Clifton Falls (36 page)

The men didn’t ask questions, and like all the others who’d witnessed the news update, felt pleased to have not been involved in whatever occurred earlier. They opened up the back of the van and got busy.
For the next five minutes the only sounds heard were the grunting and panting from the two, unhealthy, but willing to help guys. Aching joints took control of their bodies after only four bags each and the need to gasp air with every lifting movement was now a necessity, but they weren’t going to let the fertilizer beat them, and it didn’t. Completion of this horrendous, heavy lifting task was finally over as Mike watched the half bag being placed onto the back of the van with the others. “Cheers guys, but we have to take this stuff as far away as possible.” The helpers were still unsure as to why the fertilizer needed shifting again? But still didn’t question Mike in all of this. They watched as the chief prepared himself for another onslaught of spoken words. “Now, I’ve been searching the map for appropriate places for us to take this to. I think we should head for Old Clifton Hill. It’s about five miles away and pretty much isolated now that the farmer has moved on.” Mike definitely had the men zoomed in on his speech. “Then we’re going to burn this shit, get rid of it once and for all.”
Mike made his way toward the van. “I’ll go with you guys so I can show you the way.”
“Hop in,” said Steve.
Mike shifted himself into the two-seater passenger seat before shutting the door.
The time was fast approaching 11.30am. Mike had missed another one of Chris’ news updates as the vehicle came to a sudden halt on the outskirts of town.
This is the spot,
he thought.
He left the vehicle, inspecting the area around him, but seemed shocked at the state of the farmhouse. The windows were totally smashed and it looked like vandals had been there. If the farmer and his family had moved on then the land, plus the farmhouse would probably be sold on in the not too distant future.
“Okay, chaps, this is where we’re burning the stuff.”
Out of the vehicle came the others to do the opposite of before. The back of the van opened again and Mike did the honorary thing of climbing inside to slide the fertilizer over to the other men.
“Make sure you pile them up properly, as I don’t want to make a call to the local fire station,” Mike said, his eyes glinting cheekily.
“No worries,” said Billy.
The bags were placed flat side down in two rows of four. The same ritual was repeated twice before finally, the half bag was added. Mike jumped down and walked over to the pile. The look on his face wasn’t of a happy emotion as he remembered something very vital to the whole operation.
What the fuck am I going to light it with?
“Hey guys, you wouldn’t happen to have a petrol can and some matches stored anywhere on the van?”
“It’s a good job we’re on the ball, chief. We always carry a spare can,” said Billy.
“What about something to light it with?” a now impatient Mike shouted.
“Sorry, no.”
Mike was furious. Surely there couldn’t be more obstacles to climb before all this was over? “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he shouted, as he jumped up and down from frustration.
The hire company workers watched the chief run around the pile of bags, kicking out at them as he did so. If he kept it up, then it wouldn’t be long before some of the bags split. He was livid and ready to burst with anger.
Billy returned to the van to fetch the petrol can, but once there saw a half used box of matches lying on the small piece of carpet that was underneath the driver’s seat. He snatched it up, returning to watch more, crazy, un-chief like behaviour as Mike prepared to jump on top of the fertilizer.
“Excuse me,” he shouted, as Mike made his run up. “I’ve found some matches.”
A sudden halt caused the chief to slip, but at least now he was primed to stop the stupid, child like tantrums.
“Did you say matches?” Mike replied, grinning with delight.
The box was tossed into the air and the chief quickly re-adjusted himself to catch it. The man moved closer, handing over the petrol can. An erratic Mike shook the can and was pleased to listen to the splashing of liquid inside it, but at the same time wasn’t impressed by the stalling trick from the dick of a man. He let him off the hook though after remembering what he was about to do to the fertilizer. It was best to leave it, just in case the story got out that he’d lost his marbles.
The petrol tipped over the bags. Mike made sure that all areas had a dose of the stuff. Three wooden matchsticks were then struck together against the rough side of the cardboard casing before being tossed in the direction of the designated target. Within seconds a large gulf of fire had Mike thinking it was bonfire night all over again.
The fire did its job and didn’t seem like a safety hazard at this time, but Mike knew that he couldn’t leave it just yet. It was best monitored until dying down. The two, now amazed looking helpers watched smoke swirl around as the flames ate away the contaminated bags. There was no chance of them leaving the chief alone, well, not while he was in a weird place inside his mind. For all they knew Mike could try walking through the fire. The men stared at the disintegrating mass of unwanted evidence until it disappeared forever.
The fertilizer let off an extreme amount of dark smoke and dirty flying ash. It strayed through the air before landing amongst nearby shrubs and fields. Eventually it would land on the men if they stayed where they were, so they gradually moved away from the scene and returned to the vehicle.
Mike followed the direction of the after-fire as the ashes performed a dance in front of his eyes. He sat in the van and waited for the fire to completely die down.

