The Afflicted: A Zombie Novel (17 page)

“No offence, both of you, but we’re leaving right now. There’s no time to discuss this. Come with us or stay, up to you. Amane, George, move it.”

Evan
jogged around the top of the shopping precinct and paused, looking down at the amassing horde below. They were streaming in now. It was as if half the city had seen the flares. Weaker zombies were crushed as ones that are more agile pushed past them to get upstairs. The noise increased dramatically in the small building as hundreds of wailing, moaning zombies filed in, their requiem echoing around the vaulted ceilings of the building.

 
  Amane was shivering, partly through fear, partly through cold. Evan saw her clothes were still wet from her ocean plunge earlier, and inside where the sun couldn’t reach, it was cool. Reaching through a smashed shop façade, he grabbed a jumper from a mannequin and handed it to her.

“Put it on. That’ll have to do for now.”
Evan picked up a plastic leg from a broken mannequin and gripped it firmly. Better than nothing, he thought. Amane pulled the woolly cardigan on. It was three sizes too big for her, but was at least dry.

“
We’re going to get out of here, okay?” Evan spotted a sign for the car park and they followed him down the bare tiled corridor, past a ticket machine to a set of double doors. Sasha and Rob followed close behind, evidently agreeing that their temporary home was no longer safe.

The doors
swung open into a multi-storey car park. No sooner had they run through than they heard the doors swing open again and zombies began spewing through. George ran up a ramp to the next floor.

“It’s harder for them to go
up than down,” he shouted.

They all followed him
. There were no vehicles in the car-park. Evan kept looking about but he couldn’t see a single one. Just their luck, he thought. He could hear Rob muttering something but ignored him. Evan didn’t care if those two were married, strangers, half dead or half alive; he couldn’t keep babysitting people. After what had happened to Lily, he didn’t want to anymore. They ran up another floor to the roof, listening to the zombies beneath them.

“What now?” said
Amane, out of breath. With the exertion of running in heavy, soggy clothes and where the oar had hit her earlier, her chest felt as if it was on fire. Up on the roof, the sun was beating down again. It was mid-afternoon but she felt as if they had been running for hours.

“We keep going
,” said Evan. “Those things are not going to stop and neither are we.” He took her hand.

“Thanks for ruining our hiding place, mate. We were doing fine back there.” Rob was looking around, working out where he could go now to hide.

“No we weren’t, you idiot,” said Sasha. “We’d barricaded ourselves in and were living off stale bread. It was smelly, dirty, and horrible.”

Her explanation was directed at everyone, but she only looked at Evan when she spoke. She even
shed a few tears. It was obvious to Amane that Sasha was looking for a new hero. Rob clearly didn’t size up. Ignoring them, Evan asked George if he was all right.

“
Look over there.” George used the baton to point to the edge of the car park. There was a door leading to an overhead walkway. A glass funnel crisscrossed by girders and metal, leading to the next building. It was some sort of office building Evan guessed. There were grey blinds and computer terminals in the windows.

Evan pulled
Amane by the hand and they jogged over to the edge of the roof. They could see that the glass walkway was empty inside. In the mid-section stray bullets had hit the glass and shattered the central panes. They were intact but cracked. They would have to step very carefully over the metal girders holding it together.

The
street below looked like a war zone. Evan counted at least six army trucks and one tank. There were a few soldiers shuffling about, obviously dead. Whatever dead means now, he thought. There were more people piled up against the vehicles who looked as though they may have been shot, executed even. Several zombies were hitting the brick wall of the car park, looking up. Fingernails broke off as they clawed at the walls. They knew someone alive was up there but had no way up.

Evan opened the door and they
all went through onto the glass walkway. It was unnerving. Down below them the zombies stared up, following their every movement. Should the glass break, if the fall did not kill them, the zombies undoubtedly would. Amane focused on Evan’s back and took it one step at a time whilst George trotted behind. He was not unduly worried. In fact, he seemed to be relishing a newfound sense of freedom. As Evan and Amane made it to the far end of the walkway safely, George looked behind at Rob reaching to take Sasha’s hand. She brushed him away.

