Their mother darted across the room just as a spurt of blood shot upwards and outwards, coating her the red thick stuff. Mel thought she could see her mother screaming also, but there were no sounds. No growls coming from the Dad thing, no screams coming from Harry, and no shouts of “Run!” coming from her mother. They all looked like they were doing these things, but not one sound reached Mel’s ears.

  Elsa lunged at Mel, pushing her two front paws onto her lap and barking in her face. That’s when the silence was no more.

  “RUN!” shouted her mum. She had thrown herself straight on top of the beast and Harry, almost as if she was trying to pin them down. Dad’s too big and strong.

  “MEL, RUN! NOW!”

  Blood covered everything: the walls, the table, the floor, the people. My people, my family. A chunk of skin and meat was pulled away from Harry and dropped onto the table. The Dad thing bit down again onto Harry’s arm, sending out a sickening crunch and scrape of teeth on bone.

  Mel raised her eyes to her mother, who no longer screamed at her. She stared instead and finally reached Mel’s conscious mind.

  Mel jumped to her feet, scraping the chair on the laminated flooring and sending it crashing to the ground behind her. Her hand went out to Elsa’s collar and dragged her from the room as her own feet finally managed to work. The two of them stormed up the stairs, and Mel slammed the bathroom door behind them, locking it with the tiny sliding bolt. Like that’s gonna do much when they realise where I am.

  She looked around and fixed her eyes on the bathroom window. Right. Bathroom window it is. She opened the window as she stood on the toilet, then got Elsa to jump up to her. She lifted her through the gap and dropped her as best she could onto the porch roof below.

  She squeezed herself out, landing in a heap. The rough roof grazed her face as she landed awkwardly, and she grunted out in pain. Her short-sleeved T-shirt did nothing to protect her elbows either, but thankfully she had on jeans, saving her knees. Elsa padded over to her and licked her face, making Mel sit up to stop the tongue’s attack.

  “Elsa, settle down. Sit!”

  Elsa did as she was told and sat next to the last surviving owner she now had. It didn’t take the three zombies long to work out where she was and begin hammering on the bathroom’s thin plywood door inside.

  Mel turned to look at the window, thankful it was a high one they wouldn’t be able to get out of. A few seconds later, a loud crash rang out from inside the bathroom, followed by growls and thumping fists against the window frame and wall.

  Mel swung her head back around to the street and jerked back in shock. One of the dead had barrelled up the road, headed straight for her. She held a hand to her chest, then slumped down in her seated position. It was an older lady in half-mast trousers, a blouse that was way too tight, no-brand trainers, and a massive bloodied section down her arm and half of her chest. The wound spread from her second chin, half dangling open. Great, the zombie that I attract has no fashion sense whatsoever.

  She pulled out her mobile, hoping Izzy had at least messaged her back after not calling her. She opened the group message and could see that she hadn’t read it yet. Oh crap, that’s both of them now. Don’t say they’ve turned too. Is anyone safe from this?

  Mel sighed before reaching out her hand to stroke Elsa, who was now growling louder than the zombies around her. “Well, Elsa. Looks like we’re stuck, and I’ll probably be joining the rest of the fam very soon.”

  Chapter 15

  Marcus woke up and stretched out his long legs over the end of the sofa. Anna would hate me wearing my boots on the couch. He chuckled to himself before lifting them down onto the carpet instead. She would hate this too. Why am I getting so much satisfaction from this? I guess I always turn back into a teenager when it comes to her.

  Marcus huffed and allowed the grin to slide from his face. As soon as I find her, we can argue like we did when we were kids. But where the hell would she be? My brain wasn’t in any fit state to think earlier this morning, but surely…

  Marcus stood up. “Of course. You fucking idiot. The kids were at Steve’s, so Anna would have gone straight there.”

  Marcus’s eyes were alive now and darted around the room. They came across the clock on the mantelpiece. “Bloody hell, it’s 7 pm. I slept a really long time.”

