E Virus: The Diary of a Modern Day Girl (Book 2): The Path of Destruction (6 page)

We went via the back roads in order to get out of Bramhall. We didn’t want to alert our presence to any more of the infected. We’d had enough excitement for one day.

We finally emerged onto the A555. The
sat-nav was directing us towards the Handforth Bypass, we were heading towards home. Well, to what was once home. Our apartment was a few miles ahead; we would be going straight past it.

I was starting to feel homesick. Being this close to home, yet knowing we couldn’t go back made my heart sink.

We had spent so much time getting the apartment exactly how we wanted it. All that time and money, if I had known we were going to be in this situation, I think I would have put my money to better uses.

“Shall we swing by Andy and Lola’s house?” Nick asked; I knew he had good intentions. He was worried about Andy; it was understandable.

Just hearing that vile girl’s name, made the anger well up inside me. I looked over to Lacey; I could tell from the look in her eye she felt exactly the same way I did.

I didn’t respond to him; I just glared over in his direction. He knew how much I hated her, how much Lacey did. I couldn’t get my head around how the boys could be so cool about it. She had completely and utterly betrayed us. She had opened
the flood gates, on purpose I might add, and let the infected in. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she did it out of spite.

For all intents and purposes, it was attempted murder. Actually, it was murder, although not directly. The Sergeant and Josh were no longer with us. They still would be if it weren't for her.

This wasn’t just a petty little, girls falling out drama. This was way bigger. It was on a whole other level.

“I know how you girls feel.” Paul said, “But I think it’s a good idea, for Andy’s sake guys.” He added.

I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but I knew that in the end we would be outnumbered.

Nick signalled to the car behind us as we slowed down and pulled in on the side of the road. The roads were completely dead. A few plastic bags rolled across the side of the road, like tumbleweeds in an old western. Rain had started to fall, only very lightly, but it darkened the sky above us.

Nick hopped out the car and ran over to Ryan and the rest of the team. He relayed our thoughts about veering off course slightly.

I wasn’t too surprised that Ryan sided with Lacey and I. After all the Sergeant was a dear friend, and we all knew he was still reeling from his death.

Leon agreed with the rest of the boys, which only left George and the Professor.

Although a little quirky, the Professor had a good heart. He wasn’t one to hold grudges, and always did what he could for the rest of the group.

He agreed. “If there is a chance to help young Andrew, I feel inclined to say yes” He announced. He mentioned nothing of Duckface, which was absolutely fine by me.

George seemed a little more practical than the Professor. “I find myself siding with the girls.” He said. “But for a different reason. Andrew left on his own accord. He had his own priorities. I also think veering off would be a fool’s errand. We should focus on the task ahead and concentrate our energy into getting to the Marina” He stated.

It seems we had reached an impasse. Four votes yes, and four votes no. I was actually surprised Lacey and I had managed to gain this many.

Lacey, Paul and I hopped out the car and went to meet with the others.

“Ok, how do we work this one?” Nick asked the group.

“We could split up? Those that want to go take one car, those that don’t take the other and head to the marina?” Paul suggested.

“No, for one, we only have a sat-nav in one car” I replied quickly.

“She’s right, plus I don’t really think it’s a good idea splitting up, we need to stick together” Leon agreed.

We all nodded; it was the only thing we could agree on. Unfortunately, it left us in the same predicament we were in before.

It was clear none of us were going to change our votes, so reluctantly we agreed to take a drive to Andy’s house.  The last thing we wanted to do was to split up.

A few arguments later, we trudged back to the cars. The boys agreed that on the first sign of danger we’d get out of there.

I suppose they were right in a way. Andy was a good guy. He went out his way for us and took part in everything whilst we were on the base. He put a lot of hard work in, but so did the rest of us. He should have never left in the first place if you ask me.

We turned right at the next roundabout as our car climbed up the hill towards the Bluebell BMW garage. We were a stone’s throw away from the apartment. It was heart-breaking driving past the road, knowing we most likely, would never go back.