“I don’t need your help, Rob.”

“’Course you don’t,” he said sarcastically, as he crossed safely to the end of the glass walkway. Sasha tiptoed across and stood on the middle pane.

“It’s not that hard,” she said
. “See?”

The glass shattered beneath her and she fell down, hands clutching at thin air. She shrieked in terr
or and reached out for something to grab onto, trying to stop her fall. She managed to grab onto a metal pole in the flooring and she swung back and forth over the zombies below like a fish on a line.

Evan raced to
help her whilst Amane held George back from doing the same. Rob stood still, watching in morbid fascination.

Sasha was crying tears of terror as Evan pulled her up and dragged her back into the safety of the glass cage. Her hands were cut from broken glass and Evan carefully picked out the larger pieces that he could.
He helped her back to the end of the corridor where Amane took over, brushing away shards of glass.

“Should’ve stayed where we were,” said Rob
dryly, offering no help at all.

Evan squared up to him. “Yeah, maybe
you
should.”

“Whatever. You
gonna start on me, prick?” said Rob, flexing his muscles, edging closer to Evan.

“No, he’s not,” said
Amane. “Right now is not the time, boys.” George looked on bemused. Amane picked up the weeping Sasha. The crowd below them was growing bigger, as was the crowd of zombies watching from on the roof where they had come from.

E
van stepped back and rubbed his face with his hands.

“I don’t know what we’re
going to find in there,” he said. “Hopefully nothing, but...”

“We’re
behind you, Evan. Whatever we find in there we face it together,” said Amane. Evan looked back through the glass and saw the zombies on the roof. No going back. Evan pushed open the door and they entered a dark stairwell.

“
What do you say we go down now, mate?” asked Evan to George who merely nodded in agreement. The stairwell was lit by emergency lights. Fluorescent wall lights brightened the grey steps. Evan went first, walking softly, listening for any noises that might suggest they weren’t alone. At the next floor down, they ignored the sign inviting them to come in for a check-up with a friendly dentist, and carried on down to the ground floor. Evan stepped out into the foyer of the office complex. Tall plastic green plants brushed against him as he walked out onto the marbled floor. There was a desk to his left, another door, and a revolving glass door to his right that led to the street. He tried the other door but it was locked. Not wanting to risk going back outside, Evan led them to the desk and they all crouched down behind it. They sat on the floor pondering their next move.

Evan
could sense Amane’s discomfort. Her body was cold and stiff, and her clammy hand was clutching his tightly. Sasha was still weeping, holding her bloodied hands out in front of her; they needed looking at. Rob and George were quiet and composed respectively. For a young child, Evan thought, George had a remarkably cool head on his shoulders. Evan spoke quietly.

“Guys, I don’t think we should keep running. If we
run, we’re just going to go further into the city and end up in a dead end eventually. We need to eat and drink. We haven’t got the energy for this. My head is splitting and I’m guessing yours is the same. We need to get Sasha’s hands seen to.”

They didn’t answer. He was right
. They were tired, fed up and scared.

“
Amane, we need to get you some dry clothes or you’re going to get sick.”

“Sorry
, Evan, my credit card’s maxed out.” Evan smiled and put his arm around her shivering shoulders.

“
We can’t stay in here, it’s far too dangerous. Who knows what’s up there. It’s much too risky to try and bolt ourselves in here. There are too many doors and hiding places. There are a few zombies outside but not many; they haven’t figured out where we are yet. They’re spread out and we can dodge them if we’re fast. I noticed there’s a tall building over the road where they’re building some apartments or flats or something.”

“It’s true,” said Sasha
, sniffing, “Luxury flats for the rich and famous. My boss was going to buy one. They’re not finished though.”

“What, that building site?
It’s just a shell, Evan, I saw the cranes and scaffolding from the roof of the car park. What’s the point of going there?” said Amane, wondering where this was going.

“That’
s exactly why we’re going there;
because
it’s not finished. I would say that building is empty. If we’re unlucky, there may be a couple of workmen? There should be a showroom or at least an office we can rest up in. I’d say the building is likely to be deserted. The foyer looked smart and there was a small shop in the front. We can get supplies and hold up there. It’ll be dark soon and with any luck the zombies will piss off when they can’t find us.”

