I Dream of Zombies (19 page)

The dog whined and his tail sunk.
Tommy squeezed past him and picked up his rucksack. Ellen followed, trailed by Devan who glanced up the staircase in curiosity.

“
Dead lookers,” whispered Marla, “across the street – two.”

Tommy closed the door and gently lifted the letterbox to peek outside. They were
at the corner of the street, five of them now, shuffling along with their faces turned the other away. The group stopped in front of the fence under which the cat had shot earlier. Holding the spring with his finger, Tommy closed the flap without a sound. “We have to be deathly quiet,” he whispered.

“What about him?”
asked Marla, nodding towards Bob.

“Well, he’s been here all this time and must’ve barked before. Perhaps they’re not interested in dogs.”
Marla scowled and he shrugged. “Okay, okay, I’ll keep him still.”

Bob padded up the stairs with his tail between his legs, as if he knew he was the subject of
debate.

***

“Okay,
so I checked the phone messages and there is one from my ex, saying she and my son are going to a refugee camp in Scotland,” Tommy announced. “She said she’d heard from my parents and they are okay. The message was left three days ago.”

“That’s great,” sa
id Marla, smiling. “Feel better?”

He nodded. “Although I’d feel even better if I knew they’d got there okay.”

“Sure they have. Things were better up there than in the south. They’ve had time to get prepared, learn from our mistakes, I guess.”

“What about you? Anything?”

Marla shook her head. “I was hoping for an email from Mum, but the internet is down. I charged my mobile, but there is no signal. The network is definitely down, so that soldier was right about that.”

“I’m so worried about Mum,” said Ellen. “What if...”

“We shouldn’t think about it. Just try to stay positive. No news is often good news,” Marla replied.

Tommy sighed.
“I’m wondering if they’ve deliberately blocked the internet to stop information spreading.”

“To prevent a m
ass panic, you mean?” asked Ellen.

“Or criminal activity
– gangs organising themselves. That would be easy when the country is in a state of chaos.”

“I think that’s going to happen anyway,” said Marla.

“I’m going to get my things together,” Tommy replied. “Help yourself to stuff in the kitchen, if anything is still okay. But try to keep the noise down and no cooking smells – that kind of thing.”

“Can I have a shower?” asked Ellen.

“Maybe something quieter – bath?”

“Great,” she said, jumping up and heading towards it.

“Should be towels and stuff in there,” added Tommy.

“Bugsy next,” said Marla, looking up.

Tommy glanced between Devan and the dog. “Us guys get the tail end!”

The young man smiled back at him before returning to the television. He had the sound muted. Every channel was running the same loops. Information on the virus, how they thought it spread and the evacuations
plus warnings about looting and violent behaviour. Nothing new, except they knew that if you were bitten that was it. There was nothing about the victims becoming the living dead.

Marla headed int
o the kitchen, found some pasta, cheese, olives and canned tomatoes, and set about preparing something non-fragrant. Now and then she peered out the window from a distance, protected by the net curtain. The dead walked. Always alone or in small groups; sometimes there, sometimes not, but she was sure now that they would never be alone.

After they had eaten, Marla rinsed the dishes while Ellen
checked and repacked their stuff. Tommy disappeared downstairs for a while and then returned. “It’s one o’clock,” he announced, “so I figure we should get going.”

Everyone got up reluctantly and headed for the stairs. Bob followed.

“Are you bringing him?” asked Devan.

“Sure thing,” Tommy replied. “There’s no way I’m leaving him again. I can’t believe they didn’t keep their promises and collect our pets. I could’ve guessed that was bullshit.”

“What if he starts barking?” asked the lad.

Tommy scowled. “He won’t. Anyway, what if you start screaming
like a girl?” he added, raising his eyebrow.

Devan mumbled something under his breath.
“He’s joking,” Ellen whispered and the guy shook his head.

Tommy led the way downstairs, frowning to himself. He was no longer sure he liked this guy. Surely Ellen’s taste was better than that. But kids were kids. Opening the side door, he let everyone walk into the showroom. “Stay out of view of the glass doors,” he whispered. “Jeep is over there. I
thought it safer to bring it inside and I packed it with all the food we have – what hadn’t gone off – and everything else,” he added without being specific.

Marla nodded and waited with
Tommy while he locked the side door. “I’m not sure about this kid,” he told her quietly.

“Eh, come on. He didn’t need to come, but he did. That’s something,” she replied. “He must really like Ellen.”

Tommy made a face. “Maybe.”

They wandered over to the jeep where Ellen
was waiting with Devan. “Nice wheels,” he said, “and high.”

Marla grinned. “Yeah, I figured the higher up the better. Big wheels make
me feel safer. Put your stuff in the boot. If it doesn’t fit just shove it in the back.”

“Come on, boy,” said Tommy, opening
the back door as Bob hopped in wagging his tail excitedly, looking like he was going for a walk in the park. He stroked the dog on the head and tickled him under the chin before standing back up. “All ready?”

Everyone
nodded and got inside the vehicle. Tommy walked around to Marla’s side. “I’m going to open the doors. Drive out and I’ll close them.” He held up his gun and she nodded.

Biting her lip, she drove tow
ard the glass doors. When they opened she moved the vehicle out slowly, holding her breath. The sound of the engine was like the roar of an aeroplane in the stillness of the road. She waited and glanced around. In the rear-view mirror three shadows were stumbling up the street. Ahead there were more; maybe six. The clothes hung off their emaciated backs and their feet dragged as they lurched. From a distance they resembled macabre drunks with sunburn, but she knew it was blood that caked their skin.

