Vermin

Vermin

By Jack Greene

Text copyright © 2015 Jack Greene

All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is dedicated to the memory of James Herbert, his body of work and the motivation he inspired in me to write.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

Prologue

June 18th 2012 – Hitchin Woods, Hertfordshire

Shadowtail watched from a tree branch as the large rumbling monster rushed noisily past below her. It shone in the sunlight, the heat of the day already starting to make her drowsy. If it hadn’t been for the loud silver machine passing below her tree, Shadowtail would already have been resting in the shade. The forest did not get many interruptions of this size and it was not welcome for the creatures living in the cool, quiet trees and undergrowth. Once it had passed, Shadowtail retreated into her dray; an intricately woven nest set in the fork of the tree, and once she curled into the shadows with her bushy tail tucked round her body, her black fur was almost unseen. Her rest was short lived.

The tanker truck carrying toxic waste destined for a treatment facility on the north side of London never reached its destination. The driver, Steve Manger, had come down with a sickness bug and had almost phoned in sick that morning. His wife, anxious that he not lose his job, or a day’s pay, encouraged him to make the effort, even making him some chicken soup in a flask to take with him. Steve decided to make the trip as quickly as possible and, ignoring the designated route on the in-truck satnav, instead took a short cut through the forest, which would have shaved 45 minutes off the journey. A risk Steve was willing to take at the time, as all he wanted to do was climb into bed and go back to sleep.

The road was bumpier than he remembered, in places it was nothing more than a wide dirt track with low overhanging branches that brushed the top of the truck as he passed by. The way was straight and true, and the path was unusually clear of pedestrians, no doubt due to the very hot June weather. It was barely mid-day and already the mercury was well over 23 degrees Celsius. The cloudless sky and the lack of wind made for a very hot and dry summer day. Steve turned on the air conditioning and as there were no people about, decided it was safe enough to open the thermos flask and have a cup of his wife’s soup. His mouth was parched and his stomach was rumbling. Steve hadn’t been able to eat much over the last 24 hours and his stomach was letting him know this.

Steve reached to the seat next to him and fumbled with the zipper to the rucksack with his belongings in. Once it was undone, he grasped the thermos round the middle and carefully drew it out of the bag. Glancing at the road to make sure it was still clear, Steve placed the flask between his thighs. He turned his attention back to the road and made sure he was still on course. The dirt road stretched out before him in a straight line. The mud underneath was parched and dusty, pale from lack of moisture. The trees and bushes remained still, not a breath of wind stirred up the forest as the truck passed through. Satisfied, Steve unscrewed the lid of the thermos and poured half a cup of soup into the lid.

With his eyes back on the road, Steve took a big gulp of soup and immediately burned his mouth. Goddammit! He yelled, dropping the cup into his lap. The hot soup burned his upper thighs and crotch and Steve yelped and swore again, trying to brush some of the liquid off his trousers. The thermos fell from between his legs and poured its contents over his feet, making his contact with the truck’s pedals slippery. As the skin on his legs started to scald from the hot liquid, Steve lost control of the steering wheel, wriggling in his seat to alleviate the pain. The truck swerved towards a large tree on the right and Steve slammed his foot on the brake as he grabbed the wheel to turn away from the tree. His foot slipped on the soupy liquid that had splattered onto the brake pedal and slipped onto the accelerator instead. Steve just had time to scream oh shit! before the truck hit the tree at speed.

Shadowtail heard the loud crash followed by a huge explosion. The sound terrified her but she peered out of her dray to see what was going on. In the distance she could see a huge plume of black smoke rising over the tree tops and then the flicker of orange flames. A few seconds later she felt the heat hit her in a wave and knew she had to run. She was down the tree in seconds and began to flee away from the heat and noise the burning truck made. As she ran, hundreds of other forest creatures began to join in the mass stampede; squirrels, rabbits, voles, mice, rats and even a deer. They ran in a long panicked pack, away from the terrifying noise and heat behind them. After a few minutes Shadowtail began to calm a little and slowed her pace so she would not tire before she got to safety. Up ahead was a long black strip of hard ground that metal monsters raced along both day and night. She knew it was dangerous to run towards it and halted for a moment.

A young deer passed by Shadowtail, leaping over the low fence that bordered the road. Almost immediately a car hit the deer and a second later she heard the high-pitched squeal of brakes as the car tried to stop. More cars started to brake and suddenly the road was awash with animals fleeing the fire behind them. Shadowtail knew there was danger in front and behind her and looked quickly about to see if any of her own kind were nearby. Above her on the trunk of a tree was a grey squirrel. She quickly communicated with him using a series of tail flicks, ear movements and squeaks. He indicated to her that if she travelled along the fence for a while, there was a dried up riverbed that was easy to cross. On the other side were places to hide that were safe. Shadowtail quickly stood up on her back legs to make herself as tall as possible and started relaying this information to any other squirrels in the area. She then instructed the grey to lead her to the river. He was reluctant at first, but Shadowtail flattened her ears and made a low growling noise. The grey cowered a little and then set off for the safe place. Behind Shadowtail, another grey squirrel stopped and relayed the same information along before setting off after her. One by one, squirrels started to dart along the edge of the road instead of across it, and followed the trail to the dried up riverbed.

