Katherin Hassan-Clarke and Esther Quinn, young lovers living on the coast of Riga, Latvia, face the terrifying realisation that their home is no longer safe when a deadly zombie pathogen ravages Eastern Europe. Fleeing their home before they are for...
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"Okay, so Morgana, Jaxx, Gwynth and I will go tonight. Lyria, are you okay to stand guard?"
Lyria nodded. She wasn't quite ready to venture outside again, not after Rebeka's death, but Katherin knew she would protect the rest of the group at all costs.
They weren't taking the others. It was stupid to force the others to return to dangerous conditions when they were still petrified from last night. Katherin was terrified too, but she clenched her fists and worked her jaw. This was for Esther. She would make up for the sin she committed last night.
The fog had dispersed. There was no noise outside apart from the lapping of the waves. It was almost peaceful. Katherin looked out towards the docks. The boat still wasn't there. Ttod hadn't returned. He might have gotten lost.
Katherin shook her head. There must have been problems with the boat. Ttod took it out to sail, just so he could ensure that everything was working fine. He wouldn't place Morgana on the boat, not if he couldn't guarantee their safety. It would make sense. The boat had only recently been fixed. Survivors could have ransacked it for parts and left. That's what had happened, that's all. Ttod would be back soon.
Jaxx was leading the group. There was a shopping centre a few kilometres away. Food, water and supplies would be there if it hadn't already been looted.
Katherin wondered if many people were surviving by moving through abandoned homes. Most of the homes were still boarded up, but that didn't mean people weren't living in there. Katherin and Esther had lived for months in their boarded-up apartment building. It wasn't impossible. The thought sent shivers up Katherin's spine. She glanced back at one of the homes. Someone could be watching them. The zombies could be lurking in the shadows.
"Up ahead." Jaxx murmured.
He pointed to the hazy lights in the distance. The faint outline of the grocery store was illuminated. There was no reflection from the windows. Someone had boarded them up. Katherin shivered. The building seemed to warn her to turn back. Something horrible had occurred within the concrete walls.
Katherin jogged to keep up with Jaxx. An empty pack bounced hard against her back. They'd found the backpacks in the staff lockers. Some were embroidered with initials and patches.
There had been belongings in the packs, but Lyria had tipped them out onto the floor. The owners of the backpacks wouldn't return. They were dead. Ivory waited until Lyria left the room, before scooping up the items and returning them to each locker. Just in case. They didn't know for certain that the staff hadn't survived.
"Which store first?" Gwynth asked.
They stood in front of the grocery store. Lights flickered inside, but there was no movement in the darkness.
"You and Morgana go to the grocery store and fill your packs with food. Jaxx, grab as much bottled water as you can. If there's none inside, there should be some in the backroom of that pizza place. We'll need as much as you can carry. I'm going to go through the rest of these stores. There's a pharmacy down the road. I might head there afterwards to grab some medication."
