Lockdown Read online

  ‘Why do you keep writing in that book?’ Stephanie asked, gesturing to the battered softcover notebook.

  ‘It started as something to do at first. Now I guess I’m documenting what is happening – in case people don’t believe it.’

  ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t have believed you,’ she said, bumping her body into mine in jest.

  There was a moment of silence before I asked her something that had been bothering me. ‘Are you okay, Stephanie?’

  ‘Fine. Except for the zombies. Why?’

  ‘It’s just...’ I swallowed. ‘Back there you seemed upset about going home. I was just worried...’

  ‘Don’t.’ Her tone was sharp. ‘You can’t fix everything, Boy Scout.’

  Her voice sounded mean, like the first day we met. We sat in awkward silence for what felt like a long time. Stephanie let out a long breath.

  ‘My parents are getting divorced.’ She said it softly, but it split the silence like a jackhammer.

  We sat in silence again. What do I say? Do I say something?

  ‘I’m sorry. That sucks.’ It sounded clumsy.

  ‘Yeah, it does,’ she replied, looking straight ahead. I saw her eyes well up as she fought back the tears.

  ‘They had been fighting for a while – more than a year. They thought I didn’t notice, but I could hear them at night, trying to keep their voices down. Then ignoring each other the next morning. My dad was sleeping in the spare room – my mom said it was because of his snoring... but if you love someone, snoring doesn’t matter, right?’

  She looked at me like I was supposed to have an answer. I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

  ‘The worst part is they told me the day before the lockdown was announced,’ she continued. ‘My dad was supposed to move out, but suddenly there was no time, so we all have to sit in that house with this big, ugly elephant in the room. That’s why I go running... if I didn’t, I would end up screaming at the top of my lungs. That’s why I focus on school work... I need to get out of there. If I do well, I can get a scholarship overseas and leave...’

  That’s when she broke down into heavy sobs. I couldn’t imagine what it was like. Even though I was an only child, I never felt lonely. I was close to my parents and even though they sometimes worked long hours, family time was always important, even if it was a game of cards after dinner or Dad helping me with my homework. I reached over and put my hand on Stephanie’s. She didn’t pull away and we sat like that for a while, looking ahead.

  ‘American Gothic.’ I finally said.

  ‘What?’ She wiped her eyes.

  ‘It’s the name of a painting I was trying to remember. It’s has a farmer with a pitchfork and his sister standing on their farm. Sitting like this reminds me of the painting.’

  ‘I think I know it,’ she replied.

  I held up my axe like mimicking the picture and Stephanie looked straight ahead again like we were posing for a photo, straight-faced and solemn.

  ‘Cheese,’ I joked.

  She chuckled. ‘You want to go out sometime, you know, for like, a movie?’

  I was speechless. I could feel my mouth hanging open. Here was this beautiful girl, even with puffy eyes, asking me out and I just stared at her.

  ‘Or not,’ she said, looking down.

  ‘No...’ I stuttered. ‘It’s not that... it’s just... I’ve never been out with a girl before.’ I could feel my face blush. ‘I want to... I mean I would really like to. Yes.’ My words were all a jumble.

  She looked up and smiled at me. ‘Relax, Boy Scout. I’ve been out on, like, one date, and it was a disaster, so this would sort of be like my first proper date... because I’d rather forget the other one.’

  ‘What happened?’ I asked, feeling a little sense of relief.

  ‘Well, it was one of those arranged dates. His mom worked with my mom and they both thought we needed to get out of the house and meet someone.’ She tilted her head back and laughed a little. ‘It was a disaster from the beginning.’

  ‘He was late and then bought me stuff from the snack stand without asking what I wanted and then it was all the stuff I don’t like – I mean who drinks lime slush?’

  ‘Cherry.’ We both said at the same time and laughed.

  ‘Yes... cherry or nothing,’ she nodded. ‘And his breath stank. The reason I know this is because he tried to kiss me in the middle of the movie.’

  I made a disgusted face.

  ‘What did you do?’ I asked.

  ‘Elbowed him in the lip,’ She said, biting her own lip in embarrassment.

