CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The wind moved. The clouds moved. Life moved.
Were they dead yet?
Lucas stared out the window. Percy was upstairs. Keith quietly packed up our bags.
Life moved.
They were dead now. It had only been five minutes since the line had gone quiet but I felt it in my heavy heart, even if they were still breathing they would have taken care of matters by now. I couldn't think of it, I couldn't possibly picture their faces because I would scream and scream. Every time I blinked, I feared I would pass out or throw up. Shivering, shivering so intensely but still I walked, still I paced mindlessly, silently.
Life moved.
Life moved and because of my beautiful, smiling mother I could appreciate that. Because of my hilarious, warm hearted father I had a chance to make sure their memory lived on. Right now, my world was in pieces, so was Percy's – it was clear from the way he had nodded to us in silent understanding and walked upstairs like a ghost, barely tracing the steps. Keith hadn't gotten any answers either, I didn't know who he had called but he was holding himself together. Lucas; he smiled at me in such a way I had never seen him smile before. He told me we were going to be okay and he sat silently staring out the window every second from that moment.
We were struggling, but we were surviving.
When we put in every inch of effort my mother and father wanted us to, to leave this place and start afresh, we could remember them in the way we wanted, we could mourn properly. Right now, my eyes were full of heavy, heavy tears, my heart and head playing back conversations that should have happened, wonderful memories, memories I wished I could replace. But I couldn't. I could live for them, though.
There was no way they would die in vain.
'We need to leave' I announced, standing unsteadily on my feet. Four eyes jolted to meet me, both surprised, staring at me quizzically.
'Harley, you don't have to..' Lucas trailed off, breathing out slowly.
'I know. But can't you see? Can't you see that every second we stay here is a second that we could die and it all will have been pointless? When we leave, we can remember Mum and Dad in the way we need to. Not here, never here'.
A hush descended upon the room as my words lingered in the air before I had time to question the truth in them.
'The world' Keith began quietly, pausing with the bags to look up at me 'Is lucky that you survived, Sunshine'.
'Yeah' Lucas' voice was rough but he smiled nonetheless, walking slowly over to me, capturing my hands in his cold ones, 'Somewhere, our parents are smiling because you've made them realise how much you've grown up in these last few years. I suppose I shouldn't be so protective anymore, you're a big girl now' he laughed, tears filling his eyes.
'We'll find Joel, it'll work' I returned his smile, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek so quickly that I narrowly avoided a stray tear.
'What's the plan, boss?' Lucas was grinning now, chucking me under the chin.
'Well, the time is..' I trailed off.
'8;21am' Keith picked up for me, lifting his shirt over his chest so slowly that I couldn't quite tear my gaze away. A small scar ran from the bottom of his hip to his stomach and I let my mind wonder what he'd done before all this that had caused him all that pain. His stomach, his shoulders, neck were just as gripping as his face and still even though I knew I shouldn't look, I just wanted to. I felt like we'd missed out on something, the both of us. Maybe this was nothing, maybe we'd both misread the signals but something told me otherwise, something told me that somehow, we'd found something in all this.
'So we could pack up our things and get moving towards the water, there has to be a dock somewhere near-ish'.
'I don't think they'll let us just grab a boat and go'.
'No, but we can try' Keith interjected, 'Joel will be on his way on a boat too, no-one would let him stay here, they couldn't, not a child'.
'Let's hope so'.
'Someone should check on Percy' I said after a pause moving towards the small yellow bag which now had only one or two chocolate bars left, even after we'd rationed ourselves and gone hungry most of the time.
'I'll do it' Keith said, grabbing a faded white shirt and running a hand through his hair, 'I think he lost someone'.
'Hey, Keith?' Lucas called before Keith could make his way up the stairs.
'Yeah?'
'Who were you ringing?'
'Oh' Keith dragged a hand through his hair again, catching my eye but only holding it for a second, 'Nobody. I'll check on Percy'. With that, he turned around and took the stairs two at a time, leaving Lucas and I looking towards one another in confusion.
