The Last Survivors Book 1

Chapter 4

Damon slept fairly well during the night, waking up the following morning. There was that customary initial moment where Damon momentary forgot where he was, then the memories came flooding back painfully. Then after that, followed the realisation he was still alive, but alive during the apocalypse. Damon pushed away the covers and climbed out of bed. He got himself washed and ready as quickly as possible. He wondered for a moment where Scarlett was. She was supposed to be staying in his room but he could not see her.
Where could she have gone? Damon felt a sudden panic and he hurried downstairs. He sped towards the kitchen, and pushed the door open.
To his relief, he found Scarlett and Grace sat at the table in the kitchen. They both looked towards him as soon as he walked in.
'Morning.' Scarlett greeted almost the same time as Grace said, 'How are you doing?' Grace seemed like she was in a better mood.
'Morning and I'm fine. I'm wishing I had some coffee.' He mumbled, hopeful.
'All out of coffee, but we do have some fine water, and some juice.'
'Ugh,' Damon grumbled, sitting at the table.
'So...is it true then?' Grace said.
Damon looked at Grace then at Scarlett. Then finally, his gaze returned to Grace. 'True about what?'
'That Scarlett is a vampire.'
'Oh fuck, keep your voice down.' Damon said. Then he looked at Scarlett. 'You told her?'
Scarlett just shrugged. 'I was bored. We've been talking for a good hour.'
'Damn it.' Damon said. 'Don't tell anyone else.'
'She's harmless. You will not tell anyone, will you Grace?' Scarlett said, sounding far too serious now, almost mocking.
'No of course not.' Grace shook her head.
Damon sighed. 'I'm glad you've made a new friend.'
'So what are we doing today? Are we going to help them find any of the other quarantine zones?' Scarlett asked, looking towards Damon.
'I planned to do nothing, but if you're so inclined, then yes we can go and see what's needed.' Damon said.
'There is a whole world out there, waiting to be explored.'
'And yet most of it is inhabited by the dead,' Damon said, though he did not want to be a downer on it.
'Well that's what makes it exciting now. I really thought there was hardly anyone left. However, to see there is more people is a good thing. There could be so many people out there....' Scarlett said.
Damon found it confusing. 'Don't you need to feed?'
Scarlett glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. 'Of course. I am fine for now.'
Damon was not sure whether he believed it or not. 'Are you really?'
'Yep, I fed last night.'
Damon eyed her suspiciously. 'On what?'
'Just a stray cat I found.'
'How often do you have to eat?' Damon asked. Hoping vampires did not have the same metabolism as normal humans.
'Once a day, usually.' Scarlett replied with a shrug. 'It can vary. It also depends on how much of my power I use. But enough about me, can we finally get going?'
'I suppose so.' Damon replied, hesitantly. He felt as though he needed to ask more questions, he founded himself wondering what kind of powers she had. More pressing though as one important question came to mind. 'What did you do with the body?'
'Don't worry, it's gone.' Scarlett said with that same mischievous smile that reached her eyes forming.
'Okay then.' Damon said. He wanted to ask but he did not really want to know. 'Shall we go?'
'Finally.' Scarlett said rising from her chair.
Grace did at the same time but then she looked at the used bowls. 'Should clean those before we leave...'
'That's boring. It'll be fine.' Scarlett said coming over to her.
'Yeah, you're probably right. It'll be fine.' Grace said.
Damon just blinked. 'Okay then.'
They made their way outside. It was warm, with mainly blue sky broken by a few smatterings of white clouds. Damon spotted the same couple sat across the road in front of the house with their dog by their feet. There were a few others around, two men stood chatting that Damon recognised but rarely spoke too but Damon greeted them as they went by. They stopped along at Robs place, and Rob willingly joined them.
'Is Ironside still here?' Damon asked the two soldiers that stood outside, Ironside's house upon aproach. Both in stereotypical military gear. They were armed as well, one had a large machete strapped to his side, but he also had a gun and the other had a gun. Damon knew the military had weapons, and they had gotten a fair few in the early days—but they were in very short supply, as were bullets. Guns were only meant to be used as a last resort.
'He might be, what's it to you?' One of the soldiers said with a Scottish accent, that Damon knew as James Lockhart.
'I'm interested in helping Ironside find some of those other quarantine zones.' Damon said.
'And this rabble with you,' James snorted.
'Are you going to let us through or not?' Damon said, raising his voice ever so slightly.
James glanced at his friend. 'Do you think we should let them in?'
The other guy shrugged his shoulders. Damon remembered his name as Resh. He was Kurdish, or something along those lines but he had been here longer than most.
'Do you even know any of the other quarantine zones?' James snapped.
Damon thought about it for a few minutes, trying to recall as much as he could from the early days. He could vaguely remember the fact that the government had set up numerous zones up and down the country; at least each city had one major zone, and several mini-zones. He got a flashback in his brain of football stadiums...
