We got up early that morning around nine and sat down to breakfast. This time the food wasn't made by Earl's mum. It was cereal and coffee. We had everything packed up but we seemed to have a lot to carry down to the car.
"is there a rubbish shoot near." I asked.
"yeah just like a door away why?"
"we are going to send your stuff down. I'm fucked if I'm doing three trips up and down that lift. It is too risky."
"would you send your stuff into a skip full of rotten food."
"OK look we will double bag then."
"I don't know."
"you can use my washing machine if it gets on your clothes OK."
"OK ok."
So we agreed I was starting to get the feeling Earl is a clean freak. I'll work on that. I smile to myself I think this is going to be fun.
We got all the bags down the shoot in about fifteen minutes. We started walking back to the lift the same noises came from the doors. We got to the lift. While we were waiting I noticed the door to stairs was just to the side.
"does this lift always take this long."
The stairs door bumped. I looked quickly through a long slited window on the door. There was a woman at the other side of it. She had dry blood all down her front and mouth like John had. She saw me and let out a god awful shreek and lunged at the door. It swung open and hit me and bounced back it knocked me back a step she pushed it again. This time I pushed back trapping her fingers between the door and the frame. Earl threw all his wait on me. Knocking the wind out of me. Her fingers hit the floor by my feet. She started banging at the door. There was a ping and the lift doors slid open.
"go!" I shout to Earl. He released me and I could breath I waited ten seconds. With the woman still hammering on the door then dived into the lift myself she burst through. Just as the doors were closing. They fully closed just in time. I was winded and was trying to catch my breath and wheezing said.
"when we get out we run like scalded cats to the van and stop for nothing."
The lift stopped and the doors opened. We ran but had to stop for the automatic doors. My god they were slow. They got open wide enough and Earl was first. My god he was fast he got to the van and had it unlocked. He was in with the key in the ignition before I had got in.
"right let's get your stuff and go."
We drove round to the back of the building and got all the bags. Earl wanted to take the outer bag off so he didn't make his van stink. I refused and won the argument that it was not the right time to mess about we had to go. We set off and decided to go on roads that had as little population as possible. We got back to mine quicker than it had taken to get to Earl's. That is not to say that it was not interesting though as well as dogs we saw people wandering around as well. But they were acting strange. When one saw another they went to each other and sniffed like dogs do for a grating. Not each others arse's but just around there head hight. Also it looked like they were curious about the van. I'm not sure if it was the noise of the engine or what. I made a mental not to experiment on what got there attention.
When we got back to mine there was carnage on the street. Cars that had been parked had dents and scrapes down the full length of them on alternative sides of the road. Before we got to mine we could see a car parked in my garden. My garden wall had been knocked down. Before Earl had stopped I was getting out and running to the wreckage. The cars engine was still revving. The front of the small car was off the ground and the wheels were spinning at a rediculess speed. As I got closer I could see the shape of someone slumped over the stearing wheel. The door catch must have broken in the accident and was open slightly. I opened it and pushed the woman I could see now back, and turned off the engine. Earl came jogging up beside me.
"is she OK." he asked
"I don't think so look at all the blood that has come from her nose. Let's get inside and ring for the police and ambulance"
We got inside and Earl rang nine nine nine he didn't speak just hung up.
"the phones not working." I tried and got silence like it was trying to contact then just a a loud beeeeep.
"it looks like we are on our own for now." I say.
"what about going to the town hall. Like the news said."
"I'm still thinking that will be bad look at what is happening to people and animals. I feel as though the more populated an area the more dangerous it is for us. I'm not going to stop you if you want to go."
"I think I might try." my heart sank and I started to well up we had been through so much in a short time and I liked him. I walked over to him and gave him a hug. I never hug anyone I can't stand being touched but it felt like we both needed one. I wished him good luck and told him that I will wait until the morning if there was no joy there. Then told him of my plans to go to several farms where I no the owners that I was going to try. They live out in the sticks. I gave him all address and the order I was going to them in. We shook hands and he left.
