Deadland: Untold Stories of Alice in Deadland (Alice, No. 5) (5 page)

Jo exhaled loudly, trying hard to stop this from becoming
another argument.

'Bob, she's getting out of control, and you just indulge
her. When Jane was growing up...'

Gladwell walked up to her and kissed her on the forehead, a
gesture that totally disarmed Jo.

'Sweetheart, when Jane was growing up, we had a proper house,
we lived in a civilized world, not one where you have undead Biters roaming
around looking to rip you apart. What kind of world is Alice growing up in?
What has she seen and heard in the first years of her life? I think we need to
cut her some slack—the old rules don't apply any more, and certainly they don't
apply for how kids are growing up.'

Jo let it drop for now, and Gladwell fetched his backpack
for the upcoming patrol.

'I'll be back by evening, and I'll have a word with Alice
then. Okay?'

Truce having officially been declared, Gladwell set out to
fetch his bicycle. They had a van they had found on a sweep three years ago,
and had managed to get some gas for it from abandoned gas stations, but on
patrols through the Deadland, they invariably took the bikes. A van would be
faster, but also louder, and a Biter magnet as a result.

Gladwell waved to Vivek, who was joining him. The older man
got on the bike.

'I'm getting too old for this shit, Bob. My legs hurt every
time I pedal.'

Gladwell smiled as he looked at his companion, who had been
an enlisted man in the Indian Army before The Rising. He was a genius with
anything mechanical and had been almost single-handedly responsible for getting
them a working generator which ensured they had some electricity and lights.
While most other settlements spent the first winter shivering in the darkness,
Gladwell and his companions had heaters and light.

Every day, up to three patrols would go out into the
Deadland—Gladwell had nicknamed them hunting (looking for animals, though those
were increasingly scarce as the years wore on), gathering (fruits and food to
supplement what little they managed to grow on the settlement) and scavenging (picking
up spare parts, weapons or anything else that might prove to be of use on the
settlement or to barter). In reality, every group that set out ended up doing
any or all three of the above duties, and in addition, every time you stepped
out into the Deadland, you had one overriding mission—survival. Survival
against Biters and bandits who still lurked in the Deadland.

They had pedalled for over an hour and were headed towards
some factories near what had once been the manufacturing belt near Gurgaon, a
suburb of the Indian capital. Vivek wanted some spare parts that he could use
to get a second generator working, and of course, if they came across anything
else of use, they would grab it. Gladwell had his rifle in a special holder
that Jo had made for him—slung across the handlebars so that if he needed to
use it, it would be within easy reach.

Gladwell could now make out the hulks of the factories in
the distance. Before The Rising, these factories had churned out passenger cars
that were lapped up by India's growing middle class and clogged up the city's
streets. Now, you qualified for the middle class if you had a safe place to
sleep for the night and enough food to last a few days, and the only status
symbol that mattered was not the latest smartphone or tablet, but a loaded gun.
And cars still clogged the streets of Delhi—rusted hulks of abandoned cars,
many with the skeletons of those who had died in them.

'Bob, I see movement to the right. Two o'clock.'

Gladwell stopped and took a look. For all his complaints
about old age, Vivek had razor-sharp eyesight, and if he'd seen something, then
Gladwell was going to listen. He picked up his rifle and took a look through
the scope.

There.

The unmistakable shuffling of Biters on the move. As
Gladwell watched, more than ten Biters emerged from behind the huts of what had
once been a slum.

'They're too far to bother us. Let's get to the factories
and be on our way.'

Then he spotted something else. Two humans came into sight,
scrambling to get away from the Biters. Looked to be a man and a woman, and the
man was limping, his speed slowed down further by the heavy canvas bag he was
carrying across his back. A healthy man could outrun a Biter any day, but a man
who was limping like that would sooner or later become Biter feed if he stayed
outside all alone.

Vivek had also seen the people, and he asked Gladwell what
he wanted to do, though after all these years in the settlement with him, he
already knew the answer.

'You know what we do, Vivek. We go in and help out if we
can.'

