From Despair to Where

by Oliver Smith

  “Did you see the cars though, they’re wrecked, and we won’t be able to push them.” Lucy responded, her eyes looking up as though deep in thought.

  Not knowing what to do, Jack sat there in silence. Chloe was speaking in the back seat, but her words were lost as the two adults considered the options available. A bang on the back window brought them around. One of the dead was pressed up against the rear window, its mouth and mutilated face smearing up against the glass. Jack accelerated and left the dead creature falling to its face as the car catapulted away. Driving without thought, Jack turned left into a road and sped down a narrow street.

  Lucy shouted, “Jack, stop!”

  The car skidded to a stop. Lucy turned her head around and pointed, “Look, that Honda over there. It’s abandoned, the door is open, we could use it to push the cars blocking the road out of the way.”

  “What about the dead?” Jack said.

  “Monsters!” Chloe screamed.

  “Don’t worry about them, you’re safe with us Chloe.” Lucy said with kindness, but uncertainty.

  Now hushing her voice and turning to Jack, Lucy continued, “I’ll draw them away, when the coast is clear, take that car and clear the road.”

  Jack sat in silence letting Lucy’s words sink into some sort of comprehension, finally he said, “I can’t let you do that. It’s too risky.”

  With annoyance painted on her face, the second time Jack has seen that look, Lucy responded sharply, “Do you have a better idea? I’m quick and I can run forever if needed. Plus, you’re bent out of shape due to the past couple of day’s excursions. I’m not asking, this is what’s going to happen.” She softened a little and continued, “I know you’re worried about me, but we don’t have a choice, I have to do this, and you have to push the cars out of the way.

  “Look, this is the most plausible plan.” Lucy hushed her voice further, “You need to keep Chloe with you, she’s more important.

  “First of all, we need to check that Honda to see if we can get it going. If we can, we’ll all drive it closer to the blocked road, leaving your car here, which we’ll come back for later, I’ll then create a distraction and get those beasts to follow me. Once you’ve managed to move the cars, drive back, pick up the Citroen and head to the layby we passed up the road, I’ll meet you there.”

  She paused still thinking about the plan she was cooking up on the fly, and then said as an afterthought, “I’ll be careful, I can escape over walls, so they won’t be able to get me.”

  Jack looked crestfallen, his male pride hurt, but he knew she was right, and her tone told him not to argue. He nodded and felt like a coward.

  “Good, now Chloe, did you understand what I said? We’re going to get in the other car, you need to do exactly what Jack tells you to do. I’ll be back soon to meet you both.” Lucy said, firmly taking control of the situation.

  The little girl gripped one of her dolls and didn’t say anything. Being out of the house had turned her into a mute, but she didn’t argue or cause a fuss.

  “Before we set off, Jack and I need to check that car over there. We’ll just be outside, but we need you to stay in the car and out of sight while we see if it still works.” Lucy continued her instructions.

  “Stay here, out of sight.” Chloe repeated with a worried smile.

  “Good. Come on Jack, let’s make this quick.” Lucy got out of the car with her bat and shut the door quietly behind her. Jack was quick to follow, turning around to Chloe before he got out, smiling at her, and affectionately ruffling her hair.

  The two of them walked over to the car, one of the dead had seen them at the end of the road and was making its way towards them. They both spotted it, but it was a distance away, so they had time to check the car. It was a Honda CR-V, the door was open and the keys were in the ignition, the owner must have left it in a hurry. Jack got in the driver side door and tried to turn the car over, but nothing, no lights on the dashboard, the battery had died over time, the internal light draining the power.

  “The battery’s dead.” Jack said.

  “We can push start it. Do you know how?” Lucy asked.

  “I think so, I did it once with friends when we were younger, we need to get moving though that thing is getting closer.” Jack said looking in the direction of the creature swaying its way towards them.

  Without a word, Lucy jogged towards the dead being.

