Rise of the Dead

Chapter 18: The Delirium

"And all the pandemonium and all the sadness." ~ B.O.B

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I raise up slowly and keep my hands in the air, I can feel my body shake visibly as the adrenaline courses through me. I will kill it. Threatening my family, he's as good as dead. But I know I can't act whilst Sophie and Ashia are in danger, I need to play along with his sick game. I walk slowly forward and stop a few metres in front of the infected, meeting his eyes with a cold glare. He pushes Ashia into Sophie's arms and they both scramble to the side, the infected coming forward and pulling my arm to its decaying mouth. I keep up the act until the teeth are pressing against my skin, my heart thumping against my ribs.

I whip my hand up and punch it hard in the jaw, the infected stumbling off balance and staggering to the ground heavily. I straddle its decaying body and start punching it, my fists raining down on its bloodied face- anger fuelling my violence and I don't stop.

The infected goes still but I keep punching, blood starting to seep out from my knuckles painfully. Suddenly arms wrap around my waist and pull me backwards, dragging me off the zombie's lifeless body.

"Madeline stop! It's dead. That's enough," Josh says and pins me against the grass where I finally calm down, before sitting up to look at the infected.

It's now crumpled and deformed face stares at me, tears start to roll down my cheeks and I sob loudly, screaming into the dead air. Josh pulls me to my feet and into his arms, stroking my hair and hushing my broken cries. Josh leads me over to the car where the others stand silently, grim expressions masking their features. I hug Soph tightly and place a gentle kiss on Ashia's forehead before getting into the driver's seat, welcoming the distraction.

I start the engine and pull out of the campsite, the trees flash by and the port gets ever closer. Soon the salty sea air floods through the windows and I take a deep breath, we drive over a train line and I chuckle at the red lights that were uselessly flashing. I drive around the corner and see the dock spreading out in front of me in an open stretch of tarmac, I weave through abandoned cars before cutting the engine in the huge waiting area. We all get out of the car silently, gathering the few belongings we have left and shrugging our backpacks over our shoulders. I gently scoop Ashia into my arms and slowly walk forwards, scanning the docks before deciding on a medium white boat which sits idly in the rippling water.

"We don't know how many zombies are onboard, so try to be careful," I say gently and hear a murmur of agreement. I'm just about to step onto the boat when I hear the unmistakable sound of a train horn. I turn around in confusion, just in time to see a flaming train race into the station. 

The train crashes into the station and another carriage is set alight, the force of the explosion throwing us all backwards through the ash-filled air. I skid across the tarmac and heat rushes to my grazes, I feel blood trickle down my elbows and I grimace at the dull sting. Smoke billows out of the shattered windows and my eyes water relentlessly, I squint as another bang echoes from the train and we all flinch violently.

I start to crawl away to shelter and I see the others following me, shielding Ashia with my body as she cries feebly into my chest. I pull myself along, gravel cutting my knees until another explosion knocks me onto my side. I crawl across the remaining tarmac and drag myself behind an upturned bus, I climb through a smashed window and finally breathe a deep sigh of pain mixed with momentary relief. The others stumble in and wedge themselves against the dented metal, all panting heavily and staring around in shock. 

"What was that?" Amelia gasps out and I just shake my head.

"They're here. Lots of them..." I trail off, the others don't have time to ask what I mean because the high pitched shriek of the infected suddenly echoes through the dock. We all crouch down and stare around the blood-splattered windows, with a loud groan the train doors start to pull open and hundreds of hands slip through. I see the pure look of terror mirrored on our otherwise expressionless faces and know we have to act quickly before the door open fully.

"Guys we have to get on that boat NOW," I exclaim in panic and they all move towards the jetty next to the boat, I pull myself to my feet and run towards the walkway.

"JOSH!" I shout, "GET THE BOAT MOVING!" He nods curtly and runs ahead, his pace far quicker than ours. I turn around and see Maria limping slowly, blood gushing out of her deeply cut leg. I look around frantically before I pass Ashia to Soph and pull Maria's arm over my shoulder.

"Come on, let's go, faster," I urge and I see Maria's face grimace at the new speed.

I suddenly hear a deep growl and see the first zombie stumble out of the train, quickly followed by hundreds more. The group's eyes widen and we push forward harder but Maria's injured leg slows us down. We keep moving when suddenly I hear a loud crunch, the bridge snaps clean away from the boat and sinks into the murky depths. I stop hard in my tracks and whip my head around quickly as the boat judders and rumbles to life, seeing no way aboard. 

They say that you never feel more alive than when you are facing death and, through the terror, I finally understand the saying. Everything seems to slow around me and I start to notice the little things, like the way the sun refracts off the water or the sound of the sea lapping hungrily at the jetty edge. Then, all too soon, I'm jarred out of the delirium.

The boat moves forward a little so it's nearly touching the docks and I hear a metal clanking as it hits the posts to prevent boat's contact with the port. The engine only works for a minute before smoke starts to pour out the joints and the boat rumbles to a stop, the metal floating away from us. I hear a rustling boom through the dock before Joshes voice fills the air, panicky and desperate over the boat's speaker. 

"The bridge has snapped you're going to have to jump," Josh says frantically, the sound of static accompanying his voice. "You can do this," he stutters out before the line goes silently dead, but his voice lacks confidence.

I look at the huge jump over the water and then down at Maria's swollen leg, turning around to see the zombies gaining on us. I push the others forward and we stumble towards the rusty boat, the zombies getting ever closer and their shrieks getting higher. The distance isn't getting covered quick enough and the jump is death threatening, tears start to roll down my cheeks and I shake my head as the realisation hits me. We're not going to make this, were going to die.

Josh was wrong, we can't do this.