Til The World Ends - 1. Chapter 1

I've woken up alone again, no idea when Daniel left the bed which worries me, maybe not as much as it should, as much as it would if I really cared about what happened to me. I think that's what should scare me. If something did happen while I slept, wouldn't it be a relief? To not wake up to this life.

Stupid, dangerous thoughts I tell myself as I sit up and ease my feet to the floor but I can't seem to shake the idea from my head. 'Think of something else Max,' I tell myself, looking around the room. The bedclothes are a mess, crumpled and heavy like they hold every toss and turn and drop of sweat. I should change them but then what? Throw them on the pile with everything else? I'm sick of feeling grubby. Yes I know how insane it is to be worrying about fresh sheets and an ironed t-shirt when all I should really be focused on is staying alive but there comes a point where just getting by isn't enough.

I pulled on the same clothes I wore yesterday, maybe tomorrow I'd treat myself to a fresh shirt. I quickly smoothed out the sheets as best I could before I headed out and made my way to the bathroom.
Quietly closing and locking the door behind me I crouched down and pulled from behind the radiator a notepad and pen. I'm not sure why I felt the need to hide my diary, it's not like I couldn't trust Dan, maybe it was old habits. Sitting down on the end of the bath I opened the pad, uncapped the pen, took a moment to gather my thoughts and started to write.

Day 47... I think, or 48, 49? I have no idea really, a few days since I last wrote is as accurate as I can get. You'd think with all the time we have now I'd be able to keep my records up to date but trust me, even with hour after hour of nothing to do but wait the last thing you want to do is focus on things long enough to write them down, all you really want to be able to say about today is that you got through it.
I had another dream about it last night, the reason for this entry.

In the dream I was back standing by the reception desk chatting to Kyle. The paramedics wheeled in the patient, how many times would I replay that moment? The one medic with blood streaming down his face. The security guard taking a bite to the hand as he tried to pin the guy back on the trolley. The nurse trying to help, who's face he spat at. When 30 minutes later she doubled over and vomitted blood onto the floor, I think that's when I knew that this wasn't just another Friday night drunk causing trouble.

All this time I'd concentrated on the man on the stretcher, believing if I could just recall something, anything that had been missed in all the commotion I could throw some light onto how it all happened. But what if my focus was misplaced, maybe all the sound and fury diverted my attention from an important fact. I was rewatching him struggle to get up and off the stretcher, twisting around and turning his neck at such an angle it looked broken, all to keep his eyes on the exit doors, his escape route, the look of fury on his face as he fought to get up was frightening.

In the dream the whole scene played out in slow motion and I think it was this stretching of time that made me realise something. The layout of the emergency department was such that as he was wheeled around the reception desk toward one of the side observation rooms he would have had to turn his head to keep his eyes on the doors, but he didn't, his glare remained fixed in one direction, focused on something else, someone else.

How did I not realise this earlier, he wasn't looking at the doors he was looking at a woman who walked alongside the trolley, just out of reach of his lunges. In all the commotion she was able to slip by unnoticed. She must have brought him in and would have known something about the circumstances surrounding his condition. I know it's not much but it's the closest I've ever come to recalling anything useful since the event.

None of the news reports that came out after that night could give any information on the man they referred to as 'patient zero' all we had were those half baked theories and rumours, man made plagues, mad scientists and genetic testing, chemical warfare, Gods judgement, all the usual end of the world rubbish, only this time it wasn't rubbish. This woman was there with him and she wasn't infected, was that down to luck or something more? Now I've got this thought at the back of my mind that I know something about her, something that's just not coming to me at the minute. I don't know if that's wishful thinking or what, but it's there, this niggling doubt that there's something about her I'm missing.

Looking back over what I've just written I realise how inconsequential it all seems, like people wouldn't already know all about her, every scrap of video from the security cameras would have doubtless been poured over. But what if something had been missed, who better to spot it than someone who was there when it happened. Daniel thinks I'm wasting my time, that the genie is out of the bottle and nothing I think of now will help cram it back in but that's Daniel for you and he wasn't there, I was.

