The Undead. The First Seven Days (79 page)

Now, standing at the back of the vehicle, arms crossed and sheltering from the rain, she watches them, as they stand in silence, letting the rain pour down on them.

  ‘What the fuck happened, Dave?’ Howie asks.
  ‘I don’t know, Mr Howie.’
  ‘We were doing so well,’ Howie says shaking his head. ‘I know we lost one on the way in, but I thought we’d all be slaughtered - there were so many of them.’

Dave nods as Howie speaks.

‘Why did they suddenly stop?’
  ‘I don’t know.’
  ‘And what happened to Darren? He just charged them on his own and I told McKinney to keep an eye on him and stay close… and now he’s dead,’ Howie said, holding his hands to his forehead.
  ‘It’s not your fault, Mr Howie, some people just react that way,’ Dave replied, with a rare troubled look on his face.
  ‘No, that was something else, mate,’ Howie shakes his head. ‘It was as if he was possessed or something. I know he’d been feeling rough, but he fought well, he was a brave lad and to end like that was awful. Poor McKinney, did you know his mother died just a few months ago? He told me, when we were in the hospital. He said he hated hospitals because they reminded him of when his mother was sick. I took him to his death for my own gain; I led them both into it and now they’re gone.’
  ‘Something wasn’t right with Darren,’ Dave says, quietly.
  ‘Yeah, he was sick and we took him into that fight,’ Howie snaps back.
  ‘No, I mean something wasn’t
right
with him,’ Dave replies, his voice trailing off.
  ‘What does that mean?’
  ‘I don’t know, he was reckless and taking stupid risks and he hadn’t fought like that before, he kept putting himself at risk and getting away with it.’
  ‘We all put ourselves at risk, it was a monumentally stupid thing to do…’
  ‘No, they had chances to take him, I took a couple out, but I saw them holding back.’
  ‘What do you mean?’ Howie says.

Dave shrugs and shakes his head.
  ‘They could have had him, they had chances, the way he was over-extending himself and lunging too far forward.’
  ‘Dave, what are you saying?’ Howie asks, concerned at the tone of his friends voice.
  ‘You said that he was sick…’
  ‘Yeah, well we knew he was sick,’ Howie says, confused.
  ‘He looked sick and he said he felt sick, then he started going crazy and they were holding back on him.’
  ‘Maybe they were holding back on all of us? I mean, they stopped and moved back, didn’t they… no, they certainly weren’t holding back on me,’
  ‘That’s what I mean, they took one of Big Chris’s men down, and they took McKinney down in seconds, so why not Darren?’
  ‘They did take him…’ Howie starts to say.
  ‘Did they? I didn’t see it, I saw him being taken by them, but I didn’t see them bite or attack him, they just enveloped him and he was gone… and when he charged and attacked them, they didn’t react, not one of them went for him, but when McKinney got to him they had him instantly.’
  ‘Dave…’ Howie says, shaking his head. ‘Spit it out, mate.’
  ‘I don’t know, but it’s like they didn’t want to take him. Think, Mr Howie. I know you were upset about McKinney, but you saw it, you were the closest to them,’ Dave says, firmly.

Howie looks down to the water, thinking back to just a short time ago. Darren had become very strange, screaming abuse at them and goading them to fight him, he did charge at them and he can’t remember Darren being attacked.

He clearly remembers seeing McKinney on the ground with zombies biting into him and then Howie was there with his axe, knocking them back.
  ‘I didn’t see Darren being attacked, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t,’ Howie says.
  ‘They were both there at the front. Darren was attacking them and McKinney was trying to stop him, we all saw that, so why kill McKinney and not Darren? I ran to them and couldn’t see Darren, he was gone.’ Dave says.
  ‘Is this a private conversation?’ Big Chris asks, as he walks up to them.
  ‘Chris, did you see what happened to Darren?’ Howie enquires.
  ‘Those things had him,’ Chris answers, confused at the question.
  ‘What did you see, Chris?’ Howie questions, staring hard at the big man as Malcolm and Clarence walk over to them.
  ‘Lads, come over here,’ Howie calls out to the rest and they start drifting closer, until they’re all standing round Howie and Dave, in the pouring rain.

