I Dream of Zombies (30 page)

“Well, you never know... Trips can get a bit boring.”

She laughed again, careful not to voice her thoughts in front of the children. The thought of feeling comfortable enough to play anything on this particular road trip was just too surreal. “Right, I’m having a quick shower,” she announced.

“Alone?” Tommy
joked with a grin.

Marla tapped him playfully on the head and went to get some things out of her backpack.

“Why did she hit you?” asked Barney.

Tommy laughed. “Sorry, mate, we’re just kidding around. We do that a lot. It wasn’t a proper hit. Didn’t feel a thing.”

“I don’t believe it!” gasped Marla.

“What’s up?” asked Ellen.

“Whoever was here left everything. There are clothes – men’s and women’s – and loads of toiletries. Whoever was here had the same size as us, Ellen. There are even kids’ clothes, though I don’t know if they’ll fit.”

“Well, that’s a stroke of luck,”
Ellen replied. “But I’m more excited about the shampoo!”

“Girls!” mumbled Barney, shaking his head slowly.

“I’m with you there, little man,” said Tommy.

Billy burst out laughing.
“If it’s okay with you, I’m going to take a nap,” he said when he’d recovered himself. “In a few hours it will be dark, so I can keep a look out.”

“We’re probably fine on the water, aren’t we?” asked Ellen.

“Yeah, I think so,” Tommy replied. “But I’m going to untie the boat, so that we drift into the centre of the canal. Those things can’t swim, so we’ll be fine. I’ll do it now in case I get so tired I forget. Billy, go sleep, it’s cool.”

“Here you go,” Ellen announced, placing everyone’s drink
s on the table. “Take yours into the back,” she told Billy, who nodded. She then seated herself on the sofa alongside Ruth and opposite Barney.

As Billy disappeared into the back to lie down, Tommy unbolted the door
of the boat and stepped outside. It was a pleasant enough evening. Still warm and the sun had not set, and wouldn’t do for a couple more hours. He could see ducks and swans, and the canal was tranquil. For a second everything was normal, but then he remembered the body in the adjacent barge. Quickly, he unfastened the rope that anchored them to the shore.

Picking up one of the poles
with a hook on the end, which lay to the side, Tommy pushed against the shore so that the canal boat moved into the centre of the water silently. He had no desire to turn on the engine because of the noise, having no idea what lingered in these parts. Replacing the pole in its home, Tommy took one last glance around the desolate area before ducking inside once more. Bolting the door and drawing the curtain, he put on a confident smile and took his seat on the other side of Ruth, opposite Barney.

“Whose turn, little man?”

“Ruth's,” the boy replied.

Tommy scooted nearer to the girl. “Now which one will we play?”

Ruth put one hand over one eye and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Shyly, she shook her head.

“This one is good,” Tommy
suggested, laying it down.

“Ugh,” sighed Barney, squinting at the piece and rubbing his
forehead.

“Now that was
nice,” said Marla, emerging from the shower wearing a pair of shorts and a vest. Her wet hair clung to her face and she pushed it back. “I washed my clothes in there, so I’m just going to put them on the roof outside. Hopefully they’ll dry in the sun.”

“What’s left of it,”
added Tommy with a grin, admiring her figure in the shorts and the way her hair dripped. Kind of sexy, he thought with a sigh, finding it hard to draw his eyes away. It did not go unnoticed by Ellen who glanced at him quizzically.

“Yeah, yeah, funny boy,”
Marla answered, disappearing outside for a minute and then reappearing.

“I’m next,” said Ellen, resisting the urge to tease Tommy, who obviously had a crush on her sister. “Ruth
ie, do you want to come with me for a wash?”

The little girl nodded and
slid off the sofa. “Love bath.”

“There isn’t a bath, but we’ll see what we can do
. And we’ll wash these lovely curls for you.”

“Could
do her clothes too,” Marla suggested. “It’s still warm enough out there that they might dry. We can leave them overnight.”

