Autumn exodus, p.21
Autumn - Exodus, page 21
‘And I’m supposed to believe you just happened to be driving past and you spotted me with that?’
‘Credit me with a little intelligence,’ Piotr said. ‘I was sure they’d head north. We got back on the road first thing and just kept following the same route. I’ll be honest, though, I didn’t expect to find you. I wondered where you’d disappeared to, you slippery little fuck.’
‘Why go to so much trouble to track them down?’
Piotr shrugged. ‘I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with my old friends, say hello, maybe knock back a couple.’
‘So, basically, you feel you owe them a beating.’
‘You’re surprised?’
‘Is this what your life has become? Settling scores?’
‘You disapprove?’
Dominic back-pedalled furiously. ‘I didn’t say that, it’s just...’
‘Just what then?’
‘Just that the whole world is yours for the taking. Why are you so interested in what that pissant group do now? They’re just a bunch of nobodies. There’s only a handful of them left out here anyway.’
‘But you took a chance on them.’
‘That was different.’
‘Was it? How? We both have to admit, no matter what we think of Shires and his pals, they’re good at staying alive. Even if they don’t get all the way to Ledsey Cross, I expect whoever’s left will have a plan and they’ll get themselves set up somewhere decent. Wherever it is, whatever they make of it, I will take it from them.’
‘And what about me?’
‘What about you? I could just leave you here to rot.’
‘But we’ve always got on alright, haven’t we? We achieved great things together, you and me, remember?’
‘Oh, I remember. I just can’t recall what it was that you brought to the party.’
‘Don’t be like that,’ Dominic said. ‘All of the work we did to build the base around the Monument and reclaim the land, build up security, those ideas came from me.’
‘The bullshit came from you, yes, but it was me and my people that made it happen. And as it turned out, your ideas were pretty shitty, don’t you think? All you did was design us a massive prison cell.’
Dominic didn’t argue. He knew that wouldn’t have helped. For all his bluster, he also knew that, on some level, his intelligence and ability to communicate intimidated Piotr. But he could talk his way out of this mess, he knew he could.
‘I think you need me.’
Piotr laughed. ‘I don’t think anybody ever needed you.’
A pause. Dominic waited, letting the tension and expectation build. ‘I can help you.’
‘Yeah, right. Because you’ve been so helpful so far. Fucking idiot.’
‘No, I’m serious. I was stuck in here with them all last night. They, er, locked me in the office.’
‘Looks like they’d had enough of him too, boss,’ Harjinder said. Piotr ignored him.
‘So what?’
‘I heard all kinds of stuff,’ Dominic said. ‘Where they’re going.’
‘We’ve already established that.’
‘I know the routes they’re taking.’
‘So, tell me.’
Dominic’s heart was pounding, but he’d been in tighter spots than this. Having this thug threaten him was nothing compared to the pressure of a live TV interview straight after another government U-turn; having to parrot the correct lie whilst knowing there were hundreds of thousands of people listening to your every word. ‘No,’ he said.
Piotr smacked him in the face. It stung like a bitch, but Dominic didn’t budge.
‘Tell me.’
‘No.’
Another smack. While he was unsighted, Piotr nodded to Harjinder who grabbed Dominic’s hand and flattened it against a table, then raised a hammer above it, ready to break every bone.
‘How long do you think you’ll last out here with one hand?’ Piotr snarled.
‘About as long as you’ll last going around in circles trying to find them,’ Dominic said, spitting blood. ‘Go on, Harj, do it. I’m not talking.’
He prayed that Piotr would see sense, well aware that he was counting on the goodwill of someone who’d literally crucified the last person who’d crossed him. But his fingers remained intact, and the hammer hadn’t fallen. Yet.
‘We’re wasting our time,’ Harjinder said.
Dominic swallowed hard and shook his head. ‘Here’s the deal – you take me with you, and I’ll help you find them. Then, when you’ve sorted them out, I’ll get you to Ledsey Cross.’
