Who We Were | Book One

3. Far From Human

The distance I had covered seemed like nothing compared to what I had left. 

My calves burned in fiery pulses and the balls of my feet were like sandpaper with every step. I looked to the birds that still circled ahead, their wings flapping furiously and beating against each other as they dove down. 

Pulling myself to my feet, I slung my bag back over my shoulder and slid my arms through the straps. It felt heavier against my back, tugging harder at the muscles in my neck.

I kept my body low as I approached the birds, hiding behind the cover of the cars. My stomach churned as throaty snarls emanated from further up the road. I felt sick upon realising it was the sound of more than one Infected. My knuckles tensed around the knife, turning them a peculiar shade of white as I urged my body to move further.

Thick hedgerows lined both sides of the motorway, blocking any form of escape. It was either forward or back and I wasn't going back. 

I reached a car that was spread horizontally across the road, just close enough to give me enough coverage to see what was happening. I inhaled, willing myself to look over the bonnet of the vehicle. I felt the acidic burn of bile rising in my throat as my eyes fell on the horrific sight that lay in front of me. 

My hands shook as drops of sweat trickled down my wrist onto the handle. I collapsed back against the side of the car, stretching my neck up towards the birds who seemed unfazed by the gruesome scene below them.

A pile-up of cars had resulted in three bodies being strewn across the road, blood smeared deep into the cracks in the tarmac. From the brief glance I'd had, I could only see the three Infected that were buried face first into sprawled-out intestines. I poked my head back over the vehicle, trying to map a way out without being seen. 

I wanted to scream when my eyes caught sight of one of the bodies. 

It was a boy, no more than seven years old. 

I gagged as I dropped back to the floor, breathless. I'd been outside for less than a day and I'd already seen more than I could handle in a lifetime. 

I inhaled, trying to slow my rapidly increasing breathing. Wiping my palms against my jeans, I willed myself to move. There was enough cover created by the pile-up so that as long as the feasting Infected stayed distracted, I could slip by unnoticed.

I edged slowly to the right, shuffling my feet along the road as I brought myself into the open. The three Infected were still hunched over, blood dripping from their mangled jaws. The cover in front of me was separated by a three-metre gap and I didn't have time to think about it.

Sneaking across the opening, I held the breath that tried to force its way from my mouth. One of the Infected lifted from its crouched position, a neck cracking as its discoloured head raised into the air. 

I crept the last few feet to cover. 

Through the windscreen of the car, the other Infected joined the first, craning their necks and raising their noses into the air. I crouched alongside the car, looking to the open road ahead. 

I couldn't run. There wasn't enough distance between me and the Infected to have a good head start.

Muffled groans from behind made me freeze and I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't force myself to move an inch from the fear. I took a deep breath and opened my lids, willing myself to turn around. 

My breath caught as I turned. 

Six feet away were a pair of scuffed and bloodied trainers that staggered crookedly towards me. I raised my head, laying my eyes on the owner of the shoes who looked in the same condition.

Blood spilled from its mouth and down its chin. Chunks of what I only assumed to be human flesh clung between the teeth that hung from its jaw, scattering onto his no- longer-white shirt. His outstretched hands were stained with thick blood and dirt that caked his fingers and nails. 

As I hauled myself up, slowly backing away, our eyes met. They looked like they had once been green but were now almost completely white, a small, dark pinprick pupil sitting in the centre like a bullseye. 

Panic bubbled in my chest as its feet staggered closer, moving like it was just getting used to its new limbs. I lifted my knife in my hand, waiting for the instincts to kick in and take control, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything.

Blood drops blasted across my face as a shot fired into the Infected in front of me. Its eyes widened before it dropped to the tarmac like a sack of bricks. Dark liquid spilt from a fresh wound in the back of his head as its face hit the road. 

I snapped my head as two more shots rang out, the muffled groans of the other two Infected falling silent behind the cars. I spun my head around, narrowing my eyes as I looked for the shooter. 

Nobody was around. Only the gentle wind came forward, brushing itself through the trees. 

I stumbled backwards, nudging the lifeless body off my foot. Its eyes remained wide, the pupils staring that looked far from human. There was something else about them that filled me with uneasiness, something that I couldn't place. 

I looked around, my head darting in every direction. Whoever had shot them was more than likely making their way towards their kill and I had no intention of sticking around to thank them.

*

Soon, everything started to look familiar. The low sun glinted off cracked windshields, splitting into shimmering fragments as its warmth embraced my skin. I felt almost peaceful as the weight of reality dawned on my shoulders. 

I was close. 

The trees with their wavering branches stood to attention on either side of the road, devouring the flowers at their feet. Shopping trollies littered the road and the car park of the nearby supermarket barricading whoever was inside. 

My hometown was recognisable, but so far from what I had once known. The feeling of community was washed away with the darkened puddles that lay atop the tarmac, replaced with something reminiscent of a derelict ghost town.

The neighbour's driveway was empty. Tyre marks and footsteps pressed into the gravel up to their home, shadows of the actions that had occurred. The door to their dainty white bungalow was wide open, sending my stomach to my feet. They had been close with my parents and I hoped they had looked out for each other. 

Small stones and shards of gravel crunched under my feet as I neared the front door to my home. The cars were untouched. They were parked in the same spaces they had always been, except their tyres were deflated. 

A rocky pavement slab tilted beneath my feet as I stepped up to the door. I yanked the fabric down from around my mouth and brought a closed fist up to the door, knocking gently at first. 

When there was no reply, I brought my hand down louder, more desperate and forceful against the flaking wood. My chest rose and fell in heavy breaths, stealing all the air from my lungs as I waited. 

I pushed open the letterbox, crouching my body as I brought my mouth to the opening.

"Mum!" I called loudly, my voice shaking. "Dad?"

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