Chris hadn't had the nightmares for a few nights now and he would have been feeling happy, but he was nervous and he knew they'd come back eventually. At the moment he was nervous because he was going on a date. Eliza had set him up with a friend of hers, Hannah. Hannah was way too pretty to be going on a date with someone like Chris, but for some reason, she had agreed to go. Chris was extremely confused as to why, but he didn't question it. He was set to meet her in a restaurant in about half an hour, and he left his apartment at about six to walk to the restaurant, it wasn't far and he didn't want to risk driving as he'd already been drinking. As he walked he noticed a weird silence across the dark city, the distant scream of sirens elsewhere, and, as he strolled down the empty street, he was sure he heard a faint, inhuman moan in the distance.

Chris' hands trembled with anxiety as he opened the door, he didn't really know why he was so nervous about it, he'd met Hannah the day before and they'd been good together, by the time they parted ways she'd already been hanging off his arm. Chris was extremely confused by pretty much everything to do with Hannah and her apparent interest in him, but he wasn't exactly complaining. It was now much colder out than it had been a few days before. English weather, Chris thought, shaking his head with a slight laugh.

Chris eventually arrived at the restaurant and sat at the table he had booked. He looked around and saw various young couples or handsome, rich businessmen trying to simultaneously impress and piss off the woman accompanying them. In many ways he felt a little out of place here, mainly the fact he was just wearing a casual white shirt and jeans, whereas everyone here was decked out in formalwear and suits. Even so Chris liked the atmosphere around the place, smooth jazz music playing quietly in the background whilst every table was decorated with some candles and a vase of flowers.

Hannah arrived half an hour late, her long blonde hair was in a state of disarray and the elegant black dress she had been wearing was torn to the point of it being rags draped over her skin, revealing a great amount of blood covered flesh. Chris stood up and rushed to her as she very nearly collapsed, earning looks of horror from other patrons. As he held her up Hannah gave up trying to hold herself upright and drooped over Chris' arm. She seemed a little light headed as she giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek. Chris wiped the blood that Hannah had now smeared on the side of his face with his free hand.

"Sorry I'm late." She said, calmly.

"Hannah, what the hell happened?" Chris asked, aware that every person in the restaurant had stopped and begun to stare at Hannah.

Hannah raised an eyebrow at him, as if his question was odd. Then she looked down at herself.

"Oh, yeah, some homeless guy along the way. He kind of…and this is the funny part, he kind of, like…. attacked me on the way here. I think he bit me…S-sorry I'm so late" She said, still keeping a disturbingly calm composure.

Chris dragged her to the table, pulled a chair back and placed her on it.

Hannah squirmed as Chris moved to demand off a wet cloth and some bandages off a nearby, pale faced waiter, and what was left of her dress simply fell off. Now Hannah was just wearing blood-stained lingerie. Hannah looked down at herself.

"Damn. This was my best set. I was hoping you wouldn't have to see it until later." She giggled. Chris came back with the cloth and bandages, he only knew simple first aid, but at least it was something. Chris realised her mental state was probably due to the shock and blood loss. And he had already noticed the smell of alcohol on her breath. He cleaned her up with the cloth and observed that there was not just one bite, but several, he counted about three. He bandaged them quickly. Every man in the room was still staring at Hannah, mostly now for her amazing body as opposed to the drama that had been initially attracting attention. Chris pulled out his phone and tried to dial for an ambulance. The line just beeping, as if it was busy. Chris hung the phone up and put it back in his pocket. Hannah sighed and closed her eyes. Chris looked at her; she didn't seem to be breathing.

"She's dead! She's fucking dead!" Someone shouted, and that's when people started screaming.

Everyone turned to look now. Chris was knelt by the chair that Hannah's lifeless body was resting on, shocked and hollow.

A body threw itself against the glass of the front window. Another crack of bone and glass drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"Fucking rioters!" snarled a portly businessman with some red haired girl half his age, and he confidently swaggered up to the window and peered out.

That's when the glass cracked.

With a smash and animalistic snarls, a horde of inhuman creatures descended on those in the restaurant, pinning down and feasting on the living people. Chris bolted for the kitchen, aware that most places had a side exit. He heard the screams of people being eaten alive, a snapping sound as one of the things cracked a man's ribcage open and feasted on his innards. As he ran, he took a large knife by the sink and kicked the door open, staggering into the street outside.

As he looked out he saw a scene of devastation.

All around him rioters and police alike were being attacked by the things in a brutal melee. At a passing glance, the creatures were exactly human in form, but far too violent and brutal to be human. Chris watched in horror as a balaclava thug with a lit petrol bomb was literally torn limb from limb, the bomb falling to the ground and exploding as he burnt to death, setting fire to the wooden exterior of an old newsagents. The fire spread and an office block was starting to go up in flames, these horrific creatures and their poor victims alike throwing themselves out of the window. Chris saw one of the creatures fall from a great height, breaking almost every single bone in its body and begin to crawl towards a police officer who was firing his rifle at another one of the creatures, and bite into his ankle. The policeman fell and the creature he had been shooting continued towards him, tearing at his skin with clumsy flailing of its arms. He started running in the opposite direction, hearing the shambling movement of some of the things following him, as well as running feet, police and rioters alike rushing past him to escape, many covered in bite marks and patches of blood.