It made a strange sort of sense to
Amane, although she had no idea how they would get there.

“Only one problem,” Rob
said. “The moment we step out those doors, we’re going to attract hundreds of those things.”

“He’s right,” said
Amane, “They aren’t going to let us go. I don’t know what sort of chance we have to be honest.”

“Losing hope is easy,” said Geor
ge. Amane was taken aback by the statement. It sounded precocious coming from someone so young.

“I heard it somewhere,” he said, answering an unasked question.
“You’ll get in fine. I saw it too, Evan. The doors are open. As long as you can get them shut and locked behind you, it’s a good idea.”

“
Er thanks, George, but, when you say ‘
you’ll
get in fine,’ you mean ‘we’,” said Evan, looking at the boy. “All right?”

A sick feeling was rising in
Evan’s stomach and it was not from lack of food. George took the sweat-drenched backpack off and gave it to Evan.

“I’m not coming with you
,” he said, and cradled the baton in his hands.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“George
, don’t be stupid,” said Amane.

“Me, be stupid? How many times have I saved your life today,
Amane?” George stared at her. There was no malice, but his penetrating gaze disconcerted her.

“Y
ou can’t protect me. Father Thomas was insane, I’ll agree with you, but he was right about one thing. I’m better off on my own. I’m going to Canberra.” Amane closed her eyes and regretted ever mentioning it.

Evan was dumbfounded.
Rob and Sasha listened, interested in this dysfunctional family that they had come across and how a ten-year old boy could be so brave.

“George, what are you talking about?
” Evan shuffled around to face George. “Why would you go there? You’re far too young to be out there on your own. This is a difficult time for all of us, mate, but if we stick together...”

“Evan, d
o you know how my mother died? Lily? I know you mean well but...this is impossible. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I’m younger and fitter than you and I can run fast. I can squeeze into smaller spaces. I can hide in smaller places. I am determined and I
will
make it.” Such was the confidence in this little man’s voice, that neither of them actually doubted him.

“When you get into that building
, try and rest. Eat, sleep, whatever. If I were you, I’d wait ‘til the morning before you go looking for that boat you’ve got the keys for. There’s far too much activity going on out there now. Even if the street clears, there are hundreds of them around the harbour. You try to find that boat now and you’re dead meat.” George let out a long sigh. “I hope you find your children, Evan.”

“
Thanks, George, but I still think you should stick with us. I know I’ve let you down. I let Lily down. But Canberra? That’s a long way to run, Georgie.” said Evan.

“Don’t call me
Georgie! I’m not a kid anymore. And I
know
how far Canberra is. Amane can tell you why I’m going there. I know you think I’m just a little kid and maybe a few days ago I was. I’ve seen a lot in the last few days and I’ll be
fucked
if I’m going to waste any more time running.” George stood up holding the baton in his hand.

“George, sit down, this is madness!” said
Amane.

Evan
sighed, stood up, and held out his hand to George. “There’s no stopping you is there? I suppose if I tied you up you’d still sneak out when my back was turned and run away, wouldn’t you.”

“Yep.”
George shook Evan’s hand.

“Promise me, George, when you get there, you’ll wait for us. Wherever it is you’re going,
whatever you find in Canberra, wait. We’ll come for you, I swear.”

George nodded. He didn’t smile
; he just kept looking back at Evan. He had such a serious face for one so young.

“Here
’s what’s going to happen.” George looked at Amane to make sure she was listening. “We’re going to run out of these doors all together. You four run into the building opposite and shut those doors after you. Make sure they’re secure coz I don’t know how long I can draw them away. I’m going to run down the street and I’ll be yelling and shouting. That should draw most of the zombies away from you. At least it’ll give you enough time to get in and block the doors.”

Evan
looked at them all. Rob and Sasha seemed prepared to go along with them for now. He looked at Amane who shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Annoyingly, George had a good plan.

“Where will you go?”

