“Then we’ll just have to learn, won’t we?”
The doors swung open, and Lucas almost fell over in surprise as Bobby burst through. Lisa leapt to her feet as if expecting a fight, but it wasn’t a look of distress or urgency on his face, but a smile.
“What is it?”
“Gather up all the supplies. We’re moving.”
“What? Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all.”
He smiled as he helped Matt to his feet. He and Lisa wrapped one arm each over his shoulders and went on, but not to the stairs. Bobby led them to the elevators.
“What are you doing?”
“The building’s clear, Lisa.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah, come on, Lucas!” He was still stacking up the supplies from the kitchen before running on after them. Bobby took the emergency stop off and hit the button for the third floor.
“Where are we going?” Lisa asked.
But he just smiled as the doors shut, and they began their descent. They opened to find Kurt waiting for them. They took a short walk along a corridor and through a door to the main floor, and stopped in amazement to find the floor was full of beds and bedroom displays. The rest of the group were sitting about on chairs and beds, digging into snacks and drinks.
“What is this?”
“Somewhere we can take refuge a little while. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Bobby put Matt down on one of the beds, and he sighed in relief to finally have a soft surface under him. Adam tossed him a chocolate bar, and he was relieved to get something more in him.
“We’re definitely safe here?”
Bobby nodded to Lisa.
“The entrances to this place are rock solid. You’d have to drive a truck through them to get in.”
He wandered over to the windows that looked down over the street. It was already getting dark as the short winter days drew in fast. Lisa stepped up to join him, and for a few moments they stayed there in silence, reflecting on all that had happened. They looked out at the city beyond as the others chatted and laughed, making the most of what seemed like the best of times after all they had seen.
“A comfortable bed and a full belly is worth a lot,” said Lisa.
“Always is.”
He looked down at the bodies on the road below. The rifles of the two soldiers that had fallen were still there.
“Tomorrow we need to retrieve those weapons.”
“You want to go out there?”
“No, but we have to. We’re safe here for now. We could last a good few days here, maybe even a week, but at some stage we’re going to have to venture out. We need food and we need weapons. Those are military grade rifles, not something that’s easy to come by in this country. Hell, finding a gun around here is like finding a goddamn needle in a haystack.”
“My brother, he’s police. Armed police.”
“Right, so do you know where we can get that hardware?”
“Yes.”
“Is it far from here?”
“Just a few blocks.”
“Good, we need all the help we can get.”
But sadness overcame her as she thought of him. “Do you think he’s made it through this?”
“If he didn’t get infected, he had the best chance.”
Bobby looked back down to the weapons in the street but caught a glimmer of movement as two Crazies walked on by. They were in no rush, as if they’d lost the trail of victims.
“I don’t want you to go out there,” she said, taking his hand.
It felt good to finally have some contact with another human, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Neither do I, but we got to do what we got to do.”
“I’m knackered.”
She went back to one of the beds. He could feel the fatigue setting in, too, from the mental stress and physical exertion. They were all doing their best to relax and chat, but there was still a dark shadow looming over them.
“Well done, all of you.”
They were all silenced as they turned to him, and he went on.
“I don’t know how bad it is elsewhere, but I know what it’s like here. You had to have some real fight in you to make it this far. You’ve done well. We stick together and keep it together. We’re going to get through this. That’s what people do. I know you’ve all lost a lot. I lost most of what I had long before this began, so I’m no stranger to it. But what I have learnt is to appreciate what we have, and who we have. So, take a good look at those around you. This is what we have now. Treasure them, fight for them, and make the most of the time that we have. Tomorrow we’re gonna go down there and get those guns. We aren’t just gonna hide. We’re gonna fight this anyway we can.”
They were silenced until Kurt began to clap, and the others soon joined in.
“Woo!” Adam yelled enthusiastically as they all cheered him.
TO BE CONTINUED
The Armageddon Series | Book 2 | Pandemic, Part 2 Page 4
