“Everyone out,” said a gruff sounding individual.

  Mathew followed those in front, out to what appeared to be a parking lot within a forest, with the dark shapes of mountain peaks in the distance, and sparkling lights within branches, closer by. The large group made their way up a trail through the bark and pines, heading towards a large gate of some kind, on the other side of a small wooden bridge which was lit by lanterns.

  The gate opened before they got to the bridge and they passed through the opening into crowds on both sides of the path, which wound its way higher, towards the large lodge at the top.

  A woman he did not recognise wearing a baseball cap walked forward to greet Ron and his sister, while another woman he did know grinned. Leaving the others he staggered forward not believing he was seeing Clara, whom ran forward and threw her arms around him.

  She pulled back. “You made it!”

  He kept his hands by his side, then placing one in his pocket. She looked different. Older. He thought it must have been the effect of the dull lighting coming from the lights that were stringed up between the building and the trees.

  Someone else, a man he positively hated emerged from the crowd. Swanson was walking past the others, making his way up the slope, scanning faces and not finding who he was looking for.

  Mathew knew he wasn’t the only one that was not looking forward to the London gangster finding out what had happened to his wife.

  He stormed towards the General. “Where’s Lydia!?”

  Jenn’s expression and none response was quickly followed by Swanson charging towards her, but he only got to within a few feet before Aaron threw out an arm, stopping him from getting any closer.

  “She’s gone!” she the young soldier.

  Swanson’s expression swung to Aaron, shock written across his face.

  Jenn moved closer to him. “I’m sorry Saul. We also lost Maggie’s son, Sam, Jacob and—”

  Swanson pushed Aaron’s hand away, spun around and disappeared back into the crowd that parted to let him through.

  “Sam?” said Clara to Mathew, who turned back to her, her eyes then tracked across the others to Maggie, who nodded.

  Clara walked closer to the General who was with Ron, Marge and Harper, near the deck of the lodge, Mathew and Heather following.

  “We have someone here…” said Harper, looking to Clara to continue her comment.

  All eyes fell upon her, including Mathew’s. She looked back at the entrance of the lodge which opened and out walked an older woman whom Mathew hadn’t seen before.

  “Oh, you got to be fucking joking!” shouted Marge at seeing Olive, then looked at Harper. “Why she here!”

  “I can help!” shouted Olive.

  Another, younger woman emerged from inside, tentatively walking beside this person called Olive.

  “Barb has said she will help you get back in! Help you rescue those women!”

  Marge began to shout again but her brother held up a hand, making her anger fade into silence. He walked up the wooden steps. “If this is another one of your—”

  Olive shook her head. “I swear on my children’s lives. I want this vaccine as much as you, Ron. And… I want to do the right thing. I want to get those women out of there!”

  Marge shook her head.

  “She’s got a plan,” said Harper. “It’s worth listening to.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CLARA

  Ron’s office never seemed so small to Clara as she stood against the wall, her head being pushed forward a little by a display case of gold mining artifacts. The brother was behind his desk, with his sister sitting on the left edge, while Olive and her daughter sat in the two seats opposite. Around them were some of the newcomers. Jenn, Joe, Lauren, Aiden, Greg, Groves and closer still, standing near Clara, the woman in charge of the running of the camp, Harper.

  The news of what happened to Sam kept rattling around Clara’s brain, chaining her to her own recent horror. She pushed the thoughts away and tuned back into the conversation in the room.

  “There’s a marina on the east coast,” said Olive. “About two-hours from here. It’s got a few of them boats that used to belong to rich folk. Me and my kids, stayed on one for a few weeks during the bad time. It’s as big as a house! Big enough to take your people and any others you get from the island! We didn’t start it up, but it was fuelled, and had the keys just sitting there in one of the bedrooms. We’ll show you where it is.”

  “And what do you want in return?” said Ron.

  Marge frowned, beating the slightly older woman to a reply. “She wants the vaccine, don’t ya?”

  “Just enough for me and my kin. That’s not much to ask is it?”

  “I thought it was about doing the right thing?” asked Lauren.

  “It is! But I need to survive out here too!” She looked at Ron. “You give me your word, Ron and I’ll take you to the boat.”

  Marge looked at her brother. “We can’t trust her.”

  Ron let out a breath, briefly looking down then back to Olive. “If we manage to get some vaccine, we’ll give you some of it. I can’t say how much, because who knows what we’ll end up with, but you have my word, I’ll give you some.”

  Jenn looked at the two women in the seats. “What about when we get to the island?”

  “I know a quiet part of the shore,” said Barb. Clara noticed the young woman kept using her nail to pick away some skin on her thumb, which was pink from the abuse. “I used to go down there for lunch sometimes during my breaks. It’s an abandoned dock. We can bring the boat in and they will not even know we are there.”

  Ron looked at Jenn. “That sound good to you?”

