CHAPTER TWO
The following day, Wisteria unlocked the large metal gate outside her home. Sunny days were dangerous, as biters moved better on days like these. She noticed the bean vine creeping over the gate again. If left alone, the violet vine would grow long and thick enough, so anyone could climb in. She saw the plant as a threat to the security of their home.
There was a constant need to uproot all the plants. Her mother seemed to love the flowers and used it to make lotion, perfume, soap, and a variety of other cosmetics. She unlocked their iron door and entered the house. Her small house on Cooper Road was a smattering of mismatched furniture they’d scavenged over the years.
“Good evening, Wisteria,” her mother greeted as she walked up behind her.
Wisteria was surprised her mother was home. When her mother wasn’t out patrolling, tracking, or charting the movement of the biters, she was at town hall giving Major Coles hell. She rarely got in before sunset.
“Good afternoon, Mum,” she greeted her mother.
“Come here.” Her mother strolled into the living room and she seemed unnaturally pleasant.
Suspiciously, Wisteria entered the living room and sat down in their overstuffed armchair.
A tall, blond haired girl with shiny blue eyes walked in and smiled at her. It was Amanda Weiss, a sixteen-year-old refugee who cleared quarantine last week.
“Hi, Amanda,” Wisteria greeted her.
“I promised Tammy Hubbard you’d take Amanda to the ration center and get her signed up.” Wisteria’s mother rose and walked out with no please, or even a thank you.
“I’m glad you made it out of quarantine.” Wisteria tried not to sound irritated.
All new arrivals went through a week of isolation to see if they were infected.
“Three didn’t make it out. They were infected,” Amanda muttered.
“I’m sorry.”
Wisteria knew the only treatment for the infected was a bullet to the head.
“Come on, I’ll take you.” Wisteria motioned to Amanda as she made her way out. “Well, what do you think?” Wisteria asked as the girls headed to the town square. “Is our wonderful island what you expected?”
“It’s hard getting used to sleeping without a weapon in my hands,” Amanda replied. “I’m dying for a hot bath and my cell phone.”
The internet and mobile phones were distant memories. The only news the community got came from the trading ships and it always conflicted. They were mainly rumors and stories about countries that were disease free, but that always depended on the person. Sometimes, it was Cuba or Mexico, while other times it was Tibet or Australia. Most people believed that Luton Airport was safe, but no one knew how bad things might really be there.
“Here we are. Our local supermarket.” Wisteria pointed to a detached house where a few people were waiting in line. “This is where we get our rations.”
“So, everyone gets food here.” Amanda sounded impressed. “Are we getting anything good?”
“I don’t know, but we get one large allocation a month and a smaller one, once a week. Normally, we get dried meat and tinned or canned vegetables, but it’s always a bit of a surprise.” Wisteria joined the end of the line.
“Where does the food come from?”
“Farmers in the town and some merchants, but most people have private gardens, too.”
According to the town hall, the sea merchants provided the island with weapons, food, and raw materials, but according to her mother, the merchants were pirates who probably stole from other communities. Coles hated dealing with them, but the merchants were the only ones who could provide the materials the scientists needed for their research and pharmaceutical plant. The only people with whom the island could trade the medicine they produced from the plant were the merchants.
“I doubt there’s going to be hot chocolate in there?” Amanda smirked.
Wisteria shook her head as they walked inside.
“Can I get clothes at least?” Amanda was wearing a pair of stained jeans, an old woman’s dress and men’s boots.
“I don’t think what they’ll have is any better than what you’re wearing.”
“Wisteria, move, move, move,” Tim Hubbard, a pimply faced boy from school, yelled at them. “You’re the last ones here. Hurry up, so we can get home.”
Like everyone in the Isle of Smythe, Tim had to earn his keep. He and his older brother, Gareth, did so by working for his mother who coordinated the rations. So the boys had access to extra food, the best clothes and alcohol. This made Tim and Gareth an asset to Steven and his friends.
“Hi Tim.” Wisteria greeted.
“Here.” He dumped a box in front of her and then paused. “Who’s this?” Tim smiled at Amanda.
“Amanda. She’s just arrived. I’m showing her around.” Wisteria signed her name on the ration list and started putting the foodstuffs in her backpack.
“You arrived from Nottingham?” He focused on the new girl.
“Does everyone know that?” She turned to Wisteria.
“Sadly, there are no secrets here. Hey Mandy, why don’t you just sign here? I’ll bring your provisions around to your house tonight,” Tim offered.
“Um…” Wisteria mumbled.
Tim glanced angrily at Wisteria.
Amanda leaned over and whispered into his ear.
The boy blushed.
“Thank you, Tim.” Amanda squeezed his arm. “He said we can go into the back and pick out some clothes.”
“No one’s allowed in the back,” Wisteria remarked in surprise.
“I am.” She winked and walked back outside.
Wisteria followed the girl around to the back to the building.
They found Tim holding the back door open. “This way.” He stretched out his hand to Amanda and led them to a large room filled with clothes.
