Experiment Undead

I grab the pouch Nate has and unzip it. It’s a medical kit. I don’t waste any time pulling the contents out. Nate knows what’s coming and rolls his short sleeve over his shoulder. I grab the tweezers, and as I’m about to pull the bullet out. I pause, and we make eye contact.

‘The quicker, the better,’ he says and nods at me to go ahead.

James sits up and watches quietly.

Nate groans as I pull the bullet out, ‘Sook,’ I say, trying to contain a laugh.

‘You just pulled a bullet out of my shoulder. I think I’m entitled to sook,’ Nate retorts.

I squirt the mini bottle of saline solution over the wound.

He tries not to wince as I suture it closed, ‘You’re pretty good at this, Penny,’ Nate smiles. ‘You’d make a great doctor one day,’ he adds.

‘My Mum, I mean Jane, was a nurse. I was always getting into trouble at school. So, Jane would have to pick me up at least once a week and take me to work with her. I would watch her treat wounds all the time. I don’t see myself as a doctor in the future. I’ve never thought about a career. I always thought I’d be a failure and continue to disappoint everyone,’ I confess.

‘Penny,’ he says softly. ‘You shouldn’t underestimate yourself like that. You’re not just anyone. You’re Penny Toughin. I know in my heart you could be anything you dream of being, and nothing could stop you from pursuing that,’ he smiles.

I laugh. ‘Not even a zombie apocalypse?’

Nate chuckles, ‘Well, I guess we will see in time,’ he says.

‘Cool. I’ll sign up for NASA next week,’ I grin sarcastically.

Nate pulls his sleeve back down and rolls his eyes at me.

James cleared his throat, drawing our attention to him.

‘I’m going to get a shovel and bury Nora. The other soldiers will think Henry and Nora have gone missing in action or that they decided to flee. Nate, you get your people onto gathering petrol and rags. Penny can wait here a minute until I return,’ James says.

Nate stands up, facing me, ‘You can do this, Penny. Keep your knife hidden,’ he says as he takes his rifle, ‘Where’s your handgun?’ he asks.

‘I swapped it with Todd for your rifle,’ I tell him.

‘Okay, let’s get it back for you. I want you to have as much protection on you as possible,’ Nate says.

I nod, and we approach the back fence. Nate struggles to climb it with his injured shoulder. I get on the ground and let him step onto my back to help him over. Todd grabs him from the other side and helps him down.

‘Todd, give the gun back to Penny. James is going to smuggle her into the cooking quarters. While we search the sheds for petrol,’ Nate says to him.

‘Why do we need fuel? Are we going to steal a car?’ he asks as he boosts himself halfway over the fence and hands me the gun. I tuck it under my shirt, behind my back, in my usual spot.

‘I’ll explain the plan when we get back to Oscar and the girls,’ he says to Todd. ‘Penny, I’ll meet you over the fence as soon as it darkens,’ Nate adds.

I nod and wait by Nora and Henry.

James returns with a shovel and duffel bag. He doesn’t say anything to me or even look at me. Instead, he tosses the duffel bag and digs a shallow grave by the fence. He rolls Henry into the grave and barely covers him. The toes of his boots are sticking out an inch from the ground. I decide not to say anything. He digs a deeper hole for Nora, picks her up and gently places her in the grave. He places plenty of dirt over her and gently pats it down. He sits solemnly by her grave, staring down.

The graves are obvious, so I start collecting big hand fulls of grass and scatter it over them. They blend in with the grass now, so I know it won’t look suspicious if other soldiers search the perimeter.

James tries to say something, but the words become raspy and stuck in his throat each time. I stare at him sympathetically, knowing that same feeling when the words you want to say, that you need to say, just won’t come out.

I sigh lightly under my breath, stand beside him, clasping my hands together, and look down at the grave, ‘Nora, like a pearl in the ocean. Like the sun shining on the waters. May you be the next rainbow, I see in the sky and the next whisper I hear in the wind. May you rest in peace and in James’s heart, forever now and always,’ I say.

James looks at me with teary eyes, ‘That was beautiful. It was perfect,’ he says.

‘I’m glad you liked it,’ I reply.

He stands up, grabs the duffel bag and opens it for me to climb into, ‘I’m going to tell Patricia the plan. She’s the main cook, and her husband is being held at the recreation reserve. We can pretend she’s your daughter,’ he says.

