This story involves the same disease as the enemy but that's it. None of The Enemy characters will appear in this although the book will be mentioned in this book.
Sorry for any spelling mistakes.
1.
Brendon stared into the distance. Thinking. James was sitting beside him, reading a book. Two weeks ago the disease had struck. Anyone over fourteen got the disease. Half of the people who got it died. They were the lucky people. The other half who got the disease changed. They turned into these zombie like things. Not human anymore. Anyone fourteen or under were safe from the disease but not from the people who got it. They tried to kill you. Tried to eat you. Brendon, James and some other kids were hiding out in Coláiste Pobail Osraí. It was an irish speaking school in Kilkenny city. Most of the kids hiding here had gone to this school. They were in the music room because it was the only room that they were able to lock. A few kids had gone out looking for food as they were running low.
"What time is it?" a kid sitting in front of a piano asked. He had long brown hair and wore an old parka jacket but that was hard to tell in the candle light.
"Callum, you have a watch" Anna said. Anna and Callum had been dating for almost a year now and after spending a week inside the music room they'd grown weary of each others company.
"Its dead" Callum said.
"Its half past eleven" James said.
"How long have Harry, Jack, Fionn and Liam been gone?" Callum asked.
James looked at his watch again.
"About an hour" James said.
"The schools not that big, whats taking them so long?" Callum asked.
"They might have gone to the ormonde college, its right in front of us" James said.
"Ok" Callum said.
They sat there quiet until there was a loud knock on the door.
"That must be them" a kid called Jerome said. He went to open the door.
"Hurry up" someone shouted from outside. He sounded panicked. Jerome unlocked the door and the four kids ran inside.
"We need to get out of here" a kid called Liam said. "Theres more of them now. We dont stand a chance here."
"We cant go now" Brendon said. "Its pitch black outside and they mostly come out at night"
"Even if we did go, where would we go?" Someone called Jessica said.
"Military Barracks" another kid called Terry said.
"Kilkenny castle" Fionn said.
"Sounds good" Liam said.
"What if other kids are there?" Terry said.
"We surrender" Fionn said.
"I think we should go to the military barracks" Harry said. "Its a better idea. Theres guns and stuff there."
"Every other kid is gonna go there" Fionn said.
"Thats why we go there first and beat all the other kids there" Harry said.
"Im with Harry" Callum said as he stood up.
"Same" Anna said.
"It was my idea so i'll go too" Terry said.
"Im going to kilkenny castle" Brendon said.
"Brendon, you cant be serious" Callum said. "Haven't you always wanted an assault rifle? Now you can get one."
James grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the desk beside him.
"We'll take a vote" James said. "Put up your hand if you want to go to the military barracks." Callum, Anna, Terry, Harry and Jessica put up their hands. James counted the hands and wrote down five. "Anyone who wants to go to Kilkenny castle." Jack, Liam, Fionn, Jerome, Brendon and James put their hand up. "Kilkenny castle it is" James said.
"Were still going to the military base" Harry said.
"Yeah" shouted Terry, Callum, Anna and Jesaica in agreement.
"Fine" James said. "You go to the military base, we'll go to Kilkenny castle."
2.
When Callum woke it was light outside. He tried to sit up but his back was sore from sleeping on the floor. He slowly stood up and put on his parka jacket. Then he noticed something. There were only four other people in the room. Terry stood up and stood beside Callum.
Terry also noticed that people were gone.
"Hmmm..." Terry said, pretending to be stumped.
"There gone" Callum said.
"No shit, Sherlock" Terry said.
"They've taken all our food as well!" Callum said.
"Those bastards" Terry said.
Callum went to the desk. He saw something underneath it.
"Wait" he said. "Theres something." Callum pulled out a case of dutch gold beer and put it on the table.
"Oh yay" Terry said sarcasticly. "We can drink ourselves to death."
Callum ripped open the pack of twenty four beers and threw one at Terry, before taking one out for himself. Terry sat down and put his feet up on the desk and Callum did the same.
"Cheers" Terry said.
"Cheers" Callum said. They both took a long gulp of the beer, which wasn't really that cold.
3.
After Terry and Callum woke everyone up, the kids stole knives out of the home ec room.
"There very blunt" Jessica said, looking at a knife she was holding, which had a nine inch blade.
"They'll do for now" Callum said.
"Lets go" Anna said. "It'll take an hour to get to the military barracks."
"Wait, lads" Terry said as they walked out the door.
"What" Harry said. Terry held up a set of keys and jangled them.
Harry smiled. "Nice".
When they got to the car park, Terry pressed the lock/unlock button. The lights of a silver Nissan Qashqui flashed to indicate that it was unlocked. The kids put there bags, which contained their personal belongings, clothes and the Dutch Gold beer that the other kids had left for them.
"I hope it starts" Terry said hopefully as he climbed into the drivers seat. He turned the key and the car rumbled into life. He put the car in first gear and the he drove up to the gate.