“Wow. Where does all this come from?” Amanda’s face lit up.
“Sometimes, the trackers bring stuff in, but mainly we get it from the merchants,” Wisteria commented.
“What about you? Your clothes are worse than mine.” Amanda noticed the red stone pendant on a braided wool chain that hung around Wisteria’s neck. “This looks nice, though. What is it?”
“Isn’t that the necklace you made for Steven?” Tim snickered.
“Huh?” Amanda asked. Of course she didn’t know what happened, she’d just arrived.
“She’s so in love with Steven Hindle and she gave him that necklace for his birthday.”
“Why do you still have it? He didn’t take it from you?” Amanda’s eyes widened.
Wisteria tucked the necklace into her shirt. She wasn’t keen to recount how Steven’s horrified expression transformed into humor when he realized what she was trying to do. She kept the necklace to remind herself—never trust him and never trust boys. “I don’t need any clothes.” Wisteria slipped her hands into her oversized jeans pockets.
“Are you sure?” she heard Tim yell out. “We’ve got some size twenty-fours in here somewhere.”
“That’s not funny. Tim, what’s wrong with you?” Amanda shook her head and then turned to the clothes.
Over the next hour, Amanda picked out several outfits.
Tim graciously held them for her and even convinced her to change into the newer clothes so she could donate her travelling clothes.
She disappeared into another room, taking Wisteria with her. “How do I look?” Amanda asked as they re-emerged.
She was in a short blue dress with a white cardigan and white sneakers.
Wisteria was in the red dress. Having not worn a dress in years, she felt self-conscious about it.
“Amanda, you look great.” Tim was unable to hide his enthusiastic reaction.
Suddenly, a loud, but low-toned siren sounded from outside. Tim glanced at Wisteria.
“What’s going on?” Amanda gathered up the rest of her new clothes.
“I don’t know, but we’ve got to get into the bunker fast,” Wisteria stated.
“What? Are there biters in here?” She took Wisteria’s arm. “Won’t the noise attract them?”
“We’ll be fine. The siren is too low for the biters to hear.” Wisteria took her hand.
“It’s probably a false alarm or something,” Tim added as he left the room.
“Where’s he going?” Amanda asked anxiously.
They heard the heavy back door slam shut and Wisteria hurried into the corridor.
Tim was chaining and bolting the back entrance. “This way.” He rushed past them.
The girls followed him to the front of the supermarket.
Gareth, Tim’s older brother, was bolting the steel front door. “Tim, what are you doing here? Get them downstairs now.” He switched off the lights.
Gareth’s intensity frightened Wisteria, as he was normally the class clown.
The younger boy hurried out and again, the girls followed until they reached a rickety door under the stairs. He opened the door to reveal a steel security cage door and behind that was stairs to the basement. The siren sounded off again.
Amanda shrieked.
Tim made his way down the long descent into the basement.
“You’ve got to keep quiet,” Gareth warned. “Wisteria, go.”
Wisteria followed Tim along the dimly lit steps.
“Ah, something moved,” Amanda muttered as the light flickered and went out. “Where are the lights?” She grabbed Wisteria’s shoulder.
“They cut all power after the sirens go,” Wisteria answered. “It’s safer, since biters are drawn to light.”
Gareth padlocked the door behind them.
Something brushed against Wisteria’s body. “Ah.” Startled by it, she jumped.
“Ria, calm down.” Tim lit a kerosene lamp and flashed the light over a hole that led to an underground bunker. “Inside.”
Wisteria climbed down first.
“What’s going on?” Amanda asked once they were inside the hole.
“We’ve got to wait down here.” Wisteria looked around the room.
It was comprised of three bunk beds and what looked like a chamber pot.
Tim climbed down.
Then Gareth pulled down the cover of the hole and locked them inside.
“Don’t worry.” Tim sat next Amanda. “This is probably a drill.”
Wisteria sat on the bed furthest from the door.
The older boy perched on the ladder and took out a packet of cigarettes.
“A drill? So it’s not real?” Amanda twisted her long blond hair in her fingers.
“It happens every few weeks.” Tim held Amanda’s hand.
“They want to prepare us in case biters ever make it onto the island,” Wisteria explained.
“They do this all the time?” Amanda questioned.
“Yeah, most buildings have a bunker or shelter of some kind,” she replied.
“So, we just sit here and wait for how long?” Amanda gripped Tim’s hand even tighter.
“There’ll be a third siren, well, a series of twenty short sirens in a few hours if it’s a drill,” Wisteria answered.
“And if it’s not?” Amanda asked.
“Hopefully, the three hundred soldiers who run this town won’t let that happen,” Gareth remarked as he smoked.
“There’s no way the island could repel a swarm. The only plan is to wait it out in the bunkers and hopefully some of us will survive,” Wisteria informed her.
“You’re being overly dramatic.” Gareth shot her a dirty look.
“How long are we going to have to be down here?” Amanda continued.
