by Sands, Samie
Maybe they’re the ones who led the zombies here...
I don’t want to think like that, but we’re in a terrible state now, and situations like this can really bring the worst out in people. Maybe Jordan and the others going is all part of a bigger plan that I simply can’t see yet. If so, I need to think quick, to protect them all, to save Katie.
Even if Katie doesn’t want me anymore, even if she does decide to pick the man who’s always been in her life, I don’t want her harmed. It’ll hurt, but I’ll accept it. I’ll let her go to be happy.
I suppose it really is love after all.
I made so many mistakes with Marie, errors that I refuse to make again, and with that thought in mind, I know that I need to do whatever it takes.
I leap up into a standing position and I race down towards the ground. At the moment, there’s a large metal fence separating me from the monsters, but it’s still a terrifying sight. It encases my whole body in large blocks of ice, making it very challenging to take the next step.
All I need to do is clear them away from the prison, I remind myself. After that...well, I’ll work it out.
Maybe I’ll survive it, perhaps not, but I can’t just sit back and do nothing.
“H...hey,” I stammer out, waving my hands to get as much attention as possible. “Hey, look!” Some of their white irises bore into my soul, which means it’s working. “Hey!” I yell, with more confidence this time. “Food, look. Over here. That’s right, look this way.”
I move along the fence and the ones who have seen me push past the others to follow along. Just like I’ve seen before, they act like a pack of animals, moving with each other to catch me. I point my gun in the air and shoot to make more noise, I bang it along the fence, and soon it seems like they’re all coming.
Once they’re shuffling, moving towards me and away from the prison, I let out a little yell with relief. I can’t one hundred percent guarantee that they’ll follow me but survival instinct kicks in anyway and I bolt off. I run as fast as I can without looking backward, yelling the whole time. My feet pound against the concrete, I don’t stop going until eventually, I feel a small sense of victory. I might not have achieved what I came out here to do, but I’ve hopefully cleared the prison which is something.
“Yes!” I cry out, about to scream with glee. “Thank G...”
Suddenly I'm silenced by a gun pressing into my back.
Seventeen
My heart pounds against my rib cage, my breaths fall short before they can leave my mouth, my blood is absolutely icy cold. What the hell is going on here? In a world that’s falling apart, where it’s humans against the monsters, why would someone have a gun in my back? I’m one of the good guys.
“I...I...” I raise my hands above my head in a surrendering gesture. “I, erm...”
“Come with me.” The voice behind me is gruff. Do I recognize it? I try to rack my brains but I don’t know enough. “We need to talk.”
I do as commanded. I mean, what else am I supposed to do? I have a freaking gun digging into me. Even being a cop, this isn’t something I’m used to. All I can concentrate on is keeping the whole situation as calm as humanly possible.
“Where are we going?” I ask quietly, mainly because I want to hear his voice again.
“In here, where it’s safe.”
Immediately, it becomes clear that the person with the gun isn’t alone. In this dark shed-type building I can see the shadows of other people. Of course I’m freaked. It doesn’t matter if I’m the strongest person in the world, if this is a bunch of people who want to take me down then I’m screwed. I can’t even make a run for it because that’s a surefire way to dive into death.
I’m trying my hardest not to end up with a bullet in my brain.
“Oh, my God!” someone else declares, and it’s a voice I definitely recognize. “Is that Oliver? Thank God.”
He comes into view and my entire body fills with relief. “Rhys!” I gasp, glad that I’ve found the group without even really trying. “What happened to you guys? I’ve been really worried.”
“Worried?” As the person behind me sneers, I turn to see Jordan with a cocky attitude flooding from him. “Why would you worry about us? I haven’t seen you care about anyone but yourself.”
“Jordan, stop it!” Rhys rolls his eyes dramatically. “You dragged us all out here, convincing us that Oliver didn’t have our best interests at heart because the prison is getting too crowded. You told us that we would do better on our own, and we’ve failed. We’ve failed so hard. It’s only been a few hours but already we’re all cold, hungry, and bitching at each other like nobodies’ business. Oliver is here now.” He indicates towards me as if to highlight his point. “He’s come here for a reason, to find us. I think it’s time for us to give up this bullshit mission and go back home.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Jordan drags the gun out of my back, allowing me to breathe a little easier, but he waves it in the air dangerously. “We can’t go back now!”
He has mad eyes, I only need to look at him to see that. I didn’t know him before, I haven’t known him too much now, but he seems to be tilting towards the edge. The apocalypse is crushing his spirit and transforming him into something that he probably never thought he would be.
Since I’m the only freaking adult here, it’s up to me to sort it. “You can come back,” I say softly. “Everyone wants you to come back. No one wants you to be out here in danger.” I look around at the others, all of them look terrified. “It’s much worse than you thought it was going to be, isn’t it?”
Jordan folds his arms across his chest, almost as if he’s trying to keep the gun close to him. Not that I want it particularly, I just feel like it would be better away from him.
