by Matt Shaw
Michael
Upstairs in the seemingly empty house, I recognised the scream immediately - even with the sound of the car alarm still sounding off. I dashed towards a window in the front of the property - didn’t even check my surroundings before bursting into the room. Luckily it was empty. Looking out of the window, my heart stopped as I felt my world come crashing down around me. Nicola was leaning from the window in the house I’d left her in. She screamed again. What? Why? Had something got into the house with her? Was she in danger? I banged on the window. She saw me - not sure if that was because of the banging or because she was keeping an eye out - and waved. She’s waving? Can’t be in danger then. Not imminent danger anyway. I reached for the window latch and lifted it. A quick shove and the window swung open.
I called out, “What’s wrong?” Not sure if she could hear me. I couldn’t hear her clearly enough because of the fucking car alarm but she was shouting something back to me. She beckoned me back towards her and pointed down to the front of the house I was in. I looked down and realised what she was doing. A distraction. The infected which had been trying to get in through the front were headed for the other house. Her house. Shit. What have you done? I looked back up to my daughter and called out again, “Close the window and hide!” I shouted. The car alarm was drowning my voice out so I called again, “CLOSE THE WINDOW AND HIDE!” Some of the infected heard me and turned back but the others continued forward. Shit. Shit. Shit. I needed to hurry and find the keys. If the infected got in here - I’d be able to fight them off or, at the very least, find another way out. If they get in there…Doesn’t bear thinking about. I went to call out again, another last ditch attempt to tell her to hide, but the words didn’t come out. Blind panic set in as I realised she wasn’t alone in the room. Someone was standing behind her. I screamed for her to turn around; a scream loud enough for her to hear me. I saw her turn around as the shadow approached her.
Nicola
“You need to stop all the noise,” Ted said. He was standing in the doorway, blocking Nicola’s way out of the bedroom. The machete was still in his hand, dripping black blood onto the cream carpet. “You’re attracting all sorts of trouble,” he continued. “Now the bad news is we can’t leave via the front door but the good news is - I’ve made the back way, the way I came in, pretty much clear of any trouble.” Nicola saw the machete in Ted’s hand and backed away until she was against the wall. Ted realised what she was looking at and tried to reassure her, “It’s okay - this is my friend. I haven’t named him yet though. Wasn’t sure whether that would be a retarded thing to do, you know? Maybe you could think of a name for him?” He took a step forward and perched himself on the side of the bed. Nicola didn’t move from where she was rooted to the spot.
“You need to go.” Nicola said in a quiet voice.
“Need to go? I just fucking…” Ted corrected himself, “I’m sorry - I just got here. I just risked my life getting into the house so I could save you. I figured you’d be happy - what with all of your screaming.”
“I was trying to get them away from my dad,” Nicola said. She pointed out of the window towards the other house.” Ted followed her finger and saw what must have been her father in the house opposite.
“Well what’s he doing over there?” he asked. Nicola made a sudden dash towards the door but Ted leaned forward and blocked her way with his arm. Before she could get away her pulled her close to his body. “You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?” She continued to struggle in his grip but he refused to let go, even with her crying out. “How old are you?” Ted asked. Nicola didn’t answer. “Come on now, don’t be shy. How old are you?” Ted repeated the question, his tone no longer the friendly tone he had initially approached her with.
“Seven…”
“Look I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just going to wait with you for a while, you know, to make sure your daddy gets home safely. I mean there’s a lot of rotting dead fucks out there and he might be a little while…He’d want me to look after you.” He paused. Nicola stopped struggling. “Okay? Does that sound fair to you? Surely it is better than being alone? Yeah?” He slowly released Nicola from his grip. As soon as he did so - she dove to the other side of the room, against the wall, again. Ted stood up and walked to the door. He closed it and turned to the window. He could see the young girl’s father, across the road, at the doorway of the house. He opened it long enough to see it wasn’t a viable option to escape from, considering the amount of infected headed his way. He slammed the door shut. “He might be a while,” Ted said. He turned to Nicola. “Probably long enough for you to thank me for helping you out,” he said. He put the machete on the floor and slowly walked over to Nicola whilst undoing the belt on his trousers, “Damned thing,” he said, “got covered in blood out there. No wonder you’re scared of me - I probably look a right state.” He kicked his trousers off and moved forward until he was standing uncomfortably close to Nicola. His penis was inches from her face and standing fully to attention. She turned away from him. “Have you ever seen one of these?” he asked. “No - of course not. Silly question.” He paused. “Ever tasted one?”
