A zombie novella

before safe haven: Alex

Christopher Artinian

Published by Headless RAM Publishing

COPYRIGHT © 2018

CHRISTOPHER ARTINIAN

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

DEDICATION

Blood makes you relatives., love makes you family.  

Family is everything.

Chapter One

Day 1

“I swear, you’re all bloody spineless,” barked Mike as the cricket team finished their drinks. “I’d field close in myself, but it’s a bit bloody difficult when I’m the one doing the fucking bowling.” The rest of the men cast their eyes down to the floor, and Alex let out a small laugh. Mike had a knack for shaming people.

“Look,” said Alex, “Brian, can keep wicket, and I’ll go to silly-mid-on.”

“No! Bollocks to that. You’re the keeper, you’re keeping. I just won’t have any close in fielders for my bowling.”

“It’s not like we’re going to win. We need five wickets, and they only need twenty-eight runs,” said one of the men.

“What did you say?” said Mike taking a step towards the man who’d spoken. It was only then the other player realised he’d spoken out loud. He shuffled in his chair and suddenly looked nervous. “What did you say?” asked Mike again.

Alex headed over and put his hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Calm down,” he whispered.

“Yeah, I’ll calm down alright,” said Mike shooting icy stares towards the other man. “With that bloody attitude we’ll never win a thing. Games are won in the head long before they’re won on the field. Sounds like you lot have already given up. Well, I’m not giving up until the last ball’s bowled. Tossers,” he said, storming out of the changing room.

When he left, all heads turned towards Alex. “You need to control him,” said one of the other team members. “He can’t talk to people like that. Vice-captain or not. I hope to Christ Jack’s better for next week’s game. This shit just saps the fun out of playing.”

“Mike takes the game seriously. It’s a pride and honour thing with him,” said Alex.

“Yeah, in the meantime, the rest of us bloody suffer for his pride and honour. Having a fucking kid speaking to us like that. It’s not on.”

“Tell him then,” said Alex, smiling.

“Oh yeah, and wake up in St James’ hospital. No thanks.”

“Come on,” said another of the cricketers standing up. Let’s get this over with. We’ll be at the pub for eight o’clock the rate this match is going.”

Mike was already in the middle as he watched the rest of the team come out from the dressing room. “So you’re their secret weapon,” laughed the batsman as he practiced a forward defensive shot.” Mike just looked at him. “You know it’s these wooden things here that you’re aiming for,” he said pointing to the wickets, and he and the other batsman laughed again. Mike remained silent, but continued to stare.

“You might regret that comment,” said Alex to the first batsman as he crouched behind the stumps. He looked round to see the slip fielders were well back. He couldn’t blame them. Mike was a very, very fast bowler. Alex often wondered if he could have gone professional if he hadn’t been sent away to that young offenders institute.

“Oh yeah?” said the batsman. “I highly doubt that.”

Mike ran up to the delivery crease and a ball of red lightning left his hand. It bounced on the dry pitch and swung in so quickly that the batsmen fell to the floor, holding his crotch before he even registered the sound of the rock-hard cricket ball smashing into the protective box that covered his delicate areas. Despite the protection, the speed and angle of the ball caused a collision resulting in agonising pain. Tears came to the batsman’s eyes, and ripples of laughter could be heard over the ground.

“What were you saying?” asked Alex, smirking and walking around the stumps to help the pained batsman to his feet. Mike didn’t even acknowledge the fallen man, he retrieved the ball, retraced his run up, and waited until the umpire said play was in session again.

After a few minutes, the young batsman took guard and nodded. The umpire turned and nodded to Mike, who immediately began his freight train approach to the delivery crease. He released the ball and there was another echoing clatter. This time, the middle wicket collapsed. Alex had to dodge out of the way as the heavy wood cartwheeled past him.

The Umpire raised his finger and the batsman, far less sure of himself than he had been a few minutes earlier, started the walk back to the pavilion.

“Prick!” muttered Mike as the other man walked past him. The batsman was going to respond, but saw the look in Mike’s eyes and thought better of it.

The match was finished off within fifteen minutes. Mike took three of the five wickets they needed and ran another player out. He didn’t speak to anyone as they all got changed after the match, not even Alex. Mike was prone to dark moods. Alex had been his step father for long enough to know when to approach him and when to leave him alone.

The players showered, dressed and despite them winning the match, none of them were in a celebratory mood. They had been proved wrong as Mike had almost single handedly won the game. “See you at the pub, Alex,” said the final player as he left the dressing room, leaving Alex to talk to Mike, alone.

“You never have to doubt that I’m on your side. It’s just sometimes...tact is an issue for you,” said Alex.

“Tell me. What’s the virtue of using tact around people like that? They’re all bloody defeatists. How can they possibly win games with the attitudes they have?”

Alex sat down beside his step son. “Listen to me. These guys enjoy a good game, but it’s as much a social thing for them as anything else. It’s not like the last club you were in. They’re not in that league, Mike. You have to appreciate that.”

Mike clasped his hands together and stared at them for a moment. “I really don’t understand them,” he said.

Alex smiled. “I know you don’t, mate, and that’s what makes you who you are, but you need to trust me on this.”

When Alex had first come onto the scene, neither Mike or his sister Emma had taken to him. He was merely a usurper. Someone who would take their mum’s affection away from them. Alex had known it from the start. He had probably tried too hard, and that had alienated the pair of them. Then when Alex and Sandra had got pregnant, first with Sammy, and then with Jake, Mike and Emma became even more withdrawn. For years they had suffered at the hands of an abusive father, and they were instinctively mistrustful. Alex didn’t blame them, and he refused to give up. It had been worth it. Not only was Mike a son to him now, but since Sandra had died, they had become the very best of friends.

“C’mon, let’s go to the pub and build a few bridges,” said Alex standing up and ruffling Mike’s hair.

“I’m pretty certain they won’t want to see me there,” said Mike.

“You’d be surprised at people’s capacity to forgive when they’ve got a couple of pints in them,” said Alex.

✽ ✽ ✽

The chatter was wild yet nervous as they entered the pub. Screens of mobile phones flashed all over the tavern. “Over here, Alex,” called one of the team members, waving. “Have you seen this?” he asked, showing them both a mobile phone screen as they approached.

“Seen what?” asked Alex.

“This!” said the man, as a Youtube video began playing. The country had been subjected to multiple cyber-attacks over the last few months, resulting in very patchy network services. For the last three days, there had been no internet anywhere in the country. Mobile phone networks had been struggling too. There had been voice calls but no data. For the time being, though, the small screen held its audience as broken images of what appeared to be amateur footage showed a group of wild looking people running down a street, before attacking a mother carrying her child. Not just attacking, but biting, ripping, tearing. Mike and Alex leaned into the phone to hear the soundtrack over the noise in the pub. The person taking the video was gasping in horror.

“There are thousands of videos like this, all over the world,” said Alex’s friend.

“That type of stuff’s been around forever. They’re just hoaxes,” said Mike, heading to the bar.

“I don’t think they are y’know.”

“Okay, Jimmy, if they’re not hoaxes, what do you think they are?” asked Alex.

“Do you remember that series? The old BBC one. It was about a rabies outbreak. It looks a hell of a lot like that to me,” said Jimmy. Alex sat back and looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow, then he looked around the rest of the pub. Whatever it was, it had other people convinced too.

Mike returned with pints for himself, Alex and Jimmy.

“Cheers, they all said in unison clinking their glasses together.”

Suddenly, the time bell rang and everyone turned round to look at the bar. There was still three hours before the pub shut, what the hell was going on?

“Quiet! The lot of you!” shouted the barman. As he looked towards the large TV screen hanging on the wall and turned the volume up to the maximum.

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM TO BRING YOU AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER.

“Oh shit! This is it,” said Jimmy. “It’s true. It’s all true.”

Chapter Two

The screen went black for a moment, and then the Prime Minister, Andy Beck appeared. He began to speak, and every set of eyes in the place were glued to the screen.

“My fellow citizens, these are grave times. Grave times demand grave measures, and it is for this reason I am addressing you this evening.”

Mike and Alex immediately looked towards each other. What the hell was going on?

“The deadliest virus our scientists have ever encountered is sweeping across the planet. It is unlike anything we have seen before. Something that was previously science fiction has become science fact. The dead are coming back to life.”

Someone laughed and said “Bollocks” to which a dozen more told him to shut up. All eyes returned to the screen.

“This virus is not airborne. It is transmitted by bites, scratches or any other ingestion of bodily fluids from a carrier. It is for this reason that I am taking the unprecedented measure of closing our borders.

As of 1700 hours, I have invoked a strict ban on international travel. All our airports will be closed to international flights. Our ports will close, and the Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force will be patrolling our waters to guarantee our safety. I have been in close contact with the Irish premiere and she has agreed the same. Britain and Ireland are two of the last places to have no cases of infection. I have recalled every serving member of the military back to our shores. Each one will be subject to a strict physical and medical examination, and after a short period of quarantine will return to serving their country.

Every household in the country will receive an information pack about this virus in the next few days. In it there will be details on how to identify signs of the infection. What you should do if you suspect someone of being infected, and there will also be a list of emergency numbers.

Make no mistake, this is the greatest challenge this country has ever faced, and it is more important than ever that we face it together. It is for this reason that I am invoking another set of measures. As every citizen of this country will be aware, the downturn in international commerce has seen unemployment skyrocket. While we have endeavoured to protect our social security system the best we can, the situation is now becoming untenable.

So, I am conscripting all unemployed people between the ages of 16 and 40 to serve in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces; and all the able bodied aged between forty-one and sixty-five who are currently unemployed will be drafted into the food, textile, arms manufacturing and utilities industries. I am re-opening all mothballed coal mines and renationalising all transport, communication companies and utility companies.

I realise online communications have been increasingly erratic over the past months, and so in an effort to facilitate the free flow of crucial information, internet service will now be free and available to everyone nationwide.

Our scientists are still receiving data from counterparts in several countries and as Ireland and ourselves are the last remaining nations with a cohesive infrastructure, it has fallen on us to supply any state or country still trying to beat the outbreak with all the help we can. This is no time to be profiteering from the misfortunes of others, but the simple fact is we cannot afford to provide endless supplies of medicines, food and arms which we may very well end up needing ourselves. So, in return for our help, we have set up trade deals with the United States, Russia, Norway, France and a number of other nations still capable of operating on a basic logistical level. This will strengthen our own resilience in combatting this near apocalyptic catastrophe, and give these nations a fighting chance they would not have had before.

Although I am confident we are taking every precaution to avoid the infection reaching us, I have asked our best scientists and military minds to coordinate with COBRA in developing a response plan should there be an outbreak.

I believe as a nation we have the capacity to weather this greatest of storms. We have the strength to fight back and rebuild. Britain will prevail, it will survive this test, and it will become great again.

My fellow citizens, now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to stand tall, to be the best we can be. Your family needs you, your country needs you, your planet needs you.

Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow our war begins, and this is one I have no intention of losing.

Good night, and may your God go with you.”

There was a pause before frightened chatter began all around the pub. Many people got up and left. Mike and Alex sat for a moment. They sipped their beers in silence.

“I’d better get home to our lass,” said Jimmy. “I’ll see the pair of you later.”

Alex and Mike said goodbye to him and then said the same to each team mate, as one by one, the cricket team disappeared. Before long, they were among the last people sitting in the pub.

The barman called across to them. “He couldn’t have put that bloody broadcast out at closing time, could he? Can’t ever get you bastards out of here at closing time. He had to do it just when people were finding it easier to get into their wallets.” He continued wiping down the surface, then folded the cloth. “I’ll be closing up a bit earlier tonight gents,” he said to anyone who was listening, then disappeared into the back.

Alex’s mobile phone rang. “Hi, Em,” he said. “Yes, yes, we’re on our way back. We won’t be long love… Sammy and Jake didn’t see the broadcast did they? That’s good. See you soon.” He hung up the phone and took another sip of beer.

Mike took a few gulps from his, leaving half the drink still in the glass, and got up ready to leave. “C’mon then,” he said.

“Where are you going?” asked Alex.

“Home,” replied Mike.

“Just sit down for a minute,” replied Alex.

Mike sat down. “I don’t understand, we should get home to Em and the kids.” Just then, Mike’s phone rang. “It’s Gran,” he said, looking towards Alex.

“Call her back.”

Mike pressed the decline call button and put his mobile phone away. “Why aren’t we going home?”

“We are,” said Alex, “I just need to talk to you first. Listen, this is huge. Things are never going to be the same again, and it could go one of two ways.”

“How do you mean?” asked Mike.

“Well, people might wait and see what happens or people might get swept up by fear and panic. Don’t get me wrong. Everybody is scared right now, but there’s a dividing line between being scared and still possessing reason, and being terrified and not. We could wake up tomorrow and there could be looting, mayhem...it could be like a scene from a bloody horror movie. On the other hand, that speech might have been enough to inspire the ‘stiff upper lip’ us Brits are known for,” said Alex.

“Okay, so what are you saying?” asked Mike.

“I’m saying, this is you and me. We don’t have doubts or fears with anyone but each other. Us two are strong for Em, we’re strong for Sammy, we’re strong for Jake. Whether we wake up tomorrow in Hell or not, you and me look after the family, at all costs.” He took a few gulps from his glass.

Mike gulped the rest of his drink and placed the glass down hard on the beer mat. “Okay, I’m fine with that, but don’t you want to stockpile a bit? Get a few canned goods just in case?”

“Have you seen our cupboards? Bloody hell, when your sister comes to visit it’s like she buys one of everything from Asda.” The pair of them smiled. “You’re going to get some people emptying the shelves. Let them. Supermarkets will be battle zones for the next few days. Things will hopefully settle down. We just need to keep our heads. See what happens next.”

“What if what happens next is what’s happened everywhere else?” asked Mike.

“Then we deal with it, Mike. You and I will deal with whatever we need to, to keep the family safe, but behaving like panicky fools won’t help anyone.” Alex knew that if things got that bad, a few extra cans and supplies would do nothing but delay the inevitable. He wouldn’t do that to his family, he wouldn’t draw out their suffering.

chapter three

The streets were unnervingly quiet as Alex and Mike left the pub. The evening had turned very chilly, not just in temperature, but the overall atmosphere too. A new time had dawned in the space of a few hours.

