expecting good karma then, no?” joked Tommy, but his face was serious. He didn’t feel like laughing. “Right, then the freak came running up to the car and just slammed his face against my door window. No shitting you. There was blood all over the glass. Worse thing was his face – there wasn’t much left of it for me to call him human. He didn’t run properly either, I noticed. It sort of rocked from side to side, kind of stumbling like, so the two old folk had a chance to get away from it.”
“Oh my God,” gasped Ellen, raising her hand to her mouth. “ Just like the guy in the supermarket.”
“The couple told me they knew him. He was their neighbour. Apparently, he had been bitten by a woman in the street and they took him to the hospital. The woman ran off. They couldn’t work out why, but the guy shone his torch in her face and he wondered if that was it. So then the guy comes back from hospital and he’s okay for a while, but then he gets this raging fever and he can’t sleep. T he old guy who I gave a lift to, he went home to his wife. Next day he hears a racket from next door, and he goes out to see what the fuss is. She goes too. He hears these groans – doesn’t sound right, so he knocks on the door. The neighbour answers, but the old man said he was no longer his neighbour. He showed no recognition and then basically attacked them. They ran. They said the neighbour, or thing or freak or whatever, wasn’t fast and they outran it. But later it appeared again. They reckoned it could smell them... you know, tracked them by scent.”
Marla shivered and leaned back against Ellen’s legs. “So this guy gets bit one day and turns into some kind of monster the next. That means the infection is passed by biting, and each person becomes aggressive and bites someone else. But it couldn’t have been passed that way in the beginning – someone would have had to have it first, so how did it start?” she asked.
“That’s scary if people are changed by a bit e,” said Ellen. “It could spread really quickly.”
“Which it is,” Tommy reminded them. “Murders went up again last night. You know, there are police, mounted police and soldiers out on the streets all over London. The city has been sealed off completely. We’re being quarantined because the virus is here. There are no cases anywhere outside London.”
“Yet,” said Marla. “If it takes twenty-four hours for someone to change, that must mean they look normal for that time.”
“That guy had a fever though,” Ellen pointed out.
Marla raised herself and sat on the sofa. “That’s true, but maybe the fever goes at a different rate in different people.”
“Whatever... we’re stuck,” said Tommy, grimacing. “I’ve been checking everything I can find on the net, and they’re grounding all flights in and out of the UK too, so it can’t spread, because there are cases in Europe.”
“What did you say about evacuations?” asked Ellen. “That’s the positive thing we should be focusing on.”
“They said there would be announcements about it,” Tommy replied. “But I’ve seen nothing so far. Just rumours. No proper statement from the government. They want people to stay in their homes though, because they don’t know how many people have the virus. They’re not even saying that it’s passed by biting or that the murders are linked to the virus. It’s crazy. All the newspapers are coming out with theories.”
“W hat do the rumours say?” asked Marla.
“All sorts. Nothing concrete.”
“Where will they evacuate us to?” asked Ellen.
“Good question,” said Marla. “The Isle of Wight? That’s an island!”
“That mightn’t be a bad idea,” agreed Tommy, “but all this is conjecture. I’m going to make breakfast. I can’t think anymore and I’m starving. Want some?”
The girls nodded and Tommy got up.
Week 4
Sunda y, 26
“Our dad’s sick,” Jason spoke into the phone. “Can you send
“Oh my God,” gasped Ellen, raising her hand to her mouth. “ Just like the guy in the supermarket.”
“The couple told me they knew him. He was their neighbour. Apparently, he had been bitten by a woman in the street and they took him to the hospital. The woman ran off. They couldn’t work out why, but the guy shone his torch in her face and he wondered if that was it. So then the guy comes back from hospital and he’s okay for a while, but then he gets this raging fever and he can’t sleep. T he old guy who I gave a lift to, he went home to his wife. Next day he hears a racket from next door, and he goes out to see what the fuss is. She goes too. He hears these groans – doesn’t sound right, so he knocks on the door. The neighbour answers, but the old man said he was no longer his neighbour. He showed no recognition and then basically attacked them. They ran. They said the neighbour, or thing or freak or whatever, wasn’t fast and they outran it. But later it appeared again. They reckoned it could smell them... you know, tracked them by scent.”
Marla shivered and leaned back against Ellen’s legs. “So this guy gets bit one day and turns into some kind of monster the next. That means the infection is passed by biting, and each person becomes aggressive and bites someone else. But it couldn’t have been passed that way in the beginning – someone would have had to have it first, so how did it start?” she asked.
“That’s scary if people are changed by a bit e,” said Ellen. “It could spread really quickly.”
“Which it is,” Tommy reminded them. “Murders went up again last night. You know, there are police, mounted police and soldiers out on the streets all over London. The city has been sealed off completely. We’re being quarantined because the virus is here. There are no cases anywhere outside London.”
“Yet,” said Marla. “If it takes twenty-four hours for someone to change, that must mean they look normal for that time.”
“That guy had a fever though,” Ellen pointed out.
Marla raised herself and sat on the sofa. “That’s true, but maybe the fever goes at a different rate in different people.”
“Whatever... we’re stuck,” said Tommy, grimacing. “I’ve been checking everything I can find on the net, and they’re grounding all flights in and out of the UK too, so it can’t spread, because there are cases in Europe.”
“What did you say about evacuations?” asked Ellen. “That’s the positive thing we should be focusing on.”
“They said there would be announcements about it,” Tommy replied. “But I’ve seen nothing so far. Just rumours. No proper statement from the government. They want people to stay in their homes though, because they don’t know how many people have the virus. They’re not even saying that it’s passed by biting or that the murders are linked to the virus. It’s crazy. All the newspapers are coming out with theories.”
“W hat do the rumours say?” asked Marla.
“All sorts. Nothing concrete.”
“Where will they evacuate us to?” asked Ellen.
“Good question,” said Marla. “The Isle of Wight? That’s an island!”
“That mightn’t be a bad idea,” agreed Tommy, “but all this is conjecture. I’m going to make breakfast. I can’t think anymore and I’m starving. Want some?”
The girls nodded and Tommy got up.
Week 4
Sunda y, 26
“Our dad’s sick,” Jason spoke into the phone. “Can you send
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