World War Z: Live Bait

Somewhere deep within the infected zone, South Africa

[The woman I am about to meet was left outside the safe zone with the rest of the undesirables during the first instigation of the Redeker plan. She was among the first to gather together a small group and set up a defensible operation outside of the Safe Zone. Deemed unwanted by their government they were left as bait for the Zacks, receiving occasional support from the military to prolong their usefulness. While other parts of the country remain relatively Zack free, this area is still highly infested.
This is one of the few groups that survived being 'live bait' for the government. Though such a term implies a willing participation, when in reality no choice was given to any of them.
Upon meeting her she isn’t quite what I expected, tall and freckled, dressed in faded jeans and army boots, long dark hair held back by a red scarf and green eyes narrowed against the sun. She looks at once stronger and more fragile than I predicted. Certainly younger, and there are shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep. Taking the seat across from me, she flashes a warm smile and shakes my hand firmly. After a few moments of small talk we settle down to the interview, she needs little prompting to start.]

Where were you when the first Solanum outbreak occurred?

It was just my parents and I at that stage. We had a little property tucked away in the middle of a forest, our only real neighbours were a little community of foresters and a few houses scattered along this really dodgy dirt road. The nearest towns were 20 km's away in either direction and just before them were townships, on both sides…To explain, let me illustrate the idea of thousands of people crammed into little boxes made out of cardboard and corrugated iron, all without any form of protection. Nowhere to hide, no way to fight.
Then comes this horrible disease that turns people into mindless shambling monsters. Needless to say it wasn’t exactly the ideal place to be. I probably had about a 30% chance of survival.
Can’t say my family’s situation was any better than the people in the townships either. We had moved there about three years back but still hadn’t got around to building a house. Our garage was half finished and out home was just this great big army tent perched on a deck with stilts, looking out over a small dam.
Idyllic, but we had absolutely no protection, and very little warning.
We had heard reports on the news, internet, radio, stuff like that. So we knew a little. Enough to have a bad feeling. But it’s not easy to suddenly come to grips with the idea of your world slowly being taken over by Zombies. I think most of us secretly hoped it was some sort of bad joke.
No one knew for sure until it was too late. Everything turned topsy-turvy so quickly. Seems like one minute there were reports of it in Cape Town, and the next the whole country had been overrun. It spread along the coast like wildfire, and we were directly in its path.

When did you first encounter the Zack?

Not long after the first official reports came through. Like I said, when it happened, it happened fast.
They came in the night. Sounds clichéd doesn’t it? [She laughs] But then the whole last few years read like something out of a bad horror movie, so I suppose it’s to be expected.
It was awful weather, howling wind, cold, clouds, no moon to see by. Made the animals nervous, and as a result we were nervous too.

What happened?

Everything. Nothing. Very little you haven’t heard before I would imagine. We didn’t hear them until they were on top of us. Damn noisy forests, all the trees creaking as if the wind wasn’t loud enough on its own. The dogs had been barking on and off all night, so by that stage we were all just fed up with them and weren’t listening anymore. We had seven of them, 5 of which were German Shepard’s. Big, beautiful dogs. Not that it mattered.
As soon as they caught scent of the Zacks they went berserk. Completely mindless with fear, ended up crawling out under the fence and vanishing into the forest. If nothing else it confirmed our suspicious that something was terribly wrong. It gave us a little warning. My father went outside to investigate, and not long after the screaming started from next door...and the moaning. I still remember with perfect clarity that mind numbing fear I felt when I first heard them. There is something so human in the sound and at the same time so utterly mindless. It’s chilling in a way nothing else can compare.
My mother ran outside as soon as it started, and my father was coming back to the tent when the first of them shambled out of the dark.
You think they are slow, and they are really. But when you aren’t expecting it, it seems like they are coming out of nowhere. Ripped my father’s throat out before he could so much as blink, and my mother and I just stood there watching. I think we were in some sort of shock.
I mean...none of it could possibly be real, could it?
We didn’t have any weapons as such. This isn’t America; people don’t have guns just lying around. But my mother did have this big Kukri. You know those big knives the main character had in the third Resident Evil movie. We used it to cut down saplings, clear undergrowth etc. Turns out they really are that good at killing Zacks. I just went for it at the time because it was big and sharp and pointy and my only other option was beating in their heads with a frying pan. [She smiles wryly] Highly underestimated weapons those…
But the stupid thing was stuck in the scabbard. One of my parents had been using it to chop down saplings, had put it away without cleaning it and the sap had stuck to the sides.
It’s quite comical really. There we are in the middle of the night, wind raging, neighbours screaming, Zacks moaning in that horrible way while my father was being ripped to pieces and my mother was still standing in the doorway like a statue, not making a sound. And there I am, hopping around the tent like an idiot as I try to get this bloody knife out of its scabbard.
Came loose first try afterwards. I think I cried at that point. Just sat down in the dirt and totally lost control. Started swearing at the thing, asking it why it couldn’t have come out earlier when I really needed it.
First sign of madness that, talking to yourself. But then you needed to be a little mad to get through it all.

