by Wilde, J. M.
“How did you get out?” I asked.
“We had to climb out the window,” he replied. “It was already getting dark so we were able to sneak past most of the zombies. We killed the others. We stole a car and drove back, but we knew Elliot could be watching so we dumped it halfway up the mountain and walked the rest of the way.”
“We’ve been walking all night,” Wyatt said. “I was so worried ...”
He bent his knees to match my height, looking carefully at my neck. For a moment I wondered what he was looking at, when I realised I must be bruised from Elliot’s attempt at my life. Rage lit up in Wyatt’s eyes at the sight. “I’ll kill him,” he said, picking up his machete.
“He’s already as good as dead,” I said.
“That’s for damn sure,” Wyatt replied as he started marching through the rainforest towards the house.
“No,” I said, grabbing his arm to stop him. “That’s not what I meant. He’s been bitten. He’ll be turning soon. We need to get Jo out of there.”
Wyatt and Ben looked at each other, the new urgency and danger of the situation making them even more serious than before.
“That’s not all,” I said, remembering the voice on the radio. “Elliot lied. Only Australia has been destroyed by the outbreak. It hasn’t spread. The rest of the world is okay ... and they’re coming to save us.”
Their eyes widened at what they heard and their jaws fell open in shock. I could tell they wanted to know everything that I had heard, but we all knew there was no time to discuss it.
“When are they coming?” Wyatt asked.
“The rescue ships are docking at Sydney in a few days, on the twenty-fourth.”
Ben furrowed his brow. “It’s at least a thirty-hour drive, but we can make it.”
“We have to,” I said. “We’ll get Jo, jump in the RV and get the hell out of here. If we leave soon we’ll make it to Sydney with time to spare.”
Hunter began to growl again. We looked around, trying to spot what was coming. Croaky grumbles and drawling moans echoed through the trees behind us. Zombies were closing in.
“Run!”
The three of us bolted through the rainforest with Hunter by our side, pushing branches and shrubbery out of our way as we went. A zombie with a missing arm jumped out from behind the trees in front of us. Without stopping, Wyatt swung his machete, swiftly slicing its head clean off and sending it flying through the air like a soccer ball.
Another zombie appeared from the trees, blood dripping from its rotting mouth as it blocked my way. It was holding a gutted and skinned rabbit, one of Elliot’s deadly invitations. As soon as it saw me, it dropped the dead rabbit and swung its arms towards me. I ducked just in time, shouldering it out of my way and onto the ground before running past.
We emerged from the forest and didn’t stop running, speeding up to the house and bursting through the front door, ready to face Elliot and all his wrath.
But he was nowhere to be found.
“Where is he?” Wyatt asked as I ran to Jo and started untying the rope from around her wrists.
“I don’t know,” she said, her eyes red from crying. “I thought you were ...”
“We’re all okay,” I said. “We need to leave. Now.”
We snuck out the sliding door and onto the back porch, being as quiet as possible and watching carefully for any signs of Elliot or zombies. Jo and I climbed over the porch railing as Wyatt lifted Hunter over and handed him to Ben before jumping over to join us himself.
My hope grew as we ran towards the RV, its white exterior shining in the sunlight like an oasis.
“We’re gonna make it!” Jo said as we edged closer to our ride to freedom.
Ben climbed into the driver’s seat and flipped the sun visor down, expecting to find the keys. “Where are the keys?” he asked as he started to search. Wyatt, Jo and I jumped into the RV with Hunter right behind us.
My hope vanished when I saw Elliot.
He was sitting casually on the couch at the back of the RV, twirling the keys in one hand while pointing his gun at us with the other.
“Just where do you think you’re going in such a damn hurry?” he asked, a proud grin forming across his face.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Wyatt stepped in front of us and held his hand out. “Elliot, give me the keys.”
Elliot cocked his head, mock confusion in his expression. “Now why would I do a thing like that, brother?”
“We need to leave,” Wyatt replied. “There’re zombies coming through the trees as we speak. And you’ll be one of them soon.”