“Help! Somebody Help me!” came a scream. It was the sound of a woman’s voice.

Alex and Mike looked towards each other and began to run. The road up ahead was clear, but they looked down alleyways and ginnels as they passed them in order to find the voice’s owner.

“C’mon y’bitch. Didn’t you hear the broadcast? Carpe Diem and all that,” laughed one of the four men as they closed in on the young mother desperately trying to push the pram behind her in a weak effort to protect it.

“Please!” she sobbed. “No!”

The four men laughed in unison and closed further in on their target.

“Okay, Mike,” said Alex quietly. “Let me do the talking.”

“Oi! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” shouted Mike, increasing his pace towards the lowlifes.

Alex’s shoulders dropped. “Nice Mike,” he whispered. “Subtle.”

The four men jolted from their lecherous trance, turned around to look at the young man approaching them and the middle aged one trying to catch up. They then looked towards each other and laughed again. “We’re doing whatever the fuck we—” the first thug’s comment was cut short as Mike punched him in the throat. The man stumbled and fell against a panelled fence of a garden which helped wall the narrow alleyway. One of the other men immediately advanced and Mike balled his fist even tighter, smashing him square in the face, making his nose crack and explode in a fountain of blood. The third man started towards him, by which time Alex had tackled the fourth to the ground and begun pummeling him. Alex looked up and watched as Mike swept his right leg round, knocking the third attacker from his feet. He landed heavily on the floor and in a flash Mike was on top of him, punching him in the face like his fist was made of steel. Blow after blow heralded cry after cry as the young attacker realised he was brutally outmatched. Eventually Mike stood, leaving the youngest of the four men sobbing like an infant, despairing as it dawned on him that his face would never look the same again.

Alex looked down, realising the man he had pinned down really didn’t have the heart for this kind of violence; a coward when his friends weren’t there to back him up. He hadn’t laid a finger on Alex, and when Alex’s punches had stopped so the older man could watch Mike, Alex’s victim had gone limp and turned away in the hope that the violence being visited upon him would stop. As Mike got to his feet, disgusted by his crying opponent, the second attacker tried to come at him again. This time Mike pivoted, grabbed hold of the hair on the back of the man’s head and used the momentum to push his face with all his might into one of the sturdy fence posts. Whatever cartilage was left in the man’s nose collapsed in a stomach-churning crunch. A high-pitched shriek of pain followed it, and the man fell to the floor desperately sucking in air, in bloody, gurgling breaths.

As Mike walked away from him, he looked down at the pathetic figure Alex had beaten still. Mike hated bullies and despised cowards, he couldn’t help himself, the young man on the floor was no longer a danger, he was looking as pathetic as he could in order to avoid more pain, but a moment earlier he was prepared to invoke irreparable harm on this young mother, who was now just looking on in a kind of grateful horror. Mike knew Alex would give him hell for it, but he brought his boot up anyway and stamped down hard on the young man’s head, which prompted a pained gasp, then he followed it up, and as he drew his foot back ready to kick the prone figure in the face, Alex raised his hand and shouted, “Nooo”. But it was too late.

Mike swung his boot, the tip made contact with the lips, nose and teeth of the downed figure, all within a micro-second. Blood erupted from the front of his face, while his two canines, top and bottom, roots and all, collapsed inwards. There was a shriek and then muffled whimpering as the would-be rapist lay there crying.

Mike wiped the blood from his boot on the beige cotton jacket of the weeping figure, and kicked him in the ribs hard for good measure.

A look of anger swept across Alex’s face, but he quickly took a breath and went the side of the young woman. “Are you okay, love?” he asked, putting a comforting arm around her. The tears had subsided, and she let herself be comforted by the warmth of Alex’s embrace. She nodded, pulling the pram towards her. “Whereabouts do you live?”

“Just around the corner,” she said. “I was just coming back from my friend’s house.”

“Right, love,” said Alex, “C’mon, we’ll make sure you get home alright.”

Mike pushed the pram while the young mother held on to Alex’s arm. “Thank you so much. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened. Tracey. My name’s Tracey.”

“Pleased to meet you, Tracey. I’m Alex, and this is my son, Mike.”

Tracey looked towards Alex, smiled, then looked across towards Mike and a sorrowful expression crossed her face. “I’m glad the pair of you showed up when you did,” she said.

“So am I,” replied Alex.

They delivered Tracey safely to her flat. She tiptoed and kissed Alex on the cheek, nodded politely towards Mike and closed the door. The two men waited for a second until they heard the door lock and bolt slide across, then they left.

“What the hell was that Mike?” asked Alex.

“What the hell was what?”

“Don’t play dumb. You took those guys down, fine, that’s what they deserved, but you bloody went to town on two of them. That was barbaric,” said Alex.

Mike held the door open for Alex as they left the block of flats. “No, Alex. Barbaric, is doing what they were about to do to that lass. I was just giving them a permanent reminder that that kind of thing isn’t okay.”

Alex combed his fingers through his thick hair. “God, Mike, I don’t know whether to hug you or throttle you half the time. What don’t you understand? It’s right to stop people like that, it’s not right to dish out your own version of justice. You’re not Judge Dredd, you’re not Batman, you’re a lad who’s been in trouble up to his armpits already. The last thing you want is more of it. It doesn’t bloody matter that they were doing wrong. Knowing what the legal system’s like in this country, they could take you to town.”

“Seriously, Alex?” replied Mike. “Didn’t you just watch the broadcast I watched? Do you honestly think the police, the courts, are going to be worried about shit like this after today?”

“I understand what you’re saying, Mike, but it’s up to people like you and me to try and preserve the system as best we can. Don’t you see that, son?”

There was a pause and the two of them walked in silence for a while. Mike eventually broke it. “You’re my best friend, Alex. You’re the man I really view as my father. But the thing is, in this case, I’m right and you’re wrong.”

“Oh really? How do you figure that?”

Mike stopped in mid stride and pulled Alex around to face him. “Let me tell you something. I knew those men. Those are the guys who were popular at work and down the pub. Those were the guys who were charming when they were sober, but when they were behind locked doors at night, didn’t think twice about beating the shit out of their kids. Y’know what, though? That wasn’t the end of it. Because then you’d see that look in their eye. That look…that women were their property, that they could do whatever they wanted. Those were the guys who’d leave a ten-year-old reeling and bleeding on the fucking floor then smile and take his mother by the arm, upstairs to the bedroom. So when you tell me there’s a limit…no, there fucking isn’t. They got off lightly. Fuckers are still breathing, aren’t they?”

Alex thought about a retort, but he had none. He knew Mike was speaking from experience. What that kid had been through, Alex could not even imagine. He’d heard stories from Sandra. It had driven him wild. What he wouldn’t have given to wrap his hands around Mike’s dad’s throat. He couldn’t blame Mike for the way he was, but what Mike was, went beyond being a protector. It went into other realms. In the past, that had always bothered and worried Alex in no small way. Now, this minute, as horrified as the rational side of him was, it gave him comfort. If anything should ever happen to him, Mike was the perfect man to get the family through this current crisis. He looked across at his step son as the pair began to head home again.

He pondered this as they walked in silence for a while. Alex had always prided himself on his reasoning capability, but suddenly, he had been plummeted into a world where there was none. The dead were coming back to life. There was the imminent danger of lawlessness on the streets. Would reason and rational minds prevail? or would Mike’s idea of justice be what kept people safe? A one-man judge, jury and executioner.

He loved Mike, but he knew him too. He knew better than anybody what he was and what he was capable of. He had tried to mold him. He had tried to make him the best man he could be, and he believed hand on heart he had done that. But there was an impenetrable blackness within Mike. No one could get to it. Not him, not Emma, no one. It was what made him who he was, the man who wasn’t scared of going up against four thugs single handed.

“I’ve always been proud of you, Mike. I always will be proud of you. But for the sake of the family, please…try to keep your anger at bay.”

Mike looked across to him. He didn’t say anything, he just held open the tall garden gate and beckoned his stepfather in.

chapter four

“Seriously? You saw the same fucking broadcast I did and the pair of you come home reeking of beer and…what the hell is that on your hands? Oh my God! Is that blood, Mike?” asked Emma.

“Hi, Sis,” he said leaning in and kissing Emma before heading into the kitchen to wash his hands.

“What the hell?” asked Emma.

“Don’t ask, sweetheart,” replied Alex. “How are Sammy and Jake?”

“They’re fine,” replied Emma, a little irritated at being kept out of the loop. “They went to bed just before the broadcast. They were a little pissed the internet had been out a lot of the day. What happened?” she asked again as she heard the water running in the kitchen.

“Don’t worry about it,” replied Alex. “Listen,” he said, taking Emma by the hand, “come sit with me.”

The pair of them went to sit on the sofa. “What?” she asked.

“Why don’t you come and stay with us until we figure out what the hell is going on? You know. we never did anything with your room other than hang a couple of Sammy’s posters in there. You can take a leave of absence from work, I’m sure they’d understand. These are...erm...extraordinary times.”

Emma looked at him. Alex had become a father to her in the past few years. Her own father had been an abusive drunk; a vile, selfish horror of a human being. Alex was anything but.

“I can’t. My life’s in London now,” she replied.

“Emma, sweetheart, your life is with your family. This...thing, it’s going to take a while for it all to sink in, love, but this is the end of life as we know it. It will be a miracle if there isn’t anarchy tomorrow,” said Alex.

“I don’t believe that. I believe people will pull together.”

Mike was standing in the doorway, listening quietly until he heard Emma’s comment, at which point he burst out laughing. “You are so naive,” he said.

“Why, Mike? Because I’m prepared to believe people have a good side too?” she asked.

“Exactly!”

“You’re a dick!” she said.

“Hey,” said Alex, let’s not fall out with each other, we need to discuss this in a calm manner.

“There’s nothing to discuss,” said Emma. “On Monday, I’m heading back down to London. If everybody starts changing their lives and living in the fear of what might be, we may as well all give up now.”

Alex sat back on the sofa and let out a deep breath. “I can’t really argue with that. I want you to be here. These are going to be very dangerous times. I suppose it’s just the father in me, but you’re right. If we start living in fear, we’re promoting fear.”

Mike shook his head. “You’re an idiot,” said Mike.

“Fuck off,” replied Emma.

“Hey!” said Alex, “Enough!”

“Seriously. Are you going to stop going to work?” asked Emma.

“No,” replied Mike.

“Then why the hell should I? Why should I give up my life to come back here and live like a hermit?”

“I’m not saying give up your life. I’m not saying don’t work, I’m saying come back here and we can all look out for each other. If something happens down there, you’re by yourself,” said Mike with a raised voice.

“If something happens up here, I could be by myself. I’m not Lois Lane, and you’re not Superman. If I’m in trouble it doesn’t matter where I am,” she said.

“That’s crap. If we’re together, we can keep tabs on each other. We can make sure we’re all safe.”

“And what do you want me to do while you and Alex go out to work? You want me to do the laundry, Mike? You want me to wash the windows? You want me to keep the house nice? You want me to prepare your sandwiches and make your dinner?”

“Fuck no! I’ve tasted your cooking,” he replied.

“You’re a dick!”

“Hey! The pair of you, stop it now!” demanded Alex. “Mike, come and sit down,” he said gesturing to one of the armchairs, “and stop being a dick,” he said with half a smile on his face. He turned towards Emma, “and you, your brother is only worried about you.”

“Yeah, well I’m not fourteen anymore.” Her voice trailed off.

Alex looked at her, then across towards Mike. The pair of them had been through hell with their abusive drunk of a father. Alex had been told how Mike had often challenged his dad just to take the attention away from Emma and his mum. At just ten years hold he had taken beatings no grown man could have taken. He always did anything he could to protect Emma. He always would.

“You’re being selfish,” said Mike.

“I’m being selfish?” shrieked Emma, standing up. “You want me to live like a fucking Stepford wife just so you can keep an eye on me, and I’m the one being selfish? Y’know, Mike, I’ve still got my science workbooks upstairs. I’m pretty sure there’s a section in there that actually proves the world doesn’t fucking revolve around you. I’m going to bed, I’ve had enough of this shit. Goodnight Alex,” she said bending down and kissing him on the head. She stormed to the door, turned and said, “Goodnight, prick! I’ll shout if I need rescuing in between here and my bedroom.”

Alex and Mike looked at one another as they listened to the exaggerated footsteps hitting each stair. “That went well,” said Alex. “Nice work, son.”

“She’s a prima donna. She always has been,” said Mike.

“No, she isn’t, and no, she hasn’t. As much as I want her here with us, I can’t fault her logic.”

“God, you are so bloody reasonable!” said Mike.

Alex smiled. “You need at least one reasonable head in this family, don’t you?”

“You wanna Bud?” asked Mike, heading into the kitchen.

“Yeah,” replied Alex, “Then come back in here, I want to talk to you.”

“I know that tone,” replied Mike, opening the fridge door. “That’s always a fun conversation.” he re-entered the living room, handed Alex the bottle of Budweiser and sat down. The pair sat in silence for a while, then Mike finally broke it. “Go on then, let me have it.”

“You’re my son, and you’re my best friend. You have greatness in you. You are brave, and you are decent, and you have a good heart, but you see everything in black and white. You see everything as good or bad. Loyalty or betrayal. The world’s not like that. The world is made of shades of grey. Millions of shades of grey. There is nobody, and I mean nobody, who I would want by my side more if I was in a fight. But there is nobody I would want by my side less in a discussion. The thing standing between you and your destiny is your sense of right and wrong. You have to forgive people for their weaknesses, Mike. That priest…” Alex suddenly flashed back to that scene.

