The Undead Day Twenty (31 page)

‘I know,’ Nick whispers from the other side of the Saxon.

‘My team on me,’ Blowers orders. ‘Maddox, you too.’

The team filter off to re-group behind the horse-box as Roy walks down tutting and shaking his head at Maddox then sharing a pained look with Blowers. ‘Long day,’ he mutters.

‘Say that again,’ Blowers replies, unaware that is the first small talk he has exchanged with Roy.

‘You’re giving them more freedom,’ Clarence says quietly once Blowers’ team is out of earshot.

‘Blowers knows what he’s doing,’ Howie says.

‘You okay?’ Clarence asks.

Howie nods then shrugs and nods again, ‘yeah…’

‘Enjoy your new crossbow, Roy,’
Blinky says through the radio.

‘It’s not a bloody cross…’
Roy snaps as he realises the joke within the words and looks up to see Blinky walking backwards grinning widely while showing him a middle finger.
‘Very funny…Patricia,’
Roy transmits, smiling back at her.

Clarence tracks the joke shared then looks again at Howie as he senses there is a smarter plan underway. None of them ever make jokes with Roy but Blinky just did and the conversations between Roy and Blowers have been better today too. Maddox has become a common problem. A difficulty they can all share and in that the unity grows tighter. Is Howie intending that or is it by accident?

‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ Roy says, rushing towards the broken window as Marcy and Paula climb out from their vehicles and walk down.

‘Take your time,’ Howie says.

*

Blinky turns back, grinning and chuckling as she falls in with the others. She chuckles again, sighs, looks round and then over at Maddox. ‘You’re a cunt.’

‘What?’ Maddox says, surprised at the suddenness and the way she said it.

‘Selfish cunt…like a total fucking chopper. You’re letting the team down, stop being a cunt.’

‘Well said,’ Cookey says.

‘Fact,’ Nick says.

‘I’m not in your team.’

‘You are. You’re here,’ Blinky says. ‘This is the team and you’re in it…I swear, Maddox. If someone gets hurts cos you’re being a bellend I’ll fuck you up…’

‘I’ll keep that in mind,’ Maddox replies

‘These are my mates,’ Blinky says, staring past Cookey and Nick to Maddox. ‘You don’t fuck about out here, Maddox. You got an issue then deal with it off the pitch…’

‘Pitch?’ Maddox sneers.

‘I’ll fuck you up you snotty cunt…’

‘Enough, focus,’ Blowers says.

Blinky faces forward. The team captain just gave an order and orders are followed. She’ll dig him later when no one is looking.

They reach the end of the building line and move across into the pedestrian area bordered by the brand name stores. Charlie waits in the middle on Jess. Smiling at them walking towards her with her rifle butt resting on her right thigh.

‘Hey sexy lady,’ Cookey calls out.

‘Hello, Cookey,’ Charlie says, already grinning at him.

‘I was talking to Jess but hey, Charlie, you okay?’

‘You fancy my horse?’

‘Your horse is fit,’ Cookey says.

‘How’s Mr Howie?’ Charlie asks, the smile easing a little as she speaks.

‘Quiet,’ Nick says, looking back towards the road. ‘Anything here?’

‘Nothing, Meredith keeps sniffing but…I’ve got that horrible sensation of being watched,’ she whispers with a shudder. ‘Most unsettling.’

‘Most unsettling,’ Cookey says.

‘It is,’ Charlie says.

‘I know,’ Cookey says, nodding seriously, ‘it is most unsettling…anyway, so…’ he looks round the street then at Maddox. ‘Mate, seriously…you got to stop being like that.’

‘Like what?’

‘All awkward and sulky and shit. Grow up…we’re here, we’ve got to do it so…’

‘I do not want to be here. I do not like you. I do not like any of you.’

‘Maddox,’ Cookey says, looking at him earnestly, ‘speak your mind and let it out…’

‘What?’

‘Do you want a hug?’

‘What?’

‘You are a very angry man aren’t you, yes? An angry man? Are you an angry man?’ Cookey asks, his voice getting higher in tone. ‘Bit angry yes? Little bit angry?’

Maddox sneers, shakes his head and looks away with cool disdain.