'The football stadiums, they were used as quarantine zones.'
'I think he's right there.' Resh mumbled the words out.
'I do miss football, thanks for reminding me, asshole.' James said.
'Miss it? You actually miss watching Stockport County lose every night?' Resh said.
Damon chuckled.
'Fuck you.' James spat, rolling his eyes, causing Resh to laugh even more.
'Go on, you can all go in.' Resh said, nodding at Damon.
Damon nodded, grateful. 'Thanks.'
Damon had never been inside Ironside's house but he was relieved that it was in a similar state to the other houses. Walls were grainy; the colour was slowly but surely fading from them. The carpets were not much better.
'Ironside?' Damon called out.
'Yes?' Ironside's voice came from somewhere, but Damon could not see him yet. It sounded like he was coming from upstairs. Damon was proven right a moment later when he came to the top of the stairs. He was looking more casual than usual, with a jacket, jeans, and t-shirt. He was muscular, and he had the character of being extraordinary well trained in terms of leadership and the different skills he had. He was strict but fair. 'Did you guys want something?'
'We want to help with finding and locating the other quarantine zones.' Damon offered.
'Ah, that's great.' Ironside said as he came thumping down the stairs. 'Are you sure these girls are up to it? Grace you really want to be out on the field?'
'It would be nice to see the outside world.' Grace said, looking uncomfortably at her feet then at Scarlett.
'It's not the greatest place for a young lady like yourself.' His eyes then fell on Scarlett. 'Especially you. Who are you by the way?'
'I'm Scarlett. And I can handle myself thanks. I managed to survive all on my own until I ran into Damon here.'
'Wow.' Ironside replied, taken aback. 'You're a feisty one. I like that. Good to have you aboard then.'
'So what's the plan?' Damon asked, getting straight to it.
Ironside turned to Damon, eyeing him up. 'Well Shane's taking the day off, he's still pretty pissed off at losing Scott like that. He needs time alone for now. Instead, Resh is taking a group to one of the closest alleged quarantine zones. We have not heard anything from them, but then we have not heard much from anybody in years. We need to check out, see how they are doing. Try and open up some trade with them.'
'Sounds like a plan. It would be good to know if they have any doctors, since we don't have one anymore.' Damon said.
'Too true.' Ironside replied. 'We have a few places to check out over the next few days. Someone else had to have survived out there somewhere. It's been a while since anyone new came to the gates so see to it that you all take extra care when finding survivors.'
Damon nodded in approval. 'We'll head out now.'
'Godspeed and all that.' Ironside said then he headed down the hallway.
And that was that, they headed back outside and regrouped by the North West checkpoint, the same as yesterday. There were the same soldiers on duty, waiting, watching for anything.
'He seems okay,' Scarlett said quietly.
'Most of the time he is,' Damon replied. 'He can be harsh at times with his justice, but at least he is just. He will give you a chance to defend yourself. He has never done anything that is outright cruel. I would much rather have him in charge than Shane.'
They spent roughly thirty minutes waiting before Resh and two others finally showed up. One of them was a girl called Brianna, or Bri for short, and she was a former gym addict and athlete. She had incredibly short blonde hair, covered by a cap. She was still athletic, still serving as one of Ironside's main men. She was donning a masculine but somehow also feminine aviator jacket. The other person alongside her was Eugene. It certainly did not fill Damon with great confidence but he said nothing as they were ushered into two cars. Resh was driving the first one, and the second had Bri behind the wheel. Damon got in with Bri with Scarlett and Grace, while Rob and Eugene climbed into the passenger seat of Resh's car.
One car after the other drove through the checkpoint gates after each driver had their papers checked before finally going out into the open. Bri floored it, letting the engine growl as it increased in speed.
'So who's the new girl?' Bri said, as they turned left at the end of the road.
'I'm Scarlett.' Scarlett said.
'Nice to meet you Scarlett.'
'Thanks.' Scarlett replied, looking out the window from the back seat.
'Anything new with you Damon? Other than your new friend of course.'
Damon gave her a side-glance before looking ahead. 'Nope, I wish there was.'
'Yeah that's about the same with me and Eddy. Eddy still desperately wants to have a child. However, I do not feel like this is the right time to have a kid. Bringing up a kid in this world is awful. We are just coping as we are now.'
Damon was not sure what to say to that, and instead chose to say nothing. Damon watched as they came along another street. Empty houses, cars abandoned, doors left open. They had already raided most of these houses for anything useful. Bri weaved in between cars, slowing down. The car bumped as they ran over something in the road, which could have been anything up to a body.
'No sign of the dead yet,' Bri remarked.
'Didn't we clear this place out a few weeks ago?'
'True but they seem to have far better senses of smell than we do, searching for food. Any kind of loud sounds seems to just draw their attention like moths to a light.'
'Also true.'