I put it to the back of my mind. I was still angry at
Duckface, just the thought of her false, arrogant face left me reeling. I swear to god if I saw her, I’d punch the arrogance right out of her. That’s if Lacey didn’t get to her first.

We carried on past our road and onto the housing estate which was home to Andy and Duckface. We pulled up outside the house.

I couldn’t believe it. My car was parked in the drive. After a quick sweep of the area, we got out the car. The front door was wide open.

The first thing I did was check the car. It was locked. “Perfect!” I thought to myself. It was still in the same condition I had last seen it in. At least she hadn’t scratched my
baby, I wouldn’t have put it past her.

We cautiously entered through the front door. The house was a mess. Furniture, decorations, DVD’s and books were strewn everywhere. The whole house had been turned upside down. We walked through the house; the boys went upstairs whilst Lacey and I followed George and the Professor checking out the rooms downstairs.

After a few minutes, the boys came back down, shaking their heads. “No sign of either of them. It’s a mess up there as well” Leon told us.

I took a closer look at the debris. Although it had evidently been tipped upside down, this didn’t seem like the work of the infected.

For one, there was no blood. Usually, when the infected were present, tell-tale signs of blood weren’t far behind. Even in and around my car, it still had its colour. Not a spot of blood was anywhere to be seen.

“Where are they?” I wondered. She’s obviously been here, but where is she now? And why didn’t she take the car?

“Can anyone see my keys?” I asked the rest of the group.

Everyone looked around shaking their heads. With that, we all scoured the house, looking for the keys. It wasn’t a necessity, but I wanted my car back. The last thing I wanted to do was leave it for that bitch to take, wherever she was.

After ten minutes or so it was clear, wherever she was, the keys were also.

We decided to leave it and head back to the cars. We didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to ourselves. Nick quickly grabbed a pen, and screwed up piece of paper and straightened it out. He left a note for Andy. It read:

Andy,

Its Nick, we are heading to Nantwich to get to Venetian Marina. We have keys to a boat. If you find this, don’t go to the base. It’s all gone. Meet us at the Marina.
Postcode CW5 6DD.

He stuck it onto the fridge as we made our way back to the cars.

“What if she sees the note?” Lacey asked.

“After the stunt she pulled, I don’t think she would dare show her face” I answered simply. I hoped to god I was right.

We bundled back into the cars and corrected our course. We headed back onto the A34 and carried on towards Alderley Edge. We had managed to follow the A34 past Wilmslow with ease. There were no cars on the road at all.

It was such an eerie feeling looking around and not seeing a single soul, especially in the middle of the day. It started to hit home, how isolated we were.

We turned off into Alderley Edge as we passed the Merlin pub. What was once one of my favourite eateries, always in pristine condition, had now taken on an entirely different look. All the shrubs and hedgerows were overgrown. The building itself stood dormant. A few cars still stood in the car park, but it was clear they would never be used again.

I was amazed by how different the world was starting to look. Without people around to maintain places such as these, they were deteriorating rapidly.

We passed the glass fronted café Aldeli as Nick turned quickly into the petrol station.

“What are you doing?” I asked him, looking around making sure we were alone.

“Babe were nearly out of fuel, I don’t think we can make it all the way to Nantwich on what we’ve got left” He replied.

I looked at Lacey and Paul in the back as I sunk back into my seat. “Great!” I thought to myself.

I had already had enough excitement for one day; I didn’t think I could cope with anymore.

Ryan pulled up behind us and got out the car. Checking all around him first, he shouted over to us. “I need to fill up too, but we need to get inside to switch the nozzles on."

I turned my gaze to the station shop. It looked quiet enough. But the windows were steamed over from the inside, meaning we couldn’t see in.

Leon made his way over to the door, wielding Ryan’s bat. He peered into the glass and looked over to us shaking his head.

“I can’t see a thing.” he told us. He pulled open the door and poked his head around.

“All clear so far” he shouted over. George and Nick started to unclip the nozzles and put them in the cars, ready for refuelling.

Leon, Ryan and Paul made their way inside to switch on the pumps. The Professor, Lacey and I stayed on watch, making sure the area was clear.

