Adrian Smith - The Rule of Three

Ten minutes later, Jack crawled out of the lake and sank gasping onto the muddy bank. He spent a few minutes getting his breath back and rehydrating. As he scoffed a protein bar, he spied a mountain bike leaning against a woodpile a few metres away.

His brilliant plan of escaping by boat and rescuing Emma had come to nothing. His stomach tied itself in knots as he imagined what Duke and his men were going to do to her. It pained him that he was helpless, just one man against several heavily armed lunatics.

I’m sorry, Emma.

Jack slipped on his pack and jumped on the bike. In seconds he was pedalling down the road, his ears straining for any sounds of V8 engines. There were plenty of trees and bushes to hide in if Duke and his men came looking. He glanced up at the sun as it lowered in the sky and figured he needed shelter, fast. He couldn’t risk being out in the open for much longer. It was nearly twenty-four hours since he’d called Dee and been told of the virus. Twenty-four hours of chaos. He shook his head. A trip that normally would have only taken him fifty minutes had turned into a crazy nightmare.

Jack cast his mind back to the hut, to the message. To Flatcap and his family. His first sighting of the creatures. His escape down the river and finding Emma. He had survived when others hadn’t. And his aim of getting home to Dee was all that was keeping him going.

Jack sighed and began searching for somewhere to shelter. Distant howls reminded him of the creatures that now plagued the land. He had hoped to at least reach Cambridge and the evacuation centre today. Maybe they had records on who had made it out of Hamilton.

He pedalled on, scanning the countryside and buildings as he went. He saw plenty of houses but wanted to avoid them if he could. He needed somewhere with thick concrete walls, something he could barricade.

After twenty minutes, Jack spotted the green weatherboard buildings of a small country school. He slowed down and brought the bike to a halt.

He mulled over his options. Most of these older schools had boiler rooms and hidden passages. Perhaps he could lock himself in one of the rooms.

He glanced around the car park and noticed a white minivan but no other vehicles. Out of habit, a recently evolved one, he checked the ignition for keys but came up short.

Jack wheeled his bike out of sight and headed for the administration block. Peering in the window, he gasped at the sight of a blonde-haired woman reading a book to a young boy with bright red hair. She glanced up, noticed Jack and protectively moved the boy behind her. Her eyes flicked to the door a few metres to Jack’s right. He held up his hands to show her that he was unarmed and kept eye contact with her as he approached the door.

“Hi,” Jack said as he entered, keeping his tone non-threatening. “I’m Jack.”

The woman watched him as he closed the door behind him. She looked him up and down, her eyes settling on the bachi hoe. “Sarah and George.”

Jack stayed by the door with his hands up. “I’m just looking for somewhere to shelter for the night, then I’ll be off at midday.”

“Why midday?” Sarah frowned.

“Those creatures seem to disappear for a few hours around then.”

Sarah relaxed a little at his explanation. Jack could see George peeking out from behind her legs, smiling widely at him.

“I thought everyone must have headed off to the evacuation centre,” Jack said. “I’ve hardly seen anyone.” Jack wanted to warn them about Duke and his men but decided to wait for the right moment rather than frighten them now.

“Evacuation centre?” Sarah said.

“It’s in Cambridge, at the race course. You didn’t know?”

“No.” Sarah shook her head. “I can’t get anything else on my radio. Just the same message; to go to your nearest CD safe zone.” Sarah gestured around the room.

Jack realised he had been focused on Sarah and George. It was only now that he noted the contents of the room. From the look of the couches and chairs, the small kitchenette with a coffee machine, bookshelves full of books, it had to be the staff room. Sarah and George had made a little nest of blankets and pillows on one of the bigger couches.

“I’m one of the teachers here, so when I heard the broadcast, I grabbed as much food as I could and headed down here. We keep plenty of supplies at the school in case of a natural disaster. I thought it would be the best place to wait it out.”

“Good idea,” Jack said, nodding.

“Where are you heading, Jack?”

“Hamilton,” Jack said. “I’ve been trying to get home for the last twenty-something hours but it’s…” Jack glanced down at George and back to Sarah. He gave her a slight shake of his head.

“Bad out there, is it?”

“It’s been quite the journey so far, yeah.”

A howl echoed through the school, interrupting their conversation.

Sarah looked at her watch and back to Jack. “Lock that door and follow me,” she said.

She took George by the hand and led Jack to the back of the staff room, through a sliding door and into a small supply room beyond. Once they were in, she slid the door across and snapped shut a bolt that had been hastily installed. Jack helped her shift a couple of chairs and wedged them tight against the door.

Finally, Sarah lifted a trapdoor open and pointed. “It will be a tight squeeze but it’s all we have.”

“Anything is better than being out there with them.”

Sarah settled George onto a single mattress as Jack looked around. His theory about the school having maintenance tunnels for the old boiler system was correct. The concrete was aged and covered in stains, the air thick with the stench of diesel and oil, long since gone. Sarah had done her best to make the space more liveable with an air freshener, blankets and pillows. There was a gas-powered camping lantern and George had colouring books and crayons. Some of the pictures he had drawn were hung on the wall.

“How long have you been hiding here?”

“This will be night three,” Sarah said. She reached past him and secured another bolt across the trapdoor.

Jack laid his pack down next to him and stretched out his legs as best he could. Sarah was right, it was a tight squeeze. Especially for his 6ft 2-inch frame. He could hear the muffled howls of the creatures and rubbed his hand over the handle of his bachi hoe, waiting for the beasts to break in and attack. But it remained silent above him.

Sarah offered him water and took a sip out of her own bottle. “What’s in Hamilton that you are so eager to get back too?”

“Dee.” Jack smiled, sipping his water. “My wife.” He turned, blinking away tears. The thought of her worrying about his well-being and him not being able to contact her was driving him nuts.

Jack took another mouthful of water. “I was hiking up in the Kaimais. I’ve been trying to get home since yesterday. But the roads are all blocked. I got this far mainly by river. That’s how I discovered that the creatures disappear around midday.”

“I’m thinking of heading to this evac centre in Cambridge tomorrow with George. I can give you a lift if you want?” Sarah said.

“It’s worth a look. We’ll have to be careful, though.”

“I thought you said the creatures disappeared?”

“It’s not them I’m worried about.”

Sarah eyes widened. “What is it?”

“I won’t give you the details. Let’s just say, men with guns.”

Sarah glanced down at George, who was drawing something on a piece of paper, and ran a hand through her hair, twisting it in her fingers as she glanced back at him.

Jack didn’t blame her. Most people would be worried about just surviving. Surviving the creatures. Staying alive. Having enough food and water and keeping your loved ones safe.