"Which way?" he asked.
"Left" Anna said.
"Things are finally starting to look up" Callum said.
4.
Thirty three minutes ago
"This isnt right" Brendon said as he, Fionn, Jack, James, Jerome and Liam walked out the front gate. Not only was it the first time he'd left the school grounds and into the real world for a week, he also felt bad for Callum and Terry. They'd been best friends for years and Brendon didn't even get to say goodbye. He'd managed to convince Fionn, who seemed to be in charge now, to leave them something. Sadly, the only thing Fionn was willing to give was whatever was heaviest, and that was the beer. The castle was very close, about a five minute walk. Less maybe.
It was eerily silent. No traffic. No people. No life at all. Abandoned cars littered the road, along with rubbish and a dead body or two.
"Why are we walking in the middle of the road?" Jerome asked.
"According to The Enemy series of we walk in the middle of the road the grownups wont be able to grab us from inside buildings and drag us in to be eaten" James said. "Also we"ll be able to see a person or grownups mor easily if we're in the middle of the road."
"Bullshit" Jerome said.
"Didn't Charlie Higson write The Enemy series?" Fionn asked.
"Yeah" James nodded.
"Charlie Higson was arrested on suspicion of genetically modifying the disease" Fionn said.
"When was this?" Jack asked.
"It was on the news about two weeks ago" Fionn said. "After he was arrested he bit one of the officers. In the end he became so mad they had to shoot him"
"Thousands of kids will be helped by his books though" James said. "If I never read the book i'd try go to the country which is full of grownups and i'd be killed."
"Why would the country be full of grownups?" Jerome asked.
"Because most of the adults tried to escape the city and when they did they still got infected so most of them are in the country."
"Bullshit" Jerome said.
"Also" James said, ignoring Jerome. "If I hadn't read the book, I wouldn't have known that if we stay in the middle of the road we're safer from hiding grownups."
"Bullshit" Jerome said.
"Shut your mouth" James said. Jerome was a couple of inches taller than James, stronger and wouldn't back down from a fight.
"Make me, Ginger" Jerome snarled.
"Call me ginger again and i'll kick you in the fucking balls" James shouted.
"I'll break your fucking nose if you don't shut up" Jerome shouted furiously. James swung a punch. He was stronger than he looked and the punch hit Jerome in the nose.
Jerome covered his nose with his hands and screamed put in pain.
"You little asshole" Jerome shouted. He lunged at James but Brendon and Fionn grabbed him and held him back.
"Jerome, control your anger" Brendon said.
"He fucking punched me!" Jerome shouted. "He's broken my nose!"
"Yes, but you cant beat him up" Brendon said. "He's smarter than the rest of us."
"Who put you in charge" Jerome said.
"No one" Brendon said. "But i'm taking charge because people like you cant act your age. Now, as first act of being in charge, being the leader, im gonna give my position to James because he's smartest. All agreed?"
Everyone but Jerome nodded.
"Great" Brendon said.
"Come on" James said. "We'd better keep walking."
Suddenly, there where some loud, heavy footsteps. Two Grownups ran at them. They shoved James, Brendon and Fionn out of the way and bundled Jerome to the ground. Jerome tried to get them of but they were heavy. Two more grownups charged at them. One targeted Jack and the other Liam. Jack was pinned to the ground by one. They smelt horrible. They looked horrible. Jack rapped his hands around the grownups neck and squeezed hard. The grownup started to wriggle around, gasping for breath. After a minute the grownup started to go limp. Jack kicked him of and stomped on the grownups head, killing it. At that time Liam had killed the other grownup. The others were trying to get the two grownups of Jerome. After couple minutes, they managed to kill or knock out the two grownups.
"Shit" Jerome said. The bottom part of his trouser leg had been torn off and there was a nasty bite from where the grownup had bit him.
5.
"I dont think im gonna make it" Jerome said. They'd rapped some cloth around the wound but Jerome was losing blood, fast.
"The castle is only up the road" Liam said. Him and Brendon were holding Jerome up. At first he tried to walk to help them but he was losing blood very very fast. After a minute he'd given up walking because he claimed he was too tired.
"I'm not gonna make it" he said again. His face had turned bone white and he seemed to be shivering.
"Im cold" He said weekly.
"We're almost there" Jack said.
Liam looked back. He saw a trail of blood behind them. Jerome was right. There was a good chance he wasn't gonna make it. Eventually, they made it to the gate of the castle.
"Its locked" Brendon said.
"There must be another way in" Jack said
"There isn't" Brendon said, sounding stressed. "If this gate is locked than the rest will be."
Brendon lowered Jerome onto the ground. He sat down beside him and he put his head in his hands.
"I shouldn't have left my best friends" Brendon said. "We shouldn't have betraid them. Its karma, man. We took all the food and now Jerome is dying and we're stuck out in the open with no way to protect ourselves."
"It was Jerome's idea to take all the food" Fionn said.
"Karma's a bitch" Jerome said weakly.