The Amoeba From The Ash

by Mercedes Prunty

  “Look Alicia this is an apocalypse”, he grinned. “And what do survivors need to survive?”

  She shrugged her tone bored and annoyed, “Enlighten me Glenn”.

  “Food and weapons”, he explained, “This place looks deserted and it’s not like anyone is around to care if we take a few things. We will stock up on food then we will go to your house and camp out until the army or something comes to save us all”.

  She laughed, “Glenn me and you have watched enough films to know the army never comes”.

  “That’s in films, it would be boring wouldn’t it if the army strolled in right away and saved the day. That is just made up crap to make us watch it. In the real world the army will come and help the survivors but in the mean time we need to stock up”.

  “Fine”, she hissed, “But make it quick, who knows how many sick people are hiding around here watching us, plus I just want to get him home safe”. She glanced at her younger brother who was sitting peering out the window, watching as the snowflakes of ash tumbled over the windows and smothered the gloom filled car park.

  Glenn sighed at her, “He’s fine, he’s with us. Ain’t ya mate?”

  Daniel nodded but she could see the fear etched over his small, fragile face. He didn’t want to be here either.

  Glenn opened the car door and the trio slipped out into the ash ridden air. He had a bandana type thing tied around his mouth and nose, along with Alicia and her scarf and Daniel and his curtain rag. “Grab a basket and fill it up, then we will just put the baskets in the car”.

  “Isn’t this stealing?” Daniel asked as they entered the second entrance from the car park. He sounded so young, so innocent and so utterly afraid, maybe more so of the thought of being caught and punished by the police for stealing than the scary, turned and sick people roaming the streets around them.

  “Technically it’s called looting but the police allow it for times like these”, Glenn said easing Daniels worries.

  “Stay close to me Daniel ok”, Alicia told her brother, who nodded in return as she gave Glenn a not so amused glare.

  The store was quiet, no one was around which put Alicia on edge.

  “We want things that last a while, Tins, packet food and weapons, anything sharp”, Glenn said, “Alicia you go that way, I’ll go this way and Daniel you go down the sweet aisle”.

  Alicia shook her head, “He’s not leaving my side Glenn”.

  “The quicker we do this the better right? You said yourself you want to get him home”, Glenn teased.

  “He’s not going alone”, she told him.

  “Try telling him that”, Glenn smiled.

  She turned to see Daniel waddling off on his own to the sweets, “Dan…” Glenn cut her off.

  “He’s fine, this place is small we are not going to be far from him. Now go, we need food”.

  Alicia stormed off to her designated aisles, quickly chucking in food, she didn’t care for Glenn’s sell by dates, food was food and if need be she would happily send him back out later to get more, as long as Daniel was safe at home. She couldn’t give a flying crap about Glenn. A few moments passed them by and she could see Daniel from where she stood, he was happily filling his basket with food. She looked away from him and as she did she noticed the cigarette kiosk, empty of people turned or normal, the weird advert free doors partly open showing her the tarmac sticks that poisoned her body. Her lungs ached with the craving for one and she licked her lips in a hungry fashion. Glancing back a Daniel she could still see him working away. It wouldn’t take a moment to grab some. She thought to herself. Moving quickly she made it to the kiosk in a few steps and opened the plastic door, it squeaked a little but nothing to over bearing. Pausing she looked back, he was still there, none of the turned near him. Inside she went filling her basket with packets of cigarettes, lighters, matches, anything she could get her shaking hands on. Then a shuffling noise stole her attention.

  She turned back to where Daniel was… Her heart caught in her throat, he wasn’t there now. His basket lay full with sweets on the ground but he was nowhere to be seen. Her blood ran cold as Glenn approached with his baskets as she exited the kiosk.

  “Where is he? Where did you send him?” She hissed in his face, her hatred for him spilling out.

  “I told him sweets”, Glenn shrugged.

  “Glenn this isn’t funny! Where is my brother?”

  He shrugged again, “He can’t be far. Look you go find him, I’ll start loading up the car”.

