the US,” William had remarked with a wry smile, “we’d all be carrying a semiautomatic and a couple of hand grenades. Instead, we’ve only got a sorry hunting rifle.”

  Now, as they huddle together, William looks at Sebastian, who’s wearing the pilot’s helmet.

  “Our pilot has got some instructions before we take off.”

  Sebastian clears his throat. “Yes. I’ll show everyone their place in a moment. We don’t have enough seats for all of us, so we’ll need to be creative. Once we get airborne, it’s important you don’t unbuckle unless I tell you to. Don’t stand up. Don’t touch anything. There will be a fair bit of noise, and we’ve only got two headsets, so if you want to tell me anything you think is important, tap whoever’s got the headset on the shoulder, and we’ll pass it on.” He puts his hand on the helicopter. “Besides that, everything looks fine with our flight. She’s got an almost full tank, which is very lucky. All that’s left is to decide where to go.”

  “How far will a full tank get us?” Henrik asks.

  “Five hundred miles if the wind is good.”

  “What’s the wind got to do with it?” William asks. “It’s not exactly a sailboat.”

  “No, but the weather still makes a big difference in how much fuel we use.” He reaches inside, pulls out an old-school paper map, unfolds it and holds it so everyone can see. “We’re right here.” He points to a spot at the lower part of Denmark, then draws a circle around it with his fingers. “And this is approximately how far we can go. Basically, we don’t have that many options. We can head south and reach some of the mainland countries; Germany, Poland or the Netherlands. Or, we can go north and reach Sweden or Norway. We could also go west and head for England, but that’s a risky move, as it’s just on the edge of how far we can go, and we might end up in the ocean.”

  “Okay,” William says thoughtfully. “That narrows it down. Three choices. Up, down or left. Left being the most risky one, but maybe also the most attractive one.”

  “How’s that?” Henrik asks.

  “Well, I mean, England is an island, first of all, which means the zombies probably haven’t reached it yet. So we’ll have time to find a way to get farther away, and they have big airports over there with connections all around the world. Maybe, we could even catch a flight to the States or Canada. That would put us halfway around the world, and out of any danger in case the Americans decides to make Europe into a radioactive parking lot.”

  “What are you talking about?” Josefine asks, frowning.

  “You didn’t get a chance to check Facebook?” William asks.

  She shakes her head. “My phone broke when we crashed.”

  “We don’t know anything yet,” Henrik interjects before William can say anymore. “But there’re rumors going about.”

  “Rumors?”

  “Well, some politicians are calling for the UN to consider certain … emergency protocols if the authorities can’t get the contagion under control.”

  A moment of silence passes through the group.

  Sebastian clears his throat. “I think there’s also a fair chance the English airports have been shut down by the time we get there. If we get there. I personally don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

  “All right,” William says. “England’s out of the picture for now. Let’s talk south, then.” He points to the map. “I say that’s the least attractive choice. We’ll be moving away from the oceans and farther inland. We’ll also place ourselves among all the big cities of Germany, France and Poland. Not to mention—once again—that the whole of central Europe might soon become a war zone.”

  “We could make a short stop for gas somewhere in Germany,” Josefine suggests. “Then head on south. Head for Spain, or maybe even Africa.”

  “Most of northern Africa is desert,” Sebastian remarks. “Which means tough climate and not many natural resources. And the cities there are packed with people. If the infection reaches that continent, it would be a bad place to be.”

  “I also think Germany will be overrun by zombies and fugitives within a day or two,” William adds.

  “How about east?” Henrik says, pointing to Russia on the map. “Why did we disqualify that right away? I mean, most of Eurasia is empty wastelands, but the climate is decent. We could head out into the middle of nowhere and wait out the situation.”

  “I like that,” William says. “That’s a far-looking, low-risk plan.”

  “I’m not sure it’s doable, though,” Sebastian says. “It’s simply too far away.”

  “We can stop in Sweden and get more gas,” William suggests.

  Sebastian shakes his head. “We’d have to make more than one stop. You’re forgetting how large Russia is. Even to get past Moscow, would take up five or six full tanks. By that time, the helicopter will need a service check. And we’d be running low on food and water. And how far into the wasteland could we go before we run out of places to stop for fuel?” He shrugs. “I think we’d end up stranded.”

  Another moment of silence.

