This Would Be Paradise (Book 1)-A Zombie Novel

Chapter 26

Two weeks later, everything was back to the way it was before.

Except that was a lie.

John was still acting like a husk, not at all the John we were used to. I don't blame him, but it was getting too much to be around. So here I was on my own, with his car, a fair distance away from our home base. Cabin fever was starting to set in and that, combined with the gloomy atmosphere, was becoming too overwhelming for me.

So I volunteered to do a perimeter check and when Ethan said he would go with me, I declined his offer saying that I would be fine. He was stubborn about it, but I fought for my independence in this matter. I needed to be properly alone. The others weren't happy about it, but I think they understood.

I packed the backpack I borrowed from John with extra ammo for my stolen 9mm gun and some food and water for my day trip. And an extra pair of clothes and my shiny new hunting knife, just in case. I was planning on just driving around the roads that surrounded the property, to make sure that there were no signs of infected or anyone else, but I became side-tracked. There was a road that went in the exact opposite direction of the cabin that had called to me instead. After all, the perimeter thing was just a guise so that I could get away for a few hours.

The gravel road led me to an open field, surrounded by trees. I had been driving for almost an hour, so I stopped at the opening and killed the car. The sun was shining bright above me as I climbed out of the car. Not a cloud in the sky. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I was starting to really appreciate the southern weather. Usually by this time of year in Vancouver, it was raining and overcast all the time. The air smelt of wildlife; the flowery fragrance of the field grass was a welcome one.

As you can imagine, six people living in close quarters did not smell all that great. I looked around for any signs of, well, anything. I was completely alone for the first time since the infection had taken over like a conquering army. I scooted myself onto the hood of the car and leaned against the windshield, my new backpack right beside me. I propped my hands behind my head, intending to fully enjoy this brief reprieve. The warm sun was making me drowsy and I let myself start to drift, listening to the sound of the wildlife.

That was one thing that didn't seem to be affected; the ecosystem. Animals, plant life, bugs; they all seemed to be thriving, while the humans were decimated. I hoped that one day this world would not end up lost to the bugs. That was an even more disturbing thought. Didn't they say that cockroaches could survive nuclear war? I stopped thinking about it, trying to push out the image of people sized cockroaches roaming the empty streets.

A gust of wind rustled the trees even more and I sat up, making sure it was just the wind. I was trying to relax, but fear always was waiting silently in the back of my mind. You could never lower your guard in this new world. I sank back down to the windshield, confident that it was just the wind.

Darren had been pestering us all about going back to John's gun shop to grab more ammo and guns. Unfortunately, John said he didn't have any type of perimeter monitoring equipment. He also showed no desire to go back to his store. We had come to the conclusion that we would go in the next few days. Ethan's arm was getting better, but we still needed as many capable people as possible. So it was to be Darren, Ethan and I, while John and Zoe stayed with Chloe.

Zoe didn't seem to have an issue with staying behind; she wasn't the most aggressive person, not looking to run head long into danger. I remember back when we had first started university and were at the bar with other students. Some drunken bitch was pissed that Zoe was getting hit on by a member of the school hockey team and decided to go up and shove her, all while calling her a chink. Zoe was like third generation Japanese and barely looked Asian, but if there was one thing I couldn't tolerate it would be racism. And that someone was heckling my friend.