Tales of the Dead Tropics - chapter 36

"Hooah!" I heard the soldier above yelling as he drilled the bodies around him with his machine gun. 

"Thank you!" I gasped gratefully to the man across from me.  The soldier, a handsome asian youth, grinned at me.  "No probs, ma'am.  You looked like you were having a spot of trouble."

I snorted weakly.  " That seems to be a permanent state of affairs at the moment..."

The soldier from the turret clambered back down.  Bright orange hair poking out from under his helmet, he looked all of twenty.  "That's a few less dmw's to worry about!" He boasted.

"Dmws?" I questioned.  The soldiers exchanged a grin.

"That would be 'dead men walking', ma'am.  Our little nickname for the fu...suckers."

"Ahh." I restrained the urge to roll my eyes.  "Please stop calling ma'am.  You're making me feel like a school principal!  My name is Lori Nelson." I gestured at Mike  who was watching their antics with a bland expression. "This strong silent type here is Mike Bridges."

"Private Jensen, ma'...Lori." The asian lad shook my hand and then Mike's.  "The 'ranga is Boyd and the two up front are Doyle and Harris."  Doyle and Harris gave a polite wave in response, remaining focused ahead.  "I tell ya, it's good to find some survivors at last.  I was worried we were going to have to return to base and report to the captain that the patrol was another bust!"

Boyd gave a dramatic shudder.  "I heard the captain ripped the last patrol a new one for coming back empty handed."

Jensen's dark eyes twinkled at me.  "See, ma'am, you did us a favour by allowing us to rescue you."

My lips couldn't help smiling in response.  "Glad we could be of service.  Your captain sounds like a real hardass."

"Nah. Anders is okay." Jensen responded. "He knows his stuff."

"At least he doesn't try his damnedest to get us killed, like some fincles I can think of." Boyd snorted derisively.

"Fin..." I started.

"Anders?" Mike leaned forward, interest lighting his grey eyes.  "James Anders?"

"Yeah.  Why?"

He shrugged casually, searching his pockets for a stick of gum  "I knew him back in Afghanistan."

Boyd slapped his hand on his knee.  "Ha! Knew it! Had you pegged for a military man as soon as I saw you!  What rank?"

"Sergeant." Mike peered through the window. "Where is your base camp located?"

"At the airport.  We'll be there in a few minutes."

I started to feel anxious.  The further we travelled, the further we would have to go to get back to the house.  "Private Jensen, we have a group back at my sister's house.  We really need to get back to them."

"No probs.  There'll be another patrol heading out soon.  They can pick them up then."

I nodded reluctantly.  I guessed that would have to do.   As the soldiers turned away to discuss a matter with the men in front, I whispered to Mike.  "What does fincles mean?"

He grinned mischievously.  "That would be an aconym, F.I.N.C.LE.  An effing idiot that no cun..."

"Okay, okay.  Sorry I asked."

"Here we are." Jensen nodded.  Peering through the small window, I saw we were approaching the airport.  At least it had been a airport yesterday.  Today it liked something from a war movie with its perimeter reinforced with barb wire and sandbags.  Machine guns and rocket launcher were manned by soldiers all along the fence line.  I looked around in awe as we passed through the gates.  In the lowering dusk, lights shone brightly all over the camp, revealing a chaotic mix of tents, tanks, army vehicles and helicopters parked on the oval.  

"Out you come." Boyd called cheerfully, pulling the hummer door open.  Clambering out, I took in the sights and sounds.  Periodically, machine guns would stutter, no doubt at zombies approaching the fence.  Looking at all the lights and personnel, I had no doubt that this camp was attracting a lot of attention from zombies.  Uneasy at the thought, I followed Mike and the soldiers through the grounds.

"You'll be perfectly safe here." Boyd said cheerfully.  "We've got barricades and guards on all sides - except the river, of course."  He grinned.  "But then, the crocs  do the job of guarding that perimeter for us."

"The refugees are being harboured in arrivals building over there." Jensen nodded to a large building on our left.  "But I'm sure we can rustle up a bit of privacy for a military man." He grinned, thumping Mike on the arm.  Mike smiled at him before turning to me and wagging his brows mischievously. 

As we passed the large glass windows of the arrivals hall, I paused to look inside.  There must have been hundreds of people lying across seats and sprawled across canvas beds or huddled in corners.  Refugees, indeed.  The look of numbness, shock and despair on their faces spoke of horrific experiences.  Small children ran and played amidst the adults while older children stood close to their parents, seemingly afraid to let them out of their sight.  My heart went out to them.

"What measures are you taking to ensure the virus doesn't spread amongst the refugees?" Mike asked abruptly.

