“Matthew, we must
go
now
,” Caballero insisted. “They will kill you.”
“But they are the innocent. They do not deserve to be left here to die.”
“No, but neither do you, and if you stay here you will surely perish. I know you want to save these people, but they are beyond saving.”
“I
will not leave them. They have been coming to my church for years, some since they were born. I have baptized these children.”
“And they are gone, Reverend,”
insisted Caballero, pulling him by the arm.
Robert held
the door open while the two female soldiers stood behind him waiting. “He’s taking too long,” said Marla, noticing the dead veer into the edge of her vision. She stepped forward.
“Marla!”
Ignoring Sylvia, she took a central position between Caballero and the door to the crypt. On either side of their prey, the dead were moving. Eerie, rasping voices gathered like the hum of a ghostly organ playing, sweeping around the space inside, filling it up, as the very walls seemed to close in; a claustrophobic hell hole. They were too close, thought Marla. What was he thinking of? Caballero wrestled with Matthew, and taking hold of both of his arms, he hauled him towards the exit, but the man struggled back, shouting, “You cannot make me leave them! This is wrong!”
Marla
took a step forwards, but Caballero nodded at her to stay back. It was clear that he did not want her to shoot any of the congregation in front of the man of the cloth. Matthew struggled again and again. He was not weak, she could see, and he was taller than the commander. In the end he lashed out and pushed Caballero away, to her shock. A shot rang out and it was only afterwards that Marla realised it came from her gun, so focused had she been on the two men.
“No!”
shrieked Matthew, bending down towards the small boy now lying face down on the dusty, stone ground. “Murderers!” Caballero punched the man, catching him in his arms as he crumpled, unconscious. Robert ran forward and raised one of Matthew’s arms over his shoulder.
One of the dead lunged forward,
her jaws snapping at Caballero’s neck as he struggled to bear the other man’s weight. Without blinking, Marla shot her in the forehead. Focused, she took down two other men, one young and one old, before they could get any closer to the hunted. Hearing other gunshots around her, she did not acknowledge their origin. Turning once more, she fired at yet another dead-looker; a female who had probably been in her twenties. Then she saw the twins – red-haired angels who could not have been any older than four years old. Marla backed away towards the exit, unable to silence them. Caballero and Robert dragged the Reverend past her, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she followed them out.
Sylvia slammed the door of the crypt and bolted it.
Turning to Marla, she asked, “You okay?”
Marla grimaced. “No. There were
too many children in there.”
“I saw.”
“I killed one.”
“They’re already dead, you know that,” Sylvia replied, leading
the way up the steps. “Come on, we have to get back to the bus and check the passengers.”
Her words jolted Marla back to reality. “How will we per
suade anyone to get off the bus if they’ve been bitten? They’ll hide any injuries.”
“We’ll see.
Come on. Caballero, is there a key for this door?” Sylvia called out as she reached the top of the steps.
“There!” Robert replied, nodding to a hook on the wall.
“Great.” In one swift movement she locked the crypt and brought down the bolt. “All secure,” she added, running ahead.
Marla glanced towards the altar and back
at the door leading to the crypt. Biting her lip, she shoved her dark thoughts behind the barricade in her mind that she’d built for herself, where all the bad stuff was going, deafening the silence there, pressing. As the church door slammed shut, she squinted in the blazing sunshine and inhaled the fresher air. The gunfire had stopped and the street was as quiet as a morgue. Marla watched Caballero and Robert carry Matthew on to the bus and step back off.
“Good work
in there,” Caballero told Marla. “You’ve got very quick instincts.”
She nodded, unable to think of a reply.
He stepped back on the bus and strode upstairs. “Has anyone been bitten?” he asked loudly.
An old man whose arm was wrapped in a bandage put his hand up. “I was.”
“Could you step downstairs for me, please?” asked Caballero.
“Why?”
“We would like everyone who has been bitten to step off the bus.”
“No way!” a woman cried out. “We’re not going out there!”
Caballero stared out the window and blinked in the sunlight. It would begin to fade soon enough. He switched his focus back to the passengers. “We would like everyone who has been bitten to travel in the Vector truck. That way, when we reach the facility, we can treat your wounds urgently. We will know who is injured and our doctors will be able to deal with them without delay.”
The old man
who had spoken stood up and asked the woman next to him to move her legs. “Jerry, I want to go with you,” she said, refusing to budge an inch.
“It’s perfectly alright,” he replied. “I trust him. He’s
helping us. How long have we been married?”
“Fifty-six years.”