FORTY-SIX

Chris felt tension and tiredness as he prepared to leave the disaster site. He’d witnessed the dead and decayed corpses being cleared out of the forest like there was a sale on, and it was first come first serve at the forest clearout, bargain basement. He watched the dead zombies being placed into the ambulances and driven away to the hospital to be incinerated, but by this time it was 1.00pm, and time for him to go. He’d done enough to help. He’d completed all updates, written an article for the newspaper, and now wanted to go home.

Mike’s bonfire madness had been pushed to the back of his mind as he prepared more tasks of virtual importance, such as letting Kevin and Susan have a rest. There was only so much talk of zombies and death that they could explain. It was time for them to leave it and let the townsfolk play Chinese whispers for a while. Maybe the conversation would start off like a grotesque horror story, but when finally reaching the last to know, would turn out to be something completely off the scale.

Susan had been pleased by Mike’s decision, and had given him another massive hug. This time he wasn’t complaining, or backing off. “You’re coming back to mine, Mike, and I won’t take no for an answer. You need looking after, and I’m here for you.”

“There’s no need, really there isn’t. I can take care of myself…” Susan had Mike where she wanted him. She knew he was way past tired, and although he tried putting up a fight, she knew he would submit to the pampering. After a few more seconds of looking into her kind eyes he changed his mind. “Okay, you don’t have to keep staring at me. I’ll go to your house to rest.”

“Great. That’s settled then. We can pick up some food on the way.” She turned, glaring in the direction of where the cells were. “That scientist bloke can rot in here.”

“Well he can rot here for one night. Tomorrow I’ll shift him off to the city, let them look after him before his court case,” Mike replied.

Kevin remained quiet, and used this time to see the beauty of the moment. The kindness Susan portrayed, well; except the bit about Shane, made him feel at ease. He didn’t need to force a smile anymore.

Mike needed to talk to Harry again, letting him know the latest before eventually giving in to the receptionist’s offer.
“Kevin, I’ve got a few things to do mate, so why don’t you head off, get some rest. Susan and I will be out soon.”
Mike held out his right hand. “You did a great job out there.” It was an emotional farewell considering they didn’t know each other. “You do know there’ll always be a position for you here, if you want it.”
If the chief was to remain in the force then he would make the young man an officer right now, but Mike didn’t want him to know that he was leaving. Kevin shook the desired hand and smiled.
“Thank you. This was an experience that I won’t forget.”
Susan couldn’t stop herself from nearly squeezing the life out of the young cadet. It seemed as if Kevin had a gift that made others feel close to him. George had spotted something special about this youngster and now it washed onto everyone else he came across. Eventually Susan let go, and Kevin was able to breathe properly. He then said his goodbyes.
Mike sighed as Kevin left, and wondered what tomorrow would bring. He needed to type up his notice of resignation and do it soon.

Everyone in Dave’s house had witnessed the recent newsflash. Mix that up with what Blake narrated and each guest was left with a concoction of stirred up, strange apparitions haunting them. Gary and Tony were extremely glad that Dave had called them. If Blake hadn’t talked about the massacre then none of his closest and loyal mates would’ve had an inkling of the tragedy that he’d witnessed.

Something needed to be said about Blake’s dress sense because while they were in the restaurant, several people had looked their way and had whispered to each other. Blake hadn’t noticed, but Dave should’ve chosen more appropriate attire for his close friend.

“Sorry, Blake, but I have to ask, why are you wearing a uniform that we wore for school?” Tony asked.
In truth, this was the first time that Blake had checked out what he was wearing. He stood, staring at the mirror on the living room wall, the others watching his movements. Blake couldn’t believe what he was witnessing, not only was he wearing the shirt, tie, trousers, and blazer of his old school uniform, but was even wearing a school cap on his head. He looked over at Dave. His face had burst into a beetroot red as he waited for a blast of abuse. The others expected the same outcome, but Blake cracked up with laughter. “Bloody hell, Dave; was this the only thing in your wardrobe that I could fit into?”
“Sorry mate. I did tell you earlier, but you weren’t quite with it.”
“Look at it.” Blake stretched out his arms. The shirt and jacket sleeves rested about eight inches from the wrist, and the trousers gripped his calves. “The bloody thing doesn’t fit me.”
“But it was the best thing I could find in short notice.”
Everyone laughed now, and so it was the troubled man’s turn to change his facial colour.
How come I didn’t notice?
Blake thought.
“Why have you still got this?” he asked.
“Memories...” Dave smiled. “It’s a reminder of us and what we used to do.”
Blake opened his arms to hug his friend, but the back of the jacket tore wide open as he wrapped them around the larger man.
“Sorry,” he said.
That was that. They all cracked up again, laughing and falling over in fits of giggles.
Gary and Tony had work to go to but embraced Blake, showing him support. They all smiled at each other. They knew Blake’s was only temporary and he would soon have his mind switched back to the hellish, horror thoughts, but for now he thanked his mates for being here. Dave shut the front door as they left.
He chose this time to try and persuade Blake to go to the hospital for a check up. There were no markings or scratches that could be seen, but Blake needed to be seen by professional people. Dave had more than one reason for wanting the other man to go. He also wanted to know more about Karen, was she or wasn’t she one of the un-dead? He wanted to believe his mate, but deep down hoped and prayed that Blake’s mind was confused and Karen was just as much alive as they were. Dave knew this conversation would change the emotion of the other man and could also send him over the edge again, but he needed to try.
“Blake, mate. I’ll drive you to the hospital if you want. You need looking over.”
“I’m sorry Dave, but I can’t think straight. I keep seeing those things every time I close my eyes.” Blake seemed to be fighting with his hands. Each time he pulled them away from his face they would crash back down again to cover his vision. “I know I need help. I keep having visions of my wife. She’s telling me all’s not well. The danger isn’t over, it’s just starting.” There was another pause while he loosened the hands away from his face again. “What’s she saying, man?”
This wasn’t a good time for him to be on the verge of madness. Demons were inside his mind and Karen was trying to reach out to him, but the images of dead, rotting corpses were stopping her from telling him something.
“I wish I knew,” Dave replied. This was the right time for him to speak like he was treading carefully on eggshells. “The danger is over and I’m sure your images are only temporary. The nightmare’s gone, mate. I’m here to help you now.”
Dave wished he knew what the hallucinations meant, but had no chance. It was up to Blake to fathom it out.