Jensen looked up at him.  "You know about the bite thing?  Not to worry. The docs are giving all new refugees the once over to make sure they haven't been bitten."

"And if they have?" I hated to ask for fear of the answer.

Jensen looked at me somberly but did not answer the question.

"We're heading to the docs right now, as a matter of fact." Boyd interjected. "They should be able to see you straight away.  It's not like they're busy - we haven't found any survivors in several hours."

The doctors were working from an office.  The room was full of medical supplies and surgical equipment. 

"Hey doc!" Boyd called out as we entered.  "Got some new ones for you to check over!"

A man with short salt and pepper hair joined us.  "Have either of you been bitten?" Keen eyed and sharp featured, the middle aged man ran his eyes swiftly over me.

I shook my head, a little taken aback by his manner.

"Been in the daintree area in the last week?"

We shook our heads again. 

"Well, then there shouldn't be an issue.  Go in those booths over there," He nodded towards temporary cubicles in the far left corner of the room. "and strip."  Knowing that the doctors were thorough with their checks went a long way to reassuring me that this place wouldn't pose a risk to my family.  Although the high profile of this camp still concerned me.  Surely they should be trying to be as unobtrusive as possible?  I shrugged the thought off as I headed for a booth.  I was hardly Sun Tzi, military strategist extraodinaire.

After we were given the all clear by the doctor, Mike and I were met by another young soldier who introduced himself as Harris.  Jensen and Boyd had left to report to their captain.  We were led to a tent which I guessed was where the soldiers were staying. 

"Please wait here until someone comes to collect you." The young man requested politely before leaving.

Mike raised his brows, looking around at the basic but comfortable accommodation. "Not bad digs, really."

"You must be highly regarded, sergeant, to warrant such luxury." I said drily, but my heart wasn't in it.  My mind was on Sarah.  I was feeling increasingly frustrated, knowing she was getting sicker every minute that she was without the antibiotics I had in my bag.

"We'll be out of here soon, Lori." He said gently.  He was really learning to read me well, I realised with some discomfort. 

I looked away.  "I hope so.  If something happens to Sarah..."

"It won't."  He said it with so much confidence that I actually believed him.

"Why, are we due a miracle again?" I asked wryly. 

"Probably.  But we won't need it because you're just too damned stubborn to let anything happen to your kid."

"Hey!" I paused. "You know, I have absolutely no idea whether to be flattered or offended by that comment."

"Neither.  It was an observation, not flattery."  A mischievous glint came into his eyes.  "If I were trying to flatter you, I would comment on your cute nose, your perky..."

"Hey!" I felt my cheeks reddening and hoped the lighting was poor enough to stop him noticing.  I doubted it, though.  Very little seemed to escape his notice.

"What?" He gave me his most innocent look.

"You are such a stirrer." I sighed, exasperated.  Turning away, I placed my backpack on the little picnic table and stretched my back. Mike lay down on the camp bed, feet hanging off the edge, and closed his eyes.  Unable to rest, I paced the tent.  In the distance, the staccato sound of gunfire provided counterpoint to nearby vehicle engine noises and voices yelling instructions.

"You're wearing me out, Lori."  Mike was watching me.  I pulled a chair out and slumped down beside him. 

"What's taking so long?  I have to get home, Mike!"

"Give them a few more minutes.  Then I'll go hunt down Anders and make him give us a vehicle."

I studied him, unsure if he was being serious or not.  "Isn't that, like, treason or something, punishable by death?"

He laughed.  "I don't think it will come to that."

Harris poked his head through the flap.  "Captain Anders would like to see you now." 

Jumping up, I through the tent flap.  Machine guns rattled left and right.  Were they firing more frequently now, I wondered nervously, it seemed like they were.  Night had now fallen, making it impossible to see anything beyond the lights of the spotlights in the camp but I knew there were zombies there.  The thought chilled me.

Anders was standing with Boyd in his tent, albeit a larger and more comfortably equipped tent.  He turned as we entered and smiled welcomingly.  He was a slim sandy haired man with intelligent blue eyes and angular features.  Not surprisingly in the circumstances, he looked rather tired.  Mike strode forward and met him with an enthusiastic handshake.

"Bridges." Anders grasped Mike's forearm firmly.  "I am gratified to see you alive."

Mike grinned.  "Better than the alternative."

Anders raised his brows. "Indeed."

Turning to me, Mike beckoned me closer.  "This is Lori Nelson, a good friend of mine." I glanced up at him, surprised and secretly pleased. 

