The Biters (Book 1): Time to Run

  "Hey... Joe... when you spoke to Ellie, did you tell them to stay indoors?" I hoped that he had.

  "Yeah... she knows what to do... and I already told you this a few minutes ago... She's not stupid Tim. Anyway, if there's trouble out there I've got this powerful kick ass axe that will knock those mad fuckers out in an instant. I've got this... so no need to worry... okay."

  Joe picked up a bag and opened it. He put the heavy metal axe into it and zipped it up. I thought Joe was too eager to get going, but I knew he wanted to try out his weird looking axe that he'd owned for a long time. It was like a trophy to him. I hoped he didn't hurt a real person with it. At the age of 35, Joe was still like a kid at times.

  "Well... that axe should work." I said smiling at him, looking at Lydia to see if she thought my brother was just as mad as those biters out there.

  "Yep… you will certainly scare them away with that." Lydia said rolling her eyes up and smiling at him.

  "Right let's get going. We'll go to Ellie's first and then to Janice's place." Joe said eager to get going, as he picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder and then picked up a cage with two cats in it; a black and white fluffy one and a jet black male cat.

  "You can't take the cats Joe." I said trying not to laugh.

  "Why not? I can't leave Fluffy and Blackberry to die here. I won't allow it." Joe said sadly.

  "Let him bring them Tim. It's okay," said Lydia.

  "Okay then... but don't blame me if anything goes wrong with them..." I said giving Lydia and Joe a look of thunder. I was beginning to get angry at anything lately. I think the drink was winding me up. Joe was certainly trying to wind me up.

  Joe opened the front door, but as we did, there were at least three biters out there. Joe managed to slam the door in their faces in time, as they were about to get in through the door.

  "I need my axe if we are going to get out of here. Here Tim... do you want a hammer?" asked Joe.

  "No, I've got my fishing sticks. They can kill anything. Lydia has them too." I said.

  "Okay then... let's do it.... I'll leave the cats here and come back for them when we've killed those things out there." Joe said eagerly.

  I watched as Joe opened the front door again. The minute he was outside, he held the axe with both hands and slammed it into the biter; hitting its head wide open. I saw its head split in half. Joe certainly had no qualms about doing it either I thought as I cringed at the sight of the thing. He was full of energy for a big guy like himself and it must be all those PlayStation games he had seen in the past... he must have memorised each one, I thought.

  I thrust my stick into another head and Lydia just stood there behind us not moving. She, suddenly, seemed to be going all weird in herself.

  "Lydia, what's wrong? Come on. We have to get out of here... run to the caravan now!"

  I saw her run as Joe slammed the axe into the last biter. The guy's head cracked into small pieces squirting out blood all over Joe's t.shirt.

  Lydia was inside the caravan and, Joe went to pick up the cat cage and I, got into my van to make our way to Ellie's house. I looked at Joe as he got into the passenger seat. He was still holding the axe. It was covered in blood. It had definitely done a good job, because it had saved us all.

  8. Lydia Brown - The Gun

  Parking the caravan behind Tim's van, I waited for them impatiently. I didn't want to go inside and see any more bitten bodies. I was feeling dreary and fed up with it all, but I had a feeling it was going to get worse.

  When we arrived, there were a few biters outside the house. Four of them were hungry for flesh. Tim and Joe were like warriors to the rescue knocking them down. I watched Tim poke two of them, each through their eyes and Joe swung his axe right through their skulls. The two brothers were unstoppable and I was pleased that I had decided to stick with Tim and now his brother was even more courageous. On first glance, Joe didn't seem the courageous sort, so I was pleasantly surprised by how quick and sharp he was when he fought his way through it. I was glad in a way and relieved that I didn't have to fight my way through those awful creatures.

  I was waiting for Tim to come out and tell me it was okay. I thought it would be safer here to just wait. I was thinking how quiet it was, when I heard a knock on the caravan door. I peered through the window, but couldn't see anyone around. I opened the door, thinking it might be Tim or perhaps, biters, but I was wrong.

