From Despair to Where

by Oliver Smith

  The UK Government who were holed up with power, facilities and enough food and water to keep them operating for years were trying their best to communicate via radio transmissions, but this was a one-way communication link with no feedback into them. Their main goal was to keep as many people safe as possible by keeping them inside, it was an oversight not to warn people that dead bodies were not going to spread diseases and that the major issue facing the population was hygiene. Having done a good job keeping survivor numbers up in the first weeks of the outbreak, the Government failed with the finer details, which might have stopped people from going insane, locked up with nothing but worry. This lack of information had inadvertently undone their early endeavours. Just how much the survivors would have listened is hearsay, but a little information might have gone a long way.

  Chapter 26 - Slow Progress

  Jack jumped out of the car and rushed to Lucy’s side, she was upset, and he was petrified, he said in a rushed mumble, “Are you bitten?”

  “No, but I think I’ve killed them.” She said looking destitute.

  “Who?” Jack questioned.

  “I drew the dead down a cul-de-sac and did as we planned and fired the gun. One of the houses down there had a family waiting inside.” Lucy shook her head.

  “A man came out and called out for me to get in, he was fighting the dead to help me. I told him to go in, but he wanted to help me. They overpowered him and they got him. He left the door open and I couldn’t get across the sea of bodies.

  “They got in the house.

  “There was nothing I could do.”

  Lucy struggled with the words and was visibly shaken, she of course had no idea what would happen and couldn’t control the actions of others, but she was acutely aware that she had drawn the dead down the little road and straight into the family who had been safe until she turned up.

  Jack held Lucy as she sobbed, guilt eating her, like the dead had eaten the man who’d attempted to rescue her. She had shot as many of the dead with the gun, but with only three bullets it was in vain. She had waited and tried to help, but the dead were everywhere, and she had no other choice other than to escape over a fence and circle back round to the meeting point.

  A low moan from the road brought Jack and Lucy back to their senses, seeing it was only a few feet away, they both hurriedly got in the car and set off, she picked Chloe up and sat the girl on her knee, giving her a cuddle. The sensitive and intuitive child hugged Lucy, sensing her emotions as Jack drove away.

  “Did you clear the road?” Lucy asked, muffled through Chloe’s hair.

  “We did, yes.” Jack said, but he looked worried.

  “It’s worse than we thought isn’t it?” Lucy was thinking the same as Jack.

  Jack simply nodded his head as he concentrated on the road, his face grave as the growing numbers of soulless creatures sauntering the streets ate away any confidence he had.

  Chloe crawled into the back; she had been subdued ever since they began their journey. All the little girl wanted to do was hide and pretend everything was a dream, so she lost herself in her dolls and stared down to the safety of her lap, playing make believe with two plastic figures with normal jobs, normal names and normal lives.

  Lucy retrieved the map that was lodged in the compartment in the door and began to study it while Jack approached the now unblocked roads. Taking her eyes off the map and still lost in culpability, she surveyed the road and saw that it was passable.

  The car moved through the narrow path and pushed past a couple of the dead still ambling around, they banged on the car windows as it passed, making Chloe gasp and duck in the back. Smears of grease and filth lined the windows from unwashed dead hands. They made it through the intersection and Jack drove up the hill that exited the town, lining the road were large houses of the rich, hidden behind tall walls and gates, they would have been perfect places to lie low, but they were on a mission and stopping now was not on the agenda. As they left Alderly Edge, they also left the dead behind, at the top of the long hill, the rows of large houses ended, and the countryside sprung out. They all separately and independently let out sighs of relief as the luscious green of spring mixed with blooming flowers changed the atmosphere in the car.

  A short distance down the road, Jack pulled into a car park that was usually packed full of people who visited to walk in the countryside and visit, the Edge, which was a rocky cliff overlooking the town they’d just past. Today it was abandoned by both living and dead, Jack had a theory that the long and sharp hill acted as a deterrent to the dead. It seemed to him that the dead opted for the path of least resistance, he didn’t know if his theory held any weight behind it, but to Jack, his logic seemed like something to remember and gave him hope for heading to the hills of the Peak District.