Maybe it is a guilty conscience, another of his theories, but shouldn't I feel guilty? When they document the events of May 17th at Colbrook District Hospital, see I'm staying positive there and assuming there will come a day when people will be able to look back and investigate what happened, what will the records state? That while everyone was caught in a running battle against God only knows what I, Max Christopher Dawson took off and left them to it.

With that cheery thought running through my head I stood and stared in the mirror above the sink. I suppose I should have said that I'd aged decades from the stress of the past few weeks but if I was being honest I'd looked worse. Countless dead or dying, the infected roaming the streets, civil order a distant memory and every man and woman fending for themselves but my skin had never been clearer. Was it normal to think of stuff like that in times of crisis or was I really going off the deep end?

A noise from the other room shook me from my thoughts, Dan. If he'd realised I was up he'd come looking for me. They called this place compact when we first viewed it, you didn't realise the implications of that word until you were actually stuck indoors with someone full time. Leaving the bathroom I headed towards the living room, the source of the noise.

"Morning," Dan said, looking up as I entered the room. He was sat by the window, a position he'd been occupying more and more lately. 'To keep an eye out'. His reasoning went, although in my more cynical moments I wondered if he was looking for an escape or watching for me to attempt one. Did he ever fantasise about marching downstairs, throwing open the front door, standing out in the main road, arms aloft and screaming 'Here I am'. Maybe it was just me.

"How long have you been up?" I asked, taking a seat on the sofa, knocking over a box of cereal as I reached for a cushion. I bit my tongue to stifle a comment about the state of the place and instead focused on brushing the spilled contents back into the box.

"A couple of hours," he replied, giving me a look I'd swear was disapproving.

"What?" I asked, although I knew what he was staring at so really all I was doing was trying to engineer an argument I could say he started.

"Nothing," He said as he turned his attention back to the window. I continued to sweep crumbs from the seat, slightly annoyed that he hadn't risen to the bait.

"Do you have to do that? It's the last box, I'd rather not have a mouthful of crap next time I reach into it."

"You shouldn't have left it lying around then," I replied. A part of me was pleased that he'd said something but another greater part acknowledged that nothing good would come from a fight I wasn't brave enough to instigate, over a box of cereal, is that what we'd come to?

"I didn't know you'd knock it over."

"Well I didn't realise I had to check the furniture for food before I sat down, my stupid given the state you've got the place in." There, I'd said it.

"I told you I'd clean up."

"When? Because you missed the deadline for the end of the world in case you hadn't noticed, what are you going for now, five minutes before hell freezes over?"

"Don't be such a child Max, I said I'd get it done. It's not like it makes a difference."

Three years my senior, that's all and yet he continually acts like he's the voice of maturity and I'm some whining brat. Look at the place. Plates piled up on the coffee table, back from the long gone days when we used plates. Cans scattered around the room, it's not five minutes since I cleared them up which means he's been knocking them back like there's no tomorrow, a phrase I tend to hear everytime I make a comment these days. The worlds gone to shit so hey let's give up and live like pigs.

I stand up, intent on heading to the kitchen to 'accidently' discover that the store of soda's has been decimated but I stop myself. Picking fights, looking for reasons to be annoyed instead of just coming out and saying what was on my mind, life was short enough before but now this gameplaying is just ridiculous.

"You should have woken me." I said as I stepped towards Dan, keeping my back to the kitchen and hoping that I could keep enough of the mess out of sight and in theory out of mind.

"Why? You've not missed much. It's the new age, enjoy your leisure time".

I looked out of the window down at the street below wondering when, if ever, I'd get used to the lack of traffic. A loud bang made me jump, Dan laughed at my show of nerves as he pointed out the house over the road, it's garden gate swinging open before slamming back against the frame with a crash.

"I nearly died the first time it did it. I've been wanting to go and shut the damn thing all morning," Dan said as he reached out, took my hand and pulled me towards him.