“Oh, you mean this little scratch?” Elliot asked, lifting his pants up to reveal a huge bite mark on his leg. “It was bound to happen eventually. I’ve been prepared for this outcome for years. Though, I must admit I had hoped I could live happily in paradise for at least a year before it came to this.” A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. “No matter.” He sighed as he shook his head, the sadness turning into anger. “Get out. Now,” he said, gesturing towards the door with his gun. No-one dared argue with him, and we slowly backed out of the RV.
“Oh no,” Jo whispered, looking out into the trees. I followed her gaze, my heart skipping a beat when I saw at least twenty zombies shuffling through the forest and heading straight for us.
Elliot took one look at the horde and began to laugh. “That’s it! Come on, everyone! Lunch is served!” He turned to Jo. “Not you, though.” She shrieked in terror as he grabbed her by the neck and held her in front of him like a shield, his gun pointed straight at her head.
“Jo!” I yelled, taking a step forward. Elliot pointed the gun at me, forcing me to stay where I was.
“It’s just like you said, Wyatt,” he laughed. “I’ll be one of them soon. And this one will make a great first meal!” Jo wailed, her knees buckling in fear. Elliot lifted her by her throat and held her against him. I gasped as a zombie appeared from behind the RV and started moving towards us. Seeing my frightened expression, Elliot turned around to see what I was looking at. It distracted him, and it was exactly what we needed to finish this once and for all. I pulled Jo away while Wyatt and Ben grabbed Elliot’s arms and pushed him to the ground, throwing the gun out of Elliot’s reach.
But the zombie was still closing in, and more had followed it.
“Ben, look out!” I yelled.
Wyatt held Elliot down while Ben jumped to his feet, hacking at the zombie until it was lying in pieces all over the ground. Ben furiously attacked the growing horde, but there were too many, it wouldn’t take long for him to be overpowered.
“Eva!” Wyatt yelled as he snatched the keys from Elliot’s hand and threw them to me.
Jo and I started running to the RV, with Ben clearing our path.
“No!” Elliot yelled, and I turned to see him head-butt Wyatt in the face, his head snapping back as blood spurted from his nose. Elliot kicked Wyatt off of him and scrambled to grab the gun.
“Wyatt!” I called. “Jo, here!” I threw the keys to Jo and ran towards Elliot, but he had already risen to his feet, gun in hand. I launched myself at him, knocking him to the ground.
“Get off me, bitch!” he snarled. I felt something hard smack me in the cheek, knocking me onto my back. He had hit me with the back of his gun.
Ignoring the pain, I stood up to see a zombie headed straight for me. It threw itself onto me, knocking me back onto the ground. It growled, grabbing hold of my shirt with its gnarled fingers as it prepared to sink its teeth into my flesh. I screamed, frantically trying to push it off of me, when I saw a rock on the ground next to me. I stretched my arm out as far as I could, grabbed hold of the rock and smashed it as hard as I could against the creature’s skull. It let out a sickly gurgle as I shoved it off of me and stood over it, stomping on its head again and again until there was nothing left but mush.
I spun around to see Wyatt and Elliot wrestling for the gun.
“Is this the way it’s going to end for us, brother
?” Elliot yelled. “I’m ready, but are you?”
Suddenly, a shot fired, and my heart stopped.
I stood there for what felt like an eternity, waiting to see who would be the one to fall to the ground.
“I told you I was ready,” Elliot muttered as he clutched Wyatt’s shoulder. Tears welled in Wyatt’s eyes as he watched his brother slump to the ground, with the gun still in his hand and blood spreading across his chest.
“He ...” Wyatt whispered. “He pulled the trigger.”
I closed my eyes, feeling relieved that it was finally over, when I noticed a searing pain in my left shoulder. I looked down to see blood running down my arm, staining my shirt a deep red.
I placed my hand over my shoulder but it only intensified the pain, as though the touch of my skin was boiling hot. I removed my hand to see it completely covered in blood.
Hopelessness washed over me as I realised what had happened.
“Oh no,” I whispered. “It bit me.”