What happened to your family?

Dead. My mother knocked ones head in with a spade after she came to her senses. We were lucky, only three of them had managed to find their way through the fence. I gave up on the knife and ended up using a frying pan after all. They don’t last very well though. Stupid things handle came off just as we were attacking the third one. Gave it just enough time to bite my mother before we could properly finish it off.
I...Well I’m sure you can figure it out for yourself. [Her face goes hard]
We were always fighting, but I loved her more than anything in the world.
And to have to kill someone you love. Well, you kill yourself right there with them, don’t you know.
[She pauses, looks out the window and takes a deep breath]
I gathered up whatever I thought would be useful. Food, clothes, one of the backpacks we kept on the side just in case of emergencies, full of survival gear. I ended up packing in a bunch of my books and the laptop as well. Couldn’t bring myself to leave it all behind. Foolish really, but I still have all of them. I only took a couple.
One of the smaller dogs had wedged herself in behind the bed, so I picked her up, shoved all of my shit into the car and drove off. I locked the gate behind me. Still remember that. Don’t know why.

I still don’t know what happened to the cats...It bothers me, always has...But ya. We had five horses up in the top paddock, but they weren’t stupid, so they had broken through the fence at the first sign of trouble. So there was nothing left to stay for.

How did you get out?

Car. I took the land rover...not the best decision in hind sight; the thing was constantly breaking down and leaked like a sieve… go figure. But it was a 4x4, solid, looked dependable, and I could shove a bunch of stuff in the back. We had survival stuff packed already. My mother was into that kind of thing, wanted to be prepared, so I just had to pick up my backpack and go really. But I ended up shoving all the books and notebooks and my laptop in as well, and blankets and food for the dog.
I took the Kukri and a machete, and this garden tool that looks like some sort of variation on a medieval pike. Long handle, nice, sharp, with this wicked hook on the end. A Kaiser blade, that’s it. Not great for combat really, but it split a Zacks skull up nice enough when you don't have anything else to hand.
I headed east along the main road... Turns out it was a good thing, as the closer to Cape Town you got the worse the infection. But all I was thinking of were the narrow roads and steep hills you had to drive through, east meant more land, more open spaces. I figured if I could drive over the mountains along the back roads it would be ok. Unfortunately the further east you go, the more people there are.
I drove along the main road, trying to get out of town. I can’t describe what I saw. The N2 went right past the townships, and well. Lets just say there wasn’t much left. It’s a miracle I got through at all, was bouncing off wandering Zacks like dominoes with the hood of the car.
I would have been petrified if I hadn’t been so numb, and the bloody dog kept trying to hide under my feet. Poor girl, she was so scared. But I couldn’t have just left her there.
We made it through well enough, and the going got easier as we moved farther out of town.
I did quite well at avoiding anything, just ran away from whatever Zacks I did see. Raided stores, houses and petrol stations, whenever I thought it was safe. Car broke down after about a week, but by then I was inland. Not sure where exactly. I’d been travelling in this haze of sorts. But I was lucky, there was a town right where the car broke, and this solid little house nestled into the curve of the mountain. It seemed as good a place as any to just stop.

How long did you stay there?

It’s hard to say, couldn’t have been more than a few months. Enough for the initial chaos to begin settling. After that the loneliness had started to get to me.
I had found a rifle in one of the houses in the valley. Looked like it had belonged to an ex-army guy, plenty of ammo. So that helped me in picking off the few Zacks that came my way. I suppose it was dumb luck really. But the nature of the place meant that everyone just seemed to pass it by.
After awhile I began to consider venturing out again. I was used to solitude, had always been a loner. But this was different. I didn’t know anything that had happened. Certainly hadn’t seen signs that anyone else had survived.
So one day I packed my bag, said my goodbye’s and prepared to leave the next morning. My dog was still with me at that stage. And she was the first to see them.

Zacks?

No. Survivors. Just a small group of them. This middle aged Afrikaans housewife called Mara. Two brothers, Stephan and Cal, and this cranky old man called Piet. I was about to shoot them when it hit me that Genie wasn't barking in the way she usually barked at Zacks. And after that it all went smoothly. We were lucky in that none of us had any interest in killing each other for whatever reason. Many people were less fortunate, but we stuck together. Left the next morning, heading north.
Piet had this old portable radio he used to get signals, and we followed what little news we got.

I suppose that is how you found Redeker?