The rain was starting to clear up. The sky was already still its usual grey self. We never had much sun even in the summer. I rubbed my arms as I started to shiver.

A few minutes later the nozzles clicked on. Nick and George quickly went about fuelling the cars. A few minutes after that, the boys in the station shop reappeared arms full of chocolate and crisps.

Paul emptied his findings into our car. “Treats for the journey.” he told us, as he turned to go back for more.

“It might be a good idea to find some plastic bags to put it in.” I told as he wandered back to the shop.

“Oh yeah!” he said nodding, “I’ll find some."

Leon and Ryan weren’t far behind him. Ryan picked up a Jerry Can on his way in and handed it to Nick. “Fill this up, just in case we need it.” Ryan told Nick. It was a smart idea. You never know when stuff like that comes in useful.

Ryan was about to head back to his driver’s seat when we heard an almighty crash coming from the station shop. He grabbed some left over piping and ran into the store. Before Ryan had a chance to get to the door, Leon and Paul came out, both their T-Shirts covered in blood.

“Found the petrol attendant.” Leon said handing Ryan his now blood covered bat.

“Don’t worry, we took care of him, he didn’t get very far” Leon assured us.

“Even so, I suggest we carry on with our journey?” George suggested his voice filled with concern. “We don’t know how many more of them could be out there” he finished.

We all agreed and hopped back into the cars. With our petrol tank now full, we got back on our route.

Armed with a magnitude of treats, we carried on our journey, towards the Venetian Marina.

We kept to the back roads as much as possible. We didn't know what we were heading into or what was waiting for us, lurking in the shadows.

The journey wasn't as straightforward as we had hoped. We encountered several roadblocks, obstructing our path ahead. Each time we turned around, our sat-nav recalculated our route.

Various Car pile ups lengthened our journey considerably; the roads we were now traveling through became less and less familiar. We were now passing through the lesser known hamlets and villages around the Cheshire area.

"How long have we got left now?" Lacey asked, as the sat-nav recalculated yet again.

"45 minutes" Nick replied, slightly deflated.

We had already been driving for half an hour and we were still no closer to the Marina. I was starting to get restless. Although we were in a locked car, I still didn't feel completely safe. To make matters worse we had no idea where we were.

"God, at this rate it's going to take hours" Lacey sighed.

"Yeah, I think we might need to pull over soon. Could do with a quick pit stop” Paul said looking out the windows.

“Why, what’s the matter?” Lacey asked.

“I need a wee” Paul replied sheepishly. Lacey rolled her eyes.

“Did you not go before you left?” She asked.

“No, I forgot” He replied.

“Can’t you just hold it?” Lacey carried on.

I turned around and raised my eyebrows at them both. They never failed to make me laugh. We were in the middle of nowhere, pretty much the epicentre of a zombie apocalypse, and they were too busy bickering about Paul’s toilet habits, to care what was going on around us.

To be honest, that was fine by me. It was actually rather nice to focus on the more mundane facts of life, even if it was a debate about Paul’s bladder control, or rather lack of control.

“Actually babe, I need to go too” Nick whispered to me as he slowed the car and pulled over to the side of the road.

We were in the middle of the countryside. Fields spanned for miles. Even if the world was normal again, we would still be the only ones there.

The boys in the car behind us pulled over, it seemed that everyone was holding it in. Lacey and I had the sense to make the most of the luxury which was toilets in the mail room before we left. It’s strange to think that in this new world, a toilet is now considered a luxury item.

The boys had it so much easier than we did. They could stand up to
wee. It didn’t matter where they were they just aimed out. It was a luxury that neither myself, nor Lacey had. We were confined to the bushes by the side of the roads, or in the middle of the woods. It really wasn’t the most dignified thing we ever did, but better out than in I suppose.

“Can we continue on our journey now?” Lacey asked sarcastically as Paul came back over, zipping up his jeans.

We all piled back into the cars as we set off further into the countryside.

After rows upon rows of fields and woodland areas, we drove into a small village. The infected certainly seemed to be more active. They littered the streets around us. They stared at the cars as we drove past. They didn’t seem to be the fast movers we had seen previously. They were the slow to react, dithering types. Maybe it had something to do with their age.