Gladwell rode towards the Biters, with Vivek a few feet
behind.

When they had started out, a few people had questioned why
Gladwell played cowboy and fought other people's fights. It wasn't just
altruism, though Gladwell did believe that the world had been screwed up the
way it was at The Rising because everyone just thought of themselves. In
addition, Gladwell was right on one key front—they had started their settlement
with only soldiers and diplomats. The soldiers certainly helped in securing the
settlement, but if they wanted to survive out in the Deadland, they needed
other skills. So, over the years, by rescuing stragglers out in the Deadland,
they had added to their ranks a couple of farmers and a doctor.

When they had their first home-grown fruits, people had shut
up about Gladwell going on his rescue missions. Of course, that put a lot of
the responsibility on Gladwell's shoulders. He had the unpleasant task of
turning away people he sensed would not fit in—as he had done with a couple of
young men who seemed to be on drugs of some sort.

Gladwell stopped his bike when they were about fifty meters
away.

'Hey, come towards us as fast as you can!'

The couple heard them and began to increase their speed, the
woman half-dragging the man along. The first Biter was now just a few feet
behind them and Gladwell knew they would never make it in time. He took his
rife, an old Indian Army INSAS assault rifle, and selected single-shot mode.
While they had inherited a veritable arsenal, and added to it by raiding old
army bases and police stations, ammunition was still a precious commodity to be
used sparingly and only when necessary. Gladwell knelt and aimed as Vivek
brought up his own rifle.

'Single shots. Aim for the legs.'

Aiming for the heads at this range would waste ammunition,
and Gladwell just wanted to give the humans enough time to get to them, not destroy
every single Biter following them. Gladwell's first shot caught the lead Biter
just above the knee. The Biter, wearing a torn and gaudy yellow kurta, tumbled
and fell. Two more behind him, a bald Biter with his scalp covered in blood,
and another, a woman who still wore a diamond necklace around her
blood-splattered and torn neck, stumbled over him and fell in a heap.

Vivek fired twice, bringing down another Biter. The couple
were now almost there, and Gladwell stowed his rifle and got on the bike.

'Come on! Hurry up!'

The man climbed on behind Gladwell and the woman rode with
Vivek as they pedaled towards the factory that had been their original
destination. As Vivek rummaged through the factory for spare parts, Gladwell
kept watch and got acquainted with the couple they had picked up. The man was
thin, and wore glasses that seemed to have been patched together with wire. He
was wearing a suit and had shaved recently, both of which were luxuries, and
rather unnecessary ones at that in the Deadland. The woman also looked freshly
scrubbed and was wearing clean clothes. Whoever they were, they were not
vagabonds or bandits. Bob stuck out his hand.

'You can call me Bob. We have a settlement out there and we
came by to get supplies. What's your story?'

The man adjusted his glasses.

'I'm Rajiv. I was a banker before The Rising, and we've been
hiding in the city, moving from one place to another with a group. Kind of got
used to moving from one apartment to another, and finding canned food and
hunting animals. Yesterday, a swarm of Biters overran us, and we got separated
from our group. I'm not sure if they're even alive.'

The woman spoke up, a trace of hesitation in her voice.

'We've got no place to go. Can you take us in?'

Vivek had come by and evidently overheard some of the
conversation and he pulled Gladwell aside.

'It's your call, Bob, but we don't really need a banker.'

Gladwell smiled and pointed to the canvas bag. Rajiv laid it
on the ground and opened the zipper. Gladwell looked in, his eyes widening.

'Tear gas grenades, batons, pistols. Where the hell did you
get all this?'

Rajiv shrugged sheepishly.

'We came across an old police station yesterday. Thought the
stuff might come in handy so we picked up as much as we could carry.'

Gladwell heard the distant growl of a Biter and motioned for
them to hurry up.

'Just one last thing.'

He motioned towards Rajiv's foot.

'What happened to your leg? Raise your trousers and let me
see.'

Rajiv was confused for a moment and then comprehension
dawned.

