Life After Death (#1)

Chapter Seven

The van sped along back down the street away from the crash site, and Max sat perched on the passenger's seat like an excited dog, wondering where he was being taken.

"I have a little place just at the end of the next road," Joey explained, as if reading Max's mind.

"Great, I could use some...uninterrupted sleep," Max chuckled.

"You were asking for trouble sleeping out on those streets mate! You're lucky the noise woke me up or you'd be clicker fodder right now," Joey warned.

"Clicker...?" Max asked inquisitively.

"Yeah that's what I call them; zombie seems too much like a dodgy horror film ya know?" Joey explained.

"Hmm, yeah, Clickers...I like it," Max laughed as Joey pulled into the driveway of a large cottage.

"Home sweet home," Joey muttered.

It wasn't the kind of house Max had pictured when he thought of Joey, but anywhere safe and warm would do him fine right now. He winced as he followed Joey out of the van; every joint in his body ached. Sleeping in the car for nights on end had done him no good, and it was about time he slept in a decent bed. He threw his bag and rifle over his shoulder and hightailed it to the front door.

Joey pushed down on the handle and let himself in. Max was surprised at the lack of security or locks on the door; they were living in an apocalypse after all. Max made a note to ask Joey about it later, but scrapped that idea as soon as he stepped over the threshold.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Joey yelled, stretching his arms out in front of himself and spinning on the spot in a cocky fashion.

Behind the rickety cottage door, with a red and blue stained glass window, stood what looked like a homemade bulky metal door with an infinite amount of impressive locks, bolts and chains. The door was attached to an equally large metal post, planted deep into the floor to provide some kind of stability. The thing wouldn't have looked out of place in Fort Knox.

Max walked tentatively through the doorway, inspecting the rest of the house as he did so. From what he could see it was a normal cottage home, with low ceilings and a wobbly wooden staircase; but Max was certain that Joey would have other tricks up his sleeve.

"I have to say, it's impressive man!" Max said, struggling to find the words. "How long have you had that thing installed?" Max asked, nodding towards the door with a slight smile.

He wasn't sure what to make of his new companion.

"Installed? I made this baby myself a few weeks back," Joey proudly stated.

Max knew it looked a bit DIY, but he was still impressed. Joey was obviously a resourceful man, and Max had already seen first-hand that he could handle himself well against the clickers. It was definitely a good idea to stick around with this guy.

"Before I show you to your room, just enough time for the grand tour! This way please..." Joey said eccentrically, walking through an open doorway.

"This is the living room, fully equipped with comfy sofas and a DVD player for as long as the generator holds out," he explained.

The room looked like a typical cottage type lounge, completely contrasting the futuristic looking steel door behind them. The three sofas were arranged to face both the TV and the fireplace which sat next to each other. Even looking at the glorious bricked fireplace, stacked with grand logs of wood, made Max feel warm.

"This place is beautiful," Max exclaimed.

"Thanks man, used to be the family home when I grew up and I could never bear to leave the place," Joey said, letting the cocky façade slip for just a second.