For starters, we almost stumble upon a good-sized horde just bumbling around the streets and have to take a detour which involves clambering over ruined buildings and rubble. My hands get scraped to fuck and are bleeding by the time we make it around the horde and back on the street. All I can think is that I’m glad I’m up to date on my tetanus jab.
Rhys stops us so we can clean and cover the worst of the wounds with the small amount of supplies we found, but it does little to soothe the sting. The bandages and plasters also end up getting soaked through within a few minutes anyway, rendering them useless no matter how much I try to keep them dry.
And then, to make matters worse, we have to dive into a nearby car when we spot the outlines of several people.Livingpeople.
Rhys has to clamp his hand around my mouth to keep me quiet as the inevitable panic attack sweeps through me. I’m a trembling, sobbing mess in his arms, unable to do or say anything as I’m subjected to my own personal nightmare while hiding from people who could do so much worse. And I don’t even get the luxury of passing out like I usually do, so I just have to suffer through it while terrified of getting found.
I’m not sure how long we’re in the car for when Rhys finally releases his hold on my mouth. “Can you stand, princess?” he asks, his voice so soft I barely hear him over the blood pounding in my ears.
I blink up at him, my vision dotted with black spots as my mind slowly comprehends what he said. My chest feels like it’s moments from cavingin and my limbs are trembling noodles, but I nod anyway. I’m eager to do anything as long as it means getting out of this metal coffin.
He doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t call me out on it, probably understanding that I need to leave as soon as possible. He releases his hold on me, and for a second, the panic completely takes over, causing me to gasp for breath as my throat tightens and my lungs refuse to work. Thankfully, his touch quickly returns, and he lifts me out of the car and into the freezing cold rain.
The icy water dripping down my face shocks me out of the worst of my panic. I suck in a sharp breath and my eyes flutter as I take in my surroundings for the first time in fuck knows how long.
The outlines of the Scourge are nowhere to be seen—not that I can see much in this weather—in the low light, telling me we were stuck in that car for at least a few hours. Water saturates the street, tiny streams of it racing down the gutters and pooling across the tarmac. The dark clouds in the sky are so thick that the sun struggles to peek through, making it seem as though night has fallen.
Rhys places me back onto my feet with a small wince and re-adjusts my hood so it’s covering my face again. “Are you okay to walk?” he asks as he peers down at me, brows furrowed in concern.
I breathe in a shaky breath. “As much as I can be,” I say, glancing down at my still trembling legs. “Let’s just get out of here before they come back.”
He presses his lips together and nods. “Alright, but youwilltell me if you feel faint or ill.” It’s an order, not a request.
At any other time, I would have bristled at his tone, but I’m too shaken up to care. So I just sigh. “Fine.”
Rhys doesn’t look completely pleased with my answer, no doubt expecting me to argue back, but neither of us have a choice. Wehaveto keep moving if we want to reach Haven alive.
“Keep a hold of my arm,” he says as he grabs my hand and places it on his arm. “At least until you’re steadier on your feet.”
I tighten my grip as the two of us set off.
It takes about half an hour before I’m stable enough to release his arm and walk at a faster pace. By then the rain has lessened and the sky is tinted in a soft grey and pink hue from the sunset. Luck is thankfully on our side because Rhys spots a corner shop that, while almost cleared out of food, isn’t a pile of crumbling bricks like everywhere else. Even better, it has intact windows and secure doors.
Which means we actually get some decent sleep that night.
Our luck continues the next day when the rain completely clears and the sun beams high and bright in the sky, warming the temperature. The zombies become much easier to avoid, meaning my hands don’t get cut to fuck again. Hell, we don’t even see any Scourge either.
The day goes so well that we leave the city of Cardiff behind us and enter the more rural landscape of South Wales.
But this good luck can’t last forever. And when it finally fails… it fails spectacularly.
The sun is settingas we finally reach a suitable location for the night; an abandoned farm off a country lane. Although from the road, it doesn’t look like much. The farmhouse is a burned pile of rubble, and the surrounding fields and forest are wild and overgrown with brambles and dead nettles. Even the driveway is a cracked mess of potholes and grass sprouting through the tarmac.
The farm’s only saving grace is the small workshop that sits to one side, facing a thick copse of trees. It’s not much to look at. The brick walls are well-worn and stained with age, and the corrugated iron roofing is heavily rusted in places and no doubt has holes for water to leak through. But with no other choice, we make this our home for the night.
It’s dark, dank and dingy inside. The floor is soaked from yesterday’s rain, and I just know sleep won’t come easily tonight.
While Rhys sets up a sleeping area, using a tarp and our sleeping bags, I heat some water for our dinner. By the time he’s finished, the sun has set and our food is hot and ready. The two of us sit on our sleeping bags and eat in companionable silence, the only sound being the scraping of our spoons against our metal bowls.
A branch snaps outside.
The two of us freeze mid bite, and turn our attention to the door. There’s a rustle followed by another snap and the unmistakable sound of someone’s heavy breathing.
Something that zombies don’t do.
Terror seizes my throat, and I turn my wide-eyed expression to Rhys. He has a grim, knowing look on his face, his lips pressed together and his jaw clenched. He knows as well as I do what those noises mean.
The Scourge have found us.Corneredus.
