by Riva, Aline
She blinked.
“Can they kill the zombie virus?”
“Yes, answer the question, it's all I want to know, can they cure it, Joy?”
She shook her head as she looked at him in confusion.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked.
He looked back at her nervously, saying nothing as upstairs, the question was answered for him as a crash sounded, followed by the roar of something that could only be an aggressive razor mouth zombie... Silence fell once more as Joy looked at Charlie and he looked back at her and started to break into a sweat.
“Just answer the question, please! Is there a cure for the bite? Can these Evolved creatures reverse it?”
She shook her head.
“They're designed to heal disease and life threatening injury in humans, they sometimes detect other conditions too, they keep trying to bite Mickey, he's got partial paralysis... Maybe it's how they interpret the seriousness of a condition, I don't know. But a cure for the zombie bite? That doesn't exist, Charlie. And I've been a copper too many years not to work this out. I can see the look in your eyes, I think I know why Bradley isn't around.”
There it was again, a flicker of fear, then as he looked away and blinked back tears, she heard a snarl echo from somewhere above on the next level.
“When was he bitten, Charlie?” she asked carefully.
Charlie took a deep breath, wiping his eyes then meeting her gaze once more.
“It happened at the end of Winter, when were getting the barriers up. And yes, every single one of those men outside who kill the enemy and help to keep the numbers down know he's up there. But they are loyal to me, they were loyal to us, they were our army before this happened!”
“Before the outbreak, you and Bradley did a lot for Wickstall,” Joy replied, “I heard all about it. Both leading pillars of the local community. He wouldn't want to live like this, Charlie. He's not your husband any more. He's already gone -”
“I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR SHIT!” he raged as he stood up, eyes blazing, “That's my husband up there. He just needs a cure! The zombies are dying off, you just said so. Maybe the virus in him will die off too!”
“He's already dead,” she said gently, “He's gone, Charlie!”
He shook his head as tears filled his eyes again.
“No, you can't say that, you don't know me or him or anything about our lives! We had thirty years together! Wonderful years! Are you expecting me to put a bullet in his head? He's still my husband!”
“He's not,” Joy said in a hushed voice.
And then as one of his soldiers stood by the doorway and asked if he was ready to open the gates, he told them to proceed.
“No!” Joy said in alarm, recalling the broken barrier, “There's a breach in your fencing! It runs through to the town and another part goes into the playing field at the back of a local school! If you open those gates -”
He had already got up from his seat, knocking the table as his glass toppled and rolled. He ran for the door.
“CEASE FIRE!” he yelled, as the confused men in vintage uniform looked back at him.
“Shut the gates!” he called to them, “I have an announcement to make!”
Creatures had lumbered through the open gates and they snarled, lashing out at the soldier who was closing the barrier. A burst of machine gun fire cut through the air as the zombies fell, and the gate was swiftly slammed shut. As Charlie stepped outside Joy hurried out too, her first thought to look to the jaws of the felled zombies. The last one in had been a razor mouth. The others were all toothless or bearing human sets of teeth. And they were all dead, and nothing stirred within the bodies.
“The killing has to stop,” she said to him, “If they die, so do the Evolved inside them.”
“And I will explain that to my men,” replied Charlie, pausing for thought as sorrow shaded his gaze, “The end of the war games. The end of an era. Another door closed on something we started together...” his gaze briefly shifted to the house and the upper level.
Joy stepped closer, keeping her voice low as his men assembled, ready for their orders. Clearly, this life of war games becoming a war against zombies had taken over for them. But it had to stop, because the truth needed to be told. Back in town, the news had spread fast and everyone understood what the Evolved were, even if some were still hostile to the nature of their origins. But up here at the manor, where the Featherstones and their soldiers had decided to wage their own personal war, there was much to be explained, and the best person to do that was Charlie.
“You have to make it clear,” she reminded him, “No more killing.”
“These men need to go back to town,” he agreed, “War's over. Before they leave, I'll make sure those weak spots in the barricades are strengthened. There won't be any more risk to the town.”
“And what about you?” Joy asked.
“I still have Bradley. As long as he's alive, there's hope -”
“He's not alive!” Joy said firmly, “He's dead, Charlie! I take it he's locked in up there, securely locked in?”
The soldiers were standing around, still waiting for instruction. Charlie turned his back, lowering his voice as he met her gaze.
“Of course he's bloody locked in!”
“Because if you let him out, you know he would kill you,” Joy reminded him, “You know what he's become, you just need to accept it. You can't keep him here until he weakens and dies like all the others. It's happening everywhere, we see it over the barrier every day - the zombies are changing, they're getting slower - even their bite doesn't transfer the virus any more! You should put Bradley out of his misery. The virus is using his body. He's gone. I'm sorry, but it's true.”
Defiance shone in Charlie's eyes.
“It's easy for you to say, put him down like a dog,” he replied, “But you're talking about the person I spent thirty years of my life with! And as long as he's alive in some way, he's still there - that's how I see it!”
Joy gave a sigh as she shook her head.
