Prologue

Standing on the edge of the cliff, and looking into the murky waters below, the young woman wiped a tear from her grey eyes, before adjusting the pack full of weapons on her shoulder, the twin swords strapped to her back were sheathed, but easily accessible.

In the distance, the sun was beginning to set, Gabby knew it was dangerous being out, it always was, but she remained a few moments more, before slowly turning around.She quartered the area, and took out a 9mm, as she headed for the small, but modest houses situated across from the seafront.

Gabby gained the safety of the small house, just as the sun finally sank from the sky, the moon this night would be full and bright, providing her with a small amount of light. The small, two-bedroom house she was currently staying in, was not her own, but merely a safe place to hide for the night, as well as from the infected.

She had had the knowledge on how to kill them for several months, learned the hard way throught painful lessons, and in teh beginning, loss of life. Gabby slammed the door shut on her memories, before they had a chance to rise up and torture her, she did enough of that herself, as well she should.

Once she'd entered the property, Gabby placed a chair in front of the main doors to the house, then after searching for any infected bodies, and closing all of the inner doors, and scattering broken glass at the bottom of them, she headed up a small flight of stairs.

On the second floor, Gabby placed a chair at the head of the stairs, knowing that if any of the infected managed to break in and find her, the crash of the chair would wake her, feeling satisfied, Gabby used the bathroom, then headed into the master bedroom, the windows gave her a good view of the front of the property, as well as half the street.

Taking off her pack, swords, and boots, she placed them all on the double bed, and did a thorough sweep of the second floor, when Gabby was satisfied that everything was clear, she took out two small video cameras, and her laptop, from the pack, once the cameras were in position, one in the master bedroom and one in the smaller room, she made sure the footage was recorded to her laptop.

Plugging in her computer, she made sure it was charging, then with the ease of long practice, she stripped to her underwear, and crawled into the double bed, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep. Her dreams, or nightmares, always began the same:

Gabby, her mother, and only brother, were enjoying a late meal whilst sat on the front porch. Just after the sun had set, a car raced down the road, a few seconds later, another two cars followed suit, her mother and brother walked to the bottom of the drive, shaking their heads and muttering about, 'racer boys, owning the road.'

Gabby had had a feeling, that it was something more than just 'racer boys,' and called out a warning to them, something either in the tone of her voice, or something they had seen, made them return to the house, they were both pale and shaking. Which made Gabby believe it was the latter.

Once the doors to the house had been locked, and the curtains drawn, her mother started lighting candles, switching off the interior lights, as she walked around, "What's going on?" Gabby had asked, her younger brother had replied, "You won't believe me, even if I told you, so stand near the window, but don't let them see you."

He'd sounded so scared, that Gabby had done as he'd asked, at first, there was nothing, the street was quiet, almost too quiet, just as Gabby was about to move away, she heard the screeching of tyres, the sound so drawn out, that it sounded almost human.

As the swerving car came into view, Gabby instinctively backed away from the window, the car eventually stopped under a street lamp, and as a family of four piled out, as well as two black labradors, they were attacked, at first glance, by regular humans, closer inspection revealed that the attacking party were covered in blood, from what had been a previous attack.

Within seconds, the attack was over, the family and the two dogs appeared to be dead, but within the next minute, the 'dead' family got up from the floor, left their car behind, and joined the group that had attacked them, not sparing a glance at their two dogs, who'd been killed trying to protect them.

The screams from that family, and the screeching of the tyres, still resounded in her head, and Gabby was torn from sleep, as she realised that both sounds were coming from a car on the road. She quickly threw her jeans and jumper on, then pulled on her boots, she snatched up her 9mm handguns, and raced from the bedroom.

Thirty seconds later, Gabby was out on the street, racing towards the swerving vehicle, she could see several of the infected clinging to the side of the car, Gabby started firing at the infected, one shot to the back of each head that she could see.

As the car pulled to a stop, she heard the sound of smashing glass, and cautiously went around the car, gun raised and ready, towards the sound, one of the infected was trying to reach in the window, repeatedly cutting herself on the fractured glass, spilling blood, and howling in both pain, and frustration.

Gabby aimed the gun, and then fired, the shot taking the infected in the right temple, as the infected toppled sideways, her arm caught on the fragmented glass, so that she was hanging down the side of the door. Inside the car, everything was silent, and she couldn't see anyone moving.

A quick glance at the sky, made her sigh in relief, dawn was just about to break, the sky going from black to a dark blue. As Gabby cautiously continued her circle of the car, and found no other evidence of the infected, she took out a small pen-light, and flashed it through the passenger side window, her gun at the ready.

The woman was slumped in her seat, her head resting on the dash-board, and an evident bite mark on her neck, Gabby carefully pushed her head back, and lifted one of her eyelids, her eyes had once been blue, but now, they were fading to a dull bronze, which meant that she'd been infected.

Gabby pulled the trigger, shooting the infected woman in the head, the man behind the wheel of the car was obviously dead, the top half of his skull was smashed into the steering wheel, indicating that he'd also been infected, just before he'd died, and with the way his head was, there was no way he'd return as one of them.

Just as she moved away from the car, she heard a sound, at first, Gabby thought she'd imagined it, but as the noise increased in volume, she realised that the couple in the car had had a baby, and with them dead, the babe was defenceless, she made her way back to the car, and carefully opened the back door.

All manner of toys fell out of the newly opened door, from rattles, to teddy bears, and as Gabby began pulling more and more crap out of the back, the louder the baby's cries became. As the sun finally made an appearance, Gabby got her first look at the child, she was at least six weeks old, and at first glance, appeared to be healthy, there were no bloodstains that she could see, in the early morning light.

Gabby took another cautious look around her before sticking the gun into the waistband of her jeans, she then partially crawled into the back of the car, and freed the car seat from its harness, gathering the heavy load into her arms, she spotted a large shoulder-bag, picking the thing up, she slung it over her shoulder, then headed back to the house.

A lack of noise made Gabby look down, the babe had gone back to sleep, briefly smiling to herself, she entered the house, and ascended the stairs, as it was now fully light outside, Gabby had nothing to fear from the infected, as they became like the dead during the daylight hours, and she wasn't too worried about any attacks that may come from any survivors, as she was more than able to care for herself, and in the rare case that she wasn't, she had an arsenal of guns, and her Samauri swords.

Twenty minutes later, Gabby had her four-wheel-drive, all-terrain Jeep, loaded and ready to go, she secured the car seat, to the passenger seat, made sure that her swords were on her back, and had a gun, fully loaded and ready to fire, in her lap, before starting the engine and driving to the nearest store. Gabby knew she was taking a huge risk, both because the infected like to group together, and because of the babe, she would have to somehow, strap to her chest.

Fifteen minutes later, Gabby pulled up outside the local Supermarket, parking as close as possible to the entrance, and leaving herself enough room to make a quick getaway if needed. Taking a quick look into the back of the car, Gabby found a thick blanket, and folded it length-wise several times, she then tied a knot into it, and placed the now-folded blanket over her shoulder.

Making sure that the blanket was secure, she then picked up the child, and placed her inside the blanket, so that the babe rested against her breast. Before getting out of the car, Gabby took a quick look in the shoulder bag, and memorising what she'd need, Gabby then made sure that her long dark hair, was secured at thenape of her neck, and that her two 9mm's were in the waistband of her jeans, before grabbing a third 9mm plus extra clips, before getting out of the car and locking the doors behind her.

Gabby made sure the gun was ready to fire, then stepped through the open doors of the Supermarket, knowing that she'd have to search every inch of it, before being able to get what she needed. Twenty minutes, and thirty dead infected later, the ground floor was clear, Gabby was more cautious as she ascended to the first floor, clamping down hard on her memories, as they once again, threatened to rise up and torment her.

Even though the upper level was smaller, there were a lot more infected bodies scattered about, once Gabby deemed the area clear, she started gathering the items she'd need. Fifteen minutes later, Gabby made her way back out of the store, and started loading up her car, ready to scout out the next place to hide from the infected, and hoping that the babe would sleep through the night.

Chapter One

That night, Gabby took refuge in the area she'd once lived in, the memories too strong for her to stay in the place she'd once called home. After feeding and changing the babe, and setting up the travel-cot, Gabby made sure the small house was secure, and set up the cameras to her laptop.

Later that night, after Gabby made sure the babe was sleeping peacefully, she made herself a mug of coffee, and sat in a chair near the window, after the stress and caution of having to search, and shoot the infected, she could no longer hold back the memories:

It had been two weeks, since the attack outside of their home, and Gabby had forced her mother, and brother, to pack up a few essential belongings, and had waited for the first light of dawn, before loading everything into her car.

During the first few hours, they had seen the streets littered with the infected, men, women, and children, they had then driven past dead animals. "What's happening to everyone?" My brother had asked, "I don't know, but I have a feeling this is just the beginning." Gabby had replied.

Her mother had wrapped a comforting arm around her brother, and said, "Don't worry, Gabby will keep us safe." Gabby had looked in her rear-view mirror, and seen the scared looks on their faces, she had then turned on the radio, to see if any station had any news of what was happening, and she caught the tail end of an emergency broadcast. ". . . Repeat, do not attempt to go near any of the infected, and avoid the quarantine areas, if at all possible, the infected are highly contagious."

