"Nita …" Lisa started.
"No! It's not up for discussion. I'm coming with you. I can't wait to see this bloody Neil, anyway. He must be something really special the way you carry on about him all the time."
Lisa squeezed her arm. "Thanks. I can't wait for him to meet you, too."
She spoke to Richard and Charlie. "If it's ok with you guys, we should get going as soon as we can. God knows what it's going to be like out there, or how long it will take us."
"Well," Richard replied. "You've got to do what you've got to do. I understand that. But, please, be careful. I'd offer to drive you, but I can't leave Charlie here on her own, and I'm not taking her out there … the ways things are."
"Honestly, guys, you've helped us so much already. Don't even think about it. Please. We wouldn't want you to do that. We'll be fine," Lisa reassured him.
Charlie looked at Richard and he nodded. "Look, we'd like you to borrow a car," she said. "You won't stand a chance on foot."
"Sound!" Anita mumbled through a mouthful of bacon.
"If you're sure! That would be amazing!" Again, like Lynda, Lisa couldn't believe their generosity. She found herself wondering if she and Neil would have done the same. She hoped they would.
Within the hour they were ready to set off. The "car" was a practically new Land Rover Discovery. Richard insisted that they take some blankets, pillows and warm jackets in case they got stuck again. He loaded them into the back seat of the car. He also gave them a map and a torch. Charlie produced a picnic of cheese and pickle sandwiches packed neatly in a wicker basket with fresh fruit, crisps and chocolate bars. Anita sat in the passenger seat with the shotgun.
Compared to when they had left the farm the previous morning, Lisa felt confident and well prepared. Simply being clean, rested, and fed and watered, had restored her positivity, along with the fact that, this time, they knew what to expect. Well partly, at least. Everything seemed to be coming together for them at last. Meeting Richard and Charlie when they did, had been nothing short of miraculous.
Despite having known each other less than 24 hours, it was hard to say goodbye. Tears were shed, and grateful hugs exchanged, as well as contact details and promises to get in touch as soon as they could.
Richard walked down the drive to see them off. Charlie stood on the steps of the house waving. He opened the gates using a button on the back of one of the gate posts. They creaked slowly apart. When they were fully open, Lisa edged the Discovery forward and out into the lane.
The moment the nose of the car was far enough forward for her see past the conifer hedge; she saw them.
She screamed.
Anita saw them at the same time. "Jesus, what the … Richard!" She twisted round in her seat to see where Richard was.
A group of four infected were only a few feet away to their left and already moving with intent towards the car, obviously attracted by the noise of the gates and the car engine.
In the rear-view mirror, Lisa could see Richard standing by the gate post, watching the gates as they closed. He wasn't looking towards the car.
"Richard!" Anita shouted and waved furiously at him. His gaze didn't shift from the gates.
Lisa scrabbled to find the button that opened her window. In the time it took to find the right one, ram her finger on it and open it enough for him to hear her, a man and a woman had reached the car and were banging and clawing on the passenger window. Anita shrieked and cowered away in horror.
The other two had slipped behind the car towards the slowly closing gates.
"Richard! Richard!" Lisa screamed through the open window. She banged on the horn. Richard looked up just as the infected reached him.
But Lisa was distracted by the sound of Anita opening her own window.
"Nita! What …!" Things were spiralling out of control. She could feel her chest starting to tighten.
Anita stopped when her window was open a couple of inches.
The infected growled and snarled, their hideous faces pressed against the window, thick brown spit smearing the glass. Lisa could smell their fetid breath. Anita raised the shotgun and pointing the barrel through the crack at the top of the window, pressed it against the forehead of the male. She flicked the safety and fired.
The sound was thunderous in the confined space of the car. Anita was thrown backwards into Lisa's lap by the recoil. Lisa barely heard her own screams beneath the ringing in her ears.
The man was gone. In his place, a red mist hung in the air. The woman immediately took his place. Anita sat up and, with shaking hands, reloaded the gun and repositioned it against her forehead in the same way. She fired again. The woman disappeared.
"Richard …" Lisa whispered. She turned around.
The gates were closed. There was no sign of the other two infected. She opened the door and got out, running to the gates. Anita shimmied over and followed her.
In the middle of the gravel driveway, halfway towards the house, the remaining two infected crouched over Richard's body. They were tearing at him with hands and teeth, pulling and ripping his flesh. His eyes bulged in terror and his mouth was open wide in a silent bloody scream. Lisa screamed and sobbed with rage. She shook the gates, kicking and punching them.
At the other end of the drive, Charlie stood and watched from the bottom of the steps. She pulled at her hair, her
