After walking a few miles following the road I decided to head into the grassland a little more, I needed food for tonight and this was the best place to hunt. The trees would hide me from most threats and to be honest most of the creatures congregated in towns, cities or small villages where there had been the most food, you might come across a lone one wondering the fields but mostly they stayed in packs. Lifting my rifle I slowed to my hunting pace, taking to an almost crawl through the long grasses not wanting to startle any nearby food. The trees here were quite untouched by the war that had raged, most trees you saw had the scars to show the acid rain had penetrated some of the bark but like most things in nature they had found a way to repair themselves but here they were luscious, green and full of life, bugs and small critters rushed around at the sight of a human hiding in the healthy wildlife. Edging through the woodland I stopped at certain trees, looking through my scope to see if any rabbits, deer or birds where sitting waiting for me. A sudden movement to my right made me stop, training my ears I listened to find out if it was prey or predator, not hearing anything sinister I looked through the scope again, a large wild pigeon was perched in a nearby tree, holding my breath I took aim, holding my finger over the trigger I waited till I had a perfect shot. BLAM! The bird fell from the tree to the ground, waiting for a few seconds to make sure no creatures walked out after hearing the gunshot I then raced out to grab my kill. I wasted no time in plucking the bird, gutting it and slicing it up with a small penknife I had taken from a creature a few months ago. Once I had prepared the meat I made a small fire lighting it with a lighter I had also taken from the same creature, stabbing the meat with twigs I lay them over the fire to cook. Once done I ate one chunk before wrapping up the rest to eat later in a cloth and placing it in my bag, I wasn’t doing too bad for food at the moment but I knew soon enough I could be starving again.
The wind started to pick up over the downs which meant the storm was getting closer, stamping out the fire I headed off again. My walk led me to the edge of some cliffs, walking along a road I found some old buildings but these wouldn’t be any good for shelter, some of the buildings had fallen into the sea, taken away by the crumbling cliffs, the one last still standing building which wasn’t hanging over the edge was a pubbut judging by the paintwork sprayed over the door I decided not to explore this one,‘Biohazards inside’.
Passing this place I continued on along a rather weathered and worn coast road, there was plenty of woodland I could vanish into if I came across any trouble. Scanning the countryside around me I spied a few cottages a mile or so up the road, as I neared them I could also make out a church, a children’s playground and some other houses. As the sky darkened threatening to burst the clouds above me I decided this village would have to do, I held my rifle like a baseball bat and took to the first cottage which looked the most untouched, no blood work up the walls, the windows were all intact, the front door had been nailed shut which would mean checking out the back door but if I could get in it would mean I wouldn’t have to work too hard to make the place secure. Gravel crunched underfoot as I made my way up the driveway to the house making my nerves spike and my whole body go crazy with the tension of having to check a place and make sure it was creature free. This cottage looked like a once loved family home, someone had spent a lot of time and money making this picture perfect, the windows were sash and double glazed, a wraparound porch had been attached to the front with a few steps leading to the front door. Grey stone bricks looked strong and sturdy and matched the grey curtains which had been closed over the inside of the windows, making it hard to look in but meant that the previous occupier had wanted to keep the outside out and the inside in. Heading round the back I found a small slightly overgrown back garden which had a fish pond, a blue trampoline and a swing, the back door was a jar which made me wonder had someone or something recently gone in or had the people just left in a hurry, I hoped it was the latter. As I opened the door inching it wider I started feeling the small splashes of raindrops hitting my skin. The first boom of thunder sounded in the distance so I needed this place to be ok or I would just have to make it ok.
I took a step into the heart of this once family home, the kitchen. It was a lovely kitchen one I would of dreamed to have in a home I might have once considered owning if I could. The units where chunky, a wooden farm house style but with a modern twist, a large American fridge freezer sat open and empty to one side. A pipe must have burst under the sink at some point as the kitchen did have a lot of water on the floor, deciding this room was empty I headed down a short corridor with two doors off it, one led to a small study which had been untouched, a layer of thick dust had settled over some books and an old laptop. The next door led to the front room which was small but cosy looking, a grey corner sofa sat to one side with a glass coffee table and glass TV unit, a large plasma television had been smashed toppled to the floor most probably when the family rushed out. The staircase was located in the front room opposite the front door, taking my time I made my way up to the first floor, the first door I came to was wide open which showed me an empty bathroom taking a peek I checked inside the shower just to be on the safe side. Reaching the first bedroom I saw it was only the size of the study downstairs and had belonged to a little boy, dinosaurs had been decorated onto the walls, with matching bedding and curtains, a wooden plaque on the door told me the room had belonged to a little boy called ‘Jacob’ I hoped Jacob and his family had made it out safe and had reached where ever they had planned to run to. The last room which I presumed was the master bedroom was closed, taking the door handle with my shaking sweaty hands I threw it open holding the rifle ready to smash anything that might jump out but it was empty. Feeling relief flood through me I looked round the room, other than some dust that had settled over time the room was still as clean and tidy as the day the occupants had left. The bed was neatly made with a luxurious silvery looking cover, a glass dressing table with some old makeup and picture frames were to one side whilst a mirrored wardrobe sat to the other, poking my nose in I saw some lovely clothes, taking note to look through them properly later I then headed back down to the kitchen to lock the back door. Shoving the large fridge against it for extra security I then took to raiding the cupboards.