They all seemed to be in the 50+ age bracket. Not that I could tell from their facial features, the virus had already consumed that. I guessed from the type of clothes they were wearing. One man still had his flat cap on.

This being said, it didn’t make them any less frightening to look at. Remnants of their last meal were clearly visible, although it certainly looked as if it was a fair while ago. Dried blood smeared across their faces, their eyes vacant, yet containing the most basic awareness of what was going on around them. Lucky for us, they were slow to react. We were
way past them by the time they had clocked we were a happy meal on wheels.

These seemed to be lazy zombies. They pushed themselves forward, hobbling a few paces before stopping, seemingly to reassess the situation. They weren’t the brightest of the bunch. Maybe the virus is slower acting in less populated areas, I don’t know. But they seemed more like the first wave of infected we had come across in our time at the apartment.

It was good for us; we managed to pass through with only minimal danger. We had to slow right down a few times, but the infected made no attempt to reach the cars, it was like herding cattle moving them out the way.

They seemed to understand they needed to get out the way. They must be tuned into only the most primal dangers. It was as if we were watching cavemen discover fire for the first time. They didn’t quite know how to react. They eyed the cars quizzically at first; some even stepped forward to take a closer look. As they did, Nick inched the car forward. Unprepared for the new sudden movements they stepped back, as if they were deciding against it. Self-preservation was starting to reveal itself.

It didn’t take us long to come out the other side unharmed. There were only a few houses around us, not much else. We pushed on down the winding country roads.

The roads began to clear as we reached the less populated areas. Roadblocks became fewer and fewer. It didn’t take long before we were back on a main road.

The scenery started to become familiar. As I looked around me, I managed to get my bearings. We back were on Holmes Chapel Road.

We were driving along at a reasonable speed when we heard a loud pop from behind us.

Nick checked his rear view mirror. The BMW behind us flashed us and pulled into the side of the road. We stopped a couple of yards in front and stepped out the car.

We made our way over as the boys crowded the rear driver’s side tyre. There were a few houses in front of us, but all seemed quiet.

“What happened?” Nick asked running over to the car.

“Think we’ve had a blowout mate” Leon responded.

The Professor and George were the last to get out the cars. They walked over to Lacey and I as we stood watch.

“These fancy cars, not as reliable as they used to be” George scorned. “Did you not check the tyres before we set off” he added in for good measure.

“It’s a blowout, could happen to anyone” Lacey responded sharply.

For a girl, she knew a lot about cars. I was useless. It took me over a year to figure out how to open the bonnet. I couldn’t even stand putting fuel in the car. That was Nick’s job he always did it for me. I was always so scared I would put the
wrong type of fuel in. My old car was petrol, the Quashqai was diesel, I was scared I would revert back to my old ways and start pumping it full of petrol, then would have to face a £250 charge for someone to come out and syphon it all out for me.

It didn’t stop there; I almost took my car to the mechanics when it had run out of screen wash. I never knew it was a fill it yourself job.

I was pretty much useless. Lacey on the other hand, well she knew just from the noise the car was making, what the problem was. She was a lot more practical than I was.

The boys seemed to be having a bit of trouble. The tyre was nowhere near drivable, it was completely shredded. To make matters worse there was no spare tyre in the back.

“What are we going to do now? We can’t all fit in that one” Nick said pointing over to the 3 series.

“Well we can’t drive this one, that’s for sure” Ryan answered.

They all looked at each other, trying to figure out the next step.

“Have you checked for a spare in the other car?” Lacey shouted over.

They all looked up, as the light bulb finally clicked on. Nick and Leon hurried over to the 3 series and popped open the boot. Sure enough, there was a spare.

“I’m surrounded by idiots” Lacey sighed as she cracked a smile.

The boys got to work jacking up the car as Ryan and Leon removed the bolts from the old tyre, as the four of us looked on.

“We shouldn't be too far away now.” George told us. “All being well” he added.

“But then what?” I asked.

