A/N - I suggest you listen to the song on repeat throughout the chapter
They'd been driving all day and all night, swapping every few hours. Courtney was fast asleep in the back seat while Ross drove and Drew read the map. The sun was rising on the horizon and the sky was turning a light shade of red. The street was getting wider as they approached the turnoff to Leatherhead.
"Guys?" Nate's crackled voice cut through the silence. Drew grabbed the walkie-talkie from the dashboard and Ross looked over to Courtney, glad to see she was still asleep. "I think it's time to pull over. Jeanette's asleep and I don't know how long I can keep my eyes open."
Ross nodded to Drew and pushed down slightly harder on the gas pedal.
"Yeah, we're about to head into Leatherhead. It'll be...five? Ten minutes?" Drew said, looking down at the map. The light in the car was on, it was annoying Ross but Drew needed it.
"Good," Nate said thankfully. Drew placed the small yellow walkie-talkie back in its rightful place and folded up the map, he didn't need it anymore.
Five minutes later, the Hyundai, Mercedes and Volkswagen were pulling up to an abandoned house. The front door swinging wide open. Ross glanced down to his watch. It was about seven in the morning, they'd been driving all day yesterday and all night. The lack of sleep was catching up with him, he covered his mouth as he let out a yawn that he couldn't contain even if he tried.
"So this is where we're staying?" Courtney asked rhetorically from behind him. Ross glanced up at the rearview mirror to see her sitting in the middle seat. Her hair messy and tangled and her eyes tired and droopy. He smiled at her appearance and nodded, even though she couldn't see. With a grunt Ross swung the car door open and stepped out, looking behind him to see everyone else doing the same. He slammed the door shut and moved around, opening Courtney's door for her too.
She smiled up at him and scoffed, wiping her sleepy eyes. She shook her head and dragged her heavy body to the door. The cold air bit her skin and she hissed. She stood in front of Ross, chest to chest and grabbed the car door, slamming it shut. He smirked down at her and walked to the trunk.
"So, we're staying here? Is it even safe?" Karen asked walking up to Courtney with her family following after her. She was rubbing her arms to heat them up, hugging herself. James was tired, that much was obvious but there was anger in his eyes too, and Courtney couldn't figure out why.
Courtney looked away from the house to the ground, seeing Karen's feet out her peripheral. She nodded and took a breath. "Yeah, we'll check it to make sure it's safe." Courtney turned on her heel and walked past the anxious family just as Karen opened her mouth to ask another question. She leant against the car watching Ross pull out certain bags and drop them on the ground.
"You going in?" He asked without looking up. He knew she was there, he could feel her watching him. He pulled her black blade from an open bag and handed it to her.
"Nah," She dragged out, taking the knife from his extended hand. "I'm gonna sit this one out, let you clear it." She said while stuffing the blade in her belt. For some reason she couldn't look at him when saying that, she thought he'd see her as weak and scared.
"Okay," He said casually, pulling his body from the trunk and slamming it shut. "I'll get Nate or Drew to help me out, maybe both." He said smiling down at her, loading his gun and walking away. Courtney looked up and watched his back as he walked towards the two boys. They conversed and both Nate and Drew nodded, one was more hesitant than the other but all three of them headed in.
"I'm surprised," Jane stated from beside Courtney, her voice laced with shock. Courtney looked up to see her friend who had somehow appeared by her side. "I thought you'd be running in there first," Jane said looking from Courtney to the house, just catching the boys as they disappeared through the entrance.
Courtney scoffed and ran a hand through her hair. "Nah, didn't feel like it. Just couldn't be bothered." She mumbled, looking at the ground.
Even though this was Jane she was talking to, she still didn't feel comfortable telling her. Telling her she was scared of facing more dogs, scared of pulling the trigger without batting an eyelash. Scared that someday those dogs will turn into people and she'll be killing humans without a second thought. She'll be shooting first and asking questions later. And that terrified her.
"Hm." Jane hummed, a look of confusion covering her face. She reached a hand up and pushed her glasses further up her nose, brushing her hair over her shoulder. She studied Courtney, reading her body language and facial expression. Then it hit her, Jane saw what Courtney was feeling. She was scared. "What's it like?" She asked curiously. Courtney slowly raised her head to see Jane, her brows furrowed.
"What?" She asked, turning her body to face Jane's.
Jane sighed and repeated, adding more to the question. "What is it like killing dogs?"
Courtney visibly froze, her brows straightened and the lines disappeared on her forehead. Her jaw became slack and she thought, counting all the dogs in her head then it tightened, teeth clenching together.
"It's hard." She stated and Jane cursed in her head.