  Half-heartedly, Jack shouted in a hushed voice, “Luc-” but stopped himself as she carried on anyway. He looked on with apprehension as she approached the dead man. It was now groaning with arms outstretched, it looked relatively fresh and normal, with no visible bite marks. Lucy skated around it with grace and managed to get behind it, with a swing of the bat she hit it hard on the head and knocked it down. It continued to move on the ground as Lucy once again brought the bat up and swung with all her might. Jack heard the crunch of the skull and saw the body fall limply to the ground.

  Lucy jogged back to Jack and told him that she would push and to get in the car. He was feeling a little emasculated, but Lucy’s mental strength was something he secretly liked and cherished, he felt safe with her, but desperately wanted it to be the other way around. Jack obeyed her orders and got in the car, racking his brain to remember how to push start the car. It came to him: turn the ignition to on, put it in second, clutch down and then when moving, release the clutch and press the accelerator.

  Pushing the car was made easier by the slight decline of the street and Lucy soon had the car moving at jogging pace, Jack released the clutch and pressed the accelerator, with a spurt the car sounded into life. He breathed a sigh of relief as the fear of letting Lucy down and not being able to get the car started vanished. He brought the car to a stop, being extra careful to take it out of gear to avoid stalling, Lucy got in and they made their way back to the Citroen.

  As they reached the car, Chloe clambered out of it and came running up to Lucy and gave her a big hug. She looked at Lucy in awe, “I saw you kill the monster.” The girl said whilst burying her head into Lucy’s chest.

  Lucy picked Chloe up and told her to sit in the front and stay with Jack until they all met up again. Lucy got into the back of the Honda looking pensive. Jack reached around from the driver seat and handed her the spare key to the Citroen and the gun, “Take the gun, fire it when you’re at a safe distance from the crowd, to lead them away. I also brought the spare key for the car, if you end up here or need to get to the car, take it and meet us at the layby, if the car’s gone when I get back, I’ll know where to find you.”

  They drove the short distance back towards the blocked intersection, as close as they could get to let Lucy out of the car and draw the dead away. The dead had scattered a little and some had made their way down the road towards the car, having been lured by their initial arrival. Nervous energy filled the car, every part of Jack wanted to change Lucy’s mind and come up with a different plan, but he stayed silent, unable to think of anything better.

  “Here will do.” Lucy said, she leant over the front seats and kissed both Chloe and Jack on the cheek and opened the door.

  “Please be careful.” Jack said, tears involuntarily forming in his eyes.

  “I’ll be with you again in no time. Get us through those cars.” Lucy said, and with that she shut the door behind her and weaved in and out of the dead that had broken away from the main clump by the crushed cars. Jack reversed the car around a corner and hid out of sight so that Lucy could do her part.

  Lucy ran hard. She had her trusty bat and had already caught one of the dead around the side of the head as she made her way to the blocked road. When she got past the first cars, she began to shout, “You miserable lot, come and get me. Fresh meat.”

  Heads turned, bodies scrambled, and the dead started to gather en masse, heading in Lucy’s direction. At the crossroads, she had decided to turn right up the main road and draw them away and out of site from the blocked road that Jack was to clear. She wanted t
o run with all her might, but she knew she had to be steady and keep within spitting distance of the pack, to ensure they carried on their hungry pursuit. First, she had to navigate the entrenched area, full of the dead, all gathering into a cluster to sink their teeth into her. Some of the dead had been rotting in the spring sunshine and the air smelt putrid and she wanted to vomit. It made breathing hard.

  The dead were in greater numbers than she’d anticipated. The 100 or so that they’d seen near the crumpled wreckage of the intersection were joined by many more along the main road. Climbing over a car bonnet, she was surrounded and began to panic, the dead were closing in on her and getting too close. One of them grabbed her arm and pulled her sideways and off balance, her momentum pushed her into the waiting arms of a giant man wearing a tattered suit. Lucy managed to pull her bat up, and with the butt, pushed the reeking face backwards, but more were on her, she had no escape.

