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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The door was torn from its hinges; shards of splintered wood shooting through the room. Katherin jumped backward. The door thudded at her feet. Ivory wiped her mouth quickly; her eyes frantically glancing around the room for a weapon.
Jaxx bolted through the doorway. He held his pocketknife firmly; eyes lingering on the zombie on the floor. Their eyes stared back at him. The zombie's mouth was slack open in surprise. They looked almost human.
Jaxx looked away.
The others stood uncertainly in the hall. Esther pushed her way to the front. Her face was ashen white; her perfectly filed nails now gnawed to the stub. It was almost pitiful. Esther had always been disgusted at Katherin for gnawing at the skin around her fingertips.
"Why did you lock the door?" Jaxx's voice was firm, but his hands shook uncertainly. He'd raced upstairs when he'd heard a body slump to the ground. It had rattled the upper levels. Jaxx had been so sure that it had been one of his friends.
"I was buying you time." Katherin frowned.
She wiped her bloody hands on her jeans and walked over to the window; peering out into the sunlight. Nothing was lurking in the shadows. Katherin was relieved.
"No, you were being stupid!" Jaxx snarled. "You could have gotten yourself killed. You could have killed Ivory!"
Katherin ignored Jaxx's outburst. There were more important problems to worry about than whether Katherin could have killed herself and Ivory. The window had been shattered; the wooden planks torn from the frame. Their compound had been compromised.
Katherin stalked across the room. She grabbed the wooden bookcase; sliding it painfully across the floor. The polished wooden floorboards squealed in protest. Scrape marks littered the floor. Katherin didn't notice the ear-splitting noise. She pushed the bookcase in front of the window; tipping it so it leaned against the wall. They'd hear the bookcase fall if the zombies crawled through the window. It wouldn't guarantee them safety, but at least it would give them time. Katherin reminded herself to board up the apartment anyway. Just in case.
Jaxx refused to let the argument fizzle into the air. He stormed through the apartment and grabbed Katherin's arm. She tugged herself loose.
"Don't touch me," Katherin glared. Her upper lip curled in disgust; her frenulum piercing glittering in the light. Jaxx could have sworn that he'd seen blood on her incisors.
Jaxx dropped his hand reluctantly.
Tension hung in the air.
Morgana had run inside to comfort Ivory; who shook in the corner of the room. Her face was ashen white. It was unnatural. Ivory had always been so happy.
"What if there were others? What if we were overpowered and they got to Raven first?" Katherin spoke softly. She picked up her knife from the ground and wiped it on her jeans, before sliding it into her back pocket.
Was the blood infectious? Katherin pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She'd just have to hope that her immune system fought the infection off. The blood had only touched her clothes anyway. Katherin had been careful to cover her face from the splatter.
Jaxx turned his head away. Katherin tutted softly.
"I would have sacrificed myself for Esther. You would have done the same for Raven."
"You could have killed Ivory," Jaxx spoke softly.
"I fought with the zombie to give her time. I didn't have a fucking weapon."
Katherin shook her head; laughing bitterly. She pushed past Jaxx and strode towards the door. The others parted at the doorway; not knowing how to prevent the girl from leaving.
Katherin's footsteps echoed down the staircase.
There was the clattering of cans into a backpack.
Then, the small click of the door.
"What did you do?" Esther spoke; her voice no more than a whisper.
Jaxx didn't reply.
No one replied.
"She was Izzy's best friend. Do you want her to die too?" Esther spat at Lyria; who flinched at the mention of her sister.
No one dared meet Esther's eyes.
"Well, I'm going after her," Esther frowned; lower lip trembling in fear.
What if Katherin had completely disappeared? Esther would be left to fend for herself. No one else in the group would risk their lives to save her. It had always been Katherin and Esther against the world.
No-one stopped Esther from running from the room and down the stairs. Esther grabbed a pocketknife and headed for the door. There was no point in filling a backpack with food.
The grocery stores were abandoned. There were backpacks full of food on the streets. Esther shut the door behind her; hands shaking as she bolted the door shut.
The street was deadly silent. It was unnatural. When Esther had visited Ttod in the past, the streets had been bustling with life. People drove to and from the suburb to visit the beach. Teenagers ate fish and chips on the docks after school finished.
On Fridays, there were concerts underneath the bridge. People would climb over the railing and drop into the water below; wading in the ocean until the tide receded. The police patrolled the area often, but they hadn't been successful in stopping the raves. It wasn't even worth arresting people. They would always return; as if the lull of the ocean had pulled them in.
Esther had never gone. Katherin had. Twice.
"Katherin!" Esther called out.
There was no response.
"Katherin!" Esther called again.
Silence.
Esther knew it wasn't worth shouting. Katherin wouldn't respond. She'd be halfway to the graveyard by now. It had been the only one available at such short notice. Katherin went there whenever she was fighting within herself.
Esther had almost made it to the graveyard when she heard shuffling behind her.
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Hi everyone!
How did you find this chapter?
I watched World War Z the other day and I enjoyed it a lot! Does anyone have any other zombie-related movie suggestions? If anyone asks, I'm studying!
