The Price of Humanity

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Kiddo, come on." Gale calls to me from the door of the kitchen. I put my walkie into the side pocket of my rucksack and take my notebook from the counter.

"Yeh, I'm coming." I reply curtly, shoving my notebook, into my bag and slinging it over my shoulder.

He only told me we were going on a run five minutes ago. I broke many a record to get ready in this time. Honestly I think he should be proud rather than nagging me.

I tighten the straps and tie the excess around my waist, making sure there's nothing for anything to grab. Just like they taught me.

"Hair." Gale demands. I roll my eyes at him, although I'm mentally scolding myself - I always forget something. This time it's the hair, next time it'll be spare bag, or the straps or the knives hidden on my body.

I tie my hair up into a tight ponytail so it's harder to grab and then spin it into a tight bun. I keep a couple of hair bands on my wrist as a precaution. The guys wanted me to cut my hair completely into a pixie cut of some sort, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

They argued, of course, saying that it's dangerous to have long – easier to grab.

But I argued back, saying that I could always keep it up whenever we went out, that way it would be hard to grab and I wouldn't lose my long dark hair.

"Ready?" I ask him and he scoffs.

"I was ready ages ago." He replies, zipping up his jacket and heading towards the front door. He grabs his bag too on the way tightening the straps and tying the excess around his waist just like I did. Less to grab.

Zane stands waiting at the door, Gale takes the list from his outstretched hand and skims over it quickly. He frowns while Zane stands there, shifting from foot to foot.

"This is a lot." He comments before handing the list to me.

I read through the list. It is a lot, we wouldn't be able to find half this stuff in the town. We'd have to go out further to get some of the things. Further than we usually have to go.

"We need it." Zane states, giving his twin a short 'bro'-hug and bringing me in for a hug too. "Be safe all right?" We both nod at him and I smile at the fatherly role he's taken.

Even though he's the middle child (by six minutes) he took on a kind of 'leader' role, since Gale's not been much of a leader and I'm the 'little sister'.

"If the dead come-a-knocking, don't answer the door will ya?" Gale jokes, slapping Zane on the back. He jolts slightly due to Gale's force – Gale sometimes doesn't know his own strength.

"I know what to do." Zane chuckles, he practically shoves us out the door and locks it behind us, both locks. I look up at the boarded up windows and the reinforced door, home.

Gale jumps into the driver's seat while I get in the other side, pulling the door tightly shut.

"We're never going to get all this stuff." I say, looking over the list again. Gale sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I know. We're going to have to go far out this time." He starts the engine and exits the driveway, corpses turn and cock their heads at us from the noise of the engine.

"How far?" I ask him, watching the dead try and grab for us as we drive past. They fail, of course, stumbling towards us long after we've left the area.

They're slow and stumble, but in a herd, they're deadly. You can't kill them quick enough so they end up getting closer and closer.

Luckily, we haven't seen a herd in at least a month. They head towards the cities when they can because they're bigger. Larger cities means more people means more food.

"At least an hour further than we'd usually have to." He replies, jerking the car to avoid an abandoned vehicle on the side of the road. He ends up off the road slightly, but gets back on track quickly.

"So, we'll have to get on the dual-carriageway?" I ask turning to him. He nods in reply, in deep concentration. "Isn't it blocked?" He nods again.

Great.

While everyone tried to flee to the country, all the city folk were fleeing to rural areas. When people found out the country wasn't much better than the city I guess they turned back.

This meant that most of the dual-carriageways are blocked from both sides, with many, many cars. Although the cities weren't that populated.

Although we've never travelled that far we've had a few, tense, encounters with people escaping the major cities. Rumours about the closest city to us tell that several 'communities' have set up there.

The rumour is they're also not very nice, in the simplest terms.

"We'll just have to try and get through, we might need to go on foot." He says stopping in the car park of a supermarket not too far from home.

This was the last supermarket we've been to under twenty minutes away from home. All the other ones have been cleared out, mainly by us, but also by other scavengers in the area or passers-by.

"This place looks empty." I conclude as I look at the broken windows and the fallen shelving units inside. "And overrun." I continue as a few of the dead notice the car and start to wander towards us.

There's about a dozen that I can see from the front. Too many for one person to deal with, but two could probably take them all.

"There's not too many, we can get them. Remember what I taught you?" I roll my eyes at him. It's not like he'd ever let me forget.

"Keep my distance and get them in the brain." I say, hopping out. I pick up my bag from the back of the truck as well as my makeshift katana.

We managed to find a house around our village, one of the 'preppers' as they were called. Although most of the guns and supplies had been scavenged before we arrived, I found my katana, hidden at the very back of the room.

Not only was it lightweight and easy to handle, but it gave me the ability to stay away from the nipping jaws of the dead. The blade was at least two feet long and attached strongly with rope to the handle which is tightly wrapped in leather.

Of course, the blade is made out of a modified sword and so the ropes need to be tightened every now and again but it has served me well.

"Behind you."