Patient Zero (Zombie Apocalypse Book 1)

by Thomas Hall

‘What are you doing here?’ Dale said. He watched Gerard as if he was an enemy.

  Gerard didn’t say anything for a moment and Dale began to think that he wouldn’t answer. Then all at once he seemed to relax and shook his head. ‘We got away from the fighting,’ he said. ‘I suppose we’ll hide until it’s over.’

  ‘It won’t be over,’ Beth said.

  Gerard nodded. ‘You’re probably right.’

  They all stood in silence for a moment.

  ‘Come with us,’ Beth said.

  ‘You don’t know where you’re going,’ Gerard said. Valerie took his arm and clung to his side.

  ‘It’s better than staying here,’ Beth said.

  ‘I think we should do it Ger,’ Valerie said.

  Gerard nodded.

  ‘We’re going to the school first,’ Beth said.

  Gerard nodded.

  Beth reached for Dale’s hand and the six of them continued along the winding narrow road towards the school.

  Dale heard the zombies before he saw them. A whiny screech was interlaced with a deep growl. They turned a final corner and he could see them crowded around the school gate like teenagers at a pop concert.

  They stopped a hundred metres behind the furthest zombies from the gate.

  ‘What do we do?’ Valerie said.

  Dale turned to look at her. She was still clinging to her husband’s arm. He turned towards Beth. ‘I’ll go,’ he said. ‘You stay here and try to hide.’

  ‘No,’ Beth said.

  ‘Beth please,’ Dale said. ‘It’s not safe.’

  ‘Nowhere is,’ she said.

  ‘I can get in much quicker by myself,’ he said.

  ‘I’m coming with you, Dale.’

  None of the others volunteered to leave the relative safety of the street. At least outside they would be able to run if zombies saw them.

  ‘Fine,’ Dale said. He wished they had taken the time to go and get some of the Patrol Men’s weapons but so much time had passed he didn’t even know if they would still have been there. The army might have taken them by now.

  He considered giving her the gun but she didn’t know how to shoot. If they stuck together and he made her his priority he thought he could protect her.

  ‘How are we going to get in?’ Dale said.

  The others had slunk back into the shadows. There was no need to tell them to wait where they were.

  ‘We can go around the back. There’s another gate.’

  Dale nodded.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Beth said.

  Dale nodded again and she took his hand. Beth led him away from the zombies who were swarming around the front gate. He could hear the metal clanging as they tried to shake it out of the hinges. He didn’t think that it would last for much longer.

  The streets around the school were much wider. They walked in silence. There was a statue of a steam train outside a row of shops. It was brown with rust and someone had drawn a smiley face on it with white paint. The back carriage was tilted to one side.

  It took more than ten minutes to walk around the school through the back streets. Dale had rarely come to this part of the village but he felt as if he was going to miss it. No one had lived in the old houses since the outbreak. Some of the wooden beams were rotten and looked as if they might collapse.

  There were four zombies standing at the back gate. Dale and Beth stopped a little way behind them. They walked around in small circles and ricocheted off one another. They didn’t appear to be trying to get in.

  Dale reached for the gun.

  ‘Wait,’ Beth said.

  He stopped and looked at her.

  ‘It’ll make too much noise. You’ll attract more of them.’

  Dale took his hand away from the gun. Beth crouched down and picked something up from the floor. A rock the size of his fist. She threw it hard and it landed twenty or thirty metres away from them.

  The zombies at the gate stopped and looked in the direction of the noise.

  Dale followed Beth towards the gate at the back of the school. It was rusted to a dull brown. He could hear the four zombies in the distance. Pieces of paint and rust flaked off as he climbed over the top. He dropped down on the other side next to Beth.

  The school was a single building. They walked through the empty carpark towards it. The sky lit up with distant gunfire. He felt as if he was beneath a dome.

  ‘Do you know where she’ll be?’ Dale said.

  ‘I told her to wait in her classroom,’ Beth said.

  He nodded, pushed open the door and held it for Beth.

  It was dark inside. He had rarely been into the school but Beth seemed to know where she was going. She turned right and led him down a short passageway, through a set of double doors and into a hall. Their footsteps echoed as they walked to the other side and through another set of doors.

  There was a crack and something hit him in the middle of his forehead. He was well trained not to cry out in pain but he stopped and grabbed Beth’s arm to stop her going any further. He touched his head and his fingers came away sticky with blood.

  ‘Who’s there?’ said a female voice. Dale looked around but it was too dark to see anyone.

  ‘Rachel?’ Beth said.

  ‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’ the voice said again.

  ‘Rachel it’s Beth and Dale,’ Beth said. ‘We’ve come to get Dawn.’

  Dale listened to the muttered voices but he couldn’t tell what was being said. A moment later a light came on and he could see a woman surrounded by a dozen children of various ages. ‘Wait here,’ the woman said and then she walked towards them. Dale saw that it was Rachel Melendez, one of the teachers.

  He turned away as the lamp was held up to his face. Rachel reached out and touched his forehead. He saw that her fingers came away green and for a moment he didn’t understand.

  ‘It’s just paint,’ Rachel said.

  Dale nodded. Rachel turned away from him.