The man was a fool. More than a fool, he was a disgrace, telling a small child her dead mother wouldn’t go to heaven. He deserved chastisement. He deserved punishment from the church. He deserved public humiliation and a reminder about how disgustingly flawed his own religion was. He didn’t deserve being brought so close to death. Alex looked at Mike and suddenly saw him pinning down that priest, unleashing a strike after strike. Explosions of red sprayed over the floor. Unremitting, relentless, bloody violence visited on ignorance, not evil; the priest was a figure to be scorned, not destroyed. Yet…yet Mike couldn’t grasp that. Someone hurts the family, he’s going to hurt them, only a thousand times worse.

“That priest, he was a deeply flawed man. He believed nonsense, and he showed a huge lack of judgement saying what he did to a little girl, but you nearly killed him. You can’t mete out hate for everyone who upsets you, who offends you, who insults the family. You’re not Sonny Corleone, Mike. You’re a good kid. You’re a great kid, but you have to start reeling this shit in. Especially now.”

“Fucker got what he deserved,” replied Mike, taking a swig of Bud.

Alex shot to his feet, “No, he didn’t Mike. Yes, he deserved punishment, but not what you dished out. And where did it get you? You got taken away from your family. We went into debt to pay your legal costs. It was the last bloody thing we needed after what had just happened. But like always, you saw red and that was it.”

“Alex, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Sammy needed someone to step up,” replied Mike.

“Really, Mike? Those screams and cries of ‘stop, please stop it, Mike’, while you were pummeling that prick to a bloody pulp, you think Sammy said that because it made her feel safe?”

Mike tipped the bottle and glugged the rest of his drink down. “I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to bed.”

“Stop it,” replied Alex. “Just listen to me.”

He put his empty bottle down on the table and looked at Alex. “What?”

“Those guys tonight. I’m not saying they didn’t deserve punishment. I’m saying there might have been another way. I’m saying that should have been the last resort, not the first resort,” said Alex.

“And I’m saying, I met a shed load of those people when they sent me away. You hesitate, you give them an inch and you’ve already lost. You hit first, and you hit hard. If they’re prepared to rape a woman, if they didn’t do it this time, they’d have done it next time. Now, a couple of them won’t be able to look at a woman without pissing themselves in fear. That’s how you deal with those people, Alex.” Mike stood up. “Now I am going to bed,” he said and left the room.

Alex sat there for a moment sipping his drink. There was so much wrong with what Mike said, but so much right with it too. He looked up to the ceiling as he heard Mike’s footsteps walk across the landing. “God! I really hope you know what you’re doing with him, because I don’t have a fucking clue.”

chapter five

Day 30

Mike flopped on the couch, “So does that mean you’re coming home?” he asked.

“You are such a dick,” replied Emma.

“If I had a penny for every time you told me that, I’d be able to buy us all an end of the world bunker. So are you?”

“Put Alex on,” she replied.

“Alex is out.”

“Then put Sammy or Jake on.”

“They’re in bed.”

“Right. I’ll call later in the week. See you,” she said.

“Hey!” shouted Alex. “You’re on speaker, he was just winding you up.”

“You are such a fucking dick, Mike,” said Emma.

Alex pulled the phone out of the cradle, “Stop that,” he said, walking into the dining room.

“But he is. I love him, Alex, but I hate him sometimes too,” she said.

“Your brother loves you. He’s worried about you, that’s all.”

“That’s not all. He wants to control me,” she replied.

“That’s not true.”

“Look, I’m not arguing about this. How are you?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Things have stabilised. You walk into the supermarkets, and you still can’t tell we’re in the middle of the apocalypse,” he said letting out a small laugh.

“Don’t say that,” she said. “Don’t say that word.”

“So, how’s my favourite journalist?”

“She wants to come home,” replied Emma.

Alex lowered his voice, “What? Seriously?”

“The magazine’s going to fold. Half the staff have already left. Michelle has gone back home. I want to come home too.”

“Wait, what? Michelle’s gone back home? Why? What happened?” asked Alex.

“She wanted to be with her mum and dad. She asked me to go, but I guess I just wasn’t that committed. I want to be with you rather than her. I want to be with my family, not hers.”

“I’m sad, but I’m happy too. Do you want me to come down for you? When are you wanting to come back?”

“I’ve told them I’ll work a week’s notice. I’ve got some money squirrelled away. I’m guessing when I get back to Leeds I’ll be conscripted, so I’ll be earning something,” said Emma.

“God, don’t worry about that love. We’ve got you covered, we just want you back here.”

“I’ll head back a week from today if that’s okay,” she said.

“Okay? That’s the best news I’ve had in months.”

“I’ll call later in the week to finalise things. Love you, Alex.”

“Love you too,” he replied and hit the end call button. He walked back into the living room. “Your sister’s coming home,” he said.

“What?” replied Mike.

“Emma...next week. She’s coming home.”

“What persuaded her?”

“I don’t know,” replied Alex. He felt Mike’s eyes boring holes into him, but ignored it. “We need to get all that shit out of her room, I know that much.”

“I’ll get onto it tomorrow,” said Mike.

“Don’t make her regret it, Mike. Don’t make her regret coming back.”

Mike smiled. “I love what a high opinion people have of me around here,” he said.

“You know what I mean,” said Alex.

“Yep, I know exactly what you mean,” he replied.

“Stop sulking. How was your day today?”

“We were another man down. No call, no response when we called him. I know his family lived in Reading, so I don’t know if he went down there. Don’t really care, he wasn’t a good worker anyway, but if nothing else, it was a pisser at break time. I had to have lunch standing on the line.”

“Who’d have thought there’d have been such a need for cardboard boxes during the apocalypse?” asked Alex, smiling.

“I’m not complaining. I’d rather be busy than not.”

Alex suddenly noticed plasters on Mike’s knuckles. “What happened there? He asked nodding toward his stepson’s hand.

“I fell,” replied Mike.

“What, onto someone’s face? repeatedly?”

“Yeah,” said Mike without the hint of a smile. Alex just raised an eyebrow. “Look, sometimes, stuff just happens.”

“And sometimes stuff just doesn’t,” replied Alex.

“Something happened on the way home from work, and I dealt with it. What more do you need to know?”

“I need to know all of it,” replied Alex. “I’m your father.”

Five years earlier, Mike would have spat back ‘no you aren’t’, but now—now he knew it was true. “There were a couple of teenagers trying to rob the local Co-op. I dealt with them,” he said.

“Oh Jesus!” replied Alex. “Tell me what dealt with them means exactly.

“I brayed the shit out of the little bastards,” replied Mike.

“Oh god,” said Alex.

“The next place they try to rob had better have fucking good disabled access, that’s all I can say.”

“You are so out of control, it’s scary.”

“Trust me, Alex, you’ll be grateful for it one day soon.”

Alex couldn’t argue. As much as Mike frustrated him, he knew he was right. “All I ask is you try to think a little before you act.”

“Anything on the news?” asked Mike, taking the remote and switching on the TV.

“The PM is meant to be making another address tonight.”

“Oh great! The last one was a real gas. Can’t wait to see what he tells us this time. Martians have invaded? The country’s water supply has been contaminated by the Ebola virus?”

“Well it will be on any minute, so why don’t you shut your trap and watch,” replied Alex, smiling.

Mike smiled too, and found the BBC news channel. Lots of stations had gone down, or were showing continuous loops of entertainment and reality TV shows. The news channel wasn’t really news any more. It was propaganda more than anything, but this was wartime. Albeit the enemy was different to any that the country had faced before.

“And now, we’re going over to Ten Downing Street for an address from the Prime Minister,” said the camera-friendly female presenter.

The screen went black for a moment. When an image appeared, it was of the PM sitting behind his desk. He looked much more relaxed than his address from nearly a month earlier.

“My fellow citizens. A month has passed since the face of the world changed forever. Billions have lost their lives.” He paused and looked down at his desk in a moment of reverence. “But we are still here. We brought in measures to combat the spread of the infection to these shores, and I am here this evening to give you a progress report.” He picked up a glass, took a sip of water and looked back into the camera as sincerely as he could.

“To date, there has not been one case of infection in Britain or Ireland. Our navy, coast guard and air force continue to patrol our waters and our skies. All overseas military personnel have now returned to these shores and are involved in vital work to make sure that our country continues to prevail. As you know, we conscripted millions to ensure Britain and Ireland became self-sufficient, and that program has been a resounding success.” He paused and, managed that inimitable look that instilled confidence and won him the election in a landslide.

“Coal production has reached pre-1980 levels. Now, please don’t misunderstand, this government was and is for renewable energy; but while massive scale production of wind turbines, solar panels and other green energy generation apparatus is ongoing, we need to ensure we have a reliable power supply, especially as winter approaches.

After the ill-advised panic buying and food hoarding from the first week of the outbreak, you will notice that the supermarkets are becoming increasingly well stocked once again. Although, for the time being the range of items available will not be as varied as before, this will change. We have, and are erecting polytunnels on thousands of acres of unused land. Wasteland is being made fit for agricultural purposes. Fish farms are being built at suitable sites all over the country, and hundreds of maritime vessels, large and small are being adapted and fitted with equipment to turn them into fishing boats.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing has doubled since the beginning of the outbreak to make sure there are stockpiles available as we head into winter. Although we urge all citizens to use public transport wherever possible, Petroleum manufacture is still at the same level as it was before the outbreak, due to trade deals we negotiated. This will be temporary, however, that is why it is essential we use private transport less and communal transport more.

Although the after effects of the cyber-attacks on the run up to the start of the outbreak are still being felt, internet and network services in general are beginning to return to normal. I realise there is more work to do on this, but the best minds in the country are trying to resolve the problem.

There are still pockets of survivors in other countries who are in contact with us. Most significantly, we are in touch with several research facilities who are supplying us with vital information regarding the virus. Our hope is that this information will eventually lead to the development of a vaccine.”

The Prime Minister paused and looked straight into the camera once again.

“In closing, I would just like to say this. I believe the worst of this disaster is behind us. The measures we brought in have built us a firm foundation, and we can only get stronger from here. While things will never be the same again, things will get better. Things are getting better. With each minute, with each hour, with each day, things are getting better.

It’s up to all of us to make sure that continues. Thank you for playing your part. Goodnight, and may your god go with you.”

The screen went black again, before returning to the bright faced presenter. Mike immediately turned the volume down and looked towards Alex. “What do you think?” he asked.

Alex smiled. “I think he’s got this down to a fine art now. He’s very engaging and very believable.”

“No, I mean what do you think about what he said.”

“You seen any big expanses of land being levelled for agriculture?”

“No,” replied Mike.

“You seen any polytunnels being built?”

“No,” replied Mike.

“You seen huge improvements in the internet coverage?”

“No.”

“Don’t believe everything you see on TV Mike.”

chapter six

Day 123

“Turn the bloody TV on,” shouted Mike, bursting through the living room door.

Emma and Alex were playing a relaxing game of cards, but both of them jumped as he made his dramatic entrance. “Bloody hell, Mike, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” said Alex.

“Turn the TV on,” said Mike again, just standing there, looking towards the blank screen with his hands on his hips.

Emma tutted, reached for the control and pressed the ‘on’ button. “I don’t know what you’re expecting to see. It’s been the same news day in and day out for the last month. Things are getting better, more food on the shelves, coal output at a recor…”

“Quiet, Em!” snapped Mike.

“Don’t you tell me to be…”

“Shut the fuck up and listen, will you?” said Mike, just as the picture came on screen.

Emma stood up and was about to face off with Mike when she heard the concerned tone of the news presenter and saw the breaking news banner at the bottom of the screen.

“...earlier today. Authorities have already put the city under quarantine. Coast guard and naval vessels have set up a no sail zone around the coast. Field hospitals are being erected outside the city and military personnel are being deployed to assist the police in enforcing a city-wide curfew. Xander Bright, the Press Secretary, released a statement earlier. In it he stated that the government had already established a protocol if there was ever an outbreak and what we were seeing now was a well-oiled machine being put into gear. He urged the British public to remain vigilant, but carry on as normal. The situation was being contained, and he had every confidence it would be resolved shortly.” The presenter cleared her throat. “Once again, there was an outbreak of the reanimating virus in Portsmouth today. The government has set up a helpline for worried relatives, but urges people to stay away from the area.”

Alex reached across for the remote control and turned the volume down.

“Fuuuckkk!” said Emma, flopping down on the sofa once again.

Mike just stood there, continuing to watch the screen with no sound. Alex put the playing cards down on the table and sat back. “Are Sammy and Jake in bed?” asked Mike. Alex nodded. “What do you think we should do?”

“What is there to do? We sit, we wait, we watch, we hope. If they’ve quarantined the entire city, hopefully that means the infection won’t spread.

“Yeah, and what if it does?”

“I don’t know what answers you’re expecting me to give you, Mike. I don’t have a magic solution to this. Maybe we should just have a little faith in the government for a change. They’ve kept us all safe for over four months. They had this contingency plan in place in case there was an outbreak, and they’re putting it into effect now. They will have had the best minds in the country on this. The only thing we can do is what we’re being told to do. Go about our daily routine and remain vigilant,” said Alex.

“You saw what happened everywhere else. When this thing hit, that was it, game over,” he replied.

“Yes, but it caught everyone else by surprise. We planned for it. We’ve got an infrastructure in place ready to deal with it. That’s something no other country has had. That’s why we stand a better chance of defeating this than any of the others have done.”

Emma was conspicuous by her silence, and Alex turned to look at her. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Mike looked across towards her. “Great…tears…that’ll help.”

Alex put a single finger up towards him. “Enough.”

Mike shook his head, turned, and left the room.

Alex sidled up to Emma and put his arm around her. “It’s alright, love. Portsmouth’s the other end of the country,” he said, leaning in and kissing her on the head.

“It’s not that,” said Emma as more tears flowed from her eyes. That’s where Michelle’s parents live. That’s where Michelle is.” Alex clenched his stepdaughter tight and put his chin on her head as she nestled into him.

“Oh, Em, I’m so sorry darling,” he said. “But look, we don’t know how bad this thing is. There might have been just a couple of cases. They’ve got the city in lockdown, they’re implementing a curfew. This could be a case of overkill. Plus, it’s startling to see, but it’s kind of reassuring too. This is a huge operation, the technology and the manpower involved is staggering.”