  “Lucy, you did well, you couldn’t have known what would happen, I would have done exactly the same and I was part of the plan too so I’m as culpable as you are. We need to stick together and keep each other safe, it’s the world we live in and there are things we cannot control.” Jack was attempting to shake Lucy out of the stupor that she’d fallen into since returning to the car. He was annoyed with himself at being so patronising and wondered how he would react had someone spoken to him so callously after accidently causing the death of an innocent man, maybe family.

  Lucy did want to react to Jack’s words, but not in annoyance. She knew he was trying to share the responsibility and remind her that they both had Chloe to keep safe. It didn’t help the empty feeling and the helplessness of being unable to do anything, it was exactly the same as with George, she had no answers and even if she did, they wouldn’t provide any satisfaction. Lucy had to do what she had been doing for the past year, carry on regardless.

  Lucy gave a half-hearted smile. Jack was concerned about her, the spark had vanished and she was no longer certain and in command which worried him, not only for her mental welfare, but also in his ability to make the right choices, considering his track record of nearly getting himself killed.

  “I’ve got to pee. Do you girls need the loo?” Jack enquired.

  “I do.” Chloe chirped up and the sound of her voice relieved some of the tension that had been mounting in the car.

  “Okay, maybe we should have some lunch too, it’s nice on the Edge and it looks quiet, so perhaps we should take a breather.” Jack said.

  Getting out of the car, Jack packed his rucksack with the tinned meat sandwiches he’d made earlier that morning and they headed off into the woods. Lucy took Chloe behind some bushes to relieve themselves and Jack found a tree and alertly did his business.

  The three of them walked cautiously to the Edge, Jack and Lucy were both silently wondering if it was a good idea, but they wanted to be out of the cramped car and were eager to enjoy the vista and attempt to think of nothing.

  The Edge was deserted, they approached the large stone surface that looked over miles and miles of Cheshire countryside, ice age glaciers had forged large planes eons ago and Jack mulled over his limited knowledge of the ice age and thought that if life could continue after such upheaval then it could again. The views of the green fields and the distant hills on the horizon filled him with hope and he looked at Chloe and Lucy as they both seemed lost in the view. Climbing down rocks, they settled on the edge of a large flat stone, dangling their legs over the side, ravenously eating sandwiches, quenching their thirst by sharing a large bottle of water.

  “This was a good idea.” Lucy said reaching over to squeeze Jack’s hand, Chloe was smiling and enjoying swinging her legs.

  “I came here with Mummy and Daddy and played hide and seek with Daddy up there.” Chloe said, still smiling.

  Lucy put her arm around the girl and gave her a squeeze and kissed her on the head. They were like a little family even though they’d all been together for no more than 24 hours.

  It was about 2pm and they’d been on the road for a few hours and had only managed about five miles, but they were m
aking progress, even though it was slow going.

  Getting up to go; a rustling of leaves and the sound of breaking twigs made Jack and Lucy freeze as Chloe continued unaware. At the top of the rocks, that the trio had clambered down, a large man appeared, he was dead. He spotted Chloe first and his phlegmy groan stopped her in her tracks, he lunged forwards and tumbled down the rocks, the girl panicked and ran in the opposite direction, heading for the overhanging rocks that they’d dangled their legs from. Jack managed to wrap his arm around the girl just in time before she plunged in her frenzied state to her death.

  The creature had fallen 20 feet and landed on its feet, but the fall had broken its legs making Jack wince as the bones shattered and the legs buckled and snapped. The dead man continued to crawl forwards using its arms.

  Lucy picked up Chloe from Jack’s grasp and they climbed up a nearby rock out of reach of the monster. She set the girl down on the rock and crouched down to face her, “Chloe, you can’t just run like that, you nearly fell. These monsters are slow and stupid, and you need to be clever to avoid them.

