Artefact 299: Accounts of the Zombie Apocalypse

by Binley, L. A.

  I don't know what caused these things to come into being, a virus or mutation of a virus maybe. The way they behave doesn't seem natural. Their hearing seems to be so much more impressive than a standard human's. It's why I don't understand how we escaped the other day. How did it not know where we were going? In the past, I'd successfully distracted one of them by throwing a rock in the opposite direction. It had zeroed in on the noise. Was it only something that older zombies learnt? Did that mean they weren't equally deadly? I wouldn't let my thoughts dwell on that. If there was a chance, even a small one, that we could overpower the younger ones, maybe, just maybe, there might be a way out of this.

  Day 25

  Changing rest tactics is working. My mind no longer drifts and wanders during the day. I'm sharp, alert, focused even. The dark thoughts have retreated under the new regime. I wouldn't say that my thoughts on the apocalypse have flipped 180. There are still those niggling feelings of doubt. Like they would ever disappear completely, that would be too much to ask for. However, I can see a way out. If there are us three, there has to be more people surviving. I refuse to believe we are the only people who have found some way to live. Living might be too strong a word, but you get the idea.

  Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning out the day we're rescued. I'm not letting myself get that hopeful. Although I would be a liar if I didn't say I dream of hot food each day, and the softest mattress to sleep on every night. Everyone needs some fantasies to continue, right? I don't know if it's meeting Rachel and Daniel which has caused this shift in my feelings. They haven't done anything, in particular, to make me think that there is anything else to the world now. I just know that I was slowly giving up.

  The pressure to keep my spirits up each day isn't weighing me down like it used to. I'm no longer saddled with the weight of surviving on my own. I'm no longer suffocating in despair. Each day felt like a day abandoned at sea, with wave after wave of despair, loneliness and desolation washing over me with its unrelenting force. I was battered and bruised. Now? Now I am going forward. There is still a slight buffeting, but it can't topple me anymore.

  Day 26

  I don't know how we've managed it, but we can't see any signs of civilisation. How? England's not a huge place and yet we've not been able to find anywhere to rest safely for the past half a day. I'm lost. Correction, we're lost. Hopelessly lost. I'm starting to worry we've been walking in a circle. When we set out, I was certain we would find somewhere soon enough. It's why I said we should venture further away. I didn't realise it would cause an issue. How is there so much space? I'm starting to regret all the time I spent cosied up in my flat. I could have spent that time getting used to hiking and understanding how to stay safe out of the city. I could have at least bought a compass.

  Who am I kidding? I could get lost in my own backyard. I might have enjoyed the time outside, but it wouldn't have helped me now. I would still be aimlessly carving out paths in the middle of nowhere. My only solace is I'm not on my own and wandering without direction. Being in a group feels less terrifying. Not that my arms have de-goose bumped since I realised our predicament.

  On the plus side, Rachel has remembered a couple of berries that aren't poisonous. Blackberries were her first thought. I know, that's an easy one but my mind has blanked on all ways to forage and stay safe. It's a wonder I've lasted this long. Luckily, they have still been in season. Not enough left to keep us full, but can you even fill up on berries? It's helped eke out the food that we'd picked up, but if we don't find our way back to a village or something, our worries will be more with finding something to eat than being eaten.

  Our talking had been at a minimum today. I was still too wired to make any noise, but maybe the twins were trying to save some energy. As much as I'd missed being able to speak out loud to someone, and I don't want to give it up again, I want to keep us as safe as I can. Having someone to speak to other than myself, has done wonders for my train of thought. Nothing has happened to us since the other day, but there are unnatural noises following us. Encircling us. I've not been able to tell where it's coming from. Every noise quickened our pace.

  “Do you think that one is from something alive or dead?” Daniel asked.

  “Shut up Dan! I don't want to think about it.” Rachel nudged his side as he walked past her.

  “Why not? If it's alive, it might be friendly.”

  “Or it might be a group of people who could kill us? I wish it would stop. The noises are what stop me from sleeping. Even when they aren't there, I think I can hear them.”

  “Okay, Rach. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel worse. Only thinking out loud.”

  “Shush, both of you.” I said to them. “We don't know what it is, and we don't know where it is. If you don't keep quiet, it might hear us.”

  Both nodded at me, silence falling over us. Daniel strode off but made sure Rachel was in grabbing distance in case we stumbled across something. I kept myself at the back, but they followed my pace. Nature hummed around us, ignoring the source of the noises. I took it as a good sign. Wildlife and the continuous hum of the world usually meant there wasn't anything nefarious waiting for us. It was comforting, peaceful. Something I always listened out for. When the world goes still, that's when you want to worry, right?

  More time passed. The sound of something following us had stopped. I can't say for sure how long it was. I don't know if it was minutes, hours, seconds, or what, but we felt safe. Surely that's what counts? Although everything seemed okay, it made me worried as well. What if whatever was following us had also slowed down? That either meant zombies had managed to develop reasoning skills, or we weren't being followed by a zombie.

  “Can you hear anything?” I whispered, unwilling to disturb the calm wrapping around us.