I didn't so much accept his embrace as fall into it, I sat across his thighs and rested my head on his shoulder, his neck smelled of soap and almost masked the stale odour coming from his shirt. I closed my eyes and tried for a moment to remember the times when being held by him had made me feel safe.

"I'm sorry about the mess. I will clear it up," Dan whispered as he squeezed me in his arms, forcing a breath from my lips. If I just tried a little bit harder I'm sure I could forget everything and get the old feelings back. I can still remember a time when I wanted to spend every second with him. I held onto him a while longer despite knowing that my weight couldn't be comfortable. Clinging to each other despite the pain, if that wasn't our relationship it a nutshell.

For a moment I considered telling him about my dream but I could predict his response so what would be the point. I know the logic in all his arguments about it being too late to do anything and looking for reasons when there are none but he's forgetting one thing, I was there, right there, in the middle of this unfolding disaster and what did I do? I ran. I left friends back there, I said screw you to duty and just took off. Where exactly is the line between survival instinct and cowardice?

"I thought I'd go out for more supplies," I said as I eased up from Dan's lap.

"We don't need anything that badly," he replied reaching out for my hand.

I turned away, pretending I hadn't seen him move for me.

"We might not be out of stuff but by the time we are who's to say there'll be anything left? There must be other people out there, doing exactly what we're doing. We've got to start planning ahead."

"I just think we need focus on safety, it's why we're here isn't it? I want to keep you safe."

That was Dan's favourite word, 'safety' it was why we were still here when everyone else had taken off, running from a disaster that in his mind would soon catch them. Better to stay in the eye of the storm and keep our heads down, let the infection move outwards and away from us.

"I'll be fine, you don't need worry." I said as I looked around the room for my supplies, luckily my bags were by the sofa and not in the kitchen so I could avoid facing the mess in there.

"What if I went instead?" Dan asked. I don't know if he thought I would be flattered by the offer but I wasn't, I was annoyed. We both knew that with his asthma he couldn't run to the end of the road if it came to it. These trips were my responsibility, to pretend otherwise was just demeaning to me.

"I'm going to go now." I said as I pulled on my trainers, eager to get geared up before he could argue.

"Now?"

"Sooner it's done the better." "Before I lose my nerve." I added in a bid to convince him I wasn't doing this without a valid reason.

Reluctantly he agreed to my plans or rather he decided it was better to not argue. I could probably have done with eating before I left but my appetite wasn't there. I just wanted to get outside. I finished getting ready and gave Dan a quick kiss as he took up his position as lookout at the window before I said goodbye and made my way downstairs.
I wouldn't say that we had the whole process down to a fine art yet but we weren't doing too badly. I did trust Dan implicitly which had to be a good sign right? I mean I knew that my options were pretty limited right now but standing there waiting I couldn't think of anyone that I'd rather rely on.

Yes I knew that part of that confidence came from the fact that he probably believed I'd never let him hear the end of it if I opened the door and found he'd missed something, I dare say he wouldn't put it past me to haunt him just to remind him. It's the end of the world and we're stuck with the same old problems, I love him, I really do but a part of me thinks am I here for that or because I believe he wouldn't survive without me?

I adjusted my backpack and looked down at my laces, kicking the toes of each trainer against the doormat, Swallowing I steadied my hand against the deadbolt. 'Just another day out.' I whispered to myself. Three knocks from the ceiling above me, the sign for the all clear. I started a silent count reaching six before another three knocks sounded and I made my move. Opening the door, two steps forward, half turn back and the door pulled closed, push back to check it's secure and move.

Fighting the urge to look back, I moved out onto the street, I knew that Dan had that direction covered but it was still tough to resist the temptation to check. I set off at a pace, keeping to the edge of the pavement, well away from any potential surprises lurking in the fenced gardens of the houses I passed. Yes everything looked deserted but all it would take was for one of the sick to catch me unawares and I was screwed. Even if it wasn't one of them but a survivor which lets face it there had to be more of out there, did I really want to be facing this situation with yet another person? It was bad enough having to factor Dan into every thought I had, I didn't have enough worry in me for anyone else.