Emma straightened up and Alex gave her his handkerchief. She dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. “I hope this was a clean one,” she said, trying to make a lame joke.

“Dunno, I found it on the pavement outside,” said Alex, and they both let out a small chuckle.

“Your right. I know you’re right,” she said folding the handkerchief and placing it in her jeans pocket.

“Listen, how about you and me open that bottle of Malbec that’s been hiding in the back of the cupboard?” said Alex.

Emma smiled. “I’d like that,” she said. “But I can’t be too late, I’ve got work tomorrow,” she replied.

“Meh! Work,” said Alex. “You can have a glass or two.” He got up and headed into the kitchen. “How’s it going there anyway? You don’t talk about it much,” he said.

She heard him clattering in the cupboard and then clinking glasses. He walked back in, placed the glasses down then poured healthy measures into each. “There’s not really a lot to say about the place. The people are nice enough, but it’s eight hours of order picking boxes of tablets and putting them in bigger boxes to be sent all over the country. It’s not the best job in the world, but it’s not the worst, and I really do feel like I’m contributing something,” she said leaning forward and picking up her glass.

“You are,” said Alex. “I’m proud of you, but then, I’ve always been proud of you.”

There was silence for a moment while the pair of them swished around the wine in their glasses and allowed themselves a moment of introspection. It was Emma who spoke first. “I really hope Michelle’s alright. I tried calling her, but her mobile goes straight to answerphone.”

“That means nothing, love. Think about it. All the chaos going on down there at the moment, there could be power outages, masts going offline, all sorts. It will be mayhem. As long as she observes the curfew, does as the authorities suggest, she’ll be fine,” he said, raising his glass and taking a sip.

Emma did the same. “Needs to breathe a bit more,” she said.

“Uh huh,” replied Alex, taking a gulp. “So, things between you and Mike don’t seem to be much better.”

“I’ll always love him, Alex, but things haven’t been great ever since I left home. I think he saw it as a kind of betrayal, after everything we’d been through, after everything he’d done for me.”

“C’mon love, you did lots for him too,” replied Alex.

Emma took another drink. “He gave up his childhood for me. What my father did to him, Alex…what he put him through... And Mike took it. He took it, because if he didn’t, he knew it would be visited on me and Mum. I don’t suppose I can really blame him for being pissed off. He sacrificed so much, and then I just got up and walked away.”

“That’s not the case. You were both kids. Neither of you deserved that horror. And as much as I loved and still love your mum, she was the adult, she should have done something about it. When you left home, you were trying to put the badness, that awful period behind you and start afresh. It was such a brave thing to do. You had every right, and what’s more, you deserved it. You had, and have, nothing to feel guilty for.” He took a drink. “Mike is my best friend. He has a wild streak a mile wide, but he’s so giving, and so brave. He wouldn’t and couldn’t have acted any other way. Even at that tender age. All he wanted and all he wants is for you to be safe and happy.”

“Maybe once. Now he acts like he hates me sometimes.”

“That’s not true. When this news first broke, he wanted you to come back home straight away, remember?” She nodded. “That’s because he is scared to death of something happening to you. I do my best to control him, but if anybody ever tried to hurt you, he would literally tear them apart limb from limb. He loves you, Emma. This bad vibe that’s going on between the two of you at the moment…it will pass. You’re the sensible one, you’re the level headed one, maybe you should make the first move.” He took another drink and sat back. “I’m not telling you what to do, it’s just a suggestion.”

“Maybe you’re right, Alex,” she said.

“I’m your dad, of course I’m right,” he said smiling, and Emma let out a little laugh. They both looked towards the TV and watched the images of roadblocks and helicopters patrolling the skies.

“They really have got that place locked down, haven’t they?” said Emma distantly.

“They’ll have been planning for this eventuality for months. They’ll have contingency after contingency. Don’t worry, love, this is just a blip. They’ll get everything back on track. They’ve done pretty well so far.

Just then, Mike walked through the door. “Nice, he said looking towards the wine. Thanks for the invite.”

“Here,” said Emma, I’ve warmed the chair up for you, I’m going to call it a night.

“Bloody hell, Em, you don’t have to leave the room every time I walk in,” he replied.

“I’m not,” she said quietly. “I really am tired, and I’ve got an early start tomorrow.” She put the glass of wine in Mike’s hand, “here, don’t let it go to waste,” she said before standing on her tiptoes and kissing her brother on the cheek. “I love you, Mike,” she said and left the room.

Mike just stood there for a moment. He looked towards the door, then turned back to Alex. “What the hell was that all about?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders, “Don’t ask me mate, no idea.”

chapter seven

Day 165

Alex heard the multiple sirens outside and rushed to his office window. Two police vans sped by followed by an ambulance. He continued his vigil until they were out of sight, then went back to his desk. He sat down and continued the memo he was typing. Just then, he heard more sirens—a lot more. He went back to the window as more police vans and police cars accelerated down the street. The last two were the land rovers he’d only seen on TV before; the type deployed in riot situations.

“What the hell?” he muttered.

He walked to the door and popped his head around the corner. His secretary was standing at her window.

“Those last two were riot vehicles,” she said, to no-one in particular.

“The internet’s out again, get the local channel on the radio, will you Christine?”

Christine pulled herself away from the window and turned on the small FM receiver to Radio Leeds. Alex looked at his watch, it was two fifty-six, just a few minutes until the news came on. Maybe it would reveal what was going on. He stood patiently at the door, waiting, while Christine returned to the window to see if any more emergency vehicles appeared, none did, but there were plenty of sirens.

The news came and went. It was the same news as they heard every day, not really news at all, just a rehashing of government propaganda and statistics about how the country was going from strength to strength, how the situation down in Portsmouth was being managed, and how it was likely that very soon the quarantine would be lifted.

“Maybe it will be on the four o’clock news,” he said.

“Maybe,” said Christine returning to her desk.

Alex returned to his own work station. He sat in front of his monitor, focussing on the no wi-fi icon in the bottom right hand corner. He pulled his mobile phone out, but more often than not, if there was no wi-fi, there wouldn’t be any 4G either. Just another glorious aftermath of the cyber-attacks, or so they’d been told.

He straightened up, pulled his chair back to the desk and re-read the memo he’d been working on for what seemed like ages now. He had never particularly enjoyed his job. He had begun his career as a primary school teacher, which he loved, then became a bureaucrat within the education department, which he hated, but the money was good. He had hoped to return to teaching after Sandra had passed away, but then Mike got into trouble and his legal costs wiped out any savings the family had. So, Alex stayed a bureaucrat, it was the responsible thing to do. It was the fatherly thing to do. After picking up his thread, he began typing again.

He was immersed in his thoughts when Christine popped her head around the corner looking a little worried. “Alex, is it my imagination, or do you hear it too?”

Alex looked at her for a moment, he had no idea what she was talking about. Then he lifted his head and listened hard. At first, he heard nothing but the ambient sounds around him. Then he did hear something. Something distant. He walked to the window and opened it, letting in a spray of cold drizzle. It was muffled, but it sounded like a loud haler. Christine came and stood next to him, she leaned out of the window as well. They looked down and noticed others coming out onto the streets. The pair looked at each other, a little confused, a little worried. The light rain clung to their faces as they looked down the street towards where the sound was coming from.

Suddenly, the phone rang and both of them brought their heads up quickly, rapping the back of their skulls on the window frame. They let out a simultaneous “Ow,” before Alex, rubbing the back of his head, went to his desk to pick up the phone.

“Alex Munro,” he announced.

“Alex!” it was Emma’s voice, she sounded scared.

“Hi, Em, what is it love?”

“They’re sending us home. We’re being put under quarantine.”

Alex smiled involuntarily. “Quarantine? What do you mean, Em? I don’t understand. Why are they putting you under quarantine?”

“Not me Alex. Us, all of us. There’s been an outbreak in Leeds.”

Alex froze with the phone still to his ear. Christine had heard the word “quarantine” and rushed into the other room, presumably to make a call of her own.

“Alex? Alex? Alex? Are you still there?”

His trance broke. “Sorry. Sorry, Em, love, yes I am.” He collapsed onto his chair. This was it. This was the beginning of the end.

“I’m going to get Sammy and Jake, then I’m going straight home. They’re enforcing a curfew, Alex, come home. Don’t be long,” and she hung up the phone.

Alex pulled the receiver from his ear and looked at it for a moment. He heard Christine next door burst out crying. Then he heard her drawer open, the jingle of car keys, and footsteps running out of the office.

“Bye, Christine,” he whispered. “Good luck!”

Alex turned off his computer, collected his personal belongings and headed out. Others passed him on the stairs. The panic and fear in the air was palpable. He stepped out of the building into the cold rain. What he wouldn’t give to have a car now. That was one of the many sacrifices he had made to pay Mike’s legal bills. He would do it again, a thousand times, but right now, he would really love to climb into a car rather than walk down the wet, cold, grey streets of Leeds.

People rushed to their vehicles desperate to get home, desperate to see their loved ones, to prepare for what was to come. No one gave Alex so much as a passing glance on the way to their cars. He zipped up his coat and began his walk. He checked his mobile phone, still no signal. Emma was collecting the kids, he hoped to God Mike was safe, then realised, if anybody would be, he would be.

He quickened his pace as he moved along the wet pavement. He saw fear in the faces of everyone he passed. For so many months a thin veneer of bravery, of stalwart resolutions, had covered the terror, but now it was evident. He was about to cross the road when sirens blared again. He halted in mid stride and stepped back from the curb, as more Police Land Rovers sped by him. He looked across to the other side of the road, and people who had been walking briskly to reach their destinations, suddenly quickened their pace. Men and women in business suits began to jog and run. They were no longer worried about looking scared, they were scared, and the primal animal instincts were taking over. They wanted to get to their homes, to safety, to their loved ones.

When the vehicles had passed, Alex jogged across the road before any more came. When he reached the other side, he continued to jog down the pavement, sidestepping people doing the same in the other directions. Distant shots rang out, and he heard a scream from the opposite side of the road. A middle-aged woman was standing there, frozen to the spot. Tears were running down her face as the realisation of what was happening had become too much for her.

There was a big part of Alex that wanted to go to her, to sit her down, to tell her it was all going to be alright. But, nothing was ever going to be alright again, and all Alex wanted to do was go home to see his family. Seeing the woman made him speed up from a jog to a run.

He and Mike went running regularly and Alex was very fit for his age, but the combination of speed, fear and the fact he was wearing trousers, a shirt and a jacket meant that perspiration was dripping from him. He reached up and undid his tie and top two buttons. He shoved the tie into his pocket as he ran, taking a sharp bend and reaching the home straight.

Just then he spotted Mike on the other side of the street, not running, not jogging, he was crouched down by an old woman on a bench. The woman was crying. Alex stopped, and got shoulder barged as someone behind him couldn’t change direction in time. He steadied himself and stepped off the pavement onto the grass verge.

Mike helped the old woman to her feet, put the straps of her shopping bag over his right shoulder, and offered her his left arm. She looped her arm around his, and the pair of them began walking slowly as two people ran past them on either side. Alex checked in both directions then ran across the road to where they were.

“Mike!” he called.

Mike turned his head. “Hi Alex,” he replied. Seeing the confusion on his stepfather’s face, he continued. “This is Mrs. Govern. She lives in the flats just around the corner from us. I’m walking her home.”

Alex nodded politely as the old woman looked at him through her tears. “Erm, okay, I’ll walk with you.”

Mike looked at the sweat on Alex’s forehead. He saw how the light blue cotton shirt he was wearing had turned dark on his chest. “It’s okay, you get home to Em and the kids. I won’t be long.”

Suddenly, a wave of embarrassment struck Alex. He had joined the fearful masses, ignoring the plight of everyone but himself. How many could he have helped if he had looked around the streets? How many could he have comforted in this most dire of times? And here was his step son, not buying into the panic like everyone else, but helping a frail old woman who was too scared and too confused to carry on her journey. “No, son, I’ll walk with you,” he said, as pride superseded his survival instinct and the need to get home to Emma, Sammy and Jake.

They were on a side street now, and even though sirens and distant shots rang out, even though they still saw the odd person running towards safety, the terror somehow seemed less evident. By the time they had reached Mrs Govern’s flat, the tears on her face had dried. The two men had slowed to a pace much slower than what they were used to in order for her to keep up with them. She had told them about her Maurice, and how cancer had taken him two years before. She had told them about how her son and his family lived in Australia, and she hoped to God that they were alright in this mess. She had told them lots. She was a sweet, old lady who didn’t really understand the scale or the gravity of what was going on around her.

She fumbled the key into the lock, and Mike opened the door. The three of them went in, Mike looked for the kitchen, placed the shopping down on a counter, put the kettle on and started making a cup of tea, while Alex guided Mrs. Govern to a chair. While the kettle was boiling, Mike took all the shopping out of the bag and left it on the work surface, ready for her to put it away when she was ready.

He made the tea and put it down in front of her. Mrs. Govern went into her purse and tried to force money into Mike’s and then Alex’s hand which they both refused. They said their goodbyes and left the flat making sure the Yale lock clicked into place behind them. They stepped out into the quiet grove and resumed their journey home.

The two of them walked in silence for a while, then Alex turned to look at his stepson. “That was an amazing thing you did.”

Mike shook his head, a little baffled. “Hardly.”

“It was, Mike.”

“Helping an old lady home with her shopping? That’s hardly an amazing thing, Alex.”

Alex laughed. “In my life, I’ve never met anyone like you. How many others did you see stopping? How many others did you see sacrificing their own needs to help someone who needed it?”

“You did,” replied Mike.

“Honestly, Mike, if I hadn’t seen you there, I don’t know if I would have stopped. I...I’d like to think I would, but I honestly don’t know.” Alex looked away from Mike, suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of shame.

“You would. I know you would.”

chapter eight

“Where the hell have you two been?” asked Emma as the children rushed up to greet Alex and Mike.

“I’ll tell you later, sweetheart,” replied Alex, and pecked her on the cheek as Sammy wrapped her arms around her father’s waist in a bear hug.

