Seasons of Z (Book 4): Dead Fall

by Riva, Aline

  As the days counted down, Joy remained supportive to Mickey, who had moments of hope and moments of despair. And while this was happening, Carla had started work at the bar. And it was very busy - and not even for customers asking for drinks. She lost count of the people who had come in, then gone out the back to speak to Charlie, then left again. Carla and Charlie had become close friends, their bond had grown quickly, and so had his fondness for Archie, who reminded him of the son he and Bradley had lost so long ago.

  Then four days before the gates would open and the barriers were due to come down, as the last customer of the night had left and Carla sat at a table talking to Charlie as Imp ran across the curtain pole chattering, something happened. Their friendship was platonic and close and she felt like she could tell him anything. It was crazy, but even though she had known him a short time, she knew and trusted in their friendship already, and although she had never thought she would tell anyone, he asked her a question and suddenly, she shared the secret she had kept buried for too long.

  “As soon as the police get here,” said Charlie as he sat back relaxing in his seat, “Brett Norton's gone from this town. Will it be a huge relief to know he's far away, never coming back?”

  She hesitated, and Charlie caught the look in her eyes.

  “What's the matter, Carla?” he asked as he leaned on the table, looking at her in concern, “Talk to me, princess.”

  She drew in a ragged breath and blinked away tears.

  “I'm so thankful to Mickey, he helped to save me - he's saved this town in so many ways, too, because he got rid of Brett. But I've lied to him.... You heard about Mickey's accident back in Summer?”

  Charlie nodded.

  “Yes, he was lucky that Evolved bit him when it did, but what's this got to do with Brett?”

  She gave a sob.

  “I saw what happened! They were up on the platform, where the barrier was being repaired. Mickey didn't fall, Brett pushed him, he tried to kill him and he said if I told anyone he would cut Archie's throat! He won't be in this town any more, but if he wants to get to me or Archie, he will find a way, he will use others... I'll never be safe, Charlie!”

  As she sobbed again, he got up and put his arm around her.

  “You will be safe,” he assured her, “And we need to get you home now, and you have to tell them about this, Carla. Tell Carol, tell Joy and Mickey... they deserve the truth.”

  He had driven her home, then gone into the bungalow with her while she told Carol everything. Carol listened, feeling thankful it was late and Archie was in bed and would not hear any of it, then she thanked Charlie for helping Carla, and after he left, Carla told her, tomorrow she would go over to the house and tell Mickey the truth, because as Charlie had said, they deserved to know what really happened that day...

  It was early morning when Carla knocked on the door. River and Chris were still in bed and Mickey had just got up but unlike Joy, he was not dressed yet as he left the kitchen with a mug of tea in his hand, wrapped in a comfortable, soft bathrobe as he looked in surprise at Carla, then as Joy told him to join them in the front room, he stiffly walked up the hallway, as outside, Angel darted about the garden wrapped up warmly against the cold, laughing as Truffle scurried up and down tree branches as the last of the leaves drifted down. Carla sat down on a comfortable armchair as Joy and Mickey sat on the sofa and Mickey put his stiff leg up on a footstool.

  “Bloody cold weather,” he complained, “I get so much cramp...” he paused to rub at his weak hand, then he looked at Carla, noticing the same thing Joy had just seen: She looked tearful.

  “What's wrong, Carla?” Mickey asked.

  “I'm sorry,” she said as her eyes glazed with tears she could barely contain, “You were right, Joy. There was more... about Brett...”

  She gave a sob and paused to wipe her eyes.

  “Take your time,” Joy said softly, as her police training kicked in once again, “We're listening. It's okay to tell us.”

  Carla took in a shaken breath and looked back at Mickey.

  “I was there, when you fell. I'd just reached the barrier, I wanted to hear it from Brett that he really had no objection to my son staying in Wickstall, I wanted to hear him say it in front of you, but then I saw you both on the platform and he pushed you and you fell! He stood there looking at you like he was waiting for you to die!” a tear ran down her face, “And he said, if I didn't cover it up, he would cut Archie's throat! I am so sorry, I was too scared to tell you, I'm still scared because as long as he's alive, he could use someone else to get to me or my son... but you needed to know. You helped to save me, Mickey. I owed you the truth.”

