Spiteful (The Infected Book 3) (7 page)

Chapter Nine

The morning came and I found myself alone in my bed. Rolling over, I covered my head with a pillow and tried to fall back to sleep but thoughts of last night kept battering my brain. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge, running my hands through my hair. I sat trying to remember when Amy had left me. Standing, I stretched my muscles and headed for the shower. I was sure my body smelt of stale sweat and sex.

As usual, the shower washed it off and after a few minutes I felt like myself. Stepping out of the shower I towelled myself down and went in search of finding some clean clothes. Once I was dressed, I gathered up the sweaty sheets and carried them to the door. It was only then that I noticed the pile of dirty clothes next to it. I really needed to get these washed. Laying a sheet on the floor, I piled my dirty clothes and the other sheets in the centre and made a sack. Picking up my rifle and hanging it over my shoulder. I grasped my sack of dirty laundry and headed off to the third floor and the barrack rooms that had washing machines.

The third floor was busy and it shocked me to see how many people we actually had in the bunker now. Moving toward the nearest barrack room, I was intercepted by an old woman.

“And where do you think you’re going?” She asked.

“Er…I’m going to wash my gear.” I said, a little shocked.

“No you’re not. You’re going to give me that bundle and I’m going to do it for you.” She said.

“Thank you but it’s not necessary for you to do that.” I said.

“It’s the least I can do for letting us stay here.”

“I don’t want you to feel like I expect this treatment. And what do I call you?”

“I’m Ruby and you’re not putting on me. Thing is, there is very little for us to do here and people are getting bored and when they get bored they start to fight.” She said.

I hadn’t thought about that. ‘Some kind of leader I am.’ I thought to myself.

“Well, Ruby, as long as you’re okay with it.” I said, passing the sack of dirty clothes and sheets to her.

“It’s not a bother in the slightest.” She said, taking the sack of washing.

“I have to thank you as well.” I said “You’ve given me something to think about with regards to finding things for people to do.”

“That’s what old people do. Give good advice.” She said, taking the sack and disappearing into the bunk room.

I looked round the library area and saw a lot of people just wandering from one place to another without actually doing anything. Only the few kids seemed to be actually busy, but saying that, they were all playing on the games consoles.  I needed to talk with Amy, Chris and David about what Ruby had said to me. Leaving the library I took the lift to the second floor and headed for the indoor range. Sure enough, I found Chris and David teaching Mike and Tessa how to load and unload two SA80’s.

“Morning, lover boy.” Chris said, as I walked into the range.

“And you, young, sir, can get fucked.” I replied, laughing.

“Can you remember when Jake asked Rosa and Tom to be a little quieter…?” He started to say.

“You can stop right there before you dig a deeper hole for yourself.” I said.

David laughed and carried on watching Mike and Tessa. They ran through the loading drills a couple more times and then started firing single shots down range. I watched and was surprised to see that Tessa was a much better shot than her father.

“So how are our two recruits doing this morning?” I asked.

David shouted for them to cease fire. Once they had cleared their weapons and placed them on the bench in front of them, they turned round.

“They are not too bad.” Chris said.

“That’s a bit off my mind.” I replied.

“It was a shock when I fired my rifle for the first time.” Tessa said.

“Yeah, can be a big shock your first time.” I said.

Mike and David came to stand next to me.

“They should be okay to provide fire support by tomorrow.” Chris said.

I nodded and smiled at them all.

“Well, I have another problem. You know what they say, if it rains it pours. I spoke with a woman called Ruby this morning and she brought up the fact people are getting bored and when they get bored they fight amongst themselves.” I said.

“That Ruby is a smart old bird. She was the one that suggested the school as our sanctuary.” Mike said.

“That old woman has a great head on her shoulders. But the problem is I don’t know what to do about it.” I said.

“You’ve got your answer already.” Mike said.

“What do you mean?” Chris asked.

“Before Tracy turned up at our place, we had someone in charge of that kind of stuff and you’ve already spoken with them.” Mike said.