I nod, climb into the bag and hug my knees to fit in.

James stops before zipping the bag up and stares at me, ‘Penny, I think we got off on the wrong foot, but I want to thank you for what you said at Nora’s grave. It means a lot to me,’ he says.

‘No worries. I’m sorry for kicking you in the balls, I guess,’ I reply.

James bursts into a laugh, ‘First time for everything. Never in a million years did I think a kid could take down a soldier, and your apology doesn’t sound meaningful,’ he adds.

I smile, ‘I guess I don’t regret it. You did shoot Nate after all,’ I reply.

‘I told you it was an accident. I was aiming for Henry,’ he says in defence.

‘Yeah, well, the army hasn’t done a very good job training you. If you can’t even hit your target, that’s right in front of you,’ I say to him.

‘Damn kid, are your words always this…’ he says.

‘lethal?’ I say to him.

‘Yeah,’ he says, scratching his head.

‘Yup, so you better get used to it,’ I reply.

‘Yippee for me,’ he says sarcastically and zips the bag.

As James steps onto the main street, a putrid stench assaults my senses, a nauseating blend of filthy public restrooms and the pungent aroma of my former neighbour’s cooking. I fight the urge to hurl and take shallow breaths, trying to adjust to the odour.

‘Patricia,’ James says as he enters the tent.

‘Yes?’ she replies.

James looks around, ‘Good, you’re alone,’ he says.

‘Sandy and Payton will be back in a few minutes. They’ve gone to get the vegetables,’ she says.

James places me down on the ground in the bag and unzips it. I sit up and climb out to see Patricia. Her hair is messy and tangled from living in this tent, with a few loose strands falling over her face. Despite her dishevelled appearance, her kindly face and warm demeanour immediately put me at ease. Her hazel eyes are soft and expressive, with a glimmer of hope and resilience. She appears to be around thirty-eight years old, with a few wrinkles around her eyes and mouth that suggest a life full of challenges and hardships. Her hair is half tied back in a ponytail, while the rest falls just over her shoulders, framing her face in a slightly tousled yet endearing way.

Patricia stares at me and then gives James a look of confusion.

James looks around again before talking, ‘We’re going to free your husband tonight and everyone else being held against their wills. Penny is part of the plan. Pretend she’s your daughter. She will use this bag to collect as many empty bottles as possible and stash them behind the fence at the fire station. Have Penny peel potatoes or run food errands when the soldiers return to supervise the cooking. I have some people who will set one of the houses on fire as a distraction, and we will attack the remaining soldiers guarding the reserve and let everyone out,’ he explains.

‘Why do the soldiers supervise the cooking?’ I ask.

‘Because Patricia and the other women are forced to cook and be here. At the same time, their family members are being held in the camp. Commander Bryant is paranoid they might attempt to poison the food,’ he explains.

‘What’s that nasty smell?’ I say, holding my nose.

‘Penny, is it?’ Patricia asks.

I nod.

‘You’ll have to ignore the smell as best you can. I know it’s difficult, but holding your nose is a dead giveaway that you’re new here. The people in the recreation reserve have no access to toilets, so unfortunately, they have to do their business on the ground in front of each other,’ she says.

‘That’s so gross! That commander Bryant sounds like a dick,’ I reply.

Patricia gasps at my words but then looks at me as if she can’t argue against the insult.

I remove my hand from my nose and try not to scrunch my face in disgust.

‘That’s better. Breathe through your mouth instead of your nose. It will help,’ Patricia adds before making eye contact with James again. ‘The soldiers will shoot anyone at the reserve trying to escape. Even children,’ she adds worriedly.

‘That’s why we’re going to take out as many soldiers possible, so the majority will have a chance to escape,’ James says.

‘Where will everyone go?’ Patricia asks.

‘That’s up to each individual and family to decide,’ he says.

Patricia nods and takes my hand, ‘I’ll keep her safe, best I can,’ she says.

James laughs, ‘I don’t think Penny needs looking after. If anything, everyone should be afraid of her,’ he says, sending me a wink.

I smile and nod.

‘Okay,’ she says in confusion, ‘Wait, why aren’t Nora and Henry with you? No soldier is to be alone?’ she reminds him.

