Rise of the Dead

Chapter 14: The Devil

"Best not to mix the past with the present. The present paints the past with gold. The past paints the present with lead." ~ Henry Rollins

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I send the boys to try and remove the scoop off of the digger whilst I get tools out the boot and discuss our strategy with the girls, spreading our map across the sun-warmed bonnet of the car.

"I say we head down the motorway until we reach this road," I say pointing to an intersection of the crinkled map, "and then we follow this lane all the way to the coast, I think the back roads will be easier to navigate with less infected," I explain and scan their faces for signs of protest.

"I'm happy with that," Amelia replies, her nails tapping carelessly on the metal door frame. I glance at Soph who smiles in agreement and I fold the map back up neatly, stuffing it into the front pocket of my backpack. Complaining and straining under the weight, the boys return with the scoop from the front of the digger, looks of exhaustion tinting their red faces. 

"Soph, can you fill the tank with petrol please?" I ask to which she nods curtly, her head disappearing around the back of the car to find the petrol cans, her footsteps quiet and cautious.

Toby and Josh place the scoop in front of the car with a thud and I send an appreciative and apologetic smile their way, titling the metal scoop into a position which allows it to act as a plough of sorts. I grab the metal cabling and clips and crouch beside the car, threading the flexible metal cables through the front towbar.

"Can you guys lift the plough?" I ask carefully, wincing at the tiring request and letting out a sigh of relief when they agree. I slide under the car cautiously, the tarmac hot against my bare shoulders, and secure the plough onto the front of our car. With a triumphant grin, I crawl out from underneath the pile of metal and climb to my feet, wiping my hands on my torn black jeans. 

"Ready?" I ask and they all agree enthusiastically, grateful to get out of the hot midday sun. Once we're all in I start the engine and drive along the body-strewn tarmac, it's only a matter of minutes before I've slammed into the first infected with a sickening crunch that makes me grimace uncomfortably. The infected are thrown roughly out of the way and we continue forward, our body's constantly being pushed against the seats as we collide with debris and rotting bodies.

You can start to tell the apocalypse has been going on for a while now, the smell of rotting flesh is a lot more prominent as corpses decompose in the sunlight and bloodstains have started to blacken and peel. It's disgusting yet somehow comforting, knowing we've survived this long.

Over the next few hours we push our way down the motorway- smashing past all manner of vehicles, we even see a bus turned over and I dread to think who was aboard. Its sides are sprayed with blood and bullet holes pattern the metalwork, like sick custom artwork. I wonder how guns suddenly appear in our country? Maybe they were always here, hidden until now and I was just ignorantly unaware- thinking the military and specific police divisions were the only ones with access. I remember reading that seventy-five people die a year in this country from gun crimes, seventy-five people too many with a no gun law in my eyes.

Finally, the cars begin to clear and the infected along with them, I glance down at the map which Josh holds besides me and see its only a little way to a lane that will take us to the beach. The sky is a pale blue today and little trails of white string across them, for a moment I think it's a paper trail- caused by the thousands of planes that litter our sky, only to dismiss the thought as it fades away gracefully, are there even aeroplanes anymore? How far has the apocalypse spread?

"Guys, what do you want to do when we get to the coast?" I ask, making a mental list of my own as I wait for their suggestions to fill the car.

They all consider this for a while before Amelia shouts, her volume making me flinch in comparison to my gentle tone. 

"I want ice cream!" she exclaims and we all burst out laughing.

"Of course you do!" I say and she frowns at me, narrowing her eyes me in the mirror above my head.

"What are you saying?" she says and raises an eyebrow, her tone playful and sarcastic.

"Nothing, just that some people never change," I reply sweetly and she rolls eyes at me with a huff of annoyance. "Besides, it'll all have gone off by now," I add, crinkling my nose at the thought.

"Anyone else?" I ask, hoping for more than just ice cream or the inevitable request to build a sandcastle.

"Yeah, I want to go to an arcade," Sophie says excitedly and for once I can still see the child in her. Something I thought was ruthlessly destroyed by the apocalypse, the simple phrase bringing a smile to my lips.

"And I want to dive off the pier," Toby says with a wicked grin to which I just shake my head.

"Fine, fine, we will do both," I promise, my shoulders shaking as I chuckle. "Josh? What about you?" I ask my eyes following a corpse past the cracked window with a look of disgust and sympathy.

"I think we should find an empty hotel to stay in," he suggests, and I hear a murmur of agreement from the back of the car.

"Ok, I guess stopping for a night wouldn't be a bad idea, we need to get some proper rest. I want fish and chips, though," I add into the conversation and I see Toby tut sarcastically.

"Madeline, the fish will be gross by now," Toby says cockily, a smirk hanging on his lips.

"Not if we catch them ourselves," I retort with equal sarcasm and watch his face fall spitefully in the mirror.

I continue driving down the windy lane until the sea comes into view, a burst of indigo against the greenery that coats the lanes. The sand is a stretch of golden silk which meets the dark blue sea with a foamy layer, a peaceful aura settles over me and a light sigh escapes my cracked lips. The beach lays before us so serene and peaceful and I let my eyes drink up the milkshake sky, the beautiful colours peeking from behind the darkening horizon. For a moment, I don't care what the consequences of coming here are. So what if we put off a cure? I've already committed enough sins in killing numerous zombies. Whoever's watching me can deal with my selfish thoughts, they can say hello to the devil for me.

I drive down the steep coastal track and pull up next to the sand, we all jump out of the car excitedly and I spin around- the sea air tickling my skin.

"To the pier!" Toby exclaims whilst mocking a thick royal accent, causing a burst of laughter from Sophie. He starts racing towards the pier that stretches out into the tranquil ocean and we all follow, my legs pumping forward in a way that fills me with adrenaline. Stopping a few paces back Josh grabs my hand and I smile gently, I gently reach out and take Amelia's hand starting a chain reaction which means soon we're all linked.

"On the count of three," I whisper into the sea air, counting quickly in excitement. We all run towards the end of the pier and my heart hammers against my ribs. I push into the air away from the edge and let go of Josh's hand; for a minute it's like I'm floating in mid-air.

And then, I'm falling.