  The twins shook their heads in response. They still seemed on edge. Rachel shifted closer to Daniel. Pulling what little comfort she could from his presence by her side.

  “I can't either.” I looked around us, “come on. Let's head that way. The trees look like they're packed together. We might be able to find somewhere to hide. If we need to.” I took off to my right, hoping the other two would follow close behind.

  I tried to hide my worry. To stop it scrawling across my face for Rachel and Daniel to see. Any extra minutes of peace I could give them, would be enough. Would my plan to take cover let the mask slip? I couldn't help it, I felt too exposed. Too out in the open. I half glared at the bright blue sky. I felt like it was mocking us. All those years of awful weather and now, when low visibility would have been perfect, we were flooded with light.

  My heart slowed as we drifted under the canopy of trees. The density gave better cover than where we had been walking.

  “As long as we don't follow any of the well-worn paths, we should be able to keep hidden.” I spoke.

  “Do we have enough food to be under here?” Daniel asked.

  “I'm not sure.” I admitted. “But this is only to make sure whatever was following us, loses us. We should be able to get out of here further down.”

  He nodded back at me.

  “We might be able to find some blackberries around here.” Rachel said. “I can't remember if they grow in shaded areas, or if they need more sunlight.”

  “If we're lucky, we'll find something to keep us going. Before anyone goes scouting, we should get some rest. If we find something to crawl under or behind, we might be able to stay hidden in case whoever, or whatever, was tracking us comes this way.”

  “Hide and wait in the shadows you mean?” Daniel asked.

  I shrugged. “We'll know if we were right to be worried.”

  “Wait, if we hang around in here too long it might be too dark for us to move on later. Won't that make it easier for a zombie to get us?” Rachel asked.

  “I'm hoping not. But we won't be taking a proper rest break. Only a short one to check we aren't being followed and to get out of their path.”

  “So we won't be travelling in
pitch black?” Her eyes turned hopefully toward me.

  “I didn't say that.”

  “Great, a nice dark walk in a creepy looking wood.”

  “Hasn't it always been on your bucket list?” Daniel teased her.

  “C'mon, let's find somewhere quick.”

  As we looked for somewhere to hide, Daniel fell into step with me. I looked over at him, but he was staring ahead.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I, sorry.” He smiled sheepishly, “lost in my thoughts.”

  “Need to talk?”

  “No, I'm good.” He paused but looked like he wanted to ask something else. “Anna, have you always been this outdoorsy?”

  The use of my name jarred me. “No.” I cleared my throat. “I mean, I liked going outside and going on a walk but not like this. I'd never slept outside before. I think I maybe sat in a tent once? It wasn't my sort of thing.”

  “You could have fooled me.” He smiled at me. “Thanks, for trying to keep us safe.”

  The tension left my shoulders. “Any time.”

  I've made sure Rachel and Daniel have safely hidden away. We might have to hide between a bush and the base of a tree, no don't ask me what type, but it will keep us out of view. Having other people to look out for has given me more of a reason to be here. More of a reason to survive. It's bittersweet, I would give anything for this to be my own family that I was looking out for. I hope they're safe out there. I hope they've managed to find it to safety.

  Days 27, 28, and 29

  We never heard anything following us after we entered the trees a few days ago. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It could mean that we'd been imagining the noises, or whoever or whatever it was had decided to find a different way to track us. There I go with my doom spiralling. Even without anything coming across our paths, we stuck to the trees for the rest of that day. We angled ourselves in the general direction we'd been going before. Eventually, we spilt out into the quiet of the night.

  “Rach, Anna, does that look like a building to you?” Daniel asked pointing towards more darkness.

  I squinted. My eyes struggling to see anything more than a few feet in front of me. “Not sure. I can only see black.”

  “There's a shadow line.” He outlined with his hand, but I still couldn't make it out. “One sec, I'll take a look and see.”

  “Don't go.” Rachel said as he took off in the direction he'd been looking.

  I closed the distance between us, reassuringly squeezing her arm. “He'll be fine. It doesn't look like it's too far off. We might as well follow as we'll be going roughly that way anyway.”

  “Okay.” She pulled my arm into hers, linking us together. “But you are not going to be able to leave me on my own.”

  I chuckled. “Don't worry, I don't plan on making any crazy journeys in this darkness.”

  Despite my assurances, she clung to my arm. Even when Daniel came back towards us a few minutes later, she didn't let up.

  “What did you find?”

  “I'll show you.” He said pulling Rachel from my arm.

  I struggled to keep up with them. My steps faltering as I tried to keep an eye out for any obstacles jumping out at me. A few steps behind them, I jolted to a stop. An old farmhouse blocking the way. The windows were cracked, but not broken. The front door sat snugly in its frame.

  “Did you go inside?” I asked in wonder. My body moving a few steps forward.

  “No, I wanted to come and grab you two. What do you think?”

  I took the remaining few steps to reach the building. My fingers skimming the rough, exposed bricks. “I'm thinking if there are enough blankets, we might be able to rest in here a lot longer than we have been doing.”

