Survivors of the Z’s- Graham Jackson, Nottingham, UK 
Each punch collided with a sickening blow and after each punch I felt breaking bones. I could hear nothing around me. All I could see was the man’s face getting bloodier and bloodier. 

I had lost it

Nothing but rage raining down

And then…

I breathed and Looked upon what I had done.

   “Shit,” I said

Everything theb came back into focus

The surroundings

The sound

Everything

And it was all bloody

The man was still breathing but he was only an inch away from deaths door. It was slowly opening and I was the man that seemed to have answered it for him. I had dragged him into the other side. The only thing that needed to be done now was the door to be closed and locked behind him. 

His eyes were still open

His breathing was still there

He just looked shocked

Beaten 

And the only thing I could do was look at what my fists had created.

A bashed up face with blood for company

   “Arrrglllh,” I heard

I couldn’t make it out. He spat blood and blood came out of his nose.

   I got up and looked down at him, “I’m sorry”

   “Fuck that, don’t apologise, the dickhead deserved it,” Preston told

   “This isn’t right, he needs a doctor,” 

A voice then shouted. It sounded like it was coming from where he was before. 

A figure 

A young girl

Came out from around the corner and walked up towards us.

   “Marcus,” her young voice said, she looked straight at us, her face was innocent with dirt on it, she was skinny, she looked starved and her clothes hung off her, “Marcus!”

Her face changed to panic as she ran towards us and sat down beside him. 

   “Marcus, what happened?” She asked, “Marcus please”

   He pointed at us, “these”

She looked our way

Her face turning to anger with tears shedding. What once was a calm walk had now turned into a 

stormy one that I… 

Had created. 

There was no need for what I had done. I could’ve just walked away from him, but my dogs are my family. They’re me and I am them and nobody is going to get in the way of that

NOBODY

We stayed there with them. The dogs sat around Preston and I, looking around. 

   “Look what you did!” She cried

   “I’m sorry,” I told

   “You think you’ll get away with this, you won’t, not when I tell him, you’ll see!”

   “Tell who?” Preston asked 

   “Just you wait!”

Another voice then shouted from the same place. This time it was a man’s voice.

   “Kara!”

We had to go

My nerves were going crazy

I had to react and think on my toes and the first thing I thought was to walk away. I nudged Preston and motioned to him. 

   “Listen, we’re going to go, I’m sorry about what happened, please forgive me”

   “You’re a dead man,” Marcus spoke, a bloody mess 

   “These dogs here are my family, listen, I’m sorry for what I did, I was out of order, but you don’t threaten my family, ever”

The man came around the corner and jogged up towards us. He was taller, slim and pail. He wore a hood like the young girl. They all looked rough. 

   “Shit, Marcus,” he said

  Kara looked our way and pointed, “They did this, Corbin”

   He looked at us, sharply, “You wanna explain this?”

   I put my hands up, “listen, we’re going to go, again I’m sorry for what I’ve done, this didn’t need to happen”

   “Hell it didn’t, this guy is seriously fucked, you annihilated him, what’s your reason for doing this?”

  We walked backwards, “I’m not explaining myself again, I’m sure your friend will tell you what happened, we’re going now, again, I’m sorry”

We watched them for awhile until we felt like we could turn on our heals. 

   “Watch yourselves!” I heard 

   “I think we could take them?” He told

   I shook my head, “no, I’ve done enough, nothing more is going to happen”

I looked behind and watched them disappear in the distance. I felt their stare. Even though they were far away. I could still feel them looking our way. 

   

My dogs walked in front of us. Jesse wandered off and sniffed around in the field. Bruno ran around and Elvis stayed beside me. I looked down for him moments later and he had gone. I looked around and noticed something was up. He had stopped and he was looking at something, but I didn’t know what. It was like he had seen something, but all I saw was the field with the bushes and trees in the distance.

   “What’s wrong with him?” Preston asked

   “I don’t know”

The feeling of unease had risen a little more. Dogs don’t just stop for no reason. 

   “Do you think someones following us?” He asked

   “Let’s just get home” 

I looked behind again and this time I spotted something. A tall figure in the distance just standing there looking over. Elvis then growled and barked

   “Elvis, leave,” I told

   “That’s one of them isn’t it?” Preston asked

   “Let’s go,” I told, “keep moving”

   “Keep walking, woooooooh! Walk on home, walk on home old man, hahahaha, woooooooh!”

   “Keep going, don’t look, just go,” I told, I saw the dogs turn to go back and I whistled, “come here!” I ordered

They came back. We didn’t stop this time. We aimed for home and quickened the pace, but I felt trouble. I felt a gaze staring into the back of my neck like a target. They had their eyes fixed on us. 

   “What if they find us?” He questioned, “They’re following us”

   “Turn around friend!” I heard

   “They want a reaction and we aren’t going to give them one, we’re nearly home, we’ll be safe there”

We reached a path and walked down it. My heart was racing. I was ready for a fight that I didn’t want. This could’ve been avoided. 

  My eyes widened from what I had suddenly spotted, “Jesus”

A soldier

A man

Was laid out on the ground in a pool of blood. A message was on the fence in red.

   “The world is free,” I read
                          THE WORLD

                              IS FREE…

Filed under: Season Three