I Dream of Zombies (15 page)

He wondered if the virus
had reached Carlisle where his son was living. His parents were safe enough in Scotland, surely? Deep down, he doubted that anyone was safe anymore. Digging one hand into his left pocket, he took out his phone to ring his ex.
No reception – that figures.
Replacing it, he wandered towards the door of the shop, reading the article as he did so.

“Move
it!”

Tommy glanced up and Eric knocked the newspaper out of his hands as he flew past.
“Run!” he yelled. “There are two.”

“Two what?” asked Tommy and then cursed himself for asking. The freaks were stumbling across the shop
floor inside, clearly on show thanks to the bright white lighting. “Fuck!” He turned and ran after Eric. As he heard the door behind him open, he took out his SIG Sauer P226, which he had removed from his rucksack before leaving the coach.

“No!” shouted Eric, skidding to a stop. “Don’t shoot! Petrol!”

Tommy froze and took out his knife instead. Turning, he
sprinted after him, but then realised they were leading the freaks towards the other passengers. He halted. Eric paused and stared at him. “What are you doing?”

“We need to kill them,
” said Tommy.

“You’re joking?”

“How do we get everyone back on the coach otherwise? We’re just showing these freaks the way.”

Eric nodded and glanced around. Then he remembered the steering wheel lock and ran up to the coach. He clambered on board.

“Gee, thanks for your help,” Tommy complained, grimacing. He planted his feet and waited for the onslaught. The freak at the front used to be a young guy. He was dressed in a suit or what was left of it, and his left arm was missing. Now that is going to make my life slightly easier, Tommy thought, wishing the missing limb was its damn leg. The freak lunged and Tommy swerved out of the way, trying to get a hold of the thing without it biting him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eric run past him holding some heavy looking rod of metal. A grin passed over Tommy’s lips as he stepped forward with his knife.
Missed.
The freak dodged his aim and groaned as it lunged to bite him.

Tommy veered out of the way, raised his arm and stabbed
the creature in the side of the head. It let out an almighty wail, but it did not go down. Tommy stepped around the thing as it staggered with the knife sticking out, almost in bewilderment, but he knew these freaks had no thoughts; none that sophisticated anyway – only to hunt and eat, and smell their prey. Tommy tried to catch the end of the knife, but his hand sailed through thin air. As the two of them circled one another like drunken boxers, a metal bar smashed into the skull of the creature and it collapsed to the ground.

“Nice work,” said Tommy. “I’m impressed.”

“I used to be a butcher,” Eric replied, as if that was a worthy explanation.

Tommy turned as freak number two sauntered up to him, its hands outstretched, reaching for his neck.
Stinking white liquid dribbled from the rancid rip that used to be a mouth and the bone was exposed across its forehead. Pretty, thought Tommy, as he sank his knife into the centre of it. The body hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“Surreal,” Eric commented with a nod. “Are you sure we’re not dreaming all this?”

Tommy nodded as he pulled his knife out of the bloody mess below him. He wiped it on the cleanest looking area of the younger freak’s suit. “Shall we join the others?”

Eric nodded and swallowed hard.

“Have you killed many of them?” Tommy asked.

“A few. Some
of them got into my workplace… workmates got killed.”

“I’m sorry.”

Eric sighed. “Yeah, shit, it was brutal. Either us or them in the end. I figured I had to get used to it being them. We called the police when it started, but they didn’t get there quick enough. People got bit and the army took them off.”

“Do you know where?”

“No idea. They tried to tranquilise the guys who attacked us, but it didn’t work.”

“They’re not reporting that in the news anywhere.”

Eric nodded. “Nothing’s clear. Too many secrets and everyone’s scared. I think the government is creating more panic by trying to avoid it. You know, by not telling us straight.”

Tommy ope
ned the door of the Happy Eater and they headed inside. Straight away he walked up to Marla while Eric headed for the gents, and asked, “Can I speak to you for a sec?” With a nod, she stood and followed him to the far side of the room. “Don’t look surprised, but we just killed two freaks out there,” he told her quietly.

Marla sucked the air in through her teeth.
“Hell! Out there?”

“They were in the shop. One had a suit on, so he’d never worked there. The other one
was wearing a uniform that seemed to fit the place.”

“Shit,
there might be more.”

“But the army base is just round the corner. Helicopters are out...”

“They’re focusing on the blaze and what’s going on there.” asked Marla. “The place could be overrun by those things. What do we do? We can’t stay here.”

“Has soldier boy had a response yet?”

Marla shook her head.

“Okay, I’m grabbing something to eat.”

“You’re joking?”

“I’m starving,” Tommy replied. “Think of a plan. I’ll be back in a minute. I need a coffee too.”

“Plan?” gasped Marla, incredulous.

“In a minute,” he repeated before striding off to the service bar.

She watched him take a couple of sandwiches, a coffee and some chips.
Hell, at a time like this?
Wandering towards the glass, she looked out, but then realised that anyone out there would see her – a lit window in the dark. “Tommy,” she said when he returned to stand by her, “we’re sitting ducks here. This is like a big ‘come get me’ sign with these lights on. We should leave.”

He nodded.

“You agree?”

“Sure. Great idea. Hey, every
one,” he called out, “we should get back to the coach now.”

There was a murmur of voices like a wave, but then people
started to get out of their seats, probably realising they had stayed longer than intended. No one wanted to be the decision maker either, thought Marla as she took a handful of Tommy’s chips. They preferred to let him take the lead. A woman pointing behind her caught Marla’s eye and she turned. Panic swamped her and an icy draft seemed to wrap itself around her out of nowhere. The glass was filled with faces; eyes stared into the shop blankly, limbs hanging lifeless. “Tommy…” she mumbled.