Sarah moves closer, watching the group and the serious expression on her brother’s face.
  ‘Listen, I’m sorry for what happened back there, both of our groups lost people and watching McKinney die like that was truly awful,’ Howie watches as the recruit’s eyes drop down, fresh tears falling. ‘I know it’s painful, but did anyone see what happened to Smithy?’ Howie instantly regrets using the nickname they had all used for Darren.
  ‘He went fucking nuts and got McKinney killed,’ Cookey spits out, with a flash of anger and Howie watches a few of them nod, in agreement.
  ‘We need to think about this clearly. He was sick right? Then he felt better and then he was laughing and shouting as we fought. I haven’t seen him do that before, but you know him better…’
  ‘No, he never did anything like that before,’ Blowers answers.
  ‘Right at the end, when he charged them on his own, what did you see?’ Howie presses them.
  ‘Sir, he ran forward screaming, then he started attacking them, they didn’t react though. They just stood there and took it, then McKinney tried to pull him back and he got pushed off, then he tried again and Darren knocked him down,’ Jamie says. ‘Then they went for McKinney and Darren got pulled in.’

The rest of the group all stare at him and he blushes from the sudden attention.
  ‘Jamie… you saw all of this?’ Howie asks.
  ‘Yes, Mr Howie. They didn’t bite him or anything, they just grabbed him and he was gone.’
  ‘Did anyone see Darren getting bitten?’ Howie asks the group.
  ‘What’s this about, Howie?’ Chris asks, with a serious expression.
  ‘Dave says that Darren was fighting recklessly, putting himself at risk, but those things didn’t go for him, they were holding back.’
  ‘You think he’s one of them?’ Malcolm finally voices the unspoken thoughts.
  ‘I don’t know, but he was sick, then he went nuts and they didn’t go for him,’ Howie shrugs.
  ‘Fuck me…’ Blowers says, reeling from the idea.
  ‘No way,’ Tucker adds.
  ‘He stopped firing on that fucking GPMG at the hospital too,’ Blowers suddenly adds.
  ‘He did what?’ Chris asks, turning on Blowers.
  ‘While you lot were inside, we had a massive contact at the front, Darren was on the GPMG and just froze up. I had to drag him down to take over.’
  ‘But anyone infected just goes down… I’ve seen it too many times,’ Clarence rumbles.
  ‘It’s a possibility, but I don’t know how. He hadn’t been bitten or scratched… that I saw,’ Howie says.
  ‘So, worst case scenario, he’s one of them?’ Chris asks.
  ‘We have to consider it,’ Dave says, firmly.
   They stand in silence, absorbing the idea and its implications.
  ‘So… if he is one of them, does that mean anything to us?’ Cookey asks.
  ‘Yes,’ replies Dave.

‘He knows our numbers, strengths, where we’re heading, the route we took, the access and egress points…’ Chris says.
  ‘So why aren’t they attacking?’ Blowers asks.
  ‘I don’t know, they stopped back there and just let us go,’ Howie says.
  ‘Maybe they stopped so Darren would go for them,’ Dave adds.
  ‘That would be suggesting it has some form of intelligence,’ said Malcolm.
  ‘They knew where we were going, they massed in the exact place we were heading for, and if Darren was one of them, that explains how they knew where we were going,’ Howie theorised. ‘Which shows a form of intelligence.’
  ‘If they have intelligence, then they pulled back as a tactic - they used strategy to take what they wanted,’ Chris says.
  ‘What for? Why would they want Darren?’ Tucker asks, trying to keep up.
  ‘If he was the only one infected, then it would have to be him,’ Howie says.
  ‘This is fucking ridiculous,’ Nick Hewitt suddenly adds. ‘They’re just fucking, mindless zombies, that’s all. They can’t plan or make tactics, they were walking off the fucking Bridge, for God’s sake!’
  ‘It makes sense - perfect sense,’ Sarah cuts in, as they all turn to stare at her. ‘Those things were outside before you came but nowhere near the numbers they are now, they must have known where you were going and flooded the area, ready for you, and, if they knew that lad was infected, then why not take him - he’s one of theirs,’ she continues.
  ‘They came for us at the services, they sent loads after us and those people said they had gone unnoticed before we arrived, and we already said it was like we were being targeted,’ affirms Howie.
  ‘Then they know about
our
place,’ Chris adds.
  ‘Your place?’ Sarah asks.
  ‘They’ve rigged up a sort of commune a few miles out, there’s about two-thousand survivors there,’ Howie explains.
  ‘So… if this Darren knows about the commune, are they safe?’ Sarah asks.
  ‘We left them alone and didn’t go in for the mass killing, like these boys here,’ Chris says.
  ‘We have to accept that they are able to change, we’ve seen them change at night, and now during the day too… they can get faster when it suits them,’ Howie says.
  ‘Howie,’ Sarah says urgently, causing them all to turn and look at her. She is staring at the Bridge. They follow her gaze and look down to see the entire road blocked with undead, a solid and mighty gathering, assembled where the Bridge meets the road.
  ‘Fuck me, they did that quietly,’ Chris mutters.
  ‘They’re just standing, watching…’ Cookey says.
  One of them takes a few steps forward and comes to stop, just over the Bridge line; a symbolic passing of the threshold.
  ‘That’s Darren,’ Dave says quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
  ‘All the weapons are in the vehicle,’ Howie murmurs. ‘Dave, are you sure that’s Darren?’
  ‘Yes,’ Dave replies.
  ‘It is Darren,’ Jamie says, with confidence.
  ‘Look at the way they’re formed up, perfectly spaced,’ Malcolm says, stepping forward to peer through the rain.
  Darren takes another few steps forward.
  ‘What’s he want?’ Tucker asks, with fear in his voice.
  ‘Fuck it, I’ll go and ask him,’ Howie says angrily and starts striding towards Darren, as the rest of the group follow in his wake.
  ‘Wait there, I’ll go on my own,’ Howie calls back, as Dave joins him at his side.
  ‘Okay, Mr Howie,’ Dave says, ignoring him.
  ‘No point asking you again, is there?’
  ‘Not really,’ Dave answers.
  They walk down the Bridge, through the rain, drawing closer to Darren, seeing the perfect lines and spaces between the undead massed before them. All of them have their heads erect as they watch the small, advancing group.