'Didn't he say his parents were away somewhere?'
'Yeah, Spain' I replied, 'His sister too, they were only going for a couple of weeks but obviously they can't come back now'.
'How do you know all that?'
'We talk a lot. When we weren't fighting monsters, or running round neighbourhoods we just talked', I smiled at Lucas' obvious surprise, 'On the way up here, with Mum and Dad, you and Joel fell asleep. Keith told me about his parents, told me about his house. I told him about stupid things, like walking Joel to school and that time I fell in the fish pond and you laughed so hard that you fell in too. It almost made this all seem normal'.
'I didn't know' Lucas smiled.
'Didn't know what?'
'I didn't know you cared so much'.
'I don't' I muttered, looking to the floor, 'I just remember things'.
'Give it a rest' he sighed, 'I was joking around when I told Dad about you having a man friend but now I wonder if I might have opened a can of fish'.
'It's a can of worms, you idiot' I snorted with laughter, only creasing up more at the glare he was giving me.
'Tomato, tomato' he muttered, flicking me on the head, 'What would Mum say, eh?'
Immediately my laughter cut short.
'I'm sorry' Lucas' eyes widened and he dropped his head in his hands with a groan, 'This won't be easy, will it?'
'No' I whispered, 'No, it won't'.
A crash sounded from upstairs and the shouts made me leap from my seat in surprise. Bile rose in my throat at a sound I thought I might never hear again. Groans, screeches. They weren't outside the building, I almost swore the noises were coming from inside.
'Go, go!' Keith yelled as he jumped down the stairs three at a time with Percy stumbling in front of him.
'Inside?' I asked, already grabbing up all the bags in my sight.
'Inside' Keith glanced back up the stairs, 'There's a window, I don't know how. I jammed it, should buy us some time'.
'Not much' Lucas muttered, taking one of the sports bags from me, 'Front doors are clear, make a run for it?'
'Gonna have to'.
'Got everything?'
'The bags we came with' I stumbled on my words, 'Couple of chocolate bars, change of clothes and our phones and stuff'.
'It'll have to do' Keith said, 'Let's go'.
We burst out the doors, marvelling first at the bitter cold of what was surely still October and secondly the lack of infected in the street. It was deserted, much the story recently. This didn't mean I could ignore the bodies littering the streets though, papers flying beneath my feet caught up on the wind, blood and messages smeared over the walls and windows of shops.
Quiet mayhem.
'There's the car' Lucas started towards the it, running alongside us as I yanked for the passengers seat and Lucas dove into the drivers seat. Keith and Percy made for the back and it seemed time was on our side, as the unmistakable sound of shattering glass boomed behind us. The rear view mirror didn't lie; infected were swarming towards us, more than ten of them. Panting, screeching. Men, women. One without an eye, another with her head hanging limply from her neck as she staggered. It was terrifying in a way that nothing from my life up to now could prepare me for, raw, stomach-clenching fear.
'Let's go' Lucas only fumbled slightly as the key twisted and the car started lurching forwards.
We must have driven for no more than a few seconds before a sickening rip sounded and the car wobbled from side to side uncontrollably, rolling slowly to a stop no more than ten metres from the crowd running for us.
'What is it?' Percy asked frantically.
'I don't know!' Lucas cried, trying to drive the car with no avail. It swerved left and right as it drove, sending our heads hitting the seats painfully.
'Tyres' Keith groaned as his face hit the Lucas' seat, 'There must be glass on the floor!'
'They're coming' Percy cried again, staring out of the back window, 'They're coming!'
'What do we do?'
'I don't know!'
'Oh shit'.
The banging started as they reached the back of the car and swarmed around us. I was wrong, there were certainly a lot more than ten and they were slamming on the windows, pressing their bloodied and deformed faces up against the glass, scratching furiously. They were the predators; we were the prey, trapped mercilessly within this car. Every window was filled by bodies, not a single crack of sunlight made it past their horrific faces.