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Anders voice was clipped but polite.  I smiled and shook his hand.  "Nice to meet you, too.  I am very grateful to you and your men," I nodded at Boyd. "for rescuing us.  Mike and I were having a 'spot of trouble'."

Mike grinned.  "Speak for yourself, Lori.  I was doing just fine."

Anders' lips twitched.  "Same old Bridges, I see.  Might I ask what you were doing at the centre?  I assume not shopping?" 

"In a manner of speaking.  We needed medicine for Lori's daughter."

Anders frowned.  "She wasn't bitten, was she?"

"No. Yes." I rushed in. "She was bitten but that's not why she's sick. At least not directly."

Anders looked sympathetic and sorrowful.  "I'm sorry to hear that.  Unfortunately, there is no cure for being bitten yet.  It seems to be 100% fatal."

I looked at Mike pleadingly as my tongue seemed to be tied up all of a sudden.  He understood and stepped in.

"The limb was amputated immediately." He said crisply.  "She doesn't have the virus, just a normal infection of the wound."

Anders turned to Boyd and requested that he leave.  He turned back to us with a concerned look. "Amputation. Well, that would be a first.  Maybe we could swing it..." Seeing our puzzled looks, he explained himself. "There is a zero tolerance policy in place.  If the doctors determine that she is infected..." He paused.

"What?" I demanded.

"The doctors have been instructed to make sure any infected person is ...humanely euthanased."  He looked a little discomforted at the expression on my face.

"Well, she's not infected." I said through gritted teeth.  I didn't want to even think about what that policy would mean to other families.  Not now.

"If you choose to bring her here, it's a risk you need to be aware of."  He said sympathetically.

"There's no way I'm taking that chance!" I exploded, turning to Mike.  "Mike, we've got to get back home!"

"Calm down, Lori."  He raised a pacifying hand, eyes on Anders.   "Is there anything you can do? You have my personal assurance that the child is not infected."

"How long ago was the girl bitten?"

"Thirteen hours." I responded promptly.  Anders nodded thoughtfully.

"And her symptoms are...?"

"She has a fever and signs of sepsis."  At his raised eyebrow, I added an explanation for his benefit.  "I'm a nurse."

"Well, she is approaching the outside window for incubation...  If she hasn't developed the virus in the next couple of hours, I believe I can persuade a doc I know, to give her the all clear."

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.  "Captain, I appreciate your help, but that's a big if.  I am not going to take a chance of my daughter being put down like a dog!"

"Of course." He nodded. Straightening, he appeared to come to a decision. "I am prepared to give you my assurance that your daughter will be safe here.  If Bridges says she is not infected, that is good enough for me." 

I looked at Mike who nodded reassuringly. Turning back to Anders, he extended his  hand.  " 'preciate that, Anders."

As the captain shook Mike's hand, I struggled with my anxieties.  I wanted Sarah in the care of doctors but, in spite of Mike's confidence in this man, it felt like a big risk to bring her here.  I believed Anders meant what he said but what if he couldn't honor his promise to keep her safe?  What if the doctors had the power to override him?  Was that a risk worth taking?

Mike spoke up as I stood silent.  "Anders, we need to hitch a ride back to the house with one of your patrols." 

"Of course.  I'll walk you over to the team myself."  Anders hesitated.   "However, we have recently been given orders to evacuate all civilians and troops so you need to be aware that you don't have long to make a decision about joining us. If you miss the last transport, you will be on your own."

"I see."  Mike's voice was suddenly alert.  "When will the last transport be leaving."

"Five hundred hours." Anders' voice was casual but as he moved to a nearby table to pour some water,  I saw the tightness in his face. "I will instruct the last patrol to check on you."   Handing us a glass of water each, he caught Mike's eyes.  "I hope you will seriously consider coming with us." 

Mike turned abruptly to me.  "Lori, will you collect our backpacks, please?"

I gritted my teeth and spun on my heels.  I didn't need to be a rocket scientist to pick up on the underlying conversation going on in that room.  If he needed me gone to talk more frankly, then so be it.  Boyd was waiting outside the tent with a ready smile.

"Hello Boyd, I hear you guys are pulling out."

"Yes, ma'am.  I think headquarters finally decided fighting dead guys is a waste of time.  Can't say I disagree!"

"So the quarantine is being lifted?"

"No need.  We've blasted the roads in and out of town.  No dmw's getting out unless they can swim." He grinned. 

I returned the grin automatically as my mind raced.  "But where does that leave the people who are still alive in this town?"

He jerked his thumb at the gym. " That's why we've been sending out patrols all day, ma'am.  At this point, it's become a search and rescue operation to find as many survivors as possible and then get them the hell out of town."