James’s shoulders tense, and I softly squeeze Patricia’s hands.

‘They’re gone,’ he says and abruptly leaves the tent.

Patricia looks at me, ‘What does he mean by that? Did they escape?’ she asks.

I shake my head, ‘No, they’re both dead. There was a dispute. Henry shot Nora, and James shot Henry,’ I explain.

‘Oh, my goodness!’ she says, letting go of my hand as she covers her mouth.

Two young women enter the tent. One has very short brown hair, a style a man would usually go for. She has brown eyes, a few piercings on one ear, and tattoos on her left shoulder that go down to her wrist. The other has blonde shoulder-length hair with greyish-blue eyes. They are complete opposites, but both look to be in their early twenties. One has a bucket of potatoes, and the other has a bundle of carrots in her arms.

‘What’s wrong, Pattie?’ the blonde woman says, then looks at me beside Patricia.

‘N-nothing,’ Patricia says, patting down her long skirt, ‘I want you to both meet Penny. She will be helping us for the rest of the day and evening.’

‘Hi there, I’m Payton,’ the blonde woman smiles, ‘And this here is Sandy. You don’t look familiar. Are your parents here at the reserve?’ she asks.

I stare into her pretty eyes, ‘my father is dead, and most likely my mother is too,’ I reply.

‘Oh,’ Payton says, giving me a sad glance.

Patricia takes the carrots from her, ‘If anyone asks, Penny is my daughter, okay?’

Sandy raises an eyebrow and tilts her head, ‘Why? Are you planning on adopting her?’ she asks.

‘Erm, yeah, something like that,’ she says, pulling me closer to her side.

‘Okay, then,’ Sandy says, placing the potato bucket down.

‘So, what happens now?’ I ask.

‘First, we wait for the two soldiers to escort us to collect water and fill the soup pot up. Then we heat it over this portable gas stove, peel the vegetables, add some herbs and serve it to the soldiers. Sometimes a soldier might bring a rabbit or lamb they shot nearby that we can add,’ Patricia explains.

My mind flashes to the infected sheep, snarling, saliva, and blood dripping from their mouths as they ferociously ripped into each other.

Patricia clicks her fingers in front of my eyes. I blink a few times, ‘Sorry, what were you saying?’ I ask her.

‘You zoned out for a moment there,’ she says, concerned.

‘I’m fine. Please go on,’ I say.

‘I was saying that anything left over can then be served to the people at the reserve,’ she says.

‘Is that all the people being held here get to eat?’ I ask.

Patricia points to stacks of large rice bags against the far tent wall, ‘No, at lunch, they all get a serving of plain rice. Otherwise, there’s no point of Commander Bryant keeping us here against our wills only to starve us to death when he could have had us shot dead in the meantime,’ she says.

‘James told me once more Safe Holds are built that the people will be transferred there and given housing, jobs and medical care?’ I say to her.

‘That’s supposed to be what’s happening, but I don’t know. Why treat us this way before then? Why kill off the sick and old and keep the fittest? I heard they only let the people in that are only on their own or small groups; otherwise, they shoot and kill the larger groups to maintain the numbers here,’ she says.

‘It’s true,’ I tell her.

The three women gasp, ‘How do you know this?’ Payton asks.

‘Because on the way here. There were hundreds of cars on the highway. Everyone inside and outside the vehicles were all dead. At first, we thought they must all be infected, but when we got closer, we saw that all of them were human. There were bullet holes everywhere,’ I add.

Sandy and Payton’s eyes widen, and their breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Their bodies tense with fear. Sandy’s hands shake, Payton bites her fingernails, her forehead furrowed with worry.

‘Girls, the soldiers will be here any minute. You must calm yourselves,’ Patricia tells them.

They nod and slow their breathing, ‘Where have you come from?’ Sandy asks me.

‘Colac, where the virus started,’ I reply, watching as their faces fill with confusion.

‘What do you mean where it started?’ Sandy presses, her eyes wide with disbelief.

I sigh, ‘None of you know where the virus came from?’ I ask, incredulous at their lack of knowledge. Their heads shake in unison, confirming my suspicions.