'No, thank God, I didn't get bitten. Just a sprain.'

Gladwell nodded in satisfaction as Rajiv raised his trouser
leg to prove his point.

'Come along, you just gained admission into our settlement.'

***

Alice watched the black Jeep draw up close to their gate and
stop. She ran back to Jones, who was cleaning weapons back at the armory as men
scurried to the walls, weapons at the ready.

'Uncle Jones, those Zeus men are back.'

Jones put a pistol in his belt and picked up an assault
rifle. 'Go to your Mom and wait there. Your Dad's not back yet, so I'll talk to
them.'

A buzz of excitement had swept the settlement as news spread
that Zeus troopers had come back, for the second time in as many months. Alice,
of course, didn't listen to Jones—she wanted to know what was happening and get
a closer look at the Zeus troopers. She ran back to the front wall, where more
than a dozen fully armed men were looking out at the Jeep. Alice hopped onto a
platform near the wall and took a look outside.

There were four troopers outside, all wearing black uniforms
and dark wraparound sunglasses. They were all carrying assault rifles that were
so sleek and fancy that they made the weapons they had at the settlement look
like antiques. One of the troopers stepped forward.

'Hey, guys, stop pointing those damn guns at us. Our new
officer is on the way and he wants to meet your leaders.'

Jones nodded to the men at the walls and they pointed their
guns down, but Alice noticed every single one of them kept their fingers on the
triggers. The troopers walked closer and pulled back their sunglasses as they
took a closer look at the settlement. All four of them were heavily bearded and
one of them who looked younger than the others smiled at the men on the walls.
The other three, however, looked sullen and had their rifles cradled in their
hands as they walked.

Jones put up a hand, motioning for them to stop. 'We've had
that chat before, so there's little point. Save your officer the time and go to
another settlement.'

The young trooper grinned.

'He's the boss and I'm just a grunt. He says he wants to
come here and chat and I pass on the message.'

Jones smiled back.

'You from around here, kid?'

'Pretty close. I used to live in a settlement on the other
side of the old city and then our folks moved into the safe zone and I got
drafted into Zeus.'

One of the older men nudged him with his elbow and whispered
something. Alice couldn't hear the words but the effect they had was
instantaneous. The young trooper stopped smiling, waved and walked back to the
jeep. One of the remaining troopers growled.

'Is this how you treat guests? At least let us in.'

'Who said you're guests? I don't remember inviting you to
our home.'

Alice turned to the voice with a huge grin. It was her Dad.
The gate was opened and Vivek led the two newcomers in while Gladwell stayed to
talk to the troopers. In the hustle and bustle, Alice slipped out and hugged
her dad's leg. He stroked her hair, but his eyes never left the troopers.

'Guys, I know you're doing your job, but can't your bosses
get the message that we are not interested in their proposal?'

Jane had come up to the gate to meet her dad as well, and
one of the troopers looked at her sister. The look on his face was not
something that Alice could describe well, but she found it really creepy.

'Hello there, miss. Bet you don't get to meet too many new
men in there.'

Gladwell was about to say something, but Alice beat him to
it.

'That's my sister and you stay away from her.'

The trooper looked straight at Alice, a hard glint in his
eyes, and then he smiled.

'Now you're really scaring me, little girl. Well, we'll hang
around at the Jeep till the boss shows up.'

Just as he started walking away, Alice heard the sound of an
approaching helicopter. A sleek black copter came and landed a hundred meters
away and a black-clad officer jumped out and ran towards them. Alice noted that
he was white, like her dad and herself, while the other troopers had been
brown. Colors, races and nationalities mattered little to her, since she had
grown up in a world where the only race that mattered was whether you were
human or undead. Still, it was the first time she had seen a white Zeus
officer. He walked up to her father and saluted.

'Afternoon, Mr. Gladwell. I'm Captain Morgan, just got moved
here from Stateside. Was hoping we could get you to reconsider.'

Her father smiled back, but from the look in his eyes he was
anything but happy to see the Zeus men.