I nodded stiffly and headed towards our tent.  To all appearances, the people in this town were being written off and abandoned to their fate.  There was no way that all the survivors could be found in one day.  Surely we could expect more from the people who were supposed to protect us?

I hurried to the tent and grabbed the backpacks.  The need to see my daughter was so strong that I felt almost sick.  As I left, I saw Jensen bellowing at some men to follow him.  They rushed past me towards the gates.  Uneasily, I stared after them, wondering what the emergency was.  Hopefully, nothing that would delay me leaving.  I felt a little guilty at the selfishness of that thought but, hey, I'm human.

Mike smiled at me as I entered the tent.  He and Anders appeared to be poring over a map.

"Ah, excellent." Anders straightened.  "If you are ready, I will take you to the patrol team now.  They will be heading out soon."

"Thank you!" I burst out appreciatively.  He blinked at my vehemence and nodded warily.  Grabbing his hat, he exited the tent with me and Mike in tow.  Boyd fell in beside me.   All around us, soldiers were packing equipment into trucks, taking down tents and checking weapons.  A sense of urgency seemed to have filtered into the camp in the last half hour.  I guessed there was a lot of work to be done before the army could pull out of town.

As we passed the arrivals hall, still packed with shell shocked civilians, the sporadic gunfire on the nearby barricades suddenly became prolonged and numerous.  Anders and Mike looked up, instantly alert.  Urgent voices could be heard on the wind yelling orders.  As one, we all ran towards the gates, where the ruckus seemed to be located.  Bringing up the rear, I wondered why the hell we were running towards trouble when we should be running the other way, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it came.  As the gates came into sight, I caught my breath. 

The spotlights illuminated a scene both horrific and unbelievable.  A mass of bodies, maybe thousands deep, moved towards the gate and surrounding fence.  It was a dark, flowing, implacable tide of death - and it was coming for us.  Under the glow of lights, the old, the young, the torn and bloodied, staggered towards the camp mindlessly and with utter singlemindedness. 

Tales of the Dead Tropics - chapter 35

I breathed a sigh of relief.  In the silence of the suburbs, the bike was attracting a lot more attention than was comfortable.  More and more zombies lined the road as we passed, like a bizarre ticker tape parade.  They fell in behind us, slowly building a horde in our wake.  I hoped that didn't spell trouble for us on the way back.

The shopping centre loomed ahead.  Mike brought the bike to a stop beside an open field that separated the road from the shopping centre.  At my inquiring look, he jerked his head to the zombies behind us.  "A quieter approach might be in order."  I agreed, throwing a nervous glance at the distant zombie pack as I climbed off the bike.  Mike removed his backpack and rearranged his weapons.   Along with his rifle slung over his shoulder, he had a cleaver strapped between his shoulder blades and a stiletto knife tucked in his belt. I felt suddenly naked in comparison, with just my parang and pistol tucked in my waistband.

We marched through the long grass, heading for the back of the shopping center.  A quick glance behind me showed that our zombie fans were still following us.  Fortunately, I guessed that it would take at least fifteen minutes for them to reach the centre.  Plenty of time for us to get in and out, I thought without conviction.  While I prayed that it would be a quick and easy task, past experience suggested otherwise.

We decided on entering via the side entrance.  Mike grabbed the door handle and quietly pulled it open.  The silence emanating from the building was oppressive.  The corridor ahead was dark, but I could see the lights in the supermarket just ahead.  Taking a deep breath, I slipped first through the doorway.  Hugging the wall, I walked softly down the corridor.  Up ahead, there was an open area around which the shops were grouped. The pharmacy was on the left of that open area while the supermarket lay on the right.  Straight across were some small shops and the toilet.

As we reached the end of the corridor, I paused.  Blood splattered the smooth, creamy floors of the open area, from one end to the other.  I could see the legs of a body lying behind a bench.  A zombie wandered into view.  It was a woman, long dark hair, wearing a uniform.  I restrained a gasp as she turned sideways, exposing her torso.  The flesh had been removed, exposing her ribs.  Another zombie staggered out of the post office.  Her face had been ripped off, causing her to bang into a bin and, hands forward, feel her way past.  Mike tapped my shoulder and pointed at the supermarket.  Through the gloom, I could count at least thirty shoppers and workers milling around the shop.  And those were just the ones I could see.

There was nothing for it, I realised, but to make a dash for it. I waited until the zombie in the middle was walking in the opposite direction and then slipped quickly into the nearby pharmacy, heading straight for the counter.  Hunkering down behind it, I took a moment to catch my breath and allow my heartbeat to slow, watching Mike as he joined me.