“Eva?” Wyatt asked, the colour draining from his face when he saw the blood pouring out of my wound, the crushed zombie lying on the ground next to me.
“No!” he screamed as he ran towards me, but it was too late.
I was already falling to the ground.
I strained to keep my eyes open as I lay there in so much pain that it hurt to breathe. I could see Wyatt kneeling over me, looking into my eyes. The heat of my wound felt like it was enveloping my entire body. As my breath became shallower, I wondered how long it would take for me to turn, and I hoped Wyatt would have the strength to end me before it happened.
The last thing I saw before plummeting into darkness were the mangled faces of zombies, every one of them closing in on us with desperately hungry eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Five
A loud rumbling brought me back from the darkness.
For a moment, I thought it was me. I thought I had turned and was already growling with hunger.
But I still felt human.
The burning heat had disappeared and the pain had faded enough for me to be able to move.
I mentally checked every part of my body for any signs of change.
I didn’t know what turning into a zombie was supposed to feel like, but I was expecting something painful. But the only pain I felt was a stinging in my shoulder, where I was bitten. Every other part of my body felt fine. Exhausted, but fine. But what was that rumbling?
Perhaps I was still lying on the ground, and the rumbling was the sound of zombies gnawing on the people I loved all around me.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
Bright, glowing light shone in my eyes. As my sight adjusted, I realised the sun was setting.
I was surprised to find that it wasn’t the sky above me, but a cream-coloured ceiling, and it wasn’t the ground I was lying on, but a couch.
The rumbling wasn’t me or a horde of hungry zombies, it was the sound of an engine.
I was in the RV.
I turned my gaze to see Wyatt sitting by my side, his head resting in his hands. It almost looked like he was praying. Hunter was sleeping on the floor next to him.
“What happened?” I asked, the weakness of my voice surprising me.
Wyatt’s head snapped up and relief washed over his face. He smiled. “Eva! You’re awake!”
“Are you crazy?” I asked, furious at him for putting everyone in danger by having me in the RV.
He cocked his head and furrowed his brow. “What?”
“Why did you bring me with you?” I asked.
“Do you really think I would leave you behind?” He looked hurt, but I was too angry to care.
“You should have! I’ve been bitten! I could turn any second!” I said, trying to sit up. I winced in pain as the movement stung my shoulder. “Ben! Stop the RV!”
The RV screeched to a halt, but Wyatt held me down, being careful not to touch my infected arm.
“How could you put yourselves in danger like this?” I yelled. “You have to leave me behind.”
Ben and Jo stood next to the couch, both looking at me with confused expressions on their faces.
“Eva, it’s okay!” Wyatt said. “You weren’t bitten.”
I stopped struggling against him and looked into his eyes, searching them for truth.
“It’s true,” he said. “You weren’t bitten, Eva. You were shot.”
I looked at Ben and Jo, who nodded, confirming what Wyatt had said.
“But ... how?” I asked, trying to piece it all together in my memory.
“When Elliot shot himself,” Wyatt explained, “the bullet went straight through him and into your shoulder. We got out of there just before the entire house was overrun with zombies.”
I looked down at my shoulder to see a bandage wrapped around it.
“Don’t worry,” Ben said, seeing my worry. “I already took the bullet out and cleaned the wound. You’ll be fine, just go easy. We can get it checked out properly on the rescue ship.”
“Rescue ship?”
“We’re going to Sydney, Eva,” Wyatt said as he took hold of my hand and squeezed it tight. “We should be there by sunrise the day after tomorrow. We’ll find somewhere safe to hide out for a couple of days until the ship arrives. We’ll be safe, truly safe, this time.”
Ben and Jo went back to the driver’s cabin, and within seconds we were driving along the road again.
“I’m so sorry, Eva,” Wyatt said, kissing my hand. “If it wasn’t for me, we would never have gone to Elliot’s. We wouldn’t have driven all this damn way out in the middle of nowhere. We wouldn’t have been in danger. You wouldn’t have been in danger. It’s all my fault. You nearly died, and it’s all because of me.”
