Kayleigh Tanner 3

7/11, Thursday

Sorry about last night. There are still times when this all just feels so…

Anyway, where was I? Right, the car.

The other people in the car were talking, but I couldn’t make out anything they said. All I was aware of was a pounding pressure in my skull and the urge to vomit, so most of my attention was focused on not throwing up over everyone in the car.

Vaguely, I heard someone that that I didn’t look so good and I had the ridiculous urge to point out that well, yeah, my family just tore each other to pieces, I’m not exactly feeling on top of the world. Instead, I gasped that I needed some air. The car stopped, hard enough to hurt my neck from the whiplash. I fumbled around until I got the door open, practically felling onto the road and then violently retching. Midway through my heaving, someone in the car asked if I’d been bit or scratched by anything. I shook my head as best I could with bile burning up my throat, but my mind shot back over the past half hour and I realised I didn’t actually know. Everything had happened so fast, I couldn’t properly remember much of it at all.

When my stomach had settled as much as it was going to, I spat the remaining bile out and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Gentle hands helped me back into the car and I noticed for the first time the people who’d saved me. Beside me, in the middle of the car, was a girl about my age, maybe a bit older, with shoulder-length purple hair and eyes that seemed to be every colour at once. On the far left of the car was the guy who had so accurately observed that I wasn’t looking fantastic and asked if I was bit, wearing a basketball shirt and, ridiculously, a backwards cap, even inside the car. In the passenger seat was a blue-eyed man, but all I could see of the driver was their brown hair because they were right in front of me and had their eyes on the road.

Almost before my door had closed, the car was moving again. There were bodies littering the streets, and the only ones that were moving were the ones tearing strips off of the dead people. Some raised their heads as we flew past, but most seemed intent on their meal. I tried not to look at them, the sight not helping my already queasy stomach. The driver managed to avoid most of them, but at the speed we were going it was impossible to miss them all, and to be perfectly honest I don’t think he was trying that hard. My right shoulder was already bruised by my collision with the doorframe back in my house, and every time we turned left I was slammed into the door, sending bolts of pain spearing down my arm. The car was filled with an oppressive silence, no one seeming to want to talk. I was practically aching to ask just what the hell was going on, but reason told me that chances are no one here  would know anything more than I did. A tear ran down my cheek.

After a few minutes, the girl beside me broke the silence, leaning forward and asking, “Where are we going?”

The blue eyed man turned around, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. His fringe was just long enough to get in his eyes, as if he were overdue for a trim. “We,” he motioned to himself and the driver, “are going to check on our parents and see if they’re okay. Whether you all come or not is up to you. If you want to see your own family, you can, but you’ll have to find your own way there.”

With the silence broken, backwards-cap spoke up. “How did this happen, man? How did things get so fucked up so fast?” He didn’t seem to be asking anyone in particular, just musing. “I was just chilling at home, you know, and I look outside and there’s those things just chewing up people in the street.” He shook his head, then leant forward. “I really appreciate you guys picking me up out there. Not everyone would’ve stopped, y’know? And if you hadn’t come along…” I made a noise of agreement.

“I’m Jodie.” The purple-haired girl said.

The guy leant back, or at least as far as he could with the beak of his cap hitting the seat. “Jackson.”

“I’m Rob,” the blue-eyed man introduced. “And this is Steve.” He motioned to the driver, who didn’t take his eyes from the road. Jodie, Rob and Jackson turned to look at me.

“Kayleigh.” I said. “My name’s Kayleigh.”