Kneeling, Mike carefully peered over the counter top.  He held up four fingers.  Four zombies in the shop.  Sliding past him, I scurried towards the prescriptions counter.  I would find the supplies I needed in the shelves behind it.  As I reached the end of the counter, I peered cautiously around the edge - and found myself staring into the dead eyes of a zombie.  It moaned and grabbed at me.  Squeaking in surprise, I jerked backwards.  The zombie, once an obese middle-aged woman, placed its arms on the floor and dragged its torso closer to me.  The lower part of her body had been devoured, I realised with revulsion. It ended just below her pelvis, nothing but naked bone and shredded flesh.   Pale blue eyes fixed on me, she slid even closer.  Wishing I'd brought my stake, I pulled out my parang but Mike slipped past me, grabbed her by the hair and drove the stiletto knife through her eye.  Instantly, her body stilled.

Catching his eye, I gave a shaky nod of appreciation.  Returning my parang to my belt, I followed him up two steps and into the back of the pharmacy.  Shelves of medication lined the walls.  Trying to stay low, I started poring through the supplies, looking for the broad spectrum antibiotics I needed.  Mike disappeared, scouting out the rest of the room, I presumed.  The antibiotics weren't hard to find, thankfully, and I removed my backpack and started filling it, first with a good supply of antibiotics and, then, with a few other essentials that I thought might come in handy if this quarantine lasted much longer.

I heard a small thud from the back of the room.  I hoped it was Mike.  Silently putting my backpack on again and moving forward, I rounded the centre shelves and saw Mike standing over a body wearing a white coat.  What was the pharmacist, I guessed.  Blood dripped from the stiletto in Mike's hand.  Looking up, he directed a querying look at me.  I nodded.  Got everything.  We can go now. 

I guess we weren't as quiet as we'd hoped.  Two zombies blocked the opening to the back room.  A young dark-haired woman called Mandy, according to her name tag, dragged her battered body toward me.  Just behind her, an older woman who appeared to be another chemist, reached out her remaining arm for Mike.  By mutual agreement, we pulled out our hatchets and stepped forward.  My heart hammered as I swung my parang at Mandy's neck.  It sliced three quarters of the way through her neck, causing her head to loll grotesquely on her shoulder.  Still, her arms groped for me.  Revolted, I stood on tiptoes and, swinging my hatchet overhead like an axe, I finished lopping her head off.  It hit the tiled floor with a thud that rang in my ears.

Turning to Mike, I saw he had already despatched the other zombie.  Cool and composed, he wiped clean his cleaver and jerked his smooth head at the opening.  Let's go.  No arguments there.  We hurried out of the compounding room onto the sales floor.  Two more of the creatures were waiting for us.  I evaded one easily but in its eagerness to grab me, it knocked a stand down.  The reverberating crash as the stand hit the tiled floor made me cringe.  Oh, that was not good.    I sent a desperately apologetic look to Mike.  He shrugged fatalistically and moved to the entrance of the pharmacy.  The central area  of the shopping centre was filling with zombies.  To get to the side exit again, we would have to fight our way through a dozen zombies with more pouring out of the supermarket by the second.

I looked to Mike for a cue as to what we should do next.  "Let's try the other entrance." He murmured.  We turned and headed to the opening on the other side of the pharmacy, again dodging the two zombies.  Disappointment.  Get used to it.  I thought as I bypassed one of them, a female zombie.  She moaned, hands grasping at the space I had just filled.  But pouring through the other opening were more zombies.  Oh shit.  Turning around, I saw the other entrance was now blocked with zombies.  Heart racing, I looked at Mike.  He grinned crookedly.  "Not so boring now, eh, Lori?" 

With a war cry that came from the gut, he charged forward and, wielding the cleaver like a sword, hacked left and right ferociously.  Heads rolled as he fought with the smoothness and grace of a samurai warrior.  I could only spare a second to admire his style before I had to swing into action.  Swallowing the panic I felt, I swung my parang above my head and severed two hands blocking the path before me.  Stepping to the side, I sheared off the head of a child before leaping over his body as he collapsed at my feet.  With a hard kick, I shoved a woman in my path backwards as I buried my parang into the neck of a teen boy.  As I pulled it free, two hands latched onto my neck.  With a cry of terror, I twisted around and found myself looking into the young face of a teen girl.  I knocked her hands away and kicked her in the stomach, trying to create some space.  Over her head, I saw the centre was now full of zombies, all heading for us.  If I didn't get out in the next few minutes, it was all over.

