The Virus by Lee, Damien (summer books txt) 📕

19

Her grandparents had been the last family members Amy tried to contact. After leaving the message on their answering machine, she hung up the phone.

“Maybe they’ve fled?” Ben suggested, joining her in the passageway. “Everyone else seems to be.”

Amy shook her head. “My grandparents are frail, and my mum broke her leg a few weeks ago. She can’t really get around.”

“Okay, we need to make a plan. If you want to go check on them, we better leave sooner rather than later.”

“You’ll come with me?”

“Of course. We need to stick together.”

“What about your sister?”

“The only other place I can think of is back at her house. Where do your mum and grandparents live?”

“My grandparents live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. I just hope none of those things have reached them yet.”

“Hopefully not.”

“But my mum lives five minutes away. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

“Okay then. How about we go there first and then drop by my sister’s place to see if she’s there?”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

Amy grabbed her spare keys from the sideboard and headed for the door. She pressed her eye to the spyhole for any sign of danger. Apart from a tiny figure swaying in the distance, there was no sign of movement. Giving a quick nod to Ben, she fumbled with her keys and swung the door wide. The warm air hit her once more, but this time it was tinged with the smell of burning flesh and debris. She glanced around at the countless fires raging in the distance. Smoke billowed high into the air, casting a dark cloud over the town. The screaming had subsided, replaced by an eerie silence. She glanced over at the car, wishing they had parked closer to the house. With a deep intake of breath, she made her way down the steps.

She heard the zombie before she saw it. With an eager roar, the corpse of Mrs. Carmichael lunged at her from the side. Amy shrieked as she fell down the remaining steps.

“Amy!”

She could hear Ben rushing forward, as the withered hands of her neighbour grasped her arms in a crushing grip. The corpse grunted, fighting to sink her teeth into flesh.

“Run!”

Ben leapt onto the elderly creature’s back, forcing its teeth away. Amy shoved her way free and jumped to her feet. Her scattered mobile phone lay a few feet away, but she kept her eyes glued to Ben as he smashed the woman’s head into the ground again and again. Within seconds, the zombie’s resistance subsided. Rolling away from the body, he jumped to his feet and grabbed Amy’s arm.

“I said run!”

He pulled hard, dragging her towards the car. Mrs. Carmichael was no longer a threat, yet something had spooked him as they jumped in the car. The answer came as soon as they slammed the doors. Amy flinched as a series of blows rained down on the car. She spun round in horror, as countless hands pounded the windows at the rear of the vehicle.

“Where the hell did they come from?”

“I told you to run.”

He turned the key, revving the car to life. The roar of the engine was barely audible over the thunderous roll of fists on metal. He forced the car into reverse and promptly drove through the undead people behind them. Bodies bounced off the exterior, with those still standing continuing their assault. Quickly changing gear, he sped away from the group, pursued by those still able to use their legs.

Ben lifted his hand from the wheel, examining a wound on his knuckles.

“Did she bite you?” Amy asked, watching as a trickle of blood crept down to his wrist.

Ben shook his head, wiping the blood on his knee. “No, I grazed it when we hit the ground.” He looked ahead as they approached a junction. “So, where are we heading?”

“Elliot Street,” Amy replied, looking back at their dwindling pursuers.

She turned her attention to the rest of the town, aghast at the scenes of carnage. When they veered around an overturned bus, she had to look away from the mangled bodies inside, many of them children.

“Why is this happening?” she whispered, closing her eyes as one of the infants watched them pass.

“I have no idea. Terrorism maybe? It was bound to happen.”

“You’re starting to sound like Terry.”

The reminiscence of the dead man created a flicker of sorrow deep within. Amy felt a knot form in her stomach at the thought of a similar fate befalling her family. She longed to get to her mother’s house.

“Elliot Street? That’s the new housing estate, right?” Ben asked after a while.

“Yeah.”

“Where did your mum live before that?”

“She moved when I transferred over here. She wanted to be with me so I knew somebody.”

“Nice of her.”

“Yeah, she hasn’t got anyone else. When I left, she wanted to stay close, so she came with me.”

“That’s very considerate. So how did she break her leg?”

“Tripped down the stairs while she was viewing the house.” Amy chuckled. “I told her it was a bad omen, but she went ahead and bought it anyway.”

“That’s parents for you.”

“So, what about yours?” She watched the smile fade from his face.

“My mum died of cancer last year, and my dad… we don’t really see eye to eye.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. My sister is the only person I have. Not knowing whether she’s safe is killing me.”

“We’ll find her.”

Amy placed a comforting hand on top of his. He took his eyes off the road and stared at her briefly before the smile crept back onto his face.

“I know.”

They both eyed the street warily as they turned onto the housing estate. Neither