I Dream of Zombies (36 page)

Pushing with her left hand against the dead-looker’s shoulder with all her might, Marla swept her right hand down to her jeans and rummaged in the pocket for her knife. Trembling, she felt the hard ridge of the handle, and jerked it to and fro in a bid to free it from the sheath it was in. Resisting the urge to
panic, she leaned into the dead thing again and then swung her face away from the jagged teeth, banging her head on the side of the cubicle as she did so. A dazed feeling wrapped itself around her and she widened her eyes, taking in the ripped skin that dangled off the skeletal cheeks beneath. Its putrid stench was choking her.

Marla breathed in, gritted her teeth and shook the knife more vigorously while pushing the shoulder of the creature with every essence of her strength, but it did not relent. She moved her head as bile sprinkled from its lips and down the front of her T-shirt. It stank. She almost expected it to burn through the material like acid and was surprised when it did not. The knife shook loose and she pulled it from her pocket, embedding it in the forehead of the thing in one swift movement. The eyes of the dead showed no change of expression, but its arms collapsed to its sides and it took a step backwards as if in bewilderment, except she was sure it did not feel. As the cadaver slumped to the ground, she
leaned against the cubicle wall, exhausted.

Panting and trembling slightly, she picked up the gun from the floor, pushed it into her jean pocket and stepped over the corpse. Moving to the basin, she opened the hot water tap with a shaky hand and rinsed the knife before wiping it on a towel. Glancing in the mirror, she saw that her top was stained with red and grey liquid, and she grimaced. Pulling it over her head, she threw it in the basin and opened the door. Marla breathed out at the sight of such a large room, seeming to offer safety compared to the claustrophobia of the cubicle. Unzipping her rucksack, she reached in for her blue vest and tugged it out.

“What on earth happened?” demanded a shocked looking Tommy striding towards her. “You’ve got blood on your arms.”

“I’m okay,” she muttered, pulling the vest over her head.
“It isn’t mine.”

He averted his eyes from the black bra – now was not the time. “But what…”

“There was one in there. They’re here, Tommy. This village isn’t safe. They’re here.”

He opened the door of the toilet and glanced inside. Marla heard him suck in his breath as she zipped up the rucksack.

“You had to kill him with your knife? You’re trembling…”

She nodded
as she rubbed at the bloodstain on her upper arm. “Can we just get out of here, please, like now,” she mumbled, brushing a stray hair back off her face.

“Okay,” Tommy replied, opening the pub door. “We’ll find a car and that’s it.”

“Thanks,” she said, turning, “but, Tommy, please don’t mention this happened.”

“Right.”

Marla walked out into the daylight and he followed behind, troubled by his thoughts of what she must have just gone through on her own when he had not been there to protect her. Instead, he’d been waiting idly by, checking out the beers and helping himself to one. He scowled.

“Everything alright, Marl?” asked Ellen.

“Yeah,” Marla lied. “Just no one home. I reckon we should just find some cars. This guy can start anything.”

Tommy put on a grin and nodded. Striding ahead, he led the way across the car park and glanced into the passenger windows. Billy dropped his bags on the ground by Ellen and did the same. “This one,” he called out after checking a silver-coloured Citroen. “
Door open and car keys still in it. Left in a hurry I’d say, which doesn’t bode well,” he added, lowering his voice so that the rest of the group could not hear him.

“Result,” Tommy called out.
“And yeah, same feeling.” He walked between the vehicles and stopped at a black Mini Cooper with a white roof.

“That one’s cool,” Barney yelled out as he ran towards him. “Can we get that one?”

Bob charged after him, barking.

“Hey, Bob, stop it,” Tommy said as he leaned over and fussed the Labrador behind the ears. “No talking.”

Bob wined and darted over to Billy, who laughed. “Like I’m going to disagree with your dad here,” he told him. The dog just wagged his tail and his tongue lolled out.

“Right then, the M
ini it is, even though I’m far too tall for it,” Tommy exclaimed.

“Yeah!” said Barney, punching the air. “Thanks, Tommy.”

“Sure,” he replied, sliding into the driver’s seat.

Marla, Ellen, Harold and Peggy brought the bags over, and they began to pack them into the cars.

“I wonder where everyone is,” Peggy commented as Billy closed the boot of the Citroen.

“I was wondering the same thing,” he replied, glancing around the car park. “Perhaps people got evacuated from here too.”

“But this far?” asked Harold, tutting. “I thought folks would be safe this far.”

“Come on,” said Billy, “That’s the last of the bags, so who’s coming with me in the Citroen?”

“Mini,” Barney answered, cocking his head to one side. “Please…”

Tommy wrapped his arm around the
boy’s shoulders. “He’s with me then. Go on, get in the car. I had to hotwire it, so no one touch anything.”

“What does that mean?”

Marla laughed. “Don’t ask, Barney. I’m with Tommy. Harold and Peggy, can you go with Billy? Great. Ellen?”

“Me and Ruth will ride with you in the M
ini,” she replied, “even if it is a squash.”

Barney sighed. “It’s a cool car. The coolest
ever!”

Harold and Peggy wandered over to the Citroen and got in while the others got comfortable in the black Mini Cooper.

“Okay, so we just need to follow the A345, which is here, Marlborough Road, to the left,” said Marla as Tommy drove out of the car park. She turned the map in her lap and glanced out the passenger window. “Seems a nice place, Pewsey. Quaint and old-fashioned.”

“I like boat,” said Ruth.

“Me too,” Ellen agreed, stroking the little girl’s hair.

The mini drove down the road, past green fields on either side. Marla squinted in the sun and turned down
the visor. Glancing in her side mirror, she saw the Citroen following behind. The pavement was deserted. They passed warehouses on the left-hand side and then drove across the railway line, but still there was no sign of life.

