Shaun Harbinger: Rain

I hoped that whatever was happening, my parents and Joe were OK.

Mike and Elena stopped and waited for us. As we reached them, Mike said, “I’m going to prove to you that nothing’s wrong, man,” He pointed past the edge of the forest to a farmhouse on a hill. “They must have a TV in there. We’ll go ask them if anything is wrong. They’ll think we’re crazy but at least it’ll make you shut up about your crazy theory.”

I looked at the place beyond the pines. It looked deserted. Apart from a few sheep grazing in the field, there were no signs of life. But Mike was right; at least we would know for sure what had happened.

We left the trail and made our way through the trees to the wooden fence that skirted the farm. After throwing the rucksacks over into the field, we climbed over one by one. The fence may have been strong enough to keep sheep in the field but didn’t look like it could take our combined weight. As I slipped the rucksack straps back onto my shoulders, I took a better look at the farmhouse.

An old building made of wood that had seen better days, it had two levels and was flanked by stables and a barn. There was a faded blue Land Rover parked on a patchy area of grass by the house. Looked like someone was home after all.

The others had already started for the house so I jogged to catch up with them. The sheep weren’t too happy about strangers in their field and moved as far away from us as they could get, watching us with baleful yellow eyes.

“This place looks creepy,” Elena said as we got closer to the house.

“It’s just run down,” Mike replied. “Anyway, it will solve the mystery of the end of the world once and for all.”

We climbed the fence and stood before the place. Mike strode up onto the wooden porch and knocked on the door.

Lucy wrinkled her nose. “What’s that smell?”

As soon as she said it, I smelled it too. Like dead, rancid meat. Probably a dead animal the farmer hadn’t disposed of yet.

“Jesus, Alex, you could have waited,” Mike joked, knocking on the door again.

“I don’t think anyone’s home,” I said.

“Maybe they’ve been evacuated,” Lucy offered.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Mike tried the door and it opened. “OK, let’s find the TV.” He stepped inside.

“We can’t just go into someone’s house,” Lucy said.

“Hey, the door was open. If that isn’t an invitation, I don’t know what is.” He disappeared inside.

Elena followed.

Lucy looked at me. “Should we go in?”

“We want to know what’s happened. There might be something on the TV.”

She nodded and stepped through the door.

I followed, not oblivious to the fact that a split had occurred in the group and Lucy was on my side. It felt good.

The house looked like it had last been decorated sometime during the seventies. Peeling wooden panels adorned the hall and garish green and yellow wallpaper covered the walls of the living room. The sofa and chairs in there were covered in green paisley fabric. In the corner, looking out of place among the retro decor, stood a big flat-screen TV. Mike found the remote and turned it on.

The screen popped to life, showing us a message that simply said, ‘Off Air’.

“Try another channel,” Elena suggested.

Mike flicked through the channels. Each had a different message but all said essentially the same thing.

Off air.

Not transmitting.

Dead.

“This isn’t fucking happening, man,” Mike said, throwing the remote against the sofa. It bounced off the cushions and landed on the carpet. The battery hatch lid broke off and the batteries spilled out like tubular guts.

“You can’t be thinking what they’re thinking,” Elena said to Mike.

He looked at her. “What else is there to think? No TV. No radio. Some fucked up message on every channel.” He looked over at me. “I think you’re right, man. I hate to say it but I think you’re right.”

“Mike, no.” Elena shook her head. “This can’t be happening.”

He looked at me. “Tell me about this virus.”

“We don’t know much. Something about a doctor being quarantined in a hospital in London. I think the infected are dangerous. That’s why there was a warning on the radio to lock all doors and windows.”

He nodded grimly. “Try the radio. I want to hear that message again.”

I took the radio out of my pocket and switched it on. The familiar voice filled the room. “…emergency broadcast. Stay in your home. The military and police are dealing with the current situation. Stay inside and lock all doors and windows. If law enforcement or military personnel come to your home, do as instructed and proceed to the checkpoint they designate. Do not open your door to anyone except law enforcement or military personnel. Do not leave your home unless instructed. This is the BBC emergency broadcast. Stay in…”

I switched it off.

“What’s all that about checkpoints?” Mike asked.

“It didn’t say that yesterday. They added that part.”

“Fuck.”

“No, that’s good. It means the army and the police have a plan. They’re dealing with the situation. Sending people to a safe place.”

“And what about us?” Elena asked. “Are we in a safe place?”

“We’re far away enough from the shit that’s going down to be safe,” Mike replied.

I shook my head. “No, we’re not. What about the man who attacked me yesterday? He must have been infected. The people who live out here still go into populated areas to get supplies, to go shopping. They come into contact with the rest of society all the time. Where are the owners of this farm?”

As if in reply, a noise came from upstairs. It sounded like someone climbing out of bed and walking across the wooden floor. The floorboards creaked with each step.

Mike looked up at the ceiling. “There’s someone here, man.” His voice had dropped to an urgent whisper.

Elena’s eyes were wide with terror. “What do we do?”

The footsteps upstairs creaked slowly across the room and sounded like they were moving towards the stairs.

“I’m getting out of here.” Mike ran for the front door and out of the house.

“Let’s go,” I said to the girls.

Elena went next, then Lucy. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I glanced up to the floor above.

There at the top stood the farmer. Dressed in blue jeans and a red check shirt that had a dark blood stain across the shoulder. His skin was mottled blue and his eyes were yellow. He drew back his lips and snarled.

He stepped down onto the top step. His eyes looked more like a wild animal’s than a human’s.

And they looked at me with pure rage.

I fled the house but as soon as I got outside, I heard a sound that pierced the morning air.

Lucy screaming.

I squinted against the sun as I ran out onto the porch. Lucy and Elena stood flattened to the wall of the house, their frightened eyes locked on the scene in front of them.

Mike was lying on the ground face down, hands behind his neck. Above him stood a soldier pointing an assault rifle at Mike’s head. The man was dressed in green combat gear. His black hair was close-cropped and his face looked hard.

I halted on the porch, aware of the creaking stairs behind me. The farmer was coming down slowly but it wouldn’t be a moment or two before he was within grabbing distance of me. I moved away from the open doorway.

“Stay where you are,” the soldier said. “How many more of you are there?”

“None,” I said. “But I really need to move. There’s an infected person in there.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What do you know about the infected? Has one of your group been bitten?”