I couldn’t do much about the windows other than just keep the curtains closed and the light to a minimum later on but I didn’t think the creatures would notice candlelight from a house tonight as lightening flashed through the sky bringing light to the East Sussex coast. Searching the cupboards I did find some random bits of food, a couple of tins of fruit, a packet of noodles and a chocolate bar, I licked my lips at the last one, I hadn’t had chocolate in a long time, my stomach growled wanting me to devour it right away but I saved it waiting until I had locked myself in the master bedroom. Not before heading to the small bathroom, I tried the taps on the sink small spurts of water flowed out, I quickly took this time to have a wash. The people before had left towels in the bathroom and some coconut shampoo, I scrubbed the green algae and dirt from my skin and hair, it took a little persuading to leave but as I watched it drown down the plughole I felt so much cleaner, cleaner than I had in a long time. I hadn’t had a proper shower since…well a long time, I had taken to cleaning myself and my clothes in small streams when I found them but that was if I wasn’t running from something at the time. Feeling slightly refreshed I looked in the bathroom cupboards to see if there was anything useful to take with me, I found some pain killers and some female time of the month things which I had no use for, since I haven’t eaten properly for such a long time and my body weight was probably under par for someone my age and height which meant I stopped getting them, plus considering the amount of stress my body had been under for a long time, it all took its toll.
Unlocking the door I snuck across the hallway to the master bedroom, barricading the door with the glass dressing table I then turned to the wardrobe to find some clean clothes. Lucky for me the woman of the house seem
ed to have been my build if not a little plumper than me, most of her clothes had been flashy, expensive and revealing not suitable for my needs but after a little rummaging I found she had owned one casual comfortable top, a nice warm hooded top which was grey with a purple logo on it, a long dark coloured vest, some skinny jeans which although were loose round the waste fit me perfect in the leg, finding a belt I buckled it up and felt so refreshed it was so nice to have clean clothes on. The woman had a lot of shoes but I found a pair of leather boots which fit snugly, I hated sleeping in shoes but if something happened I would not have the time to worry about putting them back on so this new habit was essential to move fast.
Plonking myself on the bed I rummaged through my bag as another loud crack of thunder ripped through the countryside, the wind was howling louder than the creatures ever could making the rain pelted at the cottage, I was glad I had found this shelter as being in some of the other makeshift places would have gotten me soaked in a storm like this. I took out a small portion of pigeon and ate it feeling tired and worn out but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly with this storm, plus I would have to keep an extra eye out in case a lone creature wondered in, over this wind I might not hear them right away. Finally laying back on the plump soft pillow I felt numb inside, I knew this feeling all too well, whenever I found a home to stay in I got this feeling as it reminded me of when me and my family were together at our home, safe, alive and happy. I placed my hand in the bag and found the picture I had taken when we had left, the one of all four of us at my parents wedding, my finger traced my mums face then my dad’s, I missed them all so much. This world made people so alone now, made people’s minds fragile so they broke in different ways but me…this picture kept me sane, makes me remember what I’m living for, for them, to find her! I looked over at my sister and smiled, her long flowing chocolate brown hair just like our mothers was always perfect, no strand ever out of place, she had a more olive toned skin than mine a natural beauty, whereas me I was the pale, ash blond English Rose as my dad had called me so many times, my hair was fine and flyaway, my skin so pale I looked ill when I wasn’t but I took pride in my appearance as it was my dad’s.
Sighing I thought back to when this whole mess started nearly three years ago, when the start of the war began, the world was at war with itself and most fossil fuels had run out, no gas, no electricity, even the filthy rich didn’t have any to heat their big posh homes. Yes we had wind turbines and solar panels but with the lack of fossil fuels people found their solar panels stolen or vandalised and even the ones that survived the power usually got transferred to places in more need like hospitals and prisons. It didn’t just affect Britain it affected the whole world, sometimes other countries would find a small source and then when another country found out they would kill each other until one side won but even then it didn’t last long. Food started to become scarce as there was no importing or exporting of any goods, supermarkets became ghost towns, ration books which hadn’t been used since other world wars came back into action. We were one of the lucky ones my mum and dad had a lovely little two bedroom council house which had a nice sized back garden, my dad had worked on a farm making him very green fingered so he took to growing our own food, we kept chickens for eggs and even saved a goat from a barbed wire fence in a field and she gave us milk, we didn’t go hungry but we didn’t eat a lot. Then when things got really bad my mum and dad had to take it in turns to watch over the garden they had worked so hard to create as people from the nearby flats who had no land to grow on began to steal from us, making our portions smaller and smaller. Things started to get worse when the winter hit, people froze to death and if they didn’t then they starved to death, people started stealing, cars, jewellery all to swap for rations and other things. Then a country across the Channel found a new resource, other countries found out and threw money and gifts at them hoping that they would share in their new found pot of gold but instead they took the money and gifts but gave away nothing. Then one country bombed another and another country bombed another, then the one we had all sent money too had been able to create something that could destroy everything and everyone, to stop the countries fighting over its resources, Bio chemical warfare. We knew that day that the planes flying over were different, there were no bombs attached to them, then they sprayed liquid into the air, people stood confused in the streets. My father didn’t like the look if it so ushered us under the lean to on the side of the house, looking around the garden for our mother we couldn’t see her till the last minute, he called out to her but it was too late, the liquid began to pour down from the skies it started burning and melting the poor people who were out in it. I shook away the memory, I didn’t want to see it, I couldn’t think about it today with the rain splattering the house it just made me uncomfortable.