“I’ve been to the city a lot, Evan. I know all the little alleys and back streets. I’ll dodge, duck, hide, and run. The long and short of it is; I’ll be fine.”

Amane
stood up and hugged George. He swallowed the lump in his throat, ignoring the guilty feeling that was enveloping him. He almost felt as if he was abandoning them.

“
Well, no time like the present. Good luck.” George let go of Evan’s hand and ran to the revolving door.

 
  “Last one out is a loser!”

He smiled and waved, then disappeared outside. Evan
picked up the backpack and he and Amane sprinted after him, Rob and Sasha right behind, through the revolving doors. Evan swung the mannequin’s leg at a small dead child that was running toward them, landing a powerful blow to its head. He cringed as the small girl went flying. Grabbing Amane’s hand, they ran over to the building site, through the big front doors, past the hoarding offering unrivalled views of the ocean for just a small deposit, and shoved the doors shut when Rob and Sasha were in. Evan bolted the doors shut and dragged a heavy table in front of them. Rob pushed some tall plastic plants in front of the doors too, providing more cover and disguising the doors to the brain dead zombies. A tear rolled down Amane’s cheek as she watched George flee down the street, evading clawing hands and biting teeth, turning the corner, and running out of sight.

* * * *

A lone zombie repeatedly stumbled into the glass door to the building site like a dazed fly, whilst all the others followed George. Evan and Rob found a large sofa in the foyer and dragged it in front of the door. They were finally satisfied that they were secure and pretty much out of sight of the road. The door was invisible now to anyone who didn’t already know it was there. Evan pulled Amane back from the window and took her down a corridor. The shop next door was enticing, with its fully stocked shelves of food, drink, and warm clothes. It was also impossibly out of reach. The only way in was from the outside. Another time, Evan thought.

“Come on,” he said to
Amane, taking her by the hand again. From the foyer, there had been two doors. One was locked and the other opened out into a long corridor. It was lined with grey doors. Holding the mannequin leg ready, he got Amane to push them open, ready to hit anything that moved. Sasha trailed at the back whilst Rob followed nonchalantly. He was not interested in helping and Evan knew it; he was only looking out for number one. Every door was the same though, opening out onto a completely plain bare room: concrete floor and plastered walls, no furniture of any sort. After the ninth door, Evan was becoming increasingly irritated.

“
Fucking hell, there’s got to be something.”

“Hey, it’s ok
ay,” said Amane through chattering teeth. Evan’s sweat-stained, ripped jacket would offer no warmth to her and he vowed to carry on or she would get really ill.

“Hey
, what’s that?” said Sasha. There was a notice on the wall by some stairs. It read:

Showro
om upstairs - Room 17.

Evan cautiously
led the way up the stairs. The building sounded quiet and the zombies outside were fading into the distance. The first floor looked exactly the same as the ground. Evan reached room 17 and they followed the usual drill. Amane pushed the handle and Evan steadied himself, raising the model leg like a bat, as if he were stepping up to face a pitcher.

The door swung open and revealed a
luxurious room with a king-size bed replete with sheets and duvet, a large television, dresser, wardrobe, table, chairs, double-lined curtains, bedside lamps and a thick chestnut carpet. Nothing had been spared in the effort to get indulgent city workers and the pin-stripes to part with their easy earned cash. They went in and closed the door behind them. 

E
van walked over to the window, slung the backpack down, and looked out at the scene below. He could see the street where George had run down. He really had drawn most of the zombies away, but to where, and for how long, who knew. To the far left, Evan could see the marina and boats. Somewhere out there was the ‘Johanna.’ It was their only ticket out of the city.

Evan
’s hot sweaty forehead pressed against the cold windowpane whilst the others explored the room. For an instant, the cool glass absorbed the horror of their new lives. The sounds, the screams, all silenced: just a vague unsettling echo at the back of his head. The bloody gore, the killing, the dead faces staring at him were all blanked out by the cold that spread momentarily from his head to his toes and back again. His breathing was shallow and measured, his eyes closed, relaxed. With Evan’s mind cleared, it was as if a new wave of energy had come over him. He stepped back from the window. His mind dealt with the situation and he knew he could carry on. He had to carry on, for Charlie and Anna’s sake.

