Meet Me

Chapter 6 - Connor

"Smile at strangers and you might just change a life" - Steve Maraboli

As the sky took on a depressing darkness and it became a sickly cold, we roasted the skinless squirrel, which we had tied to a thin stick, over the dancing flames of the crackling fire. We were all so hungry, but wouldn’t eat until we were sure we wouldn’t get food poisoning.

Eating the chewy meat of the squirrel wasn’t something I wanted to ever do. But now, in desperation, I was eating it as if it would be my last meal. The truth was, it probably would be.  If it wasn’t, then thank god! I still don’t believe in a god, because I was taught god never created an abomination. If zombies weren’t an abomination, then what was? I had never been religious anyway, so I didn’t really care. Luisa had tried to be a catholic for around a week, but then gave up as she was restricted from too many things.

I personally didn’t want to be part of any religious aspect of life, but I didn’t have anything against religion. Maybe I was wrong and they were right? Who knows? But in the turn of events, I didn’t believe there was such thing as a god. God wouldn’t kill most of the population of the UK. I didn’t know if the zombies had found their way to various other places in the world or not. My guess was that they had, because if they hadn’t, surely help would have arrived here by now. I lay back on the dead, paper grass and closed my eyes.

Luisa and Owen soon fell asleep, after they finished their ‘meal’. I watched them as their bodies melted together, needing each other’s warmth combined with the fires. I smiled, despite my hatred towards anything romantic. They were a cute couple, I would admit that to myself. I had never been the one, when I was actually at school, to be obsessed with how cute boys’ bums were, or how many boys I wondered liked me. I wasn’t jealous of Luisa and Owen.

If anything, I was happy for them. I watched the fire crackle and spit dangerously and threateningly, whilst keeping and ear out for any zombies. I heard the snap of a twig, instantly looking up as I heard it. Bad things usually happen when a twig snaps. I looked around me, but I couldn’t see anything suspicious. Either this zombie was camouflage and soundless, or it was another human. My bet was on it being a human.

This wasn’t necessarily good. It was very bad, in fact. I shook Owen and Luisa by their shoulders, instructing them to wake up. Owen groaned at me, then rubbed his eyes as he woke from his dream. Luisa did too. When they realized how close they were, they jumped up and then sprang apart. I rolled my eyes, then told them what I had heard and what I thought it was.

Promptly, they were alert with me. Owen ruffled his hair, a sign that he was nervous, and Luisa stood as frigid as a ladder. We had never talked about what we would do it a group of our own race attacked us. We could dispose of one person very easily. A gun and a bullet. But a group? With their own guns and bullets, and possibly more? No. Despite there being three of us, only one of us could fight properly. That was me. Owen could fight a zombie, but a human? Luisa wouldn’t dare even pinch a human, let alone shoot one – or many.

I heard Owen gulp, it was so quiet. No more sounds had been made by whatever was out there. Either I had heard something, or it was being very careful.

“You two stay here; I’m going to go and see what’s out there.” I ordered. Leaving them alone, which killed me to do, I made my way through the tall trees, stretching up to the sky. I followed the path of where the sound came from. I came out of the forest and found myself in an open field. I hadn’t been here before. I looked left, right, north, south, east, west, but saw nothing. I didn’t look up. A net, one with makeshift weights, fell over my head and I was forced to crouch on the floor. My heart plummeted and felt as if it would break my ribcage.

My breathing quickened

 and was

anything

 but steady.