  "Hey..." I heard a woman shout out. "put your hands up!"

  I looked around and saw a tall, skinny woman with a gun. She was pointing it at me. I was shocked. I, also, felt elated for some reason. I was sure it was my time to die.

  "Give me the keys to your caravan! Where are they?" The woman asked.

  "I... I... there inside." I knew exactly where the keys were, because I had left them in the ignition.

  "Get inside now." The woman demanded in a fierce, manly way.

  I climbed up the steps and got inside the caravan. The woman followed me pointing the gun into my back.

  Suddenly, I heard her fall to the ground. A couple of awful creatures had come up behind her. They pulled her to the ground, whilst I quickly shut the door behind me and got into the driver's seat. I panicked. I wanted Tim and Joe to hurry up. They were taking too long.

  Thinking about what to do, I decided to be brave. I got up and opened the door, holding the stick Tim had given me in my other hand. The walker was munching away on the woman outside. I smirked to myself when I saw the gun. I was going to kill the walker and take the gun. That was my plan. I wanted the gun for protection, so I could check on what was happening inside Tim's sister's house. A gun would come in handy I thought.

  I cringed as I killed the walker outright when I stuck my stick straight through its eye. I, then, stuck the stick into the woman's eye and retrieved the gun. I walked to the front door and knocked. I waited, but no one came. I hoped they were all okay. I didn't want to be on my own. I needed people to talk to and it was better to be with others. I knocked again, then I saw a figure through the pane of obscure glass come towards me. I wasn't sure who it was until the door opened.

  "Oh you must be Lydia?" A woman said as she stood at the open door.

  "Yes... " I answered.

  "I'm Ellie, Tim and Joe's sister. Come in."

  "Hi." I said.

  "We've just been packing up some stuff to take with us." She said as I walked inside behind her.

  I saw Tim and Joe in the living room with two teenage children. They were all laughing, which I thought was nice to see.

  "Tim, we should get going. I was nearly attacked by a woman out there who wanted the caravan. She had this..." I said holding up the gun to show him.

  Tim quickly pushed me out of the living room.

  "What are you doing showing that in front of the kids?"

  "I... oh... I didn't think... sorry...but I really think we should get going before anything like that happens again. Don't you think?" I told him. I was being honest.

  "Where is she now... the woman?" Tim asked.

  "It's okay... she's been bitten and I took care of it. Both are now dead."

  "Good. I'll go and get the others and we will all go out there together. Okay? And put that gun away out of sight." Tim commanded with a sudden bossiness about him.

  "Okay." I answered sarcastically.

  He disappeared and I heard him talking to the others, telling them we had to go now. I thought Tim was getting a bit over the top with worry and he seemed more drunker.

  I put the gun down the front of my jeans and then pulled my jumper over it. I looked around. Joe came out with Ellie and a guy that I assumed was her husband. I saw that they each carried a suitcase. I wondered what was in them. Probably food, clothes, water and anything else we needed.

  Ellie smiled at me. She seemed nice I thought. I wasn't sure if I would get on with her or not, but I didn't really care at present. I was still feeling angry about my parents. Tim still had all his family, but I had no one any
more. The end of everything was now upon us and I was dreading the future.

  Tim and Joe got into the van, as Ellie, her husband and their children entered the caravan before me. I started the engine up and followed Tim's van. We were going to get Janice and her daughter, Molly.

  When we arrived, there were quite a few biters outside their home. I watched Tim and Joe do their usual combat version of attacking walkers. They were seriously getting better at it. Nothing could stop them I thought. I watched Tim and wondered if he was still drinking. He, presently, seemed fine, but I noticed earlier how suddenly angry he could become. Perhaps, he had cut down or maybe he didn't have any alcohol left. It didn't really matter as long as he could cope and he was doing that very easily right now.

  They went inside and five minutes later, I saw Joe appear. He was with a big rounded woman with shoulder length blonde hair, who I thought must be Janice and a young dark haired girl who must be Molly. Then, behind them, was two young men. Who were they I thought? How many people were we going to bring with us? I thought the group was getting too large. I was a little nervous about it for some reason. I didn't know who these other people were and seeing two other men with Joe now made me panic.

