I picked the key up and got to my feet. I felt slightly more confident as I locked the door. As I tested it to make sure it was locked, a slight wave of relief passed over me.
I'm not sure how long I sat there, it couldn't have been long. With my back to the door I could only see the lower torso of the body that lay in the kitchen. The creature's head was obscured by the washing machine to the left of me. It didn't feel as scary, not being able to see his face. Or what was left of it, at least. It didn't feel as real. By not being able to look into the eyes of the monster I had just killed, I felt like I could pretend it was just a mannequin or a bundle of clothes.
That was one of the reasons I sat there like I did, not wanting to face the truth of the situation. I was essentially a murderer. Whatever that thing had become, there was no denying it was once human. Maybe it still had been.
The way it had looked was so grotesque that I was sure it was past saving, even if it was just some kind of sickness. But what if he could have been saved, what if he needed my help and I had just smashed his head in with a metal bar? I worried what the police would think about the situation, whether they would believe my version of events. Would they believe that a man, who was already fatally wounded, had attacked me without provocation?
Had he attacked me? Was I really in danger? Or had I grossly overreacted because of his appearance? What if he was trying to tell me that he needed help and I had misinterpreted it as an attack?
No, I knew full well what had happened. I was in danger and I protected myself. I gave him plenty of opportunities to keep away from me. He came right into my house for God's sake!
I decided I just needed to tell the police exactly what happened and I'd be fine. The thought of explaining myself to the police seemed to snap me back into the moment. I needed more information. I needed to know what was going on and how bad things were. Was this something that would blow over in a couple of hours or was this going to be something that changed the world forever?
I stood up and instantly looked down at the body. I felt another wave of nausea pass over me so I dashed towards the living room, grabbed a tea towel off the back of the kitchen door and laid it over the head of the body. It wasn't much, but it made the body being there a bit more bearable.
Next I made my way to the T.V. and switched it onto a news channel. I grabbed my mobile and walked over to the house phone under the stairs. I started dialing numbers on the house phone; 999, trying to get hold of any kind of emergency service. I tried my mum's mobile, my dad's mobile, friends and other family, every time getting no further than three beeps and then cutting off. Sometimes I struggled to even get a dial tone before I rang.
I remembered someone saying that the idea of the telephone network was based on a lie. There had never been and never would be enough phone lines and connections for everybody. If everyone who had a phone wanted to speak to someone else at the same time, it would be impossible. I was getting the distinct impression that now was one of those times.
I was only half paying attention to my phone calls anyway, I also had my eyes glued to the T.V. I was trying to absorb as much information as possible but quickly realized that everyone was saying the same things over and over again. I needed to pick out what was important and try to filter out all the speculation. And there was a lot of speculation.
Chapter 3
Panic had taken a hold of the country. The media itself was a chaotic frenzy reporting the wave of violence and confusion that was sweeping through the streets. Images were completely uncensored regardless of the early hour. The scenes that were unfolding on the news made whatever was happening look unstoppable.
Footage from a police helicopter showed a heat vision image of three figures on the roof of a warehouse. One was lay down, not moving. Another person was sat next to them, supporting their head and a third person was waving their arms at the helicopter. Their bright white silhouettes stood out against the dark background.
The image flickered as the view changed from heat vision to night vision. The black and white image changed to black and green, grainy but more detailed. The three figures were just about visible, but what were also visible now were the hundred or so figures that surrounded the warehouse. A crowd reached up towards the solid walls, banging on them, apparently aware that something was just out of their reach.
The camera switched back to heat vision and the crowd seemed to disappear. It switched again to night vision revealing that the three figures were indeed surrounded. It was apparent that the footage was trying to prove a point, that no one in the crowd below was emitting any body heat at all.
Another short clip had been recorded on a camera phone by someone stood on the balcony of a building high above the street. It zoomed in and out of the scene unfolding below.
It filmed a group of police in full riot gear stood in a line, facing a crowd that approached them slowly and clumsily. The people in the crowd were missing limbs and skin. They were covered in blood, dried and fresh mixed together along with dirt and other unknown stains. They had open wounds and internal organs that were spilling out of holes torn in their bodies.
The line of police stood strong despite obvious fearful and nervous twitches. As the crowd approached the police, they seemed to speed up. Not a lot, but enough to give their clumsy drive forward some momentum. They were met by a solid wall of riot shields.
A wave rippled along the line of shields as the impact of the crowd pushed into them and the police pushed back. Most of the officers adjusted their stances, leaning forward to try and counteract the incoming force.
A strained battle of strength ensued for about a minute as neither side looked to be backing down. Then, inevitably, one of the police officers fell. It wasn't clear if they lost their footing or one of the creatures grabbed them from the floor but once the line was broken, the dead burst through.
The officers closest to the breach were overwhelmed instantly. The undead swarmed over them as more pushed through and attacked any officers that came to help. A couple of officers saw their defensive line break and instantly began to try to escape. Although one managed to flee the scene, the others were grabbed the moment they turned their backs on their attackers.
