The Undead Day Nineteen (7 page)

He doesn’t know what prioritise means but he thinks she means they should get rid of his dead mates first. He nods, trying to look like he understands.

‘This must be very sad for you,’ she says softly, showing pity on the outside while feeling something else altogether on the inside. A hardening. A revulsion for all that he is. A wish to be away from him and his kind. A desire to repel him and get him as far away as possible. She saw the bulge in his trousers when he turned to look at the bodies and knows exactly what he is thinking. The reaction is so strong and for that briefest of seconds she wishes she had the skills of Dave or Mr Howie. She’s not the only young woman in the fort. There are plenty of teenage girls hiding down amongst the survivors. Girls in their early twenties too. Full breasted women that will soon get the eyes of the boys carrying guns and the cackling of the girls in the police office.

The Lord of the Flies and the primeval desire for power with youths driven by chemicals pumping through their immature bodies forcing them to grow into men and women. Testosterone. Oestrogen. Raging hormones that swing moods from buoyant and wild abandon to downright evil with an utter disregard for the needs of anyone else. Too immature to grasp the concept of having half their own group killed but mature enough to have erections and sexual desires.

‘We must stay busy,’ Lilly mutters, voicing her thoughts. ‘I mean, we should make a start and…and…’

‘See my room later then yeah?’ Zayden asks, giving warning of a dogged determination.

‘I er…I think…er yes, yes that would be lovely.’

Nick. You have to come back. You must come back. Please, come back.

Seven

‘Look at him,’ Sam mutters, stepping closer to Pea, ‘He’s like a dog on heat. How old is she?’

‘Fifteen,’ Pea says.

‘Where do you want us?’ A woman asks making both of them turn round.

‘Hi,’ Pea says, ‘you’ve had a drink?’

The woman nods as she casts a worried look to the two armed boys standing nearby, ‘Any food?’ She asks, dropping her voice for fear of being heard. ‘My lot are starving.’

Sam looks past the woman to her group standing a few feet back. Young children clinging to grandparents already frail and weak but doing their best to show resilience and a stiff upper lip.

‘Not yet,’ Sam says sadly.

‘Okay,’ the woman says dully, ‘Where do you want us? Someone said you’re organising the work parties?’

‘Er yes,’ Pea says, exchanging a glance with Sam, ‘you’ve got young children?’

‘Three.’

‘Can you start with the tents please?’ Pea asks. ‘We’ve got bodies to clear but…’

‘But we’ll ask people that don’t have children,’ Sam finishes her sentence, sensing Pea struggling to say the words.

‘Children?’ The woman asks, showing confusion.

‘The bodies,’ Sam says. ‘They’re mostly kids.’

‘All kids,’ Pea adds, dropping her gaze.

‘Oh,’ the woman sighs heavy and long, ‘tents then,’ she says with an air of resignation, ‘where are we putting them?’

‘Gates?’ Sam asks, nudging Pea.

‘I think so, get them stacked ready to take away.’

The woman moves off with her head bowed and heavy legs that trudge back to her group. Everyone is the same. Heads down. Eyes averted. Conversations muted and whispered.

‘She needs to be careful,’ Sam says.

‘Careful?’ Pea asks, staring after the woman, ‘Why? What’s she done?’

‘Not her brainache,’ Sam says with a tut knowing Pea won’t take offence, ‘Lilly.’

‘Oh, that boy.’

‘Yes that boy and he’s not a boy. He’s a walking erection with a gun.’

Pea can’t help but snort a dry laugh and glance that quizzical look that Sam knows so well.

‘Well,’ Sam says pointedly, ‘He bloody is. Trust me, I’ve got boys…I know what they’re bloody like.’ Her own words reach her ears as they come out. The reminder of her family, of her sons and husband. Of the life she had before this.

‘Sam,’ Pea says, whispering the word sadly.

‘Forget it,’ Sam says darkly, ‘We need to keep an eye on her,’ she drops her voice as Lilly approaches with the walking erection at her side.

‘Hey,’ Pea says, forcing a bright tone, ‘Everything okay?’

‘Fine,’ Lilly says, mimicking the same bright
everything is fine
tone but her eyes translate the message,
everything is not fine. Everything just got more shit.

‘Great,’ Pea smiles at Lilly then at Zayden. ‘We’ve got a few work parties moving the tents.’

‘I can see,’ Lilly says, stopping to look round, ‘Lenski back yet?’

‘Not seen her,’ Sam says, making herself not glare at Zayden and fighting the urge not to twist his ear from his head for staring at women’s boobs that way. If ever a boy needed a spanking.