I scolded myself for getting lost in melodrama and told myself to get my head back in focus. Dan was right, complacency was my enemy, just because my journeys had been uneventful so far did not mean that I could risk letting my mind wander, I had to stay focused. Maybe I was just trying to distract myself from the fact that this wasn't a regular trip despite what I had told Dan.

I concentrated my attention on the driveways of the houses I passed, hoping to recall which houses usually had cars parked outside, if the cars were gone then chances were the owners had fled and the house would be empty, handy info to have at hand when looking for supplies, of course it was no guarantee and even though most people did flee the area when they saw what was happening it would be just my luck to pick the wrong home.

I'd made it to the end of the road, where Dans ability to see me reached it's limit, from there it was a left turn and a short walk to the grocery store which although I hadn't told him yet was now rather more store than groceries, hence my new plan which he would never have approved.

I headed right, picking up speed. I'd calculated that it should take an extra 5 minutes to get where I was going compared to the store and I didn't want Dan thinking anything had happened so I broke into a jog.

The idea came to me a few days ago whilst I was trying to recall which neighbours I had seen flee in the wake of the disaster, excluding the flat downstairs from us which was empty when we moved in our street was pretty fully occupied. Knowing we would eventually have to scout for supplies in other homes if things continued unchanged I was attempting to draw up a shortlist when it had hit me that there was one house I knew was deserted. Jane from work lived nearby and she was away on holiday when it all started, there was no chance she would have made it back into the country and the best of it was I knew where she hid her spare key.

Dan would have had a fit if he'd known what I was up to. He just didn't get that I was only doing what needed to be done. I'd humored him enough, it's easy to convince yourself that you can just stay put and wait for salvation when someone else is out there making sure you have enough to eat and drink. I'd listened to him all along the way. Stay put, stay quiet, don't look for help just hope it comes to you. Hope, that's all we were left with while we hid in each others pockets and pretended that the claustrophobic feeling smothering us was caused by the threats from outside and not the pressure of having to worry about someone elses life every minute of every day.

The remains of some animal lay on the road in front of me. I tried to ignore it, not really wanting to know what it was or to consider who or what was responsible for it's current state.

Jane's was a big house and a part of me wondered at the idea of getting Dan to move from the flat, I think things would be much easier if we just had more space, actual room to breathe. I didn't hold out much hope though given his certainty that the safety afforded by being above ground floor was priceless, he was most likely right but oh for the luxury of a whole floor between us.

This was it, I'd made it. The fence was higher than I remembered, I couldn't actually see the house which unnerved me slightly but I'd come this far I was not going to be put off now. I approached the tall wooden gate that gave entrance to the secluded front garden, I glanced around quickly before I gripped the gate handle, pushed it open and stepped inside.

What had once been Jane's pride and joy had become a wilderness, or fast approached one anyway, the tall grass, sprouting hedges and flowers gone to seed gave the place a ramshackle air of neglect that didn't help my nerves as I headed towards the house. This wasn't what I'd imagined but it was too late to turn away now. I used to play hell with her for hiding a key outdoors but now I was grateful for her trusting nature. There it was under a loose brick in the patio, I grabbed it, turned it in the lock and as easy as that I was inside.

Last time I'd been here there had been a party in full swing, Dan was at home being boring and I was having the time of my life, a whole other world away.

After a moment spent wondering if it was safer to shut the door or leave it open ready for a quick exit I decided to close it but not lock it, I then change my mind and decided to turn the key. I was stalling, something I didn't have time for, I needed to remember Dan was waiting.