Tears filled his eyes as he dropped his head in his hands. My heart broke as I watched him fall apart in front of me, weighed down by a burden of guilt that wasn’t his to carry.
“It’s not your fault,” I said, holding back tears. “You saved us, Wyatt. If it wasn’t for you, we would have died a long time ago, back in Melbourne.”
“But, Elliot ...” he started, but it hurt too much for him to continue.
“Elliot was not your fault. He was sick. You had no way of knowing how messed up he was, none of us did. But even though he was crazy and dangerous and almost killed all of us today, that place kept us safe for as long as we needed it to. We wouldn’t have survived anywhere else for nearly as long. And now, we have a chance to be truly free from all this. Forever.”
Wyatt took a deep breath and nodded, and I felt relieved to see that my words had lifted some of his guilt.
“We’re going to be okay.” I smiled, squeezing his hand tight. “We’re alive, we’re still all together, and there’s a light at the end of this tunnel. We’re so close to the end now, Wyatt. We can do it.”
Wyatt smiled as he leaned forward and kissed me softly. “I love you, Eva.”
I smiled. “I love you, too.”
Once again, I was filled with hope.
In just a few days, we would be safe aboard the HMS Saviour, leaving this hellish place behind.
I closed my eyes, imagining myself standing on the ship, the ocean breeze blowing in my hair as we sailed away to safety. I could almost smell the salty air, taste the freedom.
“We’re so close,” I whispered as I drifted off to sleep, Wyatt’s warm hand intertwined with my own.
Soon, this nightmare would be ending, once and for all.
The End
BEFORE IT FADES
Chapter One
An explosive sound shook through the RV, waking me up with a fright. I sat up, my heart pounding. “What was that?”
“Thunder,” Jo said as she sat next to me on the couch with a tired sigh. “It’s been storming for hours now. It’s slowing us down, but we’ve only got about another ten hours to Sydney.”
Hunter sat on the floor next to me, his tail wagging happily when he saw I was awake. Jo played with her fingers anxiously as she stared out the wind
ow into the darkness.
“Are you alright?” I asked, knowing she wasn’t—none of us were.
“I just want to get there,” she replied. “How’s your shoulder?”
“Fine,” I lied. The bullet wound in my shoulder throbbed in pain, but it was nothing compared to the constant nausea I’d been feeling for hours, and it was so hot in the RV that I’d developed a migraine. I slid the window open, closing my eyes as the strong breeze cooled my skin. Thunder rumbled again from up ahead, and tiny specks of rain touched my cheeks.
“Eva, it’s freezing!” Jo said as she pushed the window closed, startling me.
“Freezing? It’s like an oven in here!” I said angrily, surprised that she didn’t feel it. I hadn’t meant to sound so mean, but it was too hot for niceties.
Jo raised her eyebrows at me, but before she could say anything the RV came to a halt, propelling us off the couch.
“We hit something!” Ben called from the driver’s seat. “But I can’t see it, it’s too dark and the rain is too heavy.”
“I’ll have a look,” Wyatt said as he jumped out of the RV and into the rain. A flash of lightning lit up the night sky before Wyatt opened the door again.
“It’s a fallen tree branch!” he shouted over the growing storm. “Don’t go any further or you’ll get stuck on it! I don’t think I can lift it myself.”
“We’ll help,” I said as I stood up. I felt dizzy for a moment and stumbled slightly, but no-one noticed. I thought back to the moment I’d been shot earlier that day, and assumed my light-headedness was a result of all the blood I’d lost before Ben was able to patch me up.
Ben turned off the engine and told Hunter to stay before we all stepped out to move the tree branch. Once I was outside I could see we were at the entrance to a narrow bridge over a thin, but fast-flowing, river. The torrential rainfall had made the river rise, lapping up against the bridge and getting higher every second.
“We gotta move fast!” Ben said, looking at the rising water with concern.
I could see they were all shivering from the cold, but I was still burning hot. It was then that I realised something was not right. I tried to stay calm as we all stood over the broken tree branch and grabbed hold of it, but I could only think of one reason why I would feel so feverish and ill.