  ‘I’d expect nothing less from you.’ I laughed.

  ‘And to cap it off his dad then picked him up early, half-hour from the end of the movie, so he left me there.’

  ‘Left you in the movie?’ I repeated in disbelief.

  ‘Uh huh. I watched the end of Vin Diesel jumping from a moving car all by myself with a melted lime slush.’

  We both laughed again.

  ‘Well, you can choose the movie and the snacks,’ I said. ‘And I’ll brush my teeth.’

  ‘You think you’re getting a kiss?’ She looked at me, shocked.

  ‘No!’ I lost my words again. ‘Just... I don’t want breath, that... you know... stinks.’ She broke into that familiar mocking smile and nudged me with her elbow. ‘Just teasing you, Boy Scout. You never know.’

  Then we just sat there smiling at each other like a couple of goofy teens when Nkata came out of the house.

  ‘Am I interrupting?’ he asked, smirking. My hand was still on Stephanie’s.

  ‘Uh, no,’ I replied, quickly removing my hand. ‘How’s your mom?’ I asked, changing the subject. Nkata seemed back to normal.

  ‘Still the same. In pain. I gave her more pills and lied and said your dad is on the way with an ambulance. I’m going to stay with her for a while.’

  ‘Sure,’ I nodded.

  ‘You can take the car home if you want?’ he suggested.

  ‘No way!’ I countered. ‘The Mothership will go berserk if I show up in that car. She’s already going to ground me for ten lockdowns – by now she’s realised I’m not home.’

  Stephanie looked at me like I had said something foreign.

  ‘Oh, I call my mom The Mothership. You know... because she’s in charge,’ I explained.

  ‘That’s weird... but sort of cool,’ she responded, processing the idea of likening my mother to a large, powerful space vessel.

  ‘Then take the bikes,’ said Nkata pointing to a couple of bright blue bicycles leaning against the wall.

  We each took one and headed to our own homes.

  .

  ENTRY 12

  I left the bicycle resting against the front step and slowly opened the front door. Despite everything I had seen and experienced, I was still more scared of any encounter with The Mothership than a hungry zombie. I closed the front door as quietly as I could and could hear the TV on in the lounge playing the news and talking about the latest GEOIT-20 global statistics.

  If they only knew what we did – that this virus could mutate and turn people into flesh-hungry zombie monsters. That’s why it was important that it stays confined here in the estate so that Dad could send help to stop it.

  The Mothership was sitting on the couch in her dressing gown with a cup of tea. She always drank Earl Grey from a cup with saucer. She would always say tea is for cups and coffee was for mugs – she is such a snob sometimes. As soon as she saw me, she put it down, jumped up and hugged me. Not the reaction I was expecting – no shouting or threats of grounding me for a year.

  ‘Lucas... are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fine Mom.’ I replied.

  Her gown was soft and hugging her felt so good. It made me realise how tired I was. She finally relaxed her grip and let me go.

  ‘I thought you were sleeping in. Then your father called and told me you were out helping Nkata’s mother. He said she fell and broke her leg?’

  I paused for a second. Helping Nka
ta’s mom? Not fighting zombies? Dad obviously left out some important details about the infected undead that tried to eat us. Or was it that he didn’t believe me and thought I was losing my mind?

  ‘Yeah, you know me. Putting my boy scout training to good use,’ I saluted.

  ‘How is she?’ The Mothership asked, her brow showing concern.

  ‘She’s fine, just in pain.’

  ‘I wish you had told me, you know you can’t just leave the house when you want.’

  ‘I know. Sorry, Mom... but it was urgent. Nkata didn’t know what to do.’

  She stroked my cheek. ‘All the residents got a message that the gate is broken and we can’t get in or out until further notice...’ She stopped and suddenly took a step back and looked me up and down.

  What? Had I been bitten? My heart started to race.

  ‘You’re filthy!’ she exclaimed, and I felt sudden relief. ‘Go shower and change, I’ll make you some breakfast.’

