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Epilogue
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Sleeper(s) Prologue
prologueSuzie had a recurring dream.In it she was a little girl, no more than about eight. Her parents had taken her to a country park somewhere, all trees, rolling hills and looking-glass lakes. They were having a picnic by one of those lakes, the chequered blanket spread out on the grass, and Suzie was basking in the warmth of the late August sun.Her mum and dad were smiling, laughing. It was a good time, a good dream. Suzie ate and ate until she thought she might burst: sandwiches, sausage rolls (her absolute favourite), crisps; and then ice cream, chocolates, fancy buns with icing on them her mother had made. There were birds singing, and Suzie looked up at the sky to see some of them flapping overhead—a V-like formation, like the Red Arrows had flown in at that air display her folks had taken her to.Closer to the ground, a butterfly flew past, the oranges and blacks so rich it looked like it had just been painted into
Sleeper(s) Chapter 1
chapter oneThe disorder presented itself as a mild form of fatigue at first.A Mr Norman Eley was badgered into going to his local GP by his wife, Corrine, who’d noticed his continual lack of energy over the past couple of days. She also insisted on coming along with him, to make sure the doctor got the whole picture. Corrine knew how Norman was for hiding things, especially from figures of authority.‘So, let me see if I’m understanding this correctly,’ said Dr Marsha Wray of the East Middletown Community Health Centre, sitting behind her desk and glancing up at the anxious couple in-between jotting things down on the pad in front of her. ‘You say your husband has been feeling particularly tired of late, more so than usual?’‘Definitely,’ stated Mrs Eley. ‘He’s been nodding off as soon as he gets home from work at night... well, from one of his jobs.’Dr Wray paused. ‘Did you say one of his jobs?’‘Er... yes,’ admitted Mrs Eley.
Sleeper(s) Chapter 2
chapter two‘It’s time. Come, quickly... I need you!’The words followed him, up out of unconsciousness as he was roused from his precious sleep. Precious, for him especially as an insomniac. The time he spent in a dream state—especially these days—was few and far between, and he resented anything that interrupted it.Andrew Strauss groaned as he lifted his sore head off the pillow. Had it really been worth all that booze last night to put him under? Yes, definitely, always, if it meant he spent a few hours asleep. The incessant ringing of the phone on the bedside table—not his mobile, because that was switched off—seemed to be accompanying the booms he was hearing between his ears. A symphony for the hung-over in A-Minor. He needed pills... but painkillers this time; not the sleeping ones he seemed to be increasingly immune to these days. Alcohol didn’t usually have much of an effect, so he must have really tied one on the previous evening. Mos
Sleeper(s) Chapter 3
chapter threeThe move was a risky one, but if he held his nerve he could pull it off.Sweat trickled down his brow, his breathing coming in short bursts, but he fought to control it; fought to give the impression he was cool, calm and collected. He needed to, or everything was lost. Private First Class Jackson Monks sucked on the cigar sticking out of the corner of his mouth, watching for any hint of weakness in his opponents. He glanced down at his nut-coloured hands, which were as steady as a rock. He couldn’t afford any slip ups with this operation. Not now, not when he was so close to victory.His main enemy was staring straight at him, as if demanding he make his move. Jackson attempted a smirk, but it came out more like a grimace. His foe was about to strike, anyone could see that; but would he be able to beat Jackson to the draw?The soldier sitting opposite tossed a handful of twenty pound notes into the centre of the table
Sleeper(s) Chapter 4
chapter fourThe “something” that was rustled up turned out to be an old army bus, which had already had the seats ripped out so that it could be used for cargo transportation purposes. All they needed to do was put in a couple of cots near the back, and a table along the side, bolting everything to the floor of the bus for when they were moving—not that they were intending to break any speed records.Strauss watched as a stream of men loaded everything they needed on board. ‘Wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,’ he said to his assistant, ‘but it’ll do till we can get something better here. All our resources...’ He flapped his hand. ‘I don’t know, remind me again why I’m doing this.’‘You know why,’ she said coolly.He turned to face her. They hadn’t really had much of a chance to talk since the hotel—for one thing they hadn’t been alone, for another it had taken his hangover a while to subside—but, until now, he’d been glad of the fa
Sleeper(s) Chapter 5
chapter fiveBy about three in the afternoon, they were ready to set off.Or as ready as they’d ever be. Andrew Strauss and Bridget sat on the bus which led the way through the cordon, their driver a young Scottish soldier named McBride, chosen for his experience with heavy-duty vehicles. Like them, he was wearing the Hazmat gear provided—dark green in colour, unlike some of the more vivid kinds Andrew and Bridget had grown used to in the past. The air canisters on their backs were good for a few hours and a plentiful supply of them were on board. Mikes would allow them to keep in touch with each other, and whoever was in close proximity.Strauss looked out, first through the grimy window on one side of the bus, then the other: at the armoured personnel carrier with the US soldiers inside on the left, and the two jeeps carrying the British soldiers on the right. It felt like they were going to war (thank God he’d got at least the Bri
