Adrian Smith - The Rule of Three

Dee rubbed the nape of her neck. “Is that when you talked to the American?”

“Yeah. It was difficult to hear him. He said something about Variants attacking them, and to hunker down.”

Tilting her head in the direction of the others, Dee asked, “What about them? How’d you end up together?”

Boss picked up a piece of the radio. It was shaped like a small light bulb. Dee watched as he peered through it. He put it down next to the others and turned around to face her. His eyes glistened, and he blinked rapidly. “He came back, Dee. He came back.”

Her heart thumped against her chest and nerves tingled down her arms, her blood ran cold. She shivered. She hoped that what he was going to say next wasn’t what she was expecting. Why did I press him?

“After a few days, he came back. But he wasn’t Dad any more. He was one of them, Dee!” His voice caught on the last words and tears welled up in his eyes.

“I ran, Dee. I ran, and left Mum to him.” Boss sniffed and wiped his eyes. Gesturing towards Matt and Alice, he added, “They helped me. We hid in their shed. The other two were already there. But they found us. Then we met you.” Boss sniffed again, and a smile escaped his lips.

Dee moved forwards off her chair. She swept a few of the scattered parts away with her foot and crouched down, joining Boss on the floor. She drew him into a tight embrace. “I’m really glad you did, Boss. We’re going to survive this, okay?”

Boss tightened his arms around her, returning the hug. “Yeah. We better.”

She held on to him for a while longer, savouring the comfort.

Dee thought about how to approach the next subject, that of the drastically dwindling food supply. She knew the average male needed three thousand calories a day to survive, and they were all on a thousand at best. The time had come. Judgement day.

She broke the embrace with Boss and sat back up on her chair. Not for the first time, she wished her dad was still alive. He’d always treated her with a love and affection that had sometimes bewildered her. She’d always known he’d really wanted a son. He’d taken her on several hunting trips and shown her how to live off the land. Firing hunting rifles and shotguns, fishing and camping had all been a big part of her life growing up. Dee cursed her luck at the Hemorrhage Virus arriving when the guns he’d left her were being serviced. His death had hit her hard, and she’d foolishly let the guns sit in the basement gathering dust. After Jack had shown some interest in learning how to use them, she had taken them in for servicing. Now they were lost to her too.

What should they do? Move on and maybe get torn apart and eaten, or stay put and starve to death, and maybe get discovered and eaten?

Where are you, Jack? I need you now, more than ever.

Shifting her weight, Dee nudged Boss again. “Boss.”

“Yeah, what?”

“We need to talk to the others.”

Slightly perplexed, Boss looked up from his task. “Why?”

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do, that’s why.”

“Food?”

“Yes, food, and we need to move on. There are more and more Variants every day.”

Getting up off the floor so he could sit next to her, Boss gave Dee a quizzical look. “Have you noticed how you don’t see them in the middle of the day?”

Nodding, Dee murmured, “Yeah. I think that’s our best chance to go. We need to find water, food and weapons. Real weapons, like guns. Jack and I have this cabin up in the valley, isolated. I think we should head there.”

“What about a truck? Like a concrete truck?”

Smiling, Dee said, “We need to be practical, Boss. It’s not Mad Max.”

Stifling a laugh, Boss nodded. “All right. I’ll gather the troops.”

Dee smiled at Alice as she walked over. “We need to have a meeting, guys.”

“Okay,” Alice said, smiling back. “Over by the books?”

Dee nodded and listened as Boss talked to Mike.

“Hey, we’re having a pow wow.”

Mike turned his head away from the ventilation grate. “Why?”

“Same old, same old. Food, guns. Lack thereof,” Boss whispered, tension creeping into his tone.

“Fine,” Mike said, sighing. “What about the watch?”

“I’m just doing as Dee asked,” Boss said, turning his back and shrugging his shoulders.

Grumbling and muttering, Mike went over to Vicki, and together they joined the others.

At a small table, Dee had spread out an old map of the city, and next to it, one of the surrounding countryside.

“What museum did you raid?” Boss smirked.

Dee gave Boss an over-the-glasses librarian look. She waited for a cheeky response, but he just looked at his feet and kept silent. Satisfied that Boss knew it was serious, Dee glanced at the others gathered round.

“So, we need to decide what to do. Do we continue scrounging through houses for food? Or do we make a run for it? Get somewhere more isolated? Fewer Variants?”

Dee pressed on. “If we stay, we just keep scavenging in ever-increasing circles, hoping for food. We could try a food wholesalers. And we need guns desperately. Or, and this is what I vote for, we take my car and try to reach this valley,” she said, pointing at the map. “Jack and I have a cabin there.”

“Well, I vote to stay. Surely the army is going to show up soon,” Mike said, “and take us to one of those evac centres.”

“What army?” Matt asked. “New Zealand doesn’t have an army.”

“Yeah, we do!” Mike replied, his voice rising.

“Guys! Seriously,” Alice said. “Matt, give it a rest. And Mike, he’s teasing you.”

Dee flicked her eyes between them. After ten days of hiding, everyone was getting on each other’s nerves. She knew they had to move on. It was time.

“Yes we do have an army,” Aston cut in, nodding. “It’s small, but it’s there. Regardless, they’re not worried about rescuing us mere mortals. We’re on our own.”

There were murmurs of agreement.

“I ran into a couple of soldiers out there,” Dee said. Boss looked at her, eyes wide. He had asked her about how she’d survived, but she’d skirted the subject, not wanting to dampen his spirits. “I don’t think they’re going to be much help.”

Alice turned to Matt and poked him. “We should tell them.”

“Tell us what?” asked Dee.

“Yeah, what?” mimicked Boss.

Matt, Alice and Aston exchanged a look between them. Matt sighed and looked down at the maps.

“Look, we want to head off on our own,” he said. “Alice’s family owns a sheep station on one of the islands in the Gulf. We’re going to head there. Plus, I want to find my family.”

“Dee, we’re really grateful, truly, but I need to know. Know if they’re alive,” Alice said, looking at Dee.

“I can’t argue with that, Alice. I only have Jack. That’s why I want to go to the cabin.” She clasped Alice’s hand. “I really hope they’re okay.”

The two women smiled at each other, hope, anguish and worry for their loved ones written deep in their eyes.

Dee had only known Alice for few days, but she wished it had been in different circumstances. Over the years she’d found it difficult to stay in contact with her friends as they all got married and had children.

“Take the back roads. Last I heard, the motorway was jammed,” Dee said.

Alice and Matt nodded.

“Well, that’s just crazy. Safety in numbers, anyone?” Mike said, slamming his fist on the table.

Vicki glared at Mike. “Shush, for Pete’s sake.”

Dee glared at him too. Days of putting up with his foul moods and impudence finally got the better of her. “All they want is to see their families. You want to deny them that?” Speaking through her teeth, Dee added, “Or is it the lack of an invite?”