“No, I don’t think it is worse actually.”
“Oh, right...so you didn’t see that massive crowd of infected congregating around the prison?” I take one step closer to him. “You haven’t been running scared forever?”
“We have,” Rhys intercepts before Jordan can say anything else. I guess he doesn’t want his friend to deny it again. “That’s why we couldn’t come back in. It looked so bad. How did you get out? How are you planning to get back in?”
I don’t take my eyes off of Jordan, but I speak mainly to Rhys. He seems to be the most reasonable one here right now. “I don’t know yet. But one way or another, I’m going to do it. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let all the people in there die. Not when the human race is dwindling so badly. But to make it happen, I think I’m going to need your help. What do you say, guys? You in?”
Eighteen
I feel much better with this group by my side, even if at least one of them isn’t keen about it. I’m not too sure Jordan will stick around once everything gets settled, but for now, he’d rather be with people than alone. I don’t trust him fully, but he’s here now so I’m making the best of it.
“We need to find somewhere to take everyone,” I remind them all, but I speak to Rhys specifically. He’s the most reasonable of all of them. “Then we can figure out a way back.”
“Yeah, I agree.” He nods defiantly. “No point in dragging everyone out with nowhere to go.”
I can tell he wants to make up for leaving, which is sweet. But I do understand why they left since things aren’t getting better and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight, we need to take action. That prison won’t hold us forever as shown by what happened afterward.
“I think I saw a warehouse one time where out on a scouting mission. I didn’t bother to look in it because it made car parts or something else we can’t possibly need now, but maybe it’ll work as a stop gap. Even somewhere we can stay for a few days will help. I don’t feel comfortable with everyone stuck in the prison surrounded by infected.”
It isn’t ideal, I’d much rather have something permanent but events have changed and we need to be smart. The longer I leave Katie, the more at risk she becomes.
“Show us the way.”
We move in silence as I show Rhys and the others the way. Thankfully, we don’t encounter too many virus victims on the way but that’s because most of the ones around here are at the prison, so it isn’t that much of a relief after all. It gnaws at me, speeding me on, reminding me what’s at risk here.
“What are we going to do now?” Rhys asks nervously once I point to the building. “How do we deal with it? Like, what if there are...I don’t know, infected or people inside?”
I offer him a one-shouldered shrug, not convinced either of those things will happen. To show some leadership I take a bold step forward and swing the door open. I’m on high alert, a state I’ve always been when going into a strange new building, but that’s extra today. I’m acutely aware of all the lives in my protection here.
“Hello?” I call inside, looking more for the undead than anything else. “Hello?”
I don’t hear anything, not even the shuffling of feet, so I presume everything is okay. I look towards Rhys and the others who are all cowering behind me. Well, aside from Jordan who’s rolling his eyes, acting like all of this is a big joke to him. I roll my eyes and ignore his attitude.
“I’m going inside,” I tell them all. “You wait here. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Don’t you want back up?” I shake my head. “Are you sure? I don’t like you going in there alone...”
“I’ll be fine. Just...maybe come in if you hear me screaming.” I try to say this as a joke but I guess the memory of Enrico is much too real. “I’ll call you in if it’s safe.”
My heart pounds like a jackhammer as I take tentative steps inside. I don’t know why but all of a sudden, there’s an iciness to my spine, a cold chill racing through me. I feel uneasy, like something bad is about to happen. I curl my fingers around the cold metal of my gun and keep walking. I have to keep going, no matter what. Even if I feel like I might be sick...
Think of Katie, I remind myself. And everyone else. They all need me to be strong.
But I can’t shake off the feeling that something’s about to happen, something scary. It encases me and makes me physically shake, just a little bit.
“Holy...” I cry out as something moves in the shadows. Something’s coming for me, and it’s too fast to be an infected. That terrifies me, the undead I understand, but the living not so much. I’d like to think everyone is good and can be trusted, but that might not be the case. “Who’s there?”
Tick, tick, tick.
I can almost hear the seconds passing while I wait for a response.
“There’s no point in hiding. I’ve already seen you.”
“I’m not hiding,” a quiet voice comes back. “Not really. I’m just a little freaked out.”
I furrow my brows, confused. “Why?”
“Are you from the camp?”
“Camp?” I step forwards, trying to keep my feet silent. “What camp?”
“The refugee camp. Are you a part of it?”
Refugee camp? That sounds like something set up officially, potentially by the Government. That has to be good news, if there’s a collective place where everyone’s staying, we might really be able to get some answers. At long last! This is perfect, exactly what we need.
“I don’t know anything about any camp, but I’d like to.”
“You haven’t heard about it on the radio?”
“We don’t even have a radio,” I admit to the stranger in the shadows. “I should’ve thought of that.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.” His tone turns harsh. “It’s impossible to get to, so dangerous. I lost everyone.”
