Virus 2 - A Zombie Novel

August 10th 2014

I walk down the streets in broad daylight silently, trying not to make much noise. My ankles are better now so I'm not dragging them behind me. I now have a backpack and food and water. I have a knife but no gun.

"We will - we will - rock you." I whisper to myself. It's been so long since I heard music. I watch the ground, kicking a rock, but a familiar sound makes me look up. Was it an animal? I hear it again and smile. Its laughter. I look around and try to find the house it's coming from. I spot a two story house with the tip of a rifle hanging out. I walk slowly into view of the window, to see no one sitting there. I then head for the front fence, forgetting what happened last time I trusted someone. I go to unlock it but a bullet hits the ground next to me, making me jump backwards. I look up to now see a man sitting at the window, gun aimed at me.

"Get away from the fence." He said. I nodded and stepped backwards. I squinted at him - I know him. "What are you staring at?" he asked me. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. His skin had a tanner look to most people so he might be Spanish or something. You could tell he was younger than me; but not by much.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"Lady - I have no idea who you are." He said.

"I know you." I repeated. Then it clicked. I didn't know him personally, but I had seen him before. "Luis?" I guessed.

"Huh?" he mumbled raising his head form his rifle.

"Luis -"

"Yeah I know who I am." He said. "How do you know me?"

"I - this is going to sound crazy -" I am distracted by something to my side. A blue Mazda sits there, staring at me. I blink a few times before I realise that that is the car I stole and 'Orlando' stole from me. "How did you get that car?" I ask.

"My mate brought it in. So back to how you know me?" he changed the subject.

"That was my car." I mumbled looking up at him.

"Sorry what?"

"That was my car a few days ago until some tool stole it off me. Does an Orlando live here with you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"That Orlando guy - must've dropped it somewhere and my friend picked it up." He said. "So how do you know me?" he added.

"Can I come in?" I asked. "I feel a bit vulnerable out here."

"Sure - I guess." He said. I smiled and walked up to the gate and opened it, closing and locking it behind me. I kept walking to the front door but before I could even try to open it, it swung ajar, enough for me to see Luis's head. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Emmeline, but everybody calls me Emmy." I said.

"Like the award?"

"Yes - like the award." I smiled at him. He scoffed and opened the door fully, letting me inside.

"My mates out the back picking tomatoes." He said sitting down on the couch. "Sit and tell me how you know me." I sat down across from him.

"I was in your house." I said.

"Excuse me?" he laughed.

"A few days ago. I camped out in your house. Your pictures - were all over the wall." I smiled.

"They were from a few years ago." He said looking down.

"I can tell." I said. He looked up frantically, like I did something wrong.

"Was - was my sister there?" he asked.

"Alexandra? No - no I was alone." I stuttered.

"Worth a shot." He said smiling slightly.

"Not many today." I hear a familiar British accent say. 'Orlando' walks in the back door and lands his eyes on me. "Shit." He whispered. I stood, my mouth dropping open. I couldn't help but laugh, this was just my luck.

"Orlando. Or if that's even your name." I said raising my eyebrows.

"Orlando?" Luis said standing looking at the fake Orlando. "You're Orlando, the guy that took Emmy's car."

"Dude, shut up." He whispered to Luis.

"I know that's not your name." I shrugged. I put my hand behind my back lifting the bottom of my shirt to get a hold of my knife. I wasn't planning on killing him, maybe just a cut or 2 though. I pulled it out and dropped my arm beside me. His eyes landed on my blade.

"Hey hey Emmy -" Luis interrupted but I just held up my hand.

"You dumped me on my ass. In the middle of nowhere. I had no weapons. No food. No water. All I had was that car." I mumbled.

"I needed the car - we needed the car." Fake Orlando said.

"And I didn't?" I raised my eyebrows taking a step towards him.

"I'm sorry -"

"You pointed a gun at me." I said tilting my head to the side, studying his face.

"What the hell man?" Luis said looking over at Fake Orlando.

"I'm sorry okay? Look my name isn't Orlando..."

"No shit Einstein." I laughed.

"It's Joseph." He interrupted. I looked over to Luis who nodded. "I was telling the truth when I said I wanted to take you with me."

"No you didn't." I held up the knife. "You said you would murder me if I didn't get out of the car."

"I wouldn't." he mumbled.

"You are 19 though." I snapped.

"I've never killed anything." He shouted.

"Me either but -"

"Anything." He repeated.

"No Walkers?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"No."

"How are you surviving?" I asked.

"Barely." He looked over to Luis. "I've always counted on him."

"Well you have to learn." I said.

"You don't think I know that?" he looked back to me, his face weak. "I'm the reason so many people have died."

"Don't say that." Luis interrupted.

"It's true." His accent made it sound way sadder than an American accent would've sounded. "Nicole, Kayla, Hudson. All people I was around when they got bit. I didn't even move when Nicole got attacked."

"We're all frightened." Luis said putting his hand on Joseph's shoulder.

"But - I'm constantly scared." He covered his face with his hand.

"Of what? What's going to happen?" Luis asked him.

"I'm scared that - that I will one day be in a hostage siege with 2 men and they'll point guns at Me." he said looking up and smiling at me.

"What?" I said as Joseph and Luis raised their gun at me. "What?"

"Drop the knife." Luis said smirking.

"You seriously believed I had never killed anything." Joseph said laughing. I dropped the knife on the floor. "Kick it over."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked kicking the knife over to just in front of Luis's feet.

"It's kind of a hobby." Luis said.

"We enjoy robbing people. It gives us a thrill." Joseph smiled.

"Okay." I said raising my hands. "Well, you've got my knife, let me go."

"Should we?" Joseph looked over to Luis who shook his head. "I agree, you'll just come back. Maybe with people, maybe with a gun this time. We can't risk it."

"So what? You're just going to keep me here?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"Or kill you. Whatever we feel like." Luis said beginning to walk up to me. He had some sort of material in his hands. I soon knew it was a pillow case because he put it over my head. "Good night." He added just before hitting me over the head with something hard, knocking me out and letting my body drop to the ground at full force.