'We can't move!' Lucas shouted, slamming his fist against the steering wheel.
'We're trapped' Percy said solemnly, his voice so much calmer than it had been a second ago. The chaos suddenly didn't matter as we all gazed at the young man still in a suit who chose to ignore the old man smashing his teeth and face against the glass centimetres from his head and the younger woman who was snarling at Keith's window.
'We're trapped and we'll die' he muttered, voice barely audible over the screeches and wails, 'Everything outside this car is dead and we're next. There's no hope. It was all.. pointless'.
'Nothing is pointless' Keith growled, 'Nothing. When you think like that, then you die'.
'Look outside! They're everywhere, they'll be inside this car soon!'
'The glass will hold' I had to shout over the noise now as more and more gathered around the car, rocking it only slightly but enough to send absolute terror coursing through my body. They were so close, only a thin layer of glass separated us from them. I didn't know if the material would hold or even how long it would hold for. I just knew we had to keep hope alive to keep us alive.
'The glass won't hold' Percy argued, tears leaking from his eyes, 'Look at them! They're.. evil'. An infected swiped at my window with a sickening thwack as the words left his mouth and I couldn't help but agree.
'We can't run, we ca-'
'Yes we can' Keith cut in, 'They'll be in soon but the top is clear'. With that, he reached forward and lifted his body to unlock the window at the very top of the car. As he did, a crack appeared at my window and I pushed my body back with a gasp. There were at least thirty crowding us now, smacking their faces, hands and legs against the window, clambering and screeching to get in. We were food, they were not going to let something as simple as a vehicle get in the way, were they?
'Keith..' Lucas trailed off as he gazed upwards and suddenly I knew what Keith had meant.
'No!' I protested as he reached to unlock the top, 'That's suicide!'
'Staying here is suicide' he said quietly, crouching down again and breathing slowly, 'This way, we live'.
'What's the plan?' Lucas asked, wincing as his window began to crack under the strain, 'And tell us quick'.
'I run' Keith started, 'Jump out the top and run'.
'You'll never jump over them' Percy said.
'I used to do long jump in my sporting days' Keith chuckled slightly, catching my eye, 'I run, they'll follow and you guys make a break for it. If you run past those bushes over there, I'm 100% that B&Q is just around the corner, it was completely empty when we drove past it yesterday and everything in the area should be chasing me, you get a clear run'.
'No' I said simply, my heart thumping almost painfully, 'You can't do this, I'll run, I-'
'Harley' He sighed, 'I have to, we have no time'.
'No' I protested once again in probably what was pure selfishness, becoming angry, 'Yes, you're fast and you probably could outrun them for a few minutes but you've never outrun hundreds!' I cried, knowing I was wildly exaggerating. My heart was going crazy and breathing was becoming difficult, all I had to do was make sure he never left this car, never got himself killed, 'What if they get you, Keith? What if they catch up? What if..' I trailed off, unable to ask what would happen if he died. How could he walk away after that kiss, after all those stupid moments which just wouldn't leave my head? Even in some kind of apocalypse, he still cracked through my walls and left me vulnerable and he was risking his life after everything that had happened, after the multiple times he had saved mine, saved Lucas'? I'd lost far too much in the last couple of days, I would not lose Keith. I would not lose anybody else.
'I'll go' Lucas announced, already unbuckling his seatbelt. We were all trying hard to ignore the carnage outside, trying to shout over the almost deafening chorus of wails.
'You can't, we both know I'm a faster runner, they could catch you'. He turned back to me with apologetic eyes, sad eyes, 'Harley, if it keeps you alive, I'll run for hours, alright? You have to trust me, like I trust you to keep yourself safe'.
'They'll catch all of us' Percy smiled sadly, not even wincing as a loud crash sounded from the back of the car, sending adreneline and panic shooting through my veins, 'I want to believe in a future but I can't, I don't know how'.