“Then, Beryl, a little separation is not going to make any difference. You haven’t been injured, so I want you to wait here. I’ll see you later, my sweet.” With that, Jerry bent down ever so slowly and kissed his wife on the cheek. She smiled up at him and moved her legs aside. Trembling slightly, he walked down the aisle of the bus.
“Thank you,” said Caballero. “Just head outside where my soldiers are guarding the vehicles.
Jerry turned and waved at his wife before disappearing out of sight.
“Anyone else?” asked
the commander.
There were no more complaints or questions as various people rose from thei
r seats in all stages of life and from all walks of it. After seeing the old man leave, they seemed to have no lingering suspicions. One by one, nine people left the bus. Downstairs it was the same story and six others were relocated on to the Vector. Caballero gave one last glance to Matthew, who sat at the front of the bus with his head in his hands, before stepping off on to the pavement. Martinez closed the door behind him.
“They’re all on the truck,” Marla
informed Caballero. “Sylvia and Robert are in there. Are they safe?”
He nodded. “They’re fine. There’s a
metal division between the back and front. They can see what’s going on in the back too.”
She
studied his face more carefully, feeling puzzled. “How did those people leave so easily?”
Caballero
focused on a spot an inch away from her face. “I asked them to.”
Suddenly feeling tense, she decided to press him. “What did you tell them?”
He met her gaze. “What I had to. I told them that by separating them, they would be treated by our doctors first.”
“But that’s a lie! They won’t!” she gasped, feeling the pressure that had been mounting since she left the crypt explode. “What about their families? That old man told me to make sure his wife didn’t worry. What am I meant to say to her? Her name is Beryl and they’ve been married
for over fifty years. Fifty years! How could you do that? He has no idea what will happen to him and…”
“Calm down, Marla. I don’t feel good about lying to them,” Caballero retorted, “but I had no choice or other people will be at risk. You know this. You’ve seen it happen – I know you have.” He walked away from her, towards the Panther.
“What will happen to them?” she asked, running behind him.
He stopped and looked at her. “Do you really want to know?”
Marla hesitated for a moment and nodded slowly.
“We
will put them to sleep. We’ll tell their families, they’ll say their goodbyes, and then we will end their pain. Lethal injection.”
“So you’re basically saying euthanasia?”
“What other option is there? Bullet to the brain?” he asked. With that, Caballero climbed into the driver’s side of the Panther and slammed the door.
Fuming, M
arla kicked the wheel of the truck and clenched her fists. “Fuck it!” Turning away, she stared into the distance for a second, trying to calm the tide of anger rushing inside her, but then her eyes were irrevocably drawn back to the busload of people, as she knew they would be.
They all believe they are safe now. They all trust us – they trust me.
It was too cruel. They were meant to be rescued from death, all of them. Killing by any means was still killing and they were human; they had not turned.
Think of all the people you’ve saved, not the ones who are lost.
Taking a deep breath,
Marla scuffed her boots on the gravel and made her way around to the other side of the truck.
Wednesday, 26
Marla knocked on the door of her sister’s room and nibbled the end of one of her nails as she waited. She had spent the morning analysing the events of the day before and needed to talk to someone she trusted; her sister always fitted that bill. When the door opened, she was welcomed in with a warm smile. A sharp scent of citrus hit her senses. “Mmm, fresh,” she remarked.
“I just ate a rather juicy orange,” Ellen explained with a grin. “Sit down. Want one? I brought two up here.”
“No, I’m fine,” Marla replied, perching on the edge of the desk.
Ellen sat down on her bed and crossed her legs. “So what’s wrong?”
“What makes you think…?”
“You’ve got that deep furrow between your eyes that you always get when something’s wrong. And you get kind of twitchy…”
“Twitchy?”
Ellen giggled. “Yeah, like now you’re not sitting on the chair like a normal person, but hovering on the desk.”
Marla moved to the chair. “You win. I have got something on my mind.”
“A-ha,” Ellen said knowingly as she peeled orange number two. “I thought so, what about?”
Marla sighed.
“It’s complicated. Do you want to grab some lunch with me? I haven’t eaten yet and…”
“
Oh, sorry, I can’t,” Ellen replied, blushing slightly. “I’m meant to be meeting Robert in half an hour.”
“Soldier guy
?”
Ellen nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been chatting
a lot and he asked me to go for a coffee. I kept saying no. This time I decided why not. Never mind that, are you feeling okay? You look a bit down.”
“Yeah, it’s j
ust that yesterday was kind of rough and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
“Sorry, Marl.
Maybe we could discuss it quickly now?”
“No,
no, it’s fine. I don’t want to make you late. It isn’t as if you can ring him on your mobile and say you’re delayed.”