Jane wanted her to talk about it, explain how she was feeling but typical Courtney, keeping everything locked up. Jane turned her body in the other direction and was ready to walk away.
"I don't know how, but it is." Courtney continued but Jane kept her back turned. "Every time I've pulled the trigger....I haven't even thought about it." Pain and disgust were evident in her voice. Jane bit her lip, finding it hard to listen to this. "But every time I've killed one, I've saved someone else. But it's hard to weigh up, killing one thing to save another. I don't like doing it every time. Weighing it up, seeing if it was worth it. But...It's the only way for me to cope and I know you're thinking that they're just dogs but it's different when you're the one pulling the trigger and their blood covers your hands." Jane could hear Courtney's footsteps as she walked away. Once Jane couldn't hear them anymore she turned around to see Courtney and the family walking up the steps and into the house, carrying the bags inside.
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It was the middle of the night. The fire burned in the centre of the living room. They'd thrown wood and paper into a bin to keep it contained. Jeanette and Bethany were asleep on one sofa and Courtney on the other. The DeMelo family took the only bedroom and the rest of the group were curled up on the floor around the fire.
Jane lay on the hardwood floor staring at the ceiling as the flames cast shadows on the white paper. Drew was by her side facing the wall on her left. She'd been up for hours repeating what Courtney had said over and over in her head. The new world was changing her best friend into someone who was carrying so much weight that she was struggling to walk. Changing her into someone Jane didn't recognise, someone who held so many secrets and had so much blood over her hands.
"You've been awake for hours." Jane threw herself onto her stomach at the sound of someone else's voice. Through the fire, she could see eyes watching her. "I can practically hear your troubled mind, so can you just go to sleep. Please." Jane scoffed at Nate's words and turned over onto her back again. There was silence between them and they both closed their eyes and searched for sleep. Nate constantly turning over to find a comfortable position and Jane doing the same. They both knew the other was awake.
"I give up." Nate hissed angrily and sat up. He looked at Jane through the fire to see her watching him in confusion. "I'm gonna have a cigarette." Jane sighed at his words and saw from the corner of her eye as he walked past her to the dining room, stepping over Ross's sleeping body beside the other couch that Courtney was on.
After a while, the smoke wafted through the open door - that split the dining room from the living room - and found its way to Jane. She threw herself onto her stomach and stuffed her face into the pillow, hoping she wouldn't smell the smoke but it still slithered through the gaps and up her nose. She groaned and pushed herself up. She carefully walked through to the dining room and closed the door, looking through the glass to see if she'd woken anyone. Nate was leaning against the windowsill, breathing smoke through a slightly open window. The cool breeze chilled Jane's warm skin and she wrapped her arms around herself.
They stood, not saying a word for a moment until Jane broke the silence. "Do you think Alex is alive?" She asked much more forcefully than she'd hoped. "I mean-Do you like...think-He's eh.." She stuttered, tripping over her words. Nate watched her with a slight smile on his face and decided to end her suffering.
"Yes. I do think he's alive. At least, I want him to be." He breathed in the smoke and closed his eyes, keeping it in his lungs for a moment before releasing it again. "Plus, they have the army with them, so they're bound to be alive." Jane nodded at his words and looked around the room. The smoke was stronger here and it burned her nose, she wiped her face with her hand and moved around. She looked at the pictures and objects around the room, hoping it would distract her mind. "Okay," Nate said throwing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it with his foot. "I'm awake cause you're awake. So why are you awake?" He asked, his mind becoming tired of getting no sleep. He thought if Jane talked about it, he could finally get some shut-eye.
Jane sighed and looked at him. The dining table dividing them. "I..." She had all the words she just didn't know how to arrange them. Her eyes shut and squeezed together in frustration. Nate nodded knowingly.
"You think you're losing Courtney." He said confidently. He looked out the window and barely heard Jane's quiet 'yes'. Jane wasn't surprised that Nate knew, she wasn't exactly keeping her worry for Courtney a secret. "Don't. Don't worry about losing her, you're not gonna." He turned to face Jane, a slightly encouraging look on his face. "She's the reason we're still alive. I like to see it that she's changing first so that we have time to...take it all in." A thankful smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Look," It faded and he stared at Jane. "As much as I hate to admit it, she's stronger than anyone else here and she can make the hard decisions." He took a step closer to her and she watched with an impressed look. Courtney always had the power to make people like her and she'd managed to do so with Nate. Here was the evidence. "Instead of trying to find the old Courtney, try welcoming the new one. This is Courtney now, the old her is gone." Nate's hand flew out to his side, to gesture that she was gone. His eyes became wide with those words.