'There's a future Percy, there's always a future. Look, we've been cut off from the rest of the world but it hasn't ended. We know that it's still turning, we know other places are okay from the way they're sectioning us, when we live, life restarts'.
'Everyone I love is dead' a tear rolled down his cheek which he didn't bother to wipe away. It hurt in my chest, hearing another person say those words. That must have been his phone call, his pain.
'That's not true' Keith said shakily, glancing with wild eyes at the windows which seemed ready to cave, squeezing his shoulder, 'You have us. We'll all start again, we'll find away and I promise that'.
'Me too' I smiled, not letting it falter as the screeches of the infected began to overpower my voice. We had to hurry, move. Whatever that meant.
'Thank you' he smiled again, letting the tear fall onto his muddy trousers which he hadn't changed from earlier, 'I'll go'.
There was barely time to process his words as he took a shaky breath, stood up on his seat and shoved the top window of the car open, climbing out and standing on top of the car.
'Percy!' I yelled as Keith and Lucas looked on in horror.
'Come back, you won't make it!' Keith yelled as Lucas attempted to reach to grab him back down. The infected were going crazy, they seemed to have forgotten us as they growled and snorted upwards to the top of the car where I was sure Percy would be the most scared he'd ever been.
'Get ready to run' he called and to my total horror, I saw him leap from the car to the floor in a jump I never would have pictured him achieving, but he did, and with a thud and a cry, he scrambled from the floor and began to run.
'Go!' he yelled.
'Shit, he'll never make it' Keith said loudly, 'I'll meet you at B&Q, be careful, alright?' He looked at me specifically and I swear for the first time looking into those emerald eyes, I saw genuine fear if only just a hint.
'Keith..' my voice was shaky, maybe it was simply wrong but I couldn't bear the idea of him leaving. The world, it just wasn't the same as it once was. Outside was not safe for any of us.
'Trust me, okay? Hurry, you two' With a final squeeze, he easily pushed his body through the small gap and effortlessly leapt from the car to attract the stragglers, one of which smashed my window of the car before turning around and screeching at Keith.
'Oh god' I whispered, shaking the broken glass from my lap, watching as Keith darted in and out of infected and disappeared round a corner in the direction Percy had gone.
'Come on, we have to go'.
Unclicking the door, we jumped from the car and cautiously looked around before making a sprint to the corner which we assumed B&Q to be round. I could faintly hear the yells of what I hoped were infected and not the two boys I'd grown so fond of in such incredibly different ways.
'Over here' Lucas tugged me to the corner and we stopped, panting and peering round. A couple of infected wandered aimlessly in the distance next to the massive shop which was protected with large security doors. A set of metal steps led to the roof which would be our only entrance and so after a quick glance to one another, we moved slowly towards those very stars. The infected were mere metres from the steps and it was with dread that I realised if we were threatened by two of these monsters, Keith and Percy would be positively frenzied.
'We can't get past them' Lucas sighed, I'll distract them'.
'No, there's been enough distracting' I replied, 'We'll take them down'. My brother looked at me in surprise.
'I think I liked it more when you were too scared to leave the house'.
'I still am' I said easily, 'But I realised that it doesn't matter. We keep going even when we're terrified'.
'Well, then we keep going but you stay back and if one gets past me, keep running to those stairs, alright?
'Luca-'
'Alright?' he pushed.
'Alright' I said, humouring him, not meaning it at all. Weapons were sparse, obviously, but with the wreckage of the world which once was, discarded pieces of cars, buildings and objects lay on the floor, pointed and threatening. I reached down for one when I noticed Lucas pulling something from the bag which was on his shoulder.
'Is that a gun?' I breathed.
'I found it in that police car, shoved it in my bag'.
'It'll attract more of them'.
'Maybe that'll help Keith and Percy'.
I nodded in agreement and reached down again to pick up a piece of sharp, discarded metal. Together, we edged towards the infected who were facing away from us and I wondered how the hell this was going to play out. Nothing was certain anymore, life - a gamble.