  “That one down there just fell because it wanted to get to us. They can’t run and they can’t climb so we can easily get away from them if we’re careful and don’t panic.

  “I know they scare you and that’s okay because they scare me and Jack, but we just can’t run at the sight of them, we need to use our brains and be careful. Do you understand?”

  Chloe nodded slowly, she was crying quietly, but she turned to look at the dead man who was now at the bottom of the rock clawing helplessly at the stone breaking its fingers nails.

  “Does it feel anything? It looks sad.” Chloe said in broken whimpers.

  Jack answered, “I don’t think so, I think it’s almost like a robot just doing one job, it doesn’t know anything. It isn’t a person anymore.”

  “I know it’s not a person, you can tell from their eyes.” Chloe said looking earnestly at him.

  “If we see more of them, we just need to leave quickly. Climbing over walls will help too. You just can’t run without a plan; you need to be careful and make your way around them safely. We’d like to keep you away from the monsters, but you also need to be aware that they are out here, so you always have to be alert.” Jack said trying to make her understand that it wasn’t safe, but it wasn’t hopeless. He had no idea if she understood, but he felt like it was necessary for Chloe to see the stark reality of the dead.

  “Come on, she’s seen enough and it’s time we got going again.” Lucy said while she climbed up the rock and reached around for Chloe’s hand, pulling her up. They made their way through the trees and back to the car without seeing any more of the dead and set off on their journey once again.

  -

  Progress was still painfully slow, impassable roads and, to Jack’s embarrassment and annoyance, going around in circles meant that they’d travelled less than 10 miles in seven hours.

  “I think we should find a place to stay for the night and continue early tomorrow.” Jack conceded.

  “I think it’s probably for the best, who knows how long it’ll take to get to the hills and we’re short on time today.” Lucy agreed, sensing the despondency in Jack’s voice.

  They were still in an affluent area with large houses sporadically lining the leafy and elegant road, it was quiet and would have been a place for the wealthy to retire and enjoy their success surrounded by their peers. Jack pictured men going to play golf and women getting pedicures and manicures to fill the void of not having to waste their lives working for the man in meaningless jobs, perhaps his mind was still stuck in the world that it was, but a little bit of envy still lingered in the back of his mind.

  “That one is massive!” Chloe screamed excitedly from the back of the car, Lucy and Jack were stirred from their own musings and looked to their left and couldn’t argue, the house that Chloe had spotted was impressive, the garage was as big as Jack’s house; the mansion was three stories, and to make it even better, surrounded by high walls, it looked perfect.

  “Well spotted Chloe, it looks like you’ve found us our accommodation this evening.” Jack said smiling at the girl who grinned back looking pleased with herself. The run-in with the dead man at their picnic area had an abnormal effect on her, she was more relaxed and had been a lot more vocal since.

  Pulling up to the tall dominating gate, Jack got out of the car and tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge, going back to the car he asked Lucy to get in the driver seat and wait for him to return, he wanted to ensure the coast was clear and there was a way into the fortress looking house. He instructed Lucy to drive away should any of the dead approach and to come back when the coast was clear.

  The car was idling away with Lucy and Chloe sat waiting, Jack jumped up on the wall and over to the other side. It was clear and the house looked even more impressive the closer he got, it seemed more like a hotel than a home. Jack turned to check the gate, it was automated and looked like it slid open, he found the mechanism and saw that there was a manual override, but this needed a key to function.

