George gasped behind them. “Mummy!” he cried.
“Don’t look, George. Close your eyes. Okay, hun?”
Jack looked over his shoulder at the red-haired boy. He was still staring out the window, eyes wide. Taking it in.
Sarah had to weave the car around a few vehicles that had collided, scattering shattered glass across the road. Doors to several houses were open, their contents dispersed into gardens. Jack blew out a whistle at all he was seeing. It was panic. Chaos and panic. Those not infected by the virus had tried to flee, only to be caught by the creatures.
Sarah brought the minivan to stop and groaned. The narrow bridge ahead of them that spanned the Waikato River was jammed, making it impassable. This had been their last chance; they had tried the other two bridges already.
“That’s the last bridge for miles,” Sarah said. “Looks like we’re walking.”
“Let’s make it quick. The race course is about a ten minute walk from here.”
“I’ll carry George if you take my bag,” Sarah said.
Jack hefted his hiking pack over his shoulders and tightened the straps, making sure it was secured. Next, he hooked Sarah’s pack over his left shoulder so that he still had movement on his right. Enough to swing the bachi hoe if needed. He glanced at the sun and figured that they still had an hour at least before the beasts emerged.
Sarah lifted George to her chest and hugged him tight so his face was against her chest. She nodded that she was ready and Jack moved out and across the bridge. All the vehicles were empty of people, though their belongings remained, some spilled out on the ground. Jack picked up a couple of water bottles and the odd chocolate bar. As silently as they could, they skirted the main shopping area, taking a smaller side street that went around behind the shops. His nerves felt like a thousand needles stabbing him as he scanned the vicinity for the monsters, and for people like Duke. Jack didn’t ease the pace until they could see the evac centre up ahead.
As soon as he saw the race course, Jack knew something was wrong. It was the lack of movement. The lack of noise. Now that there was no one around, the ambient noise of human civilisation that always played in the background was absent. Surely they should’ve heard something, anything, as they approached?
He gently tugged at Sarah’s arm and ducked behind a row of trees. “Stay here,” he said.” It’s too quiet. I’ll go on and check it out.”
Moving as quietly as possible, Jack flitted through the woods from tree to tree, staying in the shadows and keeping the trunks between himself and the evac centre. Dark green army tents had been set out in rows. Interspersed between them were white medical tents with red crosses. Careful to not be seen, he crept up behind one of the tents and ducked in. Jack gasped at the sight that greeted him. Cots, blankets and clothing were jumbled about like a bull had gone crazy. Broken cups and glasses lay everywhere.
The same scene played over and over as Jack moved through the camp. Everything was chaos. Everyone had either run for their lives or been taken by the beasts. This wasn’t an evacuation centre; it was an extinction centre. Jack spotted a rifle lying next to a medical tent and jogged over. The stench coming from inside nearly overpowered him. When he ducked his head in, he saw beds, some empty and some containing people. Jack clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself retching. One of the infected was thrashing about on its bed, its skin blackened, bleeding from its eyes and ears. Jack scooped up the rifle and started to jog back to Sarah. As he ran, he kept an eye out for a vehicle. Jack was tired of running. Tired of this endless quest to reach Hamilton and the safety of Dee. He knew that if he could just reach Dee, everything would be okay. Dee had that way about her. She made you feel safe, feel that anything was possible.
Jack heard the throaty V8s rumbling up the road before he saw them. Duke. He cursed to himself. Of course that asshole would come sniffing around here. Probably after more guns and whatever drugs he could find.
Jack crouched down behind a tent and looked over his pilfered rifle. He recognised it as something the NZ Army used, but beyond that, he had no clue. He had no idea how to use it. He tried to recall what Dee had shown him with her dad’s guns. Surely they were similar? It didn’t take him long to find the safety switch. It had three settings. Safety, semi, and full. He clicked it to semi and tested pushing it into his shoulder. Apart from a shotgun, he had never fired a weapon before.
You’d better learn fast.
Duke and his men tore into the evac centre, three cars skidding their tyres in the mud. They each drove around in a circle, revving their engines. Jack cringed, fearful of the noise they were making. Fearful of the creatures coming for them and fearful of being discovered. Duke had let him go last time only to hunt him. Jack knew that this time he would be executed on the spot.
He kept an eye on Duke from his hiding spot. The man raised a clenched fist from his car window, halting the maddening din. Even from this distance, Jack could hear his shouted orders.
“Todd. Take Pixie and Mac, gather up all the weapons the army has so kindly left us. Nancy-boy, you and Alan are on drug duty. And if I catch you taking any, I’ll kill you myself. Jeff, we’re on food.”
The men exited their vehicles and walked away, leaving one person in Duke’s car. Jack squinted trying to get a better look. Emma? What was she doing here?
Jack gritted his teeth. These men strutted about in such a carefree manner that Jack wondered if they knew about the creatures’ habits at all. Not that he planned to educate them. He waited a few more minutes, listening to them as they plundered their way through the centre, crashing over unwanted supplies. The sounds reverberated around the race course, making him more nervous. Once they were far enough away, Jack rose and crab-walked to Duke’s red Holden Commodore. Emma was looking away from him as he clicked open the door and held up his hand.
Emma snapped her head around, her eyes bulging in surprise. She held up her hands, which had been cable-tied together and pointed to her feet.
Jack always carried a knife in his hiking pack. It was one of those objects that had so many uses, like duct tape. He made short work of the ties and tugged Emma through the car. They hugged briefly, Jack turned quickly, leading the way. It was easy to avoid Duke and his men. They made so much noise it was like a child care centre had been released in a toy shop.
Jack paused at the edge of the tents and glanced across the road. He could see Sarah’s bright red jacket amongst the trees, could sense her watching. With one last glance behind him, he gestured to the trees, pushing Emma in front of him. Jack clutched the rifle and followed her.
— 13 —
Thump!
Dee shuddered and risked a peek out the window. She had boarded up the windows as best she could, using every available scrap of timber and furniture. Anything to barricade herself in and keep the creatures out. So she only had a slither of a gap available to watch for Jack. She reached out and gently pulled the curtain aside. Her view was limited, but she could see the driveway and gate. Both led to the street.
Thump!
There it was again. Dee clenched her teeth and scanned the property, still seeing nothing. It was a bright sunny day, hardly a cloud in the sky. Dee loved autumn days like this. The last remnants of summer hanging on before the dreary winter set in. Seeing nothing, Dee let the curtain fall and relaxed the grip she had on her katana.