‘Ledsey fucking Cross...’
‘I know what we’ve both said about that place in the past, but they wouldn’t be going if they didn’t think it exists and is worth the effort. Just stop and think about it. It could all be yours.’
‘And what’s in it for you?’
‘I’m a changed man. I just want an easy life. I’ll get you there, then I’ll disappear. I’ll stay well out of the way and keep my mouth shut.’
‘That’ll be a first.’
Kelly tapped Piotr’s arm. ‘It’s not a bad idea. It’s freezing out here. If we don’t use him, it’ll take us an age to get anywhere.’
‘He might be lying.’
‘I’m not,’ Dominic said, nervously watching the hammer poised over his hand. ‘I could tell you anything, send you off in whatever direction I choose then run the other way. But if you take me with you, I’ve got to get you to the right place, haven’t I? I’d be an idiot to risk double-crossing you.’
The room was still and silent as Piotr considered his options. Harjinder waited for his cue, keen to exert a little violence and break the deadlock.
It was rare for Alfonso to offer an opinion, but he cleared his throat and risked speaking. ‘I know you, Piotr; as long as Shires and Vicky and the others are out there, it’ll be like an itch you’ll never be able to scratch. We can get rid of them for good, and at the same time guarantee a decent outcome for us.’
Piotr thought for a moment longer. ‘You’re right. Grab anything useful you can find here. We’re leaving.’
‘What, now?’ Dominic said, surprised. Relieved. ‘But it’s getting dark out there.’
Piotr laughed at him. ‘You really are a useless little prick. Are you scared? The temperature’s dropping again so the dead won’t be an issue, and we saw tracks leading away from here. We’ll follow them as far as we can, then you can make sure we keep heading in the right direction.’
‘Okay.’
‘But listen to me, Dominic. You mess with me, and I’ll find the biggest crowd of dead bodies you’ve ever seen, I’ll fire them up, then I’ll have Harj here break all your fingers and your knees and leave you on your own right in the middle of them. Understand?’
‘Completely.’
38
In the short days and long nights of late December in the UK, daylight was at a premium. The uncertainty about what they’d come across in the miles ahead compounded their reluctance to take unnecessary risks. Though they’d likely have at least another hour of light ahead of them, the road they were following would soon pass between Pontefract and Knottingley, two reasonably large centres of population. There’d been unanimous agreement within the group that stopping and making camp sooner rather than later was preferable to pushing on and risking getting stuck near the two towns. Better to wait until morning, then make the final push to Ledsey Cross.
But Christ, even after so many weeks and months had passed, even out here in the middle of nowhere, the awful sights they uncovered were still occasionally so horrible that they were almost impossible to take in. They’d found a building that had appeared perfect for the night: isolated and protected by a tall border fence all round. The remaining frost and snow had masked its original purpose, and it was only when Sam and Joanne broke in to take a look around that they realised where they were. It had been a boarding kennel, and the two of them walked in silence along row after row of the furry, frozen husks of never collected family pets. Joanne had seen so much death over the months that she thought she’d become immune to such pain, but there was something about seeing all those helpless animals, imagining each of them dying terrified and alone, that cut her to the core. She could hardly speak. Between them, she and Sam said just enough to stop anyone else going inside to check.
A mile further down the road was a garden centre. The entrance to the building at the hub of the site was at the end of a long, sloping driveway, and they left the vehicles up on the flat. They already had enough to do tomorrow without having to dig out the truck and minibus, if it snowed again. The temperature had dropped with the disappearance of the sun, and even a heavy frost would leave them struggling to get back up the incline. They could already hear the part-thawed slush cracking and popping as it began to freeze.
This place was a much better find. It was disorientating to see ice-covered summer displays outside: rows of dead summer plants buried under snow, garden sheds and outdoor furniture hidden under mounds of white. ‘I keep forgetting,’ Sanjay said to no one in particular. ‘Our clock’s still ticking, but everyone else’s stopped last September.’
