Autumn exodus, p.13
Autumn - Exodus, page 13
‘Ah, you’re back with us then,’ Taylor said. ‘From that reaction, I take it you’ve spoken to David about me?’
‘That’s right.’
‘And how much of what he told you did you actually listen to?’
‘Enough to know you’re a self-serving bastard who doesn’t give a shit about anyone but themselves.’
‘That’s not remotely true.’
‘Is it not? I heard all the crap you told him about how you were just helping everybody else, but that was just empty talk, wasn’t it? The only person you’re interested in looking after is yourself. If you’d meant any of it, if you’d truly given a shit, then you wouldn’t have run out on the rest of us on that boat.’
‘It wasn’t like that.’
‘Don’t you think? From where I was standing – which was the top floor of a fucking burning building, by the way – that was exactly what it was like. You and all those other fuckers left us to die.’
‘If I’m being completely honest, I thought you and Shires were already dead.’
‘Yeah, well we both made it, no thanks to you.’
Taylor cut the cable-tie that he’d put around Chapman’s wrists, then handed him a coffee. Chapman wiped a dribble of blood from his nose on the back of his sleeve.
‘I’ve always done nothing but looked at a situation and then did what I could to help the people who’ve needed it most,’ Taylor said. He sounded subdued now, unsure of himself.
‘I find that very hard to believe. I think the people who needed help most were those you left stranded in the Tower of London while the city was burning. It’s a miracle any of them made it out alive.’
‘How many did make it?’
‘We got nearly everyone away from the Tower; not all chose to come. We went downriver as far as we could—’
‘Shit. Please tell me you didn’t end up at Lakeside?’
‘Don’t act so surprised. You clearly know the river was blocked there, so what else where we going to do other than walk straight into that clusterfuck that Piotr left behind?’
‘We had a plan...’
‘Who, you and Piotr?’
‘No, me and Allison. We were going to take the boat and sail back to the Tower.’
‘You expect me to believe that?’
‘That’s up to you, mate. I get why you’d be doubtful, though. If I was in your shoes, I probably wouldn’t believe me either.’
‘Strange that Allison never mentioned anything.’
‘Allie’s still alive?’
‘Yes, no thanks to Piotr. Mihai too. But we lost more than we gained at Lakeside. More than a hundred people died –’
Taylor seemed visibly shaken when he heard that. ‘Good God.’
‘Yep. Puts things in perspective, doesn’t it. You can tell that to Piotr when you see him.’
‘That’s not going to be happening anytime soon. We didn’t exactly part on good terms.’
Chapman laughed. ‘Oh, my. This is priceless. So convenient. Do you plan and practice this nonsense, or does it just flow naturally?’
‘I don’t have a clue what you’re on about.’
‘You shoot people, then you claim you’re only trying to help. You blow up the barricades around the Monument, then you convince people you did it to keep them safe. You help steal the boat and leave us all to burn, then you announce you were going to steal the same boat back and come rescue everyone? You’re just full of shit. You’re a fucking snake. You switch sides at the drop of a hat. The only person you genuinely seem to give a damn about is yourself. So long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.’
‘Finished?’
‘I was at Spitalfields, remember? I nearly died out there when you set a flood of dead bodies on us.’
‘I was trying to protect Helen and keep things calm.’
‘Yeah, that worked out just perfectly.’
The man who’d been loitering in the doorway stepped forward. ‘I can vouch for Tony.’
‘And who the hell are you?’
‘Edward Hollins. I’ve lived and worked here all my life. There were thirty-eight of us here until that bastard Piotr turned up. He drove us out of our homes and took everything we had, everything we’d worked for.’
‘Sorry to hear that.’
‘Eight people joined him, and we lost another half dozen that him and his lot murdered. If it hadn’t been for Tony here, we’d have lost a hell of a lot more.’
‘There’s no reasoning with Piotr anymore,’ Taylor said. ‘It was a tough ask trying to deal with him as it was.’
