They all tried the phone again before they left.
No-one got through to anyone, not even Brian this time.
It was about eight-thirty by the time they finally left the farm in the old Nissan. Lisa drove. Anita sat next to her, with the shotgun between her legs, and Brian lay across the back seat under a blanket.
He was not doing well. They'd had to help him into the car. Lisa was concerned about how quickly he'd become so ill. The boy had clearly infected him with something, which was hardly surprising. But what was it? Was it related to the virus or just a normal bacterial infection? Maybe they'd find help for him first, rather than taking him all the way? Maybe they could find a hospital to drop him off at on the way?
Following Lynda's instructions, they set off down the short farm track that led to the road and turned left towards the A45. Almost immediately, they passed a small crossroads with a signpost for the village of Wolston pointing to their right. The roads were quiet: no other traffic or pedestrians. It was like a Sunday morning, but it was Friday. It should have been busy with people making their way to work or taking the kids to school. It was eerie and disconcerting. They tuned the radio in to Radio 4 and kept it on but, like the TV and all the other stations they'd tried, the same Emergency Broadcast message was on repeat.
They moved quickly down the winding country road, with fields and hedgerows flashing by. Lisa was confident she would be home in no time if they continued like this.
Just when she thought they must be close to the main road, they reached a bend where a couple of cars were blocking the way ahead. Beyond the cars, just visible over some bushes, was the top of a tall, narrow, pointed structure. Lisa instantly recognised it as the obelisk in the centre of the roundabout on the A45, where it crossed the old Roman road, the Fosse Way. She had her bearings. She knew where she was, and she knew her way home easily from here.
She slowed to a stop about a hundred metres from the cars. They had hit each other head on and were both badly damaged. Broken glass and metal littered the road. The impact had spun them both sideways and they were effectively blocking the road to all other vehicles.
All four doors of the car closest to them were open. It was a dark grey saloon of some kind. She didn't really do cars. As long as they looked good, and reliably got her from A to B, she was happy.
Neil loved cars. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that he drove a van most of the time. For his birthday a few weeks ago, she had bought him a Driving Experience in Thruxton. He'd been ecstatic. They were due to go next weekend. She hoped this would be all be over by then. He'd be so disappointed if it was cancelled.
Further away was a smaller red car. It was more badly damaged. The front had completely crumpled. There was someone in the driver's seat. They were moving.
Lisa gasped. She recognised the unnatural, jerky movements straight away. An ice-cold ball of fear formed in the pit of her stomach. Her hand instinctively went for her inhaler.
"Oh, shit!" She looked at Anita. Her inhaler rattled as she shook it, but didn't take a puff. She took a few long slow breaths instead.
Anita was staring at the red car. She had seen it too.
"Just get a bit closer so we can see," the girl suggested. "Go slowly. We're ok in here and we can just drive away if anything happens."
"Except that we're facing the wrong way and I'm not great at reversing," Lisa muttered as she put the car in gear and began to roll it slowly towards the accident.
They stopped again, a few feet away from the vehicles, and sat there for a minute with the engine still running. The grey car was empty, all four doors were wide open, and both front airbags had been activated.
In the red car, an infected, undead woman was trapped in the driver's seat by her seatbelt. She looked young, maybe late twenties, in jeans and a blue, heavily blood-stained jumper. She was straining to get out of her seat, leaning forward and rocking from side to side within the confines of the belt. Lisa was transfixed. It was morbidly fascinating watching her from the safety of the car. She clearly couldn't work out how to release her seatbelt. She got more and more agitated the closer they got, and her moaning changed to a low growl. She glared at them menacingly, baring her teeth and snapping her jaws.
"What do we do, Nita?" Lisa asked.
"Can we get around?"
"I don't think so, not in the car. But the A45 is just over there."
"We can't walk. And besides, I wouldn't feel safe out of the car." Anita shook her head. "And what about him?" she gestured towards the back seat.
"You're right," Lisa said. "We'll just have to go back the way we've come and find another way."
She managed to do a laborious, gear-grating, five-or-six-point turn that got them facing back in the direction they'd just come from.
Anita put a hand