'Still not better than mine,' Scarlett muttered a little too loudly. Damon looked around at her giving her a warning look.
Apparently, Bri had not heard her as she said, 'What's that darling?'
'I was just saying they're ugly and so creepy.'
'Damn right they are. However, once you get used to it, they are easier to kill. The first one is always the hardest. I had to kill the zombified corpse of my former roommate and best friend. She was going to be the bridesmaid at my wedding. I did not understand what was happening at first. I ran for it. I defended myself. I realised she was not her anymore. I just could not put it into words at the time she was a zombie. I grieved so much for her. Her and my fiancé. He was next to die. I could not believe it. My entire dreams and future was in smoke.'
'Wow that sounds awful.' Scarlett said.
'Yeah.' Bri said simply.
They drove for around twenty minutes or more in near silence. At least until Grace randomly spoke up.
'I need the bathroom!' Grace announced.
'Ugh, seriously kid?' Bri said with an overly dramatic sigh.
'I'm not a kid. And look there's a McDonalds up ahead.' Grace pointed.
She was right, Damon thought as he saw the iconic golden arches rising up in the distance.
'Do we actually have to stop, or can you hold it?' Bri said, sounding a little bit irritated.
'I'm desperate!' Grace said.
'Fine.' Bri said, giving up as she pulled to a stop over to the side of the road. She switched the engine off.
'I'll go with you.' Scarlett announced.
'What? That sounds like the worst idea ever.' Bri said.
'I can handle zombies.' Scarlett said, very confidently. Damon would have been convinced even if he had not known she was a vampire.
'You okay with this?'
'She can handle it.' Damon said simply. He hoped he was not overestimating her abilities but a vampire in a zombie-infested world must have meant something. Not everyone must have had a vampire companion.
Damon watched as Grace and Scarlett leave the car, cross the road and head over into the carpark of the McDonalds. They quickly disappeared from view since there were a number of cars still in there, long abandoned.
'You ever siphoned the petrol from those cars? Or snatched the batteries?' Damon asked.
'Nah. Maybe we should at some point, if any of them are any good still.' Bri replied. 'If there's a land rover hidden away, that would definitely be useful.'
Damon fixed his eyes ahead and to the side. There were numerous plants and trees growing. Some of it splitting the pavement as vines broke through. He wondered if humanity would ever be the dominant race again. There might have been a chance, if it had been just zombies. Now with vampires that made everything different again.
Something caught his immediate attention. In the corner of Damon's eye, he thought he saw movement. It was quick, but it registered as a human body. 'I think I saw something in the trees.' Damon said.
'A zombie?'
'It definitely looked human, but it was too quick.' Damon said.
'Maybe it was a survivor.' Bri suggested.
Or another vampire, Damon thought but he definitely didn't have the gall just yet to say it aloud. She would find out sooner or later. How long could this secret go on for?
'Want to go and investigate?' Bri asked.
Damon glanced towards the McDonalds. There was still no sign of Grace or Scarlett returning. They were taking far too long.
'They'll be fine, I'm sure, if your friend can handle it.'
'No doubt.' Damon replied, and unbuckled his seatbelt then climbed out of the car but Bri was quicker than him, already out on her feet. She hadn't even waited for a response.
Once they were outside, Bri gestured to the car behind for the guys inside to stay back. However the orders weren't exactly followed as Eugene hopped out of the car and ran towards them.
'What's going on? Where are the other two?' He said, impatiently.
'The girls have gone to the bathroom, and we're going to investigate something.'
'You let the two girls go alone? Grace isn't a fighter. I've seen better brawlers on a night out. And none of them are actual fighters.' Eugene said.
'The other girl is just fine, she can handle it.' Damon stepped in.
'You sound confident buddy boy. Based upon what?'
'Just leave it Eugene and get back to the car.' Bri was starting to get very pissed.
'I'll shut up, if you let me follow.'
'Damn it Eugene. Fine tag along.'
Eugene said nothing but you could tell by his change in demeanour that he looked like he had gained some great victory.
Bri took the lead, slipping into a fast walk as they stepped through the trees. Damon was starting to think this was one of the worst decisions he made recently, and the jury was still out on the other. It was silent until a sudden noise, the sound of a human cough. They all paused, eyeing each other before doubling their pace. When they found the cause of the noise, they were all taken by surprise.
There was a huddled old woman wrapped up with a cloak and a hood that covered her head. She was kneeling over an actual corpse. Damon exchanged a glance with Bri, and she put a finger to her mouth. Quiet.
Bri gestured for them to spread out. Bri went far left. Eugene took the middle, and Damon took the far right as they closed in.
They had somehow managed to creep up on her, getting within around four paces of her. The woman spun around, so quickly. Damon barely had time to register her face as a loud screeching exploded in the air. Damon cupped his ears but his skull was on fire and the last thing Damon remembered was falling backwards, hitting the ground. Then everything went black.