The Biters (Book 1): Time to Run

  "Joe, did you bring any torches, because I've only got one with me."

  "Yeah... I've got three torches in my bag." I replied.

  I remembered packing them.

  "Okay... perhaps, me, you and Nick should go take a look now and check it out." Tim said eagerly.

  "I'll come too and Alan can if he wants." Tim and I turned to look at Aiden, Janice's brother. He'd been very quiet up until now.

  "You sure?" I asked Aiden.

  "Course," he answered.

  "I'd rather stay here." Alan said as we all looked at him.

  "Okay then." I answered.

  Tim walked over to Lydia and spoke to her quietly for a minute and then came back to us. I wondered what Tim had said, but from the look on Alan's face, I could see he was dreading everything that was about to happen or what might happen in the near future. His expression on his pale face was pure terror. To me, he looked very unstable and about to crack at any moment. His nervousness was starting to show us how afraid he was and I worried that the younger ones could see it too. I hoped that Alan wouldn't be a problem for us all.

  I got my axe and gave out torches to the others. The four of us were about to start our walk to the building in the distance. I hoped it would go well.

  10. Lydia Brown - The Motor Home

  I wanted to go with Tim and Joe, but it seemed I was needed here. Everyone was seemed calm. Janice sat with Ellie in the back with the kids; Molly, Rebecca and Sean. They all sat around the table chatting quietly. They seemed a friendly bunch and I thought we would all get on.

  The back of the motor home had two overhead single beds on either side of the sitting area with curtains for privacy. Further down at the back, there were sleeping areas with two double private bedrooms, along with two bunk bed areas made private with curtains. It was roomy and luxurious with a full kitchen, bathroom and living area, so we felt quite comfortable and safe.

  The long, black motor home had belonged to my parents who had loved and treasured it as their second home. I remembered the days they would take me on holiday in it. We had travelled everywhere. We had been to seaside towns all around England, Wales, Scotland, France, Ireland and many more places during my school days. They had invested all their money into it and I believed it had cost them a lot to buy it.

  I looked around me. I could see Alan looking nervous. He wouldn't stop moving about. He seemed distraught. He had just lost his parents like myself. He must be devastated. His expression was bleak and it disturbed me.

  I watched him closely. He was tall with dark brown hair and a stubbly moustache and beard that appeared shabby. His eyes seemed forlorn and tired. I wondered if there was anything I could do to help him relieve the pain he was feeling, so I decided to try and talk to him.

  "Alan..." I called out to him.

  He looked at me with deep blue eyes. He was handsome I thought. He looked as if he had a caring manner about him, but I didn't want to trust him just yet.

  "Alan, come sit over here with me." I said as I patted the seat next to me.

  Alan came over and sat down.

  "Are you feeling okay?" I asked.

  "Sure. Why do you ask?" He replied with a weak, slow voice.

  "Well, because you seem upset and nervous. Are you?" I got right to the point.

  "I don't know how I feel at present. I've just lost all my family and the world has gone to hell. How am I supposed to feel?" He was definitely going through the strain of it all I thought. I could hear the sadness in his voice.

  "I know how you feel. I've just lost my parents too... and at first, I felt like giving up, but I realised that I can't do that, because you put others in danger when you're not at your best. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I hoped this would help him to feel better.

  "Uuumm... Lydia... sorry is that your name?" Alan asked.

  "Yes."

  "Well... it's true... I do feel like giving up. I don't want to live in this world. There's too much hatred and killing. I hate what I've seen so far. Isn't it just better to end it all?" he replied as he stared at me.

  "What do you mean... end it?" I asked carefully, feeling slightly apprehensive at how this conversation was going.

  "Nothing... I'm just being melodramatic." He answered looking down at the floor.

  He avoided looking into my eyes as I tried to prompt him to explain.

  "I hope you don't mean what you've just said, because we have kids here with us and I don't want them getting scared right now. Everyone seems to be coping, so I want you to try to feel better." I said.