I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s all well and good finding this boat and sailing off into the sunset.
But what about afterwards? Where would we go? I didn’t know the first thing about the canal systems; I had no idea where it would take us. Plus, how did we know where was safe. We couldn’t stay there forever; sooner or later we would have to stop off. It was safe to say, I wasn’t convinced. But it was the best plan we had, in fact it was the only plan we had.

“Then… we see where it takes us” The Professor answered. I was starting to grow fond of the Professor. He always kept his hopes up; he was always jolly and optimistic. He had a great sense of humour as well as having one of the best laughs I have ever heard in my entire life. He was a typical English eccentric; he probably picked that particular trait up from the years he spent in Cambridge. I can imagine a lot of professors, educators and even students behaving that way. It was a completely different culture.

Now although I had never been to Cambridge, I have heard stories. For example, bicycles clog up the roads more than the cars. Apparently driving around Cambridge is that much of a nightmare, the locals have given up on cars completely, and resorted to cycling.

That’s probably the main reason why I haven’t visited. I cannot stand cycling. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing but admiration for those who do. I couldn’t do it; just the thought of Lycra pants, helmets and exercise makes me cringe. I barely survived my Cadet training over at the base; I wasn’t really in a rush to repeat that.

I preferred cars. They were much more comfortable. They got you where you needed to go a short amount of time. Plus with the cars of today they came complete with Bluetooth, USB ports, sat-nav, cameras, climate control, I could even check the weather forecast in my car.

Most importantly, they provided protection from the wind, rain, snow and any other unfortunate elements.

However, Cambridge wasn’t just the home of cyclists. It was also home to a rather strange past time “Punting”. Now for those that don’t yet know a “punt” refers to a flat bottom boat, the only way I can describe it is pretty much half like a raft and half like a gondola. Anyway “Punting” is how the people of Cambridge navigate through their river systems.

I have never tried it myself, but on the rare summer days it seemed a great way to spend the day in the sun.

We were all stood around, in the middle of the road I might add, waiting for the tyre to be replaced. The cold icy wind ran through me, I could see clouds of steam in my breath.

“It’s freezing” Lacey moaned.

“You’re telling me” I agreed “Let’s just wait for them in the car” I suggested.

George waited outside; he didn’t seem all that bothered about the cold. Even in old age, he was still a tough nut.

The Professor was a little more sensitive. Just as we were; he wasn’t built for the outdoors. We all piled into the 3 series, Lacey pushed the mountain of chocolate bars Paul had rescued to one side, making way for the Professor.

“Professor, I’ve been meaning to ask, how far have you come with your research on the infected?” I asked. I was curious. I had seen the Professor in the sorting
office, he was busy scribbling down something. I knew him well, I had no doubt he had already come up with some new theories.

The Professor smiled. “Well my dear, I’m glad you asked. I’m sure you have noticed some strange behavioural traits amongst the hosts. Well my research at the base showed me that this particular virus is fully capable of adapting to its environment.”

“How so?” Lacey asked intrigued.

“Well, I tested the virus in various temperatures. I introduced liquid nitrogen at one point, and still the virus thrived. Even at boiling point, the virus still clung onto life.”

The professor carried on “This particular virus is an incredibly intelligent life form. In my most recent research I resorted to starving the virus, to see if that would make any difference.”

“And did it?” I asked.

“Unfortunately I lost my work when the base became overrun. I wasn’t able to complete my research.” He replied sadly.

I was about to question him on his new findings when we were interrupted by a loud screech, out in the distance. The sound echoed all around us.

Great, the sound was coming from the same place we were heading. I looked over to the boys, making sure they were ok.

They looked like a group of
Meerkats. They all looked up and were facing in the direction the screech was coming from. After a few seconds they sprang back into action, securing the new wheel as quick as possible. George had run over to them and was gesturing ahead. I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

After a few minutes, Nick and Paul headed back to the car.

“Change of plan, Professor. Looks like you’re staying with us.” Paul said as he pushed his way into the back. The poor Professor was now squished in the middle between Paul and Lacey.

I looked around slightly confused as Nick hopped back into the driver’s seat.