  Looking around the outside of the house there were no signs of life, Jack walked up to the front door and knocked. He put his ear to the door and listened, but the door was thick, and he couldn’t hear anything. Knocking again, he waited, but there was still nothing. Learning from his previous scramble over the gate of Chloe’s house, without first checking to see if it was open, he turned the door handle and, to his surprise, it was unlocked. A vast expanse of a hallway greeted him. A huge staircase dominated the far end of the hall, with eight doors, all shut, leading to different parts of the house. Jack took the hammer from his belt and started to explore the mansion, taking the doors to the left first. Each room was impressive, not to Jack’s taste, minimalist and expensive, it looked like a showroom. He checked the hallway more thoroughly for the key that would open the front gate, but was unsuccessful. Conscious that he needed to speed up his search to get Chloe and Lucy in the house and away from danger, Jack picked up his pace.

  He walked towards one of the large doors and carelessly knocked his shin painfully against a heavy marble coffee table that accompanied a sitting area in the hall. He cursed loudly. As expletives exploded from his mouth, a loud banging sprang to life from the door in front of him. He had no doubt what waited behind the door and knew he was going to have to deal with it. He was tired and couldn’t keep dragging the girls around all day, he’d felt a disappointment to them so desperately wanted to give them this house as compensation for his incompetency and his failing plan.

  Jack walked over to the door where the banging continued, it sounded loud and powerful against the sturdy timber frame. He placed his hand on the doorknob and could feel the door shake with each thud. Counting down from three, he turned the handle and pushed, it was wedged, but he knew what was keeping it from swinging open. Putting his shoulder to the door, he pushed with more force, and it opened.

  “Fuck me.” Jack exclaimed as a giant of a man stumbled backwards unsteadily. It must have been over 6’7” and weighed twice as much as Jack, it was muscly and would have been a monster of a man, Jack wondered if the creature had been a heavyweight boxer.

  The dead man lurched forward having regained its composure, forcing Jack backwards, he tried to swing the hammer, but caught the creature on the shoulder, it was too tall for Jack to get a powerful strike to the head. He backed off into the hall as the giant strode forward, quicker than any of the dead that Jack had encountered. He turned and ran up the staircase, partly out of panic and partly hoping for a height advantage. The monstrous brute was struggling with its coordination whilst attempting to climb the stairs, it missed a step and fell forwards landing awkwardly face first onto the hard stone steps. Jack sensed his opportunity and as the dead man began to get to its feet, arms lifting the gargantuan form, he swung the hammer down on the giant’s crown. It wasn’t enough, it continued to rise. Jack pulled the hammer up again and this time slammed it down with everything
he had. The hammer landed with full impact and buried itself into the creature’s skull, with a splash of red, it fell face down, lifeless. Jack fell backwards and sat on the stairs, breathing heavily.

  Getting to his feet, Jack needed to act quickly so he could get Lucy and Chloe inside. He first needed to sweep the rest of the house and ensure there were no more undead monsters lurking in the shadows, he then needed to move the body and mop up the blood, and finally, he had to find the key to the gate.

  The house was clear of further dangers, in the kitchen however was the carcass of a dog. It looked as though it had cowered in the corner, away from its once master, and hadn’t stood a chance locked in the kitchen with the infected giant. From the remains, Jack couldn’t tell what type of dog it was, but the sight depressed him more than many of the human remains he’d seen.

  Diverting his eyes from the grisly sight, Jack checked the kitchen drawers and found an array of keys, he put them in a plastic bag and jogged to the gates to get them open and let the girls in.

  He stood by the gate mechanism and went through each key until he found the correct one. Unsure exactly what to do, Jack used the key to operate the manual override, he took a quick peek over the gate to see what was waiting for him. The car sat where he’d left it, still idling away, beside the car lay two bodies; evidently Lucy had been busy whilst Jack had been running around inside the mansion.

  Jack dug his heals into the gravel and began to pull the heavy gates open. His body still ached, and the pain felt like a permanent thing now that life’s luxuries had been taken away from him. With the gate open, Lucy was quick to pull the car in.

  Lucy and Chloe jumped out of the car and stretched, happy to be out in the open, Jack glanced at Lucy and then at the two lifeless bodies on the road and raised his eyebrows, Lucy shrugged.