‘Wanna hug? Wanna huggy poos? Wanna man cuddle? Wanna a reacharound from Blowers?’

‘Twat,’ Blowers laughs as the others chuckle and grin.

‘Wanna do bumming? Wanna do manhugging? Wanna do…’

‘Fuck off,’ Maddox snaps.

‘Ah,’ Cookey cheers, seeing the twitch at the corner of Maddox mouth. ‘Made you smile made you care made you lose your underwear…’

‘What the fuck?’ Nick asks, laughing at him.

‘I ain’t smiling,’ Maddox says, suppressing the smile.

‘You did smile.’

‘I did not smile.’

‘You did. I saw it. You smiled…you smiled when I said bumming which means you want some willy…ooh you look all angry now…’

‘Keep going,’ Maddox says quietly, staring hard with a tone that Mo knows is his pre-cursor to fighting. Mo stiffens, sliding his right foot back as his head cocks an inch to the side.

‘He’s getting all naughty,’ Cookey says, sensing the mood drop and seeing the threat but having precisely no concern at either. ‘Mr Howie is a good man and he’s having a bad day…you say anything to him again and…’

‘You all keep making threats,’ Maddox says, looking round at them all. ‘Someone do it then…someone beat me…give me a kicking…come on? I’m right here?’ his tone stays calm and controlled as he deflects the subtle aggression back at them.

‘Maddox,’ Charlie says, as frustrated as everyone else but her voice as respectful and polite as ever. ‘Please stop, this is hard enough without…’

‘Just get on with it,’ Maddox cuts across her words while making a point of looking away as the tension and frustration continue to grow in all of them.

*

‘What a sodding awful horrible day,’ Marcy says, walking down to join Howie, Dave and Clarence.

‘Isn’t it just,’ Paula calls out, marching down from the van. ‘We’ve got to do something about Maddox…’

‘We are doing something,’ Howie says.

‘Are we?’ Paula asks curtly coming to a stop next to Marcy. ‘What’s that then?’ she demands with a glare at Howie. ‘He’s disobeying constantly…Blowers is like this far from snapping,’ she adds, holding her thumb and forefinger a fraction of an inch apart.

‘Like I said, we are doing something,’ Howie says.

‘What? What are we doing? It’s not fair on Blowers to let it get so bad he snaps.’

‘What do you suggest then, Paula?’ Howie asks with an edge to his voice.

‘I don’t know, Howie,’ Paula retorts.

‘Christ,’ Clarence groans, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘Look I’m sorry,’ Paula says, still terse but clearly trying to back-pedal, ‘but I hate him…’

‘Try sitting in the Saxon with him,’ Marcy says. ‘Should have heard what he said before Reggie…’

‘What?’ Paula asks quickly. ‘What did he say?’

‘Some shit about Mo being accused of rape by a girl that fancied him…’ Marcy explains, ‘he was making a point that people lie…’

‘That’s it,’ Paula fumes, folding her arms as the steam plumes from her ears. ‘Seriously? He actually said that? What did you say? I hope to God one of you told him to shut up.’

‘What could we say?’ Marcy asks, as bewildered as everyone else. ‘Blowers tried but then Maddox asked if they’d break his fingers?’

Paula doesn’t reply but lifts her eyebrows in that gesture of hers that suggests she really is not very happy right now.

‘I am really not very happy right now,’ she tells them.

‘It’ll come to a head one way or another,’ Clarence says heavily after a few seconds of silence.

‘We can’t leave him at the fort,’ Howie says.

‘Er, mind if I?’ Roy asks, hovering a hand towards the sports shop.

‘Yeah carry on mate,’ Howie says. ‘Listen, we’ve just got to stick it out with him…’ he tells everyone else.

‘Yes,’ Paula states pointedly.

‘Argh,’ Roy calls out from inside the sports shop.

‘You alright?’ Clarence asks as they all turn.

‘Cobwebs,’ Roy calls out.

‘So what next?’ Marcy asks, sagging on the spot.

‘You look hot,’ Howie says.

