บท 26: CHIMES OF DOOM
"I HEAR CHURCH bells." It was the first time anyone had spoken for a couple of minutes. Jin's arrival had disrupted the status quo more than Sam had anticipated.
He'd thought she would be warmly welcomed once he'd explained the situation, but although she hadn't made it explicit, Purna had given Sam the impression that she regarded him as a soft touch, who would have to be discouraged from picking up every waif and stray he came across.
She cheered up when she saw the shotgun and ammunition that Jin's father had insisted they take with them, but had regarded Jin with exasperated disbelief when the girl had refused the offer of a machete on the grounds that she was a 'pacifist'.
'No such thing anymore,' Purna said curtly. 'Not if you want to survive.'
Jin looked apologetic. 'Sorry, but there's no way I could bring myself to harm a living creature.'
'The infected aren't living,' Purna retorted. 'They're just people-shaped repositories of rage and hunger.'
'All the same,' said Jin, folding her arms as if she was afraid Purna would try to force the weapon into her hands. Scathingly Purna said, 'With that attitude you won't last a day.'
'We'll see, won't we?' said Jin, but it was not a defiant response; on the contrary, she looked intimidated, victimized.
Purna shook her head. 'No, we won't see. Because we can't afford to carry passengers.'
'Hey, who died and made you queen of shit-storm island?' Sam responded angrily.
Purna scowled at him. 'I know it's tough, Sam, but that's the way it is. It's kill or be killed. And if you or Xian Mei are looking out for Miss Goody Two-Shoes here as well as yourselves, your attention will be split and that'll lead to mistakes.
And in this groovy new world, one mistake and suddenly you're human hamburger.'
'So what are you saying?' said Xian Mei calmly. 'That we should throw Jin out on the street and let her fend for herself?'
Jin looked alarmed, but Sam raised a hand to reassure her. 'Hey, don't worry. 'Cause that ain't gonna happen.'
'Of course I'm not suggesting that,' Purna replied, scowling. 'I'm just saying that Jin's got to change her values, and quickly, because cozy little indulgences like pacifism are just not valid anymore.'
'Maybe I don't have to fight because I have other skills I can contribute,' Jin said gamely.
'Yeah? Like what?'
'Well … I'm a nurse. I know how to treat wounds and injuries. Plus, I'm a pretty good mechanic. I've helped Papa in the body shop enough times to know my way around an engine.'
Sam nodded approvingly. 'You can't say that ain't gonna come in useful,' he said to Purna.
She raised her eyebrows but stayed silent, refusing to commit herself either way, and as if taking their cue from her, the four of them descended into a simmering silence.
At Xian Mei's suggestion, they were taking a roundabout route back to the beach, following the coast road, which took them close to the outskirts of Moresby's slum district.
Although the virus had spread from the city into the far more salubrious environs of Banoi's resort area.
Xian Mei had opined that it was worth taking a gamble on the fact that the infected would be sticking to the population centers, where there would be greater numbers of the living for them to feast upon. So far, her theory had proved correct, and the infected had been conspicuous by their absence.
Now, though, the sound of church bells had thrown them a curveball, and within minutes had prompted a fresh debate.
'They're coming from Moresby church,' said Xian Mei in response to Sam's observation.
'We should check it out,' Jin piped up.
Purna, in the driving seat, shook her head. 'No way.'
'But there might be people in trouble. Why else would they ring the bells unless it was a cry for help?'
When Purna didn't reply, Sam said, 'She's right.'
Purna glanced at him. 'So what if she is?'
'If people are in trouble, then we should try to help them,' Jin said obstinately.
Purna wore the expression of someone surrounded by idiots. 'Everyone's in trouble – everyone alive, that is. Or hadn't you noticed?'
'Is that a reason not to try to help one another?' Jin said.
'Yes, it is because we can't help everyone,' said Purna scathingly.
'I'm not suggesting we should. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to help the ones we know about.' When Purna kept on driving, Jin added, 'If we ignore people in need, then doesn't that make us just as bad as the virus itself? Worse even?'
'She's got a point,' said Xian Mei.
'Fuck!' shouted Purna and slammed on the brakes so suddenly that all three of her passengers were jolted forward, gasping as their seatbelts locked painfully across their chests.
'What's your problem?' said Sam.
'Well, I don't know,' said Purna. 'Maybe it's just that I'm not heavily into suicide missions.'
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