“If you can't do it, I could do it for you.”
“No!” he said in alarm, “I won't allow you or anyone else to go near him!”
“And you should come back to town with me,” Joy added, “When your soldiers go home, you'll be alone here.”
“No, I won't be alone,” he reminded her, “And thank you for the information about the Evolved and about the barrier. It's been enlightening. Please advise those in charge that the breach will be fixed today. Now get off my property!”
Joy wanted to try and reason with him, but she saw the look in his eyes and knew instantly that Charlie Featherstone would not be swayed from his decision. She turned away and headed for the gates of the manor, walking away from a situation that she didn't doubt was also happening elsewhere in the world and many times over - there were no doubt quite a few people out there who hid away their zombified loved ones. But thankfully the virus was burning out and the zombies were dying. None would be left behind to make new infected... Joy paused at the gateway, looking back at the house as her heart ached for Charlie and the terrible secret kept hidden on the upper floor. Then she walked off, taking the road that would lead her back to town, leaving behind the sad situation of Charlie, something she could only think of as a tragedy.
Chapter 3
By the time most of the children had been walked home by their teachers it was almost eleven am and the last remaining group were led off by Mrs Hughes towards the other end of town, as Chris carried a very tired and heavy little Archie in his arms as Poppy and Angel walked alongside them.
“Archie tired, no walk!” he had declared moments before, and sat down on the path.
Now Chris was tired and felt like declaring no walk! as the chubby little boy grew heavy in his arms. But he was almost at the medical centre, and River was still there, the car was there too and Poppy had said, she was sure River wouldn't mind taking them home.
“I hope you're right,” Chri
s replied as Poppy and Angel ran on ahead towards the entrance, “She might be busy with patients,” then he looked to Archie, “Do you think you could walk up to the door for me? It's not far.”
Archie shook his head.
“No more walk for Archie!”
Chris gave a sigh.
“Okay, no more walk,” he agreed, then he began to carry him towards the entrance.
As Poppy ran in and Carol looked up from the reception desk, she was surprised to see her and Angel, and even more surprised to see Chris walk in and set Archie down on the floor.
“Aunty Carol!” Archie yelled, “There was a monster at school! Chris killed it!”
“There was a zombie,” said Poppy.
“And a fox, with guts out,” added Angel.
Just then River walked down from her office. She had just seen her last patient of the morning, and it had been a quiet day - until now.
“What's this about a zombie?” she said in alarm, and as he joined them, Chris explained everything.
A short while later, River had put work aside for a brief time to drive the kids home. She had dropped Poppy off first, briefly explaining to a concerned Sage about the zombie in the school, adding that the situation was contained for now. Then she had left Chris to head over to the office by the fairground, where he found Devan and told him about the safety issue. Devan was looking at maps and discussing possible areas of weakness when Joy came in with a worried look on her face.
“Safety threat?” she asked, and Devan nodded.
Joy went over to the desk, snatched up a pencil and drew a circle around two areas that backed on to the Featherstone estate.
“It's being secured today, panic over,” she said, “But I'm not so sure I can say it's over for poor Charlie Featherstone. I was at the manor this morning.”
Devan looked at her in confusion as he sat there at his desk with the map in front of him.
“Charlie? I thought the responsibility was ultimately Lord Featherstone's, what's going on?”
As Chris and Devan looked at her, she looked back at them and shook her head.
“He's called off the war games. He understands the situation with the Evolved -”
“Bradley? You spoke to Brad Featherstone and he called off the war games? The gate is shut at last?”
“Yes the gate is shut - but I didn't speak to Bradley. No one can speak to Bradley. He was bitten last Winter and he turned, and Charlie's got him locked away in one of the upstairs rooms. He won't shoot him, as far as he's concerned, he's still alive.”
Devan gave a heavy sigh. Chris shook his head sadly.
“He's keeping him locked in the house? He's kept a zombie in the manor since last year?”
“He won't finish him. As long as he's moving around he thinks a part of him is still alive. He won't accept it's just the virus.”
“Someone has to end this,” Chris said, “I know they are dying off, but if he got out -”
“No,” Joy replied firmly, “He's secured him. He won't get out and soon he will die like the rest of them. This isn't a situation where we can just go in a shoot a zombie. He was Charlie's loved one, his lifelong partner - we know he's a zombie, but Charlie can't see it that way.”
Devan paused for thought.
“But almost every zombie was once somebody's loved one! And all zombies, until they fall, are a threat to life.”
“And Charlie is dealing with this in the only way he can. We can't tell Brett about this, agreed?”
“He would go up there and end it,” Chris replied, “He wouldn't give a shit how Charlie feels about it.”
“Then we don't tell him,” Devan agreed, “He doesn't need to know everything that goes on around here – the committee prefer it that way too. They recently asked me to allocate housing to a handful of new arrivals who showed up at the gate, and I was told not to give out residential details to Brett, he doesn't need to know everything about everyone.”
“It's about time that happened,” Chris agreed.