There had been no more news, or information after that announcement, but Gabby had figured out more than enough to keep them alive, "We need weapons, and a safe place to stay." She had said, her brother had replied, "Can't we just go home?" She had caught her mother's eye and shaken her head, then listened as her mother started muttering soothing nonsense to her brother.

Over the next two weeks, a routine developed, Gabby, her mother, and brother, would search for survivors and practice their shooting by day, and by night, they would select a house to spend the night in, taking it in turns to watch out for any infected that may become curious, and decide to break into the house.

At the beginning of the third week, just after Gabby, and her family had stolen supplies from a Supermarket, they heard a baby crying, as it was during the day, Gabby assumed that the baby would be free from infection. As her mother had approached the squalling babe, Gabby said.

"Before you pick it up, make sure that none of that blood, belongs to it." Her mother had glanced at her and replied, "It's only a baby, Gabby, he's probably just hungry, besides, it's daytime." Gabby had shaken her head, "That doesn't matter, it's better to be safe, than sorry."

Her mother had had a stubborn streak, but she'd nodded her head, and approached the baby with more caution. Gabby had a bad feeling about the baby, it was the same feeling she'd had when the infected had first started attacking. The closer her mother got to the toddler, the quieter it became, the alarm bells ringing in Gabby's head, growing louder.

Just as her mother picked the baby up, Gabby called out a warning, but it was too late, the toddler's bronze eyes flashed, just as he sank his teeth into her mother's neck. Her mother dropped to the floor, the infected baby still tearing chunks of flesh from her mother's neck, crying loudly.

Gabby was wrenched from her memories by the baby, she was wriggling around and crying softly, sitting up straighter and clutching the loaded gun in her hand, Gabby glanced out of the window, and was unnerved to see some of the infected nearing the house she was staying in.

Lifting the babe from her travel-cot, she felt a wetness, and discovered the source of the noise, glancing out of the window once more, she saw the infected staring back at her, Gabby swore to herself, and judged that she had about ten minutes, before the infected figured out how to get into the property.

Double-checking that her weapons were fully loaded, Gabby took a risk and changed the babe, placing her back in the cot, just as the front door crashed open, she went out into the hallway, and turned the light on, making sure that her bag full of loaded guns was open, and by her side, and settled in for a long night, dawn was still three hours away.

As the first of the infected reached the inner doors, the resounding crashes made her flinch, but after taking one look at the bloodied mouths, Gabby opened fire, one shot to each head. Time seemed to pass in a blur, it was only the increased violence in the infected, that made Gabby realise that dawn was fast approaching.

Gabby was down to her last clip of ammo, when the infected started dropping to the floor, she could see the sunlight creeping across the few exposed places on the ground floor. She waited another ten minutes, before deciding it was safe enough to go outside, Gabby picked up the empty clips and the used guns, putting them into the pack, she then went into the smaller and master bedrooms, and collected her cameras, laptop, and swords, before picking the babe up and placing her in the car seat, before folding down the travel-cot, slinging the baby bag over her shoulder, and carefully going down the stairs, past the infected, to load up her car.

The babe was still crying an hour later, so Gabby pulled into a twenty-four hour service station at the beginning of the motorway, and made several solutions of bottled milk up, picking up several cans of cold coffee and something to eat for breakfast, before activating the petrol pumps and filling up her car.

Once the bottles were at room temperature, Gabby picked the babe up, held her close to her chest, and began feeding her. The babe began falling asleep after the bottle was half-empty, and Gabby was struck by a sudden thought, looking down at the sleeping child, she started patting her back to bring up the wind, "What do we call you? I can't keep calling you 'the babe,' it doesn't seem right."

Half an hour later, as Gabby was scouting out possible locations for where survivors would hide-out, she glanced at the child, and realised, that it really was a miracle, that the child had survived this long, "Angel." Gabby said aloud, the name seemed fitting, especially under the circumstances, besides, she couldn't exactly ask the child's parents, as they were already dead.

Lost in her own thoughts, Gabby almost missed the small woman, stumbling along the pavement, feeling cautious, she stopped the car and beeped her horn, the woman stopped and slowly turned around, her dark hair was greasy, and her clothes were filthy, but there were no signs of blood that Gabby could see.

Gabby switched off the engine, glanced at Angel, and then slowly opened her door, the swords at her back were comforting, to the woman, she said, "Can you hear me?" The woman seemed offended, "Of course I can, do you take me for being stupid?" Gabby inclined her head, "My apologies, I had to know if you were infected."

The woman stiffened, "Infected? If I was one of them, do you think I'd be walking around during the day? Now, if you're done insulting me, I have places to be." The woman half-turned around to walk away, "Wait!" Gabby said, the woman turned and looked at her, "Yes?" Gabby scanned the street and said, "Would you like a lift? It's been a while since I've been around live company, survivors are a rare occurance these days."

The woman hesitated, then said, "Are you armed?" Gabby replied, "Yes, but I'm running low on ammo, and I'll have to feed Angel soon, are you armed?" The woman shook her head, "No, and it's getting harder to cope with the amount of infected, that show up at night." Gabby nodded her head, "I know what you mean, we can always band together, there's safety in numbers."

The woman hesitated again, then replied, "I like the sound of that, there's a gun store not too far from here." Gabby smiled as the woman approached her, holding out her hand, she said, "My name is Gabby, and the child in the passenger seat, is Angel." The woman replied, "My name is Danni, I can't be too long, I have to get back before dark."

As they got into Gabby's car, and were once more in motion, Gabby said, "Where is it you have to get back to? If there are more survivors, we stand a greater chance of fighting the infected." Before Danni could reply, Angel woke up and started crying, Gabby pulled over and took a bottle out from the bag, she then positioned the blanket to hold the bottle in place, and started driving again.

Danni suddenly said, "The gun store is just there, I'll stay and watch Angel, whilst you gather what you need." Gabby shot her a sharp look, "Why would you do that? I don't mean to offend, but I don't know you." Danni shrugged, "Lock us in, if you like, it makes no difference to me, I'm just offering to help." Gabby looked into Danni's eyes, and finally nodded, she then looked at Angel and took the keys out of the ignition, she closed the door, and then locked them, hearing the satisfying 'beep' of the alarm system.

It took Gabby an hour, and six trips to the car, before she was satisfied that she had enough guns and ammo, Danni's eyes were wide open in astonishment, "What did you do, take every weapon you saw?" Gabby looked at her and replied, "Enough to keep us safe, where do you need to go?" Danni said, "I need to get supplies, enough to keep us going for a while."

Gabby looked up at the sky, and swore softly, the storm clouds moving in quickly, meant the sun would set early. Danni followed her gaze, and said, "Will we have enough time?" Gabby estimated the time it would take to get to the shopping complex, plus the amount of time spent inside, and shook her head, "No, I have food with me, tell me where you're staying, and for tonight, we'll combine forces."

Danni nodded, and said, "Albatross Radio, there were about fifty of us, now we're down to sixteen." Gabby winced, "How did you lose so many?" When there was no answer, she looked in her rear-view mirror, and saw tears in Danni's eyes, and roll silently down her face. "Danni, I'm sorry, I know it's hard losing people you know, even loved ones, we're almost there now."

A few minutes later, Gabby pulled up outside Albatross Radio, and was dismayed to see at least fifty infected bodies, both inside and out, Danni seemed to become alert the moment the car stopped. Gabby undid the seatbelt that had held Angel in place, and said, "Take Angel inside, amd wait for me, I need to clear the infected out of the way."

 

Chapter Two

"Are you crazy?" Danni replied, Gabby shook her head, and passed Danni the shoulder bag, "No, I'm deadly serious, those infected will be waking up soon, and I don't know how secure the building is." Danni simply looked at her, then stared at the shoulder bag.

Gabby shook the bag, gaining Danni's attention, "Danni, I'll be right behind you, I swear it, but I need to know that Angel is safe. Can you do this?" Danni slowly nodded her head, and then gingerly took the shoulder bag, she went to open the car door, but Gabby shook her head, "Not yet, wait two minutes."

She then climbed into the back of the car, and opened one of the duffel bags, she rummaged around until she found a fully loaded clip, after inserting the clip into the gun, she shoved it into the waistband of her jeans, then opened the boot and stepped out, dragging the bag with her.

Gabby walked around the car and tapped twice on the window, she then opened the passenger side door, and unclipped Angel's car seat harness, lifting the heavy load into her arms, she waited until Danni opened her door, the shoulder bag in hand. "Take Angel, and go inside, if any of your colleagues can move fast, send them out."

Danni nodded, and headed inside the office with Angel, a few moments later, four men emerged, and looked at her curiously, Gabby shook her head, and said, "My name is Gabby, please save the questions for the moment, I'll gladly answer them in a short while, for now though, if you can empty the boot, and take everything inside, It'll be much appreciated."

Without waiting for an answer, Gabby led the men to the boot of her car, and pointed, she then withdrew one of her swords, and started cutting off the heads of the infected. She risked a quick glance at the sky, and swore, the storm clouds were nearly on top of them. She looked at the men, and said, "How many more bags?"