  Lucy wasn’t prepared to die just yet, she ducked and then dived and rolled under a four-wheel drive car. She panted, thinking what the hell to do next when she saw the feet and legs of the dead gather around the car she was under. One by one they crouched, fell, and crumpled to the ground all sensing that their feast had arrived. Hands clawed at her clothes and she felt like she was going to be sick. Pushing hands and snarling faces away with her bat, she clambered flat on her front to the back of the four-wheel drive and came out ahead of the pack. Carrying on moving, getting to her feet as she crawled, Lucy saw that she was out of the main pack and had only a few of the dead in front of her. Looking back, she saw just how many had gathered behind her. Banging her bat against a car to get the horde’s attention, Lucy began to speed walk up the road as the hungry crowd gave chase.

  Half a mile up the road, Lucy came to a small cul-de-sac called White Barn Road, she slowed her pace and shouted to the crowd who were about 50 meters away from her. Turning the corner, she walked down the road and waited for the first of the dead to follow her. Like an obedient group of puppies, they started pouring into the little road. Lucy took the gun out of her jacket pocket and pointed it into the air, she hesitated and then brought it down and aimed at the nearest one’s head. Without hesitating she gently squeezed the trigger letting the gun fulfil its destiny. An almighty bang filled the air, making Lucy’s ears ring, she had stood firm and resisted the kick back and watched as the bullet struck its victim to the left of its forehead and continue its journey into the ensuing mob.

  -

  Jack heard the distant gun fire and put the car into first gear and drove to the blocked road. The dead were gone and the scene didn’t look half as bad as he’d remembered. Surveying the area, he could clearly see the path they needed to take and that he’d have to push two cars out of the way. They weren’t up against each other, it was two separate crashes, one was Jack’s side of the road, the other was the opposite side. He drove slowly up to the first car and pushed the front end up to the rear half of the crumbled wreck. His idea was to push it from an angle, turn the wreck around and then push it from the front where it should be easier to move. Chloe had moved herself into the footwell of the car at Jack’s request and remained silent, shutting her eyes out of fear.

  The two cars were moved relatively easily, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he saw a clear a route through the once blocked crossroads. The whole operation was noisy and more of the dead were wandering over sensing an opportunity to ease their never-ending hunger. Happy with his part of the plan, Jack slowly reversed the car through the roadblock, turned around and headed back in the direction they’d come to get to their car and back to the meeting place.

  Trepidation filled Jack’s entire body and he thought of nothing but Lucy, even Chloe’s questions faded into background noise as he concentrated on his worries. The gun shot had eased his fears, but it sounded so far away, and the dead seemed to be coming out of the shadows in increasing numbers. They’d been on the road for a couple of hours now and they’d only made four miles progress. Worry was overwhelming Jack.

  The road where they’d left the Citroen was no longer deserted, three of the dead roamed menacingly and Jack was concerned about transferring between the cars, particularly Chloe who seemed to freeze upon seeing any of the monsters that terrified her. He lured the dead away by driving slowly up the road to ensure they could swap cars without drama.

  Having bought some time, Jack parked the car next to the Citroen, which was still there, meaning Lucy hadn’t made it back before them. He instructed Chloe to jump straight into the passenger side. Jack turned the Honda off and left the key in the ignition, should Lucy need it, hoping it would have enough juice in the battery to start a second time. He joined Chloe in the Citroen and set off for the meeting place.

  Arriving at the meeting point, Jack couldn’t see Lucy, he slowed the car and pulled into the layby, from behind the hedge, Lucy appeared looking traumatised. Jack seeing the look of despair on her face felt his spirits sink to new depths.

  Chapter 25 - Fake News

  The survival rate at the beginning of the zombie outbreak was greater than many experts feared. The popularity of zombie fiction, be it television programmes, books or comics meant that a good percentage of the western world were familiar with the potential outcome of the dawn of the dead.