“Once we’re sure it’s safe. What happens next—” Wisteria started.
“Until the other siren goes off,” Gareth snapped at her. “As simple as that. Wisteria, what the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Technically, we don’t know,” Wisteria protested.
“Wisteria-Hysteria, it’s a drill.” Tim rolled his eyes. “Biters have never set foot on the island since the soldiers came and they never will.”
“You’ve not been outside in—”
“What? In what—Wisteria...?” Gareth gasped. “The reason we keep having these drills is because Major Coles is an anal retentive loser. That’s it.”
There was a loud bang upstairs. Someone or something was inside the house. Tim sprang to his feet and glanced at Gareth, who looked unsettled.
“We bolted all the doors; no one should be up there!” Tim exclaimed.
“Be very quiet.” Wisteria looked up at the door. She heard another loud crash above and crossed her legs on the bed while staring at her feet. She prayed the night would pass.
Amanda clutched firmly onto Tim.
Gareth lit another cigarette, his hands shaking as he moved the cigarette to his lips.
All the kids jumped up as they heard scratching on the door.
Amanda let out a scream.
“Shh!” Tim pleaded.
A deep moan came through the door as the scratching got louder.
“The door’ll keep us safe, right?” Amanda seemed to be begging more than asking.
It depended on how many biters were out there. If there was one, then they were fine. If there were twenty—they were toast.
“Do you have any weapons?” Wisteria realized they hadn’t checked.
Diving under the bed, Tim dragged out a battered trunk, trembling as he struggled with the lock.
“Hurry!” His older brother stood over him.
Tim opened the case. “It’s empty.”
“No.” Wisteria ran to look closer at the empty case.
The groaning got louder.
“Where’s the rifle?” Tears escaped from Tim’s eyes.
Gareth opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak.
A violent thud sounded on the door.
“Crap.” Tim kicked the case. “Cliff, the idiot. Our loser step-father, he didn’t put it back!”
Another moan came from the other side of the door.
“I’m going outside.” Gareth moved toward the ladder.
“What?” Tim gripped his arm.
“I’ve got to do something,” Gareth insisted. “Maybe I can—”
“You’re mad!” Wisteria pulled him back.
“Gareth, you’ll die.” Tim wrestled him to the floor.
“Brains, brains, we want to eat your brains!” a guy yelled from the other side of the door.
Gareth was laughing hysterically.
“Open up.” Steven laughed from outside the bunker.
Wisteria couldn’t believe she had taken Gareth seriously.
“You should see your face, Tim.” Gareth snickered and turned to Wisteria. “Do you have any weapons?” he mocked as he continued to laugh and unlocked the door.
Steven appeared. “You sounded like six-year-olds.” He descended into the bunker, carrying a large glass bottle.
“Wisteria-Hysteria, I thought you were going to wet yourself.” Gareth sneered.
“Gareth, you’re an idiot.” Wisteria stormed up the ladder. “I’m going home.”
“Wisteria, you can’t go out there. If the soldiers pick you up, then you’re going to be in trouble,” Gareth called still sounding amused. “Come on, don’t be dumb. It was a joke.”
“Ria, I’ve got cider from Mulberry Orchard.” Steven waved the bottle at her. “Come on, have some.”
Ignoring them, she climbed out of the bunker and headed to the stairs.
“Man, talk to your woman,” Gareth teased.
“Come on, come on Ria.” Steven raced after her. “You know Coles will lose his mind if anyone’s caught out there during a drill.”
“So?” Wisteria shrugged.
If Coles found out they violated the lockdown, they’d be disciplined. All their rations would be cut, but they wouldn’t starve, not this time. It would be her first major offense. Gareth, Tim, and Steven would all lose their sweet jobs, working in the supermarket and the library. They could be moved to sewage treatment, sanitation, or pest control. Since Wisteria was a tracker, and the island needed more trackers, Coles would probably just shout at her.
“Listen Ria.” He came up to her. “I’m sorry.”
Wisteria turned to tell him where to stick his apology.
Steven’s frown broke into a smile and in the diminished light, he looked so beautiful. “Please, for me?” He leaned over until his sandy blond hair brushed against her face. “I’ll owe you.”
She stared into his blue eyes, wanting to believe what he said. “I’m going home.”
He curled his fingers through her braids. “I’ll walk you home tonight,” he offered while breathing deeply into her ear. “Once this is over.”
“I don’t need you to take me home tonight,” she muttered nervously.
“Why not? You know you want me to take you—home,” he whispered brushing his lips against her ear.
Her heart pounded violently inside her chest. She knew she should never say yes to him. He was a toad and he was using her. “Fine, whatever.” She pushed him away from her. “I’ll wait.” She sat down on the step, kicking herself for caving to him.
Wisteria could hear the guys in the bunker howl with laughter when Steven joined them.
“Do you think she’s safe out there?” Amanda asked one of the boys.
“She’ll be fine. It’s just a drill,” Steven replied.
