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Michael thought for ahis head

&039;I&039; confident &039;What about the rest of you?&039;

Silence

After a feard seconds had passed Carl spoke

&039;Bloody hell, let&039;s just do it We&039;re never going to achieve anything just standing out here like this, are we?&039;

That was all that Michael needed to hear With that he strode up behind the woman, reached out and rested his hands on her shoulders She stopped ed the last few steps and moved round to stand in front of the body She looked up into her glazed eyes and saw that they seemed unfocussed and vacant Her skin was pale and taut, as if it had been stretched tight across her skull Although she was sure that the body couldn&039;t see her (she didn&039;t even seem to know she was there) E revulsion There was a deep gash on the wo freely from the wound for sorey business suit

&039;We want to help you,&039; she said softly

Still no reaction

Michael gripped the wohter and shuffled closer

&039;Coet you inside&039;

Carl and Kate watched the others with a morbid fascination

&039;What the hell is happening?&039; Kate asked, her voice gradually beco noticeably weaker and more unsteady each time she spoke

&039;No idea,&039; Carl admitted &039;Bloody hell, I wish I knew&039;

He surveyed the desperate scene around them Not all of the bodies had moved The majority still lay where they had fallen

&039;Carl,&039; Michael shouted

&039;What?&039; heback to face the others

&039;Give us a hand, s?&039;

Carl nodded and walked over towards Erabbed the woman&039;s bony ankles, one in each hand, and, as Michael pulled back on her shoulders, he lifted her feet She was surprisingly light There was no weight to her at all and she didn&039;t react to being moved

The two men scuttled back to the community hall, closely followed by Emma and Kate As they approached the doorway the survivors (who had continued watching intently throughout) quickly realised as happening They scattered like a shoal of frightened fish that had just been invaded by the deadliest predator shark

&039;What the bloody hell are you doing?&039; Ralph staed past hi that in here?&039;

Michael didn&039;t answer He was too busy directing the others

&039;Group yourselves around her,&039; he said authoritatively &039;Try and cage her in&039;

Obediently Kate and Emma drew closer, as did another two survivors whose naently lowered the sick woht again and then took a couple of steps back so that he was level with the others Once so a circle had been foro

For a second the body did nothing Then, without warning, it lurched towards Kate who screwed up her face in nervous trepidation and stretched her ar too close As soon as she made contact with Kate&039;s outstretched hands the woered away in the opposite direction towards another survivor This continued every tie of the circle was reached

As the woman stumbled towards Michael he allowed himself for the first tierous few seconds he found hi at the pitiful creature in front of hiht have looked just a week earlier A few days ago he aze and drawn, almost translucent skin immediately dissipated any beauty or serenity that her face had previously known There was an unnatural sheen to her exposed flesh Michael noticed that her skin had a grey, alhtly stretched over the bones of her skull What had at first glance appeared to be dark bags under her frozen eyes were, in fact, the pro open - a huge, dark hole - and a thick string of gelatinous saliva trickled continually down the side of her chin He pushed her away

The woer towards Carl Clearly unable to control or co-ordinate her own movements, she tripped over her own clumsy feet and half-fell, half-lurched towards hi a cold sweat prickle his brow as the pathetic and diseased creature scrambled back up onto its feet

&039;Can she hear us?&039; Kate wondered She hadn&039;t reallyout loud

&039;Don&039;t know,&039; Michael answered

&039;She probably can,&039; Emma said

&039;Why do you say that?&039;

She shrugged her shoulders

&039;It&039;s so about the way she reacts&039;

Ralph, who had until then been watching nervously fro drawn closer and closer to the circle of survivors

&039;But she doesn&039;t react,&039; he staht and shaky

&039;I know,&039; Emma continued &039;That&039;s what Iaround, but I don&039;t think she knohy or how&039;

&039;It&039;s instinctive,&039; Carl muttered

&039;That&039;s what I&039;reed &039;She probably can hear us, but she doesn&039;t knohat the noises we , she just can&039;t remember how to&039;

&039;But she reacts when you touch her,&039; Paul Garner jabbered anxiously

&039;No she doesn&039;t She doesn&039;t react at all She turns away because she physically can&039;t keepin a certain direction I bet she&039;d just keep walking in a straight line forever if there wasn&039;t anything in her way&039;

&039;Christ, look at her,&039; Kate mumbled &039;Just look at the poor coaround out there?&039;

&039;Did you check her pulse?&039; Michael whispered to E next to him

&039;Sort of,&039; she replied, her voice equally low

&039;What&039;s that supposed to ueness

&039;I couldn&039;t find one,&039; she answered bluntly

&039;So what are you saying?&039;

&039;I&039;&039;

&039;So what are you thinking?&039;

Eed her shoulders

&039;Don&039;t know,&039; she admitted

&039;Get it out of here,&039; Garner hissed nervously froe point in a doorway a safe distance away

Michael looked around the circle and noticed that the others were suddenly either looking at the ground or looking at hi that it was up to hirabbed hold of the diseased woently out of the hall and back towards the door which he opened with his free hand He pushed her out into the sunlight and watched as she staggered away fro and back across the car park