  Huge population shifts were evident in the United States of America. Those who were lucky enough to escape the sprawling cities travelled by road, rail and even on foot to the countryside. A population shift took place similar to that of the first settlers in the once great nation. Disputes over land prevailed and many lives were lost over infighting between families and clans that worked selfishly rather than together. Those who were left in the major cities were to play a waiting game from inside their homes only to be let down by their Government who took the extreme measure of bombing large sections of cities in order to control and reduce the numbers of dead. This tactic was short-sighted and detrimental to those who had fought to survive. Many of the armed services failed to deliver their payloads out of guilt, but the steady supply of dutiful soldiers meant that the living didn’t have to wait long for the bombing to start.

  Those who still survived in the cities after the bombing ceased were stranded, roads were blocked and the chances of escape were minimal, meaning they would have to adapt quickly to a life of scavenging or perish from thirst or hunger.

  The people who made their way to the countryside were faced with similar problems to the towns and cities they left. Huge populations were gathering and with frequent infection, those who made their way from cities faced everyday outbreaks. With less secure accommodation, sleeping in makeshift shelters, cars, and tents, it was easier for the dead to attack in the darkness of night. Humanity spread like locusts, eating their way through the country to find a place to stay, but it was a move that lacked any thought of their long-term future. Many continued their journeys to keep out of reach of desperate people ready to fight for whatever they could steal in order to keep their loved ones safe.

  The common thought throughout most of the western world was based on misinformation. The UK had been told to stay indoors and stay safe until the infection died down and order restored to some sort of normality. Normality of course is relative, normality as people knew it, no longer existed. As food and water diminished, people started to panic and began to make a late dash in search of safety. Fear gripped those who were left to fend for themselves in the world of rotting corpses and the walking dead, it was natural to fear the dead, but there was also huge concern for disease spread by the sheer number of bodies that were decaying. It was a misconception that was in fact not true. The World Health Organisation had issued statements that fell on deaf ears. Bodies dying from trauma did not pose a threat to spreading disease, but as the air began to fill with the foul stench of death, people panicked and began their desperate getaway from the cities and towns that they had once called home.

  It didn’t take long for people to start making their moves. On average i
t was approximately seven days after the outbreak that people began to flee their homes and attempt half thought through plans to get to islands, hills, and the countryside to seek a new life and a better chance of survival.

  The movement of people caused the second biggest fatality rate, almost as much as the initial outbreak. Less than ten percent of those trying to break out of the cities made it out alive. Most of those that did make it out were on their own and fending for themselves. Many of those who died were in groups of friends or family; looking out for each other slowed them down and forced them to take more risks which ultimately got them killed. The exodus also added many more walking corpses to the already swelling numbers, and those cities that had been barricaded shut by the army to stop the flow of dead escaping, were being opened up, letting a steady stream out into the unknown.

  Unfortunately for those who were still living, the fear of disease sweeping city streets forced many into the hands of the dead. With no Internet or ways to locate information of use, hearsay and misinformation were equally as responsible for many deaths as the infection itself. Very few had access to useful information, had they stayed put and allowed the great hordes of dead to disburse, the chances of survival would have been far greater. The lack of knowledge about the spread of disease wasn’t helped by outbreaks of gastroenteritis and food poisoning from eating out of date and unrefrigerated food. Fear and panic about disease intensified and ultimately made people leave their shelters.

  Disease did rear its head in parts of the UK, and this was nothing to do with cadavers. Poor sanitation and not having anywhere to properly dispose of human waste saw a sharp increase of many infectious diseases including cholera and typhoid, but these cases were infrequent and weren’t spread throughout the living due to the living rarely coming in to contact with each other. The spread of diseases, or lack of, was aided by the fact that those who contracted them were weak from malnutrition and didn’t have access to medical support so often perished alone.