Marla felt his hand on her shoulder, pulling her back behind him. He flung his coffee into the corner and took
out his knife before turning to look around the room. Running back to the service counter, he waved at the two girls working there. “Hey, how can you get out of here, besides through the front doors?”

“Why?” asked
Claire, and then her face turned pale as she saw the creatures beyond the window. The lights outside seared into them. “T-there’s a door out back, behind me, t-through the kitchen and there are w-windows in the toilets, but they are small. There are people out there…”

“They us
ed to be people,” Tommy explained. “That’s what you’ve been hearing about on the news, except it didn’t stay in London, sorry. We need to get out of here fast.”

“Everyone
, come over here,” Marla announced, gesturing for the passengers to approach. “Stand here, in front of the counter, away from the glass. They sense us mainly by smell. If you get too near them you might entice them.”

“Why isn’t the army up here?” asked Ellen.

“Maybe that’s who they are – from there,” suggested a man. “From the army base and they’ve turned, just like my son.”

Everyone stared at the speaker for a second in silence, before Tommy broke it: “I’m going out the back to get the coach.”

“You’re crazy,” said Ellen.

He shrugged.
“Someone’s got to get it. Might as well be me.”

The soldier moved towards him. “I’m with you.”

“Can you drive it?” Eric asked Tommy.

“Well, I can try.”

“Right, I’m coming,” Eric insisted, picking up the steel bar from his table. “I think I’m going to need this.”

“Take my gun,” offered Marla, holding it out to Tommy.

“You’re parting with this?”

“Don’t be a wise ass.
You’ve only got so many bullets in yours, but I want it back!”

Tommy nodded, took the
Glock and rushed behind the counter, followed by Eric and Simon. The two girls trailed behind them. “Lock the door behind us,” Tommy whispered.

“What if you need to get back inside?”
asked Bella.

“I’ll knock three times quickly – you’ll know it’s me then.”

She nodded and smiled faintly. “Good luck.”

***

Out
into the darkness walked Tommy, followed by Eric and the soldier. Keeping their left shoulders against the edge of the building, they crept forward, careful not to make a sound. Bringing up the rear, Simon glanced behind him as he stepped in case anything decided to sneak up on them. Ahead, off to the right, the coach sat waiting in front of the petrol station. Tommy halted and raised his gun hand slightly, causing the two other men to stop. He drew in his breath and peered ever so slowly around the edge of the building to survey the area where the entrance was. Within seconds he recoiled and rested his back against the bricks.

“There must be about fifty or sixty of them,” he whispered. “Their clothes aren’t ripped
and they’re not too decayed. I’d say they turned recently.”

“Peopl
e from the army base?” asked Simon.

Tommy shrugged.
He knew they had to make a run for it towards the coach. It was going to be tough because they would be in full view of the freaks. He gazed up at the night sky, as if inspiration lay there. As he stared, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Bullets rained down and the three men jumped, slamming their backs against the wall.

“What the hell?” gasped Eric, and then
he clamped his hand over his mouth as the soldier glared at him.

Tommy peered around the
side of the building again. “There’s a helicopter shooting.”

“Great,” said Eric. “That’s good
, yeah?”

“As long as they do
n’t decide to blow the building,” Tommy answered. “Maybe that’s why the army base is up in flames and exploding. Maybe they did it.”

Simon tutted.
“Blow up their own men? It makes no sense for the army to order that. Why would they?”

“If the place was overrun by freaks, they’d have no choice,” Tommy responded. “
Too many to shoot.”

“But there would be innocent people...”

“Well, they’re all innocent really. We could easily be one of them. I think this is the best time for us to get to the coach. There are more freaks coming across the car park. Mass exodus from the base, I reckon.”

“Now?” Simon gasped
. “The guys in the helicopters will shoot us.”

“If we run for the coach, jump inside
and drive it, they’ll know we’re not one of those things. So then they won’t touch us, and we’ve gotta get everyone out of that building.”

“Why not
get them out the back door while all this shooting is going on?” Simon suggested.

Tommy shook his head. “Too risky. I have another plan, but you’re going to have to do it, Eric, cos you’re the only one of us who can drive that coach safely.”

Eric smiled. “I’m in.”

As the helicopter moved to
target the shadowy figures lumbering across the open car park, the three men raced towards the coach. Tommy reached it first and opened the door. Turning, he opened fire on the freaks that were heading their way, distracted away from the live bait inside the shop. He could see Marla beside the window and he waved at her to move away – she had to get everyone to the back of the place. When she disappeared from view, he focused on targeting the freaks that came too close.

Eric leapt up the steps
of the coach, closely followed by the soldier. Once they were inside, Tommy turned and leapt in. Closing the door, he told Eric what he wanted him to do. The man’s jaw dropped open, but he checked his rear-view mirror and reversed anyway. Something went under the back wheel and he carried on going. Tommy gripped the back of Eric’s seat as the guy swerved the coach and drove forwards, heading straight towards the line of freaks. The crazies did not even bother to move; they simply kept on coming, as if they could block an oncoming vehicle of this size with their bodies. If Tommy needed any more proof that these things did not retain any of their intelligence or prior knowledge after changing, this was it. “Go for it, Eric,” he said, willing the man on.

Eric nodded and switched gears. Putting his foot down
, he drove forward, smashing into the mass of bodies. Some flew to the sides from the impact while others disappeared underneath. The coach took the impact and crashed through the front of the Happy Eater. Glass shattered, splintering like rain to the ground, sparkling in the light from the lamps. As Eric slammed on the brakes, Tommy opened the door and leapt out, followed by Simon. They ran into the centre of the shop and took up positions from where they could fire easily on the freaks outside. Bullets were precious and running out.