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Contents:

Dead People Can’t Die Twice

Hidden Secrets

Now Where Shall We Start?

Dead People Can’t Die Twice

   Somehow it seemed to fit. Everything Sam had said made sense. It didn’t make it any easier to understand, but at least he wasn’t thinking he was going mad now.
   Jason put the gun down. Not that it would have done much good from what Sam had said. Dead people can’t die twice.
   “What’s the plan, then?” said Jason. “How do we get through this?”
   Sam wrapped the bandage tighter around his arm. It was stinging now, but the bleeding had stopped.
   “My plan has always been to keep out of their way. As long as we’re quiet we should be able to avoid them. I was heading for the river before running into you. Gonna make my way North to the Old Mill bridge. Cross there and then head East. I heard there’s a settlement up there. Been there for over a year so seems it’s stable.”
   Sam looked at Jason a little suspiciously.
   “You really had no idea about what happened? What’s been going on for the last eighteen months?”
   The burly man sank back further into the creaky wooden chair. He ran his fingers through his wispy blonde hair.
   “Been off the grid for the last two years. Wanted to get away from all the craziness of so-called civilised life. Looks like I was right.”
   “Maybe you were, but unfortunately it doesn’t help us out.”
   Sam got up and moved over to the window of the small house. It was set in a clearing in the woods with dense clumps of trees all around. It was a miracle he found the place.
   “How far is the river from here?”
   “A half hour walk. And then another three hours to the bridge.”
   Sam looked up at the sky. It was a clear day, but was the wrong side of noon.
   “How many hours of daylight do you reckon we have?”
   “Two,” replied Jason.
   “Yeah. Didn’t think we had many. We should stay here until the morning. Move out first thing.”
   “Whoa young fella. I’m not going anywhere. No one’s bothered me here for the last two years. No reason why that would change just because of some world wide catastrophe. There’s nothing in the air, right. Nothing poisoning the waters. Then I’ll be just fine where I am.”
   Sam spun round almost making Jason jump.
   “You don’t understand! They can sniff out the non infected. You may last a few months, but they’ll eventually catch up to you. You’re not that far off the grid.”
   “And that’s why I’ve got...” Jason stopped himself as he put his hand on his gun then realised his mistake.
   “Exactly,” said Sam. “Besides, they run around in packs. There’ll be too many for one person to handle. Our only choice is to try and reach the settlement.”
   Jason’s insides churned over. He’d spent most of his life avoiding groups of people culminating in buying this plot of land and building this house buried in the middle of a secluded wood miles away from anywhere inhabited by other humans.
   “They’ll never find me in here,” he replied unconvincingly.
   “Yes they will!” Sam said slamming down his hands on the table. “I’ve been running from them for the last six months. They always find me no matter where I try to hide. The only way to survive is in numbers.”
   “It was in numbers that this whole mess started, wasn’t it!” Jason shouted back, standing up with his face up close to Sam’s.
   Sam instinctively moved back slightly as the big man fronted him, but he didn’t back down. He did change his strategy though.
   “That doesn’t change the fact that no one can survive on their own now. We all have to work together to find a way through this,” he said in a calmer voice.
   “Well we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this,’ said Jason in a more civil manner. “You can stay the night if you like, but you’ll be leaving on your own in the morning.”
   The two men stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly Sam spun his head round to the window.
   “What was that?” he said.
   “What?” questioned Jason following his line of sight.
   “That noise! There’s something outside!”
   He rushed to the window peering through the crystal clear glass, eyes darting from left to right. They strained to see through the shadows of the dense wood.
   “Do you have anything like a spotlight or an LED torch?”
   “No,” said Jason joining Sam at the window. “I didn’t hear anything. There’s nothing out there. There’s no way they would have found us unless they’re like Bloodhounds.”
   “Believe me when I tell you they can sniff out Humans as well as any dog. Never let your guard down.”
   Jason quickly scanned the area then went into the kitchen.
   “Do you want some coffee” he called out.
   Silence.
   “Sam! Do you want coffee?”
   Again there was no answer. Jason peered through the kitchen doorway to see a space where Sam had been standing. He scanned the room and found the front door open, a slight breeze pushing against it. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly he followed Sam outside.
   He was nowhere to be seen. The tree-line was just twenty metres away and it ran all the way around the house to a small gap, big enough for one vehicle, at the front of the house.
   “Sam! Sam!” he called out.
   He jogged down the two steps leading off of the veranda to walk the perimeter of the house. There was still no sign of Sam.
   “Sam!” he tried again.
   Nothing.
   On instinct he ran back into the house to fetch his gun. He didn’t care what Sam said. A weapon was better than none.
   As he approached the table where he left his rifle his heart sank. It was gone. A sudden realisation dawned on him. Sam had been playing him. There was no apocalyptic virus turning people into flesh eating zombies. There was no national emergency. No lone settlement surviving against the hordes. He’d been fed a load of lies for what? So he could take his house? Take his possessions? Take his life?
   There was a noise behind him and he spun round to find Sam standing at the doorway, rifle in hand, with two people behind him. Well, he assumed they were people at some point in time, but in reality they looked like living corpses.
   There was a stench coming off of them that the breeze carried into the house. Jason jammed his arm against his mouth and nose trying to block the smell out.
   “Your meal awaits my beauties,” said Sam.
   The two creatures lumbered forward more nimbly than Jason would have thought possible. It took him by surprise and he felt the cold hard grip of their hands on his body and legs in the blink of an eye. This was quickly followed by teeth sinking into his flesh.
He tried desperately to fight them off, but it was in vain. His strength lessened as the blood drained from his body.

The End