Michael
I slammed the front door shut. Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! The back door. I hurried through to the back door and yanked it open. I haven’t found the keys yet and - quite frankly - I don’t care. Can try and find them later when I know she is safe. For now I just need to get back to the house as quickly as possible. I jumped from the house, into the garden, and immediately attracted the attention of some of the infected milling around. Not enough room to get by them. Guess I’m going through them. I gripped the handle of the knife tightly.
Dr. Platts
Every road I turned down was a similar story to the last. Infected people standing around - as though they’re waiting for something to spark them into whatever form of life you’d call this. Every time I came across another group, I’d turn back the way I had come to try and find another route. I’m not a strong person (physically) by any stretch of the imagination. The last thing I’d want to do is try and fight any of them - even with the clumsy slow speed they move at. I backed up and turned back the way I had come. I’d only parked my car a few streets from where I worked - where there were no restrictions - and yet I just couldn’t get to it. At least not the ways I had tried. Just a few other alleyways and roads I could try. I ran to the next junction and hung a right. So tired and my ankle is killing me from the fall - at least I presumed it was from the fall - but I couldn’t stop moving. Thankfully first impression of this road is that it is clear. A promising start, I thought, as I started to run down it. Not the quickest of routes but I should still be able to get to the car from this road. As long as I could get to it - that’ll do me. Should have told Amy to meet me there but I figured, by the time I explained what the car was and where it was parked, we’d have run out of time anyway. It was the best thing to do - to send her onto the supermarket via whichever route she could find. As I continued to run down the empty road, I couldn’t help but wonder how she was getting on. Did she get there? Did she find a safe route? For her sake I hope so. Not just for her sake. I guess it would be nice to have some company in the supermarket, whilst we wait for the help to get to us.
“Hey! Over here! Are you bitten?” a voice called out. I turned in the direction of the sound. A young looking family were standing in the doorway of what must have been their home. The father was looking directly at me whilst the mother (at least I guessed she was the mother) was keeping an eye out for any potential trouble. “Are you bitten?” he asked again. I noticed the shovel in his hand. I guessed this was for protection and not for the intended use of digging.
“I’m not!”
“Come in! There’s a few of us in here. You’re welcome to wait…” A kind offer from a stranger. Maybe he felt he could trust me because of the way I was dressed and the fact I had a lanyard around my neck - suggesting I was a professional. Maybe he offered this to everyone. I don
’t know but it was unexpected. Part of me wanted to go with them. Part of me. The other part of me remembered how I came to be in the position I was in now and how very quickly the previous group had melted down. What was to stop the same happening with this new group? “Quickly!” he stepped to the side - allowing me to see into the house. I could see more people in the hallway. A few more appeared to be in what looked to be like the kitchen. I shook my head. “It’s a good group,” he shouted, “you’re not safe out there.”