  "I understand." Alan replied.

  "Hey... was it just your mum and dad who passed away?" I asked hoping it would help if he talked about it.

  "No... my two younger sisters died from the virus and then they turned and bit mum and dad. Aiden came to my rescue just in time. He was so brave," he said.

  I felt deeply for him. It couldn't have been that easy to lose all your family in one go. It must have knocked his confidence seeing that happen.

  "I'm so sorry Alan. I really am... but please, if you feel like talking, at any time, then I want you to come to me. Okay?" I said softly.

  "Yeah... sure... I will. I just feel so worn out and lost about the whole situation," he replied sadly.

  "I know... I felt like that too, but then I realised something... I started to get angry about it and so, I focused that anger into killing the biters. Believe me... it helps to let off the strain you are feeling." I said hoping he understood.

  "Biters? Is that what we are calling them now?" he answered.

  "Yes." I said.

  "Well... I can't do that... I'm terrified... I can't even look at those evil things or whatever they have turned into." Alan said.

  "You have to try, because that's the only way we are going to survive. Please promise me you will try." I pleaded.

  "Okay," he answered with a quiet whisper.

  I was satisfied at least that he had listened to me, but something wasn't quite right with Alan. I knew it. I was hoping that he would come out of this deep, dark depression. Alan was grieving very badly. More than I had grieved. He looked like he was about to breakdown and cry. I hoped he did, so he could let it all out. I felt afraid for him and I hoped he didn't do something stupid.

  We sat for a while in silence until Alan went to lay down on one of the overhead single beds in the sitting area. Ellie, Janice and the kids were all asleep now in the back. I was the only one awake. I wanted to keep watch just in case.

  About an hour later, I saw some lights in the distance. I could see Tim and Joe on their way back, but where was Nick and Aiden? I couldn't see them.

  They came into the caravan and I panicked.

  "What’s happened? Where's Aiden and Nick?" I asked in a whisper, not wanting to wake the others.

  I was shocked that they weren't with them and it made me panic. Joe sat down next to me. He looked worn out and at that point, I wondered if Aiden and Nick were dead.

  11. Tim Sparks - The Castle

  Joe, Aiden, Nick and myself headed down the field to the building in the distance. It was pitch black everywhere except for our torches that lit up the area in front of us.

  I was feeling slightly out of it. I had been drinking too much alcohol lately. The strain of the last few hours had been hell for me and I didn't think I was on top form at the moment. Of course, I wanted to make it and be as helpful as I could for everyone's sake, but it was getting a whole lot more tedious to try and survive.

  The reality of our frightful lives were at stake and somehow, we had survived it so far. It had been a nightmare and I knew it was only going to get worse. Would we survive it? I hoped so, because it would be hard to lose anyone now.

  The group was getting bigger, but we all needed someone to talk to and it was a good thing there were others to rely on. I was careful too, not to let anyone see that I was drinking too much. I had noticed Lydia watching me at one point from the corner of my eye. She was the only one who
had noticed so far, but she hadn't said a word. Joe knew what I was like and so did Ellie, but I didn't think that they were aware that I was drinking all the time. I was sure that they would not like it if they did.

  We got closer to the huge fortress in the distance. I could see that it was indeed a castle. I knew that there were a few around Berkshire.

  I hoped we would get inside and that it would be safe for us all to stay there, but I would not get my hopes up too quickly.

  We approached the gates and saw that they were locked with a chain.

  "They're locked." I said knowing somehow that they would be.

  "Not for long." Joe said eagerly.

  Joe retrieved his axe from his backpack and hit the chain and the padlock from the gate. The chain broke and came apart instantly. I pulled the chain away and pushed the gate open.

  All four of us, started to make our way through some grass that had grown considerably high. We lashed our way through it until we came to another entrance.

  The entrance was an arch. We walked through it. Inside, I could see a square. Gardens surrounded us in the shadows. We walked further on until we reached a steel door. It was closed, so we had no way of getting inside until Joe touched my arm and pointed to a wooden door over to our right.