‘I am hot. I’m very hot. I stink and my skin is sore…’ she wipes her hand across her forehead to show Howie her glistening hand. ‘See that? I’m sweating…I’m hot…my skin is sore and getting dry and we’re running about all over the place again…’ she stops suddenly with the sudden memory of what Howie did back at the equestrian centre and closes her eyes with a pained look, ‘I’m sorry…’

‘What for?’ Howie asks.

‘Moaning…you okay? I mean…you know…after that.’

He shrugs, nonchalant and casual but the flash of darkness is there in his eyes. ‘Is what it is.’

‘Don’t let Maddox get to you…ask Dave to beat the shit out of him. Dave? Will you please beat the shit out of Maddox…’

‘No,’ Howie says quickly before Dave runs off and commences beating the shit out of Maddox.

‘This sounds weird but it’s like we all did it,’ Paula says quietly, looking at Howie then over at Clarence.

‘Did what?’ Clarence asks.

‘What Howie did…back there…like it feels like I did it but Marcy did it too…like we all did it. Ah, doesn’t make any sense.’

‘No that’s how it feels,’ Marcy says before looking back to Howie.

‘It’s done,’ Howie says blasting air out his nose and thereby showing he wishes the conversation to end. ‘Reggie? What’s next? Why aren’t they attacking?’

‘I have no idea,’ Reginald replies, his hands clasped behind his back as he stares round at the street. ‘Truly,’ he mutters to himself.

‘You think they’re here?’ Marcy asks.

‘Oh undoubtedly. We are under observation as we speak…but by how many and where from I am unable to say. As I explained before I wanted to see if the other side made the connection to our gathering of essential supplies but the lack of opposition at the equestrian centre already disproves that theory.’

‘BLOODY COBWEBS,’ Roy shouts from inside the shop.

Paula shudders at the thought, glancing at the shop with distaste.

‘What’s after here then?’ Marcy asks, looking at Reginald.

‘I would suggest we locate somewhere remote to spend the night while I plan ahead…’

‘That is exactly what we need,’ Marcy says wistfully. ‘Somewhere with a bath so I can lie in cold water for a few hours…’

‘Now that,’ Paula says. ‘is the best idea all day.’

‘
Boss, it’s Blowers, looks all clear up here…’

*

‘BLOODY COBWEBS,’ Roy shouts, plucking the strand from his face as he looks up and round for the offending spider that’s no doubt growing fat from all the flies also growing fat from all the bodies lying everywhere. An image swims into his mind of an obese fly trapped in a web huffing and puffing with red cheeks as a fat spider waddles towards it. Roy’s mind works differently to other peoples. What bothers them does not bother Roy. Zombies do not bother him. He can handle the heat too. He is fit, lean and blessed with an ability to withstand the changes in temperature. He’s irritated by Maddox but not to the extent of the others. He feels bad for what Howie did but also knows it was the right thing to do so therefore there is no need to keep thinking about it.

Instead he hovers between that state of utter calm where nothing in this world affects him, and a state of near on blind panic of knowing he is dying right this second from being infected with the virus.

Of all of them, Roy absorbed the understanding the deepest of all. He never said anything because to give it voice would have seen him drawing his pistol and blowing his own brains out.

Long years of therapy kicked in. The cognitive behaviour therapy asserted itself from the hundreds of hours and many well-meaning therapists that tried, and mostly failed, to ease his fears and obsessions of imminent death. He takes stock of the facts he knows. He uses those facts to reassure himself and just about stave off that panic attack bubbling away under his skin.

It’s Marcy that prevents the fear manifesting. Marcy’s hair, Marcy’s nails, Marcy’s skin tone and complexion. Roy doesn’t fancy Marcy. Roy can see the attraction for Marcy, who wouldn’t? She’s stunning but what Roy sees is beyond that. What Roy sees is a woman that has the thing he now apparently has and that woman looks absurdly healthy. Reginald too, in a geeky, stay-indoors and never do any exercise kind of way. Marcy was taken early too which means she’s had it for a while, and not only is she not dead but she looks great, and seems perfectly well.

That’s it. Just that. That is the dam holding the waters back. The simple fact of Marcy’s appearance.

It’s a funny world and it’s made up of funny people. People who all feel fears and have hopes and dreams the same as everyone else so whatever it takes to get through the day is all that matters.