  Mickey thought back to the fear he had seen in her eyes on the day Archie went missing, how terrified she had been when Devan said he was with Brett... Now it all made sense. He took in a slow breath and looked at Joy.

  “I really want to blow that fucker's head off!”

  “Let the courts deal with him, we agreed,” she reminded him.

  Mickey looked over at Carla, he paused to take a deep breath and then as understanding reflected in his eyes, he spoke gently to her.

  “Thank you for telling me the truth. And I completely understand why you stayed silent. I saw what happened at the fairground. You were terrified because you thought he'd killed your son - because he saw you talking to me about the day I fell. It makes perfect sense. And I promise you Carla, no harm will come to you or Archie.”

  He got up from the sofa and went over to her, hugging her as he reassured her again, then Joy reminded her that she was safe now, and so was her son. Soon, Brett would be gone from Wickstall forever. He would spend the rest of his days in prison for what he had done on the day he left half the town to the hordes...

  Carla left soon after, as Mickey assured her again he understood. Joy watched as he hugged her, then told her not to cry, and as she walked away Joy's mind was made up: Carla had a point. She and Archie would never be truly safe as long as Brett was breathing, because he didn't let go of a grudge and now he was locked away, he had nothing to lose...

  “I want to kill that bastard!” Mickey said as anger sparked in his eyes.

  Joy wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

  “But you won't, because you won't kill anyone in cold blood. You're a changed man. The courts will handle him,” she reminded him, and then she kissed him softly, smiling as she drew back.

  “Are you still aching?”

  “It's almost Winter, Joy, I'm always aching.”

  “I'll run you a nice hot bath,” Joy told him, “And then I'm going out... I need to go to the shops, we're running low on groceries.”

  Joy had taken her time as she ran Mickey's bath, pouring in lavender scented bubble bath and making sure the water was just right to lift out the ache from his stiff, weakened muscles. Then as Mickey slipped into the bath with a sigh of relief, Joy said she would see him soon. As Angel ran in from the garden with Truffle in her arms, she smiled and asked where she was going as Joy put on a thick, padded winter coat. Joy tugged it down, hiding the sharp knife she had just shoved into her back pocket, and said she wouldn't be long, she had to fetch something from town, then she reminded her Mickey was in the bath and needed to rest, and told Angel to go and play with Truffle in her room. Then she left the house and got in the car and drove away, heading for the police station, with something on her mind she had never thought would cross it: Joy Evans, ex police officer, was about to kill the man who had tried to kill her Mickey...

  As Joy drove on, she was thinking about this coldly: The guards left their post in fifteen minutes, and it would be a wait of maybe ten to twenty before the next shift arrived, because Brett was locked away securely and until those gates opened, although there were more cars in use now, no one would use their scarce fuel to drive to the police station to stand guard for seven hours each day...

  It had been a decision made quietly, a matter of fact choice, in the moment she had realised
Brett had tried to kill Mickey, he had left his body shattered, left him with days to live...She could still recall the pain of believing she was losing him, her Mickey who she loved so much, who had become a father to Angel... She remembered sitting at his bedside as she willed him to keep breathing, and then Bess reminding her that he wouldn't last long. She had seen enough of this world before and during the outbreak to know there was evil in it, there were many evil people, but Mickey wasn't one of them. He had been born into a gangland family, he had got his hands dirty. But he wasn't a monster like Brett, who had wiped out half the town and cherry picked who lived when he closed the gates. Brett had also terrorised Carla and threatened Archie - and even tried to rape Carla to reinforce his power over her... People like Brett didn't change. They couldn't. And now he had nothing to lose he was even more dangerous because Carla was right, he would find a way to take revenge on those who had toppled him, he would use others to do it for him while he was laughing in his cell, and that was why he had to die. She was doing this for Carla and Archie as much as for Mickey, but mostly, it was for Mickey, who had almost died at Brett's hands...

