“Family and friends? Do you think anyone back home made it?” Jack said, as he poured another whisky.
“I don’t know. If back home was the same as here, then I doubt it. In fact, I think we should assume that they didn’t pull through. To find out otherwise would be a bonus.”
We both sat quietly, reflecting on this and sipping our whisky. It was the first time I had thought about what the long-term future had in store, and who was going to be around to share it. Until now, my main concern had been surviving each individual day, now our prospects seemed healthier.
Would we ever get back home? Perhaps not, but was there even anything for us to go back to? Probably not. Could the survivors manage to form a new community together? I couldn’t imagine how people would find each other if they were spread out all over the country.
“Do you think we should stay here for a few months?” I asked.
“Yes, definitely until all of the corpses have rotted away. Or until we hear something from another survivor that convinces us it’s best to move on.”
“I agree. We can go on scouting trips to try to find out news. For the time being though, we’ll stay here. We’ve a few more bottles here to enjoy and can scavenge a few more home comforts from town, or neighbouring properties.”
“Do you think Bernie and Lea will stay with us?” Jack said, lowering his voice.
“I’m not sure; I personally don’t think Lea trusts us after what happened with Chris. She might go as soon as she comes across a better option. Bernie might want to have a look for some of the people he knew. We’ll have to see. But for now, I think we are stronger together.”
Jack topped our drinks up again. I was starting to be light headed, but was feeling relaxed for the first time in days.
“Go and grab us a couple of cigars from the cabinet,” I said.
Jack jumped to his feet and headed towards the front door before stopping and peering through the glass.
“Who’s that?”
Lea slowly walked through the door with a blank look on her face.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“The last five minutes.”
“I’m off to get the cigars,” Jack said, escaping the potentially awkward situation.
Lea probably heard everything. As far as I could remember, neither Jack nor I had said anything bad about her. I speculated about what she thought about us and what she might do next, but her silence seemed to hold more than that. I decided it was best to get things out in the open before we went any further.
“Lea, I’ve a confession to make, and you’re not going to like it.”
She scowled at me.
“Do you think I didn’t know you started the music?”
“Pardon?” I stuttered.
“You three couldn’t act to save your lives. I knew pretty much straight away on the roof of Bernie’s apartment block. You were all so sheepish and pathetic. Then back in the apartment, you all clammed up and came out with silly answers whenever the subject was discussed.”
I looked up at Lea for a few seconds, and then stood up.
“Lea, I’m really sorry. It was my idea, don’t blame Jack or Bernie. All we were trying to do was draw killers towards each other, so they’d stay away from us. It went badly wrong, we never intended for you two to walk into the trap.”
Jack came back out of the front door, “I’ve got the…”
He sensed the tension on the porch and looked at Lea then me.
Lea’s face softened and she shook her head.
“If you’d have just told me right at the start that you set up that trap, I would have understood.”
“Are you sure? You were going mental on the roof,” Jack replied.
“Yes, of course I’m sure. I was convinced that I wouldn’t last long with just Chris as company and desperate to find others who were not killers. I can understand what you did then, but you should have some faith in me.”
“What do you mean?” I answered.
“You think that I will leave as soon as an opportunity comes along. I heard you from behind the front door.”
“That was a bit sneaky, wasn’t it?” Jack frowned.
“Well, you’ve hardly inspired complete trust, have you?”
“We weren’t exactly in a world full of trust at the time, Lea. Now, we’ve a bit more time to think and reflect, it’s easier to judge with the benefit of hindsight.”
“Join us for a drink,” I said, and noticed a conciliatory look appear across her face.
Lea agreed, and I fetched another glass. For the next two hours, Jack, Lea, and I, talked while finishing off the bottle of whisky. She understood the way we reacted after everything was explained - the car, the music, and the awful turn of events. We were all miles from home, not knowing whom to trust, and had the very real threat of death at any minute.
Lea had heard our plan to stay at the house for a few months unless something made us move. We speculated on what kind of news that would be. Perhaps a survivor group being formed in a town, news of transportation available to an unaffected place overseas, or worst of all, an invasion.
The only new developments were the vapour trail in the sky and that the brainwashing had seemed to run its course. Neither of those two things helped explain anything.
We were passing a cigar around, almost like a peace pipe, and coughing on the smoke when we all heard what sounded like a spray of gunfire in the far distance.
“How close do you think that was?” Lea said.
“I don’t know,” Jack answered, “a few miles at least, I would say. Nothing that should bother us tonight. That’s the first thing we’ve heard like that since arriving. There’s bound to be a few frightened and confused people walking around, so it doesn’t surprise me.”
“Let’s not get too jumpy, we’ll deal with any immediate threats,” I added.
Lea decided to get some rest and left us out on the porch.
We sat sipping whiskey for ten minutes until Jack had a suggestion. He was looking towards the front right-hand side of the property.
“Fancy a walk to that farm we passed on the way? I liked the look of it and I’m in the mood for a bit of exploring.”
“Shouldn’t we wait until the morning? We’d be leaving nobody on watch, and its dark,” I replied.
“We haven’t come across anyone for miles, apart from Greg. They’ll be alright. It’s only about a mile away.”
Jack stood, picked up his rifle, and checked it was loaded before continuing, “I’m confident this killer thing has ended. Let’s see if we can get some fresh supplies. There might be chickens, vegetables, and all kinds of stuff. We could surprise Bernie and Lea with our bounty. Are you game?”
“Let’s do it,” I said. “They’ll both be none the wiser as long as we get back before Bernie’s shift.”
As we walked towards the road, I thought that we could potentially be making a big mistake. Had the alcohol given us too much courage? Were we acting too quickly on a rashly made assumption? I didn’t know, and my legs felt slightly unsteady.
“Are you sure about this?” I said.
“Why not? What have we to lose?” he whispered, smiling.
I didn’t want to answer that.
We turned right along the road and started walking towards the farm. As we neared the property, I realised there was a light coming from a farmhouse window. Somebody must have turned it on recently with an alternative electricity source.
We crept along a tree-lined road that led to the farm gate. I could hear the noise of a generator coming from somewhere inside the adjacent barn. Within thirty yards of the window, we pulled up flat against the barn’s side.
“Whoever is in there, is not exactly trying to keep a low profile,” I whispered.
“How shall we handle it?”