Taking off my backpack I opened it and pulled out the folded bags contained within, shaking them to open them up as I headed to the kitchen. I couldn't help but get a bit of a thrill while doing stuff like this, it was almost like Christmas, not knowing what presents I'd find. I needed to be selective, there was a limit to what I could carry comfortably but I tended to go overboard. Jane certainly hadn't let stocks run low before leaving, the cupboards were full, there was enough here to last me weeks, to last us weeks I corrected myself, trying to stop the thought that was worming it's way through my head. There was no 'me' anymore, there was 'us' we were a team and even the thought of staying here without Dan was a betrayal. It was there though, the idea and if I'm honest wasn't it one of the reasons I'd come, to check the potential of the place. But I knew Dan wouldn't move so why had I still done it?

'For the food.' I told myself as I stuffed cans and packets into my bags. I wondered if I could justify to Dan why I thought two bottles of vodka were necessary, decided to compromise and take just one then noticed the empty shopping bags hanging by the side of the breakfast bar. I could manage another couple of bags so in went the second bottle and a stash of chocolate bars I found hidden at the back of one of the cupboards.

Having raided the kitchen I headed through into the hallway and made my way upstairs to the bathroom, emptying the contents of the medicine cabinet into my backpack before moving on to the bedroom next door. I took a seat on the edge of the bed enjoying the feel of clean bedding under me so much that I took a moment to lie back and stretch out.
This place was so untouched that I was tempted to close my eyes and pretend for a minute that I was living a different life. It was in this room that Kyle and I hid out when it became obvious that while Jane may have invited plenty of people from work to her party only the two of us had shown up, with every other guest a complete stranger we took the easy option and hid, spending the night drinking and talking and laughing in our own private world.

I tried not to think about Kyle, or when I did I forced myself to imagine him out there somewhere safe and well, my dream scenario being that he went to his brother who I knew had something to do with the army and he took care of him, found him a place in some secret military hideout somewhere or just got him away from here, took him anywhere.

That was the party where he told me he was gay and attempted a kiss, I smiled at the memory. We blamed the drink for his advances and bad timing for my rejection of them. I'd just started getting serious with Dan. It's strange how things work out all because of timing, a few weeks earlier I might have said yes to him, a few weeks later I might have been single again, now he's gone and I'm with Dan forever, like things aren't scary enough. I mean really how can you ever split up with someone during an apocalypse? It really is til death do you part now.

I wondered what Dan would do if I didn't come back. I immediately felt ashamed for thinking like that and forced myself to sit up. Yes being alone might feel like the easier option, with nobody to worry about but myself, but the flipside of that was nobody to worry about me.

Taking some t-shirts and underwear that must have belonged to Jane's boyfriend I hit the jackpot and found an unopened pack of sheets and a quilt cover in one of the wardrobes. I knew I needed to leave before I got too comfortable. Having stuffed my finds into my bag I exited the room pausing only for a moment before starting down the stairs. I reached halfway when a noise startled me, a bang from upstairs. Frozen to the spot I knew that I needed to move, run, but I couldn't. Maybe I'd imagined the noise or could give it any one of a thousand explanations if my brain like my legs hadn't stopped working.

There it was again, a scratching sound this time, not as loud. I was sure it came from one of the rooms upstairs. I knew I should be getting as far away as possible but part of me didn't want to run, not again and if I left now I knew that I'd probably never dare come back. Taking a deep breath I quietly took a couple of steps back upstairs, just enough so that I could stretch up and peek around the corner. I reached back into the side pocket of my backpack and pulled out the small knife Dan made me carry, flicking open the blade and holding it by my side.

Complete silence as I peered round the corner to find nothing in view. The door at the end of the hallway was closed, if I remembered rightly it led to a study but I wasn't sure, I'd planned on investigating the place further on my next visit.
Slowly and carefully I climbed the last couple of steps, moved out onto the landing and looked along to the closed door. I braced myself and waited for further noise, when it came it was even quieter than the last scratching sound, just the faintest of scrapes this time. Before I could think of the consequences I took, one, two, three steps towards the door. I was being brave for once, brave or incredibly stupid. There couldn't be anything in there, or rather anyone, I knew that, it's what common sense told me. Of course common sense also told me that plagues wouldn't descend on my town on a Friday night and leave me scrounging round for food weeks later, strange things do happen. Be sensible Max, the perfectly reasonable explanation will come to you any minute now.