Ellen nodded and walked the little girl into the shower.

Tommy turned his attention to the boy. “Looks like it’s just us guys, so how are you doing really?”

Barney glanced up and back down again as he nudged his dominoes, idly moving them from side to side. Biting his lip, he puffed out his cheeks and breathed out heavily before shrugging. “I miss
Mum,” he said softly.

“I guessed,” said Tommy.

“It isn’t fair,” added the boy after a few minutes during which they just sat silently; the older man waiting for the youngster to speak.

“I know
. I lost some people too.”

“But why – w
hy do people have to die? I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I,” Tommy replied. “There is no reason. Some things have no reason.”

“But that doesn’t make sense. Our teacher taught us that God protects, but he didn’t protect my mum.”

“He protected you and your sister
.”

The boy sighed again. “I guess... Do you believe in God?”

It was Tommy’s turn to sigh. “Now that’s a big question, lad. It doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s what you think that matters.”

“Well, I don’t think I believe anymore.”

“Then that’s okay. It’s okay whatever you believe. Only you can know.”

“Thanks,” said Barney.

“For what?”

“Talking to me like I’m not a silly
little kid.”

“I don’t think you’re a silly kid. You’re still a little man, but you’re not silly.”

“You!” squealed Barney, nudging him. “But,” he added, turning serious, “I do miss Mum. I don’t understand what’s going on. The skeleton people, what are they… really?”

“Monsters,” said Tommy. “Only answer I have. The people on the news said it’s caused by a virus, like
a cold or flu, you know, but different. Marla and I have our ideas, but we don’t know for sure. Our plan is to get to one of the refugee centres. These things that you see, the skeleton people, you have to remember they aren’t human anymore and if someone gets bitten they will become a monster. You have to stay away from anyone who gets bit, no matter who they are, even if they are a friend...”

“Or my mum...”

“That’s right. You just have to stay away. It isn’t their fault they become monsters. It’s the virus and there is nothing we can do.”

Barney thought for a moment.
“Do you kill them?”

Tommy
paused for a minute. The boy deserved to know the truth. He was being forced to grow up faster than he should and lying about something just because it was scary could get someone killed. He nodded. “If I have to, then yes. I don’t want you or your sister to see that, but you might.”

“Can you show me
how to use a gun?”

“You’re too young...”

“But I want to protect my sister…”

“We’ll protect her for you...”

“But what if we end up alone and you’re not there?”

“We’ll be there,” Tommy ins
isted. “Trust me. I’m not going to leave you unprotected. I promise.”

“My mum promised...”

Tommy sighed. “She tried. I’m sure she tried as hard as she could. And we’ll try.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have any other questions or anything?”

The boy shook his head. “I want to play dominoes now.”

Tommy smiled. “Right, but if you want to talk to me about anything, I’m here.”

Barney nodded
without looking at him. “Your go.”

***

“Hey, guys, we’re nice and fresh now, so if one of you wants a shower?” asked Ellen, w
alking out with a squeaky clean-looking Ruth, who was smiling through her damp curls. “I’m just going to put our clothes out in the sun. It’s still gorgeous out there.”

“Sure is,” said Tommy. “Thanks, Ellen. You wanna go next, Barney?”

The boy nodded without speaking and headed toward the cubicle. Then he stopped and turned around. “I just remembered I don’t have any things.”

“Yes, you do, I picked up your bags from
your car.”

“Really?” asked
Barney, his eyes shining.

Tommy nodded. “I covered
them with a bin bag. I didn’t want to upset you. There’s one bag, but it looks like all your things are inside.  And there was a smaller one, which I think is yours. That was all there was.”

“That was all we
brought,” he mumbled. “Can you help me?”

Tommy got up. “Sure, have a wash and just use wha
tever is in there. Look, there’s a towel there and stuff. When you come out we’ll go through it together, when you’re ready. Sound alright?”

The boy nodded and opened the bathroom door. “Back soon.”

“No worries,” said Tommy, sitting down again.