“Look, I’m going to need you and Tessa when we go after Tracy and I don’t want you switching jobs every time I need you.” I said.

“Don’t be bloody daft. I could never balance my bank account, how the hell could I help in running this place? Tessa would rather poke out her own eyes than stop what she is doing now.” Mike said, laughing.

“Okay then, smartarse. Who would you suggest?” Chris asked.

“Ruby.” Mike said in reply.

“The woman Marc spoke with this morning?” David asked.

“Yeah, she’s great. When we got to the school she jumped straight in and helped everyone get settled.” Tessa said.

The more I thought of it, the better it got. She had put herself forward this morning without even saying a word. I mean, it was her suggestion that people need something to occupy them.

“That’s fine with me. Does anyone know where Amy is?” I asked.

“Last I saw of her she was working out in the gym.” Chris said smiling.

“Get your mind out of the gutter.” I said, turning to leave the range.

“Watch what you’re doing in the gym, mate. The last thing we need is you getting injured.” Chris said to my back.

I didn’t even bother to turn round and said “And you, my friend, can get bent.”

I headed down toward the gym with the laughter of my friends chasing me. Opening the doors, I looked inside and saw Amy working out with a pair of small weights in front of a full length mirror. Walking slowly across the mats toward her, I smiled at the effort she was putting into her routine.

As I got closer to her I called out “You know it’s polite to leave flowers or a cooked breakfast.” I said.

“It’s also polite to go down on a woman when she asks you to.” She said, laughing.

“Now that’s just nasty.” I said.

“What did you want to talk about?” She asked.

I walked over and told her about my talk with Ruby earlier in the day and the conversation I had with Chris and the others. She dropped the small weights and walked over to where she left her towel.

“So what do you think?” I asked.

“To tell you the truth, I’ve spoken with Ruby and she seems to have her head screwed on right. She might very well be the woman for the job.” She said, turning round.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her later today. What about Tessa and Mike?” I asked.

Amy walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me in close.

“You not going to kiss me?” She said.

With a large sigh I bent forward and kissed her soft lips.

“Better?” I asked.

“Hmm…much better.” She answered.

“Well?”

“Well what?” She said, looking up at me.

“How do you think Tessa and Mike are getting on?” I asked.

Leaning her head against my chest, she said “If Chris thinks they are going to ready, then they should be ready. What has you worried?”

“To tell you the truth, I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But they are forcing us into a fight.” I said.

“Look, Marc, the thing you have to understand is that it doesn’t matter, because sooner or later Tracy and her group were going to force us to fight them.” She said, pulling away slightly.

“I know.” I said, resting my head on top of hers.

“What have you got planned for today?” She asked.

“I thought that I’d have a look at the map and sort out how we are going to get in and out.” I said.

“Sounds like a good idea. Do you want any help?”

“Okay. But you are going to have a shower first, right?” I said, skipping out of her reach before she could hit me.

“You cheeky bastard.” She said, coming for me.

I just turned tail and ran out of the gym shouting over my shoulder “I’ll see you in the dining room.”

The door swung shut as she was saying something and I was pretty sure it was along the lines of ‘Fuck You!’ I headed back down to the barracks floor to find Ruby. I was laughing as the doors to the lift opened and I stepped out. Looking around I couldn’t see Ruby anywhere so I spoke to a young man who was sat reading a book. He told me that Ruby was in one of the barracks rooms, but wasn't certain which. Opening each door I looked inside and it was in the last room that I saw her sitting on one of the beds.

Walking over she looked up and said “Your clothes are clean. They’re drying.”

Smiling, I sat down beside her and said “That’s not why I am here. I had a chat with the guys about what you said earlier and Mike said that there was someone who could help me out.”

Looking puzzled at me she said “Why come and talk to me about it?”

“Well, I thought seeing as you brought it up, I thought I would ask you about it.” I said.