Payton bites her lip briefly, ’The soldiers won’t give us any information. Not even the nice ones. All I know is I was driving on my way to a yoga class in Ballarat. Suddenly everyone further down the road was driving like maniacs hitting trees and pedestrians and smashing into each other’s cars.

There was so much screaming and people running from all directions. People were then running toward me, and some had blood on them. One jumped on my windscreen. Blood was dripping from his mouth, and his eyes had no colour. They were completely black. I could see my own reflection in them. Then other people’s eyes changed and had the same as his, dark and eerie. It only became worse. They grabbed people running in all directions and bit them.

People tried to get in my car. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do, so I locked my car doors so nobody could get in. I was scared I could be attacked by them. Then the man on my bonnet tried to smash my windscreen. He even hissed at me. I screamed, slammed my foot on the accelerator and sped through the chaos until I got home.

I ran inside hysterically and tried to tell my parents what had happened. They thought I was having a mental breakdown and rang the doctor, but they couldn’t get through to him.

I kept trying to convince them and even showed them my damaged car with blood all over it. They freaked out and thought I had run over somebody, and it caused me to go into shock. My father then said he would dispose of the car and call the police to report it stolen. They were freaking out that I would go to jail for a hit-and-run, so they wanted to cover it up. They wouldn’t listen to me until it was too late. I ran upstairs and packed a bag, and they stood watching while I even packed their bag. I told them to get into dad’s car and that we needed to leave. My mother convinced my dad to lock me in my bedroom until they figured out where to dump my car and hoped I would have calmed down by then.

The infected spread rapidly. After an hour of being locked in my room, I heard my mother scream and my father fight them off. I climbed out of my window and stayed on the roof as I watched the infected and my infected parents kill my neighbours up the road.

I climbed down when I thought it was safe, only to find my cat had also been bitten. Mr Whiskers tried to attack me and had a chunk missing from his back and spine. I could barely see any of his white fur. It was all red with blood. I didn’t have the heart to kill him. I know I should have, but I couldn’t, so I trapped him in the pantry and locked it.

I then grabbed my bag and got in my dad’s car. I didn’t know where I was going. All I knew was I had to keep driving. I kept trying to call my friends but couldn’t get any signal. The next thing I knew, helicopters were flying over the town and shooting, I assume, at the infected. Then when I was out of Ballarat, I saw a large explosion in my rear-view mirror. They must have bombed at least half the town. I knew that most, if not all, of my friends, were dead at that moment.

I ran out of fuel, not far from where soldiers approached me. They checked me for injuries and bite marks and were given the clear to bring me here to Rokewood.

The bastards said I’d get food and shelter, but they put me in the recreation reserve, where I spent the first few days. We had to sleep on the ground in our filth. It was like a concertation camp. They asked for a female volunteer to help do the daily cooking. I couldn’t volunteer any quicker. I bolted to the wire fencing and told them I was a full-time kitchen hand before people became infected. I’ve been here since, helping Patricia, and then a couple of days later, they had Sandy join us as we were struggling to have everything cooked on time for all the soldiers,’ she says and bursts into tears, ‘I miss my parents, and I miss Mr Whiskers,’ she sobs.

Sandy comforts Payton and hugs her.

Patricia looks at me, her voice low and serious, ‘you said the virus started in Colac? What happened?’ she asks.

As I’m about to tell them, two male soldiers storm in.

‘Stand in line,’ the first soldier orders.

His face is hardened and lined with deep wrinkles, giving him a weathered look beyond his years. His eyes are set deep within their sockets, and they seem to be constantly scanning his surroundings. His bald head is shiny with sweat, and the veins on his arms bulge as he clenches and unclenches his fists. His voice is gruff and commanding, carrying an air of authority that suggests he is used to being obeyed without question. The dirt on his face and forehead seems to be caked on as if he hasn’t had the opportunity to wash it off in days. He exudes a sense of aggression, making it clear that he is not to be trifled with.

Patricia squeezes my hand gently while Sandy and Payton quickly stand tall and straight in a line beside me.

The two soldiers fix their gazes on me, their eyes narrowing in suspicion. The older man who barked the order to line up strides toward me, his boots pounding the ground with each heavy step. He halts in front of me, his face twisted in anger as he locks eyes with me.

‘And who the hell are you?’ he barks in an ominous tone, his voice dripping with hostility.