​Survivors of the Z’s- Graham Jackson, Nottingham, UK

She moved in the end

Her fingers slowly flickered

She… 

Theresa

Was coming back

She was turning

And all I could do was look at her and shake my head and think about the past times. We had a few memorable memories that anyone would look back at and laugh, but the most important ones of all. She made my angel feel very welcome in her family. She was a kind and generous old bird that any man my age, younger and most certainly older, would want. My emotions were unlocked and I let it run down my face. It was yet again one of those moments. One of many moments that had passed me by. I felt like I was suddenly getting used to them. 

Like it was creeping in

LIKE…

I was preparing myself for what was to come in a world like this.

   “You’ll need this”

I Looked around and saw Preston standing there with a knife

A sharp knife

   “I could do if you want?” he asked

   “No… no I’ll do it”

   “Aim for the head,” he said, “I had to do it once”

She was hissing at me. Slowly rising from the water. She was reaching for me with the dead eyes like the others. 

No life inside

No soul inside

No kindness 

Just…

Just pure evil that wanted to rip me apart limb from limb. That wasn’t her. That wasn’t her at all and that’s what I had to keep telling myself…

I had to do it

She growled at me more and rose higher and higher. I stood up and watched her and felt more tears trickling down.

   “You have to do it,” he said, “be quick”

Bruno barked at it as it slowly risen. 

AND THEN…

I drove the knife deep into her skull and I felt my heart sink and her head crunch. She collapsed suddenly in a heap in the bath. It was over.

No more

DONE FOR 

The dust had settled and she was now put to rest. I felt the huge weight weighing me down, but I had to try and think. Try and think positive that what I did was for the best. 

That wasn’t her

That wasn’t her

That…

WASN’T HER

   “You had to do it,” Preston said

   “I know kid”

   “Call me Preston, not kid”

   “Sorry Preston”

   “This looks like it’s going to be something we’ll have to start getting used to,” he spoke

Bruno sat there looking at me crying. He knew what had happened. He knew that we had lost her. 

NOW

She was at peice. 

I Walked downstairs along with Preston and Bruno and into the living room. They all sat there with Jesse and Elvis. Evelyn looked my way and I looked at her. 

I nodded at her and she got up and hugged me. 

   “Why is this happening?” She asked

   “I don’t know,  what ever it is, we have to get through it… together”

I looked at the girls and Preston who looked out of the window and I knew…

I had to be strong for them all
DAYS WENT BYE FAST
The world we were now living in was looking like it was going to last forever. 

Or maybe

Nobody knew really. Nobody knew if there was a master plan where the government would just blast this thing out of the water and everything would just be like the way it was.

Nobody knew anything

All we could do was sit back and watch our world fight this epidemic. 

   “It just happened so fast, I just can’t believe how things have changed,” Evelyn said

   “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine, we have each other and that’ll be all we need,” I reassured

I looked over at Preston and walked over. It was dark out now. Cities all over the world

WELL

The ones that hadn’t crumbled,

probably had a curfew now, because we did. We weren’t aloud out when the darkness came. The army had now taken control, Martial law. 

   “Hey, you alright kid?”

   “Preston”

   “Huh, sorry Preston, forgive me”

   “It’s alright and I’m fine, are you?”

   “As fine as I can be, yeah,” I said, “whatcha thinking about?”

   “My mum and dad”

   “You couldn’t do anything”

   “I know, I know I’m just a kid, I know I’m not big and strong like you’re and I know I had to save myself, but… that doesn’t stop me from feeling it you know, feeling bad, feeling like it was my fault”

   “Thing is, especially in this world, parents, families, will do anything to save their own, especially in the situation you were in”

   A tear rolled down and he slapped it away in anger, as if he hated to cry, “fuck them, I didn’t need them anyway, it wasn’t like they were my real parents”

He walked away and walked upstairs. I looked outside again and saw an army vehicle with a few soldiers go by. The streetlights were still on thankfully, so complete darkness hadn’t took over us just yet, but it felt like our world

The floor underneath our feet

Was being held up by dominos

Any second

Any second now

Anything could happen outside the walls we hid behind

   “We need to watch him,” Evelyn said

   “He’s ok,” I told

   “After what happened last time?” She mentioned, “Just keep an eye on him”

   “He came back, that’s all that matters”

   “Not when you think he’s dead, it’s too dangerous out there, that’s why there’s a curfew”

There were quarantine zones. Many places where you couldn’t go into because the authorities were clearing a lot of the infected out. Making sure it was safe for the public. There were plenty left and this illness was still spreading. People were collapsing from time to time. Being sick on the floor then vomiting up fucking blood. I had seen it many times when walking the dogs. 

Yup

It didn’t matter how many they killed. The illness was still out there turning more of us into these things. No wonder why the curfew was in place. I carried on staring out the window and saw a young lad walking by casually. I stared at him and he suddenly stopped and waved with a smile.

He held a hatchet 

   “Who’s that?” Evelyn appeared by my side

   “Some crazy guy who has a death wish”

The lad then walked away calmly and I couldn’t help but think.

Who was this guy?

Filed under: Season Three