Undead Paradise

Chapter Two: Decision

"Everyone lock all the windows and doors then try calling your families," I said vaguely. I went on my phone and clicked "Mum"... she didn't pick up. It goes straight to voicemail. I call a few times and she still doesn't pick up. I started to type a text message."Mum, I ran home from school with my friends. Everyone there was infected and started killing each other, I'm scared. I don't know where you are, please call or text me and get home when you can. I love you"

I fall back onto my couch and slouch down and wait for the others. My cat suddenly approaches me and starts to meow at me, "what is it, Sammy?" I then walk to the kitchen to feed him. I see Eve come sit next to me once I feed Sammy I ask her "what are we going to do now? Did you call your parents?" I ask.

"Yeah. My mum is at work helping people and my Dad got called in too. They told me to stay at yours until they say otherwise". Olivia's parents say the same thing and Sophia's parents want her to come home. "Maybe you should stay until it's safer to leave" I turn on the TV and head straight to the News channel the reporter says "Incoming News! There have been various reports of vast contamination globally, the virus which has been slowly spreading across the globe, known as XTIV has infected a colossal amount of people. The government is urging those to stay indoors and barricade yourselves in. Urging the public to not go outside and listen to the safety precautions. Do not panic, the government is exhausting all resources in this breakout. Stay safe and God Bless." The screen goes back to a black screen that has instructions from the government in white text. We all sit in silence.

It's 10 pm and my mum still hasn't returned from work. "Rina. You should get some rest, it's been a long day." Eve says to me. "I'm so worried about her. What if she's dead? Is she going to come home?" I say. "She's not dead, she'll most likely be coming home soon, just try to get some rest?" I nod and head to my room to sleep. Eve sleeps in my guest room with Olivia and Sophia takes the couch. Sammy jumps onto my bed and I can't help but feel a slight sense of comfort knowing he is here. "What are we going to do, Sammy?" I sigh. I quickly text my sister Charlotte.

Rina is typing... "Hey, are you okay? There was an outbreak at school. My friends are at home with Sammy and I. Mum hasn't come home yet. Let me know if she is with you?"

She is 21 and I'm 17. We're not close at all, she moved out a few years ago and visits sometimes. We've never been close, I can't even remember the last time I spoke to her. I've never hugged her in my life.

I brush off my thoughts and let sleep consume me...

2 weeks later...

Mum never came home, Charlotte never texted back. The electricity stopped working and so did the water after the first week. We've been eating random foods around the house in rations and collecting water using pots and collecting rainwater. Everyone has been on edge, we lose contact with our families, the only family I had left was Sammy and my friends.

We started to get very anxious... "Maybe we should leave, I think we should head to my house" Eve suggested. "Eve, how would we do that. Your house is a 30-minute drive, only Sophia knows how to drive. She is barely halfway through her lessons and we don't have a car" I say. "Hey! I can drive professionally!" Sophia defends.

Sophia being the eldest of us started driving lessons before we all could so have an advantage in that sense. "What do we do? Do you think we could try going to the city? Or away from the city?" Olivia suggested. "We definitely can't go to the city. It'll be swamped by zombies" I say. "Don't call them zombies, they're sick people." Eve says with a sorrow expression. I roll my eyes.

"So what do we do? Let's evaluate our options, we can stay here, soon we'll run out of food and have to go and search for food which will be perilous business. We also don't know if the government will search for non-infected towns," Olivia said.

"If we did get a car where would we go? The forest or countryside? It might be safer to leave... more zombies have started gathering outside..." I state. "Why don't we vote?" Eve suggests... "Who wants to leave, raise your hand" Sophia and Eve raise their hand. "Who wants to stay?" Olivia raises her hand and I don't pick. By now all their eyes are on me "You're the deciding vote" Olivia says. I start shaking, I don't know what to do if we leave. It's risky but it may be worse if we stay and get trapped or killed trying to get food. I bit my lip and dreaded the words that would come out of my mouth "I vote... to leave". "That's my decision, we're leaving". Sophia says.

"We need to prepare. Olivia, collect all our water and food resources with Eve. Sophia and I will search for a car" I say

As Olivia and Eve started packing up our essentials, Sophia and I had to find a suitable car that would ideally serve us for as long as possible. After 2 weeks inside of the house and not daring to go outside, we were hit with the pungent smell of decaying flesh, smoke, and death in the air.

We slowly creep out the door and look around at our surroundings. There are some stray zombies floating around the street none have seemed to notice us so far. In close proximity, there is a white, relatively new ford model, a silver Honda, a taxi car and a few miscellaneous damaged cars around us. "Let's check the white ford first," I say to Sophia.

We quietly rush over to the car skeptical, and cautious of the stray infected around us. We get to the car and I peer inside. The ford seems to be in good shape and will last. There's more than enough room in the car too. Sophia tries to open the car door but is unsuccessful. It's locked and the keys are nowhere in sight.

After attempting to get into the other cars we were successful with the silver Honda. Sophia found the keys intact with the car. Sophia gets the car ready while I head back inside the house to collect everything. I meet Olivia and Eve at the entrance "everything okay?" They ask. "Yeah, I have to get Sammy, I'll be back in a second." If anyone thought I'd leave without my cat they'd be sorely mistaken, after everything I've been through with my cat, no chance he's all I have left in my family.

I pick Sammy up and I hear it...

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP the sound of a car alarm going off outside. I froze, my heart stopped oh no. I rush outside to meet a panicked Sophia, Eve and Olivia. One of the cars had its alarm set off. "What happened?!" I say. "Olivia set a random car alarm off by accident!" Eve exclaimed. I look around rapidly, zombies have started to come out from being attracted to the shrill screech of the car alarm. "We need to get out of here! Now!" I scream. I get into the passenger's side of the car and Sophia quickly starts the car. After a minute we haven't left yet and more zombies are drawing in. "Sophia! Hurry up!" I panic. "I-I'm trying!" she replies. She quickly gets the car started and we take off.

I'm pissed off at Olivia, she was so careless, here we are in the apocalypse and she put us in danger. Olivia sits in the back quietly looking down. "I-I'm really sorry guys, I didn't mean to..." she starts "it's okay Olivia we're fine" Eve and Sophia reassure her. I change the subject, "So the plan is to head to the motorway and head down the country lanes as far away from the city as possible". "Yeah" Sophia starts. "You know how to get there right?" Eve questions. "I think so," Sophia says.

I look outside the window and snuggle with Sammy who is on my lap and starts to pet him. Eve and Olivia have dozed off but I can't. I'm way too worried plus I need to help guide Sophia as the evening is approaching.

11 pm at night

"Sophia, find somewhere to pull over and we can sleep in the car, it's night anyway," I say, She grunts in agreement and pulls over to a small, unused lane surrounded by trees and parks to the side. We then get blankets out of the car boot and try to fall into a sleep.

I look outside and everything is pitch black. I think as a society we have completely underestimated what night is truly about, for nothing was every night as we have the use of artificial light which has brought a form of the day throughout the night. Now there was no artificial light, the silhouette of the trees was eerie, and the night stood silent. Only the falter of a tree branch or the occasional bark of a dog. The night could truly be the night and unleash its full wrath upon us.