Mike knelt down, and Jake gave him a quick hug before going to his dad to do the same. When Sammy had given her dad enough of a squeeze, she moved onto Mike. The two younger siblings knew there was something wrong, they knew there was a problem in the adult world, but right now, the anxiety was gone as their father and brother were home safe. Whatever problems were outside, these were the two who could sort them all out.

In an attempt to focus her worry and keep her brother and sister from worrying too, Emma had recruited them to help with making dinner. When the greetings were over, Sammy proudly guided her dad into the dining room. “We’ve made dinner,” she announced, showing the table she had laid out with knives and forks.

Alex looked towards Emma. “Don’t worry, you’ve got time to get changed and stuff, it won’t be ready for a while yet, and Mike, you need to phone Gran, she’s been worried sick.”

Mike disappeared, and the children, now thoroughly placated by the presence of the whole family, sat down on the sofa. Sammy picked up the remote and pressed play on the DVD, a few seconds later, Shrek appeared on the screen.

Alex looked towards the two younger siblings and smiled, then guided Emma into the kitchen. “Okay, so what’s the latest?” he asked as he filled the kettle and put it on to boil.

“The latest is, where the hell were you two? I was worried sick.”

“Long story, I’ll tell you later. What are they saying on the news?”

“I’ve only been able to catch snippets. I’ve not wanted Sammy and Jake to hear, but it’s bad. We’re not to leave our homes. We are under strict curfew. This is it, Alex. This is as bad as it can get.”

Suddenly, it wasn’t a twenty-four year old woman who stood in front of him any longer, it was a scared little girl wanting her daddy to reassure her, to tell her there were no such things as monsters, to tell her everything was going to be okay. Alex put his arms around her and kissed her on the head. “Look love, whatever this is, whatever we’re going to have to get through, we’re together, and that’s the most important thing. Things could always be worse,” he said.

Emma pulled away to look at his face. “Worse? How could they possibly be any worse?”

“How about if you were still down in London? How about being trapped away from your family when all this was going on?”

“If I was down in London, I’d be safe. London’s not just been put under quarantine, Leeds has,” she said.

Alex laughed. “Erm, yeah, I suppose you’ve got me on that one,” he replied.

“But you’re right,” she said. “Regardless, I’d want to be here. I’d fight through the barricades to be with my family. If this is the end, this is the only place I’d want to be.”

“This is the only place I’d want you to be, but it’s not the end Emma, not by a long way.”

Alex kissed her on the forehead, made his coffee and disappeared upstairs to have a shower. He washed his body looking at the showerhead, watching as the steaming water spouted from it. How long would they be able to enjoy this? How long would they be able to enjoy what people had taken for granted? Hot running water? Electricity? Gas? Two cities were under quarantine now. How long before more joined them? Resources would be spread thinner and thinner and eventually, like a worn elastic band, they would snap and all hell would break loose.

But that was someone else’s problem for the time being. Right now, Alex needed to focus his attention on his own problems, on his own family. He turned off the tap and the flowing water just dripped for a while before stopping completely. Alex toweled himself off and smiled as he heard Sammy and Jake howl with laughter at a scene from a movie they had probably watched a hundred times before. He was a blessed man. He was blessed to have such a wonderful family. He needed to do whatever it took to keep them safe. He would do whatever it took to keep them safe.

Alex got out of the shower and dried himself off. He put on a fresh pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt and headed back downstairs. “Something smells good,” he said, walking into the living room.

“It won’t be long,” replied Emma.

Alex looked at Sammy and Jake, transfixed by the large TV screen, he smelt the melting cheese on the pasta bake coming from the oven and felt the heat from the gas fire on the wall. The world had changed forever outside, but in here, in their little part of it, everything was normal. Everything was as it should be.

“C’mon you two,” he said, “let’s get some grub.”  Sammy paused the DVD, and she and Jake ran into the dining room.

Emma headed to the bottom of the stairs, “Mike! Dinner!” she shouted.

“On my way,” he replied.

She headed back in as Mike’s feet thundered down the stairs. She approached the table as Alex dished out healthy portions from the large serving dish for Sammy and Jake. He scooped even bigger portions for himself and Emma, but Mike had a dish of his own.

Mike entered and the two older siblings sat down. The meal began and little conversation took place while the five of them shoveled the food into their mouths. When meal time was over, Alex invited Sammy and Jake to go back to their DVD. The three adults joined them, then all five together watched another family film, until it was bedtime for the youngest siblings. When they had been tucked in and read their bedtime stories, Alex came back down.

“I need a drink,” he said, and immediately went into the kitchen. He pulled a bottle of vodka from the freezer and poured himself, Mike and Emma triple measures into tumblers before returning to the living room. “Okay,” this is where we’re going to be stuck until further notice. We need to try and keep things as normal as possible for Sammy and Jake. It’s not going to be easy, it really isn’t, but whatever else is going on, we have to try, just for them.”

“You mean, this is it? When they said curfew, I thought it was between certain hours. I didn’t realise it meant house arrest,” said Emma.

“Course you didn’t,” replied Mike.

“Oh, fuck off!” she replied.

“No! You fuck off!”

“Hey! The pair of you. That’s enough. What the hell did I just say? We need stability, we don’t need arguments, we don’t need conflict.”

“Sorry, Alex,” said Mike.

“Sorry, Alex,” said Emma.

Suddenly, the phone rang, Emma’s mobile buzzed, as did Mike’s, and Alex’s. When they answered, there was a prerecorded message.

“If you are receiving this call, you are in a quarantined area. Until further notice you will be required to stay within the boundaries of your home. Failure to do so will end up in arrest and detention. Within the next forty-eight hours, you will receive a box containing basic supplies for the next few days, and detailed information on what you need to do while the authorities deal with this outbreak. In the meantime, you can access further resources at www.leedsqua.gov.uk. If you see one of the infected, call nine-nine-six-six immediately, stating your name and whereabouts. Thank you for your cooperation at this time.”

The line went dead. Alex, Emma and Mike all looked at each other. “Oh my god,” said Emma.

“Okay, so we wait,” said Alex.

“Great,” said Mike, taking a drink of Vodka.

Emma put her glass down. “I think I’m going to get an early night,” she said, kissing Alex on the cheek. “Night Mike,” she said, heading to the door.

“Night.”

When she had reached the top step, Alex signalled for Mike to sit down. “Listen to me. This is going to be very, very tough. Five of us are going to have to share this place for God knows how long. This crap with your sister, it needs to stop now.”

Mike was about to respond, but stopped himself. He took a breath, another drink of vodka, and nodded. “You’re right, I know you’re right.”

“It won’t happen overnight, but it needs to happen.”

The pair of them sat in silence for a while as the events of the day ran through their minds. Alex finished his drink and put his glass down.

“Fancy another?” Mike asked.

“No, I’m going to get to bed too. I’d say don’t stay up too late, but what the hell does it matter now?” said Alex, walking to the door. “Goodnight, son.”

“Night, dad.”

Alex was half way out of the door when he stopped and turned. “I love you, Mike.”

Mike turned to look at him. “I love you too, Alex.”

They had said that to each other just a few times in their lives. The first time was just after Sandra had died, and the second was when Mike got sentenced. They said it when they needed strength the most.

chapter nine

Day 186

It was just after six a.m. when Sammy burst into Alex’s bedroom. “Daddy,” she said, with fear in her raised voice. Alex jolted up and quickly blinked himself awake. “Daddy,” she said again, shaking him this time.

“What...what is it darling?” he asked, climbing out of bed.

“There are soldiers everywhere,” she replied, tightly gripping hold of her father’s hand. “Are we being invaded?”

“Soldiers?” asked Alex, rushing into Sammy and Jake’s bedroom. He peeled back the curtain and looked out as the sun was just waking from its slumber. His thundering footsteps had woken Mike and Emma, who had both joined him at the window.

Their normally quiet street was packed with armed soldiers. A slow moving, curtain sided lorry had more soldiers in it, who were passing boxes to a ground team, who were then distributing them to each house in the street.

“What is it? Can I see?” asked Jake. Mike picked him up, and the six-year old’s eyes widened as he looked up the street to see the armed procession. “I’m scared,” he said.

“Daddy, are we being invaded?” asked Sammy again. When no answer came, she pulled hard on his arm, “Daddy!”

“No! Sammy. No, we’re not. These soldiers are here to help. I’ll explain to you later. Be a good girl, take Jake and go put the telly on. Don’t worry about anything that’s going on outside, it’s fine.”

“But I…”

“Now, Sammy! Please,” interrupted Alex.

Mike put Jake, who was still looking scared, down on the floor, but as had happened so many times before, the moment he took his eight-year-old sister’s hand, things didn’t seem quite as bad. When the children left the room, nervous glances shot between the three adults.

“What the fuck?” asked Mike.

“I know,” replied Alex.

The three of them continued to watch as each house had a plastic delivery crate dropped off in their respective gardens. A soldier looked up at the window and stared a grim stare towards them. The lorry rolled past the front of their house and Alex, Mike and Emma watched as the six-foot wooden panelled gate to their small enclosed front garden swung open. The barrels of two rifles swung round from each side of the gate as the soldiers swept the area, making sure it was clear of danger for the delivery team. When they were happy there was no risk, they both nodded towards the waiting crate carrier, and they moved on to the next house.

A muscular soldier, strode over the threshold, placed the crate down carefully, closed the gate and repeated the procedure for the next house. Within a few minutes, the soldiers and the lorry were all out of sight. “I suppose we’d better go see what’s in there,” said Alex.

Mike and Alex went out to retrieve the crate while Emma headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Although ill at ease, the children were a little happier knowing the soldiers were gone and that the risk of being invaded had subsided for the time being. Emma gave them both bowls of cereal which they munched while watching cartoons on TV.

Mike placed the crate onto the dining room table, and taking a pen knife from his pocket, split the cable ties that sealed it shut. He folded open the two lids and began to take out the contents. There were packets of dried food including rice, beans, peas, powdered potato mash, lentils, oats, flour and powdered milk.  There was a smaller plastic box with a flammable sign on which Mike put to one side for the time being. There were five boxes of toilet paper sheets, a box of sanitary towels, a small first aid kit, a bottle of antibacterial soap, a bottle of disinfectant, a bag of salt, one of sugar, a high visibility orange vest, and an indexed information booklet, which Mike immediately began to look through.

“That’s actually quite a lot of food,” said Alex, “but we’ll have to be sparing with it, we don’t know when we’ll get more.

“Yes we do,” replied Mike, “It’s all in here.”

“What’s all in there?” asked Emma.

“Dates and times of when we can go get the rations. What the procedure is,” he said, reading a section, then flipping to the back of the book and removing a plastic ration card, about the same size as a credit card. “There’s a number to phone if you have special dietary requirements, there’s another number if you’re on medication and need refills of prescriptions. There’s pretty much everything you need to know in here.”

“Okay, so how often do we get rations?” asked Alex.

“Every week,” replied Mike.

“Wow!” said Alex. “That’s pretty good. With what we’ve already got in the cupboards and the freezer, we don’t have to worry about going hungry any time soon.”

“I think we should still go steady until we know just how much food we will be given weekly,” said Emma.

“Good point,” replied Mike. “This might be a couple of weeks’ worth, just in case there’s a cock up with the roll out of the rationing.”

“Agreed,” replied Alex, who reached across for the plastic box Mike had put to one side earlier. He clicked the catch open and revealed an emergency flare. “Erm?”

Mike flicked through the information book and found a reference to the flare. “It says in the event of power and communication going down, the flare should be used in case of an emergency. Then it goes on to explain what they reckon an emergency is.

An emergency includes but is not limited to any of the following:

An accident or health issue that if not dealt with could result in fatality.

A house fire or gas leak.

Flooding of your property or locale.

An issue which effects the structural integrity of your property, thus rendering it unsafe.

A sighting or interaction with a reanimated corpse.

Huh!” said Mike. “No fucking kidding that’s an emergency.”

“Look, all three of us should read through that booklet and memorise it. Knowing that stuff will make all the difference,” said Alex. Mike and Emma nodded in agreement.

Just then, Sammy came in from the other room. “What’s in the box?” she asked.

“Food and things to help us,” replied Emma.

“Was it the soldiers who gave us it?” asked Sammy.

“Yes, sweetheart,” replied Alex.

“So they don’t want to invade us after all?”

“No, darling. Like I said, the soldiers wanted to help us,” replied Alex.

“That’s good,” she said. “Everything will be alright then.”

chapter ten

Day 174

“So you know what you’re doing?” asked Emma, as she fastened the velcro lined vest around Alex’s anorak.

“Yes, mother,” replied Alex.

Emma gave him a stern stare. “Have you got the ration card?” she asked, and Alex picked it out of his pocket and showed her. “Have you got your driving licence? Just in case,” she asked, and Alex showed her that too.

“You want to check I’m wearing clean underwear? And that I brushed my teeth?”

“Sarcy prick,” she replied with a smile on her face. “I just want to make sure you’ve got everything you need. This is important.”

“I know, sweetheart,” replied Alex, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. “I’ve got everything, trust me.”

“Phone when you’ve got there safely,” said Mike.

“Yes dad,”

“Sarcy prick,” replied Mike.

Alex opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning air. The sun had broken through for the first time in days. He inhaled a breath of freshness and walked down the garden path, opened the gate and stepped onto the public pavement. He looked back towards the doorway where Mike and Emma were still stood watching him. Alex smiled. They were really good kids. He was a lucky man. He closed the gate behind him and savoured the freedom for a moment.

This was the only time he’d left the confines of his property since the curfew had been brought in. Nothing had changed on the street. It was still early in the year, so the hedges hadn’t grown dramatically. There was no sign of disturbance or of anything being amiss. The sounds from the nights of the past week had told a different story, though. Shots had rung out. Granted, they were intermittent, and mostly distant, but it was a sign that the situation in Leeds was a long way from resolved.

He put his hands in his pockets to fend off the cold, and wrapped his fingers around an unfamiliar object. He pulled it out to discover a straight edge screwdriver. It was surely Mike who had put it there, just in case. He smiled, then laughed. That boy was something else. He knew if one of the children or even Emma saw him with a proper weapon like a knife, they would panic, but a screwdriver could easily be explained. Nice thinking, Mike. Alex reached the end of the street and joined the main road. Up to that point, everything could have been normal. Everything could have been just another day, but on joining the road, suddenly there were signs that not all was right.

