For Those In Peril (Book 2): The Outbreak (32 page)

‘She’s
not; she just hides it well: she always has. It was the same when her father
died.’ Sophie was now standing at the end of the quay, staring out towards the
boat. ‘I really need to go after her.’

‘I’ll
go.’

We all
turned and stared at Daz as he carried on. ‘I know how she’s feelin’ an’ I’m
closer to her age; she might find it easier to talk to me about it.’

Claire
considered this. ‘Maybe you’re right.’

This
was all the encouragement Daz needed and he set off down the road. We watched as
he reached Sophie; they talked for a couple of seconds and then sat down on the
quay, legs hanging over the end; Daz tentatively put one arm round her and in
response she let her head fall onto his shoulder.

I
turned back to Mitch, and saw her wiping her face. ‘Who’s clothes were they?’

‘My
god-daughter’s.’ She cleared her throat. ‘She was so great: I used to take her
up in the plane all the time. She loved it; she loved how everything appeared so
different when you were looking down on it. She wanted to be a pilot, just like
me.’ 

Tom
stepped forward to comfort her. ‘How did she die?’

‘That’s the worst thing.’ Mitch sniffed and wiped her face. ‘She didn’t, but she
might as well have. She got infected; I know because I’ve seen her, attacking
the barricade, trying to get in. This sounds terrible, but I wish with all my
heart she had died: it would’ve been painful, but at least I’d know how to deal
with it. I mean how do you deal with something like this?’

Chapter
Fifteen

Within
a week of our arrival in Tobermory, we’d settled into a routine of sorts. Since
we could sail, rather than having to rely on our engine, we didn’t have to waste
precious diesel, which could be better used in generators and other equipment,
when we travelled around. We were also the largest sailing vessel which was at
the disposal of the local communities, so we could carry the most. This meant we
were quickly engaged to run food and other supplies, between the different
communities of survivors. With no other options, Claire’s skills were also in
great demand, and wherever we went, she’d set up a temporary clinic to deal with
any medical problems which had arisen since our last visit.

We
also took part in foraging expeditions. Together with Hamish, Mitch and the
other locals, we fished for mackerel, raided seal haul-outs for meat, and
seabird colonies for eggs. I staked out the creels we’d pulled up off Jura and
was able to provide a regular supply of crabs, lobsters and other shellfish.
This meant that while we only retained the slightest of toeholds on the land, we
were never short of food.

For
the most part, Tom, Daz, Claire, Sophie and I stayed together, but if it looked
like it wouldn’t be a difficult trip, I’d leave some of them behind so they
could get a day off to relax … as much as anyone could relax given all that was
happening around us. This also gave me a break from them, and every now and
then, I couldn’t resist taking the boat out on my own just to be alone. After
all, on a forty-five foot boat with five people living on board, it was
difficult to get any sort of personal space. Out on the sea, all on my own, I
could pretend — at least for a short while — that everything was the way it used
to be before the virus entered our lives.

It was
while we were returning from a raid on a fish farm, which had netted us several
thousand fresh fish that would be smoked or dried over fires to preserve them,
that we finally ran into the naval personnel Hamish had complained about when we
first arrived. Daz was the first to spot them. ‘Hey! What does that remind you
of?’

I took
the binoculars and saw a familiar-looking black rib cutting through the sea
towards us, the silhouette of a large gun near the bow clearly visible. My first
instinct was to avoid them, but when I changed course, the rib changed its
course, too: there was no doubt they were specifically heading our way. Knowing
we couldn’t out-run them, I turned the yacht into the wind and prepared for
their arrival. ‘Daz, you’d better go and get the others.’

A
moment later, a sleepy looking Tom climbed through the companionway, rubbing his
eyes, followed shortly by Claire and Sophie: all three had been making the most
of their time off watch to catch up on some much needed sleep.

‘What’s going on?’ Tom stretched, ‘How come we’re not mov—?’ His eyes came to
rest on the rapidly approaching rib. ‘Is that who I think it is? What do they
want?’