The grasping hands that had been kept at bay by shields were now free to grab their prey as the officers dropped their shields and tried to run. Each fallen officer was a new hole in the line that allowed more undead to push their way forward. Within thirty seconds, there was no one left standing against the dead. Pockets of the creatures fought over their new meals while the rest continued to march forward with their unnatural gait.
Whoever was filming panned the camera round to show the undead shambling down the street towards the building they were in. Then it abruptly stopped.
I made myself stop watching the T.V. for a moment while I looked on my phone. I brought up the web browser and was instantly met on the news page by pictures and headlines that mirrored what I had just been watching. The pictures showed chaos and bloodshed. I scrolled down and my eyes picked out words like 'panic', 'spreading' and 'overwhelmed'. It was clear that this thing was happening all over the country and it was happening fast.
A few hours ago, everything had seemed normal. Now it had seemed to have gone to hell. I needed a plan and I needed one fast.
From the things I had seen on the news and on my phone, I automatically accepted that those people had turned into zombies. What else could I call them? The two I had encountered on my driveway were definitely people that had died and were now walking round again. They didn't flinch when I kicked them and I had kicked them hard. The one that had made it inside had been stopped when I caved his head in.
I suddenly felt a wave of nausea wash over me again but it left as quickly as it had arrived.
They also hadn't responded to me trying to talk to them. Watching people get ripped apart on the T.V. didn't inspire me to try getting close to them again to try and reason with them. No, I accepted that these thi
ngs were reanimated corpses. Next I needed to decide what I was going to do about it.
From what I'd seen on the news, those things definitely had strength in numbers. Although I'd only seen two outside, I was willing to bet there were a lot more.
I needed to try to get hold of my parents. I tried my phone again but like before, it wouldn't even ring. I decided I'd try again in ten minutes, I glanced at my watch and was shocked that it was 5:45am. I looked at my phone realising I hadn't taken any notice each time I'd looked. My phone confirmed it was 5:45am.
I ran over to the patio doors at the back of the house and pulled back the blinds. The sky over the top of the houses was starting to lighten. The black sky was slightly less black than it was when I first went out, it had also stopped raining. I moved my hand and the blinds fell back into place. I scanned the dining room, hoping to spot something that would kick-start a plan in my head.
I needed to secure the house but I wasn't sure how. I looked at the large glass patio doors next to me and glanced at the curtains in the living room, hiding the large glass window behind them.
I had images in my head of boarding up the windows like I'd seen on every single zombie movie I'd ever watched. That would have been great if my dad had a huge supply of wooden boards in the garage but I knew he didn't. Thinking about the garage gave me the idea of looking in there to see what I could use, rather than what I didn't have.
I brushed my hand along the ledge above the patio door until I felt the key that was stashed up there. I unlocked the door and slid it open. As I stepped outside my ears were assaulted by the sounds of chaos. I could hear sirens and cars speeding down roads. I heard screams and shouts, both of pain and fear mixed with cries for help and vocal warnings. One of the speeding car sounds turned into the screeching of brakes immediately followed by a crash. I could hear the distinctive crackle of burning along with the occasional snap of something breaking and being consumed by fire. But above everything, the sound that stood out most was the moaning.
I knew it was the creatures making it and it scared me how loud it was. There must have been hundreds in the vicinity, all wailing an inhuman cry. It was a long, drawn out howl that could be compared to a dying animal but this particular howl struck a chord. It carried a painful sadness with it that was distinctly human.
When babies cry, the pitch of their cry is thought to be perfectly pitched to make it hard for any adult to listen to. It has evolved to make someone come running to help, even if only to make the crying stop. It strikes a chord on an evolutionary level.
The wails that floated through the air chilled me to the very core. Being able to hear them gave me a sense of urgency. I needed to make the house as safe and secure as I could and I needed to do it as quickly as possible.
I dashed over to the garage and opened the side door, I stepped in and flicked the light on. It blinked to life and I scanned the walls and piles of stuff on the floor.
The first thing that jumped out at me was the spade hanging on the wall. It was a bit battered and rusty but I knew it could do some damage. It had a thick wooden handle and shaft that looked tough despite years of abuse. The actual blade on the end was quite thick and the cutting edge was shiny from being sharpened. I'd used it when I helped out in the garden and knew that the edge was sharp, my toes had had plenty of near misses over the years. I also knew that the thickness of the metal meant it had a bit of weight behind it. It felt solid as I took it off the wall which gave me confidence in it.
Next to the freezer was a rack of shelves, I quickly browsed them but most of it was useless to me. There were half full paint cans and brushes, bulbs and spray paints for cars as well as a multitude of nuts and bolts. On the bottom shelf was a big toolbox, I slid it out and opened it. It had a lid that opened up to reveal a couple of socket sets and two drawers that held a bunch of screwdrivers and spanners. There were other tools that had been thrown in over the years including a big adjustable spanner and two hammers. I closed it back up and put it near the door with the spade.