  She nodded. “We need to get to the island and to the women as quietly as possible. While it’s still dark when people are sleeping. My team will do a quick reconnoitre of the area, including any defences, then take out the guards. After that it’s just a question of getting the women off the—”

  “Some might not want to leave…” Most in the room looked at Clara. “They don’t know what happens to them in the medical rooms. They think it’s about IVF or something. They think that asshole is using them to birth a new nation or some such bullshit. I’m just saying. It might not be easy to get them all to leave. Especially without some of them raising the alarm.”

  Ron looked back at the General. “What you going to do if some of these women start causing a fuss?”

  “We use force if we need to. They can thank us later.” She looked at Clara. “Are the dorms close together?”

  “Yes, they are all in one section of the building, across four floors. There’s an alarm system, so maybe you can do something about that.”

  The general nodded then looked back to the brother. “I need my people to lead this mission. We’re well trained for this.”

  Marge answered first. “And maybe your people run off with the vaccine?”

  “Many of my people will still be here. We’re not going to leave them, even if we could leave with the vaccine. Also, my people will know what to look for, will yours?”

  Marge bit her lip.

  Ron nodded to himself, as if he had been listening to his own thoughts and not the conversation. “Okay, General. You’re leading this mission, but I want the vaccine brought back to me. You understand?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll be the one who decides who gets it and when. As long as that’s agreed, then I wish you the best of luck.”

  Jenn got to her feet. “We’ll leave within the hour. It’s two hours to the coast and another hour to get to the island. We should make landfall around one to two in the morning. And if all goes well, be back here around dawn. We have to imagine the authorities are not going to take this lying down. They will probably try to track us… So I’m thinking it would be better for us to return to the farm, rather than here.”

  Ron nodded. “I agree. No point risking the location of this place if they follow you. I’ll have some of my people at the farm, ready.”

  Jenn looked at Clara. “I’m going to need you and Barb to give us the grounds and building layout. As much as you can remember…”

  Clara nodded, and everyone began to leave the cramped room.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  LIZ

  Liz sat inside a large wooden shack, which still contained the scent of fresh pine. She had thanked Harper for the newly constructed accommodation, but couldn’t help but miss the comfort of the farm. Still, she knew it was only temporary. If the mission to the island was successful, they would have the vaccine, and she had already discussed the trek north with Joe.

  Her husband was lying back on one of the three single camp beds, while the other two were occupied by the kids, which even for them was a limited space. Two candles were burning down on top of a collection of boxes, beneath the only window. They housed some items, such as food, water and extra bedding. The camp certainly had enough supplies, but she wondered about its long-term viability.

  She looked at Joe, who had his eyes closed. He was just about able to walk, but each short trip took a lot from him, which it appeared the virus was not helping with. Not like before when it seemed like they were almost invulnerable. The journey to the border and beyond filled her with fear, but both of them were adamant it was necessary for the future of those in her care. If the IFSA was real. If those there really were trying to make a new start with helping the infected rather than exterminating them, then that’s where they needed to be… She just hoped the cost of getting there, was something they could bear.

  A crunch of leaves came from outside, and there was a knock on the door. “It’s Jenn. We’re about to leave. Can I enter?”

  Joe opened his eyes and sat up a bit. “Yes, come in.”

  The General was dressed in heavier clothes than usual, with various survival items hanging from them, and a pack across her back. She closed the door and stood for a moment, wondering where to sit.

  “Scoot over,” said Liz to Owen and Fran who were on the camp bed.

  “It’s fine,” said Jenn. “I can’t stay long.” She pulled a small green bag from her pocket. “I wanted to give you these, before we did.” She handed it to Liz, who looked inside, just about seeing the smaller bag of pills in the flickering light. “I’ve taken one and so has each of my team, but there’s still plenty left for all of you and your family.”

  Liz nodded with a brief smile. “Thank you.”

  Joe struggled to stand, Liz starting to move to help him, but he shook his head and by using his stick, pulled himself upright. He hobbled closer and offered his hand to the General. “I should be going with you, but…”

  The general shook her head with a smile. “I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunity for you to risk your life in the coming days, Joe.”

  He smiled, nodding then looked away in thought. “Has anyone spoken to Swanson?”

  “No…”

  “Somebody should.”

  “I think we should leave him alone,” said Liz.

  Jenn moved towards the door, opening it. “I’ll see you all by daybreak.”

  Before anyone could reply, she moved out into the darkness, closing the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  GRACE

  Grace wondered if she should start calling herself a soldier, rather than doctor. Harry would laugh at the idea of her thinking such thoughts. The most adventurous excursion they would have, was European city breaks throughout the year. Although there was that time when they rented out a holiday home in the Cotswolds…

  The amusing memory soon dissolved into something else. Images which came with the sound of torn flesh and splintering bones.

  The humvee bumped a little as it drove along the country lane. One of a series which had been planned out as a safer route to the coast. She had been given a handgun. It felt heavy on her side, but reassuring at the same time. Two months prior she had been exhausted from working a night shift in a London hospital, but still unable to sleep, so she stayed awake watching a zombie movie on her tablet, until she passed out. She remembered her dream. It was surprisingly close to the reality. More of a premonition than a—

  “You going to be able to kill someone?”