  From the wooden door, it was easy to get inside, because Joe just axed a hole through it, then we climbed our way inside.

  Once we were in, we could see a small area of light ahead of us.

  "Let's go over there. See the light... we should head that way, but we must be quiet." I told the others.

  "Tim, do you hear that?" Joe asked and we all stopped for a moment.

  I listened carefully. I could hear voices whispering in the distance. I silently, gave a sign by touching my finger to my lips to tell everyone to be quiet. There were other people here or it was the noise of the infected eating their prey.

  I didn't like the idea of what we were doing now, and I suddenly, wished we hadn't pursued our path to this castle. After, the trouble we had recently, I was weary of meeting anyone else.

  "Hey." I whispered to everyone. "I think we should get out of here. Someone has beat us to it or it could be something worse."

  They all stared at me.

  "Tim... I still think we should see what it is, because it could be someone decent. They might be okay." Joe whispered.

  "No, Joe, it's a bad idea. There could be lots of them. There are only four of us. We wouldn't even stand a chance." I told him.

  Suddenly, Aiden ran nearer to the glow of light ahead of us. I stamped my foot down, feeling angry with him. What an idiot I thought. He's going to get us all killed. Why do people have to be so brave? The question made me panic and I thought of the others waiting back at the caravan.

  "Hey... come back." I whispered, but Aiden slowly moved around the corner and disappeared.

  Damn. What was he playing at I thought. Why was he trying to be a hero?

  "Listen Tim..." Nick whispered. "I'll go and drag him back and then we should get out of here."

  I shook my head and made an angry face at him to say no to him, but then I gave in and let Nick go. He walked off trying to be brave. I didn't want to do it, because I was being selfish. All I wanted to do was take a swig of my drink that I had hidden in my backpack.

  I rummaged through the bag and pulled out a bottle of red wine. Joe gave me a disappointing look of outrage. I knew he was furious, but I needed the drink to keep me calm, so I could cope.

  I put the bottle back in my bag and we both stood their waiting for Nick and Aiden to appear. I thought it was taking too long. We waited for a long time. It was getting serious now, because it seemed that they had both silently vanished.

  "Joe... I think they've vanished. Whoever is back there has got them. We have to leave. We can't get caught too. We have to come back when it's daylight." I said, determined that I was right.

  "Ellie and Janice will go nuts if we do that... we have to see what's going on... don't we?" Joe argued.

  "I'm not sure... it might be dangerous for us. What if the biters have got them? They could be dead for all we know." I whispered back at Joe.

  "Please Tim... we have to see if they are okay." Joe pleaded.

  I was scared myself. It had been at least thirty minutes since they had disappeared. I knew we had to do something.

  "Okay Joe... let's walk quietly and slowly." I said.

  We went towards the shadow of light. I went in front of Joe and I stood against the wall before peering around the corner. I had my torch, but I had to turn it off, just in case someone would see it.

  I was right. Nick and Aiden had been captured. There was a glow of light circling them. I could see them. They were being held against their will. They were sitting on chairs and it looked like they were tied up. I could only see one person standing with their back to us, so I quickly moved back around.

  I pushed Joe back away from the wall.

  "Go... go now..." I said urgently as I kept tapping his arm, warning him to move quickly.

  "Why? What's wrong?" Joe asked.

  "They’ve been captured." I whispered angrily.

  "I want to see, Tim." Joe said as I watched him peer around the corner for himself.

  His head came back around. I could see the fear on his face as he closed his eyes for a second, and breathed in. I knew that look. I remembered how he would do it when he was nervous about something.

  We got out of there safely, but I knew we had a terrible time ahead of us now.

  12. Lydia Brown - Guns to the Rescue

  I was shocked to see that Nick and Aiden had been left out there all alone. They were not with Tim and Joe, as they entered the caravan. What was going on? I felt sick at the thought that something might have gone wrong and whatever it was I was eager to find out.