  “Yeah you do that Glenn, you do the important job yeah… It’s not like you care for my brother anyway”, she snapped and walked off. She went to the tills which were at the bottom of the store but they faced all the aisles. She jogged along looking up all of them but there was no sign of Daniel. Then an idea struck her, the toy section. It was near the pharmacy at the back of the shop but slightly more hidden from the tills, she dashed along into it and found Daniel sitting there on the floor, two toys in their packets were grasped in his small hands. “Daniel don’t run off like that! I thought I lost you”, she gasped grabbing his shoulder.

  “Can I have them?” he asked sweetly.

  She softened, he was only little, he didn’t understand the fear she felt at thinking she lost him. She nodded, “Yeah ok. Come on we need to leave”.

  “We’re the same now”, he grinned.

  “What do you mean?” She asked him.

  “Well you took what is was you wanted and I took what I wanted”.

  She felt her body ache with a pain that it could have been all her fault if she had lost him. He was only copying what she had done, she had turned her back on him for only a moment but it was a selfish moment.

  “I…I’m sorry”.

  “Why?” He asked her confused.

  “No reason”, she smiled, “But I won’t let you down again”.

  “Ok”, he shrugged not having a clue what it was she was babbling on about.

  “Ra…Ah…Ah”.

  Her blood froze in her veins, the animal cry was close to their position. “Daniel run”, she whispered, “Back to Glenn’s car”.

  He stood and held her hand, then they both dashed back through the store.

  Slap, Slap, Slap…

  Wet footsteps sounded out behind them, a man in the store’s uniform was charging after them, blood running down his slashed body and sloshing at his feet as he ran. Glenn was standing by the sweets holding two more baskets, his eyes widened in fear at the man chasing them.

  “Glenn start the car!” she screamed not caring she was loud now as the monsters knew they were here as more appeared out of the woodwork, from down different aisles, from the bakery and the storage rooms. All of them running for them now.

  Glenn ran with the baskets but they were slowing him down.

  “Glenn drop the flipping baskets we can get more food later”, she shouted but he ignored her and tried to clumsily run with them. She then watched as a turned woman appeared in the doorway of the store and rushed into him knocking him off his feet and sending the baskets clattering behind him.

  “Get off me!” He screamed thrashing his arms around, “Get off!”

  Alicia pumped her legs faster, pulling poor Daniel with her, then she let go of his hand and kicked the turned person in the face causing them to fall off Glenn. The turned snapped her head to glare at her, her jaws making a chopping motion, bloody saliva dripping down her chin where Alicia’s foot had split her lip. Glenn then kicked out, sending the turned girl into some cans of beer that had been stacked up in a display.

  “RA,HA,RA,AH”, the noise of more of the turned filling the air made Alicia lift Glenn to his feet, grab Daniels hand again and run. The movement made Daniel drop one of the toys he had collected and he let go of her hand to retrieve it.

  “Daniel No!” she cried out stopping mid stride and grabbing his arm as he leant down to pick up the toy, she pulled him hard out of the way just as one of the turned went to chow down on the air that had
been his hand moments before.

  The turned hissed at them as they ran through the doors, Daniel’s toy setting off the security alarm. Sending out the signal that they were there to many more. They reached the car and climbed in, Glenn started the engine just as all the bodies threw themselves at the metal bonnet and splayed their bloody hands over the windows. Daniel whimpered at the sight as Glenn put his foot down and done a handbrake turn in the car park knocking many bodies down but as they sped off, they all stood back up and chased after the meal they so desired.

  Alicia looked out the window and saw all the turned chasing after them, “You have to lose them before we go to mine”.

  “What?” Glenn asked checking his mirrors, “That’s crazy, no way. We need to go there now, you said yourself you wanted us to go home as soon as possible to make sure Daniel was safe. So we’re going straight to yours”.

  “No you need to lose them or they will follow us and then we will be surrounded”.

  “But the army will come…” She cut him off.

