Seasons of Z (Book 4): Dead Fall

by Riva, Aline

  Seasons of Z book Four:

  DEAD FALL

  Seasons of Z Book Four : Dead Fall by Aline Riva & Jay Jarvis

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Seasons of Z Book Four : Dead Fall

  © Aline Riva 2020

  ©Jay Jarvis 2020

  The Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  Seasons of Z book Four:

  DEAD FALL

  Chapter 1

  Summer was over. The air was still mildly warm, now and then giving way to a chill that promised Autumn was here to stay. The beach attractions were closing, the pier was shut. The trees had started to turn in shades of red and yellow and dry brown as withered leaves tore away and twisted downward on the cool breeze. Much had changed in Wickstall on Sea since Summer had ended...

  The beach patrols had been doubled. And what went on over the other side of the barrier was as fascinating as it was horrible, as zombies fell dead and their guts churned and burst open and small furry creatures scrambled out covered in blood and scurried up into trees where they chattered their long sharp teeth together in unison, the sound was unlike anything the residents of the seaside town had heard before.

  But still the zombies came along, some slowly staggering, then once in a while a razor mouth was spotted, but those sightings were becoming rare. It didn't mean it was over or it was safe out there - only recently a patrol man had fallen from the barrier that overlooked the other half of the town, where the horde was heaviest. His colleagues had fired shots, but it was too late as the starving creatures descended, ripping him open as he screamed as many dead hands reached in greedily to pull out his guts and eat his still warm flesh. Slow zombies did not mean harmless. There was no such thing as a safe zombie, or as Devan put it, a people friendly zombie. They simply did not exist... As long as those creatures were out there, the craving for the living wouldn't go away. It couldn't be considered safe outside the barrier until the last of the zombies had fallen. No one knew if or when that would happen – but they did know something strange and wonderful had come of the past months of horror.

  The Evolved had made their presence known, they were not prolific yet, not behind the barriers, but it was common knowledge that a blind man had been bitten and his sight had been restored. It was also known that gravely injured Mickey Silk had recovered from his fall after a bite from one of these creatures. Now, people wanted them. If they couldn't capture them in local parks or places where the trees grew close and dark, they would risk their safety, avoiding the swiping, bony hands of the undead below as they waved kid's crabbing nets on sticks over the barrier, trying to lure the creatures with freshly chopped vegetables and handfuls of nuts and dried fruit. Catching an evolved was tough.

  Most of the time they would dart towards the barrier, sometimes scurrying up slowed down zombies and skipping over their heads like a squirrel darting from one tree limb to another, as the zombies snarled and dead eyes barely moved fast enough to catch sight of the small creature with its huge eyes and fluffy white fur as it scampered towards the nets. They would launch off the zombies, dive in with odd, claw less paws too long to be described as anything less than curled, fused fingers, and they would grab mouthfuls of food and then zip away again. Sometimes people got lucky and caught one, other times, they got nothing. Often, a rod would be snatched down by an irate zombie as it looked up snarling, and there had recently been a fall over the side and the zombies had torn apart the unfortunate victim, but no matter how many times Devan and Brett and Mickey had advised at public meetings not to try and capture the Evolved beyond the barrier, people didn't stop trying. So many wanted one of those small, strange animals whose bite could fix serious wounds and cure deadly disease...

  The town seemed to be divided in opinion on the creatures. River had a theory that the way the town viewed the Evolved was probably the same all over the surviving world: Around half of all people understood what these creatures could do and wanted to care for them, even giving them homes because of their healing properties. But the other opinion went by the view that these things had come from zombie guts. No one wanted a product of zombie guts in their homes, close to their loved ones...

  Hunting parties had to be regularly stopped - by force or threat of shooting if necessary - and it had taken a few of the beach patrol off their duties yet again, because the Evolved had to be protected, while Mickey watched and waited anxiously, recalling the story Alex had told him about the zombies on the beach who had ripped three patrol men apart... That could never happen again...

  If Brett still took a leading role in running the town, it was done through Devan. He seemed compliant with the committee and with Mickey's suggestions, and Mickey was finding he had more and more free time on his hands lately – not that he was complaining, there had been no aggressive dead washed up on the beach for two weeks, and few sightings reported of razor mouths behind the barrier. People were putting the threat outside the walls aside as attention fell on the new creatures - seen by some as miracle workers and by others, as the scum born of zombies...

  Poppy and Angel had started school when the primary school in the heart of the safe zone had reopened. A week later, little Archie had joined too. There were just over eighty kids, and three teachers for three classes, and Archie was in the smallest class along with Angel, and that class was taken by Chris, who was not only enjoying returning to teaching, but enjoying doing his job with his vision back, too.