“
I think we’re safe here for a while,” he said. “They won’t get in. I think we should get some rest. I don’t know about you two, but it’s been a while since we slept properly.” Behind Evan, the sun sank beneath the building and the last glints of sunlight disappeared. The room was engulfed in shadows.

“
Amane, we’ll make a move first thing in the morning. They don’t seem quite as alert then, so we’ve more chance. George was right.”

Rob tried
a door in the corner of the room and walked through into an adjoining room. Evan heard Rob’s overly loud laugh, forced more for effect than from genuine mirth.

“Same set up in here.” Rob came back
into the bedroom. “Well if it’s okay with you guys, me and Sasha can take that room and you can take this one. Happy days.” Rob beamed.

“Fine,” said Evan, still leaning against the window, “but do
me a favour will you? Shut your fucking mouth. What are ‘happy days’ for you, are fucking miserable for the rest of us. I’ve dealt with far worse than you, but no, I’m not spoiling for a fight or an argument. I’m tired. We just need some peace, okay?”

“Your funeral.”
Rob sniffed, turned and walked into the other room, slamming the door behind him.

“Sasha, I’m sorry,” said Evan.

    “It’s okay, I understand. He’s a complete dick but he has helped keep me alive for the last couple of days. I don’t
really
know him. When it happened, we were at the gym and somehow we ended up in that café together. We were running around and found ourselves in the shopping centre so we just locked ourselves in and thought we would wait it out. That was two days ago.

“
Why hasn’t the government done something? Have you heard anything? I used to live by my blackberry, now I haven’t spoken to my friends or family for days. I hope my boss is keeping my job open for me.”

Evan smiled.
Work was the least of this young woman’s problems. “We’ve been out there and we’ve seen no help at all. There isn’t any, just chaos and death. We’re not the last people alive on the planet though, I’m fairly sure of that. We met a man, a priest; he told us it was the end of the world.”

A heavy silence descended upon the room.
Sasha took in what Evan was saying. Deep down she expected it. If there was any help, they would have seen or heard about it by now. She felt oddly hollow. Her parents were old and she had no brothers or sisters. She had no boyfriend, just occasional lovers. Evan seemed nice though.

“
Will you be okay in there with him?” said Evan, breaking the gloom. “We can’t offer you much, but tomorrow we intend to get a boat and get the hell off this island. We’re headed to Tasmania. You can come with us if you like? Up to you though.”

“Maybe.
I was kind of hoping to find my parents but...well let’s face it, they’re probably dead. I don’t know. Can I sleep on it?”

Evan nodded and Sasha gave him a peck on the cheek whilst
Amane looked on amused.

“
Just don’t shoot off in the morning without me, okay?” said Sasha.

“Of course not,” said
Amane. “All right, let me look at your hands before you go, come on.” They went into the bathroom together, chatting. Evan felt drained.

“
I’m just going to make sure we’re safe and secure. I’ll pull that sofa in front of the door. Put your clothes over the handrails, Amane, let them dry out.”

Evan dragged a purple
two-seater sofa in front of the door and then the dresser. If anyone tried to get in, they would know about it. He was sure the building was empty but it still felt safer knowing the door was blocked.

He sat on the sofa and kicked off his shoes. His clothes stank of death. The room was surprisingly warm considering there was no heating.
He stared out of the window at the sky. Thank God, they weren’t on the ground floor. Up here, in this room, it felt as if they had escaped the real world. He could still hear the groaning of the dead below but they were faint. He wondered how Charlie and Anna were: if they would still be on the boat. He hoped his father was taking good care of them, if the same thing was happening there as with the rest of the world, then logical thinking suggested that Tom’s boat was actually the safest place to be. His son had said it was dark though and they were trapped in the cabin. What if something had happened that had forced them to barricade themselves into the cabin below the deck? Evan reckoned there would be food and water for a few days but not much more. And Anna? If his daughter was not moving, that did not bode well. What if she was ill or had been bitten by one of those creatures. Evan needed to distract himself from the perilous dark thoughts entering his mind.