Living Amongst The Dead

Chapter 8

I had a screw driver in my hand, ready to attack anything that might leap out at us. The carpet in front of me was littered with splinted wood and dirt.

I looked behind me to see if Calem was following. Sure enough he was right behind me, iron bar at the ready. He had put on a brave face and looked determined but I knew underneath that he was terrified.

The wood crunched beneath my feet and sounded like the loudest noise on Earth. If anything was still inside it would surely know we were here by now, but I couldn't hear any moans so I wasn't sure.

The place would have been a nice house to live in if you weren't in the middle of an apocalypse. It had a spacious living area and seemed like a great family home.

Calem and I headed for the kitchen where he said there were bags and supplies on the dining table and in the cupboards. We found another camping bag which was exactly like mine except smaller. It was perfect for Calem's shoulders and we filled it with food, another sleeping bag, some flashlights and a pocket knife. There was room left for some clothes so we headed towards Calem's room.

"Are you alright to carry that buddy?" I asked him once he had the bag on his shoulders. "Yeah, it isn't really that heavy anyway. My bedroom is that way." He pointed down a hall that had three doors, one on the left and two on the right. "Mines the one on the left." He said, then walked towards the door.

"Hold up Calem," I whispered, "There might be something in there." I walked up to the door, turned the knob and pushed it open slightly. I listened to see if any noises were coming from the room but I couldn't hear anything so I gave Calem a thumbs up and headed inside.

The room was quite plain except for a chest of drawers, a bed, a crate full of toys and a blue rug. There was also a window that was open. I looked out of it to see a street that looked familiar. This must have been the window that Calem jumped out of when he escaped.

"I'm nearly finished Susan, just need one more thing." I turned and saw that Calem had walked over to his bed. He reached down and grabbed a stuffed bear and put it in his bag.

"It was from my parents." Calem said when he saw me staring. "I've had it for as long as I can remember." Sadness filled my heart but I knew we had to get moving so I told Calem to hurry up.

We headed down the hallway towards the door when I heard something coming from one of the other rooms. I told Calem to wait for a second as I pressed my ear against the door. There was definitely something in there.

Then I made a split second decision and turned the handle of the door.

Calem's parent's room was a mess. "Don't look. Cover your eyes. Now." I whispered to Calem as I took in the scene.

A woman's body lay in the corner, her tangled blonde hair matted with blood. Her brain must have been damaged or she would have reanimated.

Then I couldn't breath.

Something was on my back....A zombie.