  ‘What’s going on out there?’ Rachel said to Beth. ‘We saw the zombies at the gate and locked the children inside.’

  ‘It’s over Rachel,’ Beth said. ‘Wesley’s dead. Harmony’s overrun.’

  Rachel gasped but recovered quickly.

  ‘We’re leaving,’ Beth said.

  ‘Where are you going?’ Rachel said.

  Beth shook her head. ‘As far away as we can get. I don’t know. But it’s not safe here anymore.’

  Rachel nodded and fell silent.

  Dale wiped the paint off his head with the cuff of his jacket. It stung as he touched it. There would be a bruise.

  Rachel turned around to face the children who had crept towards them. ‘Everybody get your things,’ she said. ‘We’re leaving.’

  Dale turned to look at Beth. They hadn’t discussed taking anyone other than Dawn. She wasn’t looking at him. He didn’t think he could stand leaving a bunch of children behind but he felt equally uncomfortable about leading them into unknown danger.

  Dawn appeared beside her teacher. Beth saw her and grabbed her.

  ‘Is grandad really dead?’ Dawn said.

  ‘Yes,’ Beth said. She was trying not to cry but Dale could tell. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Dawn had a bag over her shoulder. There was a full bottle of water hanging from the strap. A few moments later the rest of the children had gathered behind her.

  ‘Lead the way,’ Rachel said.

  Dale turned and Beth led them all back along the hall.

  They went out the way they had come in. The zombies seemed louder and closer. Dale could hear the gate rattling.

  ‘Do you have a key?’ Beth said to Rachel.

  Rachel fumbled in her bag and took out a set of keys. ‘I thought it would be safer if I locked them,’ she said.

  Beth took the keys. Dale thought that she had probably saved everyone’s life by remembering to lock them in. She seemed like a very capable woman. The children were lucky to have her.

  They walked towards
the back gate. Dale could see movement. There were more than four zombies there now. He turned and saw that Beth had realised the same thing. More than a dozen zombies were moving around one another and rattling the gate.

  ‘We have to get them away,’ Beth said. The trick with the rock was unlikely to work with the larger group.

  ‘Wait here,’ Dale said.

  Beth stopped and the children gathered behind her. They were scared and unwilling to go on. Dale heard Rachel say, ‘What’s going on?’

  He carried on walking towards the gate and stopped when he was close enough to count the individual heads. The zombies began to move more aggressively when they saw him standing there. He counted thirteen of them, one for each of the children.

  Dale walked slowly back to Beth.

  ‘What do you think?’ she said.

  He touched the handle of the gun but there were too many for that as well. ‘If I go over I might be able to distract them long enough for you to get out.’

  Beth didn’t say anything. Dawn was clinging to her arm. After a moment, she nodded. ‘We’ll meet you on Church Lane,’ she said.

  Dale agreed. ‘Lock the gate when you get out and move quickly. If they see you they’ll call others.’

  ‘Be careful,’ she said.

  Dale nodded and then he turned away and walked back towards the gate.

  The fence was three metres tall and made out of wire. Dale walked far enough away from the gate that he thought he would be able to get over before the zombies realised what he was doing.

  He climbed quickly. The fence shook violently with his weight attached to it. He hoped that the movement wouldn’t attract the attention of the much larger zombie pack gathered around the main entrance.

  Dale dropped down onto soft dirt. He paused for a moment and waited to see if any of the zombies would come to investigate the noise. Their moans remained distant and he stood up.

  It felt strange being alone. He had grown used to company. Before all of this had begun he’d always had his troop around him but now there was no one to rely on but himself. He tried not to think about the fact that the lives of a dozen children and their teacher relied upon him.

  He walked towards the gate. After just a few metres he could see the zombies. They hadn’t noticed him.

  ‘Hey!’ he shouted.

  The gate stopped rattling and all thirteen heads turned towards him.

  ‘Hey over here!’

  There was a low groan. Dale took a step towards them.

  ‘Come and get me,’ he said.

  The zombies moved towards him and Dale started to run.

  It was important not to run too quickly or they would give up on him and turn back to the school. He moved at a slow jog and heard them catching up.

  Dale led the zombies away from the school and the village. He strained to hear the gate opening behind him but knew that Rachel was competent enough to be quiet.

  The outskirts of the village had been the first to suffer. He saw the burned out remains of houses and bodies that had been torn apart and left on the ground. He could hear the river and, in the distance, he could see the forest that surrounded them.

  He jumped over the remains of a low stone wall. Long wet grass whipped around his trousers. In the dark all he could see was the shapes of the houses. The dark, glassless windows seemed to watch him ominously.

  They were now far enough away from the school that Beth and Dawn could get out. He planned to lose the zombies amongst the ruins of the old buildings. He knocked over a faded blue plastic toy and almost fell into the wall.

  He stopped and caught his breath. He could no longer see the zombies but he could hear them. He imagined that he could feel their rancid breath on his exposed skin. The thought made him shudder.

  Something moved inside one of the buildings. His heart pounded against his chest. Dale turned to look into the building but he couldn’t see anything there except the darkness.