Chris pulled his phone from his pocket, stumbling as two police officers carrying their screaming comrade between them shoved past, and rang Eliza.

"Eliza. Are you safe?" Chris asked, out of breath.

"Yeah, of course. I'm at the bar. Everything's fine." She said.

"No. It really isn't." Chris struggled to say, feeling as if he were about to vomit.

"What's wrong?" Eliza asked, fear beginning to show in her voice.

"Things are fucked. Put the news on." Chris said.

There was silence.

"Eliza?" Chris asked, worried.

"Holy fucking shit." Eliza said.

"I'm scared, Chris." She said.

"Me too." Chris said

"Where's Hannah?" Eliza asked.

"She's dead." Chris choked.

He heard Eliza sob.

"No. She isn't." Eliza said.

"What?" Chris asked.

"They're saying that when these things bite you, you die and come back as one of them." Eliza said, her voice shaking.

"Fuck…"

"Yeah."

Chris looked at the massive number of dead shambling down the street towards him and the others running. He had to move. Now.

"I have to move, these things are everywhere. I'll call you later. Stay safe, block the place up." Chris said.

Chris ran for his house and dialled Mark.

"Hey, bad time, mate." Mark said, between heavy breaths.

Chris heard a loud bang as a building nearby went up in a column of smoke.

"Fuck."

"Are you in the van?"

"Yeah."

"Drive it to my place. Now. I'll see you there." Chris said, hanging up.

Chris tried the handle of his door, remembering he locked it. He saw a creature coming out of the alley close to him, noticing for a second it was wearing a military uniform, but had not time to think further as it lunged toward him. He threw himself against the door and it opened, and he slammed the door shut behind him, the creature outside hammering its fists against the thin wood.

He ran into his room, grabbed a bag and took the pistol from under his bed. Stan had taken the liberty of coming by yesterday and leaving a holster and some more ammo for the weapon, and, despite the craziness of it, Chris had agreed to it. He would have called Stan, if Stan had owned a phone. They'd just have to go back to Stan's place once he and Mark found Eliza. Strapped the holster around his waist, he stuck a spare magazine in the side and put the rest in the small front pocket of his backpack. Chris thought about what he might need to take with him. He found several packs of batteries he had bought on the cheap a long time ago, a torch, food and a great deal of alcohol. He didn't want it all to go to waste. As he went through the living room he found a photo of Hannah that Eliza had emailed him before they'd met. Chris had printed a small copy of it, which he'd left on the sofa. Looking at it with a sad smile he put it in his wallet. He had a feeling the wallet wouldn't be useful for much anymore, but he kept it anyway. Chris also found a Swiss army knife by his bed and even a crowbar, shoved behind the boiler by some previous resident. Stuffing these and various other things from around the apartment into the backpack he saw the lights of the van pull up outside his window.

Chris ran out to the van and jumped in the passenger seat.

"Let's go to the bar. Eliza's waiting." Chris said.

Mark nodded a faraway look in his eye before asking.

"Then what's the plan?"

"Go by Stan's. Seemed like the crazy motherfucker was right this whole time." Chris laughed at the irony of it all.

"Who knew?" Mark said, putting the van into gear.

"Long term, I reckon we build a group up. Survive. Get to a port; get the hell out of here."

Mark nodded.

"Fuck. Your deep thinking has actually pulled through for once." Mark joked.

Chris laughed.

They pulled up by the bar. Chris knocked on the front door.

"Eliza! It's me. Can you let us in?" Chris shouted.

He didn't hear a response, but heard the sound of tables being moved and the door was thrown open. Chris hugged Eliza the very second the door fully opened.

"Let's go." Chris said, hoping he sounded confident and in control when he was anything but.

Eliza nodded.

"Lauren, babe, let's go." Eliza said.

Lauren was huddled in a corner, tears streaming down her face, her long black hair in a mess and her makeup running in an ugly smear from the tears.

Eliza held Lauren close to her.

"And we're not discussing this. Lauren's coming with me. I'm in love with her." Eliza said, ready for a fight.

"No. We're not discussing this." Chris replied, opening the back of the van.

Eliza smiled at him.

Chris spotted a group descending upon a creature down the street, beating at it with cricket bats and iron pipes. Chris moved to get a closer look, still keeping his distance, hand on the gun at his hip. One of the men was beating at its torso; it kept getting up although its internal organs would have been beaten to a pulp by now. Another of them went for its head repeatedly and the creature fell, its brains and fragments of skull splattering the pavement, but it didn't get up again. Chris had observed how to kill them. Go for the head. He nodded and went to the van again.

"Mate, what the fuck?" Mark asked, having just seen the gory end of the thing.

"I've worked out how to kill them." Chris said triumphantly, a mad grin on his face.

"Well?" Mark asked again after a short silence.

"Go for the head. I think you need to destroy the brain."

Mark nodded.
"Destroy the brain. Right. Let's get the fuck out of here." Mark said.