‘But er,’ Pea hesitates, ‘the bodies…nearly everyone here has children and we were trying to find someone who doesn’t have kids…you know…’

‘Yes, yes of course,’ Lilly replies heavily wishing Zayden would bugger off for a few minutes. Pea is right. It’s unfair to ask people with children to shift the dead bodies of other children. ‘I’ll do it,’ Lilly adds.

‘No you won’t,’ Sam says.

‘Miss?’

They look round to an old man waiting patiently with his quavering hand shielding the glare of the sun from his eyes. ‘The deceased?’

‘Deceased?’ Sam asks.

‘Over yonder, deceased children. You need ‘em moved?’

‘Er well yes, yes we do,’ Lilly says, ‘but…’ she takes in his wispy grey hair and thin mottled skin. His hands so aged and gnarled. ‘I’m sure we can…’

‘I’ll be doing that then,’ the old man says, ‘deceased don’t bother me none, Miss. Undertaker for forty years before I retired. Mind that was a few years back now but the dead don’t change now do they.’

‘Undertaker?’ Pea asks, offering a rare silent prayer of thanks for this glimmer of goodness in a world of pain and hurt.

‘Aye, was,’ the old man replies. ‘Where’s you resting them? They being dressed or anything?’

‘May I ask what dressed means?’ Lilly asks.

‘Prepare for burial or cremation my love,’ the old man explains, ‘you know, according to the wishes of the next o’kin or…well, whoever knew ‘em really.’

‘I think,’ Lilly says, ‘that we are er…disposing of the deceased at sea? Zayden? Is that correct?’

‘Huh?’

‘The deceased? Are we disposing of them at sea?’

‘The what?’ Zayden asks.

‘Your dead friends,’ Sam snaps.

Zayden eyes harden instantly. His frame stiffening automatically at the perception of an older person trying to exert authority on him. ‘Fuckin’ speak to me like that.’

‘It’s hot,’ Lilly blurts, moving in front of Zayden, ‘it’s so hot and we’re hungry…it makes people get a bit snappy…Sam didn’t mean anything.’

‘She didn’t,’ Pea adds quickly, ‘Sam? It’s just the heat isn’t it?’

Zayden glares. His nostrils flaring and his eyes locked on Sam who for an instant glares back with the pressure of the pistol digging into her back. Common sense kicks in. The instinct for survival and she lowers her eyes, ‘yeah it’s hot. Sorry.’

‘Eh?’ Zayden says, still glaring past Lilly.

‘I said sorry,’ Sam says, keeping her head bowed.

‘Zayden, are we putting the dead bodies into the sea?’ Lilly asks, smiling at his brown eyes and ignoring the white headed zit poking between two thin strands of hair on his chin.

‘Whatever’ Zayden reverts to sulky non-compliance.

‘I think that’s best. I’m sure it’s what Maddox will tell us to do once he has recovered,’ Lilly says, ‘and we don’t want to go against Maddox’s wishes do we?’

‘God no,’ Pea says, getting the subliminal message that might as well have been hailed through a megaphone with a plane dragging a message behind while fireworks went off.

Zayden just shrugs. The subtlety missing its mark.

‘I’ll be getting on with it then,’ the old man says, ‘but if you putting ‘em in the sea you’ll need to weigh ‘em down so they don’t float up. Don’t need much for that. Some string and some rocks will do it,’ he shuffles round to view the debris scattered across the fort, ‘plenty of material here for that. Tell you what. I’ll get ‘em out onto that shore first. Out of sight is out of mind. The living don’t like to see the dead you see. Upsets ‘em it does.’

‘You’ll need help,’ Lilly says as he starts walking off.

‘Ah never mind that. I got a bit of strength left in me yet.’

‘Ask for Hannah and Amy in the hospital rooms.’

‘Okay, Miss. Hannah and Amy it is.’

‘Zay, it’s Skyla. You getting’ me?’

‘Yeah, what’s up?’
Zayden answers his radio feeling important and making sure Lilly can see him.

‘Sierra said you’s got to get that fuckin wall fixed yeah? Said them’s bitches should be doing that first.’

Zayden nods, not realising a nod into a radio can’t be heard or seen. Sam and Pea look at Lilly who makes sure her face betrays no emotion.

‘Zay, you dumb cunt, you get me or what?’

‘Yeah,’
Zayden answers sulkily.

‘
We’s need more drinks in here too.’

‘Get ‘em then.’

‘We’s planning. We thinkin’ and plannin’ and shit. Sierra said get some fuckin’ drinks yeah.’

‘Whatever,’
Zayden sucks his teeth, a sound like a long tut.

‘Perhaps we can go and assess the wall ourselves?’ Lilly says to Sam and Pea. ‘See what the damage is?’

‘Sounds good,’ Pea says.

‘You’s two,’ Zayden barks at his subordinates, ‘get some drinks in the pig office, you get me?’

‘Why’s can’t they get them?’