  There was no time to consider his options. If there was someone hiding in the ruins then he had led a dozen hungry zombies to them. He turned and ran through the nearest door.

  Inside it was nearly silent. It felt uncomfortable, as if he had walked into a trap. He moved as slowly as he dared towards the source of the noise. He was ready to turn around and run if it was a zombie.

  A small boy was crouched in the corner of the room. Judging by his size he was no older than five. He was turned away from Dale as if the building might protect him.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Dale said. ‘I’m a friend.’

  The boy turned slowly and looked up at him.

  His little face was ruined. The flesh seemed to hang from his bones and there were bits missing where Dale could see his stubby teeth and blackened tongue. The boy stood up slowly and Dale could see that part of his neck was missing where he had been bitten.

  Dale took a step away from the child. He shook his head. His hand fell to his gun. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said.

  He could hear the other zombies outside. If the child called them he would be trapped and killed.

  Dale took out the gun and aimed at the boys head. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered. He pulled the trigger and the child zombie’s head exploded like a water balloon filled with red paint. For a moment the body still stood there and Dale thought that it would continue moving towards him. Then it dropped to the floor in a heap.

  The zombies outside cried out as if they had feelings. Dale put the gun back in his trousers, turned and ran.

  He didn’t slow down to let the zombies think they could catch him. Enough time had passed that they would either have forgotten about the school or go back there and find the children were gone. Dale jumped over the wall and ran back out onto the road. He waited for a moment but the zombies didn’t appear behind him.

  He took the back streets to Church Lane. He ran up and down dark lanes that were enclosed on two sides by houses that wouldn’t last long enough to become ruins. There were no more zombies chasing him.

  At the top of the road he stopped. He could see them waiting for him. They were huddled so closely together that it was impossible to tell how many were there now. He felt relieved to see them again but he wondered if they might be better off without him.

  Dale walked towards the group and they began to separate. Beth ran towards him and threw her arms around his neck, stopping him in the middle of the street.

  Dale realised that she was crying. ‘We lost Amber,’ she said.

  Dale nodded and squeezed her more tightly. Statistically, losing one person, didn’t seem so bad. But he thought about the boy in the ruins. It seemed so unfair that children were dying.

  ‘We need to go,’ he said.

  He could feel her nodding against his chest. ‘It’s going to be okay isn’t it?’

  ‘It’s going to be fine,’ Dale said. He wasn’t sure whether he was lying to her or telling her what she needed to hear. He held onto her until he felt her arms loosen around his neck and then they separated and returned to the group.

  CHAPTER 16

  THEY TRAVELLED ALONG THE RIVER BANK. DALE HELD one of Beth’s hand, Dawn held the other. Behind them the rest of the children and their friends walked in silence. He could hear Rachel talking in a low muttered voice to Oscar.

  Because of the children they had to move slowly. One or two of them were crying and they’d had to convince a little boy with blond hair that he couldn’t go back to the village to find his mother. Dale had seen the look in the boys eyes as Rachel explained to him that his mum was probably a zombie by now.

  The further they got from the village the more ruinous the state of the buildings. Some of them were little more than walls that seemed to stand by force of will more than physics.

  The sound of the zombies became more distant but never left them entirely. It was the soundtrack to their journey and, Dale couldn’t help thinking, to their lives now. Once they were truly away from the protection of the village they would be constantly surrounded.
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  The children were a mixture of ages. The youngest was around five. Dawn was the oldest at fourteen. Some of them began to complain that they were tired and Rachel said that they should stop to rest.

  ‘What do you think?’ Beth said to Dale.

  He was tired as well. ‘It might be a long time before we find somewhere safe,’ he said. They would have to sleep in shifts and never let their guard down. There were only seven adults in the group and the children couldn’t be asked to stand guard. ‘Maybe we should rest while we’ve got the chance.’

  Beth nodded.

  They stopped by the side of the river. The rushing water further distanced the sound of the zombies.

  Beth lay her head on his shoulder. Dawn put her head on her sister’s lap. He could hear Rachel telling the children to lay down and try to sleep. Dale stared into the distance but he couldn’t see further than a few metres ahead.

  ‘Which way should we go?’ Beth said. They hadn’t had a chance to discuss their plans beyond getting out of Harmony.

  Dale shook his head. ‘The way we’re going is as good as any,’ he said.

  ‘What’s it like out there?’ Dawn said.

  Dale thought about how to answer her. Outside the village there were zombies everywhere. They would have to fight daily just to stay alive. If there were safe places they would be jealously guarded by the people who had already found them.

  ‘I need to rest,’ he said. He turned away from Beth and her head fell away from his shoulder. He lay on the ground and turned onto his side. The soldier had said this was his fault but he didn’t want to believe it.

  ‘It’s going to be okay,’ Beth said.

  He could feel her hand on his arm but he didn’t turn around to look at her. He didn’t reply.

  ‘We’ll find somewhere,’ she said.

  Dale wished that he could believe her. He wished that he didn’t feel the overwhelming certainty that he was leading her and a dozen kids to their deaths. But what was the alternative? Even if they stayed in Harmony and managed to survive the attack, how long would it be before they drank the water and one of them turned and it started all over again?