E Virus: The Diary of a Modern Day Girl (Book 2): The Path of Destruction

by Ward, Jessica

  We headed out in convoy, all following George. He was the only one who knew the area; he seemed to know what he was doing when it came to the great outdoors.

  We spent hours walking through the woodland. It seemed never-ending. The soles of my feet were already starting to burn. Walking was never my strong point. The heavy backpacks we were trudging round with, certainly didn’t help matters.

  The woodland area wasn’t exactly level. We had to climb over rock forms, scramble up and down dirt caked hills and through thick mud, laced with leaves and other un-pleasantries.

  An hour or two later, after various stops along the way. We came out onto a dirt path. As soon as we passed the safety of the trees, and came out into the open, a vile smell hit us.

  It was a mixture of manure and dog poo; the smell was overpowering. I thought my breakfast was about to come back up. We all complained as we took in the revolting air around us.

  Keen to get away from the foul stench, we pushed on in the opposite dirction of the offending odour and into the trees ahead.

  As we made our way through the undergrowth; the sound of trickling water could be heard nearby. The deeper we pushed on, the louder it became. A shallow stream ran by the side of us. As we went to get a closer look, George stopped us.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” George asked us as we veered off course.

  “Can’t you see that stream over there? We’re all so thirsty” Nick complained.

  “No, we can’t drink that water. That smell, was from the water treatment plant, over there” he pointed to the right. “The plant certainly smells more potent more than it used to. Without anyone to oversee it, the chances are it’s overflowed and seeped into the woods.”

  I immediately took a step back. All this walking had made me thirsty. But I’d rather drink my own wee, than drink the remnants of other people’s excrements, and I wasn’t in any rush to sample either.

  “Can we not boil it?” Nick asked. I screwed my face up at the thought.

  “In normal circumstances yes, but I’m not 100% certain the chemicals the plant use would be killed by boiling the water. It’s best to stay clear just to be on the safe side” George replied.

  Lacey and I quickly agreed. I wasn’t prepared to drink any of it, even if it was safe. Just the thought of where it had come from was enough to put me off for life. I was very squeamish when it came to stuff like that. I knew Lacey was too.

  “What happened to the simple days of a Maccy D’s drive through?” Lacey sighed.

  “That sounds absolutely amazing right now.” I answered, my mind wondering back to the good old days before the outbreak. It seemed so long ago; I had forgotten what it was like to live in a world without the constant feeling of impending doom. No wonder I was finding it hard to stomach things. I had never known the true meaning of stress, before the virus destroyed mankind.

  I had already grown tired of our neverending trek through the woods. My legs were now burning, and I could feel the sweatpatches forming under my arms. I felt horrible. My skin felt so dirty I could almost feel it crawling.

  We carried on walking until we got to a clearing in the middle of the woods. A small lake dominated the area.

  The Pofessor suggested we stop for a small break. He was handling the outdoors about as well as I was, which wasn’t great to say the least.

  We found a small grassy area and took in the peaceful surroundings. The water was completely still. There was no breeze at all, although it was cold; it was bearable. All the walking we had done that day had the blood pumping around our bodies.

  Nearly everyone had rosy cheeks and red noses, with the exception of Leon and Ryan. They were used to exercises like this; to them, this was like a walk in the park. Since renouncing his position as Corporal, Ryan certainly looked as if a weight had been lifted. He still had an aura of sadness around him, yet he was very slowly, starting the healing process.

  He knew as well as we did; we couldn’t afford for our emotions to get the better of us. Even more so than before, it was about survival. We had to work harder and harder everyday just to stay alive.

  The peace and tranquillity of the water in front of us gave us a welcomed break from the impending doom which frequently loomed over our heads. We didn’t have a heading in mind; our main priority was to stay clear of the infected.

  None of us said a word as we took in the lush scenery around us. I pulled the last bottle of water out my bag and gulped the whole bottle down in one.

  We had all pretty much exhausted our water supply, and we needed to find more soon. My mind was already getting bogged down with stuff we needed to find. Food, water, shelter and safety; we had none of those things.

  George was milling around in the foliage behind us, along with the Professor.

  It surprised me how spritely George was for his age. He had led us through the woods at a decent pace. He was putting the rest of us to shame. I struggled to keep up at times. He never moaned, he just pushed on, and got on with it.

  George and the Professor soon appeared their hands full to the brim with blackberries. They offered them around to each of us.

  “They aren’t much, but it will keep us going for the time being.” George told us as he handed them out.

  “George you didn’t have to do all this, you must be exhausted, we could have found them.” Lacey told him.

  George had really pulled through; he seemed to be taking care of us as if we were his own flesh and blood.

  “No, no don’t be silly its ok we’ve all helped each other, I don’t mind at all.” He told us.

  We eventually decided we would camp by the lake for the night. It seemed peaceful, and with the sun slowly starting to set, we needed to stay put. We used the last couple of hours making the most of the little daylight we had left. Yep, you guessed it, more dry wood.