At the junction up ahead, there was a police car, and standing on either side of it were soldiers with rifles. Alex looked further up the road and saw the same at the next junction. Suddenly, he didn’t feel safe walking on the pavement anymore. He stepped off and headed up the broken white lines at the centre of the road. There was practically no traffic now, just emergency and military vehicles, so the danger of getting run over was minimal.

The cool, fresh air of freedom suddenly felt less enticing. Alex knew the soldiers and the police were there to protect people from the threat that now overshadowed their daily lives, but their very appearance made him feel at risk. There was danger around every corner, in every alley, down every street. He clenched the handle of the screwdriver tight as he continued his walk. As more orange vests appeared from side streets, his breathing became a little easier.

“Alex? Alex!” came a call from behind him.

Alex turned to see Jonathan, one of his neighbours; an awful gossip and a half wit to boot. The man was unable to comprehend sarcasm, so most of what Alex passed off as wit went completely over his head. Alex waited until he caught up. “Hello, Jonathan, silly question, but how are you and the family?”

“Bearing up,” he replied. “And yours?”

“Bearing up,” replied Alex.

“So, what have you heard?”

Alex looked confused. “Heard?” he asked.

“Yes. What have you heard about what’s going on?”

“What have you heard?” replied Alex.

Jonathan’s face lit up. For once in his life, someone would be hanging on every word he said. “Well, I heard it was a barge that came up the Leeds/Liverpool canal. It was carrying someone who’d made it all the way from Morocco, can you believe it? Only problem was, they hadn’t escaped unscathed. They’d got a scratch. Seemed fine, then a few days later, this.”

“Where did you hear that from?” asked Alex.

“My brother is a Special Constable across in Wakefield. He’d heard it in the canteen,” replied Jonathan.

The pair continued to walk down the centre of the road, passing another parked police vehicle, and nodding at the two soldiers who stood either side of it. Finally, Alex asked “So, it was just a rumour?”

“Well, it was a rumour, but still. Sounds plausible doesn’t it?”

Alex beheld Jonathan with a look of disdain...apparently Jonathan couldn’t translate looks either. “I’d actually heard it has to do with Roswell,” said Alex, with a smile forming inside.

“What?” replied Jonathan.

“Yeah, I heard there was a lab on the crashed ship, and in the lab there were a load of samples. None of these samples could be identified by traditional methods, so they got locked in a vault until a time that science had advanced enough to be able to analyse them.” Alex looked towards Jonathan who was eagerly taking in everything Alex said. “Yeah, anyway, there was an earthquake and a breach in the vault allowed, mice, rats, squirrels, and all sorts of wildlife to get in. Apparently a squirrel ate this sample that turned out to be the reanimating virus. It swept through the North American squirrel population then it jumped species,” said Alex.

“Oh my god, you’re kidding me,” said Jonathan.

“Nope. Little, fluffy-tailed bastards,” said Alex. “Anyway, I heard one of the squirrels was shipped to Sci-tech labs across in Seacroft. Just as they made the first incision, it came back to life on the examination table. The little fucker sunk its teeth into a scientist and four lab techs, and that’s when all hell broke loose.”

“Oh...My...God!” said Jonathan.

“Exactly!” replied Alex. “So, if nothing else, no shortcuts through the park. The fluffy-tailed, little bastards aren’t just looking for acorns anymore,” said Alex.

“Bloody hell,” said Jonathan, “Duly noted.”

“Well,” said Alex, “we made it here in one piece.”

“Yes, we did that,” replied Jonathan.

“Tell me,” said Alex, “Will you be coming at this time every week?

“Absolutely,” replied Jonathan.

“Good to know,” said Alex.

The pair of them walked through the gates and headed straight to the gym where Lorries were still being unloaded. There were a small number of orange hi-vis vests present, but that number would swell later on. Alex walked straight to a large trestle table where a burly soldier greeted him. Alex handed over his ration card and the soldier scanned it. He read what was on screen, nodded and disappeared into the back. The soldier re-emerged a moment later with a large box of supplies.

Alex retrieved some strapping from his inside pocket and secured it around the box before looping one of the straps over his neck and shoulder, and heading out of the auditorium once again.

“Shall we head back together?” asked Jonathan, who had decided to take a look around and speak to anyone unlucky enough to make eye contact with him.

“Can’t,” replied Alex. “Just had a call from home. Jake’s not well, I’ll have to get a move on.”

“Oh,” replied Jonathan, “too bad. Next week, maybe.”

“Maybe,” replied Alex. He adjusted the strap around his shoulder and sped out of the car park like his life depended on it. As he continued up the main road, he passed an increasing amount of people in orange vests heading in the opposite direction. He walked past the first police car, and this time looked inside. The occupants nodded, and he nodded back. He carried on his journey. With each step he felt a little more confident. The government had managed something way beyond what any other civilised country had. They had brought structure to chaos, security to danger.

Just then, everybody in his view came to a shuddering stop as a shot sounded. It was some distance away, but, panic rippled up the road like a river’s current. Alex immediately turned around. He watched the soldiers and the police. Their actions would determine his. The passenger in the police car grabbed the radio from its holder. At this distance, Alex had no chance of lip reading, but he could imagine the conversation. The police and the soldiers stayed put. He turned and squinted towards the police and soldiers at the other junction. There was no movement there either. If there was impending danger, the police and the soldiers would be the first to hear about it. Alex continued his journey while most others remained frozen to their spots for the time being. He adjusted the strap around his shoulder; the crate was heavy, he was looking forward to getting it home to see what was inside.

Suddenly, he heard vehicle horns honking loudly. He turned around to see two army trucks accelerating up the road. Alex moved to the pavement to let them pass and the vehicles sped by him. He watched as they reached the junction up ahead, they accelerated just enough to take the corner without tipping, but tyres screeched loudly. He looked back down the road, there were no more vehicles, so he resumed his journey on the broken white line in the centre.

He’d been walking for a couple of minutes when a barrage of gunfire could be heard somewhere in the distance. The volley was sustained, and even to a layman, he could tell there were many guns firing at the same time. Once again, people stopped dead in their tracks. One woman began to cry, but Alex just kept on walking. The safest place was home, and the sooner he got there, the better.

For a man who had run half marathons and barely got out of breath, he was sweating and breathing heavily by the time he reached the street where he lived. A combination of the weight of the crate and the stress and nerves of this new world outside had weighed heavily on him.

A short journey had seemed like one of the longest treks of his life. Alex was not a cowardly man, he was not afraid of getting involved in situations if he needed to, but there was something about this level of terror, this level of turmoil, which had an effect on the subconscious as well as the conscious mind.

He eventually reached the tall garden gate that shielded his property from the outside world. Before he opened it, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. He rubbed his sweaty palms on the thighs of his jeans and unhooked the wrought iron latch. Alex stepped through and swung the gate shut, slipping the lever back into position. Now, in the confines of his garden, he rested his forehead on the stained wood of the gate. He let out a deep breath. “Thank you god,” he whispered.

“How did it go?” asked Emma from the doorway.

Alex’s head shot up. The doubt, the nerves, the fear, all pushed down, way down deep inside. He was the head of the family, he had to be confident, he had to be brave, no matter how he felt.

“Went fine, it all runs like a well-oiled machine,” he replied.

“I was worried,” said Emma, “We heard gunshots.”

“Yeah, they were miles away, nothing to worry about. There are police and soldiers everywhere.”

“I want to go next week,” said Mike, pushing into the doorway next to Emma.

“Erm, we’ll see.”

“No, we alternate, that’s the fair thing to do. You shouldn’t get lumbered with it every week,” replied Mike.

How the hell was he going to play this? He didn’t want Mike running the same risk he just had, but then again, if he was ardently against it, they would all soon realise things were much worse than he had admitted. And...Mike could take care of himself better than any one of them.

“Okay, but let’s just get this box unpacked shall we? It weighs a bloody ton.”

“Give us it here,” said Mike, helping Alex pull the strap from around his shoulder.

Sammy and Jake ran up to Alex flinging their arms around him as he entered the living room, while Mike and Emma placed the box down on the dining room table.

After bathing in the adoration of the two youngsters for a moment, he joined Mike and Emma. He removed the hi-vis vest and folded it neatly, before taking off his anorak. Sweat stained the armpits, chest and back of his light blue t-shirt. He looked down, then looked up towards the two older siblings. “I’m obviously getting out of shape,” he said. “So, what have we got?” he asked quickly, trying to take the attention away from his clothing.

Mike and Emma unpacked the contents of the box. Once again there was lots of dried food in packets, but this time, there were tins too. Spam, corned beef, ham, tuna. “Delicious,” said Mike.

“We’ve still got a few packets of soya mince for you, and when that runs out, the beans and peas will be a good protein source for you until we can figure something else out,” said Alex.

“No booze then?” said Emma.

Alex smiled. “We’ve still got bottles of this and that hanging around. C’mon kids, at least we’re not going to go hungry.”

“I suppose,” said Emma as she began to put the rations away. “You go get changed Alex, she said, looking once again towards the sweat patches on his clothes. And you,” she continued, looking at Mike, “Stay the hell away from my system.”

“Seriously, you are such an anal-retentive nerd. I’m surprised you’re not cataloguing all the food and storing the information on index cards,” he said smiling.

She raised her middle finger, grabbed a pile of tins and walked into the kitchen. Alex and Mike laughed, then Alex picked up his anorak and the vest, before nodding his head to the side, intimating that he wanted a private word with Mike out of the earshot of the others. The two of them walked through the living room where Sammy and Jake were playing a game. They went upstairs, and when Alex was happy that nobody was going to interrupt them, he turned towards Mike.

“Those shots, they weren’t that far away. The worst thing about all of this is not knowing. It’s the total lack of reliable information. I mean how many outbreaks have there been? Those shots weren’t just to take down one man...thing...whatever the hell they are.”

“I want to go next week,” said Mike.

“No. I don’t want you taking that risk.”

“You said there were soldiers and police and it was a well-oiled machine,” replied Mike.

“There are, and it is, but…”

“Listen Alex, we’re in this together. I’m not a little boy any more. If the family is going to get through this, you and I need to be the ones to shield them. I don’t have a problem getting my hands dirty,” said Mike.

“You’re right,” said Alex, “you’re right. We’ll take it in turns, you and me.” Mike nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, and Mike…”

“Yeah?”

Alex reached into the pocket of his anorak which he had flung on the bed. He pulled out the screwdriver which Mike had put there for him. “I didn’t need it today, but that’s not saying one of us won’t need it at some point. You’re the errand boy next week, make sure you carry it on you.”

Mike took the screwdriver, “Let’s hope neither of us ever have to use it, eh?” and with that he left.

chapter eleven

Day 212

“Cheers, CJ,” said Alex as he tightened the strap around the box and flung it over his shoulder. “See you again in a couple of weeks.”

“Cheers, Alex,” replied the soldier, and they both nodded a farewell to one another. “See you in two weeks.”

Alex had collected the rations several times now. Each time the same soldier had been there to hand them out. For a while, he looked surly and officious, but then one day Alex just asked him his name. It was a skill he had. Alex could make anyone feel valued, feel like an old friend. His two stumbling blocks had been Mike and Emma. But...but in the end, he had won that battle too. He loved Mike and Emma just as much as he loved Sammy and Jake now. They were all family. All for one and one for all.

He walked through the side gates just as a military ambulance drove through the main gates. Alex remembered back to the first time he had stepped out of the house since the curfew. It had been a cold, damp day. Life and the future seemed grim. Now, though, this was the norm. If nothing else, the quantities and variation in the ration boxes had improved. It was a sunny, mild day, and for the first time in a long time, Alex felt lucky to be alive. This new life, despite the chaos, despite the danger, it was the way things were going to be for the time being at least. But he had his health. He had his family, and today, he had the sun beating down on his face as he walked up the street back home.  If he squinted, he could even blot out the police cars parked at a diagonal at each junction and the soldiers guarding them. For the time being, no shots were ringing out, and that only leant itself to a delightful slice of normality. A time before the rapture. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, momentarily allowing himself to buy into the illusion.

Just like he had shielded all the bad he had encountered from Emma, Sammy, and Jake, so he would shield this. He felt guilt for this levity, as mad as it sounded. Yes, he was risking himself, the same way Mike did every other week, to go out and bring back the family’s supplies, but right now, right this minute, with the sun on his face and the warm, gentle breeze caressing him, there was nowhere he would rather be. He looked across at the cemetery as he walked by. It was serene, green and picturesque as always. A throwback to a different time, when death meant everlasting peace and not eternal torment.

He turned onto his street and noticed Jonathan up ahead of him. “Oh dear God,” he muttered to himself as he consciously slowed down so as to reduce the risk of not being noticed by him. He thought for a moment about turning back, just heading around the corner long enough to let Jonathan get out of sight, but then the rational side of him took over. There was not too far to go. At worst, if he was seen, he would need to suffer five minutes of the man. He could manage that.

Almost as if Jonathan had a sixth sense, he turned and saw Alex. “Oh crap,” said Alex under his breath.

“Alex! I’m glad I turned when I did, I’d have missed you otherwise,” said Jonathan.

“Yes, what are the chances?” asked Alex.

“Come on then, catch up,” said Jonathan.

Alex began walking a little faster, this wouldn’t be so bad, it was more like three minutes until they got home. “Beautiful day,” he said.

“That it is,” replied Jonathan. “You could almost forget about what’s going on around us.”

They followed the bend, enjoying having the street to themselves, then they saw a door burst open and one of their neighbours, Colleen, ran up the path screaming, “Help me!” She struggled to open her gate, and when she could not, she climbed over clumsily, flopping to the ground on the other side.

Just then, another figure charged out of the house. It resembled Colleen’s husband, Sean, but from the second he came into view, both men could tell there was something wrong. Gone was the rosy cheeked complexion, and in its place was an unnerving pallid grimness. As the figure issued a loud guttural growl from the darkest depths of its soul, what had once been Sean began to sprint up the garden path, its arms outstretched, its teeth bearing like a rabid animal.

