How To Lose Weight And Survive The Apocalypse

Chapter 6

The final rolling hill almost killed us. Otherwise, the drive down the coast had been uneventful albeit a bit unorthodox. Getting out of the city had been like playing a video game where you can drive over anything and everything, and the road is just used as a vague starting point. Because of all the abandoned vehicles on the road, Rueben had to ease us over footpaths and roundabouts, down pedestrian malls, even through a small park at one stage, the space between the swings and the slide of the playground allowing just enough space to squeak the Kombi through.

Being inside the van was like a video game too – Tetris. Although the Kombi was spacious, it still needed to carry six people, six bikes, six bike trailers, a crap-ton of supplies, sooooo much vodka and one small dog. We'd stacked as much as possible on the roof and hooked the bikes on the back. The rest of the gear went inside and the people fitted in where they could. Bailey and Simon claimed the backseat, while Nev curled up with Mischa and Bella to read a Disney princess book together.

That left me in the front seat, guiding Rueben with the map printouts. I'd planned to lurk against the passenger door, but at the last moment, Bailey had shoved a bunch of food boxes in next to me, which meant I had to sit with my leg almost touching Rueben's on the bench seat.

"Sorry," Rueben called out in warning as the van crashed down off a curb. Everyone inside groaned or yelped; the van was clearly built in a time before effective suspension.

I stared intently out the windows. My anger had dissipated, but I wasn't feeling chatty.

Rueben asked, "Are you alright?"

"That's not a fair question," I responded. "Social rules dictate that I should say yes, but of course I'm not fine. I shouldn't be fine. None of us should be. What you're really asking me is am I alright with you."

"Are you?"

"Does it matter? I met you this morning. We don't have to be best friends. We just have to work together." Fine, maybe I was still feeling slightly truculent.

"Alright." Silence, except for Mischa's small voice reading aloud to Nev.

The van arrived at another intersection littered with empty vehicles. "Where is everybody?" I breathed, peering in every direction.

"Hiding inside, I'd guess."

"I thought they'd be rioting or fleeing dodge like us."

Rueben shook his head as he manoeuvred the Kombi over the pedestrian island and onto the other side of the road. "When people are scared, they flee, freeze or fight. Fighting might be happening closer in to the city, but fleeing is pretty hard with most cars not working. So most of them will have frozen, which means hiding and hoping they'll get rescued, or that all of this will somehow get fixed."

I stared around at the mostly empty streets, loathing the ghostly atmosphere. At one stage, we turned a corner and almost collided with a downed helicopter lying on its side, intact but clearly not going anywhere. A train blocked a level crossing, and we lost half an hour trying to find a way around, and another half an hour when Simon insisted on stopping at a bakery and trading a bottle of tequila for a massive crate of day-old baked goods.

Eventually the road opened up to wide lanes leading down the coast, and the Kombi rattled as Rueben accelerated. The sun was starting to set, casting mango light over the ocean that peeped between the hills on our left. Behind us, the backseat had fallen quiet, and when I looked back, I saw everyone had fallen asleep, except for Bailey who stared vacantly out to sea.

Dusk cloaked us as we cruised into Corrimal. I'd found the Airbnb on the map, the only house at the end of a long driveway. "It should be just ahead," I said, stretching my legs as best I could in the cramped space. "Up over the next rise."