  She slowed the car, watching as the guards left together and walked away from the station. Their replacements had not arrived yet. Joy took the car around the back of the building and shut off the engine. She got out with the knife in her hand, turning for the path that led around the front, where the door was open. And that was when she realised she was not alone here, as Carla's car pulled in and parked up next to hers. The engine shut off, and the driver got out. It was not Carla.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Joy.

  She glanced to the knife in Joy's hand, then gave her reply.

  “Same thing as you, he tried to rape Carla. He threatened to slit little Archie's throat. As long as he's breathing, they're in danger. I realise you're here to protect Mickey, but I'm here to protect Carla and Archie,” said Carol.

  They stood there looking at each other, neither were anybody's idea of a cold blooded killer – ex copper Joy and quiet, polite Carol who worked at the fabric shop. But their loved ones would never be safe again as long as Brett breathed, because he wouldn't let go of those who had caused his downfall and it would only be a matter of time before Mickey got hurt, or Carla, or something terrible happened to Archie...

  “You were thinking about a knife?” Carol asked, glancing to the weapon in her hand, “You need to get up close for that. Bit risky. And, a bit messy. This is much better to execute, if you pardon the pun.”

  She opened up the passenger seat of her car. Joy looked inside.

  “That'll do it.” she said quietly.

  Carol walked down to the cells, mindful of the time, because the guards would be turning up soon to start their shift. She reached the cell where Brett was held and opened up the hatch. He looked at her with desperation in his eyes.

  “Your niece is an evil liar!” he protested, “I didn't touch her!”

  “You tried to rape her,” Carol stated.

  “You can't keep me here like this - there's a broken window through those bars, the car park is beyond it and the cold air comes in. The toilet is blocked, too! This is inhumane!” he yelled.

  Carol looked past him to the tiny cell window, where through the bars, she saw something poke through the break in the glass. Brett hadn't noticed it yet...

  “You kept Carla tied to a table for days,” she reminded him, “And you threatened to kill Archie, innocent little Archie - you said if Carla told the truth about Mickey's accident, you'd slit his throat.”

  He stared at her.

  “Yes,” she said, still speaking calmly, “I know, so does Joy and so does Mickey. Carla told us everything. And a long prison sentence isn't enough for you.”

  He heard the sound of what seemed to be running water, and turned sharply as his eyes widened in horror to see a hosepipe through the break in the window. But it wasn't water pouring in, it was petrol...He slammed his hands against the door in panic as the petrol pooled on the cell floor.

  “LET ME OUT!” he yelled.

  He was still yelling as Carol closed the hatch as he screamed and yelled again. She left the station, went around the back as Brett's screams echoed out from the break in the barred window.

  “Better take this with me,” she said, and tugged the hose from the window and placed it and the empty petrol can back in the car, then she returned to the back of the building, as Joy handed her the matches.

  “For Mickey, Carla and Archie,” she said.

  “Absolutely, and for those poor people he fed to the zombies when he closed the gate,” Carol replied, and she struck a match and tossed it inside. The petrol balled up in a burst of flame as Brett's screams became high pitched. Smoke was billowing out from the break in the glass as fire reflected within.

  “Now he won't send anyone after Archie or Carla, or my Mickey,” Joy said.

  “Now those we love really are safe,” Carol added, then she glanced about the empty parking area, “We'd better go before the guards arrive.”

  The two women paused to briefly hug as the smoke escaped from the building, then they went back to their cars and drove away, Joy heading for the town centre as Carol headed for home.