That
was what I’d been wondering, too. So far, we’d only heard rumours about what the
naval personnel were like from the communities we’d visited and the reviews
were, at best, mixed. Now, it looked like we’d get to find out for ourselves.

‘Ahoy
there! I thought I recognised the boat.’ The rib was now pulling alongside and
the first officer from the frigate was hailing us, smiling as he did so. ‘Good
to see we’re not the only ones who made it out of the Clyde in one piece. We’d
have come back for you, but I thought if we’d been overrun, you lot would’ve had
no chance.’

I
crossed my arms, annoyed that they’d simply given up on us and saved themselves.
After all, they were the ones who’d brought the person carrying the infection to
the holding area in the first place, and I felt they owed it to us to have at
least tried to see if we needed help rather than just abandoning us.

The
first officer took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair. ‘We only made it
out by the skin of our teeth.’ His voice sounded flat, as if he still couldn’t
quite believe what he was saying. ‘We were up on deck preparing to go out on
patrol when a strange noise came echoing up from below. At first, it sounded
like animals, but I knew that couldn’t be right. Then, all of a sudden, there
were people everywhere, but they weren’t people anymore; they were attacking
everyone they could get their hands on. We had to fight them off, kill them, but
no matter what we tried, we couldn’t hold them back, not for long. In the end,
we did the only thing we could, which was get the ribs into the water, and get
the hell away from there.’ He hung his head.

I
regretted jumping to conclusions before I knew the whole story. They’d been
struggling to keep themselves alive, just like we had, and who was I to judge
them? We’d abandoned the others in the holding area just as readily as the first
officer and the marines had abandoned us. I pushed these thoughts from my mind
and surveyed the men on the rib. Despite all that had happened, they looked
well-rested and well-fed. Unlike Tom and me, they were also clean-shaven, and
had maintained their short, military hairstyles. The uniforms they still wore
were clean and the first officer’s looked freshly pressed. I couldn’t help but
think that whatever they were doing, given the circumstances, they were doing it
well.

‘What
about the others who were there with you?’ The first officer seemed genuinely
concerned. ‘Did they get out too?’

I
thought back to that night and all who’d died. ‘They weren’t so lucky.’

‘Damn!’ There was a moment’s silence. ‘Look, since we’ve run into you, there’s
something you might be able to help us with. I’m sure you’ve heard we’re trying
to set up a safe zone on Rhum, and to get as many of the other survivors there
as possible. That way, we can protect them better, but it seems the locals
aren’t too keen on the idea.’ As he spoke, he replaced his cap on his head and
straightened it. ‘I can kind of understand their point of view. They think we’re
just coming in and ordering them around, but we’ve been on the front lines, we
know what we’re dealing with, and we think getting everyone in one place is by
far the best way to protect them until ...’ He hesitated as he tried to think of
what until might be. Eventually, he gave up. ‘Well, until what, I don’t know,
but it’s our duty to do all we can.’

There
was a derisive snort from behind me: I turned and glared at Claire. It seemed to
work because she didn’t say anything further.

Nonetheless, the first officer must have heard her, ‘Okay, so I can see you’re
sceptical, and you’ve got every right to be. All I wanted to do is to invite you
to come up and see what we’ve been doing, and judge for yourself. We can’t even
get the locals to come and take a look, and I think that’s the biggest stumbling
block. Once they see how well we have it set up, I think they’ll see we’re
right. What do you think? Would you be up for checking it out? If you think
we’re doing some good, you can let the locals know, and maybe that will help get
them on side. You’ve managed to fit in in a way we haven’t. From what I hear,
people around here respect you; they might listen to you if you say it’s a good
idea.’

I
tried my best to look noncommittal, but he could clearly tell I wasn’t sold on
the idea. He continued anyway. ‘You don’t have to decide right now. Maybe just
drop by sometime if you happen to be in the area. There’s no pressure, honest.
We’re just trying to do our bit.’

