Still breathing | Original story

Chapter Twenty One: Mapping The New World

Word count: 2229

We rushed back to the house and when we got back I made sure the door was locked and looked out the windows, surveying the areas for any of infected. The streets were empty.
"What happened out there?" Archie asked me, his voice full of concern.
"I wasn't bitten," was my first response. That's what it comes down to in the end. Someone could die, I could be shot or have a leg chopped off and yet I would still make it clear that I wasn't bit, like being bit is the biggest danger. Archie raised an eyebrow at me. "I found a couple in the shop and next thing I knew more were batting down the shop door. I ran out the back and found a fence... around the hospital."
"What about it?" Archie implored.
"You never told me we were in Manchester!" I tried not to snap but all I could think was that Logan could be long gone. He could've seen the wall and bailed, I didn't know.
"You never asked." The room was silent for a moment. "What's the big deal? Did you have family back ho-"
"-Manchester infirmary is the safe place," I told him and he shut up instantly. His eyes widening. He touched my shoulder lightly. He bit his lip, I noticed they were cracking and dry. His eyes looked softer as they connected with my own.
"That place got overrun..." he said softly. I felt my chest tighten. "Someone inside must've gotten bit or died or something. Next thing I knew I kept hearing screams... that was a few days before I found you." I felt my head go light, yet another place infected. Archie helped me to the nearest chair and I plopped myself down in it.
"You- why weren't you at the safe house?" I asked. He placed a glass of water on the table for me.
"I... I couldn't leave this place," he sighed and did a lob sided grin. "Pathetic right?" I shook my head.
"Do you know a way in?" I asked. He nodded but he seemed a little wary. "I need to find my friend."
"Say no more," he put a hand up and went over to a drawer. He produced a folded sheet of paper and lay it out on the table in front of me. It was a hand drawn map of all the streets around the area. "I found it whilst you were out."
I shakily sat up and looked at his detailed drawing.
"You see these red areas?" He pointed at the streets, the supermarket was blotted out red. "These are my no-go zones." I nodded and I saw them spread out all over the map. He pointed at a grey dot, "these are my unsure zones, places I have yet to go." He then pointed at the green ones, "and these are safe." I paid close attention as he spoke. He really did know his stuff.
"What's the best route to the hospital? The way I went before?" I asked him.
"If we take this side street there are usually not many infected around, some of them cluster at this point. Don't ask why; I think they like the sun that shines through the buildings or something." He pressed his finger down onto the map. "Anyway, we can get to the hospital easily by taking the tunnel route. It was put there to help the crew come in and out of the place easily." He must have seen my worried and wide-eyed reaction because he carried on, "sounds dangerous but nothings there, it's sound quiet. But this does mean we'll have to be quiet too otherwise were open prey. The tunnel will lead us to the fencing around the hospital and we can climb over from there. We'll be in the car park by this point so we will be out in the open, but so will they. It's perfect!" He clapped his hands together happily as his plan formed. "Just past that is the opening to the hospital."
"Why have a hospital as a safe zone though?" I thought out loud. "Isn't that where most of the infected would've gone?"
"Exactly!" He exclaimed.
"I don't understand." I cocked my head to one side and tried to analyse his thoughts but I couldn't; he seemed to have built his own fence around his brain but this one was reinforced, only he could climb over.
"If all the corpses are in one building then it'll be easier to eliminate them, leaving a safe zone for the healthy population," he explained and I nodded my head at him.
"I suppose it makes sense... but why go to all that effort?" I asked.
"It's either kill them or wait for them to leave the building and have them kill us," he replied grimly.
"Do you think anyone's alive in there?" I spoke, I had meant to sound hopeful but my voice was dry.
"I don't know... it's a possibility. I haven't seen much-infected movement around there in a while so maybe the situations back under control?" It was more of a question than a statement. Silence filled the room. I was questioning the options that could fill my voice with the hope it was devoid of because I wasn't sure if I could afford to have it there.