One of them called back, "Three, plus a travel-cot." Gabby took out her gun, and said, "Make it quick, we're running out of time." Gabby heard her boot close, and followed the men inside, she walked past the infected, and paused to empty the chamber into their bodies, before stepping through the open door, and closing it behind her, then making sure it was locked.

As she turned around, Gabby saw the small group of survivors, looking at her with a mixture of emotions, ranging from blatant mistrust, to nervousness, and astonishment, she looked at the man with the mistrust in his eyes, and said, "Could you show me around, please? I need to know that the building is secure, the infected will start waking up as soon as the storm hits."

The man looked at her coldly, and replied, "Who are you?" She sighed, and replied, "My name is Gabby, in most of the bags that were brought in, there's food, tea and coffee, please, help yourselves." The man said, "So, what are you doing here?" Gabby narrowed her eyes, and replied, "That's a bit obvious, don't you think? What in the hell, were you thinking of, sending Danni outside with no weapons, when a storm is due to hit, do you want her to get killed?"

The man suddenly sighed, and ran his hand through his shock of short white hair, he couldn't have been more than thirty five, but it suited him. "We don't have any weapons here, apart from spoons, and maybe the odd knife and fork, it was daytime and the storm wasn't due for a good couple of hours, we thought she'd be fine."

Gabby shook her head, "Why the hell didn't you drive her? It would've been a lot quicker." Their silence was all the answer she needed, she shook her head in disgust, and went to walk past the man, and towards the sound of Angel crying. The man blocked her path, and Gabby walked up to him, until they were almost nose to nose.

"You may not like me, and I honestly couldn't give a shit, but if you want to make until dawn without losing anyone, you'll let me pass, and do my job." Another man came out of a side office, and said, "Let her pass, and give her what she needs." Gabby nodded at him, "Thank you." The man nodded in return, then returned to the side office.

The man in front of her, stood to the side, then said, "There isn't much to see of the office, this room here -," he said, pointing to the side room where the other man had gone, "- is what we call the back office, it's fairly secure as we managed to block the window, and re-inforce the door."

As he spoke, he pointed to what he meant, Gabby approved of the way they'd blocked out the window, but at first glance, the door was a different matter entirely. It looked as though all it would take, was of a few infected to push against it, and the door would buckle. She could see the handles, and said, "Does that door open inwards, or outwards?"

The man replied, "Inwards." Gabby frowned, "Is there a door handle on the outside?" The man shook his head, "No, it's meant to be used as a fire escape." Her frown deepened, "Then why is it blocked like that?" The man said, "We needed the space for sleeping." Gabby took a closer look at the door, and said, "The handle is a pump bar, is it still connected to an alarm?"

The man replied, "Yes, why?" Gabby looked at him, "Help me move it, if we move those computers onto a single desk, you'll have all the sleeping room you need, as well as extra weapons, do you have CCTV here, and does it work?" The man replied, "Yes, we have CCTV, but as far as I know, the sound has never worked, where is that table being moved to?"

Gabby had tried to move the table, but found it was jammed tight to the door, in effect, preventing the door from being opened, and making it look buckled. Gabby shook her head, "Nowhere, it's jammed in tight, whoever put it there, knew what they were doing."

As she turned to look at the man, she saw a muscle jump in his jaw, and said, "I'm sorry, he must've been a great man." The man looked at her, and replied, "He was, let's keep moving, shall we? The next place is the kitchen and bathrooms." Twenty minutes later, Gabby knew the weakest point of the office, which was out back, near the toilets, the top half of the door was made of glass, and only a chain bolted across it, kept it locked.

Gabby looked at the men, then said, "This isn't the most secure place I've stayed in, but it's too late to find anywhere else, that will have to wait until morning, providing the storm breaks early." Just as she finished talking, the heavens opened, and the sky was filled with lightning, and the cracking booms of thunder.

The rains fell soon after, and as Gabby pulled the first bag of weapons towards her, she could hear Angel screaming from the other room, and hear Danni trying to comfort her. The man with the cold eyes, was watching as she loaded the bullets into the clips, then inserted the clips into the guns, and made sure the gun was ready to fire.

After Gabby had loaded up several guns, she stood up and placed two of them in the waistband of her jeans, then went into the back office, she opened the shoulder bag and pulled out a bottle of milk, as she glanced towards thr main office door, she could see the infected getting to their feet. It wouldn't be long before they tried to find a way in.

Gabby heated the milk in the microwave, and tested it, before going back into the side room and handing the bottle to Danni, then said, "Regardless of what you hear, do not move, or leave Angel, I'm counting on you to protect her." Danni nodded, and replied, "She'll be safe with me." From another part of the office, there was a dull thudding sound, as though something was repeatedly being hit.

She made her way towards the noise, and saw the infected hammering against the glass, which was shuddering under the force of the blows. "What kind of glass is that?" Gabby asked aloud, the man with the cold eyes, replied, "It's not glass, it's plastic, but it's bulletproof." Gabby nodded, then noticed the cracks, there were three of them, and they ran from the centre of the plastic glass, to the frame.

The man with the cold eyes, said, "Those are pressure cracks, from where the vent was placed in the centre, instead of at the bottom, those things have been trying to break through it for a while, but it's held." She nodded, then replied, "What's out the back? The door out back is half glass, and half wood, it's the weakest point in the office."

The man shrugged, then said, "Ask Danni, she'd know what's out there." Gabby narrowedher eyes, and replied, "What's your name?" He replied, "Daryl, why?" Gabby shrugged, "No reason, it's just so I know who I'm talking too." She then turned around and walked into the back office, where Danni was sat with Angel in her arms.

Five minutes later, Gabby knew that the back door led to flats, the weakest point in the office had just become the strongest, as there were a set of metal gates that the former residents had to open with a key to gain entry to the flats. She walked into the kitchen and sat on the floor, leaving herself a clear view of the infected at the front of the office.

Daryl approached her soon afterwards, and stood watching as she assembled, and loaded more weapons, placing them into a bag. Gabby didn't avert her gaze, but said, "Are you sure that that plexi-glass will hold until dawn?" Daryl replied, "Yes, I'm sure." After a few minutes of silence, Gabby sighed, then said, "Just ask, whatever it is, and don't act so surprised, you wouldn't talk to me unless you wanted something, it's too obvious."

Daryl let out a sound, halfway between a chuckle and a sigh, but still said nothing. Gabby waited, her attention split into several different directions, the infected at the front door, Angel in the back room, loading her guns, the quiet murmur of voices scattered around her, and Daryl, who sat down in a chair to her right.

At first, the silence was strained, Gabby was on high alert, for anything out of the oridinary, and for Angel's cry. In her peripheral vision, she could see that Daryl was relaxed, his eyes were closed, but he was still alert, she could see that the muscles under his shirt were strained, and he was too still. To find out how alert he was, Gabby moved slightly, her jeans making a soft scuffing noise on the floor.

Daryl's eyes snapped open, and carefully looked around himself, before closing his eyes once more, Gabby smiled to herself and continued loading the guns. Twenty minutes later, she had two full bags of loaded weapons, so after making herself a mug of coffee, and checking on Angel, she opened the back pack and took out her sword cleaning kit, as well as her swords from their sheath on her back.

She was lost in thought, and in the soothing motions of rubbing the bloodstains from the blade, that her memories came forward, to torment her once again:

Gabby could hear the death rattle in the mother's throat, blood was pumping freely from the gaping wounds in her neck, her eyes were open, and rapidly changing, from a golden brown, to a dull bronze, her mother was becoming one of the infected.

Unsheathing the sword from her back, she killed the infected toddler, then held her mother's hand as she took her last breath. When her body was still, Gabby wiped the blood from her sword, and gripped the gun tighter in her hands, she cliked the safety off and hesitated a moment, before she put a bullet through her mother's head.

It took Gabby several minutes to stem the flow of tears, before she went looking for her brother, the only family she had left, ten minutes later, she found him filling a trolley full of various crisps and sweets, he seemed to be enjoying himself, and had already filled another trolley full of alcohol.

Hoping her voice was steady, she said, "Are you planning on throwing a party?" Her brother had grinned, and replied, "Yep, we are going to have a massive party, especially when we get rescued." Gabby had smiled sadly, and said, "I don't think there will be a rescue, we have to stick together in this, which means I need your help, OK?"

Her brother had nodded, the grin slipping from his face, as he replied, "Gabby? Why are you covered in blood? Where's mum?" A few tears had leaked from her eyes, as she said, "I need to show you something, but first, I need two promises from you. The first, no touching, no matter what, and the second, you have to do exactly as I tell you, OK? Can you promise me these two things? They don't just apply for now, but permanently."

After a long delay, her brother had replied, "I promise, so what do you want to show me? I have something for you as well." Gabby had nodded and grabbed one of the trolleys, her brother had followed with the second. A few minutes later, both trolleys were by the car, and her brother was helping her load up. Gabby looked up at the sky, and was shocked to realise that they'd been inside longer than she'd thought.