  “Okay, then north is the last option,” William concludes. “Norway or Sweden?”

  “It would make little difference which one we choose,” Henrik says. “They’re basically the same peninsula.”

  “Then what’s the long-term plan?” Josefine asks. “Do we just find a cottage way up above the artic circle and try to survive the winter?”

  “Hey!” William exclaims, snapping his fingers and looking at Josefine with elation. “You just said it. The arctic climate! That might be exactly what we need.”

  Everyone looks at him uncomprehending.

  “How so?” Sebastian asks.

  “The freezing weather might stop the zombies. Don’t you see? They’ve got no pulse, no heartbeat or metabolism or anything; Dorte told us that. Wouldn’t that mean they’ll basically turn to ice if they venture into a climate with temperatures below thirty?”

  “That … that might happen,” Henrik says.

  “But we would have no way of knowing for sure,” Josefine adds. “And if they don’t, wouldn’t we be trapped if we go to the northern most part of Norway and Sweden? I mean, there would be nowhere else to go besides the Arctic Sea.”

  The group falls silent once more. They all look at the map, then at each other.

  “Wait, what’s that?” Dan asks, pointing to a small group of islands between Iceland and England.

  “That’s the Faroe Islands,” Sebastian says.

  “Why don’t we head there?”

  “Uhm, because that’s well beyond five hundred miles,” William reminds him.

  “Yes, but with a stopover in Norway, we could reach it—couldn’t we?”

  Sebastian eyes the map, considering it. “I guess it could be done, yes. But talk about being stranded—isn’t a small island in the middle of the North Atlantic the most stranded place to be?”

  “Stranded,” Henrik agrees, “or isolated?”

  “I think I see where you’re going with this,” William jumps in. “The Faroe Islands are small enough to defend. There aren’t many people up there, and it’s far enough away that not many others will be able to make it there, even if they wanted to. It’s fertile enough to grow crops and civilized enough that they have all the machines and technology we’d need.” He talks faster and faster. “Looking at it long-term, I think it might be our best bet. And besides, if things turn too hot, we would still have the helicopter and we could get out of there again.”

  Yet again, the group falls silent, but this time, it’s different. This time, they all look at each other with careful optimism, waiting to see if anybody comes up with an objection. Once nobody does, William claps his hands together.

  “Perfect. It’s settled, then.”

  FORTY-THRE
E

  “Everyone ready?” William calls out. “Let’s get boarded. Please get to gate 6 and have your passport ready.”

  They’ve spent ten minutes making the helicopter ready, pulling out Josefine’s dad and placing him next to the still-tied-up zombie mother and daughter. Josefine kissed him on the forehead, which made Dan choke up.

  For the first time in several hours, he thinks of his mother. The only consolation is that she didn’t end up a zombie, didn’t get eaten alive like so many others. She ended things on her own terms.

  They pulled out both gurneys and some additional stuff which only served to take up space. The inside of the helicopter feels a little less crammed now, and they’ll just be able to fit inside all nine of them. Sebastian has made improvised seat belts for all of them, using nylon straps secured to the walls.

  “Wait, we’re missing someone,” Dan’s father says, just as Dan is about to climb up. “Where’s Nasira and Ali?”

  Dan looks around and sees them standing off to the side. Nasira is bent over and talking to Ali, her hands placed on his shoulders, and Ali is staring up at her with wide, terrified eyes.

  “Nasira!” William calls out. “It’s time to go!”

  She doesn’t react to William’s call right away. Instead, she pulls her brother into a tight embrace, and Dan can see him beginning to cry against her shoulder.

  Oh, no, Dan thinks with a sinking feeling in his gut. Something’s wrong …

  Then, Nasira takes Ali’s hand and walks over to them.

  “What was that about?” William asks, frowning. “It looked like a goodbye.”

  “It was,” Nasira says. “I’m not coming with you. But Ali is.”

  “Why?” Dan blurts out before William can. “Why aren’t you coming, Nasira?”

  She looks at him, her dark eyes shiny with tears, but her lips still smiling at the corners. “Because of this,” she says calmly, holding up her hand and spreading out the fingers to reveal a thin cut on the inside of her ring finger. The skin is turning pink around the cut.

  “Oh, shit!” William backs away a couple of steps, grabbing Dan by the shoulder. “Is that from a zombie?”