I sat down and cried I have never felt so alone as I do right now. I managed to pull myself together and went out the back door to have a fag and check my pickups oil water and fuel levels. They were all good. I flicked my fag over the back wall and went next door through the back. I had a suspicion that Mrs jesop might have changed from the old woman that I new and was not going to be able to hurt her. When I went in the back to the kitchen my suspensions were right. The living room door was closed but I could hear her moans at the other side of the door. I got a roll of bin bags and started huridley packing all food cleaning products and medicines and bandages. She started banging the door. When each bag was full I put it straight outside so I could get out and then load them into my pickup. The hole operation took ten minutes I was only carful not to miss anything not to be quite. The more noise I made the harder she banged. I thought that was interesting. I left and got my pickup loaded. Then realised that I had packed all my food and had nothing to eat handy. I got a drink of water and went back to my living room I looked out of my window to look at the wreckage the woman was gone from the car. What the fuck is happening it's like something you see in a film people don't come back to life.
I don't know why but I started to think about val from the pub she had been ok. I got my bike helmet and jumped on my vespa and went to the pub, and instantly regretted it. I parked up outside the door was open like a normal day. Apart from being early that is. I walked in taking off my helmet. Val was laid on the floor blood everywhere and a man on top of her eating her organs. I put my helmet down quietly and picked up a bar stool. Bad idea number two. I grabbed the stool legs and held it over my head and braught it down on the man's head. Splinters of wood went spraying everywhere, and he just turned to look at me. He sniffed at me then sprung up roaring like a dragon. I jumped over the bar looking for a weapon. He seemed unable to climb over to get me just walking at the bar ars out. I new this man it was Chris vals husband. I saw a bin full of empty bottles and grabbed one. I jumped over the bar and knocked him down. I got the bottle by the base and forced the neck of the bottle into his eye. The sound was like putting your finger in jelly. His body lost all strength. I could see that there was nothing I could do for val. So I went behind the bar got a couple packets of crisps and a shot of vodka. I downed the vodka and crushed up the crisps so I could just pour them into my mouth. After my healthy dinner I went home. I got a couple of planks and rode my bike into my pickup bedand strapped it down. I went inside and went to bed it was early but I was exhausted. Sleep did not come on. The images of val and Chris would not leave my mind. It was no good I went back down to my living room and put Netflix on. It didn't work a message came on the screen network down please try again later. I was missing Earl as well I hoped that he was OK. Such a gentle good man. He saved me earlier. I didn't believe in God. Even after my dad used to drag me to church every Sunday until the brain tuma made him too ill to. But I sat there in the dark and prayed. I prayed for Earl's safety and that whatever was going on would be over quick. I'm not sure if it was a prayer or a wish but I did it all the same and finished with ah men. I got out my supplies of weed speed and e's, and rolled a joint more weed than tabaco. I sat smocking and looking at my dvd's and could not choose. The weed relaxed me but didn't clear my mind. Poor val she didn't deserve to be eaten. I started to cry again in the comfort that know one could see me. I don't know when it happened but I fell asleep.
I woke up like a man coming up from a deep dive with no oxygen. What had woken me up. Then my answer came loud knocking on the door."SID OPEN UP PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE PLEASE"I got to my feet the knocking constant and impatient. I unlocked the door. A man pushed past me knocking my back. It was Earl he sat on my sofa breathing heavy."it's OK man I'm hear." I put a hand on his shoulder and he started to wail tear streamed down his face."put your head between your legs and breath slow in through your nose and out of your mouth. In and out. In and out."he did as he was told I got him a drink of water. He sat back and drank like he hadn't drunk for a week. He threw his arms around me. I rubbed his back like you would a child that had skinned a knee." your OK now buddy. "" don't let me do anything so stupid again please promise me. Slap me if anything so stupid comes out of my mouth again."
We got up around nine and ate breakfast a bacon sandwich with ketchup for me brown sauce for Earl. "We have a new companion as well as more supplies." "what do you mean we have a new companion. The supplies I can understand straight away. But companion what." "come with me. You need to meet her." "ooh her what's her name." "Jessie" "sounds cute." "she is very." I knew I was getting him excited for the wrong reason. But it was too easy. We went out to the kennels. "what's she doing in there." Then the penny dropped. "she is a dog." I couldn't help myself I started laughing. His face was a picture. "sorry mate it was too easy. JESSIE COME ON GIRL." Jessie came bouncing out of her shelter and up to the gates of the kennel. Earl stepped back away from the metal gate. Jessie was jumping around in circles barking happily. "SID how do we know that she is safe." "seriously look at
Know one was feeling great this morning. We all held our heads at the table. Gaz got up and went to a cupboard in the kitchen. I watched to see what he was doing. He got a box of pain killers out. "I don't think any of us should do that." "Why" A rough one-word answer it annoyed me but I swallowed it down. We were in his house after all. "Do you have an unlimited supply?" "No." Again with the one-word answer. At least this time he sounded like he was thinking. "So do you know how long it will take before life gets back to normal?" "No, you don't have to go on about it. I get it we might run out if we don't start rationing." He put the box of pills back. How do we get rid of this hand over then? I got up and poured a jug of water and put four glasses on the table. Everyone was looking at me expectedly. " Let's have a bacon butty and make a plan." Lucy was the first to speak.
