20 something days later the infected were running all over England. I was headed to find the source of the broadcast. They had found the answer to infection, I was personally happy that this all could finally end. I was walking, yes, that was very stupid, and Monica made it a point to let me know. She picked me up on the highway. She was rather blunt and in her early twenties was my guess. She said everyone was attacked after her plane landed, but she managed to escape. We were both American girls. Monica was a girl with a dark brown complexion and brown streaks in her hair. She was kinda cool I guess. It was even cooler of her to stop and pick me up. There didn't seem to be anyone for miles. My car had broken down near the exit so I just decided come hell or high water I would make it to Manchester, the place the man on the radio had broadcast. Monica was asking questions and flapping her jaws along the way like the infection hadn't ruined anything for her. I learned that she worked at a salon back in the states no wonder her nails and hair were perfectly done. She was driving so I couldn't really see her overall shape but she was a cute slender girl. I also found out that she was from Vegas and had dated a Marine for a long time so he had taught her a lot. She didn't seem to flinch when one of the infected popped out in front of the car. She ran him over without even blinking. It was kinda weird for her to act like this was an everyday thing.
We stopped at the market on our way to Manchester it was only a few more miles. Monica had a navigation system but it wasn't working properly. Instead she had picked up a map of all the hotspots in England before she boarded the plane. Monica was more of a punk rock kinda girl. I got a good look at her outfit once we got out of the car to go into the store.
She was wearing skater shoes with skinny jeans and a rock and roll t shirt that fit her perfectly. Monica bent down to double tie the overly long laces of her shoe. Her dogtags came out of her shirt and dangled in front of her.
"Are those real?"
Monica smiles.
"Yeah. No big deal. I served for a few years."
"How was it?"
"I was so curious. I had never met a person that did anything like that.
"It was hell at first but it got better once I got use to it."
"I see. So did you get to blow stuff up?"
Monica laughs at me again.
"Not really but I got to shoot a lot."
"So your a good shot?"
"I'm not bad." says Monica.
I felt safer all ready. Once we made it inside Monica made sure the entire store was clear of infected, even the bathroom. It felt like we had been friends forever and not just a few hours. Monica filled her shopping cart with all types of goodies, everything from snack bars to cans of fruit. I happily followed her down every isle but broke away toward the back because I needed feminine items. Monica poped up beside me loading her cart with most of the shelf.
"Geez."
"I don't know when we will see a store again so I have to stock up." says Monica
"I heard that."
We load the back seat so full that the food is almost reaching the top of the seats. Monica jumps behind the wheel.
"I'd say we did good." she says.
"Yeah. We should have everything we could ever need."
"I grabbed some seeds for plants to, that's good to have."
"I never thought of that. Wow. Have you been in a similar situation before?"
"No my ex and me use to talk about it, you know what ifs."
"Oh okay."
Now it all made sense.
We reached the source of the broadcast. The barricade had been abandoned. Doom set in as Monica and I searched the empty vehicles. We were alone.
"We came all this way for nothing."
Monica shrugs her shoulders but I can still see the lost look in her eyes.
"All we can do from here is push on."
"But they said they had the answer to infection!"
"Yeah. I know."
"So where the fuck do we go from here?"
"I don't know Steph" says Monica.
My name is Stephanie but I didn't mind Monica shortening it. I was so overcome by the discovery of nothing.
"Well that's it. Our only hope is gone."
"I wouldn't say that." says Monica.
"What else is there then?!"
I am practically yelling in Monica's face but she doesn't get defensive.
"Steph. I don't know."
Monica loooks down at her shoes and I understand she is upset too but doesn't know what to say.
"Hello!" I yell as loud as I can.
"Shhhh. The infected will hear you."
"So!"
I yell again but this time Monica tackles me in an attempt to cover my mouth. We roll around on the ground for a while. The fight ends because my anger fizzles out long before Monica's. She is knealing on the ground next to me and picks me up by my shirt collar prepared to bash my face in with her fist.
Luckily a man in a full camo suit shows up with a gun aimed at her head. He shouts at her to release me and she does just as a second guy dressed in the same suit walks up. Monica puts her hands on her head like she is about to be arrested.
Both guys remove their masks on the way to the place they had been hold up. The second guy drove Monica's borrowed rental car while the other smiled down at us during the ride in the back of their truck. Monica kinda gave him a look like she was dismissing whatever advance that he was trying but it didn't seem to discourage him one bit.