  She did not want to acknowledge Greg’s question, who was sitting to her right.

  “I’ll do what’s needed. You know that.”

  He frowned, looking away, as did she. Aaron was driving, while Groves sat in the front passenger seat.

  “Tell… tell me how the vaccine works?” said Grace. The question was aimed at Groves, and it was the first thing that jumped into Grace’s mind to take her thoughts away from what the old man had just asked her.

  “It works like any other vaccine. With Hope’s blood we were able to mimic the virus, but inhibit its ability to replicate, to become the lifeform. The vaccine contains just enough of it, to fool the lifeform carriers… the undead, into thinking you are one of them. Therefore, making them think you are already a host. And as such they largely ignore you.”

  “But it only works in men?”

  “Well, clearly from what Clara has said, they have resolved that issue.”

  “Then why do they require the child?”

  “The immune system eventually destroys the virus, and removes the effect. With Hope we would be able to—”

  “We?”

  Groves paused for a moment. “Whoever has the child will be able to perfect the process, and extend the life of the vaccine. Perhaps indefinitely.”

  “How long does one pill last?”

  “Four to six hours at most.”

  “So it will wear off before we return to the camp?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Grace let her head fall back onto the uncomfortable headrest.

  “Cheer up, doc,” said Greg. “Right now, no zombie’s going to want to eat you! That’s progress, right?”

  She ignored his comment and continued to look out into the night.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  JOE

  Within the void, Joe’s name was shouted by a voice that sounded like his wife’s. But the darkness was too complete for there to be any visual confirmation. Whoever it was, they were terrified. A person who needed his help, which he was unable to give due to—

  “Joe!”

  He awoke with a start, firstly realising that he had been sweating because of his cool skin and secondly that there was another presence in the confined candlelit space of the shack. His eyes fixed on the man sitting in front of the entrance, with a bottle in one hand and a handgun in the other, then flicked right, to the other camp beds, one of which contained four children huddled around Liz.

  “Ah, there he is,” said Swanson, drawing Joe’s attention back to him.

  “What’s happening here, Saul.”

  Swanson raised the bottle. “Oh, we’re having… a little party. That’s all. All of us from old Blighty. Which…” Even in the shadows that covered Swanson’s face, the sadness was obvious. He lowered the bottle causing a small amount of spill from the top. “No longer exists…”

  “We can survive here,” said Joe.

  Swanson’s face contorted. “Who wants to just survive! We live for those we… care about, innit? And… she… she…” He looked up at Joe. “Decades we’ve been together! Childhood sweethearts and all that bullshit! Used to meet up at the fish and chip shop down Arthur’s lane, near that fancy hotel!”

  Joe’s eyes searched the room, especially to those closest to him. Even if he could move freely, he wasn’t getting to the drunk man with the gun before the man could fire it at anyone in the room.

  “Anyway. I thought I’d come here and have us a chin-wag.” He leaned forward a little. “You and I know each other, don’t we? Maybe not… trust… but know. Like we got respect for each other.”

  “Yes…”

  One of the kids whimpered. Within the darkness, Joe wasn’t sure which one.

  “So… I gotta figure. If we have respect, why you let my Lydia get taken by those things?” He sat up, pushing his chest out then arms. “I’m Joe Halter,” he said mimicking Joe’s voice. “I’m some fancy army man. I don’t take no shit. I keep people alive! Well, you didn’t keep Lydia alive did ya! And look at all the others that have died on your watch! The doc’s husband, that nerdy kid, shit what about the other nerd, the fat one and him losing his fingers! There’s a long list of people who you didn’t save! So—” He swung his head to Liz and the kids, his fingers flexing across the gun. “I got thinking about what’s best for your family. Maybe… Just maybe, I could do a better job—” Joe couldn’t help but flinch making Swanson swing the gun towards him and produce more kids making sounds of desperation. “Nah, ah, there army man. You ain’t heard everything I got to say.”

  Joe remained frozen, his mind hardly hearing what the man in the chair was saying. His only thoughts being how quickly he could get to him and block his line of sight to his family. He would take a bullet at point blank range. If it weren’t in his skull, then maybe he could—

  “And that’s why I decided to save all of you.”

  Before Joe could decipher the comment, a small but weighty device was tossed then landed like a lead weight on his bed.

  “I reckon you got a better idea of what that is, than I.”

  Joe tentatively picked up the solid, smooth plastic container with aerial and small blank screen. He looked at Swanson. “Where you find this?”

  “In that woman’s truck, the one who said she can help all of you rescue those women on that island.”

  Liz sat forward a little, letting go of Tia and Hope, looking at her husband. “What… what does that mean?”

  Joe began to speak but Swanson beat him to it. “It means, Lizzy, that all your friends are walking into a trap.”

  “What? How do you know that?”

  This time Joe spoke first, holding the device towards the light. “This is a military grade satellite radio, and it looks new. It’s not just been lying around. Which means—”