"But there were so many, Anita! They'll all still be out there … somewhere ... they're not just going to … go away."
"Hmm … yeah, I know that. They just won't be … right outside." Anita chewed at her thumb nail. She stood up abruptly and started to open a can of baked beans. "Well, I'm hungry and I'm knackered. We should try and eat, then get some sleep. We can think about everything properly in the morning. Want some?"
She offered Lisa a can of beans and a spoon.
"I'm not really hungry." Lisa took them reluctantly.
"But you know you should eat … yeah?"
"I know," Lisa said and winced as she put a spoonful of cold beans in her mouth.
They made up a couple of beds, and Anita snuggled down in one, as Lisa had agreed to take first watch. Her chest was tight. It hadn't really settled down since they'd got into the van. She wouldn't be able to sleep until it felt easier. It was always worse when she lay flat.
And she'd taken the last puff of her inhaler earlier. She hadn't said anything to Anita, and the girl didn't seem to have noticed. They had more than enough to deal with without worrying about her having a full-blown asthma attack. She would become just another part of the problem if she couldn't breathe. She dreaded what the coming day would bring, in more ways than one.
She wondered where Neil was and what he was doing, anxious again that yet another day had passed, and they'd still had no contact. If he'd made it home, maybe he'd given up waiting for her. By now, he might think she was dead, or worse. If only he knew that she was so close.
A muffled bang on the back of the van made her jump.
They were still out there.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 7 - Day 4 - Solihull
Lisa let Anita sleep through, but the girl woke just before dawn.
"What are you doing, Lisa? Why didn't you wake me? It's way past my turn."
"I couldn't sleep. Thought I might as well let you rest."
"Jesus! You look awful! Are you ok?"
"My asthma's playing up a bit. All the drama from yesterday set it off."
"What about your inhaler?"
"It's run out."
"Oh, what does that mean?"
"It means it's empty. Finished."
"I know that! You know what I mean. What does it mean for you? Are you gonna be ok?"
"Dunno. I've never run out before. I suppose I'm going to find out."
"Shit. Look, at least lie down and shut your eyes for a bit. Try to sleep. We've got a big day ahead. You'll be fit for nothing!"
"Yeah, you're right. I'll try."
She didn't think sleep would come, but it evidently had. After tossing and turning for a while, she awoke from a dreamless sleep to the sounds of Anita rustling around. Lisa sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her chest felt better, but it was still tight.
Anita turned to look at her. "You look better. How d'you feel?"
"Yeah, a bit better. How long have I been out?"
"About four hours. It's almost nine. I said you needed to sleep."
"Shit!" Lisa jumped up. "We need to get going. What's it like out there?"
Anita grabbed her arm. "It's fine. They've mostly gone."
Anita sat down and patted the bench opposite her.
"Sit down a minute. I wanna talk to you." She had a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. "I grabbed this yesterday, after the helicopter."
"Idiots!" Lisa grumbled. "What the hell were they doing? They nearly got us killed."
"I think they were trying to help. Look!" Anita held out the piece of paper which was a crudely produced leaflet. It contained some large, bold text and a blurry image.
"What does it say?" She took it from Anita, trying to smooth it out, squinting at it through still sleepy eyes.
"It's about a safe zone. It's telling any survivors to make their way there." Anita looked at her, waiting for a response.
Lisa studied the leaflet. It gave the details of a military "safe zone" at an airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon. It simply advised any "survivors" of the "outbreak" to make their way there. It gave directions on how to get there from different locations and the blurry image was a map. Lisa looked at it for a long time.
Anita pressed her, "What d'you think?"
"We've come this far. We're so close now. Neil will be waiting. He promised."
"But everything's different now. It's been three days. How do you know he'll still be there? He might have gone to the safe zone himself. He might have gone to look for you there."
"I just know, Nita. You don't understand. We made a promise to each other. We talked about it several times. We promised. He promised."
"Oh, Jesus, Lisa! I just don't know. You say it's close, but who knows how long it'll take to get there? Look at what happened yesterday. The day before. We might never get there."
Lisa was silent. She studied the leaflet. Her eyes blurred with tears.
"Do you know where it is, this Long Marston Airfield? How far away is it?" Anita asked.
"It's got to be twenty miles. Just think about it, Nita. We are only a few miles from home now, maybe three or four. We could be there in an hour or two. Then we can go to the safe zone. With Neil."
"But you've said that every day, Lisa. We're close. We're only a few miles away. You have to face reality. We're not getting any closer."
"That's just not true, Anita. We are getting closer … just very slowly ...."