Mike sat in his office, pondering over what’d happened to Blake. He wasn’t going to rest until his whereabouts was located, but the necessary calls to the priority candidates of the latest victims had to be achieved now. Susan watched from outside the room. She could see Mike talking on the telephone, expressing his deepest condolences to family members. At one point he caught her eye and she gave him a sympathetic smile, hoping that he would manage to remain strong.

He was now ready for an update to Harry, but there was no mention of Blake in the speech. It was Mike’s decision not to let Harry know at this time. He didn’t need another chaotic moment occurring when there was a good chance it wasn’t needed, but the suggestion of moving Shane to the city was mentioned.

A letter of resignation was rustled up as Mike spoke to his superior. This was the only chance of doing it without Susan knowing. Yes, she could see Mike clearly from where she stood but he had his back to her, so her view was hidden from what he wrote.

“I’m sending you my resignation, Harry.”
“Look, Mike. We can work through this together. I was angry with you, but I don’t want to lose you. Just take a few days off and then we’ll talk.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore.” Harry knew the other man wasn’t playing. Whatever Mike had seen and had done over the past week had shocked him, and it was going to take him a long time to recover. “I lost too many close friends out there and I have to live with what I did.”
Harry could hear the strain in Mike’s voice and the depth of his sadness was almost catching, so decided to stick to practical matters.
“You do what you need to do, but I’ll leave your position open for a few weeks in case you change your mind.”
“Thanks. I’ll post it today. You take care. I’ll speak to you when I’m feeling less stressed.”
“You’d better. Take care yourself. Tell Susan I said thanks for her hard work in all of this and my commiserations for her loss.”
Mike put down the phone and stood up. He then waved to Susan to indicate he would join her, but just before he left the room, slipped the letter into an envelope and placed it inside his jacket pocket. “I think it’s time we shut everything down, don’t you?”
Susan just smiled. She began switching off the power switches, but as she did so, the phone rang. Mike hesitated. He was close to leaving so definitely thought about letting the phone ring. However, he still had a job to do and wasn’t unemployed yet. “Hello,” he said.
The other end remained silent, but the chief knew somebody was there. He could tell because he heard breathing. “Hello, is anybody there?”
On the other end of the line was Blake. He might not have wanted to go to the hospital but was going to let Mike know he was fine. All he had to do was speak.
“I know there’s someone there, speak to me.”
Mike could easily flip, but it was a good job he didn’t. Blake wouldn’t have been able to take it and would be gone for good. Susan shrugged her shoulders again as Mike mimed the words: “They aren’t talking.”
“Is that Mike?” The spoken words almost had the chief’s heart leaping out of his mouth. He recognized the voice immediately. “It’s Blake, and I’m okay.”
Mike was just about to reply, but the line went dead. Blake had done enough to convince the other man that he was still alive. Even though they hadn’t talked to each other there was still a sense of closure in the mind of the chief. He replaced the handset and laughed out loud. This reaction confused Susan.
“What’s happened?”
“It was Blake,” Mike said, grinning largely.
“So he made it then.” She too was now smiling.
Mike stopped laughing.
One man survived, but Wayne hadn’t,
he thought.
Even though the female smiled, Mike knew his words had hit a raw spot within her heart. “Hey, come here,” he said, reaching out and hugging her again. “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you. I was happy because at least now the virus hasn’t spread.”
“I know.”