‘Cos they planning and shit, you’s get ‘em.’

‘Yeah whatever,’ the first boy replies, sucking his teeth. They lope off, clutching assault rifles and glaring at anyone foolish enough to be in their way.

‘Sorted,’ Zayden says, feeling pleased with his ability to delegate in this new forward facing role of customer service and delivery. ‘Wall then yeah? I’s come with you yeah.’

They head off through the slow activity of hungry, hot, exhausted and emotionally drained people shifting through the squelchy black mess. Every pile of slag disturbed sends a waft of new stenches into the air. Fibres that lift on the thermals with ash and choking dust. Hands get covered in grime and filth and a woman cries out on finding a burnt corpse lying hidden in the debris.

‘Like the holocaust,’ Pea mutters, not realising her thoughts are being given a voice.

‘It is,’ Lilly takes the observation instantly. The old footage of the war and Jews being forced to work in shit under order of death. The people here aren’t starving yet, or emaciated, but they have that same stunned appearance. The spark of life vanishing quickly. Youths dressed in dark clothes that are only too quickly gaining a sense of superiority.

Boulders, rocks and bricks lie thicker on the ground the closer they get to the scene of the explosion. The inner wall of the old armoury blown out far and wide.

‘These poor children,’ Lilly says in conversation to Sam and Pea, ‘I think an awful lot of them were injured or killed last night.’

‘Yeah?’ Sam asks as Pea tuts sadly.

‘I think they’re down to about thirty now,’ Lilly says, letting the words hang in the air.

Pea stares ahead, her heart beating faster. Surely Zayden would have picked up on that message but he looks blank and only interested in Lilly.

Sam stares round. To the few at the back by the new armoury, then down to the gate and back ahead to the youths standing about by the broken wall who are meant to be keeping watch. Thirty? So few.

‘Zay,’ Liam tilts his head back trying to adopt a soldier’s stance of legs planted wide and his gun held across the crook of his arms. Sam bites her tongue and the motherly instinct to tell him to stand properly and to go and have a wash and brush his teeth.

‘Liam, what’s up?’

‘Nuffin’, you?’

‘Nuffin’. What’s you doing?’

‘On watch innit.’

‘You’s watching out here?’

‘Yeah stinks as fuck in there.’

‘Yeah,’ Zayden snorts, too stupid to think of what to say.

‘May we go inside?’ Lilly asks, taking care to look equally at Zayden and Liam.

‘You’s asked Sierra?’ Liam asks, showing a greater intelligence than Zayden within the first few seconds.

‘Yeah, she said we’s got to fix it,’ Zayden replies.

‘How’s you gonna fix it then?’ Liam asks, ‘it’s a big hole. If they come now we’re fucked. Are you three gonna fix it?’

‘Oh gosh no,’ Lilly smiles at him, ‘we are going to assess the damage and work out the best method to get the room secured using the available materials. Once we have established the extent of the damage we can try and identify the people with the best skills to…’

Liam’s eyes glance at Zayden who stares mesmerised at Lilly. Lilly is fit as fuck. Zayden is spotty as fuck. No way will she let him shag her. No fucking way.

‘…If that’s okay with you, of course,’ Lilly asks.

‘Whatever yeah,’ Liam says, smiling at Lilly.

Zayden scowls and casts a dark look at Liam. Liam has shagged two or three girls already and once got his hand up Skyla’s top so he knows he’ll try and score with Lilly. He looks at Lilly smiling at Liam then back to Liam with a pulse of jealousy pricking his insides.

‘I got’s my own room,’ Zayden tells Liam.

‘So have I,’ Liam replies with a cheeky grin.

‘Yeah? Where?’

‘Where’s yours?’ Liam asks.

‘Dunno yet, Skyla said I’ll get one though.’

‘Me too,’ Liam says with a smirk. ‘Lilly, you getting a room then?’

‘Me?’ Lilly asks.

‘Yeah, you must be like a crew chief now,’ Liam says, flashing the smile that helped him get his hand up Skyla’s top when she was pissed and for the simple pleasure of winding Zayden up.

Zayden glowers. Sensing Liam using his magical charm. ‘I’m working with Lilly now, bruv.’

‘Yeah?’ Liam asks.

‘Yeah.’

Liam squints and leans forward to stare at Zayden, ‘Bruv, you’s got a massive whitehead on your chin.’

‘Fuck off,’ Zayden growls, glowing crimson with a surge of temper at the smirk on Liam’s face.

‘May we go inside?’ Lilly asks.

‘Yeah,’ Zayden grunts.

‘Carry on,’ Liam says, smiling politely.

Lilly leads the way. Stepping over the fallen masonry and into the main room where she kissed Nick. Blackened piles on the ground where the table and chairs were. Everything flammable reduced to ash and chunks of burnt material.