She turned to her brother, and said, "We don't have long, and what I have to show you is important, OK?" Her brother nodded, and followed her back inside, Gabby stopped a few feet away from her mother's body, and silently pointed. Her brother screamed, and started crying, Gabby was crying with him. They spent a few precious minutes inside, before Gabby led him from the store and to her car.

The sun had almost set by the time they reached safety, Gabby stayed awake that night, listening to the soft chink of glass, as her brother got himself drunk, and then passed out, the grief they were both feeling was overwhelming, but if they wanted to live through the night, then one of them had to stay sober.

 

Chapter Three

Gabby came back to her senses slowly, and she wiped the tear away that was rolling down her cheek, trying hard to lock her memories away, where they could no longer torment her. In the periphery of her vision, she saw that Daryl was sitting up straight, watching her.

She put the swords back in their sheath, and the cleaning kit back in her pack, then drank her cold coffee, Daryl said, "So what happens at dawn?" Gabby replied, "If the storm breaks like it should, then after the infected 'die' for the day, I'm going to put a bullet in each head, to make sure they stay that way."

There was silence for a long moment, then Daryl said, "What if the storm doesn't break?" Gabby was silent for a moment, then replied, "If the storm doesn't break, then you'd better hope that the food lasts for a while, and that the plexi-glass doesn't give out under the pressure, because I can pretty much guarantee that more of the infected will show, and the closer to dawn it gets, the more aggressive they become."

Daryl nodded, "I've seen them become aggressive, and then they just drop, and stay that way until the sun sets." Gabby shook her head, "Imagine the infected at their most aggressive, which is about a minute before they 'die' for the day, now keep them at their most aggressive, and add another twenty-four hours, plus a few hundred more infected to that equation, that's what we'll be facing if the storm doesn't break."

Gabby finished her coffee, put the cup to one side, the pulled the next bag of weapons towards her, she knew it was going to be a long night, and possibly an even longer day, beside her, Daryl inched forwards and asked, "Do you really need all of those weapons?" Gabby looked at him, and replied, "I'd rather have the weapons, and not need them, then not have them, and need them."

He thought for a moment, then said, "Has that ever happened? Not having enough weapons?" Gabby didn't answer, not for a long while, she pushed her memories back and closed them behind a door in her mind, she controlled her breathing, and then replied, "Yes, it's happened before, and I refuse to allow myself to be in that situation again."

Gabby silently loaded more guns, struggling with her inner demons. An hour later, she was loading the last gun, when Daryl said, "So, how do you know how to kill them?" Gabby sighed, and replied, "I taught myself, there were a few near-misses in the beginning, but as time passed, I got better. How long have you been hiding in here for? How have you managed to lose so many people?"

She put the loaded gun into the bag with the others, then looked at Daryl, he was looking part way down the corridor, at the wall, he was staring so intently at it, that Gabby had the impression that he was staring through the wall, with what seemed like a huge effort, he tore his gaze away and looked back at Gabby.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "About two, maybe three months ago, we all received a message, it read, 'please be on the alert, crazy people out and attacking everyone.' When I got the message, I thought it was some kind of a prank, I asked for more information, and tried the radio stations, there was some kind of emergency announcement, but the guy talking didn't really explain much, it wasn't until I started driving around again, that I realised the message wasn't a joke.

"Another message came through, asking all of the drivers to return to the office, I could've gone home, or ignored the message completely, but I didn't. By the time I got here, it was complete pandemonium, there were people, covered in blood, and attacking everyone they saw, most of the driver's who'd gotten here before me, had been attacked, or were being attacked.

"A few other drivers had pulled up at the same time, and I still don't know how so many of us got through, but after a lot of confusion, and a head count, seventeen of us made it through, that first night, a friend of mine helped make the office secure, and we shared what little food there was in the fridge.

"At dawn, the infected started dropping to the floor, and we thought that we were safe, we were proved wrong when my friend stepped out into the front of the office area. One of the infected scratched him, soo after, he became one of them. So, ever since that first night, we always wait until about noon, before venturing out for supplies."

Gabby nodded, "I can understand the logic behind that, but it still doesn't explain why you let Danni walk around, out there, alone, with a storm due, you could've driven her." Daryl didn't answer at first, and Gabby tried not to judge him, as she knew that if the situation was reversed, she wouldn't want to be judged either.

Finally, he replied, "I guess I still resent Danni, I mean, she could have told us all to go home, or told us to find a secure location and try to wait it out, but as for the supplies? Several of us drivers, offered to give her a lift, but she refused. How have you managed to make it this far, on your own?" Gabby was silent for a moment, then looked at Daryl's face, he hadn't meant the question to be mocking, but he was openly curious.

The storm raged on around them, growing in intensity, the infected were beating relentlessly on the door and the plexi-glass, and she could hear Danni, singing softly to Angel. Gabby took a deep breath, and said, "The decisions that Dannie made, when things all went wrong, she made to the best of her ability, and thinking of what decisions she could have made, you should think yourself lucky, and give Danni a break.

"You can tell, simply by looking at her, that she feels extremely guilty, and she carries the weight of all those deaths on her shoulders, and believe me, that is a huge burden to carry. In the beginning, there was just myself, my brother, and mother, we realised pretty quickly, that the attacks from the infected was just the beginning.

"Within the first few days, we developed a routine, we'd sleep in shifts at night, and practice shooting as well as look for survivors during the day, I remember that my mother was a really bad shot, and kept seeing the infected as human, my brother was a better shot than me, but I weilded a sword, or a cross-bow better than both of them.

"At the start of the third week, we made a supermarket run, I let my brother go off on his own, and he had his preferred weapon of the Glock on him. I was with my mother in a different aisle, and we heard the sound of a child crying, we assumed that because it was daytime, we were safe.

"I was wrong, the child was infected, I held my mother's hand as she took her last breath, after I'd killed the infected child, I put a bullet in my mother's head, to stop her coming back as of them." Gabby took a deep, shuddering breath, then stood up and walked into the side room, where she saw Danni and Angel, asleep on the floor.

She covered them with a blanket, and stood over them, watching them sleep, and remembered doing the same with her brother:

The following morning, Gabby checked on her brother, he was out cold on the bed, he'd cried himself to sleep, she didn't have the heart to wake him up, so instead, she cleared away the empty bottles and pulled the covers up over his body.

As she took the rubbish out to the bins, she stood in the glare of the early morning sunlight, and hoped that her mother was in a better place, one free of pain, and free of the infected. She kept going over and over the events of the previous day, wishing that it had been herself who'd gone to check on the child.

But she knew that no amount of wishing would change what had been, and as the tears started to roll freely down her face, she let herself go, let the grief overtake her. By mid-afternoon, Gabby was back inside the house, she secured the door, and went to check on her brother, he was still sleeping, and had worked his way through two crates of beer.

Gabby left his door open, and headed downstairs for a mug of coffee, figuring that they would have enough time to look for survivors and find a new place to stay. She was staring into space when her brother walked into the kitchen, his eyes were red, from where he'd been crying, but he didn't talk to her, he just headed straight for the coffee machine.

He sat opposite her at the table, occassionally rubbing his eyes, and Gabby knew that he'd been closer to their mother then she'd been. After their third mug of coffee, Gabby said, "We need to be going soon, both to look for survivors and a new place to stay." Her brother hadn't answered for a long moment, then he replied, "I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here, but you can go on ahead."

Gabby shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere, not without you, we have to stick together on this, you know that, you're all I have left." Her brother didn't say anything for a long while, then after he'd drained his coffee, he replied, "Can we stay here? Just for a few days? I want to go back and bury mum, she doesn't deserve to just be left there."

Her brother was looking at her, pleading with her, she knew he wanted a little normalcy, even needed it, she nodded her head, and said, "If we work together, we can probably have mum buried well before dark, but we can only stay here one more night, maybe two, but no longer, if we do, then we'll be up to our eyes in the infected."

There was a long moment of silence, then her brother replied, "OK, but we do need to find a new place to stay, without fear of the infected finding us, somewhere we can call home, somewhere we can bring other survivors, people like us." Gabby nodded in agreement, "You got no argument there, shall we get going? It's late afternoon, and we don't have much time."

They both stood up and headed for the front door, a few minutes later, they were in the car and heading back towards the supermarket. Fifteen minutes later, they parked outside the store, took a deep breath, before shutting down the engine and getting out of the car. They had to go in the store for the shovels, so Gabby looked at ehr brother, and said, "Two minutes, in and out, ready?"

He nodded, and they both headed inside the store, they were ready in less than five, both were wearing thick gloves, as they lifted their mother's body into a trolley, then rolled it outside. There was a medium-sized flower bed nearby, which they dug up, then gently placed their mother's body in the hole, and set about covering it up.

They got back to the house fifteen minutes before the sun set, and once inside, her brother once again started drinking, leaving Gabby to watch out for the infected. By the following morning, Gabby was drinking the energy juice, she checked on her brother, then crept silently around the house, making sure that everything was secure.

She clutched the locket in her hand, having removed it from her mother's neck, she'd left it to soak for several hours, then put it through a special cleaning kit. After confirming that everything was as it should be, Gabby went back upstairs and watched her brother sleeping peacefully, she then headed back into the room she was staying in, keeping watch.