The first grey reached the riverbed and ran across its dusty surface. Once on the other side he stopped and gestured to Shadowtail that the buildings over the tall fence were empty; no humans. She climbed to the top of the fence and surveyed the area. It looked and smelt devoid of human life; no predators and no danger. She turned back to the grey and saw that a lot of her kind had followed them; mostly grey but a few black-furred squirrels like Shadowtail, and they were now uneasily milling about on both sides of the dried up river, unsure what to do next. They were lost, confused and still scared. One or two had smoke-filled lungs or slightly singed fur and one grey had lost his tail completely, burned off in a stump. Shadowtail immediately took leadership of the pack and sent the first grey towards the nearest building to see if there were safe places to hide. As the rest of the surviving population of squirrels arrived, Shadowtail stood high on the top of the fence and communicated with the huddled masses.

June 18th - 21st 2012 – Woods Way Housing Estate

During the first day and night in their temporary bolthole, Shadowtail had tirelessly watched the forest behind the houses as the fire raged. If any of her kind passed by she squeaked to get their attention and gestured for them to come into the safe place. First Grey had found some partially constructed houses and the squirrels had easily entered through glassless windows and found dark places to hide. Shadowtail kept watch and First Grey would scurry back and forth with any news for her on the growing pack of furry refugees. In the distance she could see the flames, which now lit up the night sky. Fewer animals were passing by and eventually, when the moon had almost sunk below the tree line, Shadowtail gave up and followed First Grey into the safe place. They slept uneasily, occasionally being woken by the sounds of clanging alarms, shouts from humans and the roar of the fire as it drew ever closer.

Two days later the fire had finally burned itself out. Fire engines, helicopters and even volunteers all fought bravely to halt the fire, which once started, seemed to take on a life of its own. Some insisted it was the toxic waste the lorry was carrying that made it so hard to put out, others said it was simply the very dry summer they were having, a few murmured it was the reaction time of the emergency services. The forest was far from the nearest town and getting to the fire had been a lengthy process. Finding a source of water to fight the fire with had been another problem. The toxic nature of the fire was a third issue the fire service had to contend with. The newspapers all over the country raged with headlines about the fire; some blaming the weather, some telling stories of people who barely escaped and some vilifying the truck driver, Steve Manger. Not one newspaper story mentioned a horde of squirrels escaping to safety, nor the sudden appearance of them in a planned housing estate.

The most basic need of the squirrels was food and this was the hardest to come by. All the trees had either been burned completely or damaged by toxic smoke and char so badly that the nuts and berries were inedible. For now the animals were catching insects, frogs and chewing whatever wood they could find, mostly from the fencing, doors and floors of the houses that surrounded them. Shadowtail knew the food was going to run out and that the forest was gone. She knew she had to find a source of food and soon, before they started to starve. Shadowtail arranged scouts – First Grey amongst them – to search for somewhere with lots of food. She sent them in different directions and waited for their return. She would have gone herself, usually enjoying a challenge, but her abdomen had started to swell with the tiny babies inside her and she had to rest.

One by one the scouts returned, none with good news. The forest in every direction was scorched and it smelt and tasted bad. Nothing was edible for miles. First Grey was the last to return and in his mouth he carried a small frog. He presented it to Shadowtail and then gestured that he had found a place with water and food. It was more meaty than plants but it was tasty. First Grey had followed the dried up riverbed and after some distance it started to trickle into life. The river wasn’t completely dry and there was an abundance of tasty frogs and insects for them to eat. Nearby was a safe place that did not smell of humans but was large, dark and full of places for drays. Shadowtail decided they should go there now and summoned the squirrel horde to her. Hungry and tired, the furry masses gladly accepted Shadowtail’s leadership until they could find a new place to live and food to eat.

Sitting on the fence once more, Shadowtail gestured with tail flicks that there was a place for them to go with food and shelter. She then let First Grey lead the way, and with quick darting movements the squirrel army made the journey to their new home. The late afternoon sun was hazy and it was humid, but the squirrels followed First Grey with haste. They were all hungry and felt unsafe out in the open away from the cover of trees. The river wound its way past blackened tree stumps and charred bushes before it reached an open field of grass with cows in. Hunkering low in the riverbed, the squirrels skulked past the loud mooing creatures, afraid, until they reached safer ground. The riverbed became soft and wet and at the same time low bushes, untouched by the fire, grew along the bank. First Grey indicated the left side of the riverbank and continued leading them to safety on higher ground.

Ahead, the river opened out into a wide lake, filled with lily pads and with a few thin trees growing near the water’s edge. First Grey moved past this and headed towards a large human building in the middle of an overgrown field. The barn was filled with straw and had rafters that formed a good shape for making drays – a fork in a tree branch – and it was dark. Shadowtail sniffed the air and agreed there was no human scent within. She could smell rats and mice, but no predators. First Grey twitched his tail in happiness at finding the perfect place for their kind to live in. Each squirrel found a place to make a nest and began collecting straw, grass and sticks to complete their own dray. Once this was done, they individually went looking for food. Some went foraging among the small bushes they had passed on their way along the riverbank and others headed for the lake to hunt for insects and frogs. As night fell and the moon rose, the squirrels sank into their new nests and fell asleep, feeling safe in a group collective for the first time in their lives.

June 30th 2012 – River Barn Collective Dray

Shadowtail had grown huge with the babies in her belly. She could still run and climb, but it was harder work and she tired easily. She spent most of her time by the river, watching her fellow squirrels hunting, looking for juicy frogs or resting in the shade of the thin trees at the water’s edge. One morning she was dozing after a meal in the branches of one of the trees. The sun had yet to really get hot but Shadowtail was tired. All at once she was awoken by a squeaking noise. Looking down, she could see a mother stoat with her kits. The mother was teaching her youngsters to hunt and Shadowtail