The End of Us

by D, Hannah

  Sarah nodded her head and typed in “World end 2018, How did it all start?”

  A few pages they opened were joke pages, people taking the piss about it all. Other pages read that it was like the bird flu, it came from the animals. Some where talking about how the movies and tv shows about zombies were onto something and trying to warn and teach everyone about how to survive the world being taken over by zombies. Then there came along an article that caught Zoe’s attention.

  “This could sound possible, explains a lot” Sarah said.

  The more Zoe read the more she believed. The news article was explaining that the reason the undead seemed to be rising and taking over the streets was because of a major gas leak and explosion that had happened and that the world leaders had kept it hush hush. However now because of the polluted air from the gas it caused people to become like cannibals and want to eat each other.

  “It sounds like the most believable thing I’ve seen so far” Zoe said.

  “I can believe that how this has all happened has been covered up, no one wants to take the blame” Sarah said.

  “There might not be anymore living in this world soon for them to be blamed” Zoe said.

  “I suppose you’re right. I’m going to go show the group what we’ve found” Sarah said.

  Zoe nodded her head and made her way back outside to take over the watch that Sue had covered for her whilst she was looking on the internet.

  As Zoe went outside she saw that there were more skin eaters gathering by the fence now and decided that she best go take care of them now. She pulled her knife out her back pocket (where it constantly was now) and walked over to the fence.

  “I was about to go deal with them” Sue said as Zoe walked past her.

  “It’s fine, I’ll go do it” Zoe said smiling at Sue.

  Zoe walked up to the fence and dealt with the four skin eaters that were there.

  “This is going to be my life until I die then, killing you lot” Zoe said as she stared at the now definitely dead skin eaters bodies.

  This wasn’t the first time Zoe had stood and spoken to the skin eaters and it probably wasn’t going to be the last ever. Zoe didn’t know what to make of the fact that there was no safe place left.

  “What the hell are we going to do? Where the hell are we even going to go?” Zoe asked out loud.

  Zoe started to turn around when she got a glimpse of her watchers. She could see two of them, sitting on top of one of the other buildings nearby.

  “Great, skin eaters and psychopaths watching us. I really wish this Brian would just piss off” Zoe said.

  Zoe felt an anger building up inside of her. Why did the living all have to turn their backs on each other? If they stood together there would be more people able to survive and maybe battle these skin eaters away for them all to have a large enough place they could all live. They could maybe have even taken over a city away from the skin eaters.

  Zoe knew what she was really angry at and it all stemmed from that news article. If there really was something like a gas leak/explosion that made people turn crazy, why didn’t the government come out and say it? Why did they all lie and hide and cover it up? If it were only the one place or country that had been affected by this and became infected before biting other people and it spreading why didn’t they take care of those first infected ones.

  Zoe didn’t really one hundred percent believe that the gas leak/explosion story was real. If it were real then why wasn’t Zoe a skin eater herself? Why was she still human. If it only happened in one country and spread far enough to others then it might not reach other countries. No gas leak/explosion could travel the whole world. Zoe didn’t even know if the skin eaters could swim to make it to other countries, it seemed unlikely they could as they could only just be able to walk and even that was just a shuffle.

  “You okay Zoe?” Sue asked her.

  “Yeah I’m fine, just a little annoyed at something” Zoe replied.

  “Come tell me about it, talk it out” Sue said to her.

  Zoe told Sue about the internet and what she and Sarah had found and read about the world and the skin eaters. Zoe also told Sue about how annoyed she felt about the whole situation they were in not only about Brian and his group but about the whole skin eater situation itself.

  “I mean, how are we meant to even live in the world?” Zoe asked.

  “We can make it work” Sue said.

  “You don’t know that. Nobody can. There is nowhere safe for us all to try and build some sort of life” Zoe said.

  “We can make somewhere safe and liveable. We will make somewhere were we can have a life free from the skin eaters. We have to remain positive” Sue told her.

  “But what happens when we run out of places where we can get food and clean water?” Zoe asked.

  “People survived before factories made pre packaged food, we can make our own” Sue said.

  “And medicine and life saving surgeries? What then?” Zoe asked.

  “Well, looks like we’ll be living in the Stone Age but we can get enough medicine to last us all maybe until the end of our lives” Sue said to Zoe.

  Zoe didn’t need to ask the next question that was hovering on her lips. She knew the answer already anyway.

  There wouldn’t be another generation after theirs, after Alex’s. There might be more kids out there, surviving with other groups of people but their generation would be the last. If someone where to get pregnant right now it would be the most stupid mistake they would ever make. How can you hide from skin eaters and be really quiet when you have a baby who doesn’t understand that they can’t cry or else they’ll be found by something that wants to eat them.

  ‘What a fantastic world we now live in’ Zoe thought sarcastically.

  “You go on inside now, I’ll take back over this watch” Zoe said to Sue.

  “No problem but please Zoe don’t lose all hope in the world. The internet could be a load of shit before and it could still be now” Sue said to her with a smile.

  “I’ll try not lose hope but no promises” Zoe said.