Sleeper(s) Chapter 6
chapter sixBridget had to admit she was taken aback when the first of the virus victims woke up.To begin with she thought they might not be needed here after all. Perhaps the effects of whatever this was had worn off, just like she’d said back on the bus. That because the disease was non-fatal—had actually been keeping these people alive, albeit in a hibernation-like state—it might have run its course and they’d simply recover, as you do when you get over the common cold. The violent shaking had simply been them shrugging off the last remnants of this illness. Except the person she was looking at wasn’t awake, was he. That is to say, sure, he was sitting up, but his eyes were still healed over, the secretions still attached to him like candyfloss to a stick. He was staring right at her, but not really seeing. How could he, with his eyes welded shut like that? She had to go to him, help him. But damn, it was so eerie the way he was
Sleeper(s) Chapter 7
chapter sevenIn the darkness, he could hear her voice:Thank you! Oh God, thank you so much. You came!The last thing he remembered was a flash of light, so bright he thought he might have gone blind. Just like the—Oh no, he thought. He remembered where he was now, in the real world. What he’d been doing: rushing over to try and stop that soldier from shooting the kid in the head. There had been an explosion, the bus maybe? And right now he was lying on the ground, might even be dying. But somehow that didn’t matter.The real world was so very far away from this one, and he didn’t get to visit the dreamscape very often. Didn’t get to spend time with her, very much.You came! she repeated. I knew you would.‘I had to,’ he said, though he didn’t even have to open his mouth. ‘You know I did. Where are you?’I can’t tell you that. She sounded frustrated. They won’t let me.‘Who?’ he asked, but didn’t get an answer.I
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Sleeper(s) Epilogue
epilogueSuzy woke with a jerk from the dream.Her mum was calling her anyway. ‘Get up, sleepyhead. I’ve been shouting you for quarter of an hour.’‘Whaa...?’ said Suzy, still groggy from the deep sleep. She rubbed her eyes.‘It’s Sunday, remember? Come and have breakfast, then you’ve really got to start getting ready. We want to be leaving by ten.’That’s right, she’d been looking forward to today the whole week! Sunday. Dad’s day off. He was an important person, her dad; mum too, come to think of it. She was the mayoress to his mayor. Suzanne didn’t understand exactly what that entailed, but she knew they ran the town. That they were trying to build it up, expand it, put it on the map.One day, her dad often told her, she’d be just as important—if not more so.Suzy thought about telling her mother about the dream, about how she’d been all grown up but asleep, and how there had been this strange disease that sent eve
Sleeper(s) Chapter 17
chapter seventeenThey were together at last.She didn’t know how it had happened, but she was delighted. Everything had changed after he’d kissed her for the first time back there. Then he’d told her he loved her and they were just sitting here on the beach, waiting for the dawn to break. It was the most romantic thing she’d ever experienced, like something out of a dream. That was it, this was her dream man. The one she’d longed for all her life.And as they held hands she knew it was going to last forever.* * *When Baker came to, it was still dark in the city.His legs were both smashed, but strangely he couldn’t feel a thing. He tried to pull the driver’s door open, but it was jammed. Hardly surprising after the crash; the last thing he remembered. He could see no sign of the case he had to deliver, and his radio was dead, so he grabbed his pistol and pulled himself along on his elbows, ou
Sleeper(s) Chapter 16
chapter sixteenThe ambulance had almost made it. Radford didn’t quite know what happened.It hadn’t been the Sleepers at the barrier attacking, or the ones chasing the ambulance, though they were pouring over it now. Must have been inside, because whoever had been driving was pulling some crazy stunts. Radford had just stood there and watched it brake, then roll over once to land on its side.He was well aware of what happened after that, however—though he didn’t truly believe it. Dr Strauss, emerging from the vehicle, battered but still alive, carrying a woman Radford hadn’t seen before. He didn’t quite understand the significance of this, nor why the Sleepers near them were backing off.A few minutes later, another figure staggered from the wreckage. It was the black soldier, Jackson, who’d been fighting with... Timms, yes he was there too! Neither of them had their masks on, but seemed okay, if a little dazed and confused; helpi
Sleeper(s) Chapter 15