  He scratched the back of his head and frowned. Ok, that just means I’m more rested and ready to get to them all as quick as possible. I should eat first, have a quick wash, and then I’ll be on my way.

  Fifteen minutes later, he was ready to go. He had checked through the upstairs window, and all seemed quiet. Deciding on a route had been difficult. He had come here through the fields because it was a straight line and was covered from the dead much more so than the road, but if he skirted the estate, it would be better to run on with less chance of spraining an ankle. It had nearly happened twice and made Marcus very wary about using the fields again.

  I don’t particularly want to meet any of the dead, but I’m a fast runner, so should I see anything, I’ll just keep moving. It shouldn’t take long to get there, anyway, and I’m not so sure I could find Steve’s house using the fields.

  He exited the house the way he had come in and opened the gate onto the street. He peered around the side of the fence to make sure the coast was still clear. You cannot risk those things jumping out at you. Everything was still, even the branches of the looming trees across the road. They hung motionless, waiting for something to disturb them.

  He rounded the corner and closed the gate this time. You never know when you or someone else might need a safe space. He gripped his hammer and scanned the woods opposite again, as well as the street, from right to left. The massive trees could easily be concealing many of the dead, just waiting to pounce at the first sight or sound of something human.

  Marcus nodded to himself and began jogging down the slope again, back the way he had come. His feet thudded against the road as he straddled the central line. He had often imagined how it might feel to run the roads without vehicles constantly driving along them. Is this how it’s going to be now? It seems I’ll be running in the same direction as the person being chased yesterday as well. I wonder what happened to them?

  When he reached the bottom, he did another scan of the surrounding streets. He turned right to skirt the estate, heading towards Steve’s and, hopefully, Anna and the kids. Erm, where are all the dead? Nothing emerged from between the houses to his right, dead or alive. I wonder if there weren’t that many around here, anyway. Although the street outside Anna’s front door would suggest otherwise. Maybe that running person this morning took most of the zombies with them. Even so, it’s eerily quiet around here.

  He steadily jogged the road that many would speed along when it was only a thirty zone. The countryside to his left was covered with huge bushes and small trees jutting out at various points. This must be where Anna saw that deer that time.

  He continued running and reached the edge of the estate much more easily than he’d thought possible. But as he neared the vast roundabout that he’d need to take a left turn on to reach a small bridge, he slowed his pace a tad so he could catch his breath. He wanted to listen, but found it hard over his own panting. He couldn’t see around the monstrous roundabout, either, as similarly huge bushes adorned the large central area. The warm months and plentiful rain allowed everything to become green and lush.

  When he slowed to an almost standstill, the breeze picked up a fraction, drifting past his ears and sending a chill over his flesh. It’s them, and a hell of a lot of them too. Goosebumps appeared, and his heart rate picked up when it should have been slowing down. His eyes widened as the noise intensified, and he tried to work out which direction it was coming from. I think it’s coming from straight across the roundabout, not the way I need to go.

  He was about to turn away and start running again, but stopped himself. Wait, if there are a lot all in one place, doesn’t it mean they have a person or people trapped? He stood still in the middle of the road and felt a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Marcus, you were raised to help where you can. He could hear his mother’s voice as clear as if she stood next to him now.

  Marcus closed his eyes and sighed, hanging his head low. I will find you, Anna. Just not as quickly as I’d hoped.

  ***

  Mel had taken to lying down on top of the porch roof, but the sun was way too bright for her to keep her head facing the sky. Even with her eyes closed, she needed her arm across them to block out the intense sun. Even now as it was lowering in the sky and wasn’t as strong as a few hours ago, she was still melting under its rays. She licked her lips, feeling the dry skin. She’d had no shelter or water for at least three hours now, and it was starting to take its toll. The front of their house was apparently south facing, something Mel remembered her mum complaining about on several occasions.

