Although I'd seen the signs and everything added up, I couldn't quite believe it to be true. Zombies? Really? I guessed that the world was messed up nowadays but zombies? It was so unrealistic I could barely get round it, although I knew it made sense. When Drew had told me I started yelling at him out of fear and disbelief. "What the hell? Zombies? This isn't a freakin' movie Spielberg! They're not real!"
"Don't get hysterical at me, bitch. It's not even been a day since I found out my family's probably eating brains now and you're yelling at me about it? It's the way it is now! Get over it!" he shouted.
It's not that I didn't believe it, it's more that I didn't want to believe it. I knew something crazy was going on and I'd just sort of left in a rush, not really paying attention to what was truly happening. But now it had hit me like a ton of bricks, and I realised it was the truth. I thought about his family, my family, everyone I ever knew now a decomposed blood-covered freak festering about the place. And what about my mom? She was on a cruise ship in the middle of nowhere, with plenty of resources to last a lot longer than they needed, but that didn't mean she was going to be safe. There was every chance that a passenger could have died and reanimated and got loads of others. I didn't like to think about it but I couldn't stop myself - what about dead people? Did they come back? I thought about Michael's grave in the cemetery back home, covered by the flowers I left there on Sunday. Could he get out? Would he? My eyes filled with tears and I dropped onto the floor, crying and gasping for air. Drew just looked at me with disgust and I couldn't understand how he was being so calm.
"Pussy," he said under his breath as he walked away. I cried harder.
It wasn't until Andy found me that I managed to recover from my fit of tears. He crouched down next to me and hovered there awkwardly for a while, just watching me look at the floor. I thought he'd come over to reassure me it was going to be okay, that my mom would be fine and that I wouldn't have to worry about seeing my husband as a freak because he's well and truly dead. But I'd made that all up in my head. The only thing he said to me was,
"Look, I understand you're upset. It's all a bit much for everyone really, and I know we all handle our problems in different ways but do you think you could please tone it down a bit? Drew over there just lost his family, and that's on me. He's coping pretty well with it and having a depressed woman crying in the corner might ruin his mood. Besides, you're far too noisy, we'll have biters around here soon." I looked at him and he got up and walked away.
"Pssht," I said to myself, wiping my eyes. "I thought he was the nice one."
After considering my situation and figuring out that the two guys I were with were absolute assholes, I thought about leaving but then realised I couldn't; all my stuff was in their building and they had the keys to my car for some bizarre reason. I sighed and followed them through the garden of the cottage and saw a heavy metal door in the floor.
"What is this?" I asked unsteadily as I saw Drew climbing out.
"Our home." he replied coldy, looking down the ladder.
I peered through the hole and saw how dark and deep it was, and shuddered at the thought of going in.
"Well come on in then." Andy said a little impatiently as he saw me stood at the top. "Whatever your name is."
I didn't want to go in, but it was probably the safest option I had. It was better than sleeping in a car, anyway. I climbed down the ladder and jumped off, unsure of where the ladder ended and the floor started. "It's Hayley." I said, annoyed that he hadn't even asked my name yet. "How do we see out?" I asked.
"We don't." Drew said, slamming the door shut and twisting it. I didn't have the nerve to tell them I was claustrophobic.