‘Doesn’t Dominic still have him on a leash?’ Chapman asked.
‘Dominic’s gone. Missing. Presumed very, very dead.’
‘That’s no tragedy. What happened?’
‘After leaving Lakeside, Piotr pulled the same stunt again at Stansted Airport. Dominic, Stan, Amit, and a few others bought it in the chaos.’
‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Dominic Grove’s, but he had a weird sort of sway over that lot; they’d listen to him. If he’s gone, there really is no point trying to talk to Piotr.’
‘There’s no point at all,’ Edward said. ‘A couple of our lot, Sally and Alan, both tried. They’re two of the six who died.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Beats me why he can’t just fuck off somewhere else. The country’s plenty big enough, surely. Why destroy what we’d worked to build?’
‘Because that’s how he rolls. He’s a megalomaniac, complete with cronies to do his dirty deeds. The guy’s an absolute fucking parasite, gets off on spreading fear. He surrounds himself with people who are frightened of him, and he gets them to take whatever he decides he wants. I should know. I was stupid enough to listen to him until he fucked me over too.’
Edward was fully in the room now. ‘So, what do we do about it?’
‘I’m not doing anything until my people are safe.’
‘Where are they?’ Taylor asked.
‘Surrounded by dead bodies in the middle of Yaxley.’
‘That’s simple enough to put right,’ Edward said, and Chapman laughed. Edward was less than impressed. ‘I’m serious. Sounds like you got stuck halfway down Broadway.’
‘Yeah, we walked straight into your trap.’
Edward scoffed. ‘That wasn’t a trap.’
‘Felt that way to me.’
‘You don’t understand,’ Taylor said. ‘What Ed and the others have done here is nothing short of amazing. Dominic Grove might have had the ideas, but here in Yaxley, they’ve made them reality. That’s why we’ve stayed close. We can’t afford to give it all up.’
‘I was a farmer,’ Ed explained. ‘I started off just trying to keep us all fed, then I realised I could use some of the same tools and techniques to keep the dead in check. You saw the fields, I take it?’
‘You’re farming corpses?’
‘I wouldn’t put it that way, but you’re not a million miles off. Corralling and culling might be a better way of putting it. It’s quite straightforward, actually. We’re close to the city, you see, so we needed to find some way of controlling the numbers. We round them up and then, when there’s too many, we get rid of them.’
Chapman shook his head. Were these people crazy or inspired?
Taylor sensed his uncertainty. ‘Listen, pal, I’ve burned my bridges with Piotr.’
‘He knows who you are?’
‘Yeah. Allison already knew. Do you remember Mark Desai?’
‘The kid who was one of the runners back in London?’
‘That’s him. He overheard Allison talking to Mihai about me, and he must have grassed me up to the boss. I sensed he knew something, so I’d been keeping my head low. Piotr was focused on taking control of the warehouses and pushing out this lot, so I jumped ship and helped them get away. Two birds with one stone, and all that.’
‘It’s true,’ Ed said.
‘So, until Piotr’s out of the picture, I’m as fucked as the rest of you.’
‘What are you going to do about it?’ Chapman asked.
‘Get as far away from here as we can. Which is a real bloody shame because this place is as good as it gets. Ed had everything running nicely, by all accounts, and the Amazon warehouses made things infinitely easier. Trouble is, even though there are more of us, most of them wouldn’t last five minutes going up against Piotr’s lot. They’ve gone proper Mad Max, follow me?’
Chapman looked at Ed. ‘You said you could get my people out of that mess they’re stuck in?’
‘Yep. Might take a little while, but I can do that, no problem.’
‘What are you thinking?’ Taylor asked.
‘I’m thinking I’ve got almost eighty people back there, all of them keen to see the back of Piotr. They’re not all fighters, but they’ve made it this far, so they’ve got something about them. I’m thinking that with those kinds of numbers, and with everything you know about the area, Ed, we should force Piotr and his cronies out. From what I’ve seen of what’s left of the country these last couple of days, this place is bloody Shangri-La.’
