Last Days With the Dead by Stephen Charlick

Karen had hooked over her finger.
    ‘Ok ay, well, I‘ll see you later,’ Karen replied, forcing her lips into a smile, as she turned to leave the Comms room.
    Normally , she would stay a few minutes to pass the time of day with Barbara, or arrange a time when they could meet up for a chat over a few cups of what passed for coffee these days, but today, something twisted and knotted in her stomach. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible, she had information to pass on, and the recipient would be leaving for their own shift in ten minutes.
    ‘Oh, okay,’ Barbara called after Karen with a wave, a little disappointed the young woman hadn’t stopped to chat.
    As the door closed behind her and she began to walk along the steel lined corridor, Karen kept her face neutral and her pace measured. Inside her, she was fighting with the urge to run and only just winning. Keeping her eyes straight, she forced herself not to glance up at the cameras that relayed activity from every corridor and public room back to the security room , and made sure she gave each person she passed the appropriate nod, salute, or greeting.  Everything they had planned for, which if she was honest with herself, had seemed like a distant dream, was about to be put into practice. Above her, some of the florescent tubes pinged as they flicked off and on, throwing the corridor in sputtering shadows. There had been a time when such things would never have been acceptable, but now, with their stores running low, they didn’t have much choice. It was just one more reason their plan had to succeed. In far too many ways, this place was dying, and whether those in charge could not see it, or simply did not care, it was time to go.
    Finally, after what seemed like an age, Karen reached the small room she called home and stepped inside quickly. Slamming the door behind her, she looked at the man sitting on the bunk doing up his boot laces.
    ‘We’ve got to go tonight,’ Karen said flatly, ‘they’re at the Convent right now , if you want to save Steve and the others, it’s got to be tonight.’
    ‘Shit!’ said Matt, his hands frozen in action as he looked up at his sister.
    ***
    Lissa looked down at her watch, its cracked dial reflecting the light from the single candle that burned in the small room.
    ‘Eleven forty-five,’ she mumbled, looking over to her daughter, ‘right, I’ll go to the Doctor for the baby, do you know what you have to do?’
    ‘Yes ,’ replied Lucy, looking down at the heavy object in her hand.   
    Slipping off her shoes, Lissa’s passing barely made a sound as she walked along the dark hallway. With the moonlight coming th rough the small window at the end of the hall to guide her, Lissa soon came to the top of the winding stone staircase that would take her down to the ground floor. Placing a foot on the first step, she paused to glance back. In the shadowy gloom of the corridor, she could just about make out the form of Lucy creeping in the opposite direction. Lissa knew her daughter would do what needed to be done, she always had, and with a satisfied nod to herself, she began to descend the stairs.
    Standing just outside the infirmary, Lissa silently slipped her shoes back on and watched the light coming from under the door break with a shadow. Someone was moving around inside, but it didn’t matter, she had expected as much. Feeling the reassuring weight in her hand, Lissa pushed open the door and walked in.
    ‘Oh, hi , Lissa,’ whispered Avery, turning towards her while he wrung most of the water out of a wet facecloth over a bowl, ‘couldn’t sleep?’
    Lissa stepped further into the room and stood behind Avery , watching him bathe the forehead of the sick child sleeping fitfully on the bed next to him.
    ‘Will the boy live?’ Lissa asked.
    ‘Well,’ Avery began, turning to look back at her.
    With his gasp of surprise cut short, Avery had barely registered the arm flying toward him , before Lissa