“Help me!” called out Colleen again, sobbing and desperately trying to get to her feet.

The two men looked at each other. Alex immediately unstrapped the box from around his neck and dropped it to the floor, while Jonathan dropped his and started running for home.

“Jonathan!” Alex called.

“I’ll call the police,” he screamed in a high-pitched tone, and began to run even faster down the road.

Alex began to run to Colleen just as the creature lunged for her over the gate. It collapsed on top of her and Colleen’s startled sobs became muffled as her face was pressed against the tarmac by the beast’s weight. Alex reached into his pocket for the screwdriver and plunged it into the creature’s back. Without missing a beat the creature was back on its feet, and ignoring Colleen for the time being, it lunged towards Alex. Its teeth gnashed at him like a piranha’s and the speed and force of its attack made Alex lose his footing as he went back off the curb and fell heavily, with the beast landing straight on top of him.

With all his might Alex tried to fight off the creature. Several times he dodged his head like a boxer ducking punches, as the beast’s jaws made vicious attempts to tear Alex’s flesh. He could not sustain this for long, he could feel himself weakening as he tried to avoid getting bitten. Alex took a deep breath of rank, decaying air and pushed with all his might. The creature flipped off him, onto its side. It scrambled towards him once again, but Alex jumped to his feet and gathered himself. He looked towards Colleen, her face was badly scraped and cut from her encounter with the vicious monster, but she was on her feet, and she was clutching onto her garden gate to steady her shaking.

The creature scraped itself from the floor and lurched towards Alex again. Alex put up his foot and kicked with all his might, sending it toppling back. It would just keep coming at him unless he ended it, and quickly. When the beast began to drag itself up again, Alex spotted the handle of the screwdriver still protruding from its back. Without thinking, it was Alex this time who lunged forward, grabbing the screwdriver and pulling it free. Just as he did, the beast swivelled, and grabbed Alex in a vice-like grip by the forearm. Alex tried to pull himself free, but couldn’t, without any further thought, he thrust the screwdriver into the eye socket of his once neighbour. Within a split second, the grip on his forearm slackened as the creature’s ghoulish grey eyes closed one final time.

Alex let out a big breath. “Thank Christ for that,” he said, turning towards Colleen. “Are you okay love?” he asked.

Colleen was in shock, but as Alex approached her she snapped out of it. “Alex!” she said pointing in horror at his arm. Alex looked down to see scratches on his forearm. They lay exactly where the beast had him in its grip.

“Oh!” he said softly.

chapter twelve

When Alex had been brought home in a military ambulance, Doctor Ramirez and a nice young nurse, both of whom who had helped him at the scene of the attack had asked to speak to Mike and Emma. Neither of them had discussed the nature of the conversation, but Alex could guess the substance of it.

The chances were better than good that he was going to die and reanimate as one of those horrific creatures. There was a big part of him that wanted to end his life, take the burden of guilt off the shoulders of Mike and Emma, but there was the other part that thought, what if he was one of the ones who woke up? They had been told that some scratch victims in other countries had actually recovered. They had been the best chance to find a vaccine, a way of combatting this virus, but the infrastructure in those countries had collapsed so quickly that despite pockets of resistance here and there, the effectiveness of the isolated scientific research stations and medical labs had been limited.

To Sammy and Jake, who had seen no one barring family members in the last few weeks, the arrival of a doctor and nurse was nothing if not exciting. They understood their father had been in a fight trying to help save someone, which he had. They also understood he had been scratched, and sometimes scratches could get dirt in them and go bad, which is why the doctor and nurse had dressed the wound so carefully and given him shots. They had even left replacement bandages. Anything more than that, the children most certainly did not understand.

The family spent the whole day together. They spent some of it out in the back garden, where they even made use of the last beef and veggie burgers they had by having a barbecue. Granted, the homemade bread wasn’t quite the same as a burger bun, but it was something different to what they had been eating these last few weeks, so, it was a welcome change.

What was most important though was they did everything as a family. They ate, drank and played together all day. They enjoyed the sun, they ignored the sporadic gunfire which Alex explained away to the younger children as the sound of bird scarers for the thousands of acres of new crops that were being planted nearby. Alex, Mike and Emma all did well to hide their sadness apart from one time where Emma excused herself to go to the toilet and Alex found her upstairs fifteen minutes later crying her eyes out.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye to you,” she said, blowing her nose.

Alex put his arm around her. “Who says we’re saying goodbye? I might be one of the ones who recovers. You never know, Em. We have to think positive, darling. Look, let’s just enjoy today, this minute, right now. Because right now is all that really matters isn’t it?”

She dabbed her eyes and nodded. “I love you, Dad,” she said.

“I love you too, darling,” replied Alex, “but I’ve got no intention of going anywhere just for the minute.” It wasn’t a lie either. If he fought, if he battled while ever he had a breath in him, then it wasn’t a lie, because he had no intention of leaving his family.

The two of them went back into the garden, by which time Mike had brought a big pad and easel outside, along with the Pictionary board game. The afternoon whizzed by. They laughed, they had another barbecue at dinner time, and then they all managed to fit in a family film before the electricity cut at eight p.m. like it had every night since the first week of the quarantine. There was still plenty of daylight for the children to navigate their way to bed. Alex read them both a bedtime story, which he hadn’t done in some time, but all three of them enjoyed it. When he was finished, he returned downstairs.

Mike had brought the two thirds full bottle of vodka they had been keeping for special occasions out of the freezer. This was the wrong kind of special occasion, but if ever they needed it, it was now. He placed three tumblers down on the coffee table and poured healthy measures into each.

The three of them took a healthy glug each before reverting to sipping. “So, I’m guessing you were told to keep an eye on me,” said Alex.

“We were told what signs to look out for,” replied Mike. “I won’t believe this is the end. If anybody can fight this, Alex, it’s you.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, mate,” replied Alex. “It’s not who’s the fittest, who’s the best fighter. That might help you fight off the infection for longer, but the rest of it is a coin toss.”

“We’ll see,” replied Mike.

“So, have they given you some instructions? Have they told you what to do?” asked Alex. “I’m not going to give in, I’m going to fight and fight, but if this thing does take me, I need to know that you guys are protected.”

“We’re getting a visit tomorrow morning. They’re sending someone around with an info pack and some medical equipment,” said Mike.

“Okay, that’s good,” said Alex. “Listen, you’re not going to like this, but it’s important. There’s a padlock and hasp in the toolbox. We need to fit it to my bedroom door, just in case. You can’t watch me twenty-four-seven, so it’s just for everybody’s peace of mind.”

“No,” replied Emma. “No, we’re not locking you up like a wild animal, it’s undignified.”

“Sweetheart, undignified or not, it will keep the four of you safe, just in case.”

“I’ll go put it on now,” replied Mike.

“Mike, no! How can you?” said Emma.

“Em, this isn’t about Alex. Alex will protect us with his last dying breath. He will fight, I know he will, because he’s promised us he will. If something happens, it’s not Alex we’ll be dealing with. It will only be for the times we can’t watch him. Alex is right, we can’t risk the safety of Sammy and Jake.” Mike got up and headed out of the room.

Emma started sobbing, and Alex went across to sit with her. Placing his arm around her, he kissed her on the head. “Shush, darling, it’s all going to be okay.”

“No it’s not. Nothing will be okay. Nothing will be okay ever again,” she said and burst into a flood of tears.

The two of them held each other, and despite the fact it wasn’t that late, they drifted off in the comfort of each other’s arms. They jumped a little when Mike came back in. Alex immediately focussed on the screwdriver he held in his hand. If he had only plunged the one he had used earlier in the day straight into the creature’s head, and not its back, none of this nightmare would be happening. “All done,” said Mike.

“Right,” said Alex. “Right then. I might just call it a night,” he said, getting up.

“But you haven’t finished your drink,” said Emma.

“It’s been a long day love. You and Mike finish it.” He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, then headed upstairs. Mike followed him.

On the landing, the two men looked at each other. “I’ve put a bucket in there in case you get caught short in the middle of the night.”

Alex let out a small snort of laughter. “Thanks, son. Always thinking ahead.”

“I’m sorry, Alex. I’m so sorry,” said Mike looking like he was on the verge of tears.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Sometimes things just don’t go to plan, that’s all.”

The two men hugged tightly, and Alex stepped into his room, closing the door behind him. He waited, then came the sound of the padlock being slid into the hasp and clicked shut. He was sealed in now. Granted, the door opened inward, and from what he’d gathered, these creatures had no reasoning capability, but nevertheless he felt the family had greater safety with it than without it.

He went across to his bed, undressed, put on his pyjamas and slid under the covers. The cool cotton felt good against his body. In fact, he felt good. He had enjoyed a wonderful day with his family, and whatever laid ahead, he would deal with it. All he wanted now was to sleep; to sleep, and for the ‘pins and needles’ sensation in his arm to ease off for a while.

chapter thirteen

Day 213

The pins and needles came and went all night, and Alex could not swear to it, but he thought he might be getting a cold on top of everything else. A knock came on the front door just after they had finished breakfast. An attractive young nurse accompanied by two soldiers stood there. “Can I help you?” asked Alex, a little taken aback by the sight.

“Mr. Munro?” asked the nurse, with the hint of an eastern European accent.

“Yes.”

“My name is Zofia. I believe my colleagues told you I would come today, yes?”

Alex looked confused for a moment, then he remembered, “Ah, yes, yes, that’s right.”  He looked at the two armed soldiers then back towards Zofia. “Erm, I have two children in the house. The guns will scare them, are they really necessary?”

Zofia unclipped a walkie-talkie from her belt and pressed a test button. There was a loud beep. She depressed the speak button and said, “Radio check,” to which there was a piercing shriek of feedback from the radio strapped to one of the soldier’s belts. The gate had been left open and Alex could see the cab of the ambulance where a driver picked up a handset.

“Reading you loud and clear, over,” said the voice.

“Erm, thanks,” replied Zofia, “Over and out.” Zofia looked at the two soldiers, “I’ll be fine from here, I’ll let you know if I need you. She bent down and picked up a box, then looked at Alex and said, “shall we go inside?”

Alex ushered her into the hallway, gave one more look at the two armed bodyguards and closed the door. They entered the living room, and before the children had the chance to get excited by another visitor, Alex said, “Em, be a doll, take Sammy and Jake up to their rooms would you?”

Despite abundant protests from the two children, they were deposited in their room, and moments later, Emma was back downstairs where Alex and Mike were making small talk with the young nurse. Mike had made drinks and steaming mugs of coffee were sat on the table. Emma sat down. She had a nervous look on her face.

“Okay,” said Alex. “That’s the introductions out of the way. None of this will be easy to hear, none of this will be easy to discuss,” he said to Mike and Emma, “but it’s essential that if you have any questions, you ask Zofia. We are all in this together.” Alex looked towards the nurse and smiled. He saw a look sweep across her face. He wasn’t sure if it was pity or admiration, but it really didn’t matter. All he wanted was what was best for his family.

“Yes,” said Zofia. “I am here to answer questions. I am also here to give advice. I have brought information booklet and equipment,” she said, her accent slightly more pronounced than earlier.

Alex, Mike and Emma all looked towards the box. What kind of equipment was in there? They could only guess.

Zofia pulled a folder out from the box and retrieved a number of sheets from it. “Please keep these in a safe place,” she said. “These are essential phone numbers you will need. There is a key card that has a serial number you have been allocated,” she said, showing them a sheet with a credit card sized piece of plastic stuck to it. “This is your case number.” She pulled out a device from her pocket. It looked like a large mobile phone with a slot in the top. She placed the key card into it and entered a number. An electronic chime sounded on the phone. “It is now activated. Every four hours, you will need to contact this number,” she said pointing to a telephone number in bold type on one of the sheets. It is essential. If you fail to, the worst will be assumed and you really don’t want that,” she looked from face to face. She locked eyes with Emma, who looked the most scared. Eventually, she broke her gaze and took a sip of coffee.

“So, what should we expect? What time scale? What symptoms?” asked Mike.

Alex smiled, “Give Zofia a chance, Mike, she’ll get to that.”

Zofia paused in mid gulp and looked at the intense young man asking the questions. She put the mug down and smiled politely. “I understand,” she said and looked towards Alex. “This is a difficult time. I am here to answer questions. I will go through the essential items with you, then I will answer whatever I can.” She picked up the sheets again. “There is a helpline number on the sheets that will put you straight through to a member of the trained medical staff. If there is anything you want to ask, they will be able to help you, so don’t worry if you forget anything today or wish you had asked something you didn’t.” She looked towards Mike. “It is natural that you want to know and find out. It is  good thing.” Mike sat back in the sofa, trying hard to remain patient. “This will be a stressful time for all of you, and we have counselling that is available over the phone or by video if you have a computer. Do you have a computer?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied Alex.

“This is good. There is a web address. You can enter using your key card number and there is live messaging as well. It’s important you use what is available to you. People find these things helpful.”

“I assure you, Zofia, we’ll use whatever is necessary,” said Alex trying to reassure the young nurse.

“This is good,” she said and smiled again. “Now,” she turned towards Mike. “Lots of variables. Lots. Some scratch victims turn after a few days. Some go into coma, then turn. But there have been cases of some going into coma and waking. This is what we hope. This is best chance of finding vaccine. This is what we hope for Alex.” She looked towards Alex and smiled. He could tell just by her eyes that it was the longest of long shots that he would wake, but any chance was better than no chance.

“What percentage wake?” asked Mike.

“We have no figures,” said Zofia, as if working from a script.

“So…”

“Michael,” said Zofia, “I cannot lie. It is tiny chance. But best chance to find a cure. This is why it is so important.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Zofia,” said Alex.

Zofia nodded and continued. “As far as symptoms, Alex, you will feel sensations of pins and needles maybe. Symptoms of cold or flu. Irritation to skin around scratch. I have cream and anti-inflammatory tablets for you. Sharp pains. You may feel disoriented. You may get very tired.”

