We got up early that morning around nine and sat down to breakfast. This time the food wasn't made by Earl's mum. It was cereal and coffee. We had everything packed up but we seemed to have a lot to carry down to the car.

"is there a rubbish shoot near." I asked.

"yeah just like a door away why?"

"we are going to send your stuff down. I'm fucked if I'm doing three trips up and down that lift. It is too risky."

"would you send your stuff into a skip full of rotten food."

"OK look we will double bag then."

"I don't know."

"you can use my washing machine if it gets on your clothes OK."

"OK ok."

So we agreed I was starting to get the feeling Earl is a clean freak. I'll work on that. I smile to myself I think this is going to be fun.

We got all the bags down the shoot in about fifteen minutes. We started walking back to the lift the same noises came from the doors. We got to the lift. While we were waiting I noticed the door to stairs was just to the side.

"does this lift always take this long."

The stairs door bumped. I looked quickly through a long slited window on the door. There was a woman at the other side of it. She had dry blood all down her front and mouth like John had. She saw me and let out a god awful shreek and lunged at the door. It swung open and hit me and bounced back it knocked me back a step she pushed it again. This time I pushed back trapping her fingers between the door and the frame. Earl threw all his wait on me. Knocking the wind out of me. Her fingers hit the floor by my feet. She started banging at the door. There was a ping and the lift doors slid open.

"go!" I shout to Earl. He released me and I could breath I waited ten seconds. With the woman still hammering on the door then dived into the lift myself she burst through. Just as the doors were closing. They fully closed just in time. I was winded and was trying to catch my breath and wheezing said.

"when we get out we run like scalded cats to the van and stop for nothing."

The lift stopped and the doors opened. We ran but had to stop for the automatic doors. My god they were slow. They got open wide enough and Earl was first. My god he was fast he got to the van and had it unlocked. He was in with the key in the ignition before I had got in.

"right let's get your stuff and go."

We drove round to the back of the building and got all the bags. Earl wanted to take the outer bag off so he didn't make his van stink. I refused and won the argument that it was not the right time to mess about we had to go. We set off and decided to go on roads that had as little population as possible. We got back to mine quicker than it had taken to get to Earl's. That is not to say that it was not interesting though as well as dogs we saw people wandering around as well. But they were acting strange. When one saw another they went to each other and sniffed like dogs do for a grating. Not each others arse's but just around there head hight. Also it looked like they were curious about the van. I'm not sure if it was the noise of the engine or what. I made a mental not to experiment on what got there attention.

When we got back to mine there was carnage on the street. Cars that had been parked had dents and scrapes down the full length of them on alternative sides of the road. Before we got to mine we could see a car parked in my garden. My garden wall had been knocked down. Before Earl had stopped I was getting out and running to the wreckage. The cars engine was still revving. The front of the small car was off the ground and the wheels were spinning at a rediculess speed. As I got closer I could see the shape of someone slumped over the stearing wheel. The door catch must have broken in the accident and was open slightly. I opened it and pushed the woman I could see now back, and turned off the engine. Earl came jogging up beside me.

"is she OK." he asked

"I don't think so look at all the blood that has come from her nose. Let's get inside and ring for the police and ambulance"

We got inside and Earl rang nine nine nine he didn't speak just hung up.

"the phones not working." I tried and got silence like it was trying to contact then just a a loud beeeeep.

"it looks like we are on our own for now." I say.

"what about going to the town hall. Like the news said."

"I'm still thinking that will be bad look at what is happening to people and animals. I feel as though the more populated an area the more dangerous it is for us. I'm not going to stop you if you want to go."

"I think I might try." my heart sank and I started to well up we had been through so much in a short time and I liked him. I walked over to him and gave him a hug. I never hug anyone I can't stand being touched but it felt like we both needed one. I wished him good luck and told him that I will wait until the morning if there was no joy there. Then told him of my plans to go to several farms where I no the owners that I was going to try. They live out in the sticks. I gave him all address and the order I was going to them in. We shook hands and he left.

I sat down and cried I have never felt so alone as I do right now. I managed to pull myself together and went out the back door to have a fag and check my pickups oil water and fuel levels. They were all good. I flicked my fag over the back wall and went next door through the back. I had a suspicion that Mrs jesop might have changed from the old woman that I new and was not going to be able to hurt her. When I went in the back to the kitchen my suspensions were right. The living room door was closed but I could hear her moans at the other side of the door. I got a roll of bin bags and started huridley packing all food cleaning products and medicines and bandages. She started banging the door. When each bag was full I put it straight outside so I could get out and then load them into my pickup. The hole operation took ten minutes I was only carful not to miss anything not to be quite. The more noise I made the harder she banged. I thought that was interesting. I left and got my pickup loaded. Then realised that I had packed all my food and had nothing to eat handy. I got a drink of water and went back to my living room I looked out of my window to look at the wreckage the woman was gone from the car. What the fuck is happening it's like something you see in a film people don't come back to life.

I don't know why but I started to think about val from the pub she had been ok. I got my bike helmet and jumped on my vespa and went to the pub, and instantly regretted it. I parked up outside the door was open like a normal day. Apart from being early that is. I walked in taking off my helmet. Val was laid on the floor blood everywhere and a man on top of her eating her organs. I put my helmet down quietly and picked up a bar stool. Bad idea number two. I grabbed the stool legs and held it over my head and braught it down on the man's head. Splinters of wood went spraying everywhere, and he just turned to look at me. He sniffed at me then sprung up roaring like a dragon. I jumped over the bar looking for a weapon. He seemed unable to climb over to get me just walking at the bar ars out. I new this man it was Chris vals husband. I saw a bin full of empty bottles and grabbed one. I jumped over the bar and knocked him down. I got the bottle by the base and forced the neck of the bottle into his eye. The sound was like putting your finger in jelly. His body lost all strength. I could see that there was nothing I could do for val. So I went behind the bar got a couple packets of crisps and a shot of vodka. I downed the vodka and crushed up the crisps so I could just pour them into my mouth. After my healthy dinner I went home. I got a couple of planks and rode my bike into my pickup bedand strapped it down. I went inside and went to bed it was early but I was exhausted. Sleep did not come on. The images of val and Chris would not leave my mind. It was no good I went back down to my living room and put Netflix on. It didn't work a message came on the screen network down please try again later. I was missing Earl as well I hoped that he was OK. Such a gentle good man. He saved me earlier. I didn't believe in God. Even after my dad used to drag me to church every Sunday until the brain tuma made him too ill to. But I sat there in the dark and prayed. I prayed for Earl's safety and that whatever was going on would be over quick. I'm not sure if it was a prayer or a wish but I did it all the same and finished with ah men. I got out my supplies of weed speed and e's, and rolled a joint more weed than tabaco. I sat smocking and looking at my dvd's and could not choose. The weed relaxed me but didn't clear my mind. Poor val she didn't deserve to be eaten. I started to cry again in the comfort that know one could see me. I don't know when it happened but I fell asleep.