"But I don't want to let the old her go," Jane mumbled, feeling bad for even thinking it. Her head dropped in shame and she could hear Nate sigh in pity. Unlike Courtney, Jane didn't mind pity. Her head shot up when she felt hands on her shoulders. Nate looked down at her with a comforting yet persuasive look.
"You have to. This is who she is, our best chance at survival." He scoffed and pulled his arms back, his hands hitting his legs. "Our only hope." He said with a smile. Just as Jane opened her mouth she was interrupted by screaming. Both their heads snapped in the direction of the window. The window that had no curtains or blinds, whatever was coming down the street, they would be exposed to it.
Courtney rocketed up when the screech reached her ears. Ross was up too, both looking out the window. Everyone was awake now, all looking out the window in either confusion or fear.
"Ahh! Andy!" The woman screamed out again and it was returned with sick laughter. Courtney jumped over Ross's body and threw herself against the window. Down the street, she could see flickering fire and torches.
"What is it? Who's out there?" Jane's panicked voice whispered as she cut through the people until she was by Courtney's side. Courtney's eyes were wide as she watched the flames approach and the screams and yelps get louder. "What is it?" Jane hissed out and Courtney's eyes became wide and full of fear. She pivoted on her heel and pointed to the bin of fire.
"Put the fire out now!" She seethed and Ross and Drew got to work. Picking it up and carrying it to the dining room. "Nate, go tell Karen and James to shut up and stay quiet, no matter what." He nodded at her and started walking past, she grabbed his shoulder to whisper something to him. "Stay with them and don't let them do anything stupid." He nodded slowly, his eyes confused and scared.
"Courtney, what is it?" Jane shouted, pulling her shoulder. Bethany was crying now and hugging Jeanette's leg. Ross and Drew barged through the door, ash covered their hands.
"It's out," Drew stated into the darkness. Courtney nodded and let Jane pull her round, just as she was about to answer another scream shook the street and the lights were getting brighter.
"Someone's out there," Jane whispered in horror and Courtney looked up at her with wide eyes knowing what she was going to say and do next. She shook her head at Jane. "We have to let them in, help them."
"Ahhh! Help me PLEASE!" The lady screamed, she could be seen now. She was just a black figure but her body was slumped and tired as she staggered down the street, breaking into a run every so often. The flames from behind her lit up parts of her body and all there was to see was blood. It covered her from head to toe. Courtney didn't even think that the blood belonged to the lady. Tears gathered in Jane's eyes at the sight and she moved to walk past Courtney. She didn't get far before Courtney pushed her back.
"We can't. We can't help her." Courtney whispered forthrightly, her eyes stern and cold. Jane's head reeled back in shock.
"And why not? She's going to die and we're just going to let her!?" Jane's voice gradually got louder until she was shouting the last few words in disgust. Ross, Drew and Courtney all shushed her, placing their finger against their lips.
"Because they're the same men from the bridge. The ones that were chasing after the two people remember?" She asked, looking out the window cautiously before looking back to Jane. They didn't have much time before the men would be right outside their house and since there was nothing covering any windows in the house, they would be seen. "The ones we hid from behind the cars, we can't help her. If we let her in, they'll kill us too. Jane, we can't." Courtney pleaded, almost begging.
Bethany's cries were getting louder and Courtney looked over to her and Jeanette. She pointed to the dining room. "Hide through there and keep her quiet." She whispered and Jeanette nodded, pulling Bethany away.
"We can't just sit here and let her die!" Jane yelled again. Courtney and the two boys shushed her again and looked out the window. The woman was standing in the middle of the road right outside their house, wailing into the night. Courtney pushed Jane back until she hit the wall. Courtney's hands pushed Jane's shoulders as if the red-head could go into the wall.
"That's exactly what we do because I'm not letting anyone here die!" Courtney hissed viciously. Jane took a deep breath and tried to push past Courtney. Her body struggling and scrambling against the wall and Courtney's body. Suddenly Drew appeared, moving Courtney out the way and pushing himself against Jane and whispering in her ear to comfort her. Her body became limp and she stopped moving.
Courtney pressed her back against the wall and looked out the window. The woman looked behind her in a panic and started limping forward again letting out another wail and scream. The men's laughter became louder and happier as they got closer to both the woman and the house. Ross pressed into the wall opposite Courtney, looking down the street the woman was running down while Courtney was looking up as the men were approaching. He had a view of the woman and she had a view of the psychos.
All of a sudden, Jane started struggling again, yelling out as tears streamed down her face. Drew's head snapped up and he started mumbling words to calm her down but it didn't work.
"We have to HELP HER!" Jane screamed at the top of her lungs. Courtney shook her head and whispered a quiet apology before slapping her right hand over Jane's mouth to shut her up. Jane's words became muffled and Drew and Ross sighed in relief.