  "Tim, where's Nick and Aiden? What's happened?" I asked.

  I saw the distressing expression on Tim's pale face. Something was wrong. I knew it and I feared the worst.

  "We had to leave them behind. Apparently, we are not the only ones who wanted to venture into a castle... and now, they have captured Aiden and Nick." Tim explained in angry tone.

  "We only saw one person standing guard with them. Surely, we can go back there and sort this mess out?" Joe begged.

  "We could, but we don't have any serious weapons like guns. All we have is an axe and a few sticks, which is good for killing the biters, but not against real live people." Tim said quietly.

  I knew that Tim made sense, but then I thought of the gun I had held close to me, but it was just one gun. Perhaps, that was all we needed to save them.

  "Hey... Tim, I have something to confess..." Joe said in a quiet voice.

  "What's that?" Tim asked looking at Joe.

  "You know those men that tried to attack us? Well, I managed to take two of their guns. I've kept them hidden in your van ever since." Joe stated.

  I was surprised. I hadn't seen him get those guns earlier. Perhaps, I hadn't been paying attention at the time.

  "Wow... when were you going to tell me about those Joe? Never mind... at least we have two guns now... hope they have bullets in them or we are doomed." Tim said.

  "There is more than enough... I found a box of bullets in one of the guy's bags when you left to go back to the van." Joe replied.

  "That's great Joe. It's good that you were thinking about our safety at the time, but I just hope those guns are not going to be our downfall." Tim explained.

  I watched the two brothers smile at one another and thought about coming clean about the gun I had hidden.

  "Tim, Joe... I have a confession to make... I have a gun too. Not a big rifle like Joe, but this small gun." I took it out to show them.

  I watched as Tim nodded.

  "That's good Lydia. Now we can go back and try to get them safely." Tim told me, but I knew he was more worried than ever now that we had guns.

  "Look... Tim... I think we should go back now. I know it's dark,
but they won't see us coming." I said.

  "Good point... but I wanted to go back when it was daylight, because I didn't want to leave the others without you here at night. We can also see better in the daylight." Tim said.

  "I know that Tim... but we have to get them now, because if we leave it too long they might be moved or worse something dreadful might happen to them." I said knowing I was right.

  I watched as Tim put his hands on his head rubbing his scalp. He seemed tired and worn out. He looked wrecked and I wondered if he he'd been drinking more than usual lately. He needed to sleep, but we didn't have time. Everything had changed for the worse so quickly I thought and it was ruining us all.

  I saw him unzip his backpack, revealing a bottle, which he took out. I watched him take a long drink from it. Joe made a face as if he was annoyed.

  "Tim... you have to stop this drinking! How are you going to help if you are drunk all the time! Please, just drink water like the rest of us." Joe said in an angry whisper.

  "Oh just shut up Joe... I have it because it helps me to think... just don't start." Tim yelled in a whisper.

  I listened to them bicker about Tim's drinking habits. It was getting tedious I thought, but I agreed with Joe on this matter. I was worried that Tim would be our mishap in tonight's rescue of Nick and Aiden.

  "I'm coming with you both to rescue them. I have a gun so I can protect myself. Now, I want to know Tim what exactly happened in that place and what sort of building was it?" I asked feeling determined.

  "Well... it's a castle... a big one too, but I'm not exactly sure which one it is." Tim said.

  "Right then... what happened when you got there?" I asked.

  "We don't exactly know, but someone is in there... because we saw Nick tied to a chair and being held against his will."

  "But where is Aiden?" I asked.

  "Not sure... we didn't see him, but he must be there with Nick or at least I'm hoping he will be when we get there." Tim said rubbing the stubble on his chin.

  I shuddered. I hoped they would be okay. Why were they being held? Perhaps, someone knew that we were here. Maybe someone wanted our caravan. I shook the thoughts away and tried to think positively.