  They approached the caravan and Joe opened the door.

  "Lydia, this is my girlfriend, Janice and her daughter, Molly... And this is Aiden, Janice's brother and his mate, Alan. Hope you don't mind all of them tagging along with you in here?" Joe asked kindly.

  I hadn't minded at all, but now that I had seen two new members, I was a little weary about it. I hoped they would be able to defend themselves, which was my main worry.

  "It's fine... I didn't realise there would be more people Joe..." I stated, quietly, to him without anyone hearing me.

  "Yeah... me too...I was surprised when I saw those two with Janice. In fact, I don't even know Aiden's friend, but apparently, all of his family have been killed by the virus. They got ill one by one... and then turned. He was the only one that got away. That's when he met up with Aiden. I think Aiden saved him." He answered tapping his hand on my shoulder.

  "Wow... is he okay? He must be feeling devastated." I asked sincerely.

  "He is... To be honest, I think he's a little unstable... I think it's best if you keep a watch over him for now... see how he gets on. We have the children to consider too. We don't need them seeing anything out of the ordinary. Although, eventually, they will see the creatures. So, keep an eye on him... oh his name is Alan." Joe explained.

  "Okay, I will watch him. Thanks for the warning." I said as I smiled.

  I drove the caravan and Tim followed behind me this time. Joe had said it would be better if we were in front, so they could keep watch over us. Just in case, he said. He was right I thought, as I shoved my foot on the break and stopped suddenly. There was an abandoned black saloon vehicle blocking our way on the road. I couldn't get past it on either side. I watched as Tim and Joe approached it on foot. They looked inside. Tim shook his head and Joe came to the side of me as I winded the window down.

  "No one in it... it looks abandoned. We will try to get it out of the way and then we should go," said Tim.

  "Okay." I answered as I felt apprehensive. I felt nervous about the whole thing. Something wasn't right.

  They pulled the handbrake down and pushed it aside, but as they did so, three men with guns came out of nowhere. They attacked them. I watched Tim fall to the ground as one of the guys punched him hard on the cheek, but Joe was held captive. I screamed, as they came walking over to the caravan. I was frantic. I got the gun out of my jeans and held it for protection. I didn't know how to use it, but I felt better for having it near me for everyone's sake. I hoped this wouldn't be the end for any of us.

  9. Joe Spark’s - Courage

  Three men knocked my brother out. They hit him with a gun, but for some reason they didn't hit me. One of the guys held his gun at me. The other two walked towards the caravan. I could see Lydia at the front of it. I made a face at her, hoping she would not open the door to these thugs. I figured they wanted the caravan and they were going to try their best to get it.

  "Hey... you... open this door!" I heard one of them shout at Lydia.

  I watched her. She didn't move.

  "Open it now or we'll shoot your friends." Said the skinny guy.

  The other men were large and tall like me. The guy that held his gun at me turned around, and at that point, I could see that he had a knife in his back pocket. I wasn't sure what to do. I knew I wanted to get out of this situation. I, also, wished I'd taken my axe out with me, but I'd left it in the van. Things like this normally don't happen, but lately anything was possible. I knew the infected biters were sometimes around. I wished one of them would come out to distract these men, so I could do something to help Lydia.

  "Hey lady... all we want is your caravan... wouldn't you say that's fair rather than us kill your friends," he shouted.

  I heard Lydia yell out.

  "No, I'm not giving it to you! And I think you're bluffing... you wouldn't dare kill anyone!" Lydia was being fierce I thought. Good girl!

  I hoped she would keep on talking. She was distracting them and that's what I wanted. I needed to get out of this situation.

  I heard a shuffle behind me and turned to see what it was. It was Tim. He'd come around from being unconscious. He opened his eyes and I glared at him, making eye contact with him. I wanted to let him know that I was about to do something. I pointed at the guy's knife in his back pocket. Tim slowly sat up and no one noticed. These men had completely forgotten about him. How stupid!