‘Okay,’ I shifted uneasily. ‘We might be able to do that.’

With
that, the rib circled round and disappeared in the direction it had come, the
first officer waving to us as they disappeared off into the distance.

‘Ever
get the feeling they weren’t just passing?’ I looked at Claire. Her cynicism got
to me sometimes, but on this occasion I was pretty sure she was right.

‘Rhum’s not going to be that much out of our way.’ I pointed to a loose cluster
of islands on the chart I’d laid out on the table. ‘All I’m saying is that we
could swing by and take up that invitation before we come across to Canna to
pick you up.’

It had
been four days since we’d run into the rib and we’d got word from Mitch that
there was a woman on Canna who was about to give birth. Mitch was going to fly
Claire up there and we were going to follow the next day to pick her up and
bring her back. In the meantime, I was trying to persuade the others we should
at least check out what the navy personnel had been up to on Rhum.

‘You
never know, they might be onto something.’ Claire and Mitch both gave me
withering looks. ‘Well, okay, what I mean is we should at least keep our options
open. You never know when we might need them.’

It
looked like I was facing a losing battle until Tom chimed in. ‘You know, I think
I’m with Ben on this one. Claire, you’re judging them based on your past
experiences in completely different situations, and I know you’ve been right a
lot of the time, but you’ve not been right every time. I mean look at Port
Ellen; what you thought there almost got Ben killed.’

Claire
started to protest and Mitch shot me an enquiring glance, but Tom didn’t let
either of them get a word in. ‘And Mitch, what’s your biggest problem with them?
That they’re outsiders? So what? So am I, and Daz, and Claire and Sophie, and
even Ben for that matter. Yet, you’re quite happy for us to help you out when
you need it. When you really think about it, how different are they? They’re
just trying to stay alive, the same as the rest of us. The way I see it, we need
all the help we can get to keep things running in the face of everything that’s
happened. If they’re able to help in some way, shouldn’t we let them?’

Before
Mitch could say anything, Daz joined in. ‘I think you need to at least give them
a chance to explain what they’re up to, an’ see what they have to say for
themselves.’

 ‘You
know, Mum, he’s got a point.’ Sophie was now standing next to Daz. ‘You’re
always telling me I shouldn’t judge people before I get to know them properly.’

Mitch
and Claire looked at each other, and then at the rest of us: they knew when they
were outnumbered.

‘Okay
you win. I’ll head off to Canna with Mitch now and you can visit Rhum on your
way to pick me up tomorrow,’ Claire hesitated for a moment. ‘But Sophie comes
with me.’

‘Mum!’
Sophie whined as she crossed her arms.

Tom
jumped in before the spat could develop into an argument. ‘Look, Claire, we’re
not going anywhere near any infected, so it’s not as if we’re likely to run into
any trouble, and there are going to be three of us with her all the time,’ Tom
smiled at Claire. ‘You do trust us, don’t you?’

Claire
gave a resigned sigh. ‘I suppose so.’

‘Yes!’
Sophie punched the air in delight: it would be the first time since we’d fled
Glasgow that she’d be spending time away from her mother and she was clearly
relishing the possibility of a little freedom.

***

At
first light the next morning, I stood at the helm as Daz pulled up the anchor,
and Tom and Sophie set the sails. We were soon slipping out of Tobermory Bay and
into the sound between the island and the mainland. By breakfast time, the seas
were starting to build as we moved out into open water.

With
the winds picking up out of the south-west and all the sails raised, we started
making good speed, clipping along at four knots. As Tom fried up some eggs and
bacon we’d traded for lobsters the day before, Daz took the wheel, and I went
below to the chart table. I marked out our route for the day and worked out how
long it would take. If we could keep up our current pace, we’d reach Rhum by
three in the afternoon. From there, it was only another twelve miles or so to
Canna, meaning as long as we left Rhum by five, we’d arrive at our final
destination before dark.