“Understood,” he said, and just by thinking about it, the wound beneath his bandages suddenly began to itch.

Zofia started to look a little uncomfortable, and she took another drink of coffee. “In this box is what is called Reanimation Prevention Equipment. There are instructions on how to use it.” She turned from Alex and looked at Mike and Emma. From my heart, I hope you don’t need to, but…”

“It’s okay, Zofia,” said Alex calmly. “Say whatever you need to, love.”

“It is equipment to be used to stop the body coming back to life as one of the… It is very important it is attached when you believe Alex has stopped breathing. You may not have much time later, so you must act quickly. You should familiarise yourselves with the equipment and the procedure. I cannot stress the importance enough,” and right on cue, they heard footsteps from the bedroom above. “You have seen what these creatures can do, you do not…”

“They’re not creatures,” snapped back Emma. “They’re people. They were people.”

“Em, it’s okay, love. We know what Zofia meant.”

“No,” said Emma as a well of tears formed in her eyes. “It’s not okay. None of this is okay. All you were trying to do was help someone,” she said, swivelling in her seat to face Alex. “You were doing something brave and heroic and now...now,” she started sobbing, and Mike immediately went across and put his arm around her.

Alex gulped. He wanted to cry. He wanted to share her tears. The chances were good he was going to die. He wanted to stay with them. He wanted to protect them. He wanted that more than anything, but right now, he needed to be strong. He looked across at Mike and Emma and suddenly, they were two little kids. Alex felt heartbroken. It was unfair, but life was unfair. All you could do was deal with it. “Look, sweetheart. I made my choice. If I’d have run, I wouldn’t have wanted to live with myself. I did the right thing, and besides, I’m not giving up yet. I have every intention of fighting.”

“Yeah,” said Mike, squeezing his sister and kissing her on the head. “If anybody can fight this, it’s Alex.”

Zofia nodded, but Alex saw the sadness through her forced smile. She knew what the chances were. When Emma’s sobs had finished, she continued. Her voice was even softer now. “If the equipment is used, you need to phone the emergency number immediately.”

Emma was still dabbing away her tears, but Mike nodded, “I understand,” he replied.

“Does anybody have questions?” she asked.

“I’m good, thanks Zofia,” replied Alex.

Emma remained silent, while Mike continued to hold her tight. “Not right now. Thank you,” he said.

Zofia nodded and got to her feet. “It was nice meeting all of you,” she said.

Alex got to his feet too. “I’ll see you out.”

At the front door, Zofia turned. “I very much hope they don’t have to use that equipment. You are a nice man. You have a nice family,” she said and headed down the path with the two soldiers.

Alex closed the door, and leaned his back on it for a moment, just as he heard Emma begin to cry again. “Dear God,” he said looking up to the ceiling. “Please look after them.”

chapter fourteen

Day 219

“I’ll get the dishes,” said Alex, standing up from the table and collecting the plates.

“I’ll help daddy,” said Sammy.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Why don’t you three go and set the Monopoly board up,” he said looking at the others. “Sammy and I will get the washing-up done and then we’ll come and join you.”

“Why don’t you let me do the washing up?” said Mike.

Alex smiled. “I’m fine,” he said. Mike and Emma had been increasingly worried about him. He had seen their looks, he had heard their whispers. Over the last few days, he had been in a lot of pain. He had gone down a notch on his belt. He had felt weaker, and as if he had a constant cold. His throat was dry and scratchy, he tired quickly, but he kept fighting. He would not give up. This was his family he was fighting for. He would never give up.

He put the plates into the washing up bowl. There was virtually no waste these days. The portions had got smaller and everyone knew that they would have to be careful with every bean, every grain of rice. The water was still warm from lunchtime. He added a small dribble of washing up liquid and began to wipe. He brought the plate out of the bowl, inspected it to make sure it was clean, and handed it to Sammy, who dried it with a tea towel and placed it on the countertop.

“Love you, Sammy,” he said.

“I love you too Da…” she stopped as Alex brought another plate out of the bowl. “Daddy, you’re bleeding,” she said, looking a little panicked.

Alex suddenly felt something on his lip, and put his fingers up to just beneath his nose. He pulled them away and saw blood on his fingertips. “It’s alright darling, it’s just a—” He collapsed to the floor. There was an eardrum piercing scream from Sammy as his body hit the slate tiles, and the plate smashed into a dozen pieces. He tried to speak, but couldn’t. He heard feet thudding into the room, and Mike was the first one on his knees, trying to see if Alex was conscious.

“Alex! Alex! Can you hear me?” asked Mike.

Sammy continued to scream, and Mike shot a look towards Emma. “Sammy!” she said grabbing tight hold of her younger sister’s shoulders. “You need to stop screaming,” her voice was calm, she looked Sammy straight in the eyes. The young girl used up her breath and then went silent. Emma immediately guided her out of the room, and Mike got to his feet, grabbing a sharp kitchen knife from the draining board. He gulped.

“Alex!” said Mike again. There was no response, and as brave as Mike wanted to be for his family, he felt his hand begin to shake. “Alex!”

“I’m alright,” croaked Alex.

Mike let out an audible breath of relief. He put the knife down on the draining board and knelt down. “Thank fuck for that!”

“What did I say about language in front of the kids?” Alex rasped.

“They’re in the other room,” replied Mike, wanting to smile, but just feeling a little sadder that Alex was still trying to crack jokes, even now. “C’mon, mate, let’s get you up.”

Emma reappeared at the kitchen entrance. “Let me give you a hand,” she said, and the three of them managed to get Alex to his feet.

Alex leaned against the kitchen counter for a second, and then his knees began to buckle again. Mike and Emma caught him.

“We’ll get you to bed,” said Mike, realising this was the beginning of the final decline for Alex, and taking immediate charge. He took most of the weight as they half walked, half carried Alex through the living room. Sammy and Jake burst out crying. Alex’s eyes were fluttering wildly and there was a steady stream of blood dribbling from his nose. Mike and Emma struggled up the stairs with him and placed him on the bed. “Go see to Sammy and Jake,” said Mike to Emma.

When she was out of the room, in between laboured breaths, Alex said, “I do feel very… peculiar.”

“Come on, mate, let’s get you into your PJs.” Alex could barely lift the various bits of himself long enough for Mike to take his day clothes off and put his night clothes on. Like everything else in Alex’s wardrobe, the pyjamas were a very loose fit on him now.

The older man kept catching glimpses of Mike as he helped him. There was sadness, shock, pity, as well as a multitude of other expressions he couldn’t identify on Mike’s face. A stabbing pain jerked through Alex’s entire body, and he convulsed. Mike placed his hand on him and tried to steady the violent body movements.

“Arggghhh!” screamed Alex.

“It’s okay mate, it’s okay Alex,” said Mike as he began to sob. “It’s okay Alex,” he said again, desperately trying to sniff back his tears. “It’s all going to be fine. It’s all going to be fine,” he said as his words were drowned out by another shriek of pain. When the convulsions had subsided, Mike carefully lifted Alex’s legs and placed them into the bed, covering them up.

He opened the bedside cabinet drawer and pulled out a bottle of morphine tablets. Mike lifted Alex’s head and put one of the tablets in his mouth, before picking up the half glass of water from the night before and making Alex take a sip. He put his head back down to rest, and put the tablets back before going to refill the glass.

Cries drifted up from downstairs and Mike shifted the blankets over Alex’s chest. “Thank you son,” said Alex, turning his head slightly.

“You should sleep now,” replied Mike, wiping away the tears from his face.

“I think I will,” he replied.

Mike closed the curtains, left the room, and Alex heard the padlock being fitted into place and clicked shut just before he drifted off to sleep.

Day 220

There was a long pause between the sound of the padlock being removed, and the sound of the hinges creaking. “Alex?” said Mike quietly through the crack in the door.

Alex tried to speak, but his throat was too dry. Eventually, he coughed and managed, “Yes, Mike.”

Mike walked into the room. The curtains were still closed, the air smelled stale. He put the knife he was carrying on top of the dresser by the door. Alex pretended not to see it, but he was glad he did. It actually gave him comfort to know that Mike was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure the family was safe.

“How do you feel this morning? Can I get you anything?” Mike asked as he opened the curtains letting in the bright sun. Sadness was still in his eyes. His idol had fallen. Once a fit, strong man, now a frail shadow of what he had been.

Alex shook his head. He had managed to lift himself up to take another morphine tablet earlier. It helped with the pins and needles, the pain, pretty much everything. Everything except the darkness. There was something else in him now. Something else living inside him. Another organism? Another entity? He felt like he was becoming a guest in his own body.

“Listen,” he whispered, “come here a second.” Mike crossed the room and sat down on the bed. “I need to tell you something,” said Alex.

“You can tell me anything, Alex,” replied Mike.

Alex opened his mouth to speak, and suddenly heard not words but a growl leave his lips. He had no control over his body and it lurched towards Mike. His fingernails dug into the younger man’s chest and Mike let out a cry of pain like a wounded animal. He dug his fingers in deeper as blood began to trickle down them. Panic and fear overwhelmed Mike, he froze. He began to cry, any hope of defending his family gone, and Alex bit into his stepson’s neck. He pulled back his head taking a chunk of bloody flesh from the gushing crater he had created. He caught a reflection of his grey, lifeless eyes in the bedroom mirror, before letting out another blood curdling growl.

“Arggghhh!” he screamed as he woke. The shout hurt his throat. Sweat made his pyjamas cling all over his body, and Alex began to cry. The thought of him turning into something that could hurt his family terrified him. He looked to the window through his tears. The curtains were still closed, but early morning light was bleeding through. “Please, God! Give me strength,” he said before beginning to drift to sleep once again.

He fell in and out of sleep most of the day. Sometimes when he woke, Mike and Emma were there, sometimes they weren’t. He remembered all of them being there on one occasion when he had opened his eyes. Alex had no idea of the time. The morphine was working better and better. He felt his head being lifted, and he managed to open his eyes. It was Mike. Alex smiled a little as the tablet was put in his mouth, and he sipped some water. Mike put his stepfather’s head back down on the pillow. “Y’alright, mate?” he asked gently, stroking the hair from Alex’s brow.

Alex had virtually no strength left in him, but as Mike began to head back out, Alex reached for him, grabbing hold of his wrist. Mike stopped and was about to speak, but Alex spoke first. “Don’t say anything, Mike, just listen... You and I got off to a shaky start. In the beginning there were times when I thought it might be better if we just stayed out of each other’s way until you left home. I’m glad we put the effort in. You know... all I can think of now... is how I want Jake to grow up to be just like you. You have to look after him, Mike. You have to look after all three of them. You’re the only person left in the world I would trust our family with. You’re the only one who can get them through this nightmare. Trust your instincts, be strong, and never ever give up.”  Alex let go of Mike’s wrist and took hold of his hand.

Mike held it for a while before realising Alex had closed his eyes again. “Alex? Alex?”

Alex wanted to respond. There were other things he wanted to say. But he was going on a journey now. He could feel it. As much as he wanted to be with his loved ones. As much as he wanted to comfort them and hold them one last time, there was something taking a hold of him. It was cold, and dark. In fact, now he realised, it wasn’t just taking hold, it was taking over. The things in his head. They were not all his anymore. The flashes of Mike and Emma and Sammy and Jake and Sandra. Old photos. Happy times. Now sprayed with bloody urges as the pangs of hunger for their flesh began to rise within him. How long? How long before he woke again. A different man. A different creature. “Run, Mike. Please, Run! Take our family and go. Please.” But no words left his lips. “Please Mike, run. Please.”

THE BEGINNING

Acknowledgements

First, last, always and forever, I want to thank the missus, Tina. We are a team, and she is my Safe Haven.

I want to thank the members of my fan club. Their support and loyalty never fails to blow me away. I couldn’t ask for more amazing people to share this journey with.

I have to thank my editor and friend Roma Gray – a great person, a great editor. Thank you for all you do. Of course, I can’t forget my cover artist, the amazing Christian Bentulan. His work never ceases to amaze. I am lucky to work with them both.

And finally... A massive thank you to all of you. Even after three books and a novella, I still find it difficult to believe that people want to spend their time reading my work. It is as magical as it is humbling. Thank you all.

A Note from the author

I really hope you enjoyed this book and would be very grateful if you took a minute to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

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Other books by Christopher Artinian:

Safe Haven: Rise of the RAMs

Safe Haven: Realm of the Raiders

Safe Haven: Reap of the Righteous

A Zombie Novella – Before Safe Haven: Lucy

Anthologies featuring short stories by Christopher Artinian

Undead Worlds: A Reanimated Writers Anthology

Featuring: Before Safe Haven: Losing the Battle by Christopher Artinian

Tales from Zombie Road: The Long Haul Anthology

Featuring: Condemned by Christopher Artinian

Treasured Chests: A Zombie Anthology for Breast Cancer Care

Featuring: Last Light by Christopher Artinian

christopher artinian

Christopher Artinian was born and raised in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Wanting to escape life in a big city and concentrate more on working to live than living to work, he and his family moved to the Outer Hebrides in the north-west of Scotland in 2004.

He released his debut novel, Safe Haven: Rise of the Rams in February 2017. This was the first instalment of a post-apocalyptic zombie trilogy. Book two, Safe Haven: Realm of the Raiders continues the fast moving and often terrifying story and book three, Reap of the Righteous concludes the first chapter in the gripping saga. In July 2018 he released A Zombie Novella – Before Safe Haven: Lucy, featuring one of Safe Haven’s most loved characters. With four more works in progress, there is going to be no shortage of material for Safe Haven fans in the coming months.

In October 2017, he won the prestigious Zombie Book of the Month Award for Rise of the RAMs. In December 2017 he was also awarded with the prestigious, "Best New Author" prize by the Reanimated Writers group. In addition, Safe Haven won the "Best Series" award in the popular Good Morning Zompoc members poll.

For fans of the Safe Haven books, a standalone short story featuring one of the main Safe Haven characters was published as part of an anthology (Undead Worlds). Christopher was also featured in the Treasured Chests anthology and another of his stories, "Condemned" was released in the Zombie Road anthology.