Swapping my parang into my left hand, I tugged out the gun with trembling hands and placed it against the girl's head as she rushed at me again.  I pulled the trigger, splattering her brains across the blank faces of the zombies behind her.  Turning, I shot at the heads closest to me.  Bang, bang, bang.  At this distance, style and technique didn't matter so much.  Ahead of me, Mike sliced another creature down and, breathing heavily, turned to smile at me.  The way to the sliding doors at the entrance to the shopping centre was clear. 

We raced towards the sliding doors  with zombies pouring out of the shops on either side of us.  I didn't have to look behind to know we had a significant number of zombies on our tail as well.  Gasping for breath, I fought to keep pace with Mike's long legs.  We burst through the sliding doors into the car park.  Throughout the car park, zombies turned to face us.

"Around the side." Mike breathed, grabbing my hand.   I staggered briefly as he pulled me into a run.    On my right, I saw a crowd of zombies forming as they poured from between the vehicles in the car park.  Suddenly, Mike veered as a dead man stumbled out of a video store we were passing.  I glimpsed several figures behind the man.  Rounding the corner, we stopped dead.  The zombie horde from the suburbs filled the park between us and the motorcycle.   Looking behind us, a huge crowd was surging towards us. 

Dropping my hand, Mike swung his rifle around.  Automatically, I clutched my pistol tightly.  "What's the plan?" I asked, my voice trembling as I fought to control my panic.  Mike coolly calculated the distance between us and the approaching zombies in the field.

"We cut diagonally across the field to the road and swing around behind them to the bike.  We're still probably going to have to shoot our way out, though, so keep your gun handy."

I nodded, waving my weapons. Mike set off at a fast clip across the field.  As I followed, the left end of the horde swung around towards us.  Shit, shit, they're going to cut us off before we get to the road.  Halfway across the field, the farthest end of the horde, a dozen or so zombies, intercepted us.  Mike swung his rifle up and starting shooting on the run.  A zombie lurched backwards as a bullet slammed into his chest.  Mike aimed again and took off the top of his head.  I stopped briefly to take aim at a girl six feet away.  She looked at me blankly as I pointed my weapon at her face and blew it off.  Taking off at a run again, I evaded an elderly woman and then shot at an old man in my path, missing completely.  He opened his mouth wide as he lumbered at me.  I ran up to him, planting my gun in his mouth, and pressed the trigger.  As he collapsed at my feet, I leapt over his body and swung my parang at a young girl who appeared on my left.  She staggered back as the parang connected with her skull and then limped forward again.  Leaving her behind, I chased after Mike as he blasted a path through the field.  Despairingly, I saw the space between him and the road filling with zombies. For every zombie Mike and I put down, another two took their place.

Suddenly, from behind us on our left, came the guttural sound of a heavy duty engine.  Do my incredulous delight, an army humvee roared across the field toward us.  Mike drew me close as the squat vehicle rumbled past us with about a foot to spare.  Coming to a stop between us and the horde, a soldier in a turret laid into the zombies with a machine gun and a cry of enthusiasm.  "Take that, you bastards!"  A door opened and a figure wearing camouflage gear waved at us.  "Get in! Run, run!"  I ran like my ass was on fire.  I clambered into the vehicle, heart pounding, followed by Mike.  As he slammed the door shut, the vehicle charged forward, ploughing through the zombie horde as it headed across the field.

Tales of the Dead Tropics - chapter 34

"Whoa!  That's a leap, isn't it?" My voice was suddenly shrill.  "How do you go from a few lost battles to nuclear warfare?!"

"They can't let this virus get out, Lori.  We're acceptable losses if the alternative is the virus infecting the whole country or even the world."

"There're still other options!"

"Really? What?  Keep a quarantine in place until the bodies decay away?"

"Ye-es." My mind rebelled at the thought that anyone could contemplate wiping out a whole town.  Even if most have already been killed or turned? "Assuming your fantasy is remotely plausible, what do you suggest we do?"

Mike jumped off the railing and picked up his backpack.  "We make a bug out plan.  First hint that the army is withdrawing all its troops, we get the hell out of town."

I laughed, a little too high pitched.  "We tried that already.  It didn't go too well."

"The highways aren't the only options."

As I followed his retreating figure, I realised he was right.  The quarantine could not successfully prevent us from hiking out via the rainforest that hugged the city of Cairns or grabbing a boat and heading out to sea.  At least I didn't think so.

As we neared the start of the trail, my stomach growled embarassingly loudly.  "Um, I think we should eat before we head back down the track."

"I agree.  Noise like that will bring every zombie in the area on our heels."

"Ha-ha."  I headed for the gorgeous dam which lay ahead of us.  "I'm just not a damned robot, like some people.  I need food." 

