Rise of the Dead

Chapter 10: The Scent of Blood

"Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." ~ Jerry Garcia

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The knife snaps through Toby's finger like butter, aside from the crunch as the bone splits, eliciting a scream from Sophie's throat. I think Toby passes out now, his eyes droop closed and his body stills beneath me, in some way I'm grateful for it. I hold the hot knife against his sizzling flesh before tipping more vodka on it, the scent of blood infiltrating my senses. I finish by wrapping a bandage tightly around the stump of his pinkie finger but it's not long before the blood starts seeping through, staining the fabric scarlet.

"Madeline that was amazing, you just saved him from becoming infected," Amelia whispers in awe whilst pulling Sophie into her outstretched arms.

I shakily get to my feet and scratch the blood off my rosy cheeks, my hands trembling.

"Josh, would you mind carrying Toby inside for me and putting him on his bed?" I ask exhausted. Josh looks up, relief evident on his face. 

"Yeah, of course," he replies.

We make our way over the decaying corpses and towards the looming house who's silhouette casts shadows across the gravel drive, Amelia and Sophie staying behind to burn the infected. I hear the flickering of flames behind me as I step into the cool air of the house, my feet shuffling across the tiles into the kitchen. Mindlessly I start to heat some pasta in a pan, stirring it idly whilst gazing out the window and despite my lack of appetite, chewing on my lip in deep concentration. How long has the apocalypse been going on? Three days? It seems like much longer, I guess disaster draws out even the shortest lengths of time into some kind of twisted nightmare.

"MADELINE!" Josh shouts, his voice echoing down the grand hallway, breaking me from my thoughts. I spin around instantly- grabbing a knife from the worktop. Sophie and Amelia sprint into the kitchen panting heavily, the stench of burning bodies clinging to their clothes and making me wrinkle my nose in disgust. I stumble forwards and run upstairs, the girls close behind me.

"What?" I ask out of breath as I stagger into the room, bending over to lean on the oak door. In answer, he points to Toby who's sat up in his bed, a sheen of sweat covering his face. He shows no sign of infection but the shock still lingers on his features. 

"Toby?" I speak hesitantly, "how are you feeling?" I ask in a gentle tone.

"I'm ok, thanks to you," he replies, gratitude evident on his face. I let out a deep sigh of relief as I look at the group around me, my mind wandering to the pasta downstairs.

"I'm glad you're ok," I reply to Toby gently, "I'm making some pasta downstairs if you want any? I can get Josh to bring it up to you?" I ask. 

Toby smiles at me appreciatively, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. 

"I'll come down, I can't say I'm hungry but I should probably eat," he reasons, gently moving to the edge of the bed. 

I send him a final nod before making my way downstairs, I stop briefly as I enter the kitchen to pat Jaz who's laid peacefully on some blankets. She stirs under my touch and licks my hand happily, before closing her eyes once again. I walk back over to the oven and take the pasta off of the heat, draining it carefully before pouring on a tin of sauce I found in the cupboard. 

I dish the pasta into five bowls carefully and place them on the table with five glasses of water, calling up the stairs to the others. They make their way down slowly, their constant chatter reaching me before I see them. Once sat at the table they dig into their food, the chatter dying out to a comfortable silence but for the sound of forks scraping against the china. My gaze lifts to the window opposite me where I take in the rolling fields and dense forests, the open countryside proving no challenge for the infected.   

"I'm not sure how safe I feel here," I state quietly, the group all looking up to face me. "The open fields and the amount of woodland, it just feels so unprotected from the zombies."

"I agree," Amelia muses, "it feels too big, there's no way we can cover all this land, even with a patrol or perimeter set up."

I nod in agreement, finishing the last of my pasta before pushing the bowl away from me. 

"I think it's only a matter of time before the infected find us, our scents must be so strong against the bleak countryside and soon enough the cities will dry up as a food source," Toby adds, shaking his head sadly. 

"We'll need to move, sooner or later," Josh adds, "surely it's better on our terms, rather than being chased out by the infected."

"I agree, I think we've only got a few more days if that before the infected get to us and we won't be prepared when they do. Like Amelia said, if we could set up a perimeter that would be something but we just don't have the materials or the time to cover this amount of ground. I think our best option is to head to somewhere slightly more populated, maybe try and link up with some other survivors; find somewhere more suitable we can stay. Somewhere with better access to food, maybe a wall of extensive fencing around the grounds," I suggest uncertainly. 

"Let's sleep on it," Josh reasons, "take the next day or so to come up with a plan, travelling aimlessly could be equally dangerous." 

I smile at Josh and nod in agreement, rising from my seat to clear the bowls and glasses from the table. The others help me clear up, Amelia and Sophie washing the plates and placing them back in the cupboards orderly. 

These little acts of normality calm me, make me feel at ease once again, but nothing can truly stop the panic and unease that starts to settle over the house. Not really.