As the first lights of dawn crept across the sky, she had a feeling that she was going to lose her brother, and soon. Only not in the way she expected.

 

Chapter Four

Gabby was pulled from her memories, when a deep male voice in her ear, said, "You could be done for stalking, you know." She turned around with a hand on her sword handle, she looked up, and then up a little more.

The guy standing behind her was huge, he was at least six foot, six inches tall, his skin was tanned a deep brown, as though he'd been in the sun for long periods of time, he was well built, and had intelligence showing in his eyes, she also knew that he was the man she'd seen in the side office. Gabby took a deep breath, and replied, "It's not stalking, I'm just making sure that Danni and Angel are sleeping OK."

He tilted his head to the side, and said, "Angel? Cute name, how old is she?" Gabby shrugged, and replied, "I think she's about six weeks, I don't know for sure, Angel isn't her real name, I gave her that name, as it seemed a miracle she survived." The man studied her for a moment, then said, "Most people would've left her, why didn't you?"

Gabby looked back at Angel, movement in the periphery of her vision made her turn around, Daryl was stood by the door, listening to the conversation, Gabby turned, so that she could see both of them, and replied, "I almost did leave her behind, but if I'd have done that, it would have been the equivelant of me putting a bullet in her head."

"I had already put a bullet through her mother's head, and her father was dead, maybe it would have been a mercy, but in the end, she deserves a chance to live." Gabby went to walk away, back into the kitchen, when Daryl said, "Tell Dominic why you thought she deserved a chance." Gabby realised that the man she'd been talking to, was Dominic.

She looked at him and said, "I chopped a child's head off, not too long ago, the same child that had killed my mother. I held her hand, as she took her last breath, then put a bullet in her head, to stop her coming back as one of the infected." Daryl let her walk past him, and stared at Dominic, he nodded once and looked at the sleeping forms of Danni and Angel, then headed into the kitchen. Gabby was filling the kettle, purely for something to do.

She then checked the supplies in the fridge, seemingly satisfied, she then checked the levels of the tea, coffee, sugar, and powdered milk, then touched the locket on her neck for reassurance, and the chain that was wrapped several times around her wrist. The storm outside still continued on, and after a few moments, Gabby watched the display of thunder and lightning.

She looked up at Daryl, and said, "There's enough supplies here to last for three days, as long as you're careful. The storm will break an hour after dawn, and ten minutes after that, the infected will be killed and removed, I suggest you try and find somewhere else to stay, that plexi-glass won't last forever." Daryl was silent for a few minutes, then replied, "So, you're not going to stay here?"

Gabby shook her head, then said, "I made my brother a promise, and I intend to keep it." A few long moments passed, then Daryl replied, "What was the promise?" She looked at him for a few minutes, then said, "I promised him three things, the first was that I'd get him to safety, the second was that he could go home, the third was that I find the cause of this infection and stop it."

There was a long moment of silence, then Daryl said, "Out of the three, how many have you kept so far?" Gabby looked at him for a long, hard moment, then she heard Angel start to cry, she turned away without answering Daryl, and hurried into the side room, Dannie was still sleeping, so she picked Angel up, and grabbed the shoulder bag, then headed back into the kitchen.

Angel needed changing and feeding, so Gabby changed her nappy and soiled clothing, then heated up a bottle of milk, she tested the temperature of the milk, then started feeding her, whilst packing the nappies, wipes, and folding changing mat back into the bag. She could feel both Daryl and Dominic watching her, she looked up at them both, and said, "What?" Dominic replied, "You've made that look easy, I've seen other women struggle, doing the same thing."

Gabby shrugged, "It's a matter of co-ordination, and being able to multi-task," Once Angel had finished half the bottle, she was asleep, so Gabby patted her lightly on the back to bring up the wind, then sat cross-legged on the floor, placing Angel in her lap and securing her with one arm, with her other hand, she brought out a gun, made sure the safety was in place, then rested her hand on her knee, and closed her eyes:

Gabby decided to get some sleep when the sun had risen, she checked on her brother first, then laid down on the double bed, set her internal alarm clock for two in the afternoon, and closed her eyes. She was woken up by her brother a mere two hours later.

"What's wrong?" She had asked, her brother replied, "Nothing, but you have to listen to this, Gabby." She sat up and scooted over on the bed, leaving room for her brother could sit down, he had a portable radio in his hands, he turned the dial to the right station, then turned the volume up, so Gabby could hear the announcement. "

If you're just joining us, we'll repeat the message, to all survivors, there are several U.S. Submarines currently docking at various ports throughout the U.K. They can guarantee safety from the infected, food, shelter, and help to start a new life. Don't delay, head to the nearest major docks in your area, and after a simple test to prove you're infection free, salvation will be yours."

Gabby didn't react for a moment, her brother was looking at her with a grin on his face, she looked at him, and said, "Did they say how long the Submarine would wait?" Her brother nodded, "Six hours, so we have until just before sunset tonight, we're getting rescued, Gabby." She smiled at him, and said, "Go and pack, we'll take a drive up there and see if they went early."

Her brother ran from her room, she could hear him humming loudly to one of his favourite songs. Gabby got dressed and packed up her laptop, cameras, and guns, then carried them downstairs to the kitchen, where she filled two thermos' full of fresh coffee. Her brother joined her a moment later, "Are we going?" She smiled at him, and nodded her head.

They both headed outside to her car, and after Gabby had unlocked it, and loaded her stuff into the boot, along with her brothers' things, and the bag that was already there, she started the engine and drove away from their temporary home. Her brother talking excitedly along the way. Just before they hit the motorway, Gabby spotted a car that had broken down, she pulled over, and told her brother to stay in the car, then picked up the loaded gun from her lap, and got out of the car.

She kept her car door open, clicked the safety off of her gun, raised it, and cautiously approached the broken down car, "Hello?" She called, nobody answered her, she looked back at her car and saw her brother looking out of the open window. "Hello? Anybody there?" She called again, her brother called, "Gabby, there's someone in the car, I've just seen them move." She stuck her thumb up, to let her brother know she'd seen something as well.

Gabby was woken up by a banging noise, she opened her eyes and raised the gun, looking cautiously around her, before making sure that Angel was still asleep. She then cautiously got up from the floor, cradling Angel in her arms, as she investigated the source of the noise.

The plexi-glass out at the front of the office was still holding, the infected beating relentlessly on the closed and locked, fireproof door, as well as the glass. But that wasn't the source of the noise, Gabby returned to the side office and saw that Danni was awake.

Danni silently held her arms out for Angel, and Gabby said, "She should sleep for a good few hours, hopefully until the storm breaks, but don't forget to eat something." Dannie nodded and accepted the slight weight of Angel, then held her close to her chest. Gabby walked back out of the side office and into the kitchen.

Daryl was waiting for her there, and said, "You never answered my question, earlier." Gabby looked at him, the banging noise echoing loudly around them, she then replied, "Out of the three promises I made him, I've kept one." She then walked towards the toilets, and paused, then said, "My brother knows that I always keep my promises, my mother knew that as well, I failed her, but I won't fail him, he's all I've got left."

She then shook her head, stiffened her shoulders, took the safety off of her gun, and unlocked the back door, then stepped outside, closing the door behind her, and entering the dimly lit alleyway.

 

Chapter Five

Gabby discovered the source of the noise a few moments later, the infected were gripping the metal bars and shaking them, every now and again, one of the infected would run straight towards the metal gates, only to be pushed backwards on impact.

A few seconds later, it happened again, it would have been comical under different circumstances, but with every impact, and the infected blood spraying everywhere in a thick arch, it was clear that the infected were looking for another way in.

Gabby was soaked to the bone within two minutes, the occassional flashes of lightning were illuminating the alleyway, and the frantic, almost desperately violent attacks on the metal gates. More of the infected started running at the gates, and Gabby moved forwards.

She knew that she would have to kill those infected, before the sheer force of their numbers, and the relentless attacks, caused the metal gates to crumble under the pressure. Gabby moved forwards and took the gun from the waistband of her jeans, she took the safety off, then raised the gun. Which was when she encountered a problem.

The gaps in the metal bars were too small, the bullets would just get stuck, or worse, create holes, there was, however, a slim gap at the bottom of the gates, but that would mean Gabby would be wasting bullets, and exposing herself to the risk of infected blood.

She didn't want to risk having the infected blood near her, and yet, she knew that the metal gates wouldn't hold for much longer under the constant pressure. What she needed, was something that would kill the infected, but not damage the bars too much.

Gabby turned around and headed back into the office, she ignored the looks from both Daryl and Dominic, and went straight to her back pack, where she pulled out a medium-sized bottle, a box of matches and a piece of cloth. She moved to the sink, where she held the cloth, and poured some of the liquid over it.

She placed the rag, the bottle and the matches on the small drainer, then zipped up her bag, and turned to face the two men, Daryl looked at her, and said, "What do you plan to do with that?" Gabby looked at him, and replied, "If I time it right, then I intend to set the infected on fire, it will hopefully distract them from running at the gates."

Dominic said, "Will it work?" Gabby shrugged, "I hope so, if not, then we'll have to wait for the storm to break, and kill them all then, but I highly doubt that the gates will last that long." The two men nodded, and then watched as Gabby walked out of the office and into the rain. She stopped a few feet away from the infected blood, and looked at the alcohol soaked rag in her hands.