“Well, I could point you in the right direction and that Mike has a good head on his shoulders. This person must have made an impression and I would trust his judgment.” She said.

I looked round the room before I answered her.

“How is it here in the barracks?” I asked.

“It’s a little noisy on a night with the children, and the snoring, don’t even get me going about the snoring.” She said laughing.

I laughed along with her. Just sitting here and talking with her I felt better with the idea of asking for her help.

“Well, anyway, like I said, Mike told me of someone who might be able to help with that problem you mentioned.” I said.

“Young man, if you want to ask me if I would help out just ask me.” She said, smiling.

“You are one smart cookie. Well, seeing as the cat is out of the bag, would you like to help me out?” I asked.

“What are you wanting me to help you with?” She asked.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t really know.” I said.

“How about I help out by arranging things for people to do?” She said.

“That sounds great.” I replied.

She just nodded.

“There is one last thing that I wanted to ask you.” I said.

“Go ahead.”

“There are some rooms down on the fourth floor and I wondered if you would like to move in to one?” I asked.

“Young man, the day I can’t put up with noisy children and snoring old men will be my last day on this earth.” She answered, smiling at me.

“If you’re sure?” I asked.

“I am.” She replied.

Standing up, I held my hand out to her and she shook it.

“Thank you, Ruby.” I said.

Chapter Ten

I left and headed for the dining room and Amy. She was leaning into the kitchen talking to Jennie when I entered. She waved at me and I walked over. Jennie was standing looking every bit the cook in charge. She had her hair tied back and was wearing chef whites.

“Hey, Marc, want a coffee?” She asked smiling.

“Yes, thank you, Jennie.” I said with the feeling that I had walked in on a conversation and it was all about me.

“You two go sit down and I’ll get Maddie to bring some out to you.” She said, heading further into the kitchen.

Amy took my hand lead me over to a table.

“Quick question.” I said.

“What’s that?” She asked.

“You weren’t talking about me with Jennie by any chance?”

She laughed and said “You’re not the only topic of conversation, you know.”

I actually blushed and looked away. Which of course made her laugh even more. I was saved further embarrassment when Maddie appeared at the table with a pot of coffee and two mugs. She put them on the table and walked away with a small smile tugging at her lips. I had a suspicion that Amy and I where the topic of conversation in the kitchen. Pouring out two mugs, I slouched back in my seat. Once Amy had managed to get a hold of herself, she pulled a map out of a pocket and spread it out on the table in front of us. For the next couple of hours we went through all kinds of routes and scenarios. In the end, we settled for going in at night and using the night vision gear that we’d used the night before. The next decision to make was to use vehicles to get there or to travel the short distance there on foot. I was arguing the case for using the A.P.C. and Amy was for going in on foot. Both had their merits and both had their problems. I argued that we would have somewhere secure to fall back to if something happened. Amy’s argument was that they would hear us coming and they may even do a runner, and if they did that, we would have to chase them down again. We had been arguing back and forth for at least half an hour when David and the others walked into the dining room.

Spotting us sat with the map in front of us they all headed over. I approved of Mike and Tessa carrying their rifles on tactical harnesses. Chris walked behind them with a stupid grin on his face.

“Okay, Chris, what’s got you looking like the cat that got the cream?” I asked.

But it was David who answered “That fucker just beat me out of a bottle of Jack Daniels.” He said, sullenly.

“Well, you make stupid bets.” He said, grinning even more.

“What have you two been betting on now?” Amy asked.

“I bet him that Mike would get more shots on target than Tessa.” David said.

“You had a bet between father and daughter?” I asked.

“Well, to tell you the truth, she is a much better shot than I am.” Mike said, looking quite embarrassed.

I laughed and said “Don’t take it too bad, David. He scams everyone.”

“So what have you two been doing?” Chris said as they all sat down.

Amy talked them through the plan pointing out the route through the village to the school where Tracy and her goons where holed up.

“Okay, so how are we getting there?” Tessa asked.