chapter fifteen‘Where the shitting hell is he, Huxley?’ asked Dutton, pacing up and down. He was sniffing like a tracker dog in search of coke, each one in time to his steps as he paced up and down in the portacabin. ‘He should be back by now!’‘We weren’t to know there would be... complications,’ replied the colonel, steepling his fingers.‘It’s all right for you, we have a lot riding on this.’ He waved his hand across to indicate the general, who was still sitting in his same seat. ‘Our country’s in the toilet and this could get us out of it.’‘Then thank your lucky stars it came along,’ Huxley told him.‘Where is your man?’ Dutton asked once more. ‘He should have been here ages ago.’‘Relax, Baker will be here when he’s here.’‘Relax!’ screamed Dutton, throwing his hands in the air. ‘You don’t know the kind of pressure I’m under here, the people I have to report to. And that’s before we get to the PM.’‘No, I just have the P
Sleeper(s) Chapter 14
chapter fourteenThey’d witnessed Baker’s crash from around the corner.Just as they’d reached the bottom of the lift and scoped out the lobby area, which was teeming with animated Sleepers, they’d seen the sergeant break cover. He’d made his way down the east side of the hospital, but still had to cross this patch to get to the ambulance bay. That’s when he’d run into trouble.Their descent hadn’t exactly been uneventful either, Andrew could testify to that. Halfway down the shaft they spotted a figure above, standing and looking down at them... yet not really looking, because how could you look when your eyes were healed over? He’d begun following them anyway. At first they’d thought it was the Sleepers who’d broken through the locked double-doors, but then Jackson recognised his comrade hanging there—mask gone now, re-animated by the virus that was all around them. ‘Shit: Coleman.’ His voice echoed up the shaft and seemed to urge the ma
Sleeper(s) Chapter 13
chapter thirteenNorman and Betty Eley had been dreaming. Or at least it felt like it.They were young again, on holiday: one of those package deals the travel agents organised, including lots of sand, sea and... It had been a long time, a very long time, yet here it had been no time at all. The years had fallen away and when they got to their hotel room they’d barely been able to keep their hands off each other. Norman was just so wiry, Betty curvaceous, with no sign yet of the pounds she’d pile on later in their marriage.They’d spent what seemed like an eternity in bed, carrying on like teenagers—though, to be fair, they were only just out of their teens. Back then they’d made all the decisions together, in fact Betty had loved it when Norman stood up to her and made a few himself. When had the change come, that she’d had to be the strong one, the person in charge? She had no idea and didn’t want to think about it right now; she w
Sleeper(s) Chapter 12
chapter twelvePrivate Jackson Monks thought things couldn’t get any worse.His luck had kept him alive so far out here, but now the sleepers were on their way to the hospital, and to top everything off Strauss’ assistant Bridget had gone bonzo in the original Sleeper’s room. She’d knocked Timms out and stolen his gun, using it wildly and catching poor Coleman in the crossfire. She’d tried to kill Suzanne Parris for reasons he could only guess at. The way Strauss had held the woman’s hand, some connection there he wasn’t privy to. He’d said he was being led here, so maybe... It was in the realms of fantasy, though Jackson had never been adverse to a bit of that in his life; his love of the imaginative genres taking him out of himself, and also providing common ground between him and Strauss, to his surprise.Now the Doc was coming down with the sickness, after being slashed by Bridget. She’d gone to the window and though Monks had ru
Sleeper(s) Chapter 11
chapter elevenStrauss had worked feverishly since they’d found Suzanne.She’d been there, exactly where she said she’d be—waiting for him. Waiting for Andrew to do something about all this, and he wasn’t about to let her down. He had absolutely no idea how he’d been able to do some of the things he’d done since he’d tranquilised himself. By rights, he shouldn’t even be up and about. But not only had he brought his people here—correction, Suzanne had brought him (he’d have been lost without her), become clearer the closer they drew to the hospital, coming into sharper focus like a chart at the opticians when they try the right lens—but he’d been able to talk, communicate. Been able to work, and work hard, taking samples of her blood and get them analysed, comparing them to the previous ones they’d taken now by using the hospital’s equipment.Suzanne was holding the Sleepers at bay, he understood that. She could do this here, because
Sleeper(s) Chapter 10
chapter tenLesley Timms couldn’t believe the events of the past hour.He couldn’t believe the events since the bus really, but what had happened after the storage place—that was complete fucking insanity. That Strauss guy was supposed to be the one with all the brains, wasn’t he? Posh education and all that, while the rest of them had to rough it in ordinary schools... And they didn’t come any rougher than Gegley Comp, Timms’ old stomping ground. You learned how to stick up for yourself there or ended up with your head woven into the carpet. All those fucking colleges and universities obviously didn’t teach you any common sense, though, did they? Not as far as he could see—because Strauss had almost got them killed several times since those freaks out there started coming back to life.Not back to life. They weren’t dead—the Doc had been at great pains to emphasise that when Timms wouldn’t go near them. Wouldn’t help carry that boy
