I'd Never Thought They'd Get Me Here
Falling apart
Frank’s POV
“Ok, let’s- whoa! What happened?” I stared as Lucy and Ellie came back to us, dragging an unconscious Gerard behind them.
“Lucy’s fault.” Ellie muttered, before going off to get our food to the van.
“Well, there was a zombie dog chasing him…and I shot it…and then I told him it was close to biting him and he got splattered with its brains.” Lucy explained. “And then he fainted. I guess Ellie hadn’t told him, and just cleaned him up.”
“Wouldn’t you faint if you just found that out?” I asked her.
“A few weeks ago, yeah. Now, no.” She glanced down. “Let’s stick him in a trolley.”
We heaved Gerard into a trolley and pushed him to the van, loading him in with Bob’s help. When the food was packed away we all got back in the car, Ray driving.
“So what was a zombie dog doing in Tesco’s?” I asked, looking down at Gerard’s pale face resting on my shoulder.
“It was hungry I guess.” Cat shrugged. “Looking for life, I don’t know.”
“Maybe it ran out of toothpaste…” Dani suggested, poking the tube she was holding.
“This shit is getting to your head.” Em told her. “You need to calm down a bit, we can’t do this if you go crazy.”
“I’m not going fucking crazy!” Dani exclaimed.
“Then stop acting like you are.”
“Guys!” Cat tried to stop them. “Calm down.”
“No I will not fucking calm down!” Dani cried. “I’m sick of all this, sick of this shit!” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I just want to be normal, have a normal life. But I can’t! None of us can. Because now everyone’s dead!”
“Stop talking like that!” Cat shouted. “Stop it!”
“But they are, aren’t they.” Lucy said quietly. “They’re all dead, everyone of our family, everyone who we knew, they’re all dead.”
“And there’s not one fucking thing we can do about it.” Emily added. “The whole place is going to shit, Dani’s going crazy and now Cat and Lu are swimming in a pit of depression!”
“I’m not crazy!” Dani protested loudly. They all started arguing at once, shouting in the cramped space as they tried to be heard.
“Everyone calm the fuck down!” Ellie yelled. Oddly enough they all stopped and everyone in the van looked at her. She started back, looking at each of her friends. “We’re going to be fine, ok? We’re going to get to London and send out a warning somehow. Get people to listen. Then they’ll send a plane, find a cure. They’ll abolish the virus and we can live in America. We’ll buy a big house and get jobs, and then our lives can turn as normal and mundane as they like, ok?” She paused. “I promise.”
The four girls nodded and Ellie turned back to look at the road, directing Ray on where to go. I felt Gerard move as he came to.
“You ok?” I asked quietly. He blinked and nodded.
“What happened?” He asked.
“You fainted after you were attacked by the dog.” I told him. He bit his lip and looked down, obviously remembering. Mikey shifted slightly to join our conversation.
“Do you think they’ll be ok?” Mikey asked quietly, nodding to the girls. I realised Gerard didn’t know what Mikey was talking about so I repeated the conversation for him.
“I don’t know Mikes.” Gerard sighed when I’d finished. “I hope they can cope, they seem like the only thing we have.”
“But they’re falling apart.” Mikey said doubtfully. “How long until they break apart altogether?”
“Ellie seems to be keeping it all together pretty well.” I said.
“But how long until she breaks too?”
I looked up along the van. The girls were chatting normally again, recovering from their outburst. At the front Ellie was slumped against the window. In the rear view mirror I could just about see her, eyes staring blankly ahead as she chewed at her lip. I hope we can hold this together…
“Ok, let’s- whoa! What happened?” I stared as Lucy and Ellie came back to us, dragging an unconscious Gerard behind them.
“Lucy’s fault.” Ellie muttered, before going off to get our food to the van.
“Well, there was a zombie dog chasing him…and I shot it…and then I told him it was close to biting him and he got splattered with its brains.” Lucy explained. “And then he fainted. I guess Ellie hadn’t told him, and just cleaned him up.”
“Wouldn’t you faint if you just found that out?” I asked her.
“A few weeks ago, yeah. Now, no.” She glanced down. “Let’s stick him in a trolley.”
We heaved Gerard into a trolley and pushed him to the van, loading him in with Bob’s help. When the food was packed away we all got back in the car, Ray driving.
“So what was a zombie dog doing in Tesco’s?” I asked, looking down at Gerard’s pale face resting on my shoulder.
“It was hungry I guess.” Cat shrugged. “Looking for life, I don’t know.”
“Maybe it ran out of toothpaste…” Dani suggested, poking the tube she was holding.
“This shit is getting to your head.” Em told her. “You need to calm down a bit, we can’t do this if you go crazy.”
“I’m not going fucking crazy!” Dani exclaimed.
“Then stop acting like you are.”
“Guys!” Cat tried to stop them. “Calm down.”
“No I will not fucking calm down!” Dani cried. “I’m sick of all this, sick of this shit!” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I just want to be normal, have a normal life. But I can’t! None of us can. Because now everyone’s dead!”
“Stop talking like that!” Cat shouted. “Stop it!”
“But they are, aren’t they.” Lucy said quietly. “They’re all dead, everyone of our family, everyone who we knew, they’re all dead.”
“And there’s not one fucking thing we can do about it.” Emily added. “The whole place is going to shit, Dani’s going crazy and now Cat and Lu are swimming in a pit of depression!”
“I’m not crazy!” Dani protested loudly. They all started arguing at once, shouting in the cramped space as they tried to be heard.
“Everyone calm the fuck down!” Ellie yelled. Oddly enough they all stopped and everyone in the van looked at her. She started back, looking at each of her friends. “We’re going to be fine, ok? We’re going to get to London and send out a warning somehow. Get people to listen. Then they’ll send a plane, find a cure. They’ll abolish the virus and we can live in America. We’ll buy a big house and get jobs, and then our lives can turn as normal and mundane as they like, ok?” She paused. “I promise.”
The four girls nodded and Ellie turned back to look at the road, directing Ray on where to go. I felt Gerard move as he came to.
“You ok?” I asked quietly. He blinked and nodded.
“What happened?” He asked.
“You fainted after you were attacked by the dog.” I told him. He bit his lip and looked down, obviously remembering. Mikey shifted slightly to join our conversation.
“Do you think they’ll be ok?” Mikey asked quietly, nodding to the girls. I realised Gerard didn’t know what Mikey was talking about so I repeated the conversation for him.
“I don’t know Mikes.” Gerard sighed when I’d finished. “I hope they can cope, they seem like the only thing we have.”
“But they’re falling apart.” Mikey said doubtfully. “How long until they break apart altogether?”
“Ellie seems to be keeping it all together pretty well.” I said.
“But how long until she breaks too?”
I looked up along the van. The girls were chatting normally again, recovering from their outburst. At the front Ellie was slumped against the window. In the rear view mirror I could just about see her, eyes staring blankly ahead as she chewed at her lip. I hope we can hold this together…