'Ready?' Lucas whispered just ahead of me, pushing forwards and pointing a gun towards a bulky, infected man whose arm was severed from the elbow. My own weapon pointed towards a woman with torn clothes, discoloured skin and tears covering her body. I wondered if these two used to be a couple and even in death, they stayed together. I didn't want to hurt them, to ruin them even more than they had already been ruined. It wasn't time to be emotional though, it wasn't time to look at these creatures and wonder what had become of my family, of their family. It was time to act.
'Ready' I muttered. And we moved. For some reason, we didn't anticipate the sound of the gun clicking alerting the two monsters who snapped their heads round and growled menacingly at us, pupil-less eyes widening.
'Oh shit'.
They lunged at us and even with a makeshift weapon in my hand and a gun in my brother's, I knew we were horribly unsafe. A shot rang through the air as a bullet was released towards the infected man and with a curse from Lucas, I could swear we saw the small piece of metal pierce his ear and keep flying. Backing away, he tried to reload the gun but the large infected man lunged forward before he could even move his fingers. In a second, he fell to the floor and the man was clawing at him with one arm while my brother furiously tried to fight him off, accidentally or deliberately sliding the gun away from him.
'Lucas!' I yelled, eyes darting towards the infected woman who spat angrily at me and growled before taking a swing at my retreating frame.
When did the world end up like this?
'Get off!' I snapped as I swiped at the infected, wincing when the glass slashed across her face, piercing her skin deeply. While she staggered to her feet, I took the opportunity and didn't even think about what I was doing. On animalistic instinct, I dove towards the gun, stumbled with the trigger, pointed to closely towards the huge monster who was attempting to bite my brother and pulled the trigger.
A second shot rang through the air but this time it did as was intended. The back of his head flew out behind him and he dropped heavily onto Lucas who shimmied out from underneath him, choking and coughing. There was no time to breathe before the infected woman was stumbling towards us again but both of us knew better than to fight.
'Come on' Lucas grabbed my arm and we made a sprint towards the stairs, heavy breathing behind me panting onto my neck. As my foot hit the first step, I was pushed to move in a way I had never thought possible but still the infected woman kept stride behind me, her hands clawing at my hair and my brother's hand yanking me behind him. The spiral stairs were endless and the open air pushed tiny pieces of grit into my eyes which only slowed my pace.
'I ca-' my voice was broken with the sudden jolt of the ground flying up at me, the hard concrete hitting my face painfully.
'Shit' I mumbled, disorientated and trying to lift myself. In the back of my mind, I wondered why the infected wasn't on top of me, clawing away at my limp body but the headache swirling in my brain prevented me from going into a frenzy about it. As I lifted my head, the world began to move in and out of focus and I slowly passed out to the sound of my brothers' voice calling out to me in a panic.
***
'Sunshine?'
'Go away' I mumbled, wiping away whoever was waking me from my comfy bed, 'No school today'. A faint laugh caused my head to raise slightly and I was more than confused when it was met with searing pain.
'Ouch' I mumbled.
'Lay down for now' the voice said again and with firstly confusion, worry and finally relief, I realised the voice belonged to Keith.
'Keith?' I mumbled again, trying to open my eyes, 'Keith, you're alright..'
'I'm fine sunshine, it's you I'm worried about. I leave you for five minutes and you knock yourself out?'
'It was an accident' I laughed quietly, wincing when it hurt my ribs, 'Lucas.. where's my brother?'
'He's.. out at the moment, get some rest then we can talk'.
'Wait' I coughed suddenly, straining to lift my aching body from the ground. The light hit my eyes even before I managed to open them and blearily, a dishevelled looking Keith came into view, red staining his shirt and face, the tiniest smile gracing his lips.
'Keith.. the blood, what happened? Can I see Lucas, is Percy okay?'