Ellen emerged and sat down to finish her coffee. “Everything okay? I heard you guys talking, so we stayed in the bathroom a bit longer than needed.”

“Kind of. Kid is shaken up, as you’d expect, but he spoke a bit. I said he can come to me about anything. He’s scared.”

“And misses his mum. I think Ruth is so young that she doesn’t really know what’s going on. She asked for her mum aga
in and I said she’s in heaven, but I’m thinking maybe she thinks that’s a place she’s visiting,” said Ellen. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“Guess that’s all you can say
. If we can get to the refugee centre...” he added before trailing off, deep in thought.

“Yeah,” Ellen agreed as she sat back and sipped her lukewarm coffee. “I wish every day could be like this.”

Tommy nodded. “Maybe it will... sometime.”

“Some
time.”

“Ahhh!” The scream pierced the silence and the distant world of dreams. “Get it off! Help me!”

Marla woke to the
loud peal of barking and banging. She sat up straight and squinted in the dark, trying to focus. Something shifted in the room.
Tommy.
He was moving towards Ellen’s bed.
Ellen!

“Bob, get back!” Tommy yelled, pushing the dog out of the way.

Marla jumped up and ran across the room. At that moment, Billy appeared, sprinting down the inside of the boat. “What?” he yelled, gripping his rifle in his right hand.

Ellen screamed again as she struggled to hold up the
thrusting face whose jagged teeth were trying to bite her neck. Its breath smelt like rotting flesh, the stench of decay and faecal matter so strong. Liquid dripped on to Ellen’s cheeks and she instinctively moved her head from side to side, trying to avoid it. Just as she felt her arms begin to tremble with the effort, it was gone. She rolled on to her side and coughed against the wooden floorboards.

Tommy pushed the
freak backwards towards Billy, who dropped his weapon on the table and took out his knife. Marla rushed to the side, grabbing her own knife and gun from inside her rucksack. As guttural moans swamped the small vessel, the children woke. Crying replaced the moans of the creature. Ellen rushed across to Ruth, who was rubbing her cheeks with the back of her arm. When she reached the girl, she put her arms around her and covered her face. Barney was frozen to the spot, staring forwards in shock. Ellen tried to conceal him too, but he avoided her.

“Get it outside,” Tommy
urged, struggling to hold down the arms of the freak as he evaded its snapping jaws. Something dripped from its mouth to the floor.

Billy pulled at the clothes it wore, tugging backwards towards the exit. “It’s wet,” he
remarked.

“Thought t
hey couldn’t swim?” asked Marla. “It must have got in through a window.”

Tommy
did not reply, concentrating on taking the weight of the creature and keeping its head out of snapping danger. As he thought it, the freak spun its head around to face Billy. The man gasped and stepped backwards, away from the clenching jaws. Marla drew the dividing curtain that separated the bedroom area from the front of the boat and nodded. The two men dragged and pushed towards the exit, but the dead thing was heavy and moving too quickly. Marla gestured again. Tommy drew up his knife and stabbed it straight through the freak’s temple in one swift movement. As he withdrew his weapon, brain and blood spilled out, and the maggot-infested corpse collapsed.

Marla
looked at him. “You okay?”

Tommy nodded with a grimace. “That was close. Just gonna clean this knife,” he said,
stepping outside. Bending down he washed the blade in the canal and stood back up. In the darkness he caught movement and heard slight sounds above the gentle flow of the black water. Something told him they were not alone. Without pause, he ducked back inside. “Help me get the body out,” he said to Billy, who nodded and put down his knife.

Taking opposite ends, they carried the
creature outside. “Not in the water,” mumbled Tommy. “Ducks and stuff.”

Billy nodded, although the request seemed surreal. With a swing backwards, they heaved and threw the body on to the shore. It landed with a
dull thud.

“Think we should get up there and bury it, or at least cover it
with something?” asked Billy.

Tommy gestured towards the tree
line. “I think there’s someone there,” he said, almost in a whisper.