21
The warehouse was an absolute treasure trove. Since they’d been here, Harjinder had struggled to think of anything they might conceivably need that he hadn’t yet been able to find on some shelf. Okay, so without power and computers, things were nowhere near as efficient as they otherwise might have been, but it was nothing they couldn’t get around. He thought they could have done with that geeky kid Georgie here. Jeez, cataloguing the entire contents of two warehouses would have kept that nerd busy for weeks.
Right now, Harj wanted something to eat. That was the only thing that let this place down. They’d be comfortable here, of that much he was certain, but they’d need to go further afield to maintain a decent stock of food and drink. It would be worth a little more effort because this place was the fucking business.
It had taken him longer than expected to get to the point where he was comfortable with his position in the new world order, and if he was honest with himself, he still wasn’t completely sold. He’d slept through Armageddon; it had come after three twelve-hour shifts in a row, and he’d been completely unaware. Literally from the moment he woke up and discovered what had happened, he’d been fantasising about what this post-apocalyptic world might hold. He’d daydreamed his way through the usual cliches... the freedom, the power, the sheer excitement of surviving each day, truly living. He could go wherever he wanted and do whatever he pleased, but as yet the reality hadn’t quite matched the fantasy, particularly not when the dead began to rise. Still, he’d never lost sight of how it might one day be. It was never about rebuilding society or trying to reboot the old world, making humanity’s mistakes all over again. All Harjinder had ever been worried about was making the most of whatever time he had left, set up in this monster-laden destruction, and even if he survived another few decades, there’d still be enough stuff lying around here to keep him occupied. They’d barely scratched the surface so far. A life of looting and pillaging lay ahead of him. He was looking forward to it after practicing for years in video games, but he wasn’t there yet. It put him at odds with some of the others, most notably Paul Duggan. They wanted to party. He wanted to be certain they were in the clear, then party. There was a subtle difference; eat your vegetables first sort of thing.
Darren Adams walked past Harjinder with his arms loaded with books. ‘I heard Piotr was looking for you,’ he said, his face just visible over the top of his pile. Harjinder acknowledged him and changed direction.
One end of the larger of the two buildings was given over to a maze of rooms that had originally been offices and staffrooms. The desks and uncomfortable office chairs had been dumped in the carpark, replaced from the treasure stacked in the warehouse aisles. They’d no doubt move into more comfortable accommodation later, but for now this area was being used as a makeshift living space. There was a definite pecking order here, to which no one dared object. He’d quickly taken over one of the two training rooms for himself, leaving Paul to claim the other. On the opposite side of the same narrow corridor was a meeting room that was as big as all the training spaces combined. That was where Piotr hung out.
Harjinder knocked on the door. Kelly unlocked and opened it. Other than a long winter coat, she was wearing only underwear. Kelly and Laura were the only decent-looking women around, and Piotr had them both when he wanted them. The girls were another post-apocalyptic cliché made real; they flashed their tits on demand for the boss, the same way he flexed his muscles for him.
‘He’s over there,’ Kelly said, sounding barely interested, vaguely gesturing somewhere towards the other end of the room.
They’d all taken their fair share of stuff from the warehouse since they’d been here, but Piotr had built up a stash that dwarfed everyone else’s. The end of the room was packed to the rafters, more stuff than he could possibly need. The focal point was an unmade bed that was surrounded by empty bottles and food wrappers and an unexpected number of books. Piotr was sitting on a gaming chair, reading a novel, spinning idly. Harjinder coughed. Piotr stopped spinning but didn’t look up.
‘I heard you were looking for me, Piotr.’
‘Just wanted to know what was going on.’
‘Nothing, boss, why?’
‘That’s what I want to hear. I’d like it to stay that way.’
‘Everybody seems happy. Pretty chill, to be honest.’
‘Good.’
‘Paul said something about going to look for food later. Other than that, I’ve not heard much from anyone.’