  Joy arrived home to find Mickey in the front room, on the sofa and sleeping in his bathrobe as the fire flickered warmly. She watched him sleeping for a moment, then she went quietly upstairs to change her clothing, grab a shower and get rid of the smell of smoke that clung to her clothing. By the time Mickey woke, she would be showered changed and her clothing would be in the washing machine. She had never expected any circumstance in life to drive her to killing another person and certainly not to do it in the way they had killed Brett, but those they loved had been in danger, and Carla had got it right when she had said, if Brett couldn't take revenge, he would use someone else to do it for him. Archie deserved a happy life and so did Carla. And as for Mickey... Joy's heart warmed through with love at the thought of him downstairs resting his aching body as he slept by the fire. Mickey deserved his second chance in life, and she wasn't going to let anyone get in the way of that, certainly not a madman like Brett...

  “Afternoon, lazy!” Mickey heard Joy say fondly as she kissed him to wake him from sleep. He opened his eyes, paused to stretch as his weak side still felt stiff thanks to the weather, and then he smiled up at her.

  “I feel so much better for that long rest,” he said, “Half the pain is gone. That's the best I can hope for with Winter on the way.”

  “Have I ever told you just how much I love you?” Joy asked him.

  “All the time!” he said brightly as his eyes sparkled and he reached for her hand, pulling it close to kiss it, then resting back against the sofa once more.

  “I got the groceries,” she told him, “the farm sent some cheese into town so I got you some mature cheddar, and I got some fresh bread. I thought I might make some cheese on toast, if you want it.”

  Joy hoped she had said that convincingly. Cooking was the last thing she wanted to do, let alone toasting anything after what she and Carol had just done - but the groceries had been her alibi, and she knew this one secret she could never share with Mickey - not after telling him to spare Brett's life so he didn't go back to his old ways. It was a secret she wished she didn't have, but the threat was gone from their lives, and if keeping her family safe was the reward she got for that terrible deed, she could live with it - because she had fought too hard out there on the road and seen too much horror to lose something as precious as family now it was almost over...

  “I would love some cheese on toast!” Mickey said as he sat up, then shifted on the seat as he paused to rub at his weak leg, “And then I want you here beside me, let's just sit here and do nothing and enjoy being together...while we still can.”

  She caught that flicker of worry in his eyes again.

  “Don't think about it,” she reminded him as she sat beside him and put an arm around him as he met her gaze as th
at look of worry lingered, “Charlie said he would try and help. We can trust him.”

  Mickey rested his head on her shoulder as he gave a sigh.

  “But what if it doesn't work, what if his plan comes to nothing?”

  “Stop worrying,” she said softly, “Don't spoil the here and now, because nothing bad has happened yet and maybe it never will.”

  “Maybe you're right. I want you to be right. I love you, Joy.”

  “I love you too,” she said, and as they kissed, Angel ran in from the kitchen.

  “We've got cheese!” she said excitedly, and Joy reluctantly let go of Mickey and got up.

  “I'll make that cheese on toast,” she said, then she left the room as Angel followed her to the kitchen.

  Mickey rested on the sofa alone once more. Truffle chattered his teeth as he darted across the room in a small, fluffy white blur and started to sniff at Mickey's leg.

  ”No!” he said firmly, “You're not biting me, go away Truffle!” and the creature clicked its teeth and scurried off as Mickey closed his eyes again, not willing to rise from the sofa until the smell of cheese on toast hit the air.

  Alex had returned home briefly to grab a change of clothing and then go back home to Alice. They were talking about moving in together, and he knew times were changing and they were no longer the weary travellers seeking refuge who had thankfully bundled into one house together, feeling like family. They would always be like family, but he still didn't want to mention moving out - not yet. He and Mickey had not stopped that private joke about his lucky brick since the Spring. Now he had two lucky bricks, the one he had killed a zombie with months before, and the one he had used to smash a window to save Carla. Alex had suggested he start collecting them. But today he didn't feel like joking about anything as he went into the house and found Joy and Mickey on the sofa as Mickey relaxed eating cheese on toast as Joy sat beside him. Angel was in another room, laughing as she called to Truffle who chattered and playfully growled and purred at the same time. As he walked in, he just stood there for a moment, then he kept his voice low as they glanced over at him.