'I got in a scrap with an infected' he bit his lip, staring down at the blood on his hands, 'Percy and Lucas are fine but they're downstairs having a talk'.
'Of course you did' I couldn't help but laugh very quietly, wincing with the pain, 'They're okay? What do you mean downstairs, where are we?'
'So many questions, woman' he chuckled, 'We're in B&Q and they're fine, just a little shaken still. Not as tough as you n' me' he winked, squeezing my hand.
'I remember now'.
'I know. We have a plan, Harley, we have a chance'.
'A plan?'
'We're not supposed to know about a bombing. A few months back, I learned about every community bomb shelter in the UK, every entrance, exit and location. There's one not far from here, half an hour at most. We'll get there'.
I didn't know whether to cry or ignore the pain and jump on Keith – it was overwhelming, the idea that we were headed for somethng, not just aimless, certain death. Still, it was morose, wrong.
'Are you sure?' I asked him, not quite beliieving that any ending where we stay in this warzone could be the right thing.
'Almost 100%, ever since the government implemented their new bomb precautions, my friend was obsessed with a nuclear war or something. He used to talk about it all the time, I guess I just listened. It's ironic'.
'It is' I agreed with a small smile, 'When do we leave?'
'Oh I don't know, I reckon we have an hour or so for you to get yourself rested'.
'I don't need it' I said, straining to push myself up from the ground again. It was now I noticed that I was in a tiny staff room on top of a few small cushions; only a dim glow kept the room alight and the furniture was sparse. I felt sweat dampen my forehead as I moved and as my chest heaved with pain, I fell back to the floor with a loud groan. Keith grabbed me before I could hit the floor so I was practically sat in his lap, a silence taking over completely. His eyes were right there, piercing mine and that same feeling tugged in my chest again, made my stomach flip.
'You're too clumsy for a zombie apocalypse' he said absentmindedly, glancing down to my lips like he had last night.
'They aren't zombies' I replied, still not breaking eye contact. It was a chokehold, something so beautifully scary that I dared not blink or speak. It was then I silently wondered if gravity was responsible my feet being held firmly on the ground, or if Keith was in fact propping me up.
'Harley..' He broke the silence, brushing a hand through his hair. I didn't know how to reply or what the right reply was so I didn't even move my lips, simply glanced at his. A few minutes passed like this before he moved his hand up to my shoulder, the touch sending mini shockwaves through my body. His fingers traced lines down my arms and consciously, I moved closer still to Keith till I could feel his breath on my lips.
'How did this happen?' he asked, voice rough.
'I have no idea' I whispered, wondering if he could hear my heart beating. It took only a second, but I lost my breath as a pair of lips were planted firmly on mine, knocking me so off balance that I ended up on my back on top of the cushions. My hands moved to his back, snaking round till he was pulled even closer to me and his lips were plating butterfly kisses on my jaw, neck, shoulders. I'd never felt like this, never been caught in such a moment. His hands were on the back of my neck; I could feel my hair laced between his fingers till there was virtually no space between us as his lips hungrily sought out mine. I clung on desperately suddenly, digging my nails in and holding on much tighter than was necessary, than was normal. I was scared that if I let go even for a second, something would drag him from me. It wasn't entirely unrealistic I thought, as tears formed behind my closed eyes and my heart thudded erratically.
'Harley' He said breathlessly, pulling his mouth only slightly away from mine. His face was flushed and I was struggling for air but neither of us said anything further, just breathed. I ached to pull him back to me and I could see it in his own eyes but we leapt apart as my brother's voice sounded from outside the door.
'Keith, is she awake? I heard voices!'
'She's awake' Keith cleared his throat, sending me a look with his eyes. With a small smile, he ran a hand through my hair to stop it looking quite so ruffled. We managed to put some space between us before my brother walked in, looking happier than I'd seen him in days.
'You always have me worried' he grinned at me before rolling his eyes, sitting down on the floor opposite me.
'Sorry' I smiled back guiltily, still a little breathless.
'Are you feeling better?'