  River was running the medical centre with Bess. By now, Sage was recovered from the strain of settling down after the trauma of life on the road and she had moved back in with Bess, and had no more flashbacks about zombies. Mickey spent his days liaising with Devan or the committee or occasionally Brett when town matters came to the fore, and he always attended the weekly public gathering at the local community centre, but most days he was at home, getting up late, taking a long, leisurely bath and then enjoying another day in his quiet life with Joy. Alex had been promoted, put in charge of beach patrol by Devan. He had remarked it was probably a move to gain Mickey's approval, as it was Brett who had made the decision. Brett often came over to the house. Mickey didn't want him there and faked a smile every time. He still couldn't recall what happened on the day of the accident, that morning was nothing but a blank...

  As for Joy, she was watching the season turn as they went into Autumn, seeing the threat from the undead decrease and hearing more of the Evolved chattering in the trees as the days went by. She had felt warm in her heart at the sight of Mickey walking Angel to school, and she had thought, how had it come to this? Mickey's life had changed. He had changed. He wasn't the man he used to be, the man who was wanted by the police... He had turned his life around. And that was why, while everyone else began to feel slightly easier about life, waiting for the day to come when the zombies were all dead and the authorities regained control, Joy felt as if she was waiting for the sky to fall in. Mickey had said, he had a fortune in the bank, he just needed everything to be up and running again and then, all they had to do was sit tight for a few weeks while he finalised the arrangements, then they could go anywhere and they would have a new life and a fortune to share...

  But it wouldn't be like that. Joy knew if he was relying on th
is as his only plan, they were both heading for disaster. The zombies had put a halt on life as they knew it, but the world wasn't destroyed. In absence of the zombie threat, everything would soon be up and running again, including access to police records. When the end of the crisis came they couldn't afford to wait around, it was too risky, but Mickey had no other plan...

  The skies were streaked with lead grey as the wind blew in cold off the sea and as the sun rose, the trees were losing their leaves as they scattered dry in autumnal shades as they skittered down the street. It was just over a week until Halloween. The nights were getting darker earlier and it was so much colder now. In the summer, this town had been an ideal place to live, but now the cold seasons were approaching, the bitter sea breeze made the temperature seem even more wintry. Alex had just left for beach patrol wrapped up in a scarf and gloves that matched his black jacket, as Joy stayed warm in the kitchen, cooking breakfast for the kids.

  “I think I should bring it up at the meeting tonight,” Mickey said as he sat down at the table, “Those who live more than a mile from the school should be allowed to use a car to get their kids to school in bad weather. I know we have to watch fuel consumption, but a ban isn't fair on the younger kids. Carla takes Archie to school by car – and she takes Angel too and also drops Carol off at the medical centre on the days it's open, so it's not wasted fuel. I think the other kids should have a comfortable journey to school through the colder months if they have a working vehicle.”

  Joy put a plate of scrambled eggs on the table in front of Angel, then looked to Mickey doubtfully.

  “We have our own supplies stored away,” she reminded him, “But not everyone around here has access to petrol. There's one petrol station in our safe zone and it won't last forever – and that's serving essential vehicles only, River's car, some senior security personnel have a car and Alex has permission to use his bike in the event of a security breach to inform you, Devan or Brett as soon as possible. It's not going to work for everyone, Mickey. There's not enough fuel to last all winter. Come Spring, the pumps will be dry.”

  Mickey paused for thought as he reached of his coffee.

  “Then I'll suggest sharing - one driver can take at least four kids in the average car.”

  Joy's eyes widened.

  “At least four kids in one car, four small kids? And what about the lack of safety, Mickey? Young kids need car seats, they need to be properly secured and strapped in -”

  “Are you the traffic police now?”

  As he said that, she gave a sigh.

  “Used to be, long ago... and I guess if the only cars on the road are the ones authorised due to distance, and if it's only in very cold or wet weather, yes, Ordinary seat belts should be fine, there's not likely to be accidents on empty streets...But Mickey, if there's ice on the roads, you need to close the school.”

  He paused for thought, then nodded.

  “That makes sense. We can't risk accidents. And winter viruses are more likely to start turning up soon. The Evolved don't cure minor ailments, they only bite when they detect something life threatening. So winter viruses could keep River very busy and we have to worry about the antibiotics stock. I've already recommended if the school reports any cases of flu, they shut down. They may have to shut down from mid November and open up again in Spring. We have antibiotics, but we have to be so careful with those kids.”

  Joy turned away from the hob as more scrambled eggs cooked on a slow heat, and she leaned close to Mickey, surprising him with an expected kiss to his cheek.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “You really want to keep those kids safe. I love you, Mickey Silk!”

  He smiled shyly, his face flushed as he reached for his coffee once more.

  “I love you too, Joy,” he replied, “And I'm just trying to do my job. I have responsibility for this town and I'm going to make sure I take care of everyone.”

