The Dead Chapter 18

Book 1: The Dead

Chapter 18

While I was in the hospital facing my worst fear, one of my best friends was in the most danger they have ever been. When Todd drove the motorbike loudly around the corner all he could think about was what Wendy had said to him before he left, and what would happen to her if he couldn't keep his promise. He sped around the wall of abandoned cars, quickly having to swerve again to manoeuvre around several deadmen. Even though he had seen their numbers before he still did not believe the amount of dead that remained outside the hospital after all this time.

Sound of his motorbike at almost full speed and the screech of his tires already had alerted the majority of the mob, but he knew that wasn't enough, making his way to the centremost space and came to a stop. Todd immediately knew this was the wrong decision, he was now surrounded by dead and he needed to act fast before any gaps in their ranks disappeared and he was trapped. We swung his rifle around and, not really needing to aim fired, and then fired again. He had hit two of the dead in the chest, they fell over but began to get back up again. But his real motive was achieved as dead began to stumble out of the building to investigate the gun shots. But there was no time to enjoy his victory as the only gap remaining to escape through began to thin.

Todd quickly accelerated, as he sped through the lines of the dead he was almost pulled off his bike by an outstretched hand. While he was lucky and maintained his grip on the bike, it forced to swerved precariously and momentarily lose control of the bike. This allowed the dead, slowly increasing their speed, to get closer and the previously scattered amount of dead had now formed a dense mob. Todd new that if they caught up with him or trapped him there was no way he could fight them or break through their ranks. He managed to regain control of the bike and quickly sped off in the opposite direction of me and the others, drawing the mob away from the hospital even as more deadmen emerged from inside it.

The night before Todd and a few others had gotten a map and drawn a route that they thought was his best chance of escaping or outrunning the dead. But as he sped along, his eyes almost permanently fixed on his mirrors, he had forgotten it. Even when it re-entered his mind he realised he had already missed the first turn. But looking in his mirrors now he saw that the dead were slowing and getting further away. At first this helped calm Todd and reinforced his hope of getting away, but fear struck even worse than before when he realised he wasn't far away enough from the hospital yet. He wondered whether that is why they were slowing, the hospital had become their territory and he wasn't an enticing enough meal to warrant leaving their feeding grounds. But theories had to wait, he knew that his safety and state of mind came second at the moment.  If he didn't get that mob further away from the hospital then Wendy and the others would walk into effectively an ambush.

He spun the bike around and drove towards the front of the mob. Todd knew his rifle would have to be reloaded to be used again, but he didn't know how close the others were, he needed to act now. Keeping one hand on the wheel he swung the rifle off his shoulder and held it from the barrel. As he reached the front row of the mob, now once again increasing in speed, he swung it in a wide arc, striking several of the dead. Todd never came to a complete stop though and was able to keep driving away from the dead before the got a grip on him or his bike, his rifle however, the managed to grab and he was forced to let it go.

Todd cursed at having to relinquish it, knowing that if the bike stopped working or he had been backed into a corner that it had been his only chance to fight back. But the mob at least were now chancing him with renewed interest, he had saved the others, and he knew now that he could outrun them eventually, but for now he reduced his speed until the mob was far enough away from the hospital that they would not return. When Todd finally reached that point he felt more relieved than he had ever felt as he was able to accelerate without worry. But the worry returned when another blockade of abandoned cars loomed into view, he quickly searched for a side road, but found none. But his prayers were answered when he saw a footpath leading into a smaller street, the opening big enough and clear enough for his bike to fit through.

The side path served another purpose it seems, when Todd drove through the mob tried to follow, and the gap served as a funnel so instead of a wall of the dead Todd was now followed by a thick line. Also while all trying to fit through in their frantic stampede, many fell and were trampled by others, this caused injuries to many and Todd could see several of the Dead at the back now walked with limps from broken legs. Todd reached the end of the street which turned out to be a court and was faced with a decision. In one direction lay the main road, it would be easier to return to the pharmacy from their but the blockade could stretch on for ages, slowing his speed, and he might also run into more dead in amongst the cars. The other direction led him into a catacomb of side roads and small streets, and he could easily get lost for hours there, but so cold the mob. Todd new that minimizing the risk was in his best interest and tuned left, driving away from the main road.

After several turns and near crashes Todd was definitely lost, he had lost his sense of direction and had no idea where the main road was. Any geographical land marks such as hills and buildings were blocked out by high-class buildings all clustered together. The catacombs had served their purpose though and the line of dead following him had dwindled, with more and more getting lost or falling over at the constant turns. Todd had been lucky so far and hadn't seen more than two dead wandering through the streets. And his luck didn't stop there, as Todd came to a round-about turn Todd glanced at the names of the streets, hoping to find one he recognized  he did. The street name is one of the several he recognized from his original plan for escaping the dead, not that there were many dead to escape from at this point. But now Todd had a choice to make, did he head towards the clinic and join Nicole? Or did he return to the hospital and hope that everything went as planned? While Todd was making a possibly deadly decision I was facing a much worse, much more personal decision: did I escape with my friends? Or did I pursue my mother deeper into the hospital infested with the dead?