'Yeah, yeah I am' I didn't look at Keith. I dared not, 'Where did the infected woman go?' I suddenly asked, not even anticipating myself asking. I had almost forgotten about the problems we had getting up those stairs and instinctively reached up to trace the indent on my forehead.
'She wasn't difficult' he started, 'You did the most work when you cut her and shot the guy, she tried to grab you but I pushed her over the banister'.
'Oh.. When did you get back?' I asked Keith, looking from him to my brother. His face was still flushed and it was kind of difficult to keep up a normal pretence but I was trying - not just for the sake of my brother, but for my own sake too.
'Uh, not long before you woke up. It took a while to get rid of them'.
'How'd you do it?'
'I caught up with Percy, they were gaining on him but he stood his ground, he's a brave guy. We kept running for a while then hit an alleyway. I jumped a bin onto the roof and pulled Percy up, we just dropped from the other side and found B&Q. Have to say Sunshine, I spent at least twenty minutes running from infected but coming here and seeing you unconscious gave me a pretty mighty heart attack'. He grinned at me, giving me a wink. I just laughed and leaned further back into the cushions, tired and a little confused.
'Alright, I'm gonna go check on Percy' Keith announced, lifting his arm from mine. The spot he left was cold and my stomach clenched as he left. I wanted to ask him to stay so we could talk, do something but I couldn't, not with my brother right next to me. Then, I was scared to let my Lucas out of my sight probably even more.
'Nah man, it's alright' My brother stood instead, gesturing for Keith to sit back down, 'We were talking before I wandered up here and heard voices, I think he needs to get some things off his chest'.
'Sure thing' Keith nodded and moved to sit next to me again.
'When did you wanna leave?'
'An hour?' Keith suggested, 'We have about seven or so hours I reckon till we're leaving it too late so we can afford to wait'.
'Sounds like a plan. Anyway, come down when you're ready'.
'Will do'. With that, Lucas nodded and stepped out the door, shutting it behind him so quietly that I could hear his footsteps walking away. Keith and I didn't move for a while, I wasn't nervous nor was I fearful, it was the kind of silence I wasn't quite used to.
'What would you being doing right this second if we weren't here?' Keith turned to me, a small smile playing on his lips. His question caught me off guard and so I spent at least a few minutes biting my lips, staring off into space.
'What day is it?' I eventually asked.
'Thursday'.
Thursday? Jesus, it was only Monday I had woken up expecting a good day, only Sunday I sat and ate dinner with my parents. Now it was Thursday, it was a whole new world and my parents were dead.
'I don't know' I breathed, 'I have Law on a Thursday. It's the afternoon so I suppose I would be having lunch; a bacon roll'.
'Nice' he smiled, looking back into my eyes in the way he did before he kissed me so passionately. I still hadn't recovered, much like the last time, but instead of wondering if he meant it like it felt he meant it or if I could handle these insane feelings brewing inside of me, I simply carried on the conversation.
'What about you? Do you work Thursdays?'
'Yeah, right this second I'd probably be escorting old ladies around the shop, generally being lovely. Maybe I'd even carry her basket'.
'Oh really?' I couldn't help but laugh, 'Are you trying to impress me, Keith?' I grinned.
'Maybe' he smiled sheepishly again, breaking eye contact, 'I don't s'pose it worked?'
'Nah, I prefer guys who work at Tesco'.
'I work at Tesco'.
'I like Asda'.
'I work there too'.
'Keith?'
'Yes?' he asked.
'Shut up'.
I was fully aware when I moved over to sit closer to him, fully aware when he draped his arm over my shoulder and I was fully aware that I was in too deep. I'd read books about the Zombie apocalypse, I'd watched films, heard speculations. I understood how it was all supposed to happen and understood that it wasn't supposed to work out, people counted on it not working out.
I didn't count on spending possibly the last few days of my life though, falling so quickly for someone I wished I'd met so many years earlier.
I didn't count on Keith.