The Common Cold (Book 1): A Zombie Chronicle by Roberts David K

Author:Roberts, David K. [Roberts, David K.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Zombie Apocalypse
Publisher: David K Roberts
Published: 2013-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Hunkering Down

The drive back home was easy; there was almost no traffic to be seen, just the occasional military lorry, hauling troops from one place to another. Sandra pulled onto her drive, and got out of the car. Helping Ella into the house, Sandra laid her on the leather sofa; the unfortunate woman had become faint and almost completely unresponsive at this stage. She was mumbling incoherently, sweat on her brow.

Sandra was frightened, she knew what was happening to her new friend, but was afraid to coalesce the idea in her mind, lest it was right. Instead, she went to their bathroom cabinet and pulled out the first aid box, and ran back downstairs. With a bowl of warm water and disinfectant, she returned to Ella’s side. The blouse had stuck itself to her arm, the dried blood caked thickly over the wound. It looked strange; it had congealed too quickly, too thickly, even to Sandra’s untrained eye. The warm water was working, softening the hardened, crusty surface. Ella’s skin was becoming pale, waxen; her saliva, oozing unchecked from her mouth, was thick and sticky. Having cleaned up the wound as best as possible, she began to bandage it.

Ella’s breathing was becoming ragged; Sandra was worried now, a single bite would never normally affect anyone like this. At worst, it should only require a tetanus shot, or antibiotics. The emergency services were still not contactable, every attempt was met with an engaged or unobtainable tone; they were clearly on their own. Fingering the pistol in her coat pocket, she wondered if she could ever use it on another human. Unlikely, was her conclusion. Even if needed, it wasn’t possible to do much damage as there were only another four rounds, unless Ella had more in her home. Shaking off those thoughts, she went to unpack the car. The meat would still be cold; although it hadn’t snowed yet, which was odd for the time of the year, it was below zero outside.

Walking out to the car, it became evident just how much food they had acquired. She felt a little guilty for not paying, but they could sort that out when things returned to normal. Returning to the car in order to load up for the fourth trip to the kitchen, she saw them walking towards her. Four people, two of them women, were wandering aimlessly up the road. At first she paid no attention to them, and continued her task. Finally they were close enough for her to see that they weren’t quite right. Their faces were pale, more so than Ella’s; and their eyes. It was the eyes. They were white, as if they had been boiled like an egg, or the wearer had been dead for at least a week, slowly corrupting in this cold weather. They had seen or at least detected her, and were now walking in her direction.

Discretion being the better part of valour, Sandra retreated into the house and locked the door behind her.

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