He tries the engine again and this time it bursts into life and he grinds the car into reverse.
‘What the hell!’ Billie screams as we plough back towards, and not away from, the zombie.
‘Watch this!’ The Ape builds up as much speed as he can.
‘Wait! That’s not a zombie!’ Johnson calls out.
‘What?’ I say confused.
‘It’s a girl!’ Johnson shoots out a hand and wrenches the gear stick back into Park.
We look through the rear window as the car kangaroos to a neck-jarring halt. But Johnson’s not quick enough and the car knocks the emaciated girl coming towards us clean off her feet,
sending her tumbling backwards.
It takes at least a minute before the heavy dull echo of anorexic-on-car-metal fades into the night and another full minute or so before anyone says anything.
Billie speaks first. ‘Jesus.’
‘I know,’ I agree.
‘One of us needs to get out and take a look.’ Johnson looks at the Ape.
The Ape shrugs. ‘I’ve done my bit.’
‘What, knocking some innocent person over?’
‘You told me it was a zombie.’
‘I said it was a girl,’ Johnson counters.
‘
I
said it was a zombie,’ says Billie.
‘So you should get out,’ the Ape says to her.
‘I’m not getting out. It might still be a zombie.’
‘It was definitely a girl,’ Johnson says.
‘But it might be a zombie now – she might’ve turned,’ Billie argues and the Ape nods. It’s the first – and probably only – time they agree with each
other.
‘Did you have to go and say that?’ I shudder inwardly.
‘Why don’t they just eat each other?’ asks the Ape.
‘What are you talking about, you moron?’ Billie shouts. Her frustration at Ape’s idiotic comments has clearly reached breaking point.
‘Zombies. Why don’t they eat other zombies – that would solve a lot of their problems. If I was one I’d eat other zombies.’
I bang my hand on the low roof to get everyone’s attention. ‘There’s a girl out there and we need to check she’s OK!’
‘It might be playing dead. Waiting for one of us to do exactly that,’ Billie says. I can’t believe that she still believes it is a zombie.
‘They should eat each other, they really should.’ The Ape seems to be on another planet.
‘They don’t exist,’ I say. ‘They absolutely don’t.’
‘Rev’s right,’ Johnson says looking at the Ape. ‘You ran a girl down. We have to do something.’
‘Hang on.’ Billie is craning her neck to look out of the rear window.
‘What?’ I ask her.
‘It’s gone.’
I turn and look and Billie is right. The girl has disappeared. There is too much happening today for me to be able to take it all in. I feel numb now, numb and completely lost. Four hours into
what feels like the end of the world and all sense and logic is disappearing at an alarming rate.
‘Can’t we just drive off?’ Billie whispers.
‘That works for me,’ says the Ape, who delicately slips the car back into drive. But the minute he turns the ignition the engine dies again.
‘Great,’ moans Billie.
‘Let’s think about this,’ I say. ‘I mean, let’s be logical. Zombies don’t exist. So there’s a girl out there . . .’
‘And we know there was one other girl in detention.’ Johnson picks up my line of thought.
I peer out the window but can barely see anything. The darkness feels suffocating it’s so thick. I press up against the glass to get a better look.
Which is when Carrie’s face appears at the window and scares all forms of bejesus out of me.
‘I’m bloody brittle you know!’ she shouts at me before fainting.
The Ape is giving Carrie a piggyback into town because luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, the car glanced off her rather than hitting her full on. Her fragile
body has been badly bruised though and she claims she can’t feel her legs. So Carrie is being carried and it all seems to make some sort of weird and strange sense. She hasn’t stopped
whining ever since the
‘What the hell!’ Billie screams as we plough back towards, and not away from, the zombie.
‘Watch this!’ The Ape builds up as much speed as he can.
‘Wait! That’s not a zombie!’ Johnson calls out.
‘What?’ I say confused.
‘It’s a girl!’ Johnson shoots out a hand and wrenches the gear stick back into Park.
We look through the rear window as the car kangaroos to a neck-jarring halt. But Johnson’s not quick enough and the car knocks the emaciated girl coming towards us clean off her feet,
sending her tumbling backwards.
It takes at least a minute before the heavy dull echo of anorexic-on-car-metal fades into the night and another full minute or so before anyone says anything.
Billie speaks first. ‘Jesus.’
‘I know,’ I agree.
‘One of us needs to get out and take a look.’ Johnson looks at the Ape.
The Ape shrugs. ‘I’ve done my bit.’
‘What, knocking some innocent person over?’
‘You told me it was a zombie.’
‘I said it was a girl,’ Johnson counters.
‘
I
said it was a zombie,’ says Billie.
‘So you should get out,’ the Ape says to her.
‘I’m not getting out. It might still be a zombie.’
‘It was definitely a girl,’ Johnson says.
‘But it might be a zombie now – she might’ve turned,’ Billie argues and the Ape nods. It’s the first – and probably only – time they agree with each
other.
‘Did you have to go and say that?’ I shudder inwardly.
‘Why don’t they just eat each other?’ asks the Ape.
‘What are you talking about, you moron?’ Billie shouts. Her frustration at Ape’s idiotic comments has clearly reached breaking point.
‘Zombies. Why don’t they eat other zombies – that would solve a lot of their problems. If I was one I’d eat other zombies.’
I bang my hand on the low roof to get everyone’s attention. ‘There’s a girl out there and we need to check she’s OK!’
‘It might be playing dead. Waiting for one of us to do exactly that,’ Billie says. I can’t believe that she still believes it is a zombie.
‘They should eat each other, they really should.’ The Ape seems to be on another planet.
‘They don’t exist,’ I say. ‘They absolutely don’t.’
‘Rev’s right,’ Johnson says looking at the Ape. ‘You ran a girl down. We have to do something.’
‘Hang on.’ Billie is craning her neck to look out of the rear window.
‘What?’ I ask her.
‘It’s gone.’
I turn and look and Billie is right. The girl has disappeared. There is too much happening today for me to be able to take it all in. I feel numb now, numb and completely lost. Four hours into
what feels like the end of the world and all sense and logic is disappearing at an alarming rate.
‘Can’t we just drive off?’ Billie whispers.
‘That works for me,’ says the Ape, who delicately slips the car back into drive. But the minute he turns the ignition the engine dies again.
‘Great,’ moans Billie.
‘Let’s think about this,’ I say. ‘I mean, let’s be logical. Zombies don’t exist. So there’s a girl out there . . .’
‘And we know there was one other girl in detention.’ Johnson picks up my line of thought.
I peer out the window but can barely see anything. The darkness feels suffocating it’s so thick. I press up against the glass to get a better look.
Which is when Carrie’s face appears at the window and scares all forms of bejesus out of me.
‘I’m bloody brittle you know!’ she shouts at me before fainting.
The Ape is giving Carrie a piggyback into town because luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, the car glanced off her rather than hitting her full on. Her fragile
body has been badly bruised though and she claims she can’t feel her legs. So Carrie is being carried and it all seems to make some sort of weird and strange sense. She hasn’t stopped
whining ever since the
Similar Books