“Where are all the people?” asked Barney, voicing what everyone was thinking.”

“I don’t know,” Ellen replied.

Marla glanced a
t Tommy, but he was concentrating on driving. Marlborough Road ran into North Street and residential houses lined it.

“There’s someone,” Barney remarked, pointing, “Look!”

The girls glanced to the left and Tommy slowed down slightly. A man was walking along the pavement, but he had his neck bent and his gait was uneven. His leg seemed to twitch as he sauntered along. As the Mini crept alongside him on the opposite side of the road, he turned his face slowly and then stepped off the pavement, his body jolting at the impact.

Ellen gasped. “They’re here?”

Tommy sped up and they drove past. Marla glanced in the side mirror to see Billy staring at the dead-looker in the middle of the road. The side of the Citroen knocked it, but it seemed oblivious to the hit. She watched as it crawled.

Ellen tapped Marla. “What does that mean if they’re here?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess it spread.”

“What about Mum?”

“I’m sure she’s fine. I feel it that she’s okay. Please don’t worry.”

“You don’t seem surprised,” said Ellen.

Marla let out a deep breath. “I saw one in the pub. I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

“Oh God, but you’re alright?”

Marla shrugged. “I guess. I didn’t want to think about it. We’ll find Rickslaw. We’ll be fine.”

“We’ll be okay,” Barney echoed, glancing at Ellen and she smiled at him.

“Jemima ‘kay,” said Ruth, snuggling up against her.

Tommy drove past a fire station and
a camping ground, and turned into Church Street. At the corner, a group of three people loitered. Looking dirty and unkempt, they bumped one another as they walked slowly towards the car as it sped by.

“Turn left here
,” Marla instructed. “This goes into Swan Road and then Everleigh, which was the road Eric mentioned. It’s the second right. After that we keep going and just keep looking for a sign for Rickslaw.”

Nodding,
Tommy glanced in the mirror at Billy in the car behind them.

Marla gazed out the passenger window.
They drove over a small bridge that spanned the River Avon and the scenery switched to simply fields again; the middle of nowhere. In the distance two thin figures wandered slowly across the greenery, disturbing the perfect view. Barney looked in the same direction while his sister sat on Ellen’s lap and played with her doll. Bob lay silently on the floor with his head on his paws. Now and then his eyebrows would twitch as he glanced up at the boy.

“I guess
Rickslaw will be more of an office building than a place where people live,” said Marla as Tommy turned on to Everleigh Road.

“I hope
this isn’t a wild goose chase and that it’s still there,” he replied.

The narrow road wove
its way uphill between tall, silver birch trees. Tommy drove at a medium speed and carefully as there was only enough space for a single vehicle. Soon there was forest on both sides, the branches forming an arch that left the road dimly lit. Marla gazed up at the yellow-green circles of light peeking through the dense leaves. It was beautiful, but she had a feeling that beauty had no place here.

Ellen gestured to the little girl to
glance out. “See the trees, Ruth? Pretty?”

“
Milton Wood, according to the map,” said Marla. “I don’t know how far we should go.”

“
I don’t like this one bit,” muttered Tommy softly to her. “I can’t see far on either side and although it’s bright now, in a couple of hours it won’t be.”

“We haven’t seen one
of the, ahem, since we passed over the bridge over the river,” Marla replied, glancing round. “Maybe they haven’t come this far.”

“Perhaps they stick around places where there are the most people,” suggested Ellen. “That would make sense.”

“Who does?” asked Barney.

“No one, honey,” Ellen
told him.

The boy
shuffled in his seat and bent down to hug Bob who was more than glad of the attention.

Tommy
cocked his head to one side. “They’re everywhere and I like to see them coming.”

Marla sighed.
“Well, let’s try to be positive.”

“
Can you try all the stations on the radio, Marla, and try to see if you can find any announcements,” Tommy suggested. “Maybe they’re still running them.”

“Sure.” She
turned on the car radio as low as possible and flipped through the channels. White noise filled the air. Opening the bag by her feet, Marla took out her handgun and rested it in her lap. Closing it again, she glanced out the window and hoped.

Tommy
focused on the road ahead, which continued to creep uphill. Light was fading and he glanced at his watch: 6.05 p.m.
Three
hours, tops, until nightfall.
He decided to give it an hour and a half. If there was no sign of this Rickslaw by then he would have to find a safe place to park the car and for them to sleep; somewhere in the middle of nowhere, preferably, with a clear line of sight in every direction.

The trees lined up like
high, brown walls on either side of the road. Marla tried not to show the concern she was feeling on her face, so that her sister would not see it, but deep down she was scared. In common with Tommy, she liked to know what was coming and she hated to be surprised. If she could see it, she could work out how to deal with it, but if a herd of the dead were to appear in the road, what would happen then?  Sliding down in her seat, she willed herself to stay calm and positive.

‘If there are any survivors…’

“That’s it,” she gasped. “Announcement!”

“Great. Don’t turn it up,” instructed
Tommy. “Just listen. In case I miss something cos I’ve gotta focus on the road.”

‘
…those are the facilities in the north. Near Salisbury there is a facility located in a town called Rickslaw, near Pewsey. It is not signposted. You will find the facility by following Marlborough Road into Swan Road and then Everleigh Road. Drive up the narrow road uphill, past Milton Wood. Be careful of anyone acting aggressively and stay away from strangers. The area is still being cleared of the living dead.’

“So they’ve named them now
, officially,” remarked Ellen. “That’s something new.”

“Does that mean they’ve been able to clear other areas?” asked
Marla. “Do you think some are safe?”