“Quite a sight, huh?” said Jackie proudly.
Kamiyo’s mouth went dry, and he had to rub his throat to find his voice. “H-How long have you all been here?”
“Like I said, since the gates first opened. We were here on an activity weekend.” She looked down the hill, eyes flickering as though a movie played that only she could see. She went on, “When the invasion started, we watched it on the televisions in the cabin, and on our phones—the place had WiFi back then. We watched the world die, but it felt like a soap opera. Not real, you know? This place has kept us safe the entire time. We’ve encountered none of the horror firsthand. In fact, you’re the first soul we’ve seen. If we had been anywhere else, I dare not think of what would have happened to the children.”
“Children? What do you mean?”
Jackie pointed down the hill at the human ant farm beside the lake. “There are forty-seven of us in total. Forty of which are children and teenagers. It was a Duke of Edinburgh awards weekend for the older children, but we also had younger children along as part of a junior adventure scheme some of the parents and I ran.” She let out another fraught chuckle. “It’s all very middle-class.”
Kamiyo stepped towards the edge and almost tumbled down the slope. He stopped himself just in time by digging in his heels. “I-I’m really the first person you’ve seen? No demons. None at all?”
Jackie smiled. “I’m not saying it’s been easy. We’ve lost our families, our friends, and we live in fear every day, but no, we have seen none of those… things. Only on the news.”
Kamiyo couldn’t take his eyes off the scene below. The group had butts for collecting rainwater, racks for drying fish, and even boats out on the water. “It’s unbelievable. You’ve had everything you’ve needed this whole time.”
Jackie moved up beside him and spoke earnestly. “Not everything. We haven’t had a doctor or any medicine, which is why you’re a gift from the gods. Some of us are sick. Last night, one of the children died.”
Kamiyo sighed. “How old?”
“Thirteen. His name was James.”
These people might have found themselves a sanctuary, but you couldn’t hide from disease. “I suppose some things never change,” he said. “Let me see your patients.”
9
DR KAMIYO
The slope was so long and treacherous that it was dusk by the time Kamiyo reached the bottom. Immediately upon his arrival with Jackie, the entire camp froze and stared at him. A few younger children cried, and the smattering of adults had to work to comfort them. The concern was obvious, and Kamiyo realised he truly was the first person this group had seen since the gates first opened.
Astounding.
“Don’t be alarmed!” Jackie spoke in a voice louder than any noise Kamiyo had dared make in weeks. What must it be like not to fear demons finding you? “This is Christopher,” she said. “He’s a doctor who stumbled upon us through blind luck—our luck! We’re still hidden from the outside world, and Frank has everything under control. Nobody else knows we’re here.”
“How did he get here then?” someone in the crowd demanded.
“How do we know he isn’t dangerous?” asked another.
“He’s too young to be a doctor.”
“I don’t trust him. He’s not one of us.”
Jackie leaned in to Kamiyo. “Sorry. This is a massive shock to them.”
Kamiyo understood—it was a massive shock to him too. They all looked at him like wounded barn owls, wide-eyed and skittish. The tension in the air was so thick he worried they might suddenly decide to lynch him. It worried him enough to speak out in his own defence. “Before the gates opened, I was a junior-registrar on a maternity ward. I’m not a hugely experienced doctor, but if I can help anyone here, I will. This place is amazing. The reality out there, beyond the forest, is… well, it’s horrific, which is why I’ve been travelling alone for over a month now. The roads are dangerous, so I’ve been keeping to the fields and trees. That’s how I stumbled upon the castle. I’m sorry if me being here upsets anyone, but I promise I’m not dangerous. I’m just trying to stay alive.”
“Bullshit,” someone shouted, and Kamiyo was sure it came from a child. More people shouted similar sentiments.
But then the mood changed.
“Thank God we’re not the only ones.”
“You’re welcome here, kidda. We’re glad to have you.”
“The lad’s a doctor? Bostin!”
“My son is poorly. Will you help him, please?”
Kamiyo homed in on the last speaker and spotted an ashen-faced gentleman wearing a bedraggled polo neck with a muddy designer logo on the breast. One lens of his thin-profile spectacles had cracked, and his brown hair was overgrown and greying at the temples. He looked at Kamiyo imploringly.
Kamiyo nodded at the man. “That is what I want to do! If you allow me to stay, I’ll do everything I can to look after your sick and injured. I can’t work miracles without medicine or equipment, but I’ll do what I can.”
The bedraggled man stepped forward and lunged at Kamiyo. Kamiyo nearly yelped in terror, but the man only grabbed his hand so he could shake it enthusiastically. “Thank you,” he gushed in Kamiyo’s face. “Thank you. Heaven must have sent you.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but I would like very much to see your son. What’s his
