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

He pulled the curtains back, exposing the balcony doors. He expected a wave of sunlight to embrace him. What he got was more boards barricading the exit.

“Ronald, you prick.”

He heard the door slam downstairs.

“Okay, they’re outside, it’s all on you!” Lisa shouted up the stairs.

“Not yet, I’m not ready.”

He grabbed a handful of bullets and fed them into the rifle. The rattle of locks sounded downstairs before he heard the front door swing open again. Seconds passed before the door slammed shut.

“I can’t see them!” Lisa called. “They must be round near you.”

Frank growled in dismay as the sound of screaming came from outside. In an instant, he kicked at the boards. Gradually, the wooden planks came away as the alarmed shrieks intensified.

“Frank!”

Simon’s cry was accompanied by a loud screech. Sensing he was running out of time, Frank tucked the rifle under his arm and hurled himself at the barrier. The boards gave way, and he landed in a heap on the balcony.

“Help!”

Composing himself, Frank jumped to his feet and observed the scene below. The pair were cowering against the side of the house as three zombies sprinted towards them. He aimed the rifle at the nearest creature and fired. The bullet struck the man’s shoulder, sending him whirling to the ground. Frank aimed again, but the other two zombies caught his attention.

“Frank!” Simon shrieked.

He turned away from the downed creature and aimed at the second. Positioning the rifle against his shoulder, he stared down the sights until the crossbar lingered on the creature’s head. He pulled the trigger, dropping the monster in seconds. He looked between his first target and the final one which shambled along on a broken foot. The bone had snapped through the dead man’s boot and was clearly visible as he shuffled towards the couple.

“They’re coming!” Elaine squealed.

Frank aimed again, bringing down his original target with a single shot. The zombie fell to the ground, showering the grass with brain matter. He turned back to the final creature. It had closed in on the pair but was dismayed as they retreated around the front of the house. It let out an agonised cry as it reached for them. Its loss was short-lived as Frank put a bullet in its head.

“They want to come back in!” Lisa called. “Shall I open the door?”

“No, they’re safe, tell them to get the job done.”

He leaned against the bar encircling the balcony and looked down at the bodies below. The men all seemed to be from a farming background judging by their physique and clothing. He glanced around at the rest of the landscape and found there were no more threats in sight. Eventually, the couple trudged around the side of the house. They looked at him with malice.

“What’s up with you two?”

“You almost got us killed.” Simon snapped.

“Oh, you’re exaggerating. Now c’mon, the sooner you get those boards on, the sooner you can come back in.”

“Oh yeah, so we can move more bodies, I’m ecstatic.”

“Hold on.”

Frank disappeared from sight. Simon looked at his wife with a frown. Without their marksman, they were vulnerable. He glanced around the field, looking for any sign of a moving corpse. He found one. With a cry of terror, he jumped back as the dead body landed at his feet. His wife shrieked as a second body came hurtling down from the balcony. Ronald’s corpse hit the grass with a dull thud. The remains of his head spilled over the green blades as the couple looked up in terror. Frank stood above them once more. He wiped his bloody hands on his trousers before leaning on the balcony rail.

“There you go. Now all you gotta do is clean up.”

The pair looked at each other incredulously.

“C’mon then, we haven’t got all day. There’s a ladder over there. Get a move on.”

“So you want us to barricade the windows, but you’re gonna leave the balcony insecure?”

“We can lock these doors, genius. You left a fucking hole in the side of the house.”

When he saw Simon was going to protest further, he aimed the rifle at the pair. “Don’t make me shoot you.”

He watched as they walked away, approaching the ladder in the grass. They had a brief dispute before they each grabbed a side and dragged it towards the house. Frank looked away from them and studied the field. There was no sign of the undead, but that didn’t mean they weren’t close. His eyes went from the field to the sky. It was void of any birds, planes or insects. The sun shone brightly over the farm as it began its downward arc towards the rest of the world. He estimated they had four hours until darkness; more than enough time to reinforce the barricades.

He gingerly touched his cheek, grimacing from the sting of his wound. He realised while it was well and good trying to keep the zombies out, what would the rest of the group do if a zombie was already in the house?

21

The sight that greeted them upon their return made Amy wish they’d stayed at her house. The previously empty streets were now inundated with corpses. Mutilated remains and half-eaten organs were scattered around the area like discarded waste. She stared as they drove past a procession of entrails that wound along the road. They reminded her of snakes that had been turned inside out.

“Where did all these people come from?”

“I have no idea.”

The harsh truth unravelled as she glanced down at the bodies. Whilst she’d assumed Sunnymoor had been wiped out, it had never occurred to her that others could be fighting for survival. The succession of fresh corpses was evidence that more people had tried to escape.

“They weren’t here before,” she said.

“I know.”