I turned to my side, trying to force myself to go to sleep, I needed the rest and I had barricaded the door so I would hear if someone tried to come in, I could always go for the window if things got really bad. I felt my brain switch off as I fell into an uneasy slumber…
The supersonic boom of the plane engine rocked the small town, people covered their ears to block out the noise, everyone looked up to the skies to see the planes spraying a liquid into the clouds. Tanya and I were out feeding the chickens when the planes roared overhead, their clucking cries of confusion sounded out as our dad walked over. Placing a hand on both our shoulders he made us walk to the house, looking to the sky he noticed how the liquid was coming down flat and steady in rows of droplets, almost a sheet of liquid. Not liking it he called for our mum, shouted her name only to see her running from the shed where she had been milking the goat. Crying out to her he told he to go back to the shed but she couldn’t hear him over the noise of the planes. A scream exploded from her mouth as she ran across the garden, the rain had hit her and was penetrating her whole body, she writhed in pain as it tore through her flesh making it fall from her to the ground, her skin blistering and peeling off her she changed, her hair melted down her face into her eyes making her scream louder. She fell to the floor and I thought she was gone, the pain had taken her away from us. We waited for a few minutes then the rain subsided, we were all in shock, Tanya hid her face from her but I couldn’t stop looking at our mother, she was there, just there I could almost reach out to touch her. My father stopped me from moving, “I’ll go to her you stay here, the rain might fall again”.
I done as he told me, I stayed holding Tanya who had fallen to her knees sobbing, I wanted to do the same but I was so transfixed by her, I wanted to run to her to tell her I loved her as I knew that would be the last time we saw her. Then my dad heard a muffled noise from the other side of the fence so he walked over to it and looked over, he ducked back down so suddenly it took me by surprise his face was pale and withdrawn.
“Dad what is it?” I asked but I knew the answer everyone looked like her now, melted and dead.
“They’re eating each other!” he whispered.
His words didn’t register right away I mean how could they? Eating each other, really? Then without warning she was there lunging at him, knocking him to the floor, her dripping jaws snapping at his throat as she tried to bite, to eat, to kill him.
“Get her off me, Get her off”, he cried out in a panic, “Stop it, stop it!” he tried to get her to listen but she wouldn’t she just kept coming, trying to tear his flesh from him.
Not thinking I grabbed the nearest thing to me, a table leg which my parents had used to warn off intruders, I ran over to him to save him, I said sorry to her as I brought the leg down, smashing it into the back of her skull, which made an awful cracking noise as it split open. She fell to the floor lifeless, gone really gone.
Dropping the table leg to the floor I then threw up all over the garden, bile burning my throat to the point it felt red raw. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I sobbed out her name, “Mum”, I felt the sting of the tears clog up my nose and it became uncontrollable I couldn’
t stop, the tears just kept rolling down my cheeks. But there was no time for this as the fence to the side of us crashed down as more melted people came roaring in trying to kill us, Tanya screamed and tried to run from the house, my dad moved so quickly making my mother’s body turn to look at me, her eyes burning into mine, no longer being able to close them meant she just stared at me until my dad grabbed my arm forcing the table leg back into my hand and pushing me into the kitchen with Tanya and locking the door.
“Grab something to arm yourself with, grab food anything useful, we leave in 30 seconds”, he commanded grabbing his car keys, a large knife from the chopping board and a bag shoving food inside it, as he turned I could see small holes that had appeared on his top from the hissing grass.
Grabbing my pink school bag I shoved anything I could in it, apples, some leftover chicken and beans. Tanya was getting hysterical so I grabbed a kitchen knife for her as I had the table leg, just as my dad shouted the 30 seconds was up I charged through the front room grabbing the first picture frame I could get my hands on just as the back door buckled under the pressure of all the melted bodies against it, my dad shoving me out the front door and into the blood soaked street. Human remains littered the roads and pavements, jelly like fluids had been mushed into the ground as the crazed ones trod over them trying to get to us. The people who were still alive ran around the streets screaming as the others tried to devour them. We made it to our old battered car and climbed inside, within seconds we were speeding off down the street never to set our eyes on where we lived ever again. A few people tried to jump on the car, to stop us, to take it or just trying to be saved but the creatures were not far behind and tore them off the bonnet and doors tearing them apart in a bloody shower of blood and guts. Keeping his foot firmly on the pedal he ran over some of the creatures crushing them or sending them flying into the air, his blind panic to save his children meant that he done what needed to be done, whether that meant leaving people behind or killing those who used to be human.
Alone Page 2