I was almost within touching distance now in fact I could probably have reached the handle and opened it if I had had the nerve. One, two, three loud bangs from behind the door sent me straight back to the stairs, to hell with bravery, any backbone I once possessed was now pooled around my feet. I ran down the stairs two at a time, almost tripping at one point before grabbing the bags I'd left piled in the kitchen and making for the back door. I very nearly continued my sprint out of the garden but instead forced myself to stop and lock the door.

I backed away, staring up at the top floor of the house trying to work out which window would match up to the relevant room. I think I half expected to see a face staring down at me. Instead what I found was a branch from the neighbours tree, half snapped and lodged against the corner of the house, bits of it brushing and scraping against one of the windows. Part of me wanted to laugh but I was still feeling too nervy, I just wanted to be at home now, safe inside with Dan. This was one time where the smallness of the flat would feel comforting and safe rather than tiny and oppressive.
I made the journey back in what felt like half the time it took to get there, even with the added weight of the bags. Once or twice I convinced myself that I saw movement behind the windows of one of the houses I passed but I told myself my imagination was still in overdrive. It was only as I approached our street that my arms began to tire. I couldn't wait to get in and give myself something like a month to calm down, that vodka was looking very appealing right now. A vodka and the comfort of a pair of arms around me, how tough am I? I felt a little shaky, physical exertion probably had something to do with it but the realisation of what might have been back there was probably more of a factor. There could have been anything in that room and I should have been halfway home before the first knock had finished, it's not brave to do something stupid, that's what I need to remember.

I took the last few steps to the house and placed the bags on the floor so I could flex my hands to relieve the cramps that had plagued me for the last fifty metres or so, I knocked twice and then turned to face the road. Dan was taking his time, he was usually ready before I even knocked, I wondered how late I was. I planned on telling him something close to the truth, where I was but not what had happened or the fact that it was preplanned, the store was empty and I had a sudden idea of where else to go, that kind of thing. The door remained closed, I considered banging on it but I could do with a moment to get my breath back so instead I took off my backpack and begin to pick through it looking for my set of keys. So much for a smoothly run operation, Dan's gone awol from lookout and I was fumbling about in plain sight.

Having finally located my keys I unlocked the door and bent down to grab the bags, struggling to lift them inside. I hadn't realised how much the journey had taken out of me. I guess I made most of it on an adrenaline high, the one plus to scaring myself half to death. As if on cue a crash from across the road makes me jump, that gate again. Moving the last bag indoors I closed the door and headed across the street. My nerves were frayed enough without that noise adding to it.

I grasped the handle to the swinging gate and pulled it closed, the metal frame creaking as it shut. I struggled to get the catch to stay down, as I bent to take a closer look at what was wrong with it I noticed the soil scattered across the path and realised that the problem was the gate was slightly buckled. I was just trying to work out how to either force it closed or what I could use to tie it shut when what should have been an obvious thought came to me. Why was the gate open at all? I was pretty sure it wasn't yesterday and it's not just open, it looks forced. The implications of this were just dawning on me when the attack came.

Stumbling across the lawn, for a moment he looked almost as shocked as I was before he recovered the few senses that remained once the infection took hold and charged towards me. Instinctively I backed away, stumbling and landing on my back, through sheer luck my feet were still within reach of the gate and scrambling forward I wedged them against it's corner, forcing it shut as he slammed himself against it from the other side, the wrought iron bars were too narrow for him to fit his swollen arms through. I've never had such a close up view of anyone infected before, other than that first night all I've seen are the news reports and amateur footage that flooded the screens before the power went out. He was so bloated, like someone inflated him to bursting point, the skin so taut it looked ready to split. His eyes were bright red from the popped blood vessels and a line of fresh blood flowed from his nose to join the congealed mess that covered the lower part of his face. A low growl was his only means of communication. The look of rage on his face was so intense it was almost as if there was so much anger in him it was literally making his body explode.

