the streets – they’re calling it the Jaws Virus.”
“Jaws?”
Walker nodded.
“What does that stand for?” Harrigan asked.
“Nothing,” Walker said darkly. “It’s not an acronym. It’s because of the way the virus makes the undead act. They’re like sharks,” he said. “Their hearing seems to be greatly magnified, so that movement attracts them – just like a shark. And the blood. They sense it. It drives them to frenzy,” he explained. “The thirst for blood is the trigger. That is why not everyone bitten is infected and becomes another undead killer,” he said. “Because sometimes they just tear the body to pieces. Sometimes they’re so driven to a frenzy that they turn upon themselves. If they’re still fresh – still in the early stages of infection – a wound to themselves can be enough to drive others around them to madness. They turn on the victim. That’s what we saw tonight, when you shot that tall undead man, and he went over backwards near the helicopter. He must have been fresh. There must still have been blood in his body. The others sensed it immediately and tore him to pieces. That’s why you can’t ever get a wound and leave it unattended. They sense it somehow. And that’s why it has been called Jaws – because of Spielberg’s shark movie.”
“How do we kill them?”
“Head shot,” Walker said. “It’s the only way.”
I grunted, and remembered the ghoul that had attacked Harrigan on the rain swept street. I remembered the instant when Jed’s bullet had torn through the zombie’s eye socket after we had shot it repeatedly in the chest with absolutely no effect. “We figured as much out for ourselves,” I said. ‘We just had to find out the hard way.”
“The hard way?” Walker asked.
“Trial and error,” I said vaguely.
I sat back out of the candle light and arranged my thoughts. There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask Walker. For all he had told us about the virus, the man himself – and his daughter –remained mysteries. We knew nothing about them, and it left me feeling uneasy. But a sudden sound from the kitchen snapped my senses to full alertness. I got to my feet, my hand going instinctively to the Glock, and whirled round, just in time to see my brother stagger into the living room. The bottle of whisky was clutched in his big knuckled hand. It was empty. Jed swayed on unsteady feet, looking like a dark deathly apparition. He stared blankly for long seconds, rocking from side to side like a man on a small boat in a storm.
“Fucker!” he hissed at me, “let’s get this over and fucking done with.” Then he seemed to recognize the shape of Walker’s teenage daughter huddled down deep in the cushions of the sofa, and he was overcome by some ridiculous attempt at manners. “Fuck. Sorry,” he mangled an apology. “I fucking forgot about you.”
The girl said nothing. Walker and Harrigan got to their feet. Walker glanced at me. “We’ll do it in the bathroom,” he said. “It will be easier to clean up afterwards.”
I nodded. “Will there be blood?”
Walker’s face twisted into some kind of a smile. “Oh, yes,” he said. “There will be blood.”
Walker turned to his daughter. “Stay here, Millie.”
She sat up with sudden alarm. “No!” she blurted, and there was a flush of fear beneath the skin of her cheeks. She was terrified of being alone. “I… I want to stay with you,” she said softly, and then added, “Dad.”
There were a couple of straight-backed chairs nested around a table in the kitchen. I carried one of them through to the bathroom and set it down on the tiled floor near the vanity sink. Walker had two pairs of pliers in his hands, and Harrigan gave me the flashlight and stood back. Jed slumped down onto the chair, and his head lolled to the side. His eyes were bleary and unfocussed. There were little frothy bubbles of spittle at the corners of his mouth.
There w as just one small window in the
“Jaws?”
Walker nodded.
“What does that stand for?” Harrigan asked.
“Nothing,” Walker said darkly. “It’s not an acronym. It’s because of the way the virus makes the undead act. They’re like sharks,” he said. “Their hearing seems to be greatly magnified, so that movement attracts them – just like a shark. And the blood. They sense it. It drives them to frenzy,” he explained. “The thirst for blood is the trigger. That is why not everyone bitten is infected and becomes another undead killer,” he said. “Because sometimes they just tear the body to pieces. Sometimes they’re so driven to a frenzy that they turn upon themselves. If they’re still fresh – still in the early stages of infection – a wound to themselves can be enough to drive others around them to madness. They turn on the victim. That’s what we saw tonight, when you shot that tall undead man, and he went over backwards near the helicopter. He must have been fresh. There must still have been blood in his body. The others sensed it immediately and tore him to pieces. That’s why you can’t ever get a wound and leave it unattended. They sense it somehow. And that’s why it has been called Jaws – because of Spielberg’s shark movie.”
“How do we kill them?”
“Head shot,” Walker said. “It’s the only way.”
I grunted, and remembered the ghoul that had attacked Harrigan on the rain swept street. I remembered the instant when Jed’s bullet had torn through the zombie’s eye socket after we had shot it repeatedly in the chest with absolutely no effect. “We figured as much out for ourselves,” I said. ‘We just had to find out the hard way.”
“The hard way?” Walker asked.
“Trial and error,” I said vaguely.
I sat back out of the candle light and arranged my thoughts. There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask Walker. For all he had told us about the virus, the man himself – and his daughter –remained mysteries. We knew nothing about them, and it left me feeling uneasy. But a sudden sound from the kitchen snapped my senses to full alertness. I got to my feet, my hand going instinctively to the Glock, and whirled round, just in time to see my brother stagger into the living room. The bottle of whisky was clutched in his big knuckled hand. It was empty. Jed swayed on unsteady feet, looking like a dark deathly apparition. He stared blankly for long seconds, rocking from side to side like a man on a small boat in a storm.
“Fucker!” he hissed at me, “let’s get this over and fucking done with.” Then he seemed to recognize the shape of Walker’s teenage daughter huddled down deep in the cushions of the sofa, and he was overcome by some ridiculous attempt at manners. “Fuck. Sorry,” he mangled an apology. “I fucking forgot about you.”
The girl said nothing. Walker and Harrigan got to their feet. Walker glanced at me. “We’ll do it in the bathroom,” he said. “It will be easier to clean up afterwards.”
I nodded. “Will there be blood?”
Walker’s face twisted into some kind of a smile. “Oh, yes,” he said. “There will be blood.”
Walker turned to his daughter. “Stay here, Millie.”
She sat up with sudden alarm. “No!” she blurted, and there was a flush of fear beneath the skin of her cheeks. She was terrified of being alone. “I… I want to stay with you,” she said softly, and then added, “Dad.”
There were a couple of straight-backed chairs nested around a table in the kitchen. I carried one of them through to the bathroom and set it down on the tiled floor near the vanity sink. Walker had two pairs of pliers in his hands, and Harrigan gave me the flashlight and stood back. Jed slumped down onto the chair, and his head lolled to the side. His eyes were bleary and unfocussed. There were little frothy bubbles of spittle at the corners of his mouth.
There w as just one small window in the
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