Chris leaned forward “The only way we get in and out of there without having to fight our way in and out would be to walk in over these fields.” He said, pointing at the fields on the western side of village and a direct route from where the bunker was.

“See, I told you it was a better idea than just rolling up in the A.P.C.” Amy said, crossing her arms.

“Fine.” I said.

“Look, Marc, there is too much open ground around the village. If we took any kind of vehicle they would hear us even before we reached the village.” Chris said.

I poured another mug of coffee and drank it before speaking.

“The next question would be when?” I asked.

“Well, Mike and Tessa have done great today. I’d like another day with them but I don’t think we should leave it that long. If we, say, work half day tomorrow and do the raid on the night.” Chris said.

“How are you two with that?” Asked Mike and his daughter.

Mike looked at Tessa before answering “We’ll be okay.”

“Okay then. So Chris will work with Mike and Tessa in the morning. The rest of us will sort out and check the gear we need. Then on the afternoon we’ll rest up. Just before sunset we’ll leave and if everything goes okay we should be back just before dawn.” I said.

Everyone nodded.

“Let’s get some food. Then I’m going to find Jake and ask if Tracy has been on the radio today. Chris, could you go and look in on our little guest after dinner?” I said

“Shouldn’t be a problem. Here’s a thought. What are we going to do with Mr. Rat?” Chris asked.

“I said if everything he said was true, then we would let him go with a small survival pack.” I replied.

Everyone was quiet until David said “What if he tells someone worse that Tracy about this place?”

“Look, we can’t just kill him just in case he meets someone and tells them about the bunker.” I said.

“But aren’t we in this position because of the same situation?” Amy said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, you let Tracy go and it came back to bite us in the arse.” She said.

I couldn’t fault her logic. It didn’t sit right but I could understand it.

“Okay, what do you want to do with him then?” I asked.

“There really is one answer.” Chris said.

I shook my head.

“I’ll sort it out.” Chris said.

I couldn’t believe we were talking about the murder of another human being. Standing up, I carried the empty pot back to the kitchen and put it on the counter. Standing there I suddenly felt the need to get some fresh air. Quickly, before I changed my mind, I headed out of the dining room with my friends' voices echoing behind me. I knew that I couldn’t go outside so I headed for the one place in the bunker that was rarely used; the pool.

I sat on the edge of the pool with my jeans rolled up to my knees and my feet dangling in the water. I had a lot on my mind. The room was almost quiet, the only noise being the lapping of the water against the sides. I knew sooner or later one of them would find me and was hoping for the later part. Life had changed a lot for me since the infected. I thought that I had become a harder person, but truth be told I had really headed the other way and now held all human life in high regard. The idea that we were planning on killing Bob in cold blood had shaken me.

Sitting here watching the reflected light dance on the walls, thinking how could we survive this if we were willing to end someone’s life just in case they tell someone where we were. All these thoughts and so many others were going through my head when I saw Jake walk in. He headed over and proceed the take his boots off and roll up his trousers. Sitting beside me, he lowered his wrinkled feet into the pool.

“Nice quiet spot you have here.” He said.

I just nodded. I really didn’t trust myself to say anything.

“You know they were looking for you?”

Again, I nodded.

“I was looking through the security cameras and I saw you sitting here. I told them where you were and Chris was going to come and talk to you but I told him that it might be better if I come and do it.” He said, looking at me.

“Did they tell you what they want to do?” I asked.

He nodded and said “Chris told me. While I don’t hold with killing in cold blood, I do understand why they feel it needs to be done.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Jake. I know why it needs to be done. I’m just having a hard time with it. After what happened with the women we rescued before you and the driver of the Land Rover….hell, I suppose that I’m getting sick of it all.” I said.

“Right now you have all these people in here who are depending on your guidance. These people also rely on you and the others for their security as well. With those two jobs come a lot of hard choices. What you have to do is decide which choices you can live with and out of those choices which ones keep the group safe.”

“This is what I mean, Jake. There are others in the group like you who can make those choices. I never wanted to be in charge.” I said.