Moving quickly round the garage, I grabbed a big torch and chose a few dangerous looking golf clubs. My dad had recently bought a new cordless drill set that came with a drill, charger, two batteries and lots of drill bits. I figured that as well as a useful tool, it could make a nasty weapon. As I took a large saw off the wall I heard a man scream somewhere close by. It was a horrifically painful scream that probably only lasted a few seconds but it seemed like longer. I wondered if I knew him. I tried not to think about it and took that as my cue to head back inside the house.
It took a couple of journeys to bring everything in, I dumped it just inside the patio door. As well as the tools and golf clubs, I'd found some chunky rope and sturdy looking lengths of wood that had been used on the fencing round the garden as well as some tall, fold away ladders.
Although the wood looked thick and was a decent length, there wasn't much of it. My plan had been to board up all the windows downstairs but there wasn't enough wood to board all of them as much as I'd like.
My mind raced though every zombie film I'd watched and every videogame I'd played. There was still a part of me that felt like I was being stupid for jumping straight to the zombie conclusion but I refused to play it safe and end up becoming a victim.
I decided my best option would be to barricade the windows downstairs as best as I could but stay upstairs. Upstairs consisted of a bedroom with en-suite bathroom and a study opposite. The house had originally been a bungalow but the loft had been turned into an upstairs before we moved in. The stairs were a simple wooden set that were attached to the wall in the dining room. My theory was that I could rip the stairs down and use the wood to reinforce the windows. I could then use the fold up ladders to get upstairs and pull the ladders up behind me. That way I'd have the downstairs barricaded but even if any zombies did get in, there'd be no way of them getting to me upstairs. Unless they could climb? They didn't climb in movies but then again, this wasn't the movies. The ones I'd encountered were pretty unstable on their feet so I was pretty confident they'd have problems climbing up to a height set above their heads.
An explosion outside snapped me back into the real world and gave me a sense of urgency. I started by grabbing as much food and drink as I could out of the kitchen and running it upstairs. I didn't know how long this thing was going to go on for so I wanted to be prepared. I unplugged the TV from the living room and took that up along with my laptop and my mobile.
Chargers were next, along with an old radio and torch from the cupboard in the dining room. I was trying to think of worst-case scenarios and decide what I'd need but it was hard to think on the spot. After grabbing all the toilet roll and candles I could find and adding them to the pile on the bed, I decided I needed to start barricading the house.
I started by taking all the doors down with the cordless drill. The hinges unscrewed from the wall quite easily and within thirty minutes I had six doors stacked up in the living room. I rooted through the toolbox and found the biggest screws I could. As I tried to hold one of the doors up diagonally over the living room window, I quickly realised it was going to be more difficult than I first thought. I began to wonder whether I should drill holes in the wall first and put rawl plugs in, then I started to wonder whether I should have drilled holes in the door first.
A loud crash outside made me realise that I was overthinking things. I pushed the door against the wall and propped it up with my knee. I pressed a screw into the door with the drill and pulled the trigger. The screw bit and went in quickly but soon hit the wall and stopped. I pressed on as hard as I could and turned the torque up full. The noise sounded like the drill was going to break but I managed to force the screw in. After I put another two screws in, the door hung in place itself. It didn't look very sturdy but I figured I needed to get the others in place and see how many screws I had left. There was no point having one window boarded up securely if those things were going to start flooding in another one.
The next objective was the kitchen window. Like the living room, it was big and at the front of the house. I used the same clumsy technique as before, propping the door up and holding it in place however I could. It wasn't ideal but it worked. I winced as the screws hit brick and made a screeching sound again. To me, it sounded deafening and I prayed that the noise didn't attract any unwanted attention.
I boarded up the windows at the side of the house and was pleased that there were still a lot of screws left over. I went round and reinforced the doors with some more screws, they looked pretty sturdy but I wasn't convinced it would stop a group of those creatures.
As I looked at the stairs I wondered if removing them was going to be as easy as I first thought. The banister needed to come off first, it was quite thick so I attacked it with a big Saw. I cut through the top and bottom easily enough but it was still held in place by fifteen reinforcing batons.
The Saw made light work of the batons where they joined the banister meaning the banister was finally free, with the batons only held in place at the bottom they snapped off easily enough. Then, it was the hard part.
The steps themselves were connected to the wall and sandwiched in place by a large panel. I started by putting the Saw's blade through the gaps between each step and trying to saw through the step but it was clear that the wood was much thicker and it was going to be a mammoth task.
I kept sawing and eventually got through it. I was sweating and tired but had only cut through one side of one step. Time was not on my side and I was aware that I needed to think of a better idea.
I needed something better than the Saw I was using, but it was the biggest Saw in the garage. I remembered the grinder that was in the garage, I had used it to cut through metal when I had been working on cars so I was confident it would make light work of the stairs.
I opened the patio door and the cold air hit me, cooling me instantly. The sounds were louder than before, the moaning was really creepy and I got a shiver. I quickly found the grinder in the garage and got back inside the house.
Ridgetown (Book 0): Rising Page 2