  As she said it, my stomach growled – I was famished. ‘And put your clothes in the washing basket! Don’t leave them on the floor!’ she called after me. ‘And you didn’t finish mowing the lawn!’

  Good old Mothership.

  Once I was upstairs, I called my father.

  ‘Lucas, are you okay?’ he asked immediately.

  ‘I’m fine. I’m at home now.’ I could hear him sigh in relief. ‘You didn’t tell mom about the zombies?’ I asked, confused. Usually they told each other everything.

  ‘We don’t know what we’re dealing with firstly, and secondly, I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain it. I’m just glad you are home. Please don’t leave the house again.’

  ‘Are you sending help?’

  ‘I’ve called some people I know at the CSIR and sent them the videos. They are checking on the medicine Nkata’s brother took.’

  ‘I took one of the vials,’ I said. ‘It’s in the glove compartment of Nkata’s dad’s car in a plastic bag,’ I said.

  ‘Good,’ Dad replied. ‘Keep it safe until someone can get there.’

  ‘But you have to send the police or the army or something quickly. There are more zombies on the loose in the estate, and if they attack people, it will spread.’

  ‘I’m doing what I can, Lucas. Just stay in the house and keep your mother safe.’ He hung up and I sat on the edge of my bed, the frustration growing in me again.

  Why were they taking so long to react? Could they not see the urgency of what was on the video? I threw my phone onto my pillow and took a long, hot shower. I don’t know how long I stood under the pulsating water. My mind was racing between thoughts about what had happened over the last few hours and nightmares of zombies taking over the estate, then the city, then the country.

  As I came downstairs, I could smell flapjacks.

  ‘A special breakfast for the local hero,’ said The Mothership placing a plate piled with flapjacks, syrup dripping down the stack.

  I tucked into it immediately. The Mothership poured me a glass of milk and tousled my hair after putting it down.

  ‘You look much better. Nice and clean.’

  What is it about mothers and cleanliness? I had changed into some old jeans and a long sleeved black t-shirt. I was still lost in thought about the zombies and that other people could be in danger. My thoughts also drifted to Freddy at the gate and I wondered if he was okay.

  I hardly heard the knock at the front door and put another fork-full of flapjacks in my mouth. I heard the Mothership groan about people not adhering to the lockdown and opened the door. I was in a trance staring at the photos on the fridge of when we went to a game farm called Shangaan Lodge a few years ago, when suddenly The Mothership’s voice snapped me out of it.

  ‘Lucas, you have a guest.’ Her voice sounded less than impressed.

  I spun on my chair to see Stephanie standing in my lounge. Next to The Mothership who had her arms crossed.

  Not a good sign.

  Stephanie looked different – her hair was loose and slightly damp, and she had also changed and was now wearing black jeans, sneakers and a loose-fitting grey sweatshirt. She waved at me awkwardly. I swallowed the flapjacks that were still in my mouth.

  ‘And? Are you not going to introduce me?’ There was a chill in The Mothership’s voice.

  ‘Uh, this is Stephanie,’ I stammered. ‘She lives in the estate and also helped with Nkata’s mom this morning.’ I indicated with my eyes for her to play along.

  ‘That’s right,’ Stephanie said, smiling and shaking The Mothership’s hand. ‘I just came over to give Lucas an update.’

  ‘And you couldn’t have called? You know there’s a lockdown at the moment. It’s all over the news.’ The Mothership arched her eyebrow to indicate she was still not impressed.

  ‘Yes, well... I tried calling, you know, but the reception is so bad at the moment.’ Stephanie reached into her pocket and held up her phone like she was searching for a signal. I tried not to laugh.

  ‘I hope you’ve also been washing your hands regularly.’ The Mothership was obviously grilling her on the basic hygiene practices set up by the department of health.

  ‘Oh, yes, ma’am,’ Stephanie slipped her phone back into her pocket and held her hands up to show that there were no germs. ‘I wash them like a hundred times a day.’

  I could hear she was nervous and a chuckle escaped my throat. The Mothership shot me a look, and I straightened my face.

  ‘Make it quick,’ she said. ‘I’m making myself another cup of tea. Would you like anything, Stephanie?’

