When There's No More room In Hell: A Zombie Novel (30 page)

Helen was
tending to the wound on Roy’s shoulder. He sat in silence, chewing at his knuckle. She looked up at Steve and Jake as they approached and nodded as she finished off the last bandage.

Lee joined Jake and Steve.
“I'm Lee, hope you don’t mind me joining the gang?” he said as he shook hands with Jake.

“Of
course not,” Jake said in a hushed tone. “There's plenty of room and the more help we have, the better.”

Helen came over.
“I can see the infection already setting in. The wound is turning black around the edges as the skin is dying. His arm is swollen and red because his body is trying to fight it. I've never seen anyone survive though, and I don’t expect to. The only thing I'm not sure of, is how long it will take and what we should do with him in the meantime.”

“We’ll put him in a spare room and keep a guard around the clock on him
,” Steve muttered. He wasn’t particularly interested in Roy. He was more concerned for Gary. “What about him?” He indicated his friend to Helen with a nod of his head.

“I can’t tell,”
she sighed. “I'm not a psychiatric nurse and don’t know where to start. I can treat him for shock and stuff, but his state of mind is completely outta my hands. Best I can suggest is that he should have those closest to him around him for support and comfort while he comes to terms with it in his own time.”

Steve met Helen’s eyes, “Thanks
, Helen.”

“Steve,” s
he paused, thinking of the right words. “I’ll do all I can for Sarah. I promise you. I’ll spend every minute of every day with her if need be to nurse her through this.”

Steve nodded his appreciation and watched her as she left, head
ing for the stairs that led to Sarah’s room.

“Fucking hell, she’d get it,” Lee announced from behind.

Steve had to smile as he shook his head. Some things never change. His appearance had, but Lee was still mentally the young teenager, and he was reminded of all the crazy things that Lee had done during their childhood.

Lee had always said the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times
, and could never understand or comprehend what all the fuss was about when the offended people reacted the way they did. To him, his actions and comments were always perfectly acceptable.

Steve
saw that side of him as a positive. Even though he had found himself in many a scrape and sticky situation due to Lee and his inability to think before he spoke or acted, he always knew exactly where he stood with him and Lee didn't and
couldn’t
, pull his punches.

Never shy of taking the fight to the enemy, Lee could never be accused of lacking balls, even when the odds were stacked highly against him. Steve knew that he could count on Lee to stand by his side and watch his back
, regardless of the hopelessness of any situation.

Though slightly mentally unstable and completely unpredictable, Steve could rely on Lee as an ally.

He left Lee in the capable hands of Jake to give him a tour and introduction to the grounds and the people there, while he went to see what he could do for Gary.

He sat down beside his friend and watched him for a short while before speaking
. “Gary, I'm not gonna waffle shit to you, what happened back there has hurt you, and hurt you badly. I know that and I know Kevin was a good guy. He proved that just by volunteering to come when he didn't have to and you had known him longer than I had, so the loss is hitting you hard.

“All I can say
, Gary, is he wouldn't want you to unravel over him now. By all means mate, grieve for him, but there's a lot of people here who need you too. You and your wife are the two that have kept all these people together, and they still need you. I need you. You're one of the strong ones here and there's a lot to get done before we can afford to lose you in grief. Use the grief, as Kevin would want, and turn it against those walking bags of shit out there and wield it as a weapon for the people in here.”

Gary continued to stare, unblinking at the chess board in front of him.

Steve looked up to Karen, looking for a sign in her eyes that he may be getting through; she nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“We need to look at options of getting out of here if
it comes to it, Gary, just like you said. You know this place better than anyone. So when you're ready, I could use your thoughts on the matter. Also, any ideas you have on how to keep them things away from the main gate. There's no rush mate, and we will deal with it when you're ready. I'm sorry about Kevin, I truly am. He was a better man than the wanker he gave his life trying to save.

“If you just need a friend to talk to, I'm always happy to share a bottle of whisky and bang the world to rights with you. Just hang in there buddy. I'm sorry for Kevin, and I'm sorry for you
, Gary. Anything, anything at all, just let me know.” He gave him a squeeze on the forearm and stood up from the table.

“Thanks
, Steve,” Karen had tears in her eyes. “He thinks you're a good man and he needs a good friend like you.”

Steve nodded.
“I’ll be here for him whenever he needs me, Karen. I wouldn't have survived today without his help. I owe him. I'm gonna go and see how Sarah is now, but I’ll be back soon.”

He left the table and made his way to his daughter’s room. It was dark and cool in the room and he could see faint figures, dimly lit by lamps that had been turned low. Helen and Claire sat vigil at the side of her bed.

“How is she, has she awoken at all?” he asked Claire as he sat down beside her.

Cla
ire was fighting back the tears. “Briefly, she didn't recognise me.” Her voice broke as she said it.

Steve placed his arm around her shoulders as she sobbed against him. He had to keep himself strong for them both. “It’s okay
, Claire. She's in good hands. Helen will take care of her. You should try and get some sleep. Sarah is a strong girl, you know how tough she is.”

She was crying uncontrollably now, “I just can’t bear the thought of losing her
, Steve. She doesn’t deserve this. She's just a little girl, our little angel.” Her words were distorted as she tried to control herself but the tears forced their way through.