“We’re not safe anywhere,” I pointed out. I turned away from him and continued my way down the road, in the vague direction of where I’d parked. The man didn’t call out for me again. Instead I heard the sound of a front door slamming shut behind me. I should have told them I was going to the supermarket. I should have told them to come with me. Not sure how many people were in that house but they’ll need food. They’ll run out of food. Should go back and tell them of my plan. Tell them about Amy - and that she is on the way there now too. No. I can’t go back. And we’d probably be safer in a smaller group. Less egos. Less opinions. Less chance of someone getting bitten and infecting the others if we stumbled across any potential trouble. At the end of the road and the next part of the route looks pretty much clear too with the exception of the odd infected. I still can’t believe how quickly this took hold. One minute everything was normal, people were going about their lives and the next - the city is practically wiped out. I dread to think how many people have actually died now. I won’t be one of them. I won’t. I’ll make it through this. I’ll get to the supermarket, it will be clear and I’ll hole up there until someone comes for me. And Amy will be there too. We’ll both survive it. I ran down the side of the road with the least resistance and was soon standing at the mouth of the alleyway which would lead me to my car. I was apprehensive about venturing down it. It was tight with no way out if I were to run into trouble. Worst case scenario something would appear at the other end and I’d find myself blocked in by one of the infected in this street. I turned to look at them - they were slowly but surely making their way towards me. No doubt they were reacting to my heavy footsteps or breathing as I ran down the road. A quick check back down the alleyway - it’s still clear. I have to go for it. Nothing certain about the next route being clear from danger if I don’t go opt for this one. Okay. Can’t stand here forever whilst trying to make my mind up. Just need to go for it. I set off down the alleyway being as quiet as I possibly good - yet maintaining a sensible speed. As I approached the other side, I slowed my pace to more of a crawl. Practically on tip-toes now as I listened out for the sounds of the dead. Can’t hear anything. Has to be a good thing? Slowly I leaned out from the alleyway. There’s a few of the dead further down the street but that’s it. Seems to be pretty clear. I breathed a sigh of relief. My car was halfway down the street with nothing between us but space and litter. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. I set off for the car with quickened steps, fishing in my pocket for the keys as I did so.
By the time I reached my car I had the car-key primed to slide it into the lock. Kind of wish I had one of the fobs which meant I could unlock the car from a distance but it’s not the end of the world. They’ve heard me running for my car - the undead - but they’re not close enough to pose me any threats. I slid the key into the lock and opened the door. Seconds later and the door was shut, the key in the ignition and my seat-belt securely fastened. I fired the engine up and pressed my foot down on the pedal. For the first time since everything kicked off, for the first time, I felt as though I had a genuine chance of surviving it.
I leaned across to the radio and pressed the ‘on’ switch. Nothing. Dead air. Damn. I was hoping for some kind of government issued message. Something to tell us - the survivors - where to go. Something to tell us that help was on the way. Dead air. An eerie silence. Not a good sign. Stick with the original plan. Head for the supermarket and see if Amy is there. The good news is - at this rate - I’ll get there before the sun comes down. Daylight is another important factor between life and death.
Michael
I ran across the street unarmed but I didn’t care. I had lost the damned knife in the side of one of the infected head’s I had stuck it into. Fucking thing snapped after I’d stuck it into the fourth, or fifth, forehead. No time to fret about the lack of weapon though. I looked up to the window as I crossed the street in the hope of seeing Nicola standing there - waving at me but she wasn’t there. Only the curtain was a sign of life; gently flapping in the afternoon’s breeze. Too many infected at the front door because she’d called them over. I had to run down the side of the house to check the back door. I was shocked at the sight of the back garden - a pile of dead bodies lying in various states of decay. My heart skipped a beat when I realised the back door was wide open. No. No. No. I ran in and slammed it shut behind me.
“Nicola!” I called out. “Honey!” No one answered my call. Not the sound of my daughter nor the sound of a stranger. “Anyone?” I called. A thud from upstairs. Someone still up there. Please be okay. Please be okay. I ran up the stairs and down the hallway towards the bedroom I’d last seen Nicola in. I got to the doorway and froze. A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Standing in front of me was my baby girl. Her clothes on the floor in a messy heap, her once beautiful eyes now clouded over with death’s curtain, her mouth gnashing and biting at thin air. She turned to me and cranked her head to the side. I dropped to my knees with tears streaming from my eyes as I noticed a gash in her stomach. A trickle of blood down the inside of her bare leg. “Oh no no no…” I shook my head as my mind ran through the horrors she’d been exposed to. In my mind they could have been worse than what she was actually forced to endure but I’d never know. Not for sure. I’d have to live with the knowledge that I’d failed her.