  This was our chance. I quickly leaned forward and grabbed the knife from the guy's back pocket whilst Tim stood up. I, then, grabbed the guy around the neck quietly and Tim pulled the gun from him. We had him pinpointed. The other guys hadn't seen what was happening. We were lucky.

  I could see Lydia watching us. We were even more luckier when four evil looking walkers came out from behind the trees and attacked the guys with their teeth. They hadn't even seen them coming. I watched as one of them got bitten. His life was slowly being taken from him, whilst the other one pointed his gun and tried to shoot it at them, but he was too slow. Within minutes, both of their bodies were bleeding out in chunks. I could hear mouths ripping flesh from skin. It was quite disturbing, but it had truly helped us.

  "Tim, hit the guy over the head so we can get out of here." I said urgently.

  "Okay Joe." Answered Tim.

  Tim walked over to the guy and was about to lift the gun up to hit him when he started to speak.

  "Please, don't hurt me. It wasn't my idea to attack. Please... just let me go. I promise I won't do anything... I'll walk away.... please. I was never going to do anything bad... It was the others who'd suggested doing this... please... I'm just a useless teacher on the run. Please... I beg you... I'll do anything... you can take me with you if you want.. I can help you." The guy pleaded.

  I looked at Tim.

  "What shall we do Tim? Shall we let him stay with us or let him go?" I said flippantly.

  "Well... I'm not sure Joe... What do you think?"

  "Can a teacher come in use? I mean one day we may need someone to teach the kids." I said.

  "No... I don't think I can trust him now." Tim said.

  "I suppose you're right." I said shrugging my shoulders.

  "Yeah... I am... I think."

  "Listen mate." I said whilst still holding him around his neck. "You have two seconds to run or we will shoot you. Now, get going." I said as I shoved the guy's back towards the trees on the other side of the road.

  The guy didn't hesitate. He just ran away quickly and never looked back. He was a coward, but I knew we should have been kinder to him.

  "Joe, let's go. Let's go around the other side of the caravan now. Come on... quickly." Tim said urgently.

  I nodded back at him and we quietly got to the van to get our weapons without disturbing the biters around the other side of the caravan. We mov
ed like we had never moved before. We were getting good at dealing with the infected. My axe was a killer too. It did what it needed to do. It was the best weapon in my opinion.

  Tim did his bit with his sticks and we both got through it without a scratch on us. Lydia opened the door and stood there shaking. Ellie and Janice stood behind her.

  "Oh my God Joe... where did all that courage come from?" Asked Janice as she came out to hug me.

  I just shook my shoulders. I was pleased that we had at least got out of that situation, but what would be next? Things were bound to get worse. People were going crazy just because they wanted to survive. I knew it was probably going to get more unpleasant as the days went by.

  "Right... get back into the caravan... all of you. Lydia, follow our van in future and we must not stop for nothing this time unless I say so. Got it?" Tim commanded.

  I agreed with him and saw Lydia nod in agreement with us.

  Tim and I got back into the van whilst Lydia started up the caravan. We wanted to get as far away as possible now.

  We drove for miles until we couldn't go no more. We got off the motorway and drove down a small lane where we could see some trees and some fields. We were somewhere near Berkshire. So, Tim said we should stop for the night and rest. It was pitch black outside already. The darkness would be our downfall I thought, as we parked up behind some bushes. We didn't want any more surprises. We wanted to sleep peacefully.

  As I got out of the van, I noticed something in the distance. It looked like a building. I remembered the binoculars that I had packed and was inside my bag. I fetched them and looked into them. It was a castle of some sort from what I could see.

  "Hey, Tim, look into these and tell me what you see." I asked.

  I watched as Tim peered through the binoculars.

  "Wow... there's a castle or some kind of fortress out there." Tim said with a smile.

  "Yeah, I thought so too. Do you think it's worth looking into? Perhaps, we could sleep there tonight." I asked Tim.