  It was a nice break not seeing the infected around. We had a lucky escape the first time, but we had learnt to keep our guard up; as you never know what’s coming around the next corner.

  “George mate, do you think there are any fish in this lake?” Nick asked looking to his fishing gear. I could tell he was eager to set his rod up, any chance to go fishing; he was the first in line.

  “Now you mention it, I think there could be.” George answered.

  Well, that was Nick sorted for the night. He unpacked his fishing gear and started setting up his rods.

  He was like a kid in a sweet shop. Oblivious to the impending danger around him, he put all his concentration into his fishing.

  Leon and George got started on the fire, hoping we would all have fish for dinner, I didn’t hold my hopes up. I had been fishing countless times with Nick in the past. As much as he loved fishing, I secretly didn’t think he was that good. I had only seen him catch a few times. The fish he brought out were usually tiny. It didn’t matter back then; it was just for fun. As soon as he pulled the fish out the water, he would unhook it and send it straight back.

  This time, there was a greater purpose. We needed food; we weren’t starving but we needed some type of sustenance to keep our energy levels up.

  He meticulously set up his rod at the water’s edge, just as he had done many times before. Casting off his line, he settled down by the rod and he waited.

  After a few hours, and with nothing to show, he finally gave up.

  "Not even a bite." Nick complained.

  It didn’t bother me at all that he didn’t catch anything. Deep down, it didn’t seem to bother him either. He loved every second of it, it made him forget about the world around him, and to me it had served its purpose.

  We spent that night sat around the fire swapping stories and getting to know each other. We even laughed and joked together, for the first time since we left the base, we were moderately content.

  Chapter 2 – The Lake

  I awoke the next morning bright and early, sleeping on the grass was considerably better than the twigs and stones from the night previous. Howeve
r, it was still unpleasant.

  My hair felt awful. I took my hair out of my ponytail and it was that full of dirt, it stayed in the same position. I hadn’t showered in days; none of us had. My clothes were full of mud, and my fingernails were black.

  I longed for the days I would spend hours getting ready for a night out with the girls. Doing our hair and makeup whilst sipping on a glass of Prosecco, before the evening had even begun. A new dress, and pair of killer heels I could walk effortlessly in. Those were the days.

  I was now reduced to a tatty army uniform, mud on my face and locks that unmanageable, not even Mark Hill or Lee Stafford could tame.

  On top of that we now had no food, no water and nowhere to go. Plus the infected could be anywhere, waiting to ambush us at any given moment.

  Life wasn’t looking too good at this point. We were all fed up. Besides looking like I had been dragged through a bush backwards, we were all getting hungry and thirsty, our energy levels were at an all time low. We also needed to find shelter fast. I didn’t think I could cope with another night at the mercy of the elements; it was just too much.

  Early that morning, we packed away what little belongings we had, and set off on our way. In the hope that we would eventually, find some type of civilisation.

  Just as we were about to make our way through the trees and back into the woodland, we heard a rustling coming from behind us.

  We all turned around; our bags firmly attached to our backs, as a small group of the infected closed in around us.

  We were taken completely unaware. None of us were ready for such a surprise attack.

  The infected slowly made their way towards us, forcing us to back up. They gradually circled us; their pale, blood covered, rotting flesh gleaming in the early morning sun.

  Baring their teeth, with saliva and blood slowly dripping down their front they edged closer still. The closer they came the more I studied them. Their veins were jet black, blood congealed around their open wounds.

  They just didn’t look human. Their whole appearance had changed so much; the virus had moulded them into this new form. So much so, I couldn’t even picture what they would have looked like before the infection.

  Their black protruding eyes pierced into us as they snapped their jaws eager to pounce and devour us whole.

  Our whole group was now stood back to back. The infected had rounded us up, like cattle. Leon had managed to grab hold of his knife in the round up, and was holding it up, readying himself for an attack.

  Sensing this new threat, the infected turned their attention to Leon. The biggest of the pack stood facing Leon, its head tilted to the side. It was if the creature in front of us, was assessing the new threat.

  We edged back even more; we had no choice but to step into the lake. Hearing the sound of the water splash as we stepped into the cold water, the infected instantly drew their attention to the new terrain.

  The leader of the pack turned his attention back to Leon and snarled. Looking like they were about to strike, Leon lunged forward with his knife slicing through the leaders disease ridden flesh.

  With the leader taking a step back, we fled further into the lake. The leader looked down at his new wound, and let out an ear peircing screech. The other four quickly gathered at the edge of the water, seemingly awaiting further instructions.

  Undeterred by the new wound, which to any normal human being would have proved fatal, he lifted his head back and howled.

  The infected stalked their way around the lake, not wanting to step foot in the water. For a reason not yet known, they avoided the water at all costs. Self preservation was starting to reveal itself. I could see the frustration in the leaders eye's as he shrieked and howled as if in communication with the rest of his pack.

  We were now right in the middle of the lake. The water was freezing. We were waist deep in the dark murky water; the bottom half of my body was already starting to go numb.

  We were holding up our backpacks, trying to keep them out of the water.