I tried desperately to recall anything useful that was reported but all I could think was don't let him anywhere near you.

"Dan," I cried. Where was he? I wanted so badly to get up and run but I had no idea how fast this guy might be. I knew they were supposed to lose some co-ordination but could I risk it? I felt sick with fear, I just wanted to get away from him.

"Max," I heard a shout and turned my head to see Dan jogging down the street towards me.

"I've been out looking for you," he said as he joined me on the floor and pushed his feet next to mine. "Go I've got this."
I couldn't just leave, even worn out I was faster than Dan and while he was stronger he couldn't just hold the gate shut forever.

"Run," he shouted at me as I remained in place. I stumbled to my feet, kissing his cheek as I rose.

"Get ready to go." I told him as I made my way to the fence a few metres along from the gate. Taking a couple of steps back I ran at the fence, jumping and grabbing hold of the top, pulling myself up so I was hanging over it, my upper body leaning out into the garden.

"Hey, over here," I shouted catching the attackers attention. He turned and looked at me for a moment, I'd have sworn he was considering what to do and for a moment I thought that he wasn't going to take the bait before finally he gave the gate one last shove and came for me, letting out a bellowing roar as he staggered forwards.

"Run." I shouted at Dan as I fought against the urge to drop back and run myself. I had to let him get as close as possible, give Dan enough of a head start to get safely home. I bit my lip as he neared me, one more second, one more and then he was too close and I had to drop back to the ground, I could hear the scrabbling of fingernails against the wood as I fell away.

I landed heavily, my knee buckled and I fell onto my side. I could hear Dan shout for me to get up, I really didn't need the encouragement. I winced as I pushed myself up and looked back over my shoulder to see Dan making his way towards me. I waved him away and continued to struggle to my feet, in front of me the fence rocked as our pursuer continued to plow into it. I limped away as I forced myself to ignore the pain each time I placed weight on my injured leg, the exertion sending shooting pains through me.

"Come on." Dan yelled as I ran. The expression on his face changed as his attention was caught by something happening behind me. I glanced back in time to see the blood stained face we were running from looming over the fence, gore splattered hands gripping the wooden slats as he pulled himself up, mimicking my earlier efforts. The idea seemed utterly ridiculous now but for some reason I hadn't thought that they could jump. The sight of him hauling himself up and over the fence so shocked me that I paused for a moment mesmerised by it. Even diving headfirst he landed better than I had and was up and after me before I could start moving again.

I fought back a cry of pain as I half ran half hopped toward home. Face forward, don't look back it wastes time, that was what my old gym instructor used to say but it's easier to ignore a chasing competitor than a monster rampaging. I couldn't stop myself from glancing back to see how close he was, the answer, very. The shock made me lose my balance and I tripped over my own feet, falling over the threshold of the garden, so near and yet so very far. I turned onto my back and raised my hands in some feeble attempt to protect myself as the slobbering mess of a man lurched over me.

I didn't even scream I was so stunned I just lay there thinking 'This is it,' as red raw fingers buckled into claws reached for my face. Suddenly the fingers were gone as with a loud pop the bleeding aggressor was sent flying away onto the path where he lay unmoving. Hands on my shoulder pulled me up as Dan threw the fence post he had just whacked the guy with away and helped me the final few steps into the house where with the door safely locked we collapsed in a gasping heap at the foot of the stairs. I tried to pull away from Dan who held me tight.

"Your'e not safe, he might have got blood on me." I said as I continued to try and extract myself from his arms.

"I don't care," Dan replied, pulling me closer. "I thought something had happened to you. I can't do this alone."

"Me neither." I replied as I gave in to his embrace. He was right, how could anybody face this alone. The world had gone to hell, all we had left was hope and each other and we needed to cling to both to make it through. Leave the fighting for a day when we weren't already battling against everything else. Wasn't that what a partner was for? To face the world with, to be someone to come home to, someone to come home for.