“That’s true, but he’s nice. He won’t mind if…”
“Really, it can wait. It’s a long story. Maybe tomorrow morning?”
“Definitely,” Ellen replied. “
It’s a date. Any time after ten.”
Marla forced a grin
and changed the subject. “You two seem to be getting on really well.”
“Yeah, I like him. It’s
gonna sound cheesy, but Robert makes me laugh and he seems honest – a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy.”
“That’s good.
Cheesy is good. I like him too. He seems... well, normal.” Marla’s memory flickered back to Devan and she wondered if her sister ever thought of him, not that she was about to ask.
“
Anyway, enough of me, what about that scientist guy, Jakob?” asked Ellen, wriggling her eyebrows up and down.
Marla frowned. “What about
him?”
“You know! I think he likes you. He’s always staring at you if we see him around – and why else should he come down to the cafeteria on our floor anyway?
”
“
No, I’m sure he doesn’t. He must know other people and the timing is way off!”
Ellen blinked.
“How so?”
“I can’t think about dating anyone,” Marla explained. “It seems ludicrous with what’s going on in the world.”
“Do you think I’m ludicrous for hanging out with Robert?”
“No,
not at all, I'm happy for you. It’s just me. We’re different, and I can’t think about normal things.”
“But you’re entitled to,” Ellen pointed out. “
You are allowed to have fun and enjoy yourself. Who says you can’t? Jakob is nice, although I prefer Tommy, if I’m really honest.”
“You like Tommy? I thought you liked Robert?” asked Marla, confused.
“I don’t mean for
me
,” gasped Ellen, laughing. “I mean
you
.”
“Me and Tommy? Now that’s funny. That’s funnier than the idea of me and J
akob. Tommy is in my ‘Friend’ drawer. No, that idea is just plain weird.”
Ellen’s grin broadened as she watched her sister
squirm awkwardly. “So you’ve never thought about it?”
“
Ellen! No, of course I haven’t. You can wipe that smile off your face and quit matchmaking.”
“Okay,
Marl, if you say so, but if you need any relationship advice…”
“Ha ha, when there are no dead-lookers
left in the world maybe. Until then I’m fine. Anyway, I better be off before I make you late. Enjoy your date and say hi to Robert for me. Maybe I’ll see what Tommy is doing for lunch.”
“See!”
“No! There’s nothing to
see
,” Marla retorted, heading for the door, “and don’t try to
see
anything.”
Closing the door behind her,
she leaned against the wall for a second and stared down the corridor. A young woman dressed in denim dungarees was wandering towards the stairs hand-in-hand with a small boy. He dangled a bright red toy truck from his right hand. Marla stared after them. Was it ridiculous to want a normal life? Was one even possible now? She looked up at the white-painted ceiling and back down to the floor. Of course the whole idea was crazy right now, right here, when nothing made any sense. Who are we now anyway, except a dying species? The slam of the stairwell door made her glance up.
“Now who’s Miss Depressing?” she mumbled, standing up straight. “That would be you, Marla
,” she added, stepping away from the wall.
***
Noticing a waiting young man staring in her direction, Ellen’s eyes flickered everywhere but straight ahead as she walked out of the elevator and made her way towards him.
“Hi, glad you could make it,” Robert told her with a warm grin.
Ellen blushed. “Thanks for asking me. I’m impressed there’s a cinema, of all things.”
“We need it in here. It’s important for people to have something to do. We have a big DVD library.”
“It’s funny seeing you out of uniform,” she said, taking in his blue jeans, freshly ironed shirt and clean black shoes.
Robert laughed and nodded. “You look nice. That green suits you.”
“It’s the only dress I brought with me,” Ellen replied, fingering her silver bracelet nervously.
“Well, I like it a lot. Ready?”
“Yes. What are we watching?”
“
Seven Pounds.
It’s supposed to be very good but sad, so I hope you have your tissues handy.”
She smiled. “I’ll give it a go.
”
“
Shame there isn’t a pool as well on this floor, but you can’t have everything.”
“Guess there would be a water-saving problem
,” Ellen reasoned, “so maybe it’s a good thing.”
“You’re very sensible,” said Robert with a wink.
Ellen laughed. “Sometimes, but I have to warn you it isn’t usual.”
They walked together down the corridor,
the air cluttered with the noise of machines and various conversations seeping out from open doorways. Passing the gym, Ellen looked inside and reminded herself to get her lazy butt in there again before it hit the floor. Before they reached the cinema room, Robert paused, making her stop. “I wanted to ask you something, if it’s okay,” he said hesitantly. “Those dreams you said you had...”
