want to go out into that?” She points at the T.V. where someone is broadcasting a video recorded on a mobile phone. A crowd of infected are bearing down on a line of riot policeman as they shamble up Tottenham Court Road. I see a man screaming as he is pulled down, the visor of his helmet popping up to show his terrified, bulging eyes before he disappears in the scrum.
I turn back to Cass.
“No, I don’t want to go back out there. What I want to do, what I really want to do is go home, get drunk and laze around in my pants watching shitty movies and daytime telly. But what I have to do, is find Tess, and make sure she’s alright.”
Cass raises an eyebrow and it makes me want to slap her. I don’t do it of course, nor would I, but I’m not having a great day and it’s a pretty close run thing.
“Look I know I’m not your favourite person, we aren’t ever going to be best mates, but I….I love Tess and I need to make sure she’s safe. Are you going to help me or not?”
She looks at me, assessing.
“Fine.” She says, “I’ll help you find Tess, but when we do, as soon as she’s safe, we go our separate ways. You aren’t good for her Mike, you never have been.”
I get ready to deliver a retort, something scathing but Mr. ‘Get it Done’ intervenes.
You need her, just let it go for now. Find Tess, deal with this later.
I hold my tongue. “Fine, deal, now can we please just go?”
“And what about that guy downstairs?” She says.
I realise that the banging on the front door has stopped. Perhaps our homeless friend has wondered off in search of easier prey.
“If he’s still around we’ll deal with it. Just get dressed ok?”
She huffs theatrically and heads to her bedroom. I pace the living room for what seems like a ridiculously long time. Then I walk back into the kitchen and select a new knife from the rack in Tess’s kitchen. It isn’t very sharp but it’s better than nothing.
When Cass returns, she is fully dressed in what looks like running gear, hair tied back in a sleek ponytail.
“Good, let’s go.” I say, impatient to be off.
She sees the knife in my hand.
“What are you going to do with that? ”
The idea of using a weapon still seems ridiculous, and I feel myself turning red with embarrassment.
“Just in case. I’ve seen those things up close, its better to have something.”
Cass gives me another appraising stare, but this time she looks more worried, less sceptical. For a moment I think she’s going to say something else but she doesn’t, so I head carefully down the stairs to the front door.
I see the huge crack that now runs down the centre of it, and I realise that the infected homeless man was probably only moments away from breaking in. I hear Cass gasp behind me as she sees the damage. I think she’s beginning to grasp the scale of what’s going on, maybe even better than I am. I guess nobody believes in monsters until they’re crashing through your front door.
Damn that was almost poetic.
I peek through the crack in the wood in case the tramp is still around, but I can’t see or hear anything, so I tentatively open the door. The street is deserted. I beckon Cass to come out and I close the door behind me as she steps outside.
I walk quickly to the van and open the driver-side door. Cass walks round to the other side.
The passenger door is locked and Cass knocks on the window for me to let her in.
As I reach for the lock, my eyes widen in horror as the blood covered face of the tramp appears behind her, mouth yawning open, reaching for her with his filthy twisted hands. She sees my expression and begins to turn as he bears down on top of her.
Fuck, he must have been behind the van!
Cass stumbles backwards into the door, I can’t open it because now the weight of both her and the homeless monster are pressing against it.
I turn back to Cass.
“No, I don’t want to go back out there. What I want to do, what I really want to do is go home, get drunk and laze around in my pants watching shitty movies and daytime telly. But what I have to do, is find Tess, and make sure she’s alright.”
Cass raises an eyebrow and it makes me want to slap her. I don’t do it of course, nor would I, but I’m not having a great day and it’s a pretty close run thing.
“Look I know I’m not your favourite person, we aren’t ever going to be best mates, but I….I love Tess and I need to make sure she’s safe. Are you going to help me or not?”
She looks at me, assessing.
“Fine.” She says, “I’ll help you find Tess, but when we do, as soon as she’s safe, we go our separate ways. You aren’t good for her Mike, you never have been.”
I get ready to deliver a retort, something scathing but Mr. ‘Get it Done’ intervenes.
You need her, just let it go for now. Find Tess, deal with this later.
I hold my tongue. “Fine, deal, now can we please just go?”
“And what about that guy downstairs?” She says.
I realise that the banging on the front door has stopped. Perhaps our homeless friend has wondered off in search of easier prey.
“If he’s still around we’ll deal with it. Just get dressed ok?”
She huffs theatrically and heads to her bedroom. I pace the living room for what seems like a ridiculously long time. Then I walk back into the kitchen and select a new knife from the rack in Tess’s kitchen. It isn’t very sharp but it’s better than nothing.
When Cass returns, she is fully dressed in what looks like running gear, hair tied back in a sleek ponytail.
“Good, let’s go.” I say, impatient to be off.
She sees the knife in my hand.
“What are you going to do with that? ”
The idea of using a weapon still seems ridiculous, and I feel myself turning red with embarrassment.
“Just in case. I’ve seen those things up close, its better to have something.”
Cass gives me another appraising stare, but this time she looks more worried, less sceptical. For a moment I think she’s going to say something else but she doesn’t, so I head carefully down the stairs to the front door.
I see the huge crack that now runs down the centre of it, and I realise that the infected homeless man was probably only moments away from breaking in. I hear Cass gasp behind me as she sees the damage. I think she’s beginning to grasp the scale of what’s going on, maybe even better than I am. I guess nobody believes in monsters until they’re crashing through your front door.
Damn that was almost poetic.
I peek through the crack in the wood in case the tramp is still around, but I can’t see or hear anything, so I tentatively open the door. The street is deserted. I beckon Cass to come out and I close the door behind me as she steps outside.
I walk quickly to the van and open the driver-side door. Cass walks round to the other side.
The passenger door is locked and Cass knocks on the window for me to let her in.
As I reach for the lock, my eyes widen in horror as the blood covered face of the tramp appears behind her, mouth yawning open, reaching for her with his filthy twisted hands. She sees my expression and begins to turn as he bears down on top of her.
Fuck, he must have been behind the van!
Cass stumbles backwards into the door, I can’t open it because now the weight of both her and the homeless monster are pressing against it.
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