  Mel looked over to Elsa; even she had her tongue lolling out to the side. To make matters worse, she actually needed to pee too. In what universe is it acceptable to thirst a girl to death and make her bust for the loo at the same time? No fair, God. If there is one, anyway.

  She huffed and rested her chin on her hand. Now, do I just give up and let them take me, or do I die here on this crappy porch roof? Hmm… the options are fantastic. What a decision to make.

  Mel stroked Elsa before burying her face in her fur. “But I couldn’t ever leave you, now, could I?”

  She looked around the street she had spent the last few years roaming around with her friends. They would often sit across the road on the curb, chatting and deciding where they would go next. I wonder where my friends are right now? If they’re even ok? What if they’re already zombies? They could be down there right now, for all I know.

  She didn’t like looking at the zombies, but she decided she should at least know how many had gathered there. And check for anyone I know. She gave up counting when she passed the hundred mark, relieved she didn’t recognise anyone.

  She had ignored the blood-caked faces, ripped-off ears, noses, and lips, and the missing fingers, arms, and legs. She even tried to look past the lady with her intestines trailing behind her that the others kept standing on. Instead, she focused on their clothes and who they might have been once. A mum who likes to run on a Saturday morning. A dad who is big enough to be a firefighter—or maybe just a guy who loves the gym way too much. A teenager a little older than me, maybe in college now, or at least due to start in September.

  She blew out more air, then looked behind her to the bathroom window before closing her eyes. My whole family is gone. Before I can even get the chance to feel any of it, I have to work out what on earth I do next.

  ***

  It wasn’t hard to find the crowd of zombies. The sheer volume of the group travelled on the air so easily it almost vibrated along the hot tarmac. Marcus crouched behind a bush next to a house farther down the road from the gathering. He looked behind himself frequently, paranoid something might come up, heading towards the town meeting.

  He squinted, trying to get a better look at the person on top of the lower roof. Is it a young girl? And maybe a dog too. Oh yes, definitely a dog. The dog started barking at the crowd, and they seemed to get louder, almost jeering at it. The girl pulled the dog away from the edge and made it sit down next to her. Arms reached out towards the two of them, scraping fingertips and nails along the brick wall. Are those intestines trailed along the ground at the back of the crowd?

  Marcus chewed on the inside of his mouth. What the hell do I do here? She looks completely surrounded. I could let them see me and chase me, but what happens if not all of them follow me? Then she’s still stuck up there, and I won’t even know anything about it. And I’ll have my own mob of the dead to worry about.

  He took another look behind, then returned his gaze to the situation. Rubbing his hand over his stubble, he looked around the street. I wonder if the back of the house has any of the dead there. It’s in the middle of a block of terraced housing, so it may well be empty on that side.

  He darted back down the side of the nearest house and made his way around the back. He’d been pretty far back when he watched the crowd, so he had to traverse two blocks of houses before coming to the right one.

  Oh shit, which one is it? He moved into one of the back gardens and peered through a window. This one didn’t have its curtains closed, so he could see straight through to the front. From what he could make out, he could see the side of the crowd, so by his reckoning, he was one door over to where the girl was.

  He moved back towards the large square behind the houses, but made the mistake of turning the corner too quickly. A snarling zombie pushed straight up against him, snapping its jaws and breathing right down into his face. Jesus CHRIST!

  Marcus’s hands instinctively went up in front of him and held the beast back. Its hands reached out, grasping his shoulders. Marcus twisted to the side and pushed at the same time, shoving it hard away from him. The moment allowed him a second to bring his hammer up, ready to pummel its disgusting head.

  It charged at Marcus again, but the swing of his hammer collided with the skull of whoever this used to be. It broke through the bone near the temple and firmly lodged itself there. Someone’s father? Brother? Husband? The crack always seemed to hit Marcus hard in the gut, making him want to be sick. He swallowed down the bile and let the hammer be taken from his grip as the double dead guy now fell to the floor, a lump of necrotic flesh on the ground, possibly never to be removed. This one had parts of its jeans missing at the thigh, revealing two huge bite holes.