They huddled together in the heart of the spacious, brick-built store at the centre of the site. They took supplies from a small café, then collected snow for drinking water and boiled it up on gas stoves they found in an outdoor living section. Though it took an age for all eighteen of them to be fed and watered, they all had hot drinks and decent, not-entirely unpalatable, dehydrated food. Chocolate and other snacks kept the energy levels up.
‘We’re whispering,’ Noah said. ‘Why are we always whispering these days?’
‘We sound loud because everything else is so quiet,’ Orla suggested. ‘You’re right though. There’s no need while it’s so cold.’
‘It’s been months, but it still feels strange to have to be so quiet,’ Lisa said.
‘It’s not natural,’ Vicky agreed.
‘We’ll get used to it,’ David said.
Lisa wasn’t so sure. ‘Is that what we want?’
‘I could put some music on,’ Selena said, already fishing in her rucksack.
Sanjay looked worried. ‘Bit risky, don’t you think?’
‘Not so much while the dead are still frozen,’ David said, and Selena took his comment as tacit approval. She whipped out a phone from the selection she carried, then rummaged deeper for a portable speaker and a power block.
‘This is solar,’ she said, briefly waving it at him as she worked. ‘Got it from the warehouse.’
David watched her sorting the various connections with the kind of impressive digital dexterity that he’d never possessed. He wondered how long those skills would remain intact? For how long would there be technology like this left to use? It was odd to think that the human race had reached the peak of its technical abilities and was now on the most rapid of declines. The song Selena started to play – not as loud as he’d expected, and not as awful either – was enough of a distraction to take his mind off everything for a moment.
Vicky looked exhausted, her cheeks sunken and hollow. She looked around the room, soaking up the music and the moment, and her thoughts turned to all the many people they’d lost along the way. She stopped herself and instead forced her mind to focus on those who were still here. This group of people, formed and reformed from other groups and sub-groups, had all demonstrated an incredible aptitude for survival. She watched Joanne and Orla, who’d only recently got to know each other, working with quiet cooperation to make sure everyone had eaten enough. Some folks had worked hard to make the building safe, while others had done a stock-take of their new surroundings, noting everything that might be of use. ‘I feel good about what we achieved today,’ she announced. ‘I was worried we weren’t going to make it, but watching the way we’ve all come together, I’m starting to think we might just be able to do this.’
Ruth pulled her closer. ‘I’ve got to admit, I didn’t ever think we’d get this far. For what it’s worth, I think you might just be right.’
‘I think you are right,’ David said. ‘Look at us now and look at what we got through to get here. I know the temptation’s been to always look on the dark side over the last weeks and months, and Christ alone knows that’s been justified at times, but we also need to acknowledge when things go well. We’re fed and watered and reasonably warm; we’ve all seen much worse. We ought to get some sleep tonight so we can be ready to hit the road early. With a good wind at our backs, tomorrow could finally be the day we get to Ledsey Cross.’
39
DAY ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY
NEW YEAR’S DAY
It was three in the morning. The world was unexpectedly bright. The sky had been clear for much of the preceding day and there’d been no noticeable increase in cloud cover through the night so far. The temperature under the starry sky had dropped to sub-zero again, ensuring that every corpse in the vicinity – maybe even the entire country – had again frozen solid, their immediate threat neutralised. The moon was three-quarters full, and in the darkness of everything else, it appeared lit up. In turn, the light it cast was reflected equally brilliantly off the remaining snow and fresh ice. It was almost as if dawn had broken several hours too soon.
The van raced across the beautiful, alien-looking landscape at the kind of speeds people hadn’t dared drive at for months. Until tonight there’d always been the danger of herds of wandering cadavers getting in the way, or the endless congestion of the pileups that frequently blocked the roads. None of that mattered now: the dead were held safely at bay by their icy binds, and the other vehicles that had travelled this way in only the last twenty-four hours had left clear tracks to follow.