He led her away a
nd into one of the spare rooms, lying her on the bed and tucking her in as she continued to sob. He stroked her brow and promised her that Sarah would be fine. He didn't know what else to say. He stayed at her side until she fell asleep and then went back to sit with his daughter.

Helen stayed by Sarah’s bed
side, refusing to leave and even taking her meals in the same room. She remained there throughout the second day and into the night, watching for any change in her condition.

Steve hardly slept
in the forty eight hours since he had returned from rescuing Claire.

Hi
s thoughts troubled him and they were full of ‘what if’s’ and worst case scenarios. He neglected everything else around him and devoted his whole time between his daughter’s bedside and his own room, refusing to bother with anything else. He felt lost and spent hours sitting on the edge of his bed, staring out the window into the dark trees as the heavy windswept rain lashed against the glass and the old wooden frames. Tears rolled down his face as he contemplated the possibility that Sarah may not pull through.

Jennifer had come to see him at one point during the
second day. “I didn't mention it yesterday, because you had enough to deal with, but I got a phone call from Marcus.”

He turned to her, waiting for the rest of the news
. “And?” he asked.

“He's
in Turkey. He didn't say much. He said they're all okay but I know Marcus, I could tell they had a rough time of it.”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded as he sat at the edge of the bed clasping his hand
s together between his knees. “He did mention to me that there was a chance that the border could be closed and heavily defended.”

“Well
, he didn't say much, except that they were okay and heading for the crossing at Istanbul. He also asked about the radio we have here. I wrote it down.” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket on which she had scribbled a series of words. “He said they have something called Codan. Some kind of radio I think, and he wants to know if anyone here knows about high frequency radios and all that.”

“I think Jake is the technical guru here, so we can see what he knows tomorrow. Did he say
where he is exactly?”

She shook her head. “No. K
nowing him, he probably couldn't pronounce it anyway.” She chuckled.

It was five in the morning when
he woke, still dressed and sprawled on his bed. He rushed out of the room and in to see Sarah. He asked Helen if there was any change. Sarah had been sick for almost three days and running a high fever. She had been delirious most of the time and during her brief moments of consciousness, she recognised no one.

“
Her fever broke during the night, Steve.” Helen was smiling as she said it, a glint of tears in her eyes. “She still has a temperature, but that's to be expected. She woke a couple of hours ago and asked for water, so at least she's coherent.” She looked at him as she pushed the hair back from her clammy forehead. “You were right, Steve, she really is a tough one and she's fighting it like a Spartan.”

Steve crouched by
the bed and looked at the pale, sleeping face of his little girl. “Hey tiger,” he whispered, “you’d better pull through this, or you'll miss out on the big treat. I've already organised it with Sophie and Gary that all the kids, and anyone else who wants to come along, will be doing a full tour of the park, with picnic baskets, while they check on all the animals and you'll even get to pet some of them.

“But you've
got to pull through for me, darling. Please Sarah, I can’t...” He pushed his face into the bed sheets and sobbed as he gripped her hand.

“Dad,”
her voice was weak and croaky. “Dad, why are you crying?”

He looked up,
wiping the tears from his eyes. “Hey buddy,” his voice faltered, “how you feeling?”

“
My throat is sore and my legs ache. When are we going to see the animals?”

Steve let out a low snort, a s
mile stretching across his face. “When you're better, you have to get completely better first. Don't worry. I won’t let them go without you buddy. As soon as you get yourself right, we will go and see the animals.”

She
managed a weak smile. “All of them?”

“Yep, all of them
.”

“Including the lions and tigers?”
she asked.

“Of course, but I don’t think you will be able to feed them. They're more likely to
want to bite your arse off.”

Another smile from Sarah
. “They wouldn't, because you would be with me and you're bum is a lot fatter than anyone’s.”

Steve was stroking her hair and giggling along with her. Even in her weakened state, she managed to ply hi
m with all the banter he needed. “Righty dokey then buddeo, you get yourself back to sleep and save your strength. When you next wake up, promise me you'll try and eat something?”

She nodded slightly and rolled her head to the side and
drifted back to sleep. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you the entire world, Sarah.”

He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. Karen was making breakfast and hummed cheerily as she worked.

“How’s the wee one this morning?” she asked looking over her shoulder at Steve.

He shrugged between gulps of the hot li
quid. “She actually spoke and managed to joke. Her fever broke in the night, so I suppose it’s a good sign. But it’s too early to say. How’s Gary?”

“Oh, he's a tough one
, Steve. He's hurting, but he will bounce back. I've seen him like this in the past. He needs you though. You're what will give him a purpose. You're pretty much the leader of the group here and these people are already looking on you in that way. You're a doer and that's what they need. And you don’t take nonsense, especially the way you dealt with that Stephanie.”

Steve looked up as he drained the last of his cup
. “Oh, you heard that then?”

She grinned at him.
“Listen to me sunshine, I have ears like a shit house rat and there's very little that gets past me. As well as that, I'm very good at reading people and I've noticed the whole Helen and Steve thing that's developing too.”

“Eh? There's
nothing going on there, Karen,” he stated, feeling slightly embarrassed and like a kid being scrutinised by his Mother.

“Not yet there isn’t.” She poured him more coffee
and winked at him.

Claire entered the room. Her hair w
as unkempt and her eyes were red and puffy. “Morning, Steve. Listen, thanks for the other day. I should’ve thanked you sooner, but I wanted to get you alone.”