  ‘No ma’am,’ she replied politely as The Mothership passed me and headed towards the kettle.

  I hopped off the stool and cleared my throat.

  ‘Thanks for coming,’ I said.

  It sounded awkward like I was saying lines in a play. I shepherded Stephanie towards the front door under the watchful eye of The Mothership. We stepped outside and I closed the door a bit so that she couldn’t see.

  ‘What’s going on?’ I asked.

  ‘I can see why you call her The Mothership,’ Stephanie grinned.

  ‘Yeah, she can be intense. This is the first time a girl has come to visit me. I guess she’s being protective.’

  Stephanie was standing close to me, she smelled really good.

  ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘Maybe, I don’t know,’ she started. ‘I heard my parents talking. Can you believe they didn’t even know I was gone? They thought I was in my room all morning.’

  ‘Same. The Mothership thought I was sleeping until my dad called.’

  ‘Parents,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Anyway, I heard them talking... more arguing as always. My dad wanted to go out to the shops, but my mom told him about a message saying the gate was broken.’

  ‘The Mothership got the same message,’ I interjected.

  ‘Then she said,’ Stephanie continued, ‘that she got a message form her friend about some people dressed up like zombies scaring people out by Oak street. They think it’s some sort of prank.’

  I sighed in frustration. ‘My dad said he’s still making calls.’

  ‘By that time it could be too late.’

  Stephanie was right. As much as I was ordered to stay home, we couldn’t let this spread. It started with us, so in some way it felt like our responsibility.

  ‘Okay, meet me at Nkata’s house.’ I finally said.

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘What every teen was born to do: sneak out,’ I smiled.

  Stephanie waved at The Mothership from the doorway.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Mrs. Malope!’ she called as sweetly as she could.

  The Mothership waved back. I closed the door and walked back to the kitchen.

  ‘So who was that?’ she asked in a tone I had never really heard before. Was The Mothership being over-protective because a girl came over? Was this another level of mom dominance?

  ‘Just some girl,’ I tried to sound casual.

  �
��Which school does she go to?’ It suddenly felt like an interrogation.

  ‘The same school as Nkata. I met her the other day and she helped with Nkata’s mom this morning. She was just coming to tell how Mrs. Radebe was doing.’

  ‘She was wearing perfume,’ she said, and I wasn’t sure is that was a question or a statement.

  I shrugged, pretending like I didn’t notice. The Mothership continued to hover behind the kitchen counter, slowly stirring her tea and watching me. This was my opportunity. I faked a big yawn and stretched.

  ‘Man, I’m tired. I think I’ll go for a nap.’

  ‘Not too long,’ The Mothership said. ‘I have chores for you.’

  ‘Sure,’ I said, laying it on thick with another yawn.

  I went upstairs and into my room. My phone was still in between my pillows, where I threw it. When I picked it up there were two missed calls from Freddy. I wanted to call him back, but if the Mothership heard me talking she would insist I did the chores now.

  I heard her come upstairs and go through to her room. The shower switched on – this was my chance. I put my pillows under the duvet in the shape of my body. Grabbing my soccer ball, I stuffed it into the hood of a hoodie and placed it on the pillow, so it looked like I was sleeping facing away from the door. A

  fter a few modifications and fluffing of pillows, I was convinced it looked like I was under the covers and sleeping. I exited the room and closed the door. On my way, I stopped at the bathroom and took a vial of pills from the medicine chest and put them in my pocket.

  Tip toeing back down the stairs, I quickly went out the front door and grabbed the bike and the axe I had hidden earlier, and I pedalled quickly towards Nkata’s house.

  ENTRY 13

  I arrived at Nkata’s house and rang the bell twice. He finally answered, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

  ‘Hey. Sorry, I must have fallen asleep on the couch.’

  ‘How’s your mom?’ I asked, walking past him into the house.

  ‘She’s still in a lot of pain. She sleeps most of the time and her leg is still swollen.’

  ‘Give her these.’ I reached into my pocket and took out the vial of pills I took from home and tossed it to him.