Marla walked out with a bucke
t and filled it in the canal. “Tidying up. What do you think we...”

“Shush,”
warned Tommy softly.

She
stood up and glanced around, squinting towards the shore until her eyes became accustomed to the dark. “See something there?”

Tommy shrugged.

“I’ll be back,” said Marla, disappearing inside to clean up the spilt blood and fluids on the wooden floor.

“Can’t see anything,”
Billy whispered.

“Listen.”

The two men concentrated on the darkness. In the hush the gentle ebb of the water filled their ears and nothing else. There were no birds at this time and no animals crept along the shore. Up towards the bridge the canal was silent and nothing roamed in the opposite direction. Billy shrugged and Tommy gestured for him to leave. “I’ll watch,” he told him. “Get some sleep.”

Billy yawned and
left.

Tommy
glanced up and down. He could have sworn he heard something, but the area seemed deserted. Marla emerged from inside the boat and poured a bucket-load of red water over the side. “All done,” she whispered. “See anything?”

“Nope, but I’m certain I heard something.”

“Can you keep watch?” Marla suggested. “Perhaps something heard Ellen scream and the dog barking.”

“That’s my fear, but surely whatever it was would have come out by now.”

“Maybe,” she said “maybe not. I’ll get your gun.”

“Thanks.”

Marla patted him on the arm and turned to walk into the barge. “Shit!”

Tommy
twisted around and saw the exact same thing she was staring at: a mass of bodies lining the opposite side of the canal and they were all gazing in their direction. How could he have missed them? “They weren’t there...” he began.

“Maybe it slopes down. There’s forest there. You could easily have missed them coming up,” said Marla. “But surely they can’t all swim? I’m getting
our guns.”

She ducked into the barge while Tommy continued to stare at the watchi
ng hoard of dead eyes. Glancing towards the bridge he saw more of them, crossing over. The woods must have been swarming with freaks. He cursed them under his breath. At that moment Marla reappeared, armed, with Billy alongside her. She held out his weapons.

Tommy took
the SIG Sauer and placed his knife in his pocket. “Thanks.”

“No sweat
,” she replied. “What’s our plan?

“Anyone ever driven one of these?” asked Tommy. “If that’s the word for it.”

“Steered,” Billy corrected him. “And I have.”

“Great,” said Marla. “You wanna check
that?”

Billy nodded and headed
off.

“Do you think they...?” Marla began and then stopped as one of the
dead-lookers slipped off the bank and into the water.

“There’s your answer,” Tommy
replied with a grimace.

“It’s not…
” gasped Marla. “Fuck, it’s not even deep. We didn’t check.”

“Hurry up,” shouted Tommy towards Billy.

“Hell, I didn’t even think of it,” Marla added. “I put us in danger.”

“None of us did,” Tommy
reminded her, as they watched two more of the dead slide into the black water. “They don’t jump. It’s like they just fall into it.”

Marla nodded. “When should we start shooting?”

“Last minute,” Tommy advised. “The noise will travel for miles.”

She nodded again and focused on the
shadow making its gradual way towards them. Its gruesome head poked out of the swirling, dark water and its empty eyes seemed fixed on her. A deathly murmur crept into the gaps in between the quiet. “Pull your finger out, Billy,” she muttered under her breath.

As she spoke the loud rumble
of an engine filled the void and the wood of the barge began to vibrate. Leaning against the doorframe, Marla gazed at the four dead-lookers wading through the water. The others remained on the riverbank, standing still, appearing to not know what to do. She wondered if they felt fear or whether their thoughts were now so limited that the idea had not even occurred to them. They act on raw instinct, she reminded herself: the chase and the kill, with the canal being too much of an obstacle. The barge moved through the water as Marla watched the bobbing skulls drift away. They still followed, but they became gradually smaller, and she allowed herself to laugh.

“You o
kay?” asked Tommy.

“Yep,” she replied with a smile. “Crisis averted.”

“You know this means we can’t get back to the jeep.”