She then stepped dangerouslt close to the metal bars, held the bottle in her hand, and squeezed the flammable liquid over the infected. Once the bottle was empty, she dropped it to the floor, and fumbled with the matches, she finally got one lit, then touched the flame to the cloth and watched as it caught fire.

She waited until the infected ran at the gates, then pressed the burning cloth through the sllim gaps, and watched as the infected's clothing caught fire, as the infected backed away, he bumped into another infected, and passed the flame along.

Gabby held her breath, waiting, watching, hoping, then letting her breath out slowly in relief as the flame jumped from infected to infected. She stood and watched for a long moment, the rain soaking into her clothes and skin, and as she watched the flames, she let her memories come to the surface:

Gabby approached the car from the left-hand side, and tapped on the window, after a moments delay, the window rolled down, and a teenager stuck her head out of the window, Gabby lowered the gun and smiled, then said, "Are you OK?"

The girl hesitated, then shook her head, she looked behind her, and said, "We tried setting out for the docks early this morning, my parents thought it would be the best time to try. The sun was just rising when the infected attacked us, they formed a circle we couldn't drive through, so my parents told me to get in the front and drive away, whilst they distracted them.

"The screaming was horrible, and it lasted for so long, I started driving away, but I hit one of the infected and damaged the car, I got as far away as I could before the engine died on me, and we've been sitting here ever since, with the doors and the windows locked. The infected eventually passed us, and kept on going, it's as though we weren't here, our parents were walking with the infected, you're the first living people we've seen in hours." Gabby smiled and clicked the safety on, then said, "Myself, and my brother are heading for the docks, you're both welcome to join us, if you like?" The teenager nodded gratefully, then opened the back door.

She climbed out and took her younger sister's hand, then grabbed two duffel bags and a back pack, the teenager glanced at the gun in Gabby's hand, and said, "Were you really going to use that?" She stuck the gun in the waistband of her jeans, and replied, "Yes, if you had designed a trap for us, or tried to steal my car." The teenager gripped her sister's hand a little tighter, and remained silent, they climbed into the back of her car, and buckled themselves in. Gabby got into the front seat, closed her door and headed on up the motorway.

The four of them were silent for a long while, then Gabby said, "What are your names?" The teenager replied, "I'm Sophia, and this is my sister, Natalia." Gabby nodded, "My name is Gabby, and this is my brother, Seth." There was another long silence, then Sophia said, "Do you really think there will be a Submarine at the docks?"

Gabby looked in the rear-view mirror, and replied, "I really hope so, if not, then we'll probably never make it off the island alive." There was a tense moment, then her brother said, "Where do you think they'll out us? I always wanted to see Colorado, I don't really know why, I just like the name." Gabby was silent for a long moment, then she said, "Seth, I have to tell you something, I'm not getting on the Submarine."

Seth looked at her in complete shock, "Why? Why would you choose to stay here? You said we had to stick together!" Gabby took a deep breath, and said, "I know I did, Seth, but you also promised me that you'd do exactly as I said, and I expect you to keep that promise." Seth was quiet for a moment, then he said, "You're abandoning me."

The smell of burning, rotted meat, penetrated her nose, and Gabby stepped back a few paces, only to bump into a hard body, she whirled around and drew her gun, only to find herself looking at Daryl, he had an amused expression on his face, "I see that your plan worked." He then noticed the gun, "Were you going to shoot me?"

Gabby smiled wryly, "The thought crossed my mind, I'm not very fond of people sneaking up on me." Daryl looked thoughtful, then said, "So, why did you hesitate?" Gabby wiped the water from her face, and replied, "Because the body texture is different." He looked at her, and said, "What do you mean?"

Gabby sighed, and replied, "With a regular human, the bone structure is solid, sai if someone poked, or punched you, your muscles, and the skin would return to their natural shape, obviously you'd feel it, and depending on the punch or poke, you'd bruise. But with the infected, if you put a bullet in their head, or cut them with a sword, that part of their bone structure would just cave in.

"When I aim for the infected's head, I have to make sure that I'm stood outside of the spatter zone, their heads just explode, but that only happens to the infected after they've been that way for a while. Those who have been turned, or infected recently, their bone structure is soft, but not as soft as the others."

Daryl was silent for a moment, then said, "How do you know all of this?" Gabby didn't reply for a long while, instead she turned around, facing the metal bars, and the burning corpses of the infected on the floor. The falling rain was slowing down, the storm getting ready to pass them, just as she'd said it would.

She knew that Daryl was still waiting, so she turned to face him, and replied, "After I'd killed my mother, we went back the following day to bury her, when we moved her body from the floor into the trolley, it didn't feel right. When a regualr human dies, rigor mortis sets in, I take it you know what rigor mortis is?"

Daryl nodded, so Gabby continued, "With the infected, the reverse happens, somehow, the infection turns their bones to mush, or at least, part way. But even after they're killed, they're still dangerous, it's mainly the blood, I don't know how, or why, but the blood causes the infection to manifest quicker.

"Saliva, or scratches, or even bites, take longer to make the transformation, but the strangest thing of all, is that even after an infected person is killed, the blood doesn't congeal."

 

Chapter Six

Daryl looked shocked, then said, "What do you mean, the blood doesn't congeal?" Gabby shrugged, "When a person dies, the blood in the body isn't being pumped through the heart, or any other organs, or muscles, so it isn't being oxygenated, which causes the blood to thicken, and congeal.

"I'm not really sure why it doesn't happen with the infected, maybe something in the virus keeps the blood oxygenated enough to keep it from congealing, but they don't bleed like we do, their bodies, somehow, keep the blood inside of them, and I think that's why there's so much blood when they get killed."

The rain was slowing down from a heavy fall, to a shower, Gabby and Daryl were both soaked to the bone, she turned once more to look at the now still bodies of the infected, then headed back into the office to dry off. Once inside, she was handed a towel to dry her hair with, she gratefully took it, then secured the back door after Daryl had entered.

She rubbed her hair dry, then rummaged in her pack for a fresh set of clothes. Ten minutes later, Gabby was wearing dry clothes, and ensuring that her hair was dried, and tied back in a thick braid that extended halfway down her back. She went into the back office to check on Angel and Danni, Angel was still sleeping, and Danni was drinking a can of coffee and eating a pastry slice.

Danni finished eating, then said, "So, what happens now? The storm's going to break, right?" Gabby nodded, "Yes, the storm's going to break, and once the sun rises, I'm going to kill the infected, then move their bodies." Danni nodded, easily picking up on what Gabby wasn't saying. "Then you're going to leave, and take Angel with you."

It was said as a statement of fact, and Gabby didn't bother to deny it, "Yes, that's what I intend to do, as well as finish some other business, and forfill a promise." There was a tense moment, and a long silence, then Danni said, "I want you to take me with you, when you leave, I can help you look after Angel, and I'll learn how to shoot a gun."

Gabby studied Danni's face, then said, "If I agree to let you come with me, you'd need to be aware of what my life is like. It may seem easy to you, for everything I do, but I can assure you, it's not." Danni opened and closed her mouth several times, as though she was trying to speak, but was unable to form the words.

Danni took a deep breath, looked up at Gabby, then said, "If I were to go with you, what would it be like? I don't expect it to be easy, because I know it won't be, but you're right, I would need to know, so tell me." Gabby smiled sadly at her, then replied, "OK, I'll tell you, but you have to know that if you choose this life, once you start, it's almost impossible to stop."

Danni nodded, then said, "I understand, and I would still like to know, if I still want to go with you after listening, then you can't say that you haven't given me fair warning." Gabby nodded, took a deep breath, then said, "I live by a strict set of rules, and they are: Never stay in the same place twice, and never for longer than one night, if it can be helped.

"If it can't, then a maximum of two nights, or you'll be up to your eyeballs in the infected. Secondly, always search any place you stop at for the infected, if you're not sure, then search again, and search everywhere, then kill all infected on-site, a bullet to each head works best, but decapitation does the job as well.

"Thirdly, never, unless the circumstances are dire, never go outside, or turn a light on after dark, it'll attract the infected like a moth to a flame. Fourth, eat and sleep when you can, you never know when you'll get another chance. And finally, train yourself to sleep lightly, on the rare occassion that the infected manage to break in to the place you're staying, you have to be ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Other than that, just try and stay alive, and keep alert, you can never, for one second, let down your guard, or think you're safe, the second you do, you're dead, or you're risking the life of everyone around you. That is of course, if you still want to come with us." Danni was silent for a long moment, she then replied, "I'll need to think on it for a while, if that's OK?"

Gabby nodded, "That's fine, I would've been surprised if you'd accepted straight away, this isn't something to be taken lightly, but as soon as I've cleared the front of the office of the infected, we're leaving, which gives you about two hours." She waited until Danni had nodded, before turning away and walking past Daryl, heading into the small kitchen.

Gabby made herself a mug of coffee, then silently held up the coffee jar when she realised she wasn't alone, Daryl shook his head, then waited until Gabby had finished making her drink. He made himself a mug of tea, and as they silently drank, Daryl said, "Do you think that Danni will go with you?" She shrugged, and replied, "I don't know, it's obvious that she's become attached to Angel, but this type of life isn't easy, and never will be."

