Dead Tropics (21 page)

I closed my eyes and, for a moment, wished with all my heart that I were anywhere but here. "It's hard to say, Skye. You might just have an infection."

"No." She said flatly. "Mummy was like this last night - and she became one of
them
."

She rolled over to look up at me. I saw the fear on her young face, the memory of what her mother had become. "That's what's happening to me, isn't it, Lori? I can feel it."

I looked away, fighting the tears that sprang to my eyes. I could feel her desperate need for me to be honest with her. "Yes, I think so. I'm so sorry, Skye."

"It's okay." She whispered. "I don't want to be here without my family, anyway."

I didn't comment, not wanting to confirm what she seemed to suspect about her sister's fate. Instead, I resumed stroking her hair. I wished I knew how to make this easier for her. How do you help a fourteen-year-old face death without even her mother here to comfort her? All I could do was be here and hope that the presence of a mother, someone's loving mother, was enough. I tried to project my love to her, through the gentle touch of my hands, the warmth of my body, the soft sound of my voice as I hummed soothingly.

A few minutes later, she spoke again. Her voice seemed to be weakening. "Mum believed in heaven but I'm not sure what I believe. Do you think it's real?"

Wow.
Good question, kid
. How the hell does one answer that honestly in the face of death? "Maybe. There is so much about the universe we don't know. Maybe death is just a stage of life, like the chrysalis is for butterflies. And heaven is our name for the next stage of our existence."

I took a deep breath as I saw the scepticism in her face and rushed on. "Or else death is the longest sleep we will ever take. Either way, there really isn't anything to be scared of, is there? I don't know about you, but I always enjoyed a good sleep!"

Skye smiled a little. "Me too. Mum always said I was sleeping my life away."

Sadness fell across her face at the memory. "I hope heaven is real. Then I can see her again."

"I hope so too." I whispered. Impulsively, I leaned down and kissed her hot forehead. She closed her eyes at the touch.

"I don't think I can hold on much longer, Lori." Her childish voice cut through me like a knife. Her eyes opened suddenly. "You won't let me become one of
them
, will you, Lori?"

I shook my head, tears blinding my eyes. "No, Skye. I won't let that happen."

She closed her eyes again, so trusting. I don't know how long I sat there with her head in my lap, stroking her hair as her breathing gradually slowed, and, finally, stopped.

I kept my promise. She didn't become one of them.

11

When I walked into the living room, I saw all their eyes on me, questioning. Unable to talk yet, I shook my head miserably.

"Oh, the poor child." Emma whispered. I saw compassion and sorrow in all their eyes. Michele's golden brown eyes were shiny with tears. She had lost two friends today, both, ultimately, at my hands. Would that affect the way she saw me? God, I hoped not. I wanted to comfort her but I felt too numb and raw. I knew that if I opened my mouth right now, I was likely to burst into tears.

Always good at picking up my emotions, Kaye stood up. "Come into the kitchen, Lori, and help me make some more coffee."

Silently, I followed her into the kitchen.

"Do you want to talk?" Kaye sent me a sympathetic sideways glance as she put coffee into the percolator. "You look like you've been hit by a sledgehammer."

I snorted, feeling some of the tightness in my throat releasing. "That good, eh?"

"It must have been hard in there." Kaye offered tentatively, not wanting to push me. I felt a wave of affection for her, mingled with sorrow that Skye would never have the chance to experience this bond.

"She was just a kid, Kaye. No kid should have to die alone like that. This whole mess just sucks."

Kaye reached over and touched my arm. "She wasn't alone, Lori. She had you and I just
know
that helped."

I searched her eyes. I wanted so much to believe that I had reassured Skye in her last moments. "How can you know?"

She smiled gently. "Because I know you, Lori. Kids gravitate to you, always have. There is something about you that makes them trust and like you immediately. I'm sure that Skye felt that connection, too, and was comforted in the end."

Some of the knot in my chest started to unravel. If she was just saying that to make me feel better, it was working. "Thanks, Kaye. I hope you are right."

"I know I am." Tucking her dark, straight hair behind her ear, Kaye's manner became brisk. "Now help me get this coffee out there before the troops start a revolt."

Not really ready to face the others, I handed out the coffee and went to check on Sarah who was having her dressing changed. In the babies' room, Sarah was whimpering as Emma changed her dressing. The misery on my baby's face made me feel like crying. I would have given anything to spare her the pain and discomfort I knew she must be feeling, in spite of the medication we had her on.

"It's all looking good, Lori. A bit inflamed but nothing to worry about, I don't think."

"Hey baby." I cooed, lifting Sarah carefully up into my arms. "Let's go see what the other kids are doing, shall we?"

She laid her head on my shoulder and wrapped her remaining arm around my neck. My heart clenched with grief and guilt.

Walking straight past the closed spare room door, I carried her into the living room and placed her carefully on the beanbag in the play area. The other kids crowded around and talked excitedly to her. A smile lit her face up. Nothing like attention to brighten a child's day. After ensuring that the kids understood the need to be careful around her, I left her in the care of the teenagers.

Joining the adults around the coffee table, I immediately noticed the solemn looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Kaye beckoned me over. "We've managed to contact other survivors!"

"That's great." I responded hesitantly, confused by the serious mood. "So why the long faces?"

Ken spoke up. "It's not a pretty picture out there. At the beach, in the suburbs, in the business district - they're all surrounded by zombies. The group in the dental clinic is reporting
thousands
of zombies in the streets."