Mike grinned as I stomped past him.

We dumped our backpacks on a picnic table and proceeded to eat our sandwiches in silence.  I couldn't get the image of a nuclear weapon being dropped on us out of my mind.  Just the possibility of it was enough to make me want to pack up my tribe and head for the hills.  Literally.

"We're should post someone up here with a walkie-talkie to keep an eye on the troop movements." Mike said between mouthfuls. 

"Okay."  I wondered if he wanted me to volunteer.  I had no intention of being separated again from my family, however, so I kept quiet and focused on eating.

Belly soothed, I gazed at the still lake.  It looked so cool and welcoming.  Oh bugger it, I thought defiantly, a few minutes more won't hurt.  Throwing Mike a mischievous grin, I took off at a run and leaped into the water.  Just as I expected, it felt glorious.  As my head emerged, I saw Mike on the bank, watching me with a crooked smile. 

"You look like a drowned rat, girl."

I laughed.  "Don't care what I look like.  The water feels like heaven!" 

He sat down and plucked a blade of grass. 

"Don't you want to come in and cool down?" I asked, curious.  He shook his head.

"Big strong Mike isn't scared of the water, is he?" I teased.

"Nope."

"Then why?"

Mike just shrugged as he lay back on his elbow.  My curiosity increased.

"You can swim, can't you?"

"Yeap."

Exasperated, I splashed water at him.  "Tell me, damn you!"

"Nope."

Shaking my head, I clambered out of the water.  "Has anyone ever told you what an annoying man you can be?"

"Yeap."

"Ahhh!"  Shaking my sopping hair, I splattered water all over him.  Laughing, he held his arms out in a protective gesture.  In that instance, I had a intense moment of deja vue.  A scene from many years ago.  Joe on a rug here, laughing at me, as I stood over him, wet and cajoling him to join me...

"Lori?" 

I blinked and saw Mike's quizzical expression.  "We'd better get going." I mumbled, walking away.  It hurt too much to think of Joe, not knowing if I'd ever hold him again.

Thankfully, the walk downhill proved a lot easier than the walk up. Still, I was perspiring freely by the time we returned to the Crystal Cascades national park.  Pausing to scan the area, I was reassured that there were no zombies lurking in wait for us.  As I turned to Mike, the walkie-talkie crackled.

Mike pulled it out.  "What's up?"

It was Emma.  "Put me onto Lori, please, Mike."  He raised his eyebrow quizzically as he passed the walkie-talkie to me. I shrugged.  She didn't sound frantic so I assumed it wasn't an urgent matter.

"Hey Emma.  What's going on?"

"It's Sarah.  She's developed a high fever and I'm concerned..."

The world spun around me.  Not my baby, please.  As the walkie-talkie fell from my nerveless hand, my vision darkened and I felt my legs go out from under me.  Strong arms grasped me and lowered me gently to the grass.  Mike's face swam above me.  Dimly, I was aware of him talking on the walkie-talkie as I gasped for breath, overwhelmed by panic. 

"Lori." His voice cut through the panic.  "Listen to me.  Sarah hasn't got the virus.  Her wound is infected.  Do you hear me?  She hasn't got the virus." 

It took me a while to grasp the meaning of the words he was saying, but as they sunk in, I felt dizzy with relief.  Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a deep breath and tried to center myself once more.  My baby was going to be okay.  Shaking, I sat up and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"Oh Lori, I'm so sorry.  I didn't think..."

"When did she develop a fever?" I interrupted.

"Not long after you left.  I've cleaned rewrapped the wound but it's badly infected. We're going to need a broad spectrum antibiotic to treat the sepsis."

"Okay, okay."  My thoughts spun through my options.  "I'll find some."

I looked up at Mike.  "Fancy a road trip?" I asked with a weak smile.  He stood up and offered his hand to me.

"Things were getting dull around here, anyway."  He responded, deadpan. 

Back on my feet, I tucked the walkie-talkie away.  "There is a pharmacy at the Redlynch shopping centre.  We should be able to get what we need there."

Mike nodded.  "First things first, we need a vehicle."  I agreed, looking at the ten or eleven cars sitting in front of us.

"I don't suppose your repertoire of skills include hotwiring a car?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head regretfully.  Damn.  I was beginning to think that there was nothing this guy could not do.

Sighing, I looked across the car park.  There was nothing for it but to go to the popular swimming holes and search the picnicker's belongings for keys.  "Okay.  We'll try the first swimming hole and keep our fingers crossed that we find car keys quickly."

"Look for one with a remote.  We don't have time to try unlocking a dozen cars in order to find which one the key fits."