  “Are you really that F-ing stupid Glenn? The army aren’t coming, we need to make sure that we are as safe as we can be and that means losing the turned behind us”.

  “Don’t be telling me what to do Alicia this is my car, I saved you and Daniel at the school so give me some credit yeah”.

  She rolled her eyes at him as he turned down one of the roads leading to her home. Sometimes she really wondered if he really had a brain inside that thick skull of his. He cut her off from her thoughts as he spoke.

  “I’m so glad you called me you know. I thought you’d never speak to me again… You know… After…”

  “Amber?” She snapped, “Oh believe me Glenn when I say this, I’m only speaking to you because I needed help and Daniel needed help. If it weren’t for this”, She motioned to the ash outside with her hands, “Then I would never have called”.

  He stopped the car and turned to her, his cool eyes studying her, he suddenly didn’t look or act so dim, like a light had finally switch on inside that pathetic nut shell head of his, “Well I’m here now and I’m never leaving your side again. You called me and I came to help you. I know deep down you still love me… Amber was a drunken mistake and you know it”.

  “Whether it was a drunken mistake or intentional you still done it, you still broke my heart and I will never forgive you for that”.

  His hands flexed over the steering wheel, his face hard and he looked out into the ash ridden street.

  “I said I was sorry. She came to mine, she was talking to Tina upset about something. They both invited me to watch a film and drink with them. It was with my sister I didn’t think anything of it. Then Tina went to bed as she had work the next day and…”

  She cut him off, “Let me guess, one thing led to another right?”

  “I honestly didn’t mean it to happen, it was a…Stupid mistake”.

  “Yeah it was but it doesn’t change a thing. You’re a genuine grade ‘A’ Asshole”, she snapped.

  “I said I was sorry Alicia”, but it fell on deaf ears, she didn’t want to know his sorry excuses. She just huffed at him and stared out the window at the horde of the turned behind them in the distance.

  “Fine”, he snapped, “Have it your way”. Then he turned the car around in a quick motion and sped off down the road.

  “Where are we going?” she asked not really giving him much interest.

  “Well you wanted to lose the turned and not lead them to your home, so let’s lose them huh!” He raced back the way they had come, heading towards the supermarket. Before them was the horde of the turned, all limping, walking and rushing towards the car, towards their meal.

  Alicia felt the panic rise inside her, “What are you doing Glenn? Slow down, stop… Daniel’s in the car!”

  He winked at her, “Getting rid of the turned for you”. He put his foot down full on the throttle and sped towards the once human people.

  “Glenn don’t, stop it!” She screamed.

  “Alicia what’s happening?” Daniel called out fear high in his voice.

  She turned to face him, “Hold on tight Daniel and if something happens to me get out and run, run home. Mum and dad will meet you there”.

  His face paled, “I don’t want to be alone”.

  “You won’t ever be alone”, she smiled just as Glenn’s car hit the first few bodies. The thumping of their torso’s and skulls hitting and crushing against the metal was sickening. Blood smeared all over the windscreen and cracks appeared, threatening to burst the glass. Glenn’s face was determined as he ploughed into them, then suddenly he lifted the handbrake and turned the car making it spin into a doughnut crushing and smearing more of the ill. Alicia closed her eyes as the world spun into a blur of white, grey and red, ash, bone and blood until finally the car stopped dead in the centre on a huge bloody circle. She opened her eyes and saw that most of the turned where dead, smeared across the tarmac in a sea of red bar a few stragglers but Glenn wasn’t finished, he rammed the gear stick into reverse and knocked over the remaining few behind them then slammed it back into first and sped off, wheel spinning in the puddles of gore on the road.

  “Are we going home now?” Daniel asked glancing out the back window, looking at the broken bodies and mulched puddles of bodily fluids and tissue.

  “Daniel sweetie don’t look at it”, she said concerned for his young mind, it was sickening enough to hers let alone his.

  “Yes we are going back to your home”, Glenn answered his question. “Wasn’t that cool mate”.

