UK:Z

Epilogue

A brown envelope slips out the stumbling grasp of the postman as the bounding paws of a familiar terrier proceeds to clamber up his leg. A rounded boy's plump cheeks bounce up and down as he runs, or more rather tries to run, to protect the envelope from the slobber. Panting, he thanks the postman as the terrier becomes more interested in the cold Hawaiian pizza grasped firmly in the boy's other hand.

Reluctantly, the boy surrenders the slice to the terrier wagging his tail in victory. The boy waddles back up to his door with his eyes firmly fixed on the envelope. He adjusts his glasses, brushes his dark brown hair away from his eyes and opens the envelope to gleefully pull out a graphic novel. It reads The Walking Dead: Issue 1.

He immediately pulls out his phone and in a frantic state of his greasy fingers sliding off the buttons – he finally finds his best friend in his speed dial.

It rings twice before he hears a familiar voice 'Y'alright mate?' His friend asks, wondering whether his friend's eating habits, and more so the consequences of, have finally caught up to him. The boy, struggling to let the words of happiness escape his mouth, releases a hyperventilating groan down the microphone. Finally able to use his mouth to do something other than munch, the boy begins to unravel the background of the novel in his hand without turning a single page. The friend in a stoned state of confusion manages to squeeze in a word or two before being cut off by seemingly infinite excitable rambling, after nearly three quarters of an hour Dave interrupts 'Tommo, I have to do my Maths for tomorrow or Mr Carruthers is going to kill me! Tell me at school tomorrow yeah?'

Tom admits he has lost his friend's interest and murmurs 'See you tomorrow, Dave' before he putting down the now sweat-caked touchscreen. Tom pulls out the novel, and mumbles to himself 'Let's see what this Rick Grimes is made of...' As he intrepidly turns over the front cover...