"More worrying," Mike added grimly. "is the fact that the army seems to be failing to contain the situation."

Frankly, seeing Mike look so serious was seriously unnerving me. I had come to rely on his unflappability. "Who says they're failing?"

He grimaced. "I'm reading between the lines. Three different groups reported seeing army units engaging the zombies and being overrun or forced into a retreat. Add that to our own observations, and it does not spell success."

"Okay," I said slowly. "But once they realise what they're up against, they'll change their tactics. Surely, it's just a matter of time before the army gets this under control. We just have to hang on until then."

Mike hesitated and then nodded. There was something he was not saying, I could feel it.

Just then, the CB crackled to life.
"Hello, is anyone there?"

Mike grabbed the microphone. "Yes, this is Mike Bridges. Who am I speaking to, over?"

"Happy to hear a friendly voice, Mike! I'm Travis."

"G'day Travis, where are you hailing from, over?"

"Smithfield, mate. We're stuck in a warehouse."
The voice crackled. I met Kaye's eyes. That was only about fifteen minutes from here, halfway to the beaches.

"How many are there with you, Travis?" Mike was asking.

"
Thirty. There were more but some died last night
."

Mike's grey eyes sharpened with concern. "Bitten?"

"Yeah. One was infected and before we understood how it worked, she'd attacked a few others. We got it under control, though. Over."

"Glad to hear it. Can you tell us what the situation is there? "

"The whole area is overrun with those creatures. I think we might be the only ones still alive. We were lucky. A girl came running in yesterday, screaming about some kind of riot outside. She had blood all over her, so I made the decision to lower the security screens. Only got them down just in time. Those creatures just swarmed in, attacking everyone in the other shops! Man, it still seems unbelievable. Those poor folks were slaughtered, torn apart before our eyes. And those creatures...they were dead, man! Over."

We looked at each other solemnly. What percentage of the hundred and sixty odd thousand who lived in Cairns was still alive? Thousands? Or just a handful?

"What about the army?" I interrupted.

The man snorted in derision at the question.
"Oh yeah, saw them in action last night. There was a hell of a firefight right outside the centre, in fact. Let me tell you, the army got their asses handed back to them! Now we've got what seems like half the army banging on our security screens. I'll tell you straight up, man, I'm worried. I'm not sure how much pressure these screens are designed to withstand."

My heart went out to him and his group. As bad as our situation seemed, it was clearly a lot worse elsewhere. After arranging to talk again tomorrow at the same time, Mike signed off. Looking around the group, he stated firmly, "I don't think we can rely on the army to save us. I want to see for myself what is going on in this city. Are there any spots nearby where I can do that?"

There was silence in the room as we pondered the question.

"What about the dam lookout?" Lucas suggested, a bit tentatively. "It's a bit of a hike but we'd have pretty good views of the city from there."

"You're right, Lucas. Copperlode Dam would be a perfect lookout!" Michele chimed in enthusiastically. Her eyes were shiny with admiration, causing him to blush a bit. I grinned inside but was careful to keep a poker face. I knew my daughter would never forgive me if I embarrassed her in front of a boy.

"But what about the zombies?" Emma asked, still looking worried.

Kaye shook her head. "There is only rainforest between us and the dam. I guess some tourists at the park could have been turned, though."

"It seems a reasonable risk." Mike said bluntly. "We need solid information in order to make plans. Otherwise we're just sitting ducks."

Several heads nodded in agreement, including mine. "Has anyone made the hike before?"

Kaye and I held up our hands, grinning at each other over the memory.

"Oh yeah." I said. "It nearly killed us but we got there in the end! If you're keen, I guess you could do it in an hour. The walking track starts about ten minutes up the road."

I hesitated briefly before jumping in. "I'll show you the way."

From the corner of my eye, I saw my teenage daughter giving me an unhappy look. I'll talk to her later, I promised myself. Nodding, Mike started to speak but was interrupted by a sound that had already become unfamiliar - an engine.

Exchanging surprised glances, we rushed to the balcony. Roaring up the street towards us on his trail bike was the teen boy from down the road. Somehow, he had made it past the zombies around his house and seemed intent on making a break for it.

Heart starting to beat fast, I tried to calculate his chances. Already the zombies in front of our house were spilling onto the road in the excitement of seeing their first human today. With a sinking heart, I realised that the boy wasn't going to make it. By the time he reached the crest of the hill, the road would be blocked with zombies. With drains and long grass on each side, I didn't think his trail bike would be enough to evade the zombies.

"He's not going to make it." Michele echoed my thoughts despairingly.

"Yes he will." Mike said quietly, walking up to the balcony with his rifle.

Taking careful aim, he started taking out zombies like ducks at a fair's target shooting stall. There was no way he could take them all down but I realised, with admiration, that wasn't his intention. He was creating the smallest of breathing spaces at the edge of the crowd which maybe, just maybe, would allow the boy to slip by. Would the kid even see it? I wondered breathlessly as he skidded past the first of the zombies at the top of the hill.

A zombie fell to the road with a neat bullet hole in her head. Another fell off the road into the ditch.
Look
, I urged the boy silently,
go left, go left. You can make it
. To my delight, he spotted the opening, and opening up his throttle, skirted past the zombie horde by riding the very edge of the ditch.

"Yes!" I squealed and clapped like a child as the boy disappeared down the street and over the bridge. Ignoring the zombies beneath us, we cheered and laughed. Mike slung his rifle over his shoulder with a smug smile on his face that said 'told you so'. I didn't care. He'd earned the right.