It was five in the morning and the sun was coming up. It was still dark but getting lighter. I was absolutely knackered. A few hours sleep would not go a miss but I needed to keep going. I went to my supply of speed I had hidden it away alongside my other drugs. I didn't tell anyone I had them. Looking around to make sure no one was watching I took a small amount to keep me going. I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down outside and had a fag. I was shocked to see a zombie walking through a field about one hundred metres away. I was concerned about seeing one so far away from any other houses. I saw an axe at the end of the house next to a pile of wood. I picked it up and walked to a metal gate that led into the field. The zombie didn't appear to have noticed me at this point. So I got the axe and banged on the gate softly. It stopped moving I was shocked at how sensitive its hearing was. I tapped again no louder than the first time. It looked to be sniffing the air. So tapped aga
I was woken by the sound of the others down in the kitchen. My ears were still ringing from the shotgun the other day. I went downstairs after getting washed and brushed my teeth."Morning everybody.""Morning." everyone spoke in unison."Has anyone had any more thoughts on what they think we should do.""Sit down Sid. We have been talking already. Lucy has said that she is worried about the water we are fed from a natural spring at the moment.""Ok, that's a good point Red. What does everyone else think.""Well, I have suggested that Lucy gets on the Internet before it all goes down to find ways of distilling water and storing electricity. Gaz is worried about the fuel for all the vehicles.""OK has anyone had ideas about that.""Gaz has suggested that he and Earl go round the filling stations and fill containers.""And what about you Red.""Me personally I think that they are all great ideas but who am I to say.
The day before had taught us all a lesson about being quiet. We saw how much they are attracted to sound. We all wanted to say thank you to Itchy Coo."So what do you know about Itchy Coo then Sid"gaz had a massive cheesy smile on his face. Like he thought I was going to tell them something good."I don't know him I've met him a few times when I was younger. I used to go up on the moors to pick mushrooms to sell. I never dabble in hallosenagenics. Whereas Itchy eats mushrooms like sweets. People call him Itchy Coo because he lives in a tank and doesn't have a bath or shower so he stinks and is always scathing. He's about sixty at guess. That's all I know about him. "We talked for a bit longer and decided that me and Gaz would carry on with the fencing and the others would go for more supplies. This time we all went out armed and heavily clothed. It was just me and Gaz at the farm when we heard a car horn. We dropped everything and went to see what it wa
The last few days work had really got cracked on. We had built a good fence around the barns and house. We had got netting over the buildings and land inside the fence so we didn't have to worry about the birds as much. We had a strong gate at the end of the drive and we had enough food and ingredients to last the nine of us and Jessie at least five years. I'm not going to say that we are completely safe the fence needs strengthening and I have plans for traps. The girls were our main hunter-gatherers now it made sense until this place was properly fortified. Red and Earl had made water stills so we had safe water. They had been working on solar panels to power the house when the power eventually went down, but not got it worked out yet. It was around ten-thirty in the morning everyone was out doing their allocated jobs. Me and Gaz were out in the fields with the three-sixty mini digger. It wasn't ideal but it was better than using a shovel and pick to dig a large deep hole. We were
Everyone was up now. There was nothing during the night to speak of. We were all getting on with our jobs but keeping on our side of the fence as much as possible Gaz had a trials bike that we now took out with so we could catch anyone who was near quickly. We were all on pins though and after having no sleep me and Gaz were tetchy, to say the least. Me and Gaz were the only ones outside the fence still digging pits and setting traps we smashed up a load of glass and cemented the shards on top of the walls near our boundary. We had been working all morning. It had been harder without Jessie with us to spot and catch the birds. We were fully kitted out so they couldn't get us but we had to keep stopping to kill them. We went back to the farmhouse for some dinner. Everyone was there. We got sat down to eat when the power went off. It was daylight but the kettle went off the clock on the cooker went off but worst of all the burglar alarm started to go off. Gaz managed to get the alarm