  Daniel smiled, “Yeah you showed those weirdo’s”.

  “Daniel”, Alicia whispered, “That was a lot of people…” But she trailed off as Daniel spoke.

  “But ‘you’ killed my dinner lady”.

  Glenn turned to her, “Is that what you meant by all the blood when you phoned me?” His voice had softened again and reeled her in.

  She looked out of the window conveniently just as they passed Ellen’s home which made her stomach churn, the dinner lady wasn’t the only one she killed. “No… That was something else”.

  He turned up their road and pulled into the empty driveway outside her home, the blood and gore covered car looking murderous and out of place in the neat little neighbourhood. He killed the engine and turned to her, “Tell me”.

  “There’s nothing to tell”, she said unstrapping herself and unlocking her door. She climbed out and helped Daniel out, just as she did the front door opened.

  “Daniel…” Their mum rushed out with open arms, “I’m so glad you’re safe”, she sobbed uncontrollably.

  Alicia stood there waiting for her mum to worry over her too but instead she vanished from the doorway and led Daniel inside.

  “Thing’s still bad between you two?” Glenn asked trying his hardest to sound comforting and concerned, nothing like the crazed ‘turned’ killer he had been moments before.

  She nodded a reply. Lately her mum had been acting weird, well weirder than normal. She was all over Daniel like a rash, tending to his every need and want but when it came to Alicia she was just pushed to one side. Almost forgotten. So Alicia had decided to act up, to get her mother’s attention, the thrill of seeing Glenn had been to annoy her mother, to get her to bite. Then the smoking and drinking too was just another way to get her mum to acknowledge her.

  “Come on, let’s get this food inside”, she couldn’t handle broaching that subject with him, not now, not when things were still so raw between them and things were so strange outside.

  3.40pm The Home of The Dawlings

  Ned had been walking down past the old supermarket when he had seen Glenn’s car approaching a large group of sick people. Alicia in the front passenger seat screaming, with Glenn driving and Daniel in the back. Alicia was shouting some sort of abuse at the teenage heartthrob before he ploughed into the bodies, spewing blood and guts down the ash covered street. It was all over in a few moments and then the car sped off. Ned looked at a
ll the dead bodies crushed into the tarmac, he had seen the anger and murder on Glenn’s young face and was worried for his own children’s safety but as he reached home and found the teenagers car on the driveway, the blood now congealed with the falling ash the worry passed slightly, at least he had taken them both home.

  He took his keys out his pocket and opened the door. “DAD!” Alicia cried out from the kitchen and ran to him flinging her arms around his ashen shoulders, “Oh my god you’re ok”.

  He pulled her back and looked into her eyes, he could see something in them, relief, fear, uncertainty, pain and he knew why. “I’m glad you’re safe kiddo. What about?”

  “Daniel’s fine he’s here”, Pippa called out cradling the boy on a small sofa they had near the breakfast bar.

  “Good to see you champ”, he smiled scuffing the boys hair as he walked past. He noticed a look from Alicia to Pippa and he could see the pain in her face, obviously Pippa had no care if Alicia had been ok or not. He knew Pippa too well, she had indeed lied to him about her medication but he would speak to her about that later. He then walked further into the kitchen where he found Glenn, a woman and a man all sitting at their dining room table tending to the man’s apparent wounds. Pippa followed him out and explained to him who they were.

  “This is Doctor Rosetta she is from the Public Health Organisation and Doctor Finch also from the Public Health”.

  Rosetta waved but kept her attention on the man who looked to be in a bad way.

  “What happened to him?” He asked.

  “He was bitten”, Rosetta answered.

  “And you allowed him in our home?” Ned said to Pippa.

  Rosetta turned sharply to him, “What do you know about what’s going on? How do you know about the bites being a bad thing?”

  “It’s not exactly rocket science to see what is happening around us. I have walked the streets home to get to my family, I have seen the horror of what it is people are doing to one another. I know that somehow the ash has turned people mad and that they eat people. And I bet in a while he will want to eat you too”.