I want to look back as we start running. Want to see how close the danger is but I don't.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see other groups running and the zombies right on their tails.

"Move move move." Dec shouts and spurred on by how close he sounds I keep going.

We are almost there and my fumbling hands press the button on the keys to unlock it. A stab of guilt goes through me as I see Karina jump inside and realise how scary that must have been.

As I screech to a stop and wrench the boot open to start throwing everything inside I glance back. Dec fires again and another zombie drops with a hole directly through their forehead.

Another one takes a bullet in the chest and keeps advancing until he gets another in the head. Seems the movies were right on this at least, I think as I begin throwing everything in the car.

By some strange stroke of luck the amount of people leaving at the same time as us, has split the hoard down into more manageable smaller groups.

Almost everything is in the car now and I struggle to hide my relief. We might get out of this. We might actually have a chance to survive now.

Just as I spin the trolley away and slam the boot shut I spot a small zombie creeping up on Dec, dragging one legs and making that awful clicking, rasping noise they all are.

Without pausing to think or shout a warning, I raise the gun I had forgotten was in my hand and fire directly at her head.

She stumbles back a few paces as the shot goes wide and slams into her shoulder, but I'm so surprised I even hit her, I nearly drop the gun.

Dec whirls and fires once at her head so she drops. "Get in." He shouts and we both dive for the car.

Something catches my ankle and I kick hard with my other foot, feeling bone crunch under it as something howls and releases me.

Slamming the door shut I throw Dec the keys and we start it up, peeling out of the car park far faster than we entered it.

I slump down in my seat, breathing hard. "You ok?" Dec asks calmly.

I shoot him a look, as I try not to feel jealous that he doesn't look like he's about to die from exhaustion. "Never better." I wheeze.

"You were so brave." Karina says softly.

I turn to thank her and say I was pretty proud of myself too, when I realise she's talking to Roza, not me.

Dec snorts, noticing my reaction, "Don't worry," He teases, "You were very brave too."

"Thanks," I roll my eyes and straighten in my seat, "I can't believe we just did that."

Slightly hysterical laugher bubbles up inside me.

"Me neither." Dec looks at me with pride and I grin. 

Somehow we are not completely failing at the apocalypse. If only my teachers could see me now. 

After a few minutes we turn off down the winding country lane which leads to the village his Uncle lives in and I realise I can't see a single zombie. If it were for my clothing and what we had been through I would almost think that nothing had happened. Perhaps we have imagined it all.

Despite the calm outside, Dec is still on high alert. His eyes are constant scanning the gaps between hedges and checking the mirrors. I want to believe that the worst is over and that it's all going to be fine now, but there's an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach that says I shouldn't trust anything just yet. 

Rolling through the village is eerie, windows and doors are shut and curtains drawn. There isn't a single hint of life in the normally bustling and friendly street. Shutters are closed over shops and there's a strange silence. We roll by the church hall, where bunting flutters in the window and the flags have been lowered. I've never seen it without the flags up in all the years we've been visiting Dec's Uncle Toby.

Dec doesn't speak, but I can feel the tension in him as we take the turning down the uneven path to his Uncle's house. A house shut up to similar levels as the rest of the town. "Wait here." Dec tells us in a low voice.

I watch him move up to the door, gun at his side and ready for anything. "Uncle Toby?" He calls out, just loud enough for me to hear from the car. 

A curtain in the living room twitches and I hold my breath. Someone is home.

The door opens and someone flies at Dec. I let out a strangled scream until I realise it's Toby, with his arms around his favourite nephew and babbling away happily.

On shaky legs, I join them on the porch, "I'm so glad you're ok Uncle Toby." 

"Oh I'm always fine. I was worried about you kids and your fancy jobs though." He throws back with a jovial laugh.

How anyone can be so happy with what is going on is a little bit beyond me at the moment. I suppose that's partly because I'm still recovering from thinking he was a zombie who was about it eat my boyfriend's brains.

"We're fine, we picked up some friends on the way. Do you mind if we come in?" Dec asks, his eyes still keeping a careful look out on the horizon.

"Of course, the more the merrier. I've got a fair few people in here myself." He smiles.

I turn and wave to Karina, encouraging her to come and join us. She put Roza down to try to get her to walk to the house but she's either too tired or too scared because she clings to her leg.

Karina sighs and picks her up again to follow us in.

Toby's living room is surprisingly full. Two elderly ladies are perched on the seat in the window, clutching each other's arms for comfort. A man is sat on the floor, facing away from us, rocking a pram with his foot, and a woman is clutching a sleeping child in her arms.

"Where did you find all these people?" Dec asks before I can.

Toby shrugs, "They were just visitors who had nowhere else to hide so I told them they could stay here. There's a few others staying with other people in the village. Wouldn't have been right to not offer to help when I have all this space."

All faces turn towards us and I wave shyly. "So what's the plan?" Dec asks, never one for preamble. 

I roll my eyes, "What he means to say it hello everyone, we are Dec and Bri and this is Karina and Roza. We hope you're all doing ok, it has been a bit of a crazy morning hasn't it? Now shall we get some drinks and sit down to talk about what we do next?"

Dec elbows me in the side and the two ladies laugh, "Ok, so yes, that's definitely what I meant."

His arm snakes around my waist and I laugh, "Who wants tea?"

Multiple hands go up and I leave Dec to take the tea order as I go and start making it. The kitchen looks out over the side of the house and down to the fields that house a number of animals. None of which are in sight, likely shut safely in the barn. At least I hope so.

Hands catch my waist and Dec spins me to face him, still clutching one of the mugs I was retrieving. "Do you know how scared I was when I couldn't find you?"

I duck my head, "I know, I'm sorry, I was just so caught up in-"

His lips press to mine, silencing my excuses and making me melt. In a world where everything is so wrong and confusing and dangerous, nothing feels more right and safe than he does. 

When we finally break apart, he stays for a moment, forehead pressed to mine as we revel in the closeness. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again." He laughs.

I giggle too before giving him a little push. "Come on, let's get the tea made so we can really start working on a plan."  

We tease and poke each other for the next few minutes before making a few trips through with the teas.

The two elderly women introduce themselves as Ruby and Violet. They were stopping off on their way to visit some friends when their car broke down. The man and woman are a married couple, Paul and Sarah, their two children, Ivan and Polly slept through the introductions but looked very sweet. Polly looked a similar age to Roza and I could see Roza's curiousity as she watched her.

I'm just settling into the dining room chair we dragged through after realising we didn't have quite enough seats, when small boy wearing a boy scout uniform bursts into the room. He looks scared and is panting for breath even as he speaks, "Katy...in the treehouse sent out a signal. Zombies spotted...they're heading this way."