“Look,
” whispered Ellen.

“I know,” Marla answered, turning to look at Tommy, who was securing the
glass doors. He ran quickly towards them and jumped into the jeep just as two figures came sprinting out of the house in front of them.

“Stop!” Ellen cried as her sister made to pull away.

Marla turned around to see two young women banging on the side window and she stopped the car. “Please! Please help us!” one shouted.

“Let us in!”
cried the other one in desperation.

Tommy opened his door. “
Either of you been bit?”

The women shook their heads. “We saw you drive up,”
the fair-haired one said. “We watched, but we were too scared to...”

“They’re coming,” muttered the brown-haired
girl, who looked to be the oldest and perhaps twenty years old. “Please just...”

Tommy nodded to D
evan, who opened his passenger door. He slid over and squashed up beside Ellen to make space. The two women squeezed in, gasping in panic. Bob licked the hand of the nearest one, which made her calm slightly. She placed her hand on his back and he panted while twisting to look at her. Marla secured the locks and drove off down the street as the dead things stumbled into the road. One lost its balance, struck by the side of the vehicle.

“Thank you,” said the fair-haired girl. “We haven’t seen anyone in days, except those things. Our father went out and didn’t come back. And then our mother...”

The dark-haired girl hugged her sister as tears slid down her face.

“I’m sorry,” Ellen answered. “I’m Ellen.”

“Joanna,” said the oldest, “and this is my sister, Angelica.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ellen replied. “This is Devan. And this is my sister
, Marla, and that’s Tommy. The dog is Bob.”

“How come you came back here?” asked
Joanna. “Everyone left.”

“Long story,” said Ellen. “We were on a coach to a refugee camp, but we had some problems. They are waiting for us and we came back to... collect some things... and Bob.”

“That’s so sweet you came back for the dog,” Angelica remarked, wiping her tears. “I’ve seen nothing but bad things these last few days.”

Marla glanced at Tommy.
Came back for the dog... really?
He did not meet her eyes. “We’re heading back to the coach now. Is there anywhere you two need to go?” she asked.

Joanna
shook her head. “Everything we had is in that house. Can we go with you?”

“Sure,” said Marla. “No problem.”

She wanted to ask questions, but resisted, seeing as the sisters had recently lost both parents. As they drove, the dead drifted by on the pavements, almost oblivious, but then turning their heads ever so slowly, their reactions stunted. So they walk by day as well, Marla considered, although their numbers were fewer. They were not solely creatures of the dark.

***

In a little over an hour
they reached the place where the coach was parked, but the spot was empty. Marla stopped the jeep and thumped the steering wheel. “How could they?” she demanded. “They knew we were coming back.”

Ellen tapped her arm.
“Maybe the army forced them to go.”

“I never trusted that soldier guy,” spat Tommy. “I have to get some air and stretch my legs
.” Stepping out of the jeep, he felt the urge to shout or hit something, but he resisted it. Instead he scuffed his boots along the tarmac.
A few hours. That was all.
Okay, so maybe they had been gone for over three, but that was not long. He would have waited.

The others got out of the car, followed by Bob who was wagging his tail and trying to lick the nearest hand for attention, oblivious to the tension in the air.

“There’s something over there,” said Marla, pointing. She ran over and glanced down. There was a message on a piece of paper taped to the ground with an excessive amount of tape.

Sorry we couldn’t wait. There were
too many of the dead biters and we got scared. The army came and wanted us to leave, saying it wasn’t safe. There is a base near a village called Pewsey, which is near Salisbury, at a place called Rickslaw. It is aptly called Haven. We are going there. It’s not on a map, so remember to find Everleigh Road. Take care and good luck, Eric.

Marla bent down and
pealed the note off the tarmac. “I know where they’ve gone,” she announced, laughing. “We can find it on the map and follow.”

“They mention creatures,” Ellen noticed, but I can’t see any. You?”

Marla looked around and shook her head. “None. Weird.”

“Hell,”
mumbled Tommy, gesturing to the side. “Check the field!”

The group
turned to look in the direction where he was pointing and fear blurred their eyes for a second. The green space was now grey and red, rippling as far as the eye could see. A mass of bodies, all moving the same as if the field were swaying back and forth, back and forth...

“Let’s go,” Marla sugge
sted. “Now!”

Th
ey all ran back to the jeep and jumped in. “Tommy, can you get the map? It’s in the glove compartment. Find the best route to Salisbury. I’m just going to drive, so I don’t have to look at those things.”

Ellen stared out the back window as they drove off.
How could there be so many, she wondered, and then she realised they had probably left the capital. Ellen shivered and turned away. Devan moved his hand on top of hers and she grasped it, glad of the comfort.

***

Marla checked the dial and groaned. “Damn it, w
e need to stop for petrol. Look out for somewhere I can go.”

“The map says there are services at the third turn-off
,” Tommy replied.

She followed his instructions and
soon they could see a Rest Up complex with a service station. Choosing to park by the petrol pumps, Marla turned off the engine and glanced around. The place was deserted. Litter covered the area and it looked as if the bin bags of rubbish had been dumped in a hurry. “What do you think?” she asked.

Tommy peered around. “Looks quiet,
and we still have daylight on our side, but who can tell?”

“Let’s just g
et the petrol,” Marla decided. “Shall I do the honours?”

He grinned. “I’ll do it, but you need to get out and cover me, just in case. I haven’t got eyes in the back of my head.”