infected. Hayden had lived long enough in this world to know that was the case.
“No time for fucking around anymore, Hayden!” Gary shouted. “On my count of three, you pull this fucking gate with me, understand? Hey, you understand?”
Hayden looked back at Gary. None of this seemed real. It was like he’d just been woken up from a dream that’d stretched on for months. Or thrown in a bath of cold water, his body still yet to adjust to the changing temperature.
He grabbed the handle of the gate. With Gary by his side, he waited for his call.
“One, two… three!”
Hayden pulled. He pulled as hard as he could. He felt the gate moving, edging slowly closer.
But in the corner of his eye, he couldn’t escape the oncoming crowd of infected. They were getting further and further down the tunnel. Soon, there’d be nothing but the weaker, mesh gating between them.
They’d be through that in seconds.
“Again!” Gary shouted. “One, two… three!”
Hayden pulled again. And this time, he felt the gate moving steadier. He felt it easing along. Soon, it’d lock into place. Soon, there’d be no way in for the infected.
Just over the top of the wall.
He went to make the final pull when he felt something smack into his right side.
Something bashed against the mesh gate. And then something else. And before he knew it, Hayden was stepping away from the gate, backing off from it.
“Don’t you fucking walk away, Hayden,” Gary shouted.
Hayden stood there. He stared at Gary. The infected were all piled up against the mesh gate. He could see the metal already splitting. There was no way they’d be able to close the main gate in time. No way they’d be able to hold them off.
They’d just find another way anyway.
Hayden looked around. Although he could still hear Gary shouting at him, although he could hear the gate splitting more and more, he couldn’t do anything but look back up the road towards where Miriam was. There’d be so many people locked up in their houses that needed safety. So many people who needed help right now.
And Hayden was here trying to close a gate. A gate that was splitting while the infected continued to pile down the wall.
“Hayden, what the fuck are you doing?”
Hayden didn’t look back at Gary. He didn’t look back at the gate. He knew what he had to do now.
He had to get back to Miriam.
He had to keep her safe.
And then they had to defend this place from within.
There was no saving the gate now. There was no stopping the flow inside the walls.
But there was stopping the death of a person he cared about.
That was his priority.
He ran away from the gate. Ran away from the wall. He didn’t look back. Didn’t look at the gate, which cracked, split away. He didn’t look back at the mass of infected that he knew would be joining their companions. He tried not to even look at the butchered bodies at his feet, the faces of people he recognised, of people he cared about.
He just kept on running.
He saw Miriam’s house in his sights. Saw it, just about half a mile away. He wasn’t the fastest runner, but he knew the side streets of this place. He knew he could get to her if he were quick. He could get to her and then they could lock down and defend themselves and—
He felt something crash into his right.
Knock him off his feet.
It took him a few seconds to realise that an infected was on top of him.
And it was getting ready to rip him open.
Chapter Nine
H ayden felt the infected sink its long fingernails into his stomach and he swore he felt his skin splitting away.
He tried to move. Tried to shake free of the infected holding him down. He could smell blood on its breath and taste vomit that’d seeped into his mouth. He couldn’t move. He was pinned down. All around him, he heard people gasping for life. Gunshots. Footsteps.
Everything was falling apart.
He was a part of that everything.
If he didn’t act fast.
He tried to punch it. Tried to smack the
“No time for fucking around anymore, Hayden!” Gary shouted. “On my count of three, you pull this fucking gate with me, understand? Hey, you understand?”
Hayden looked back at Gary. None of this seemed real. It was like he’d just been woken up from a dream that’d stretched on for months. Or thrown in a bath of cold water, his body still yet to adjust to the changing temperature.
He grabbed the handle of the gate. With Gary by his side, he waited for his call.
“One, two… three!”
Hayden pulled. He pulled as hard as he could. He felt the gate moving, edging slowly closer.
But in the corner of his eye, he couldn’t escape the oncoming crowd of infected. They were getting further and further down the tunnel. Soon, there’d be nothing but the weaker, mesh gating between them.
They’d be through that in seconds.
“Again!” Gary shouted. “One, two… three!”
Hayden pulled again. And this time, he felt the gate moving steadier. He felt it easing along. Soon, it’d lock into place. Soon, there’d be no way in for the infected.
Just over the top of the wall.
He went to make the final pull when he felt something smack into his right side.
Something bashed against the mesh gate. And then something else. And before he knew it, Hayden was stepping away from the gate, backing off from it.
“Don’t you fucking walk away, Hayden,” Gary shouted.
Hayden stood there. He stared at Gary. The infected were all piled up against the mesh gate. He could see the metal already splitting. There was no way they’d be able to close the main gate in time. No way they’d be able to hold them off.
They’d just find another way anyway.
Hayden looked around. Although he could still hear Gary shouting at him, although he could hear the gate splitting more and more, he couldn’t do anything but look back up the road towards where Miriam was. There’d be so many people locked up in their houses that needed safety. So many people who needed help right now.
And Hayden was here trying to close a gate. A gate that was splitting while the infected continued to pile down the wall.
“Hayden, what the fuck are you doing?”
Hayden didn’t look back at Gary. He didn’t look back at the gate. He knew what he had to do now.
He had to get back to Miriam.
He had to keep her safe.
And then they had to defend this place from within.
There was no saving the gate now. There was no stopping the flow inside the walls.
But there was stopping the death of a person he cared about.
That was his priority.
He ran away from the gate. Ran away from the wall. He didn’t look back. Didn’t look at the gate, which cracked, split away. He didn’t look back at the mass of infected that he knew would be joining their companions. He tried not to even look at the butchered bodies at his feet, the faces of people he recognised, of people he cared about.
He just kept on running.
He saw Miriam’s house in his sights. Saw it, just about half a mile away. He wasn’t the fastest runner, but he knew the side streets of this place. He knew he could get to her if he were quick. He could get to her and then they could lock down and defend themselves and—
He felt something crash into his right.
Knock him off his feet.
It took him a few seconds to realise that an infected was on top of him.
And it was getting ready to rip him open.
Chapter Nine
H ayden felt the infected sink its long fingernails into his stomach and he swore he felt his skin splitting away.
He tried to move. Tried to shake free of the infected holding him down. He could smell blood on its breath and taste vomit that’d seeped into his mouth. He couldn’t move. He was pinned down. All around him, he heard people gasping for life. Gunshots. Footsteps.
Everything was falling apart.
He was a part of that everything.
If he didn’t act fast.
He tried to punch it. Tried to smack the
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