  Joy served up breakfast for her and Mickey and then sat down with her coffee in front of her as steam rose from it. Angel was finishing breakfast and soon Joy would be standing at the front door, watching as Angel went two doors down across the street and knocked at the door of the three bedroom bungalow set in a large piece of land where trees grew tall and hedges were neatly cut, and when the door was opened, out would toddle little Archie carrying his back pack in his tapered hand, then Carla would drive both kids to school. They had moved into the bungalow at the end of Summer, and Carol had joined them. Archie loved to run about the garden, especially now Autumn was here, as he tried to catch falling leaves. He liked playing outside so much that Carla sometimes had to call him in as his little face grew red and his teeth chattered as the season grew colder. After all the time he had spent hiding in the flat, he couldn't get enough of playing in the garden. Sometimes, Angel went over to join him. Poppy often called at the house when Sage came to visit, and then all three kids played together in the spacious garden, but never unsupervised because with all the rain lately, the murky old pool that had once held a festering zombie had filled up again. It had dried out greatly in the summer months when the water level had dropped. But now it was full to the brim and memories of Poppy and that zombie would always linger, along with thoughts of its depth and darkness and the debris at the bottom.

  “It's nearly Archie time!” Angel said brightly as she drank her milk.

  “Are you enjoying school?” Mickey asked her.

  Angel nodded.

  “Chris is a good teacher. Yesterday he let us pick up leaves in the playground and we painted them gold and silver and put them on black paper. I think we bring them home today because the glue has to dry.”

  Just then a chattering sounded and a small, white fluffy Evolved darted into the kitchen, stood up on its hind legs with its front paws turned downward and sniffed at the air. Joy smiled at the sight of the creature. They would never know which Evolved had saved Mickey, it was probably one of several that now chattered in the tall trees near the medical centre. But this creature that now lived in their home had come from under the empty pond. This Evolved was the one who had bitten Chris and given him back his sight, and he had spent hours, over a three day period, coaxing it out and into the house. It had turned down nuts and seeds but in the end, biscuits had enticed it in. Now its day consisted of eating chopped vegetables in the kitchen twice a day and curling up on the bed in Chris and River's room. River had taken a look at the creature, concluded it was male and they had named him Truffle. He wore a cat collar with a bell on it and often liked to run up the curtains and along the curtain poles. Within a week of living inside the house, he had taken well to his territory, and now when he ventured outside he never left the garden, and always came in when called. Everyone at the house tried not to think about his origins. It wasn't a pleasant thought that this little miracle worker had come from the guts of a zombie. But he didn't stink like death, his fur was soft and his eyes were wide and owning an Evolved was just like owning a household pet - except his bite could heal injuries and destroy disease, and that made him so much more than a pet, he was a potential lifesaver.

  River had already left to start early at the medical centre, running through patient notes before her appointments. Chris had left half an hour ago to get the classroom ready. And now as Angel got up from the table and ran to fetch her coat and her bag, Joy noticed she had a big smile on her face.

  “Time for Archie!” she said as she hurried towards the front door.

  “Have a good day, Angel!” Mickey called out, and she put on her coat, left her bag in the hallway, hurried back to the kitchen and over to the table and hugged him.

  “Bye, Daddy Mickey!” she said brightly, then she darted off, pausing to look back, “Bye, Joy!” she added, and Joy looked back at Mickey, who had a stunned look on his face.

  “She just...”

  “She called you Daddy,” she said with a smile, “And, she still calls me Joy!” then she hurried off to catch up with Angel, who couldn't
wait to get out the door and make the journey to school with Archie, who was now her closest friend.

  Joy watched from the front door as Angel stopped at the kerb outside, looked both ways, saw it was empty and then ran across to meet Carla, who had just gone out to the car. She called to Archie and moments later he was there in a thick brown coat and gloves that fitted his tapered hands perfectly, a gift from his Aunt Carol who had knitted them for him. Joy watched as the kids got into the car and then as they drove off, she waved as they waved back, then she closed the front door and walked back through the house, heading for the kitchen where she was sure Mickey still had a big smile on his face. It was the first time Angel had called him Daddy Mickey, and going by the look she had seen in his eyes it meant a lot to him, too.

  Sure enough, Mickey was smiling as he set down his coffee and looked proudly at Joy.

  “I can't tell you how happy it made me feel to hear her say that.”

  Joy sat down beside him at the table, setting aside her breakfast plate and half finished coffee as she met his gaze.

  “I knew you'd be a good father.”

  “I try my best,” he replied honesty, “And on to other matters, I need to think about this meeting at the community hall tonight. I have the fuel subject to bring up and we need to consider safety guidelines for Halloween – it's only a week away and I've heard people talking about trick or treat and wearing costumes. We need some rules for this, Joy. Halloween and real zombies outside the barrier don't make a good mix, especially not for the bored older kids stuck in this town.”

  “And then there's costumes,” Joy added.

  Mickey paused for thought.

  “What about costumes?”

  “It wouldn't surprise me, even after everything that's happened, if some idiots decide to dress up as bloody zombies!”