“This is probably happening everywhere behind closed doors,” Joy remarked as she looked to Devan then Chris, “People hiding bitten loved ones, not able to bring themselves to accept they're gone, unable to pull the trigger...I don't blame them. I know I couldn't shoot Mickey or Angel if it came to it. I never want to think about that happening.”
“And we won't have to worry about the threat for much longer,” Devan reminded her, then he got up from his desk, “I'm heading over to the barrier to check that repair work is getting done. I'll take a couple of people with me, we'll be armed, just in case any zombies have got through.”
As he paused to grab his gun and then left the office, Joy looked to Chris.
“Who is going to tell Brett about the breach in the barrier?”
Chris shrugged.
“Let him hear about it later, by then, it will closed up and as I said before, he doesn't need to know everything around here. He's not in charge any more,” then Chris checked his watch, “I should go, River's dropping off the kids and then she's taking me back to the medical centre - she's going to write me a letter for the parents, explaining exactly what happened today. And the medical centre has a working photocopier too – the one at the school is out of ink.”
“I'll ask around, see if I can find you a replacement.”
“Thanks, Joy,” Chris said, then he left the office, walking back towards the road to wait for River.
Joy stood there alone for a moment, thinking about Charlie as she wished there was something she could do, then she stepped outside, paused to take in a breath of fresh sea air and began to walk away, heading for home.
Carla had been alarmed to see River pull up as Angel got out of the car and then ran to the house as Mickey had opened the front door and listened in dismay as she told him all about the zombie. River was on the other side of the road, outside the bungalow as worried Carla leaned down with a hand on her son's shoulder as she asked him if he was okay.
“Monster not eat Archie!” he said with a smile.
“And the threat is over now,” River assured her, “Chris has gone to tell Devan about the broken barrier. The school will be shut until the fencing is secured and the corridor has been cleaned up, Chris had to shoot that thing three times, it was messy. But once the barrier is secure there will be no threat to the kids, they will be safe to come back to school.”
Carla thanked River for bringing Archie home, then River got back into her car to drive to the end of the road, turn left and meet Chris, before heading back to the medical centre. Carla felt shaken up as she closed the front door and looked down at her son.
“Did you see the zombie?”
He shook his head.
“But we heard the gun go bang!”
Carla briefly hugged him, then he held out his tapered hands as she took off his gloves, then she helped him with his coat and as she hung it up, she turned back to him smiling, feeling sure her good news would help him to forget all about the zombie incident. She had been surprised when Sage had called this morning, handing her a very fluffy white bundle. Now they had their own Evolved, and Archie would be thrilled...
“I've got a surprise for you!” she said with a smile.
Archie's eyes went wide as he opened up his tapered hands, looking excitedly about the hallway.
“For Archie? What is it, what is it?”
She led him through to the cosy front room where the fire was glowing warmly. He heard a soft chattering, and gave a gasp, turning around to see a small, fluffy creature run down the curtain. As he sat down on the rug and held out his arms it padded over to him, contented as it sat in front of him making growling purrs and tipping its head back, enjoying the way his tapered hands ruffled its fur.
“He's all for Archie?”
“Yes, he's all yours, and if you ever get ill or hurt, he will bite you and make you better.”
“He is Evolved,” Archie said, still stroking the creature's fur as he looked up at her,
“Evolved are good.”
“Yes, they are very good,” Carla agreed as she smiled down at her son, “And he needs a name! What shall we call him? Chris has an Evolved called Truffle.”
Archie paused for thought as he made a fuss of the soft, fluffy creature.
“Oh! He is all fluffly, so we call him Fluffle!”
She laughed.
“Is Fluffle an Archie word?”
He nodded, then as he stroked the very fluffy creature, he looked into its wide eyes.
“You are fluffly, so your name is Fluffle,” he said, “You are Archie's Fluffle now.”
Back at the medical centre, Carol was finishing up for the day and about to leave the office as Bess locked up the pharmacy. They left together, talking about supplies. Apparently it seemed they were now well stocked up in the event of winter viruses. And as they left, River lingered in the office as she handed the letter to Chris, the one she had just written to be given to all parents explaining what had happened at the school that day.
“I think this will explain everything clearly,” she said, then she leaned against the photocopier, looking away as she smiled, waiting for his reaction. The real letter was on top of the machine and ready to be copied, Chris just didn't know that yet... He began to read it aloud:
“Regarding events at the school, due to an undetected weakness in the fencing and a barrier beyond it, a lone zombie entered school premises. Its presence was discovered after a dead fox was found partially eaten. The children were taken from their classes and placed in the main hall, with instruction for evacuation as laid out in our lock down and evacuation procedure. All teachers were armed, two safely guarded the children and Mr Christian Page proceeded to track down the zombie and wipe out the threat. The school will be closed until further notice, until the creature has been removed, the corridor cleaned up, and all weaknesses in the barriers repaired and double checked. Please be assured your child will be safe to return to school once safety issues are resolved... And...” Chris paused.
River tried not to laugh as she spoke up.