I agreed and we set off at a trot across the car park.  Nearing the top of the stairs which meandered down the steep bank to the first rock pool, I paused and pulled out my parang.  From the corner of my eye, I saw Mike reach over his back and pull out a cleaver.  Carefully, quietly, I stepped down the rock steps, followed by Mike. There were vines and trees on both sides obscuring our view as we descended. As the waterfall came in sight, I spotted several teenage boys in their board shorts standing stranded on large rocks around the waterfall, gaping wounds on their bodies.  A family of zombies stood in the shallow end of the rock pool.  They turned to stare at me, a man and woman in their thirties and their two little girls.  Both the girls' faces had been gnawed, exposing teeth and bone in a gruesome mockery of a grin.  Lumbering awkwardly through the water, they started to make their way towards us.

As I stepped off the stairs onto the bank of the pool, I saw the picnicker's bags.  They lay loosely grouped together on the surface on a nearby flat boulder.  Just beyond them stood a powerfully built man and, presumably, his girlfriend.  Her bloodstained blond hair almost covered the missing chunk in her cheek.  They, too, immediately began staggering towards us. 

Mike stepped past me, cleaver held forward.  " I'll hold them off while you look through the bags, Lori. Make it quick. " 

"Umm." I tugged his shirt.  "I have a suggestion.  Why don't we just grab all the bags and get out of here?"

Silence.

"Yeah, that plan works too."

Bursting through the trees, we raced over the smaller rocks to the big boulder.  Keeping a watchful eye on the zombies as they approached, I grabbed as many bags as I could carry and then turned and ran back up the steps, Mike on my heels with the remaining bags.

I upturned the bags on the road and scrabbled through them, searching for keys.  I found three sets of keys but none with remotes.  Frustrated, I turned to Mike.  "Any luck?"

He dangled a set of keys in front of me.  It didn't have a remote, either. 

"Damn it!" I cursed.  We would have to try all the cars.  The noise we were making was already attracting unwanted attention.  Two zombies lurched out of the toilet blocks and, in the distance, I could see several zombies staggering down the path towards us.

Mike stood up.  "These'll do nicely, Lori.  Let's go."  Puzzled, I dusted off my hands and followed him as he strode into the car park.  He bypassed several cars and then stopped.  As I cleared the cars, I saw he was standing beside a Kawasaki motorbike.   "What do you think?" He smiled.  "Do the job?"

"Right now, I'd accept a bicycle." I responded, a nervous eye of the zombies.  "Let's get out of here." 

Mike straddled the motorbike and I clambered behind him, hands firmly on his waist.  Opening the throttle, he roared down the highway with confidence.  Minutes later, we passed our house as we headed towards the shopping centre.  I sent them my love and prayers as we drove over the old bridge.

A car lay overturned on the hill, blood staining the road around it.  On the side of the road, a zombie stood motionless, staring at us.  As we left the rural suburbs behind and entered the suburbs, we found our path blocked.  Car upon car lay stalled, crashed or overturned, blocking the road for a hundred meters.  Mike slowed the motorbike as he cautiously negotiated the maze of vehicles.  I swallowed as I spotted a woman's arm lying on the road.  Blood splattered the road around it.  The smashed windscreen of a nearby car had pieces of clothes and flesh hanging from its edges.  From the corner of my eye, I spotted a woman standing beside a blue volkswagon.  Grey skinned and dull-eyed, the creature limped towards us. My hands clutched Mike's shirt instinctively.  He turned his head inquiringly, and seeing the woman, nodded in acknowledgement.  A moan drew my eyes to a middle aged man lying on a bonnet on my right.  He stretched his arms out to us, his mouth stretched wide over grey gums. I flinched involuntarily before I realised that he could not reach us.   His lower body had been severed when he had been pinned between two vehicles. 

Moaning.  All around us, as Mike weaved between vehicles, heads appeared.  "Mike!"

"I see them."

From the houses lining the street, zombies lumbered out.  My heart started racing.  I trusted Mike but things were getting a bit hairy for my liking. 

A hand lunged out of a car window as we passed by.  I screamed as it brushed my arm, causing Mike to swerve.  As he straightened the bike, I looked back at the car.  Through the window, a child, still strapped in its seat, stared at me.  Four or five years old, its blank, implaccable eyes gazed out of a face still plump and innocent.  From the front seat, its mother thrashed in her seat, unable to work out how to release herself from her prison. 

Finally, we were through the maze and Mike opened the throttle again, sending the bike surging forward.  He roared out onto the open highway again, swerving adroitly between the dozen or so zombies dotting the road.