Weep: The Irish Epidemic by Eoin Brady

Author:Eoin Brady [Brady, Eoin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-10T22:00:00+00:00

22

Tourist

It took ten minutes to get to the gates of Westport House from his apartment. It was the route he used to walk to work, but now he had to avoid corpses on the street and the aimless wandering of the shell-shocked. Fin was not the only one beyond the wall on work detail, and he melted into the crowd of downcast workers and refugees. So long as he acted as normal as could be expected of somebody these days, the soldiers ignored him.

When he started down the road towards the gates of Westport House, he felt like he could not shake the stares of the snipers on the rooftops, their intent hidden behind masks. Fin slowed his walk to look casual, but sweat poured from his face. What if they think it’s because I’m sick? The thought made him sweat more. Screens had been brought out to hide the new arrivals’ semi-naked bodies from view while they waited to be searched. Everybody seemed to have to go through the process to gain entry.

Fin was about to take his jumper off in the slow procession when he heard a familiar voice.“I didn’t think I’d see you again, New Face,” Muireann said from behind the gate.

Standing in the frigid water trough of disinfectant, he shivered; he imagined the only reason there was not a layer of ice on top was because of how many people walked through it. Muireann walked up to the line, ignoring questions from others looking for answers. “What was that about earlier?”

“I had family to take care of.” He handed her the bolt gun with the belt of gas canisters. Before leaving the house, he had thrown two of them in the bin, just in case she questioned his story. If she noticed this, she did not seem to care. He wondered how she could function so well after Sarah’s death. Before the epidemic he had not really known grief, it was something he knew he would eventually have to become accustomed to, now he was stepped in it beyond saturation.

“You back for work, or what’s your plan? Frank thought you went a bit mad.”

“Frank, the guy with the easiest job in the whole county?”

Muireann smiled. “We’re down a vet, have you lost your taste for it?”

Fin thought about being honest – that his sole intention was to get a train to Dublin and leave this place behind him – but he doubted any of the soldiers stationed here would have much sympathy for him. “I don’t want to kill animals.”

“That’s probably why Sarah gave you the bolt gun. Point to think on, though, they’re just meat now, the weepers are just meat and we are just meat. You kept a level head when you heard the scream. The others ran away when you went towards it. You listened to my instructions in the face of… under stress. Burke told me you’re on trial, so if you come back, it’s either a metal container for a few hours, or more work.

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