  I turned to face them. Daniel smiled at me. Rachel looked at me and I could see the relief washing over her. We might have had to walk through the darkest parts of the night before, but I knew that she'd never really enjoyed it. I moved towards the front door, hoping that it wasn't so snug because it was stuck in its frame.

  “3...2...1..” I pulled with more force than I needed. I staggered back as the heavy, oak door swung towards me. I peered into the darkness spilling from the house. “Hello?” I called out, not expecting a response.

  After a few moments, I beckoned for the twins to follow me. I took a few steps into the building, enjoying the warmth four walls can bring.

  “You two check what the rooms are like and if there's anywhere that we can get a good night's sleep. I'll check the kitchen.”

  “Sure.” Rachel said as their footsteps drifted from me.

  I opened all the cupboards but there wasn't anything worth salvaging. A few packets of rotten biscuits, and half a loaf of mouldy bread. If we couldn't find any food here, we'd have to cut the stay short. I stood in the middle of the kitchen. I spiralled slowly, forcing my eyes to look in every corner of the room. I almost gave up when I noticed a small door in the wall.

  “Please have something good in here.” I whispered to myself.

  Pulling the small door free, I was greeted with a few rows of tins. I can't remember the last time I'd been this lucky. I pulled the tins from their shelves and stacked them on the wooden table. There was the usual selection of things: carrots; sweetcorn; peas; and tinned fish. They might not have been the best choices, but they would keep us going for a few days.

  The sound of footsteps pulled me from my thoughts and my task of separating the food into three.

  “Anna?” Rachel asked as she walked into the kitchen.

  “Yeah.”

  “There's a couple of beds in here, and they're still made up. D’you, mind if me and Daniel take a nap?”

  “Go ahead. I'll stay up for a little longer and wake you if I hear anything.”

  “You're the best.” She said, darting forward for a brief hug before heading back to one of the bedrooms.

  My mind was too wired to sleep. I wouldn't let them suffer if it would make them feel better in the long run. Intending to find something fresh to change into, I headed in the direction I'd seen Anna go. There were bedrooms at the back of the house. One had been taken over by the twins. In less than 10 minutes they had managed to drop off. I envied them. Leaving them to their rest, I entered the next room.

  There were a couple of dressers in the corner by the bed. I drifted closer to one. Looking for something that would fit, but would also not be too easily spotted. The hot pink top I picked up first was quickly discarded. I rummaged through a few drawers before I found a few t-shirts that were black or grey. These would keep me going for a few more months. I tried to place the discarded clothes back where I'd found them. But the need to sleep descended on me.

  Day 30

  I awoke to the light drifting through the curtain. Startled, I pulled myself from the bed, upending myself on the floor. The thud must have been louder than I thought as I heard two sets of feet rushing towards me.

  “Anna? Where are you? Are you alright?” Rachel frantically asked, throwing things around the room.

  “I'm okay, I'm okay.” I said, slowly rising from my place on the floor. “I forgot where I was for a second. I didn't realise a cosy bed would set off such a panic though.”

  “I thought a zombie or something had got in with you.” Rachel tittered.

  “Nope, just this bed right here.” I patted it while grinning at them.

  “As long as it was nothing serious.” Daniel rolled his eyes at us before walking out of the room.

  “What's his problem?” I asked Rachel as I straightened out my clothes.

  “Oh, he's always been like that. Always sullen. Don't take it personally.”

  “I'll try not to. Did you see the food in the kitchen?”

  “The small pyramids you made?” Rachel asked as we walked towards the centre of the house.

  “Yeah.”

  “We saw them. I hope you don't mind we took two of them and packed them up already.”

  “That was the plan. I was going to find you
some spare clothes to take, or at least something to help keep you warm when the temperature drops. But I couldn't see a lot. I grabbed a couple of t-shirts for me.”

  “You don't need to look out for us like this.” She said, smiling at me.

  “I know, but I might as well. It freed up some time for you today.”

  “Don't worry about the clothes, I'll grab Danny and we can rummage through them now.”

  She peeled off towards the living room as I continued to the kitchen. I scooped the remaining pile of tins and placed them in my bag. I felt restless. In the past couple of months, I'd not had the chance to stop and take a second to decompress. To think about the world around me. In this house, I felt safe. The safest I'd felt in a long time. There were no signs that the apocalypse had reached this place. Could we make this our own haven? A place to build. I couldn't let the hope settle in too heavily in my mind. There was no way to keep this building secure.

  Day 30 Continued

  “Anna, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!”

  Rachel shook me as she repeated her mantra. My mind responded slowly from the intrusion of my slumber. Grogginess clouded my thoughts as I tried to force myself to wake. She shook me again. My eyes focused on her face, finally noticing the agitation in her movements.

  “I'm up. What's wrong?” I stifled a yawn.

  “I've seen one of them.” She said in a quiet voice.

  “One of them what?”

  “A zombie. I saw it through the kitchen window.”

  I scrambled from the bed, pulling my rucksack over my shoulder as I picked it up. I grabbed the cricket bat from beside the door as I tiptoed from the room.