Ellen
frowned slightly and nodded.
“Do you still have them?”
She nodded again, wondering why he would ask now of all times. Had he only invited her out because he was inquisitive about the nightmares or would they be a huge put-off? Did he consider her strange or creepy even? But then perhaps it all sounded confusing or even frightening to another person, Ellen reasoned. Maybe he just had to get the question out there, so they could get it over with and then forget it. For a moment she imagined him turning the query over and over in his mind. She hoped he would not ask about her experiences in detail, because she wanted to have a fun night and experience what used to be ‘normal’. On the other hand, she didn’t want him to think her defensive.
“Are they really realistic?
” Robert asked. “Are they like how it really is... out there... those zombies... sorry, but…?”
Ellen sighed. “I don’t like to tal
k about them, but the dreams seem real when they happen. I don’t want to have them. They just come. When I first had an... an encounter, it was like the dream, but the dream came first.”
“So it was a prophecy?”
“I think so, yes.”
Robert rubbed his nose and then opened the door
to the cinema. “Thanks, Ellen. I was curious. I promise I won’t ask you about them ever again.”
“That’s okay. It’s part of me, I guess.”
He smiled. “Ladies first.”
Ellen
grinned back and entered the black-painted room, packed with chairs. They were half-full of people of all ages, but no children, so Ellen gathered it was not a movie for kids. She then noticed a film schedule on the wall, divided between family and adult showings. The simple charm of it all made her content, and she followed Robert towards a central row. “So you’ve seen this film before?” she asked him once they were seated.
“No, but I asked
Sylvia if it was good and she said it is.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Since the beginning,” Robert replied. “I was based at another camp with Commander Caballero, but it fell to the undead. We were relocated, but the scientists were here already. It was tough getting here, but I guess it was for you too. This was basically a scientific research building, government run and quite secret. All of these facilities were built to cater for the workers who lived here. Afterwards, some survivors moved elsewhere to join their families.”
“So you saw a lot of... erm, what’s been happening out there?”
He nodded. “I lost some friends. Luckily, my family are alright. They are in the north.”
“
I’m sorry about your friends, but glad about your relatives,” said Ellen.
“Thanks,” Robert answered as someone turned off the lights and the film began.
When the titles went up at the end, Ellen wiped her eyes with her hand. Rummaging in her bag, she noticed a packet of tissues appear in front of her nose. “Told you,” whispered Robert. “I brought these just in case.”
“Thanks, I really enjoyed
the film. Will is great in it.”
“One of m
y favourite actors,” said Robert, standing. He waited patiently for Ellen to get up before leading the way out of the room. They headed to the cafeteria on her floor to grab a drink and something to eat. Ellen imagined how in days gone by they would have gone to the nearest pub and she would have been sitting with a spirit in her hand. But a coffee with Robert was more than fine. They were safe, away from the chaos and death outside, and that was the crucial thing.
“So, tell me about you,”
Robert said once they were seated in the cafeteria.
“What do you want to know?” she asked.
“Everything and anything; whatever you want to tell me.”
Ellen blushed
under his ardent gaze and wrapped both hands around her warm cup while she considered her reply. “I was one of those little kids who were always daydreaming and had my nose in a book. I’m close to my sister, although we weren’t when I was young. I was a terrible teenager after she left home. I hated the army for taking her away,” she remembered with a giggle. “Then I grew up. My father was a police officer. He died, but he was a lovely man, brave and fiercely intelligent, and patient. He was a great listener if you had a problem. I remember that. I miss him. Me and Marla visited our mum shortly before the evacuations started. I hope she’s safe. We’re waiting to find out from the administrator… Erm, I trained to be a teacher and I was teaching primary school kids before… everything. I love it, so it’s great that I can help out here too.”
“It’s a good j
ob and you seem a natural at it,” said Robert.
“Thanks,” she answered, smiling
at the compliment, although there was no way of him knowing whether she was any good. “What about you?”
He laced the fingers of his hands together and leaned forwards slightly. “Okay,
I grew up in Devon in a very, very small village. So tiny you could blink and miss it when driving through.”
Ellen laughed, which made him smile before continuing, “
My parents were still living there when things went crazy and they were evacuated. They’re all okay, at a facility in the north. I think I told you before. I have a younger sister and an older brother. They’re fine too. I did have a younger brother, but…” He glanced away briefly. “Anyway, when I was growing up I got bored in that village. Wanting to see the world, I joined the army. I loved it and did see the world, although everything is far out now. This situation isn’t like being at war…” He paused and leaned back in his chair. “Sorry, there I go saying the wrong thing again. I meant us to have a good time.”