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

putrid odour from within. They had entered the room cautiously, eyeing the blood-spattered walls and vomit-soaked carpet. The room was dark, with minimal light shining through the boarded windows. It was Lisa who spotted the dead couple first. They lay on the filthy bedding up against the wall. Ronald had placed his wife on the bed after shooting her. They lay hand in hand, both with half of their head missing.

“Oh God,” Lisa muttered, putting a hand to her mouth.

Frank slowly approached, breathing through his mouth to dispel the gagging scent. He stooped down beside the bed and retrieved the shotgun.

“Let’s go.”

“We can’t just leave them.”

“Do you fancy sleeping in here? Because I sure as hell don’t.”

“I mean, we can’t leave them in the house. They’ll start to rot.”

“One night won’t make a difference,” he replied as he made his way back downstairs.

“You never know.”

“You can move them tomorrow. I’ll help you if I’m still alive.”

“Ever the optimist.” Lisa sighed as they returned to the living room.

“Is he…”

“Dead? What do you think?” Frank interrupted Elaine as he slumped back into the armchair.

“So now what?” Simon asked.

“We need to establish a plan.”

“Oh, so now Ronald’s dead that makes you the leader?”

“No. As far as I’m concerned, you lot are on your own.”

“Really? Then, in that case, I’m the leader, and I say get out of this house.”

Simon rose to his feet, glaring at Frank with a newfound bravado.

“Yeah?” Frank sneered, rising to meet his opposition. “Well, I’m the one with the gun, and I say go fuck yourself!”

He levelled the shotgun at Simon, watching as all the aggression disappeared from his face.

“So tell me, fat boy, who’s leaving the house?”

“Nobody,” Simon stammered.

“Wrong. You are.”

With that, he grabbed the man by his shirt and dragged him towards the door.

“No!” Elaine screamed, running by his side.

“Get off me,” Simon gasped.

Frank ignored the pleas as he pushed him into the hallway.

“Open the door.” He ordered Elaine. She remained still, her body racked with sobs. Frank aimed the shotgun at her husband’s head.

“Do it, or I redecorate Ronald’s hallway.”

Elaine let out a whimper before rushing to the door. Lisa and Tina joined them in the passageway, watching as she frantically released the locks.

“Frank, this isn’t right,” Lisa said.

“Open it!” Frank bellowed as the final guard chain was released. Elaine hesitated, but the shotgun pressed against her husband’s head spurred her into action. With trembling hands, she pulled the door wide and jumped back.

Frank was surprised to see no zombies as he shoved the man outside.

“You can’t do this,” Simon protested, stumbling to the ground.

“Watch me.”

Frank returned to the house, facing Elaine, who stood in the doorway.

“Choose a side; in or out?”

The woman looked between the gunman and her husband before begrudgingly stepping outside. She turned to protest, before the door slammed in her face.

“Frank, that’s not right,” Lisa said. “They might be a pain in the arse, but they don’t deserve to die.”

“I’m not killing them. They have loads of options, but being here isn’t one of them.”

He pushed past the remaining pair and into the living room. The screams of the couple outside were muffled by the boarded windows.

“Frank, there’re zombies out there! They’re gonna be killed.”

“If those fat bastards just lie down and die, then tough. They would have been a burden to us anyway.”

“Whoa, they sure ain’t lying down.” Tina chuckled. Frank looked over at the teenager who stared through a gap in the window.

“What’s happening?”

“They’ve jumped on top of your van.”

“How many are out there?” Lisa gasped, rushing to another gap in the window.

“Two, I think. Look, he’s hitting them with his belt.”

Frank remained seated, watching the flickering flame of a nearby candle. His gaze fell onto the pair of shotgun shells. He reached over and reloaded the gun, silently clicking the rounds into place. He sat back once finished, gliding his finger along the barrel and listening to the muffled screams.

“We can’t leave them out there,” Lisa said, turning to face him.

“Why the hell not?”

“Because they’re attracting attention. In a few minutes, every zombie within earshot will be here.”

Frank’s finger stopped sliding along the barrel. He tore his gaze away from the flame and fixed it on Lisa. They stared at each other for some time as the screams intensified. Eventually, it was the phone that disrupted them. It rang through the house, diminishing the noise from outside. They watched as it shook with each ring. Even Tina tore her eyes away from the scene outside to stare at the device.

“Shall we answer it?” Lisa asked.

“No.”

“But it might be his granddaughter again.”

“And if it is, what do we tell her? That her grandparents are dead and we’re just house guests?”

They fell silent as the machine beeped. Sure enough, the voice belonged to the woman they had heard earlier.

“Hey, it’s me, Amy. Are you there? If you’re there, please pick up the phone.”

The trio looked at one another as the woman fell silent.

“Okay, well ring me back as soon as you can. I’ve got my phone with me now. I’m just going to Sunnymoor with a friend from work and then we’ll come for you, okay? Hope to see you soon, bye.”

The click of the machine signalled the end of the message.

Frank groaned. “Oh great, more company.”

“We have to let them stay, just like we have to let Simon and Elaine back in.”

“How is that going to help us? There’s not enough food here, bring in more people and it’s going to get worse.”

“Sooner or later we’re going to have to go back out there. Now do you want to do it alone, or do