My heart bleeds for him, I can hear the pain lacing his tone and it’s a feeling I know all too well.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I tell him sadly. “We’ve all lost people too. But maybe if we work together we can get to this place. I know you haven’t had success before, but there isn’t anything else in the world now is there. It’s hell. We might as well try, don’t you think?”
My words do something to the guy and he eventually reveals himself. He looks dirty, disheveled, weary, he’s covered in grime and blood proving how much he’s been through.
“We can try. I don’t see why not, there isn’t anything else to do. I certainly don’t have anything else to live for now I’ve lost everyone else, but are you really willing to take that risk?”
I nod decidedly. “We don’t have any other choice either. This is the only way we can live.”
“Danny,” he says while sticking his hand out to me. I take it and shake it.
“Oliver,” I reply. “Now, let’s do this.”
Nineteen
“How are we going to get in?” Rhys hisses to me.
I can feel Danny shaking his head too on the other side of me. I know what the both of them are thinking, this does seem impossible, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it. We have to!
I don’t dare look behind me to see Jordan’s reaction. Even talk of a refugee camp didn’t inspire him to crack a smile, so I know he doesn’t want to be here. I don’t want to send him away but it might come to that point in the end.
Still, that really isn’t the most important thing right now. I’m not worried about him.
“Oh, look!” Danny points behind the building. “That looks like a way in.”
He’s right, and I don’t even take a second to consider it. if we’ve spotted it, it might not be long until the infected get there so we just need to go while the opportunity is there. Get in and hope we can all get out again. I hear footsteps behind me, but I don’t turn to look who it is.
I rattle the door, shaking it hard because it hasn’t been opened for a very long time. For a heart-stopping moment I think it might not budge, but thankfully after making a racket, it does.
“Hello?” I yell, desperation lacing my tone. “Is anyone here? Where are you all?”
“Who’s that?” Relief swallows me up as someone answers. I did fear they might’ve picked up and left, so I wouldn’t know where they are. I suppose it’s not better they’re here really, but at least I can find them and we’ll be together soon. “Oliver? Is that you?”
“It’s me, it’s me, I’m coming!”
Rachael flies around the corner and breathes out a sigh as she spots me. “Oh, thank God. Have you seen it out there? It’s like a scene from a horror movie.”
I let out a bitter laugh at her remark. “The whole world is a horror movie at the moment, didn’t you know?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “You know what I mean. How are we supposed to get out?”
“I don’t know, but we need to. There’s a camp nearby, a refugee camp. We all need to get there and do so immediately before we get even more surrounded...” I see Rachael look behind me which causes me to turn too. “Oh, this is Danny, the person who told me about the camp...”
“And you trust him?” She rakes her fingers angrily though her hair. “Are you sure about that?”
I pause for just a second to consider her words, to wonder if I should be more cautious, but then I shake my head rapidly. “We don’t have time to worry about that right now, we just need to get going. This place is only going to get worse, so no matter what we do next we need to leave.”
Rachael can agree with that. She nods and snaps into action. I can almost see her physically bracing herself to become an important person in all this. Thank God. “Okay, I’ll tell everyone. I’ll get everyone into action. We’ve all been gathering up our stuff ready to go anyway.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Danny asks timidly. “I know you might not trust me but I am the person who knows about this refugee camp. Just in case anyone has any questions?”
Rachael gives me a look and I nod. I think it’s great he wants to do that, it’ll really help to smooth things over. I have something I need to do alone anyway, someone I want to see by myself, so this is my time to do so.
Yes, my timing isn’t ideal, I’ll admit
that, but once we’re out there on the road, there’s no telling what will happen. I need to tell Katie once and for all that I love her. I don’t know what she’ll say back, but I need to know I tried. I have to give it my all.
Twenty
“Katie,” I gush desperately as I finally spot her sitting in the dining hall, thankfully alone. I don’t know if I could cope much with Ryan right about now. “Are you okay? Did you hear?”
She leaps up the moment she spots me. At first, she holds her arms out as if she’s going to embrace me, but she seems to think better of it at the last moment and they fall back by her sides, limply teasing me.
“Oliver, what’s going on here? There are infected everywhere and everyone’s in a panic.”
I can tell by her ashen colored face that she includes herself in this.
“Yes, I know. I’ve been out there and I’ve come up with a plan.” She cocks her head curiously at me, willing me to continue. “I met a guy who knows about a camp, a proper one, so we’re going to get out of here and find it. It might be a chance for a real life, you know? Something proper.”
“Wow.” She nods slowly, digesting this. “A real life...do you think that can happen? It feels so...impossible right now. The idea of doing anything other than just getting by is overwhelming.”
“I know, but there has to be more than just this, don’t you think?”
“Does that mean...?” She bites down nervously on her bottom lip while she ponders how she’s going to say whatever’s troubling her. “Are we giving up on a hope of this ending anytime soon?”
I hang my head low, wishing I could have a better answer for her. “I guess so, at least for now. But then, if there’s ever going to be any chance of rescue, we’ll be better off with other people anyway, right?”