“Shit,” she muttered. “You had to spoil things by telling me.”

“Better now than later,” he answered with a shrug. “We’ve got most of our things. Just some food and stuff got left behind.”

“Yeah, thanks to your good idea, I haven’t forgotten. But I liked that jeep.”

“Maybe we can get another one.”

“Yeah, just walk into some showroom and take one,” Marla joked, before realising that it was probably something that was possible
now. “Do you ever think that everyone else is in a refugee camp and we’re the only idiots roaming around?”

Tommy laughed and thought for a second. “No, there were people everywhere. That’s why we’re seeing so many freaks. Loads of people got the virus or got bit.”

“But how did the virus start? Who got it first?” asked Marla. “That’s what I don’t understand.”

“I bet only the government knows. I still think it’s some weapon of war, like Agent Orange, but they messed up.”

“I say they messed up big,” added Marla. “Messed up... you know sometimes you really have a way with words.”

“Yeah, I’m a regular little Shakespeare,” he replied as she gave him one of those looks of hers. He loved to tease her as those
particular glances of hers were pretty hot. “Anyway, you can go back inside if you want and I’ll keep watch.”

“Nah,” said Marla, shaking her head. “I won’t
get back to sleep anyway. The kids are quiet and Ellen is sleeping. Billy’s driving us, so I’ll stay up. I want to make sure nothing else happens. And it’s cooler out here.”

“That’s true. If it wasn’t for the world being full of freaks this would be a
romantic river trip!”

“You’re crazy,” she replied, closing the barge door and sitting down on one of
the two tiny wooden stools that were placed there. “Why do they make these things with three legs?”

“Beats me,” said Tommy. “Why is the moon round?”

“That’s not a moon. It’s a round cheese. Did you never get read books as a kid?”

Tommy burst out laughing. “Nope,
I was brought up fixing cars and playing computer games.”

“Figures...”

A cool breeze blew as the barge travelled down the canal. Either side of the shore was empty, much to Marla’s relief. Tommy sat down on one of the other stools and leaned back against the wooden boat. Gazing up at the stars, he swept his fingers through his long hair, conscious of the close proximity of her. There were things he wanted to tell Marla, but he kept them to himself. Timing was everything, and this really was not it. Instead he gazed at the water, letting the peacefulness of it wash over him.

“What’s our plan?” she asked
after a few minutes.

Tommy shrugged. “
Stay alive?! Seriously though, I’m going to check the barge for a map; must be one somewhere. I have no idea where we are heading.”

“Me neither. I’m thinking we could stop
, because we must be heading into deeper water, and the engine makes a lot of noise.”

“Could do. If someone k
eeps watch, we should be fine if the water is deep enough.”

“One of us could test it,” Marla suggested.

“Good idea,” said Tommy with a smile. “And who might that be?”

Marla gave him a knowing look, which made him chuckle. “I guessed that.”

“Look!” she exclaimed, standing up and pointing. “That barge has a light on. We have to warn them.” Without thinking, she shouted at Billy to stop.

The engines ground to a
halt and the world became muted again. “What’s up?” he asked, breaking the spell.

“Barge with a light on,” Marla replied. “We need to warn them. If that
hoard of the dead comes down here they are going to be overwhelmed and we haven’t travelled far.”

“S
omeone might have just left it on,” said Billy.

“I know, but can we try?” Marla asked.

“Okay, I can reverse back, so we’re on a level with it, but I’m not going to pull our boat alongside. Too dangerous.”

“Good plan,” Tommy
agreed.

Billy started up the engine and soon the
barge was parallel with the other one. Picking up the pole from the side, Tommy swung it and banged against the side of the still boat. It made a dull thud. Then hush. He glanced at Marla, who smiled wanly. Turning, he banged it again, and then three times in succession. There followed the dull noise of someone scrambling around inside.

“Hear that?” asked Marla.

Tommy nodded. “Hey,” he shouted, “anyone in there?”

The sound of low voices reached their ears.