The Last Alive - Book One

Chapter One - On the Road

Chapter One - On the Road

A lonely shadowed stranger trudges along a bleak, deserted Yorkshire dual carriageway, no company to keep other than the distant howl of the winds through the nearby ash brown brush on either side.

The autumn weather dominated the brief spell of sun, casting its beams aside and enforcing its very own wrath. Grey clouds swirled above, enveloping the earth beneath, forcing its darkness, ready to release its heavy weighted load. Small patters hit the ground, the calm before the storm.

The man gazed wearily upward, his dark brown, scruffy looking hair standing to attention in places. A single splash landed upon his pale, thin, young face, before being wiped away from his stubble in great haste. His head became shrouded by the great fur-lined hood on his dusky green, fish-tail parka, covered with dirt, dust and a manner of questionable substances. His jet black, boot cut jeans and canvas trainers accompanied with the same said stains.

The man's hands proceeded to enter his deep pockets in an attempt to keep them warm. With a brown leather satchel flung over his left shoulder he continued along the road ready to embrace the shower of rain about to flood from above.

A number of vehicles dotted the horizon on the right carriageway, facing the opposite direction to this weary traveller making his way along the left. Their passengers were once migrating to some safe place that may or may not ever have existed.

Perhaps, these vehicles could provide some shelter, he pondered as his walk began to pick up pace. They wouldn't provide him with much warmth but they would shield his bones from the elements.

The rain beating down like a thousand drums forced a quick paced stroll in to a jog. The satchel clenched tightly in hand to prevent it from slipping from his shoulder. Every leap more desperate than the last as what was once so out of reach was almost touchable. His breath heavy, visible in the cold autumn air and his heart thudding like thunder.

As the distance closed a small truck stop café was visible just by the side of the road adjacent to the cars, vans and jeeps of various shapes, colours and sizes. They stretched on for miles further than the eye could see. He stared in amazement at the first few rows of vehicles, their bodies mangled, dinted and warped by a collision. These few cars held up the rest, blocking the two lanes, preventing any traffic from passing. He glanced at an over-turned saloon style car lying beyond the road in a ditch, its windows shattered, its body crushed with no sign of life.

A few carcasses lay in the road between the cars. However, he paid them no attention, they looked lifeless, and little was left of them to cause him any real concern. He had grown accustomed to the sight of death, he had seen worse. This was the new normal.

Walking towards the door of the dilapidated café he noticed the door was chained and padlocked tight to an outer metal gate to prevent it from being broken in to, the chain rusted and flaked showing signs of age, as did the metal gate. He reached through the bars of the outer gate and pulled the handle down on the inner door pushing carefully and quietly. The door eased open, it had been left unlocked, and now all he needed was some way to remove the chain to gain access.

His mind was now fixated on the roadside café and whatever bounty may lie inside. Despite the condition of the exterior he remained optimistic, its paintwork tarnished, the sign above splintered, cracked and illegible. The windows were too small for anyone to squeeze through and the addition of the bars meant that it was impossible; the glass was still intact too. The outer gate had been locked, the interior therefore untouched and the rewards waiting to be claimed.

Beside the café stood a defiant lorry practically untouched, towering above the structure with the curtains and fastenings of the wagon blowing and rattling in the wind. No logo or badge was emblazoned on the side so its contents were unknown, he did not particularly have the time or want to find out.