  The pain in Marcus’s back followed once again, but it meant he was still alive, so he had started to enjoy it. He flicked his head around a full 360 degrees before bending down to retrieve the hammer. He placed his boot on the man’s skull and put his back into releasing the weapon. He watched the gore splatter away from its head, then stood back to his full height, examining the heavy metal. I think I’m going to need something that isn’t going to get stuck every time I hit them.

  He sighed before turning to the house he needed to enter, then moved into the back garden and closed the gate. It was a six-foot fence, so he was now hidden from the rest of the street. He surveyed the back door, working out his best way in. Trying the handle first was obvious, but he did it anyway, without success.

  Seems a bit of breaking and entering is necessary here. There was a large glass panel that ran from waist height to the top of the door. Breaking glass isn’t ideal, but I am hidden from the street, and maybe the commotion out front will be enough to drown it all out, anyway.

  Marcus grimaced, looking at the door and thinking about the noise he was about to make. I really don’t like this, but I’m no breaking and entering expert. Oh, just bloody get on with it. It’s not like there’s another option.

  He used his hammer to gently pop at the centre of the glass. It shattered straight away, taking most of it with it to the inside of the door. He held up the hammer to hit it again but paused, hearing something he couldn’t quite place, when a massive zombie forced its upper body most of the way through the broken window.

  Chapter 16

  “The TV broadcasts have stopped, and there are no signal bars on my phone either,” said Christina.

  “Oh, bloody hell. It’s getting worse, isn’t it? As if it couldn’t get any worse, but it really is,” replied Sandra.

  “Have you tried the landline?”

  “No, but give me a sec.” Sandra walked over to the phone in the living room corner and placed the handset to her ear. “Ooh yeah, there’s still a dial tone here.”

  “Ah, great. That’s something, at least. Although I’m not sure who I’m going to call.” Christina looked down at the mobile in her hands before jerking her head up towards Sandra. “I could call Suzie’s home phone and speak to her husband. Ask if she got home ok.”

  “Well, go on, then. Don’t sit there letting the torture get to ya. Get him called.”

  Sandra passed the handset to Christina and nodded at her. “Here, get it done. Hopefully, she’s already with her family and lost her phone or something.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do it now.”

  Christina hunted for the number on her mobile first, then jabbed her fingers at the handset. She lifted it to her ear and sighed, looking straight at Sandra.

  “It’ll be ok, pet.” Sandra smiled at her.

  How can she be so ok after what’s just happened to her and her husband? She’s lost the love of her life, and she’s here supporting me. Ted was right; she is an amazing woman. And when all of this is over, I’m gonna keep this lady in my life, for sure.

  The phone rang in Christina’s ear, making her jump. She waited as the rings continued, over and over again, then it clicked through to their answer machine. Christina buttoned the call and let the handset drop to her lap. Sandra watched on.

  “Oh. Erm, well, it doesn’t have to mean bad news. They could have left to go somewhere safer, maybe.”

  The older woman was clutching at straws, but Christina was grateful she was trying. “Yeah, maybe.” Christina sighed and slumped lower in the armchair.

  “I think we need to eat, then maybe a game of cards?”

  Christina looked over to Sandra and narrowed her eyes. “What are we going to do, Sandra? I mean, we can’t stay trapped in here forever, can we? Everything has turned to shit out there, and I’ve got a baby coming in the next couple of weeks.” She rubbed her bump as she looked down at it. My birthing partner may well be… Christina swallowed, not wanting to finish the thought.

  “I think we should put the radio on and see what else is happening now. For all we know, help could be on its way.”

  Christina nodded. “Yeah, you might be right. Staying informed is always the best way, I suppose.”

  “Cheer up, love. You never know, that Marcus could be back here soon.”

 

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