The Dead Always Win

Safe House

It had been a month since they had heard the news of the dead. Their house quickly became fortified over the first couple of weeks with wood from down the lane where the dogs used to be walked.

Downstairs windows hastily barricaded, fences fortified and a small look-out post was created from a tree that peeped over the great wall that surrounded the houses.

Two small patches of green grass were lined with bricks, while a place for a campfire sat in the middle of them, black chairs from the outside table now surrounding it.

The main house was large and square. Grace, her mother and Megan were already up. The wash house where the dogs slept was just next to it, laundry was hanging from a rack as Woody opened his eyes and frantically looked around, but not before checking if his brother, Ben was up (which he wasn't).

Woody stretched and darted outside to find himself another lonely morning, staring at the opposite house, where Max, Evie and Alice were sleeping.

Evie and Grace's houses were on the same property, surrounded by a great brick wall. Evie's used to be a rather long office until it was turned into a proper house when walls and furniture were put in.

Anticipating human activity, he wagged his tail at the sound of Max's voice along with Evie and Alice, looking up and through the door's window.

"Okay, I'll go check," Max replied to his mum, stepping out of his house with a smile and greeting Woody with a pat on the head as he ventured over the to the smallest patch of grass where the look-out tree stood.

He climbed up the ladder and peered over the wall. "There are a few of them out on the road," Max whispered, watching them groan and snarl pointlessly. From what the group had gathered, they endlessly searched for food, but only meat it seemed.

"Come down, before they spot you." Evie returned, sat on one of the chairs with her mum and sister who had come to join.

Max did as he was asked and hopped down onto the grass, walking over to where Alice and Megan were sat.

"I guess we're not going back to Australia for a while." Alice sighed, kicking a small stone back into the gravel.

Megan shook her head. "You've always wanted to live here again, anyway."

Alice turned to her. "Not without mum, though..."

Something lurking on the streets must have heard them as banging suddenly erupted from the oak doors, it always sounded like they would get in, but the door was too strong, plus Grace's car was placed right up against the gate from the other side.

Woody must have heard them, as he perked up and began to bark at the dead creatures climbing on the cars out the back oak gates.

"Woody! Shut up!" Grace panicked and dragged him by the collar into the main house.

By then, many dead people had heard the dinner bell and began climbing all over the cars out front, attempting to break through the gate.

"Oh my God, he's going to get us killed one day." Evie and Grace's mum complained as she shook her head at the thought of it. She had blonde, shoulder height hair with brown glasses and a kind face, she wore a black and white striped top with a purple cardigan over it and ankle swinging blue trousers on.

The front gate suddenly opened as Nate and James ran through, carrying what appeared to be their old, tattered school rucksacks.

"Safe trip?" Evie asked them, turning her attention to their rather stocked backpacks.

"Yeah... There are quite a lot out there. They saw us but we lost them down near the post office." Nate explained, throwing his bag on the ground and panting.