"Come here you bitch!" A man yelled down after the woman.
"Yeah, we're gonna get you! Cut you up just like your boyfriend and your son!" Another yelled followed by cackles. At this, Jane became quiet. Ross and Drew looked to Courtney and she pulled her eyes from the street once the men came into view, pulling a finger up to her lips and pushing herself further into the wall. Ross nodded and did the same, hoping the wall would swallow him up.
Ross's eyes followed the woman, he was the only one who was in the position of being able to see her. She had scrambled under a car a few houses down. He held his breath when the men stopped in the centre of the street, directly outside their house. Their man-made torches and battery ones flashed around the street and through the windows of houses. When a beam of light lit up the darkness in their living room, he watched as Courtney and Drew pushed back even further into the wall, he did the same.
"Where'd the bitch go!?" A man yelled, spinning on his heel and waving his fire around. Ross slowly pushed himself forward to see how many men there were. Just as he caught a glimpse, a flash of light hit his face and he tossed himself against the wall again, closing his eyes and praying that they didn't see him. 8. He thought to himself, there were at least 8 men out there. All different sizes and ages from what he could vaguely see.
"Look to see if there are any lights. Then we know she's there." A man ordered. Courtney looked through their house one more time to make sure there was no light, she sighed in relief and moved her head to look back out the window when she caught sight of a dancing flame. Her eyes widened and her palms pressed against the wall. Through the living-room window, she could see the hall of the house and on the hall windowsill was a single candle. The orange flame glowed and flickered.
"Shit." She hissed, forming a plan in her head, she looked up at Jane to see tears pouring out her eyes, her cried getting louder and louder by the second. Her hand on Jane's mouth loosened and she gripped one of Drew's. In a flash, her hand fell and she replaced it with Drew's. She could feel eyes on her but she didn't dare look at them. She had a plan to follow. Courtney closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If this went to hell, they were all screwed. She looked out the window to see some men walking forward, she knew they'd see the light in the hall if they turned around. She couldn't risk it.
"What are you doing!?" Ross hissed across to her. She ignored it and counted down in her head. 3, 2...1. At one, she ran across the room like a bullet and pressed herself against the doorframe. There was a window in the door at head level and three men out there who would be able to see her perfectly if she moved an inch. "Courtney!" Ross hissed at her.
If she moved her head to the right just an inch, Ross and the men would see her and if she moved it an inch to the left the three men would see her. Courtney slid down the frame until her bum hit the floor and she moved around, slowly moving down to the candle. A beam of torchlight hit the stairs ahead of her. The men from outside had shone their light through the window at the top of the door. The white light moved closer to her and she had no choice but to get on her hands and knees and scuttle across the floor.
"Think she's in there?" One man asked, their voices were louder as they approached the house. Courtney sat under the hall window, grabbed the candle and blew the flame out. The smoke curled through the air right under her nose. Courtney closed her eyes and squeezed the wax candle tight in her hand.
"Look through the windows then asshole!" Another yelled. There were sounds of a scuffle between the two before another man must've broken it up.
"Alright, dick-skins! Check the damn house!" One shouted at the two. Courtney could hear his feet drawing nearer the front door. She placed the candle quietly on the ground beside her and dragged her body across the laminate flooring to hide behind the door. She squeezed herself into the corner and pulled a jacket that hung above her to try and cover her tiny body.
The man's hand wrapped around the door handle and his other hand was raised to flash the light through the door window. Courtney could see his hair and beady eyes as he looked through the window, standing on his tip toes to see the hall. She pressed herself further into the wall and moved the jacket in front of her face.
The handle squealed as he pushed it down and Courtney peeked around the fabric. Her eyes caught on another figure that walked towards the living room window, where Jane, Drew and Ross were hiding. The man flipped the switch of his torch on and was ready to lift it to look through the window. Courtney inhaled and pulled the blade from her belt. The door swung open and the man's foot appeared in the house, the wooden boards creaking under his weight. Just as the man outside lifted his torch another yelled.
"Hey! We found her!" Both men turned and ran towards the man with the screaming woman. Courtney released a breath and her grip on the blade loosened. What this woman in the streets didn't know, is that she died saving 11 people and this made Courtney sick to the stomach to even think.
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Sooooo...? What did you think? Oh, and America...My deepest apologies for your new President.
Anyway, what do you think about Nate and Jane? Friends or is there some unspoken romance between the two?
What about what Nate said? Was he right? Is Courtney the reason that they're still alive? Will Jane lose her if she doesn't accept who she has become?
And the men? Scary or what? Do they sound familiar? And will we see them again?
Tune in next Wednesday for Chapter 6. Vote and comment and don't forget to share with your friends. Read on my 'Rainers' and see you again next week!