us, as if he’d woken from a sleep or something, and he stumbled. He didn’t run straight like you’d expect someone of his age to do. I knew it wasn’t him. It was like he was in a trance and he followed us. I got the feeling he was on our scent, like he could smell us or something and hear us, because we lost him for a while, yet he caught up. No one opened their car door for us. If it wasn’t for you...”
Tommy smiled. “I’m glad I was there. Are you going to be alright here?”
“I hope so,” he replied honestly. “My name is Fred and this is Annie. Fred Wilkins. In case we ever bump into each other again.”
“Well, good luck. Go inside and lock everything. Wait for the announcement – the soldier said they will let us know about evacuation procedures. I was in the army. You can trust them.”
“So was I, young man, so was I,” said Fred as he opened the passenger door.
After getting out, the old man closed the door and walked around the back to open his wife’s. She smiled a shy, sad smile and stepped out. He closed the door after her. Tommy watched as the couple walked up the path to their house. Halfway there, Fred paused, bent down and picked something up. He turned around and held up a shining key. It glinted in the dawn sun. Tommy nodded and the old man waved, before leading his wife into their home. Tommy continued to sit there for a few moments before starting the engine and reversing out of the close. As soon as he got home, he would have some phone calls to make.
***
By the time Marla and Ellen got out of bed, Tommy had phoned his parents and ex-wife, and he was sipping a coffee in the lounge while browsing the web on his laptop. “Hey,” said Marla, walking in with her sister, “weren’t you meant to be visiting your son today?”
“Yeah, I was,” he replied with a sigh. Not knowing where to start, he put down his mug and turned his laptop so that they would see the headline on the screen: ‘London quarantined.’
“What the fuck?” screeched Marla as she knelt down on the floor and read the article. “What the hell? Can they do that?”
Tommy shrugged. “Well, they have, so yeah, I guess. The demo in Trafalgar Square is still going on and looting has spread. People are going ballistic. Can’t say I blame them.”
“What do we do?” asked Ellen. “Have they said how long it’s for?”
“No,” he replied. “They’re trying to stop the ‘flu’ spreading to the rest of the country.”
Marla tutted. “Surely they must know it’s not the fucking flu by now!”
“Yeah, but they’re still mentioning it as a virus, which I guess it is.” He put the laptop down on the side table and leaned back on the sofa. “I couldn’t get out of London. I was stuck in traffic and then this guy from the army told me it was best if I turned back.”
“Really?” asked Ellen, sitting down in the armchair opposite. “That must have been weird and scary, I guess.”
“That wasn’t the worst of it...”
“What was?” enquired Marla, her voice lowering in pitch.
“Okay, where to start,” said Tommy, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together nervously. “You know, you really don’t want to hear this.”
“We do,” Ellen answered hastily. “What happened?”
“Mmm. Well. I was stuck in traffic and I saw this man running down the road. I was looking in my rear-view mirror at the time. I saw him and then I saw a woman running along behind him. Everything was normal, except for the traffic not moving. Then I realised there was another man chasing them, and he was one of them.”
“One of what?” asked Ellen.
“The dead-lookers in the supermarket?” asked Marla.
Tommy nodded. “Never seen anything like it in my life, even in a war zone, and then I realised the couple were quite old. Anyway, I opened my car door and they got in.”
“Good,” said Ellen. “That’s a really cool thing you did. You saved their lives.”
“Yeah, I should be
Tommy smiled. “I’m glad I was there. Are you going to be alright here?”
“I hope so,” he replied honestly. “My name is Fred and this is Annie. Fred Wilkins. In case we ever bump into each other again.”
“Well, good luck. Go inside and lock everything. Wait for the announcement – the soldier said they will let us know about evacuation procedures. I was in the army. You can trust them.”
“So was I, young man, so was I,” said Fred as he opened the passenger door.
After getting out, the old man closed the door and walked around the back to open his wife’s. She smiled a shy, sad smile and stepped out. He closed the door after her. Tommy watched as the couple walked up the path to their house. Halfway there, Fred paused, bent down and picked something up. He turned around and held up a shining key. It glinted in the dawn sun. Tommy nodded and the old man waved, before leading his wife into their home. Tommy continued to sit there for a few moments before starting the engine and reversing out of the close. As soon as he got home, he would have some phone calls to make.
***
By the time Marla and Ellen got out of bed, Tommy had phoned his parents and ex-wife, and he was sipping a coffee in the lounge while browsing the web on his laptop. “Hey,” said Marla, walking in with her sister, “weren’t you meant to be visiting your son today?”
“Yeah, I was,” he replied with a sigh. Not knowing where to start, he put down his mug and turned his laptop so that they would see the headline on the screen: ‘London quarantined.’
“What the fuck?” screeched Marla as she knelt down on the floor and read the article. “What the hell? Can they do that?”
Tommy shrugged. “Well, they have, so yeah, I guess. The demo in Trafalgar Square is still going on and looting has spread. People are going ballistic. Can’t say I blame them.”
“What do we do?” asked Ellen. “Have they said how long it’s for?”
“No,” he replied. “They’re trying to stop the ‘flu’ spreading to the rest of the country.”
Marla tutted. “Surely they must know it’s not the fucking flu by now!”
“Yeah, but they’re still mentioning it as a virus, which I guess it is.” He put the laptop down on the side table and leaned back on the sofa. “I couldn’t get out of London. I was stuck in traffic and then this guy from the army told me it was best if I turned back.”
“Really?” asked Ellen, sitting down in the armchair opposite. “That must have been weird and scary, I guess.”
“That wasn’t the worst of it...”
“What was?” enquired Marla, her voice lowering in pitch.
“Okay, where to start,” said Tommy, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together nervously. “You know, you really don’t want to hear this.”
“We do,” Ellen answered hastily. “What happened?”
“Mmm. Well. I was stuck in traffic and I saw this man running down the road. I was looking in my rear-view mirror at the time. I saw him and then I saw a woman running along behind him. Everything was normal, except for the traffic not moving. Then I realised there was another man chasing them, and he was one of them.”
“One of what?” asked Ellen.
“The dead-lookers in the supermarket?” asked Marla.
Tommy nodded. “Never seen anything like it in my life, even in a war zone, and then I realised the couple were quite old. Anyway, I opened my car door and they got in.”
“Good,” said Ellen. “That’s a really cool thing you did. You saved their lives.”
“Yeah, I should be
Similar Books