‘Good,’ he said again. ‘Keep an eye on him, will you.’
‘Who, Paul?’
‘Who else do you think I mean? He’s not as savvy as you. He’s becoming a bit of a loose cannon.’
‘Yes, boss.’ Harjinder paused. ‘Was that all, or was there something else?’
Piotr looked up at him. ‘You tell me, Harj. Is there something else we need to talk about?’
Harjinder shrugged, awkward. ‘Don’t think so.’
‘You seem tense.’
‘Not at all.’
‘Sure?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘I think you are. I’ve noticed it a couple of times now. You need to relax.’
‘I am relaxed.’
‘You don’t seem it. You seem a bit tense. Do you want Laura to come and loosen you up later?’
Harjinder hesitated. Was he supposed to say no because she was with Piotr, or should he accept the offer? Would turning Piotr down make him look like less of a man? ‘Yeah. That’d be good. I’ve got a couple of things to do first, then I—’
Piotr snapped his book shut, truncating Harjinder’s words. ‘See? I told you.’
‘Told me what? Sorry, boss... I don’t follow.’
‘You don’t switch off, Harj, and that’s a good thing. People like Paul, they’re already checked out. You and me, though, we need to keep our eyes open at all times. Understand?’
‘Sure,’ he said, and he genuinely did, though he had a sneaking suspicion Piotr might have delivered the exact same speech to Paul already and just swapped their names.
‘Thing is, the troops are losing focus, and I get that. Yes, I know, we need food, and we have to watch out for the dead, but that’s about all, innit. They already think we’ve won. Job well done and all that, time to relax. It’s a good point; if we’re smart, we won’t have to leave this place for a long time. I just don’t want people getting complacent. I want you to keep an eye on things for me, make sure nothing’s getting missed.’
Harjinder felt uneasy. Unsure. Was he actually being tasked with something or challenged? ‘I get it, Piotr. You can rely on me.’
‘I know I can, but I sense your hesitation. It’s going to take some getting used to the new way of things. It doesn’t feel right yet because you’re still living in the old world, playing by the old rules. Things are different now. Look at what happened at Lakeside. We’re already unstoppable, just imagine what it’ll be like once the dead are finished. It’s all ours, mate. All of it.’
22
‘Stop the van,’ Orla shouted. ‘Fuck me, would you just look at that.’
Sam slammed on the brakes. It was still counter-intuitive to stop suddenly in the middle of a once-busy road like this, but before he could say anything, Orla had jumped out of the back and run across the carriageway. Joanne caught his eye in the mirror. ‘I’ll go with her,’ she said.
Orla squeezed through the gap between two rusted wrecks, batting away the flapping hand of a corpse that stretched out through a broken window. The monster strained at its seatbelt restraint, its outstretched fingertips brushing against her. Unbothered, she climbed through a sparse hedge and over a waist-high wooden fence.
‘Orla, hold on,’ Joanne said, but her voice was lost in the noise of the rain. When she finally caught up, Orla was standing in the middle of a dirt track alongside a field that looked like it had been recently ploughed. Most everywhere else there were weeds taking over, but here the ground appeared to have been recently churned and was devoid of all vegetation.
It was the distinctive shapes that had caught Orla’s eye from the van, the piles of skulls and bones. Far from being empty, the field in front of them was filled with burnt human remains. For the most part they lay level on the ground, but in places corpses had built up in clumps, burnt flesh, ash, and blackened bones wedged against each other where the living dead had been unable to escape. The relative elevation of these cremated heaps made them easier to distinguish. There was a very visible leg stuck straight up like a flagpole with the remains of a foot flapping at the top. Elsewhere, two corpses were locked together in an eternal embrace, crisscrossed ribs intertwined like wickerwork, wrapped together... there had been hundreds of corpses here once, perhaps a thousand or more, all now reduced to a single, surreal, never-ending tangle. The stench of charred meat hung in the air.
‘What the fuck is this?’