‘There,’ Dominic said. ‘Stop here.’
Alfonso slowed down and switched off the lights. There were two vehicles at the side of the road a couple hundred metres ahead of them.
‘You sure those are their vehicles?’ Harjinder asked.
‘I think so.’
‘You think so? You need to do better than that.’
‘I hid in the back of the truck; didn’t get a proper look at it.’
‘It has to be them,’ Kelly said. ‘There’s no snow on them.’
‘It’s them. One hundred per cent,’ Dominic said.
‘You’d better be right,’ Harj threatened.
Piotr’s groan silenced them. ‘We’ve been following their tracks, you idiots, which lead right to those there. Anyway, children, there’s no one else left alive, is there.’
He scanned the area with a pair of binoculars. Harjinder got out and looked through his thermal imaging camera. He was back inside in seconds. ‘Well?’
‘That’s it, boss. Big heat mass in that building down there.’
‘Okay. Right. Alf, stay behind the wheel and wait for my signal. Harj, you’re with me.’
40
Noah was fumbling around in the dark, trying to find somewhere to pee. One of the major downsides of the endless quiet, he’d discovered, was the absolute lack of privacy. You literally couldn’t fart without everyone hearing it. He should have gone last night, but the ghosts of this building had freaked him out, then sleep had got the better of him. Now he was having to feel his way through the inky black, trying to get far enough from everyone else so he could do what he needed to do without waking the rest of them up. It had been a while since he’d used a toilet for the purpose it was intended. The physics of them still worked – you only need flush them with a bucket of water afterwards. But these days the conveniences weren’t always that convenient. Typically, the shape of the dried-up bowl amplified the noise when you peed standing up. He’d taken a piss in Lakeside when he’d been on his own in the very early days, and by the time he’d been ready to shake himself dry, there’d been a crowd of corpses waiting for him outside the cubicle. Noah laughed to himself. There truly was no aspect of life that hadn’t been turned on its head by the apocalypse. You never saw that one in the movies, he thought.
It was cold inside the building, but it looked a hundred times colder out there. He was running out of options, his bladder aching. When he saw a large, bowl-shaped, gravel-filled plant pot on the other side of the dust-covered tills, he jumped the barrier and unzipped his flies. Christ, the relief was blissful. To hell with the noise.
There were lights outside. Someone up by their vehicles.
He thought David or one of the others might have gone to fetch something from the truck, but that couldn’t have been the case because there were so few of them here now, and he’d stepped over all the regular drivers on his way over to pee. Could it be the dead? Was it the first shards of sunlight reflecting off the metal and glass? Or, alright, was it what he thought it was? Is someone really trying to steal our bloody van?
‘Trouble!’ Noah yelled, and his voice echoed throughout the building, waking everyone else immediately. He shoved the glass door open and ran out into the icy morning, the drop in temperature hitting him like a punch to the gut. It felt like the cold was squeezing the air from his lungs and he struggled to keep running. Sanjay, Sam, Callum, and Joanne, all overtook him and raced up the slope. They struggled with the fresh ice, though, legs having to work twice as hard to cover half the distance. Sanjay veered off the tarmac and onto the verge at the side, the unevenness of the frozen grass and mud giving him more grip and more speed. Their truck was already moving away, but he reached the side of the van and slammed against it. In the passenger seat, Harjinder looked at him, grinned, flipped him the bird, then accelerated away. Another van followed the two stolen vehicles. With his hands on his knees, struggling to breathe, Sanjay watched it disappear. Alfonso Morterero saluted. Next to him, Dominic gave a little wave as they disappeared.
#
Back inside the Garden Centre, the angry barbs and retorts were already being hurled back and forth. ‘What the fuck did you leave the keys in the ignition for?’ Marcus demanded.