Daryl was silent for a moment, then said, "Do you really believe that there's safety in numbers? Or that we have even the slightest chance, or surviving this?" Gabby drank more of her coffee, then replied, "There is safety in numbers, to a certain extent, I mean, say for example that everyone here came with me, It'd be easier to set up sleeping shifts, and get supplies.

"But, if a large group is together for too long, then there's always the chance that a few people would think themselves secure, and stop doing patrols, or argue over getting supplies, and constantly moving. As for survival? You won't know unless you try, I guess it depends on how much you want to live, and what you're willing to do, to stay alive."

Daryl considered her words for a few minutes, then said, "A few months ago, you would've been charged with mass murder and most probably ended up in an asylum, but now? All bets are off, it's kill or be killed, and anyone would do anything, for the chance to survive."

Gabby's lips lifted in a half-smile, "Exactly, a few months ago, the thought of killing anyone would've made me sick, it still does. but they're not human anymore, and given the choice between me and them? I'd pick my own survival every time." Daryl smiled back, "So would I, which is why I'm coming with you when you leave, and before you protest, or disagree, I think you should ask the others if they want to join us as well."

Gabby drained her mug, then looked at her watch, they still had an hour and a half before sunrise, she took a deep breath, nodded to Daryl, then walked into the back office, to make the offer to the remaining drivers, explaining about her lifestyle, and her rules, she then said, "I know this is a huge decision for you to make, but I'm leaving after the infected are dead, you have until then to decide, but the choice is yours, you can join me, or stay here, or do whatever you have to, to survive."

She then walked back into the kitchen, sat on the floor, then closed her eyes, setting her internal alarm for one hours' time:

Gabby jerked the steering wheel to one side, and pulled over, she looked her brother in the eye, and replied, "You listen to me, Seth. I would never, under any circumstances abandon you, no matter where you are, or who you're with, I will always find you, are we clear on that? Remember the morning after the first attacks? When you and mum were in the back of this very car?

"Mum said that I would keep you safe, I failed mum, and I've nearly lost you a few times, I couldn't stand it, or live with myself one more second, if it was my fault that you were killed, or worse, turned into one of the infected. That is why you have to get on that Submarine, you also asked if we could go home, remember? "

We couldn't go home, because it wasn't safe, that is what I intend to do, I'm going to make it safe, so you can come home." Seth was quiet for a long time, then he took a deep breath, and said, "I'll only get on this Submarine, if you promise me three things." Gabby nodded, "Name them." Seth looked at her, and said, "When you find the cause of this infection, and stop it, come and find me, and bring me home, and don't get killed or eaten."

Gabby hugged him hard, "I promise, Seth, with every breath in my body, I promise." Seth hugged her back just as hard, and after a few moments, Gabby got them back on the road, a few minutes later, she was following the signs for the docks. Ten minutes after that, Gabby pulled to a stop on the loading bay.

From her seat, she could see the top half of the Submarine, it was huge, and gunmetal gray, there were a few nervous looking soldiers walking along the docks, armed with machine guns. They soon spotted Gabby's car and raised their guns, walking cautiously over towards them, Gabby said, "Seth, give me your guns, trust me." He handed them over, and Gabby stashed them under her seat.

She then slowly got out of the car, and walked cautiously over to the soldiers, they were stood talking for a few minutes, then Gabby walked back over to the car, opened the passenger side door, and said, "It's OK, grab what you're taking with you, the soldier just wants to check and make sure you're not infected, then you'll be allowed to board."

Seth, Sophia, and Natalia climbed out of the car, grabbing their bags along the way. Ten minutes later, Gabby was hugging her brother one last time, and handed him a back pack, he looked at her curiously, but she shook her head, and said, "It's to help you start a new life, there should be enough in there so that you're set for life. Prepare yourself, Seth, this infection may very well spread from here, to the rest of the world." Seth nodded, hugging her back, and slinging the back pack over his shoulder.

She watched her brother board the Submarine, helping Sophia and Natalia, Gabby stayed at the docks, watching from the relative safety of her car, as the Submarine faded into the distance, taking away with it, her last living relative.

Chapter Seven

Gabby opened her eyes, as her internal alarm clock went off, she could hear Angel crying in the side room, but no sounds of comfort coming from Danni. She listened for a few moments more, then quickly, but quietly got up off of the floor, and hurried into the side room.

Danni was on her side, sound asleep, Angel was securely in her arms, but clearly uncomfortable. Gabby scooped her up, and grabbed the shoulder bag, then headed back into the kitchen. After making sure that Angel was fed, and changed, she made herself a mug of coffee, and watched as the first rays of the sun shone through from the front of the office.

Ten minutes later, Danni came out of the side room, a look of complete panic on her young face, Gabby smiled, and said, "It's OK, Danni, Angel's with me." Danni nodded and relaxed slightly, then walked over to Gabby and gently took Angel from her arms. "Coffee?" Gabby asked, Danni shook her head, "No thanks, I don't drink coffee."

Gabby nodded, then said, "Tea?" Danni smiled, "Yes, please, two sugars." Danni gently rocked Angel in her arms, and watched as Gabby made the drinks, once they were made, Gabby disappeared into the side room, only to return with Angel's car seat, Danni held Angel closer to her chest, and said, "You're not leaving yet, are you?"

She replied, "Not yet, but soon, I just want to be ready." Danni nodded and gently placed Angel in the car seat, then did the straps up, she then sat down in the nearest chair, and started to gently rock Angel. Gabby was halfway through her coffee, when Daryl and Dominic came into the kitchen, Dominic said, "The infected are down, so what happens now?" Gabby replied, "Wait a few more minutes, then I'll kill, and move the bodies.

"If anyone decides to stay, then I'll have to re-inforce this building." Daryl said, "Re-inforce it? How?" Gabby finished her coffee, reached for a gun, and replied, "Board up all of the windows from the inside, and try to find a key for the main door of the office, if no key can be found, then the door needs to be replaced."

Gabby walked towards the two men, then handed one of her 9mm's to Daryl, "You'll need this, and you also need to know how it feels to put a bullet in a body." Daryl gingerly took the gun from Gabby, then listened in silence as she told him to hold the gun, where they safety was, how many bullets were in each clip, and about the recoil.

She then showed him how to change the clip once it was empty, she was aware of Dominic, watching and listening, and once she'd finished talking, he said, "I guess I'd better learn as well, seeing as how I'm coming with you." Gabby nodded, then handed him a 9mm, and watched as he took the safety off, then loaded a bullet into the chamber.

Gabby made sure that there were no open wounds on either Daryl or Dominic, then checked herself. Once certain that they were good to go, Gabby gave them as many extra clips as they could carry, as well as loading herself up, then led the way to the front of the office, and carefully opened the door. She jumped back, just as several of the infected's limbs fell through the door. Gabby withdrew one of her swords, and moved one of the infected's arms, when nothing happened, she touched the blade to the skin, and drew a thin scratch part way up the arm.

With still no reaction, Gabby breathed a sigh of relief, put her sword back in it's sheath, and carefully worked her way through the infected's bodies. Once clear of the infected, she turned to see Dominic and Daryl copying her footsteps, when they were level with her, Daryl said, "Where do we start?"

Gabby pointed to the infected just inside the door, "We start with them, once they're clear of the door, then we can worry about the others." She then put the gun in the waistband of her jeans, and grabbed the legs of the nearest infected, and pulled him out of the door, she dumped him face first on the road, and put a bullet in his head.

Daryl and Dominic followed suit, three hours later, the front of the office was clear, and the infected within a five hundred metre radius, was dead. Gabby wiped the sweat from her face, and said, "If we pile these infected together, hopefully those that'll come tonight will feast on them."

Dominic nodded, "There's a patch of grass over there, that's where we'll put them." Gabby followed his gaze, and nodded, the patch of grass was a large circle, about twenty feet away from the office. Gabby looked at all of the bodies, and said, "This would go a lot quicker, if we had some extra help."

Dominic nodded, then went inside the office, he returned with four grumpy looking men. They silently started moving the bodies, but kept shooting furtive glances at Gabby, and at the safety of the office. An hour later, the bodies were all piled together, and they headed back into the office. Danni met them just inside, she looked at Gabby, and said, "I'm coming with you, and Angel."

Fifteen minutes later, Gabby and Daryl were on their way to the nearest lumber yard, none of the other drivers were willing to give up the sanctuary of the office, choosing to go their own ways, Gabby stuck to her word, she was going to fin a piece of wood large enough to cover the window, and a replacement door for the front of the office.

The car trip was a silent one, and so was the cautious walk through the yard, killing all of the infected they saw. It took an hour, to find both the wood and the new door, on the way back to the office, Daryl said, "What are we going to do about the travelling arrangements?" Gabby replied, "Can Danni drive?" Daryl shook his head, "No, she can't."

