Winter Smith (Book 1): London's Burning (12 page)

              “Well, we’re not in a reasonable distance.” Winter reminded her. “I think we should wait for an evacuation squad.”

              “I want to see my family first,” Violet said, almost with embarrassment.

              Winter nodded. It was understandable, but worrying. The credits to the news began rolling on the screen. Violet patted her hand on the counter and stood up.

              “Right, well, we can’t go on the move tonight. The zombies are still in London and getting worse. People are saying they’re more likely to be seen at night, but they can go out in the day. I think as they increase, it won’t matter if the sun is in the sky.”

              “You sure you’re alright spending another night away from your mum and brothers?” Winter asked.

              “I have no choice.” Violet shrugged. “See you in the morning.”

              Winter nodded and watched Violet leave. She turned back to the TV and thought about what she could do.

              They needed to escape London within the next few days. If they didn’t, the infection spreading the world would only get worse, and London would soon be deemed inescapable. If that happened, both evacuation squads and boats would leave them behind.

              Winter wondered what would happen if Paris became infested with infection. There would be no safe place to stay. They would truly be doomed.

              She sat down in the seat Violet had vacated, thinking about how they would escape this. Would they wait, or would they make their way to the Thames?

              She opened the newspaper and read the report on the attacks in London. A lot of the photos were from the party. Winter realised why she had seen the reporters taking photos that night. Seeing the photos now, she was reliving the fear. She tried to look for her parents, but she couldn’t see them in the crowds. There was no report on specific people dying, just that once bitten, humans became infected and became one of these beasts. There were warnings on approaching these beings, which Winter laughed at. It was obvious that you shouldn’t approach them. There was information on how to barricade doors, numbers on who to contact for help, information on the evacuation squad. Winter thought it was helpful, but it wouldn’t help when facing the situation of a pandemic.

              She heard footsteps walking down from upstairs. The door opened and Connor appeared, his hair messy and wet.

              “How are you?” He asked as he approached the bar.

              “Fine.” Winter nodded. She indicated the bag of food that she had bought earlier. “I went out to get us some things.”

              Connor nodded. “Any idea when we’re going to leave?”

              Winter shook her head. “We could contact one of these evacuation squads, but Violet wants to see her family first. I won’t begrudge her that, but at the same time, there’s limited time on getting out of here.”

              “We can get to Borehamwood. I think if we left tomorrow, we could get there. If we leave it any later, probably not. But once there, I think we need to call these squads. We need to leave.”

              Winter was unsure. Borehamwood was awhile away, especially in these circumstances. Could they really do it?

              “Are those pictures from the party?” Connor asked, seeing the double-page spread of the newspaper.

              Winter nodded. “Turns out those photographs we saw were proving what happened. I don’t know if they survived, or if their cameras were found.”

              The thought sunk in for Connor.

              “Who knows?” He scanned the pages of the newspaper.  “I think we have to move, Winter,” He leant against the bar awkwardly. “I don’t think we should hang around in places longer than a day.”

              Winter nodded. She lowered her voice before speaking.

              “But what about Violet? We can’t leave for the Thames, or call an evacuation squad, because I’m pretty sure she would leave us behind and go to her family.”

              “But if that happens, we’d just have to let it, wouldn’t we?”

              Winter leant back. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Connor what Violet had told her the night before.

              “It’s complicated.” Winter muttered.

              “How is it complicated?”

              Winter sighed. She tried to ignore the question, hoping Connor would move on from the tough subject. He didn’t.

              “I’m sure she can leave her family behind, like we had to. Like a bunch of other people had to.”

              “Do you know how insensitive that sounds, Connor?” Winter asked, anger flaring up inside her. “I didn’t leave my parents behind by choice. Neither did you. It just happened that way. And if Violet has a chance to go back and save her family, she can do that.”

              “Alone,”

              “No, not alone. That would be suicidal. We go with her.”

              “It’s suicidal
to
go with her!”

              “We go, and if we find that the town is infested, we leave. It’s that simple. She has to know if there’s a chance to save her family, and if there is, I’m going to let her do that.”

              Connor sighed. He obviously didn’t see the point. Winter knew she would have to tell him.

              “Her mother has cancer.” Winter whispered.

              Connor tensed up next to Winter. He turned his head slowly to look at her, maybe to check if she was telling the truth. Winter stared straight ahead, at the dusty mirror behind the bar, alcohol logos stuck on it.

              “Her mother is bedridden,” Winter continued. “Her brothers are young. Violet is the only one that can provide for her family. That’s why she does what she does.”

              “Why was she this far out?” Connor asked.

              “She said it was business. She’s doing what she can to provide for her family.”

              “But she’s left them alone.”

              “She didn’t want to do that. My betting is that she was hoping to be back at home last night. I think we need to leave as soon as possible, not only because we have to get away from this street, but because Violet doesn’t want to leave her family any longer than she has to.”

              Connor looked tense. He ran a hand through his wet hair, sticking it up at odd angles.