  Zoe sat down again and looked out in front of her, the questions and thoughts running circles around her head about the skin eaters. Zoe didn’t know if she’d be able to live in this world anymore but she knew she wasn’t going to kill herself either and she also wasn’t going to let herself get eaten or bitten and turn into one of the skin eaters.

  Then Zoe’s thoughts turned toward Jeff. Only last night Zoe was happy kissing and being circled in Jeff’s arms. She was even happy this morning and almost about to sing in the shower and now she was thinking about ending things with him before things had even began with them.

  Zoe didn’t want to fall any harder or any further for Jeff since there was never going to be an end to this crazy, skin eater filled world.

  They wouldn’t be able to start a life together, to move into their first home together, to even get married and have kids one day. Any kind of fantasy any girl would have about her life was all gone in this new world and Zoe was better off living in this world single than getting involved with anyone at all.

  Zoe felt so low and upset that she hadn’t met Jeff before this all started. They could’ve at least have had part of that fantasy life already at least and then maybe Zoe wouldn’t feel that angry at the world right now.

  Whilst Zoe was lost in her thought Jeff had came out and sat beside her.

  “So Sarah showed us all what you found on the internet” Jeff said.

  “Yeah, crazy right. Complete shit show everywhere” Zoe said to him.

  “I know but we’ll be alright” Jeff said.

  Zoe turned to face him, tears about to well up in her eyes and her anger rising.

  “We won’t be alright. We’re done. The human race is done. We have no lives to live anymore!” Zoe shouted to Jeff.

  “Woah woah, we can make a life for ourselves Zoe” Jeff told her.

  “I’ve already had this conversatio
n with Sue but we can’t. We can’t have normal lives. We can’t live like normal people used to anymore. We’re all done for” Zoe said to him.

  “We can make somewhere normal for us all to live” Jeff told her.

  “There is nowhere we can do that! And we would find this place and die out. There won’t be another generation after us Jeff” Zoe said to him.

  “Why won’t there be another generations after us?” Jeff asked.

  “It would be really stupid to bring a new generation into this fucked up world” Zoe said.

  “The more you think of it as fucked up then the more you’ll just give up” Jeff said to her.

  “So what if I give up? There’s nothing left to live for now” Zoe said.

  “Not even us? You won’t live for us?” Jeff asked her.

  This made Zoe pause. She didn’t know how to reply to that. Did she hurt Jeff now by telling him that she didn’t want anything to go further between them. That she wanted to be alone instead of with him so that in case she lost him she wouldn’t want to die from the pain. Or was Zoe already in too deep with Jeff because she was thinking these things. Zoe would already be destroyed if he were to die now.

  “Jeff, I can’t lose you. I can’t risk the horrible pain I’d feel if I lost you” Zoe said to him.

  “You won’t lose me” Jeff told her.

  “Again, you don’t know that Jeff!”

  “I do know that as I never want to lose or be away from you Zoe!” Jeff yelled back at her.

  “We can’t make thins thing between us go any further. You have your family to think about. Lets just end this before it even begins” Zoe told Jeff.

  “You can’t be serious?” Jeff asked her.

  “I am serious. Think about yourself an d your family” Zoe told him as she stood up to walk away.

  “No, you don’t get to walk away from me, from us!” Jeff said as he grabbed Zoe.

  Zoe turned to face him and saw how serious he was that he didn’t want them to end whatever this was between them.

  “Don’t give up on us Zoe. Don’t give up on continuing to live a life” Jeff said.

  “Jeff please, I don’t want to feel any pain if the worst happens” Zoe said to him.

  “You won’t lose me Zoe. Trust me” Jeff told her.

  Jeff moved in closer to Zoe and Zoe didn’t stop him. He grabbed her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes.

  “We can be together in this mess. I need you Zoe” Jeff told her.

  “Jeff..” Zoe began to say before Jeff’s lips were on hers.

  Zoe didn’t stop Jeff kissing her and she kissed him right back. Zoe knew she had lost the fight with Jeff about taking things further and she also knew she had lost the fight within herself about being with him. She couldn’t help it. She was falling for Jeff.

  The noise of the others behind the door made them stop kissing.

  “So, did I win that fight? Are we going to see what this is between us?” Jeff asked her.

  “Yes I suppose we will” Zoe replied.

  “Good!” Jeff said smiling.

  They both decided to walk back inside the building to grab something to eat. Zoe and Jeff both hadn’t eaten all day yet and were both ravenous. They almost ran to the door and into the main office were everyone was sitting.

  Alice and John had brought the food in here where everyone always seemed to get her to spend time together and have their discussions.

  “Simone and the rest not back from the supplies run yet” Zoe asked as her and Jeff grabbed some food.

  “Not yet but I can’t imagine they’ll be much longer” Sophia said.

  Zoe noticed that Kirsty and Lewis were sitting down eating with them and were talking with Alice and John. It didn’t look like anything too serious as they were laughing at parts. Kirsty and Lewis looked to be more at ease and maybe they were beginning to come out of their shells.

  “I wonder what they’ll bring back this time” Arthurs mumbled around his food.