Gabby thought for a moment, "Ideally, we'd need a second car, preferably an estate, something with a large boot, and a bit of leg room. Do either yourself, or Dominic have a car like that?" Daryl nodded, "I do, but I don't think Dominic will give up his car, saying that, neither will I." Gabby smiled wryly, "Typical men, too many cars will use up too much fuel, and I don't know how many petrol stations still have usable fuel.

"Two cars, is a push, and at least one can rest, whilst the other drives. But I have a feeling that neither you, or Dominic, can stand to be around Danni for very long, and now, she has become incredibly attached to Angel." Daryl said nothing to that, and Gabby sighed, it would be easier with two cars, and it made sense to use two as well. Daryl and Dominic could fold down the back seats of the estate, and they'd have ample room for their own weapons and supplies. Their was enough room in Gabby's car, for her weapons, supplies, and everything that Angel needed, and once Danni's things had been added, her boot would be nearly full.

By the time they reached the office, Gabby had made up her mind, "OK, here's how it's going to have to be, you and Dominic, are going to have to share a car, and take turns in driving, I'll have Danni and Angel iin the car with me, we just can't risk having a third car, not with all the variables." Daryl nodded, "That sounds fair, and to be fair in return, you won't be saddled with Danni and Angel all the time, we'll take alternate days. Where if you're too tired to drive, then either myself, or Dominic, will drive whilst you sleep, meaning that Danni, and Angel have to move to the other car, and vice versa."

Gabby smiled, "Danni's not that bad, she's just lonely, if Dominic agrees to the idea, then we're pretty much all set, but if worse comes to the worse, then we'll stop for the night, and just sleep in shifts. It'll probably be easier that way as well, and Angel will most probably sleep through the nights, as long as she doesn't need feeding or changing."

Gabby switched the engine off, and got out of the car, Daryl followed suit, and helped her pull the door from the back of the Jeep, Dominic had been wise enough to take the door down, leaving Daryl the simple task of putting up the new door. Once that was done, both of the men helped Gabby pull the piece of wood from the top of the car, and within ten minutes, the window was covered.

As the three of them headed into the office, Gabby waited until the doors were locked, before she turned to Dominic and Danni, and explained her plan, they were both satisfied with it, and then Gabby said, "I'd like for us to spend one last night here, just to make sure that the wood on the window, and the new door does what they're meant to."

None of them had a problem with that, but they would need supplies to last them through the night. Gabby checked Angel's shoulder bag, and made a mental list in her head of everything they'd need, with that done, she made sure that Danni was OK with looking after Angel, before grabbing two 9mm's and spare clips, and heading out to her car.

An hour later, Gabby came through the office doors laden with bags, she put them on the kitchen floor and left to get the rest, once she was feeding Angel, with a large map of the area spread out in front of her, she picked up a permanent marker, and took the lid off with her teeth, then circled the area where she'd once lived, and put the date in the centre of the circle.

Marking the first day, for her, of the infected attacks, she then said, "Daryl, do you remember the first day of the infected's attack, and if so, when was it?" Daryl looked over her shoulder, as she drew a large circle around Albatross Radio, there was a third and fourth circle, spread apart, with separate dates in them.

He pointed to the other three circles, and replied, "What do these other circles mean?" Gabby shifted Angel in her arms, and said, "About two months ago, whilst on the way to the docks, myself and my brother, retrieved two young girls from their family car, the eldest of the two girls, told me that the first infected attacks she'd witnessed, occured nearly three weeks previously.

"She'd told me the general area, and I remebered the date, this circle here-," she pointed to a circle near the centre of the map, "-is where they used to live, this circle here-," she pointed to the circle on the left-hand side of the map, "-is where I used to live, for me, the infected attacks started almost seven months ago.

"If I can figure out, fromt his timeline, where and when the attacks started, I can try and figure out a place to start my search, I'm looking for any kind of facility that could house a very large laboratory. I have a feeling that this whole infected situation, was done accidently, if so, then maybe I can find some kind of notations, or clues, on how to reverse it."

Daryl pointed to a third circle, on the right-hand side of the map, just above the first two circles, "Who's area is that?" Gabby looked to where Daryl was pointing, and said, "When we reached the docks, we were met by soldiers, I had a short conversation with one of them, and he'd said the attacks were within a few days of them arriving.

"Now do you see why the date, or even a rough guess of the date, is important?" Daryl nodded, and looked at Danni, "When did you send those messages to us?" She thought for a few moments, then walked back to the front of the office, and fired up one of the computers, she did something with it, then looked at Gabby, "I sent the messages on the fifteenth of September, so nearly a month ago." She then turned the computer off, and looked longingly at Angel, who was sleeping in Gabby's arms.

Gabby saw the wistful look on Danni's face, and smiled, she walked over to where Danni was sat, then gently passed her over, Angel stirred, and Danni pressed the babe closer to her chest, the movement overly protective. Danni looked up, and saw Gabby watching her, "What is it?" Gabby shrugged, and replied, "You're really good with Angel, that's all."

Danni looked at the sleeping babe, and said, "She reminds me of the one I lost, he was eight months old, when he caught a mutated strain of flu, the doctors gave him what they thought, was the right medication, but instead of making him better, he got worse, and by the time the hospital figured out what it was, it was already too late, and my son died in my arms."

Gabby gently touched Danni's shoulder, "I'm sorry, for the loss of your son, Angel needs us more than ever, especially as everything is so uncertain, keep hold of her, for as long as you need, and you might be surprised that by forming a bond, you'll heal each other." Danni nodded, and just as Gabby was walking away, she said, "Heath, my son's name, was Heath."

Gabby glanced back at Danni, who was staring at Angel, with a mixture of love and grief on her face. In the kitchen, Gabby wrote the date inside the circle, then stared at the map for a few minutes, looking at the timeline fir the attacks, and where they seemed to be gathering the most.

Daryl handed her a mug of coffee, and remined standing behind her, after a few moments, he said, "Where's the rest of the map? I can only see one section, when the entire thing is obviously bigger." Gabby partially turned to look at him, "Yes, the map is bigger, I had the South-East, and South-West Coasts of the UK printed, and then blown up."

Gabby then unfolded the next two segments of the map from the left-hand side, revealing more circles, with dates that stretched back almost eighteen months, Gabby pointed to them, and said, "During my travels, the few survivors I've seen, and spoken to, told me they came from each of the circled areas."

Daryl replied, "So, where are they all?" Gabby sighed heavily, "Depending on what they wanted from me, or what they tried to take, I either shot them on-site, and got the information from other survivors, or we spoke for a few brief moments. The next time I saw them, I put a bullet in their heads." Daryl squeezed her shoulder, and then left her to her thoughts, and staring at the map. Just before night fell, Gabby hooked one of her cameras up to the outside of the office, and then switched her laptop on, and started to record the footage.

Gabby placed the laptop on the small table that was in the kitchen, and plugged the charger in, then grabbed a pastry slice and a cold coffee, before settling in for the night. Within an hour, Gabby was sandwiched between Dominic and Daryl, and staring at the small laptop screen, at first, only a few of the infected arrived, but as the night wore on, more and more started to arrive.

They seemed to not be able to see the office, whether it was because the wooden board was up, or maybe because no interior lights were showing, wichever it was, Gabby was grateful. The infected soon noticed the pile of dead bodies, and made their way over to them, thankfully, there was no sound on her cameras, watching them tear into the dead flesh was bad enough.

As the morning drew closer, Gabby moved away from her laptop, and returned to where she'd placed the map, she was still trying to figure out where the infection had started from. Just before dawn broke, Dominic crouched down beside her, and pointed to a large space, Gabby followed the movement of his fingers, and said, "What is it?"

Dominic replied, "Judging from the first few areas of the infected attacks, they must have originated somewhere around here." He then drew a large circle with his finger, around the enormous, and only area, that hadn't suffered any infeted attacks. Gabby picked up a red marker pen, and drew a large circle around the area that Dominic had pointed out.

She looked at the area, and said, "Well, it's a starting point, which is something I didn't have before." Dominic looked at her strangely, "You keep saying 'I,' when three other adults, and the baby are going with you." Gabby grimaced, "Sorry, force of habit. We have a starting point." Dominic nodded, then looked at his watch, and said, "The sun's up."

Gabby nodded, then stood up, she stretched to get the kinks out, then went into the side office, to check on both Angel and Danni. They were both asleep, Gabby checked on Angel's nappy status, and quickly changed her without waking her, she then grabbed two guns, with extra clips, before drinking a cold coffee.

Ten minutes later, Gabby was unlocking the front door to the office, she opened the door and raised her gun, the street outside was deserted, apart from the piles of the infected that had turned up during the night. Gabby put a bullet into the heads of each new infected, when she was done, she looked over her shoulder, to see Danni, Daryl, and Dominic, stood in the doorway.

She walked over to them, and said, "So, now that we know the infected can't see the lights in the office after dark, we can make out way towards the location on the map." The three of them headed towards Gabby's Jeep, where Danni secured Angel in the back, and climbed in next to her, Gabby got in the driver's side, closed her door, buckled up and started her engine, in her rear view mirror, she could see Daryl and Dominic climbing into the estate car.

Within a few minutes, the two vehicles were driving down the motorway, they didn't look back, only forwards, driving towards an uncertain future.

 To Be Continued. . .

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 24.05.2013

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