              “We can’t stay long in Borehamwood,” Connor said quietly. “We call one of these evacuation squads as soon as we get there.”

              “So are you okay with going to her home?”

              Connor nodded. “I have to be. I’m not leaving you, and if you’re set on going to Violet’s place, then that is where I’ll go too. We need to all stick together.”

              “We need weapons, too.”

              Connor leafed through the information booklet Violet had left behind. He stopped at a page and turned it to Winter.

              She saw a page she never thought she would see. Guns, grenades and knives were being sold at a small garage shop in Elstree. They weren’t going for a price, but were in short supply, and would not be available for long. Winter thought it was unlikely they would get there in time.

              “It’s in Elstree,” Winter said. “How are we going to get from here, to Borehamwood, to Elstree in time?”

              Connor shrugged. “Just a good thing to remember.”

              Winter sighed. She ran a hand through her messy hair, breaking through a knot.

              “This is horrible. I just feel hopeless.”

              “Don’t. We will get through this.”

              Winter and Connor sat together that night, watching the TV. They flicked from news reports to TV shows, series in mid-flow no longer being watched by familiar audience figures.

              It was ten to twelve when she heard the noises outside. Winter and Connor froze. They listened to the sound of something falling down the street, smashing of glass, a woman’s scream in the distance. Winter stood up, her hands shaking as she crept to the window and peered out of the blinds. The street was infested with zombies, more than last night, looking for victims and trying to get into the homes and shops. As Winter watched, a group of zombies managed to break a window and began to crawl in. Winter’s heart skipped as she thought of the diner’s windows being broken. She looked at them and decided they were much too strong to break through, and reassured herself by thinking they would be out of here tomorrow. She double-checked that everything was piled high against the door.

              “Oh my god,” Connor whispered, joining Winter at the window. He spotted the smashed glass of a shop a few buildings up from theirs. “Do you think anyone is inside?”

              Winter wasn’t sure. Her eyes were drawn to the flat opposite them, the curtains still drawn.

              For a while she sat with Connor and just watched the zombies, dragging their lifeless bodies through the street and peering at every day objects with wonder. It wasn’t until they started to approach the diner windows did she shut the blinds, lock the door leading up stairs, left Connor barricading it once more, and get ready for bed.

              She jumped in the shower after checking on Violet, who had slept through the noises of the zombies outside. After feeling refreshed she went into the room with the sofa that she would be spending the night on, and looked out of the window. The zombies were still in the street, climbing up on bins and trying their best to find their victims. Other people were peering from the upstairs windows too. A man next to the flat opposite them waved at Winter and rolled his eyes. Winter smiled and waved back.

              She looked towards the shop she had been in earlier, and wondered if the old woman was alright. Maybe she had left.

              The lights began to flicker in the street and in their flat at five past one in the morning. By half two there was no longer any electricity. Connor’s mobile phone was low on battery, and Winter already felt cut off.

              “They haven’t answered.” Connor sighed. He had been trying to ring his parents all night.

              “It’s late.” Winter replied.

              Connor looked doubtful. “I don’t think they’re alive, Winter. I didn’t even leave them on good terms. My dad was out when I left for yours, and I had snapped at my mum about leaving my trainers in the hallway. I don’t live far from the coffee shop or your place. I don’t think they stood a chance.”

              Winter looked at the boy before her. She felt a pang of sadness for him. He looked so lost and defeated.

              “I didn’t think our date night would end up like this.” He laughed. “It was my first date as well.”

              “It was mine, too.” Winter smiled.

              They looked at each other for a moment, both savouring being with each other. Winter broke the eye contact first.

              Connor climbed into his bed he had made on the floor behind her, muttering about the floor behind uncomfortable.

              Winter looked over the rooftops and at the full moon that bathed the rooftops in silver light. The night was chilled and atmospheric, but alive with dead beings. She decided to open her window wide and breathe in the night air. It felt pure and seemed to calm her. The noises from the zombies intensified, and she was sure that the other streets were infested too.

              “What are you doing?” Connor gasped. “Shut the window!”

              Winter looked down and saw a group of zombies trying desperately to get to her, lifting their dead arms up to the sky and groaning stupidly, unable to comprehend they couldn’t get that high up. A border collie dog ran through the streets, sniffing at the rubbish that had spewed across the floor when zombies had fallen off the bin. The zombies completely ignored it, walking past as if it was nothing.

              A crash of more things falling in a nearby alleyway grabbed the zombie’s attention and they began to run, screaming, towards the source of the sound. Winter hoped that if it was the sound of someone escaping, they got away before it was too late.

              Winter took one last breath of the cold night air and shut the window. She listened out for any screams, hoping that she wouldn’t hear anything. Deciding it may have been one of the zombies themselves hitting something over she undressed and let a peaceful sleep wash over her.

Chapter Six

              Winter awoke to the screaming coming from the street outside, glass smashing and hissing and screeching from the zombies. Police sirens were wailing through the night air. Cars stopped, horns blasted, doors slammed and people cried out for help.