She started to move across the room towards me with her fingers outstretched to take hold of me. Her head twitching and her mouth still biting at nothing. I held out my arms. I don’t care anymore. Not for this, not for anything. I just want to be with my family and there’s only one way I’ll be able to do that now. There’s only one way I’ll find any peace. As my daughter neared, I pulled her close and held her to my body. I was quivering with fear as I felt her teeth sink into my neck. I wept as I knew it wouldn’t be long before I joined her. I closed my eyes as she continued to bite and scratch me. The pain didn’t bother me - not knowing the peace that was waiting for me on the other side. I opened my eyes as I felt a burning sensation tear through my body. There, over my daughter’s shoulder, was my wife. She was smiling and beckoning me towards her - and the light shining brightly behind her. I felt my eyes slowly close. Feel. Heavy.
By the time I opened my eyes the pain had stopped. Not just that but I couldn’t feel anything. I was standing next to my wife who was staring at me, smiling. I smiled at her.
“I’ve missed you,” she said.
I wanted to tell her that I’d missed her too but I couldn’t. I just broke down into tears. The sound of chewing from behind me. I turned around and saw my daughter hunched over my body on the other side of the room. Her hands wrapped around my face as she continued to bite into the top of my head - brains exposed, brains being chewed.
“I’m sorry,” I told my wife, turning away from the horrors in front of us, “I couldn’t protect her. I did what I could…”
Vix smiled, “No one could have protected her. It’s too late for everyone. They just don’t know it yet.”
“But look at what’s left of her…”
I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t turned into what my daughter had changed into. Maybe because she’d bitten into my brain? Maybe that was enough to stop me.
Vix reassured me, “That’s not your daughter. Just as that’s not you…” she nodded towards the violence behind me. I turned around and noticed that my body was sitting up; the same look on its face as that of my daughter’s. “Come with me,” Vix whispered, “Come be with your daughter and I.” She took my hand and l
ed me towards the light. I feel something. I feel warmth.
Ted
I staggered through yet another alleyway on another god forsaken housing estate. These places are like a fucking maze. My mood somewhat dampened by the little fucker I’d earlier encountered. I hadn’t been going to hurt her. I especially hadn’t been going to kill her. All she had had to do was give me the necessary thanks for coming to her rescue. Didn’t see the teeth coming. Credit where it was due, she was stronger than I first believed her to be. The only thing which didn’t surprise me about that encounter was my temper. Soon as I felt the teeth against the shaft of my penis, I felt the blinding rage erupting from within. I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, pulled her away and threw her against the wall like a little rag-doll. Looking back, now I’ve had a chance to calm down a little, I feel as though I may have been a little over the top with regards to my reaction. Should have just fucked her. That would have been punishment enough. Shouldn’t have stuck her with Bob The Machete. Is that guilt? What a strange emotion. Stranger now to sense it when the world has gone fuck up. Put that shit out of my mind. Wipe that crap away. New World, New Rules. Fuck it. What’s done is done. No sense crying over spilt milk. Although it will be a different story if I start to turn into one of the rotting dead fucks - a thought which has been plaguing me ever since the little cunt put tooth to cock. I tried to put it from my mind as I finally found a main road. Not sure how but I’m no longer on the housing estate. I’m back on the road where I had watched the truck hit the girl….And speaking of the truck. I can see it now. It’s heading for me. The front of it is bashed beyond recognition. How the thing is still driving is beyond me. I put my hands up in the air and waved towards the driver - less chance of the same happening to me as happened to the woman considering the truck’s pretty much cleared the area of R.D.Fs thanks to it’s previous erratic driving. Even so, I prepared myself to dive from the path.