  “What the hell do we do now?” Paul asked his teeth chattering along with the rest of us.

  None of us really knew. We were stuck in the middle of this lake, in the freezing cold, with a pack of infected waiting for us on dry land.

  We tried wading to the edge of the lake at different points, but no matter which side we went to, the infected beat us to it. We were trapped.

  “Well, we only have one option now guys.” Nick said. I looked at him; I knew exactly what he was thinking. He was right, but it didn’t make me warm to the idea any less.

  “We need to split up.” he announced.

  By this time, we had all pulled out what little weaponry we had. We were all out of ammo; our guns were about as useful to us as a wet fish at this point.

  We split into teams. Leon, George, and the Professor went one way, Paul, Lacey and Ryan went another. Nick and I made our way out together.

  Our little group splitting us seemed to momentarily to distract the infected that had been waiting so patiently for us to emerge, from the murky depths of the ice cold lake.

  They didn’t seem to know which way to turn. We used their confusion to our advantage. Paul and Ryan were first out the water. With one fail swoop Ryan beheaded the first member of the pack.

  Tackling the second to the floor, Paul drove his blade into the skull of the smaller, less nimble infected.

  George and Leon quickly dispatched of the other two, whilst myself and Nick were faced with the leader.

  Seeing the other members of his pack being despatched; clearly made the leader a little less confident. He backed up, as if reassessing the situation. Before he had a chance to re-evaluate his options, Nick lunged forward striking the leader on the temple causing him to fall to the ground. It wasn’t over yet, just as George had done with the Sergeant, I pulled a heavy rock from the ground. With an almighty thud, I threw said rock onto the head of the leader, shattering the skull and spreading parts of the brain across the slightly overgrown grass beneath us.

  I stood back, assessing the fresh carnage around us. The stench of undead body parts, rotting in the sun made my stomach turn yet again. Steam was floating up from the chunks of splattered brain matter, belonging to the recently deceased leader.

  We needed to leave the area soon before my yet to be digested breakfast made a comeback.

  We quickly retreated back into the trees; our wet clothes chilled our whole bodies. The cold was becoming even more of an issue; every step took more and more out of each and every one of us. We needed to find shelter soon. We wouldn’t be able to survive the elements for much longer. We were now down to minimum resources.

  If anything, the recent attack showed us, we were not as safe as we first imagined, trapped in the woods. The infected could be anywhere, waiting to ambush us at any given moment.

  We were all on high alert now, which drained our energy sources even more. The morale within the group had reached a new low. We kept moving in utter silence. No one had the energy to talk. We just focused on the task ahead, finding shelter.

  “That was close.” Leon sighed.

  “They seem to be advancing.” The Professor observed.

  “I know, I’ve never seen them act like that before” I replied.

  “It seems to me that they have gained further access to their cerebral cortex” The Professor started to explain.

  “That’s enough for now.” George interrupted. “Let’s all focus on getting out of these woods first. We can discuss theories later.” he finished.

  We carried on the rest of our walk in silence, concentrating solely on our task at hand.

  After walking all morning and afternoon, we finally reached an opening in the trees.

  “Finally” I sighed. I had enough of walking through the debris of the woods. The scene in front of us was at least, a small improvement.

  We were back to civilisation, or what was left of it. Ahead of us was a long road, all smooth tarmac. Directly in fro
nt of us was a small wooden fence, a thin trail of barbed wire followed the line of fencing, to deter passers-by from climbing in.

  Setback far from the road, was a grand mansion type house. All seemed quiet. The whole area looked untouched, a far cry from the death and destruction which seemed evident from the roads we had previously encountered. This being said; it wasn’t a built up area. We were in the countryside now.

  “I know where we are!” Nick exclaimed. “This is Mill Lane isn’t it?” He asked looking over at George.

  George smiled and nodded. “Yes it is. And that is Adlington Hall.” George replied pointing to the grand building just across the road from us.

  “Oh yeah.” I replied. The surroundings were starting to become a little more familiar to me. I had of course, been to Adlington Hall. I was considering it for my wedding venue. The gardens were beautiful and the Great Hall itself was so intricately designed, I had immediately fallen in love with it. Had it not been for the price or the snotty weasel-faced manager, I would have booked it already. She had a crappy attitude, which instantly put me off. I figured, why would I want to spend one of the happiest days of my life, with a cow like you at the helm, no thank you.

  We crossed the road and peered into the gardens, looking out for any signs of the infected. The whole area remained quiet.

  “Well, what do you think? Shall we risk it?” I asked the group, who were all weighing up the options, just as I was.

  “I don’t think we have a choice.” Leon answered. “It will be getting dark soon; we need to find some sort of shelter.”

  Paul agreed “It’s no worse than being out here, is it really?” he asked us all.

  It was a unanimous decision. We threw our bags over the small fence, and carefully climbed over the barbed wire. We followed the line of fencing as we made our way towards the building. We didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention and we knew we would be more vulnerable out in the open.

  We crept up to the building, making sure we were still alone. We couldn’t take any more chances. We were now at the back of the Great Hall.