“That is why everyone thinks that you should be in charge. Yes, there are others in the group that can make hard choices, they can make them without worry.”

“Thanks.” I said dryly.

“Look, you are here because you feel that his life is in your hands. What you haven’t thought of is this. If you hadn’t needed a prisoner that night what would have happened to him?” He asked, swinging his feet forward and backward in the pool.

“One of us would have shot him.” I said.

“And do you think that if you set him free he would survive out there?”

“To be honest, I would be surprised if he managed to survive for more than a week.”

“Okay now let’s put it all together. We have a prisoner that was quite happy to suffocate women and children. A prisoner that would have died but didn’t because we needed the information. Lastly, we have a prisoner who, if released, would either die at the hands of the infected or possibly inform other non-sociable groups of our existence.”

“Your point being?” I asked.

“My point is that the prisoner is a major liability to any group and should be treated as such.”

I sat there mulling over all the points Jake had made and decided that even though I wasn’t happy about the situation, the others were right. I had to start putting the needs of our group before my own. “Thank you.” I said simply.

He laughed and said “It didn’t cost me anything.”

“Has she been on the radio again?” I asked.

“Who?”

“Tracy or any of her goons?”

“Oh her! Yeah, she was on early this morning wanting to talk to you.” He said smiling.

“Why didn’t you come and get me?” I asked.

“There wasn’t much need. I said that I needed to get you but she had a fit about it and signed off.”

“If she does it again, let me know. I have feeling she is starting to unravel.”

“I been thinking that since your conversation with her the other day. Anyway, my feet are turning to prunes and I’ve done what I set out to do.” He said, lifting his feet out of the water and standing up.

“Thanks for the chat, Jake.” I said.

“Like I said before, it didn’t cost me anything.” He said, walking toward the door.

Jake and Ruby were the type of old people who watch everything and only speak when they have thought everything through. That, and they are fucking smart.

I pulled my feet out of the water and stood up. I bent down and picked up my boots and socks. Following Jake’s wet footprints I headed for the door. I looked down the empty hallway. Shrugging my shoulders, I headed for the lift. Standing in front of the doors I decide to head for my room. The lift opened and Chris looked up at me.

“Do what you have to do.” I said.

“Look, it’s the right thing to do.” He said defending the decision.

I walked into the lift and pressed the fourth floor button before saying “I know it’s the right decision, but I still feel shitty about it.”

“I’d be worried if you weren’t feeling shitty about it.” He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

The doors on the lift opened on the fourth floor and we both headed for our rooms. Chris disappeared into his room and I went to walk into mine and I was bowled over by a white furry monster. God damn that dog weighs a ton. She sat on my chest licking my face. I gently pushed her off and stood up. She bounced around me as if I had the largest treat in the world hanging from my neck. This dog has way too much energy.

“Come on then, let’s try and tire you out.” I said.

Turning round I headed back to the lifts with the dog in tow. I headed for the gym on the second floor. Pushing the door open, we went inside. Seeing a broom in the corner of the room I went over and snapped about fourteen inches off the end.

With stick in hand, I stood up and threw it as far as I could. The dog was off as soon as the stick left my hand. The stick sailed over the tops of the equipment and clattered off some weights near the back. She drifted in and out of the equipment and headed toward the stick. All I could see was a flash of white here and there between the equipment like some sort of spirit. That was it! The dog’s name, Spirit.

I saw her heading back and I’d see if she would come to me if I called out her new name.

“Spirit, here girl, bring the stick.” I said in a soft voice.

Spirit stopped in the middle of the mats and gave me a ‘Are you talking to me’ look.

Trying again, I said “Come on, Spirit, bring me the stick.”

She didn’t move a muscle.

I crouched down and said “Look, I need to call you something and Spirit sounds like it fits. So come on, Spirit, bring me the stick.”

The she took a couple of steps toward me then stopped.

“You’re really going to make me work for this, aren’t you?” I said.