[She grins] Not him personally. But we were picked up by the military about a month after we first met up, loaded into the camps with all the other survivors. It was a bit scary, seeing all those people after so much time being removed.
Everyone was so relieved; we thought we were safe now. Finally had a decent nights rest, proper food. None of us really understood what was happening until after it was done.
Its shocking really. But the only thing you feel is relief.
Relief that is wasn’t you. Relief that someone else is dead and you are still breathing.
Hardens the heart.
Everyone condemned him. But they did the same thing anyway. The great Paul Redeker, saviour of mankind...I could laugh, but there is nothing funny about what happened.
A bunch of us had decided to break off from the main group a few days before it happened. They military had already gone, and we had our suspicions. Never trust the bloody government, especially not when their own skins are in danger.
But we all knew the dangers of staying in large groups, and heading into the Safe Zone just wasn’t an option as anyone who tried was repelled back or simply shot.
Charming really. But that’s life hey.
So we left. I remember waking up the day after we left to the sound of faint gunfire...screams, the smell of smoke. We all stood on the edge of the ridge and watched as the Zack broke over the camp like a wave.
Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run.

[We are both silent for a moment, her remembering, me imagining, before we carry on. I decide not to dwell on the Redeker Plan.]

How many were there in your group?

Around 15, but by the time we found our way to somewhere remotely defensible we were down to 6, but at least what few of us there were, were heavily armed.
We found this little Dutch town that had been totally abandoned, most of the buildings plucked clean. But there was this one house at the other end, surrounded by Zack. We naturally went over and started picking them off one by one, and just when we were about done this big farmer comes charging out of the house with his axe, swearing like a sailor as he finishes the last of them off.
I think it’s safe to say I liked Charlie instantly. He was quite possibly the best man I’ve ever known, and he gave a much needed stability to the group.
He had been holed up in that house for 4 days. Just him and a little girl, Charlotte. [She shakes her head as though amused] I still remember the first time I laid eyes on that girl.
She couldn’t have been more than 10, tall, skinny, dark hair, frown. Needless to say she reminded me instantly of myself. And she was standing in the doorway with a frying pan glowering up at me as though daring me to tell her she couldn’t do enough damage armed with nothing but a glorified pot.

[I smile] You seem to have cared for her greatly?

Oh yes, I did. Still do. [She winks] Though she drives me up the bloody wall half the time. She turned eighteen last month, crazy to think it’s already so long ago. I became a sort of big sister to her. Both of us are stubborn as hell, I think we understood each other right away. I watched her back and she watched mine, for all that she was just a little girl.

So how did you end up here?

We sort of stumbled across it, in the literal sense. None of us had slept for days, ammo was getting low and the Zack were hard on our heels. Then right there in the middle of nowhere looms this great big ugly concrete thing. It used to be a prison, just built out here in the middle of nowhere. But what is good for keeping things in, is also good for keeping things out.
We set up shop pretty quickly. Found a nice store of supplies underground, and some more ammo. It even had its own water and later we converted the rooftop into a garden for growing what food we could. It was like heaven to us after being on the go for so long. But even with all that the Zack were very bad in the beginning. There were times I think all of us thought we wouldn’t make it. And then we lost Charlie… That was hard.
But other survivors kept finding us, and over time we made it work.

At which point did the military find you?

I think it was about 5 months after we found the prison. We had foraged the surrounding area, started up a little garden, gathered in the few survivors we stumbled upon.
The day the choppers found us I was walking the perimeter wall with Charlotte clinging to my back like a monkey, laughing at some joke.
At first we were on guard. Isn't that sad. Not only having to fear the Zacks but your fellow humans too. But we let them land anyway, sat down, had a chat. I think we understood each other pretty well.
They gave us supplies, we remained here. Every Zombie that finds us is one that they don’t have to fight off at the Safe Zone. We were like an investment to them, still that live bait dangling on the end of a hook. Only in this case well supplied and well armed bait. We each got what we needed out of it all.

Do you still have contact with the military?

Oh yes. They drop by every now and again to see if we are still alive. A couple of the military boys even stuck around. We don't complain, after all, you can’t blame everyone for what was done. We do well enough and out here there is a freedom that all those people in the Safe Zone will never be able to experience. They are commodities, and though we may not be much better, at least we make our own decisions.
The danger is still there. We still get a lot of Zacks out here. But we know how to look after ourselves after all these years. It gets a bit tight about now, in the summer months. Every now and again we lose someone. But life goes on and our prison keeps us safe from harm.
Just goes to show, beauty isn't everything.

No indeed, one last question if you don’t mind. What happened to your dog?

[She laughs, and looking over to the door lets out a high pitched sound that can only be compared to the whistling of a kettle. A few seconds later a small black ball of fur comes racing through the doorway and begins to wiggle around her legs and then my own, letting out low happy growls. There is more than a bit of grey in her fur, but she is alive and well.]

She isn’t all that young anymore, as you can tell. But she made it. She’s the only thing I still have from that time now. Kept me sane more that once. The both of us still keep an eye out for danger. We know this war isn’t done; it’s only a matter of time.

But when it does come, we’ll be waiting.