Howie and Dave halt a few steps away from Darren and they all observe one another. Darren looks pale and drawn, his normally ruddy complexion already gone and the skin pulled tight across his face. He looks almost normal - other than that – apart from the red, bloodshot eyes that stare intently at Howie.
  ‘Mr Howie…’ Darren says, with a sneer, drawing the sound out.
  ‘Nice to see you too, Darren,’ Howie replies casually. ‘How are you, mate?’
  ‘Great, better than ever,’ Darren replies quickly, with a strong voice.
  ‘You don’t look it mate, you look rough.’
  ‘No, Mr Howie,’ he replies, drawing the sound of his name out again. ‘I feel great, fucking wonderful,’ he adds, forcefully.
  ‘Darren, you’re infected mate - but you’re still talking… maybe it’s not too late. We’ve got that doctor back in the commune and all that equipment now. If you’re the first that can communicate with them and tell them how it is, they might be able to help,’ Howie says.
  ‘Spare me the goody speech, Mr Howie; I don’t need your fucking help. I think I have enough at the moment,’ Darren smiles and motions towards the huge horde massed behind him.
  ‘So, what do you want then, mate?’ Howie asks.
  ‘You.’
  ‘Me? What for?’ Howie replies.
  ‘All of you, I want all of you and especially you,’ Darren stares at Howie.
  ‘What for, Darren?’ Howie asks.
  ‘I want you to fucking die. I’m going to kill you all slowly and turn you and I’ll keep a part of you alive, so you know what’s happening when you come back,’ Darren says, grinning menacingly.
  ‘Why, Darren?’ Howie asks, forcing himself to keep his tone steady, despite the anger rising inside him.
  ‘You have taken so many of my kind down, too many, but the tide has turned, Mr Howie, oh yes. I’ve got an army now, and not just a bunch of fucking idiots chasing you round the country.’
  ‘Your kind? Darren, listen to yourself, you were part of this just a couple of hours ago, you killed them, just as we did. They took our lives and our families and everything we loved, they are evil Darren, and you don’t have to be part of them. Come back with us, mate.’
  ‘No, I am not with you or your ragtag bunch of misfits. I killed them because I followed you. They only kill them because of you. Just because they took your parents, oh poor Howie lost his parents and now they’re zombies, poor Howie is all alone, so he decides to kill every living thing to try and rescue his whore sister,’ Darren laughs as he shouts. ‘His fucking, whore sister, dirty fucking sister. He killed everything and risked the lives of everyone to rescue his dirty, fucking, cunt of a sister just because his parents died.’
  Any icy hand grips Howie inside, but he remains motionless, watching Darren shout and laugh, as he starts to walk back and forth between Howie and the massed zombie mob behind him.
  ‘Oh look, here come Howie’s heroes, a shambling fucking mess, look at them,’ Darren laughs, as Howie turns to see the rest of the group walking down to stand behind Howie and Dave.
  ‘Oh no, Howie’s heroes have come to get me, oh no someone save me, maybe your dirty, cunt, whore, slut, sister will come and rescue you, Howie,’ Darren screams out.