  “Anything they bring back will be amazing I’d guess” Sophia said.

  “Especially with Alice and John here to cook it” Zoe put in.

  Alex was already finished his food and went to playing with a bunch of toys in the corner of the room.

  “I found them in an old store cupboard this morning, we thought he’d enjoy them” Mike said.

  “Oh he’ll enjoy them all right” Jeff said laughing.

  They had all just about finished their food when they heard commotion coming from the back of the building. They stood up and went to walk to the back door before Simone came running through it. She was out of breath and looked shocked. She was covered in blood and her hands clutched her weapons so tightly her knuckles turned white.

  “What’s going on Simone? What’s happened?” Zoe asked her.

  Simone was trying to catch her breath to explain before Michael, Mark and Mandy came running in the door behind her. Mandy slamming the door shut behind her.

  “We were set up” Simone said.

  “Set up? What do you mean set up?” Zoe asked her again.

  “It had to have been Arthur and his group. They must’ve known that we came here to help” Mark said.

  “But they’re watching the front of the building? How could they have seen? We would’ve noticed if there was someone watching the back” Jeff said.

  “We must’ve missed them, they must be really good at hiding” Mark said.

  “We were surrounded by skin eaters as soon as we got to the third store, the place was empty when we went and and the a few minutes later we heard them, heard them shuffling towards us” Mandy said.

  “We went to the main entrance and saw a herd of them coming toward us. We had no time to think before they were on us and we were having to fight our way through them” Mark said.

  “We barely made it out alive, we ran as fast as we could and managed to shake them off our trail so they didn’t follow us back here” Mark continued to tell them.

  “This doesn’t make any sense. How did they even know what stores you were going to? They must’ve known a little in advance to be able to summon a herd of skin eaters to come your way” Zoe said.

  They all began to think the same thing. Someone in their group was acting like a spy for Brian. They must’ve been. It really was the only explanation. They were all looking at each other accusatory now, trying to decide which one of them was the spy.

  As Zoe looked around the room she noticed that someone was missing.

  “Where’s Colleen?” Zoe asked.

  Everyone looked around and went to search the rest of the building.

  “She’s gone. All of her things are gone” Sarah said.

  “She’s betrayed us” Jeff said.

  “Look we don’t know that. She might’ve gotten scared over Brian about to attack this place at some point. She might’ve just ran” Michael offered.

  “Pretty convenient that she decides to run the same day that you guys get surrounded by skin eaters. She knew the plan. She has betrayed us” Jeff said.

  “I know her. She wouldn’t do this so stop saying she’s betrayed us!” Michael yelled.

  Jeff and Michael looked like they were about to get into a fist fight when Sophia came into the room holding a piece of paper in her hands.

  Sophia handed the piece of paper to Jeff who then handed it to Zoe. When Zoe saw what was written on it she handed it to Michael who looked defeated when he read it.

  On the piece of paper Colleen had written;

  I’m Sorry. He made me do it. Run whilst you still can. He’ll attack you all soon and take this place as his own. Colleen x

  Micheal went and sat down and put his head in his hands. Everyone read the letter and Zoe thought that they would all give up and run now. If Brian could assemble a herd of skin eaters and set them on people then what else could he do?

  “Let’s take this piece of shit down” Jeff said.

  Everyone looked up and nodded their heads. Mu
rmurs of agreement going between them all. They all had a fire in their eyes. They weren’t going to let Brian take them down.

  They had a fight on their hands now. One they might win no matter what.

  Chapter 12

  For the next few days everyone was gearing up and preparing for the fight that Brian was bringing to them. Two people were on watch at all times, their eyes peeled for signs of movement and watching the people from Brians group who were watching them. Michael had grabbed a pair of binoculars when he had went out scouting the day that Colleen had left them, it made keeping watch that bit better for everyone.

  No one had any idea where Colleen had ran to. They didn’t know if she had went back to join Brian or if she had ran off on her own, unable to face the group that she’d betrayed. Zoe didn’t know how to take it. Colleen’s note had said that Brian had made her do it, had made her tell him when they were going out scouting so he could set the skin eaters on them. Zoe didn’t know when she’d told him or how she managed to tell him or even if she knew exactly who was going out scouting when she told Brian. It was all making Zoe’s head spin.

  The skin eater activity had increased some since Simone, Michael, Mandy and Mark had came back from their scouting. They all blamed themselves for bringing the skin eaters here but everyone knew that this was Brian. A few times they had had to leave the depot lot to go outside the fence to kill them as there were too many to just kill through the fence. They were leaving themselves open for an attack from Brians group doing this but it was a risk they were going to have to take.

  Everyone was beginning to block the fence with anything they could move to it. A few of the buses were still able to be driven so they had moved them up to the back of the fence to try and stop anyone from attacking them at the back. They wanted to keep as much of the fight as possible to the front so they could all stick together to fight.

  Jeff, Mike, Simone and Mark were able to take the broken parts they found off the buses and place them along the front of the fence, building as much of a wall as they possibly could.

  “You know, we should’ve done this when we first came here, better for protection” Sue had said.