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 morning was dark and dreary. Thick smog covered the entirety of the sky, casting the world into shadows. Dew glistened on the grass, though most of it was dead, trampled underneath car wheels in desperation to escape the city.
Lyria drove in silence. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, flicking the radio on in the van.
Static crackled.
Lyria turned the radio off. She hadn't expected anything different, not really. The radio had been silent for days.
It was as if they were alone in the world.
"Can anyone hear me?" Esther spoke into her handheld radio, switching between the frequencies when no one replied.
"We're in Merriedge, just north of the city. Please. Is anyone out there?" Esther continued.
No one responded.
Esther slouched against the wall of the van, her head tilted up at the ceiling. She couldn't accept that there was no one else, that they were the only ones left.
Katherin rolled over. She rubbed Esther's back with her palm, gently trailing her fingers over bare skin.
Esther shivered. Katherin's fingers were freezing.
"Try again tomorrow, okay?" Katherin mumbled, her voice laden with sleep.
They had stopped the previous night to scavenge for more supplies. Jaxx, Morgana and Katherin had ventured into the darkness, leaving the others in the van.
Gwynth hadn't been happy. She'd wanted to go on the raid, to escape from the confines of the van. Ivory had prevented her, though. Gwynth wouldn't be able to move freely until her leg healed properly. It was too dangerous for her to go outside while she was still injured. Gwynth had begrudgingly agreed. They needed someone to stay behind and keep the others safe, anyway.
Katherin had been excited to leave the confines of the van, but it had left her feeling empty. They had tugged clothes off dead bodies, pulled threadbare sheets off a child's empty bed and stolen food from the local grocery stores. There hadn't been any medication in the houses that they'd searched for, but there'd been condoms. Katherin had given them to Jaxx, who'd shoved them in his back pocket, glaring at Katherin through the blush on his cheeks.
They'd only returned in the early morning. Katherin hadn't had much sleep since then, though she'd been laying on the mattress for hours. She hadn't expected to sleep much, anyway. Since the apocalypse had begun, Katherin hadn't been able to fall into a deep sleep.
Katherin shook her head. She needed to concentrate on Esther, who was clearly distressed.
"No! There are people out there! I know it!" Esther protested.
"Esther, please," Katherin responded softly.
Esther didn't reply. She flicked her radio onto the next channel, repeating her message, despite the static that crackled through the van.
