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

“Oh, no.” He raised his arms and turned around to support his statement.

“Okay, get in.”

“Thank you.”

The man jumped into the back of the car. As soon as the door slammed shut, they took off once more.

“Thank you so much,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow.

“No problem.” Amy smiled, turning in her seat. “What’s your name?”

“Glen. Glen Reeves.”

“Nice to meet you, Glen, I’m Amy and this is Ben.”

Ben nodded, eyeing the dishevelled man in the rear-view mirror. The smell of cannabis quickly became apparent, and Amy was glad they had their windows down.

“So what happened?” She asked, eying the man’s oversized clothes.

“I was trying to get away from all those freaks. I didn’t think there would be any out here, but I was wrong.”

“How did you crash?”

“I hit a bloody farmer in the middle of the road.”

Amy looked back at the distant wreckage. “I didn’t see a farmer?”

“That’s because he was stuck to my bumper. Once I hit him, I veered off the road and smashed into a frigging rock. Next thing I know there’s smoke coming out of the bonnet and I got out before it went up in flames.”

“What about the guy you hit?”

“What about him?”

“Was he alive? Or was he one of them?”

“After I hit him and crashed into the rock, I could hear him snarling underneath the car. Even when it caught fire, he was still growling.”

Amy looked at him wide-eyed.

“So where did you come from?” Ben asked, breaking the silence that had formed.

“Bealsdon.”

“How bad is it there?”

“Real bad.”

“Where were you heading?”

“Anywhere. I just want to find out what the hell’s going on.”

“Don’t we all. How much do you know?”

“Nothing! The only time I realised there was anything wrong was when Mrs. Cropley burst in while I was in the bath!”

“Who’s Mrs. Cropley?” Amy asked.

“The old dear who lives next door to me. She kept trying to bite me. Luckily, she didn’t have her false teeth in.”

Ben snorted, shaking his head as he drove.

“Anyway, I got past her and saw two blokes coming up the stairs. So I got out the window and ran down the road completely starkers!”

Amy tried hard to suppress her amusement, but as soon as Ben started laughing, she couldn’t help but join in.

“It wasn’t funny,” Glen said. “I had to steal these clothes off somebody’s washing line.”

He tugged at his shirt in disgust. At that point, Amy felt the laughter cripple her. Her chest felt tight as tears streamed down her face.

“Oh, I’m glad you find it so funny.” He pouted, looking out of the window.

“Sorry,” Amy replied, wiping the tears from her eyes. “But it’s laugh or cry in this situation.”

“Looks like you’re doing both.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes as she composed herself. “So how did you end up in your car?”

“I made my way back home so I could get my own clothes. But as soon as I got through the front door, Mrs. Cropley came racing down the stairs! So I grabbed my keys and jumped in my car. Now here I am.”

“Well, it’s good to have you with us, Glen. I just wish we could have saved more people.”

“Me too. I don’t know how many times I drove past people getting eaten. I should’ve stopped to help.”

“It wouldn’t have done any good,” Ben said. “Once you’re bitten, you’re dead.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we think so. Then you turn into one of those things.”

“Is there no way to cure it?”

“None that we know of.”

“Shit.”

They fell silent briefly before Glen spoke once more. “I don’t suppose any of you have a light?” He raised a rolled cigarette into view, looking between the pair who both shook their head.

“Sorry,” Amy said.

Glen sighed and sat back in the chair, placing the cigarette behind his ear. “So where are we going?” he muttered.

“My grandparents have a farm near here. They’ve tried ringing me, so I’m hoping it’s safe there.”

“And what if it isn’t?”

Amy didn’t answer. She had experienced enough grief for one day. The prospect of her grandparents being dead was something she did not want to face.

“Take a left here,” she said, noticing they were nearing the farm.

The car turned onto the track, creating a plume of dust as it went. Amy strained her neck to catch a glimpse of the building. On an ordinary summer day, she could see the small house in the distance. But with the last light far behind them, all she could see were dark fields. She sat back in her chair, winding up the window as a chill swept over her arms.

“Doesn’t look bad,” Glen said.

“I’m not sure,” Ben replied. He motioned towards a broken wall as they passed. Tyre tracks were present on the field encased within the brick wall, with mud spatter clear on the road. Whoever had been driving had come off the field and onto the road they were now travelling on. Once again, Amy looked for her grandparents’ house.

“Is it much further?” Ben asked. “We can’t travel in the dark. I can’t see a thing out here.”

“Take your next right and it’s a straight road up to the house.”

“But what are we gonna do if there’s any trouble?” Glen asked.

“They’ll be there. They called from their house phone.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Amy ignored the comment, keeping her gaze fixed outside.

“We’ll sort out any issues when we get there,” Ben said. “Either way, we’ll have to spend the night.”

He slowed the car as the right turn neared. Amy looked across at her grandparents’ farm, just as an almighty thud struck the roof.

“Jesus!” Glen cried.

The car swerved as another impact came from the side. Amy