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Carl spentthe days which followed shut away in isolation in his attic bedroo out What was there to do? Sure he could talk to Michael and Ean, see privately in co about how little they had left or how much they had lost It hurt Carl too much to talk anymore He decided that it was easiest for all concerned if he just didn&039;t bother

His bedrooth of the house Being high up it was relatively warm and comfortable and, most importantly to Carl, it was isolated There was no need for anyone to come upstairs for any reason other than to see him And as no-one had any need to see hiinning to like it

Although twee and old-fashioned, the bedroom seemed to have been recently used When they&039;d first arrived there Carl had decided that it had been used as a terandchild, perhaps sent to the countryside to spend his or her final summer holiday on the farle bed, a double wardrobe, a chest of drawers, two brightly painted stools, a bookcase and a battered but comfortable sofa On top of the wardrobe Carl had found a wooden box containing a collection of toys, some old books and a pair of binoculars which, once he&039;d cleaned the lenses, he had used to watch the world outside his ly rot and decay

It was approaching half-past three in the afternoon and he could hear E outside in the yard He felt absolutely no guilt at not being out there with the that they were doing He was happy to sit back and do nothing Okay it was boring, but what else was there to do? Nothing seemed to be worth any risk or effort

He didn&039;t even know for sure what day it was

He sat on a stool near to theand, for a couple of seconds, tried to work out whether it was Friday, Saturday or Sunday Back when life had been &039;normal&039; and he&039;d been at work, each day had its own &039;feel&039; and atin with the dragging purgatory that was Mondayand the weekend approached None of that seemed to matter anymore Each new day was the sarey and pointless as tomorroould surely also be

Today - whatever day it was - had been fairly warm and clear for the time of year Perched on one of the wooden stools with the binoculars held up to his eyes he had been able to see forfields The world was so still and free of distractions that, even from a distance, he could make out minute detail such as the draan to slowly fade below the horizon he watched as the colour faded froainst the light purples and blues of the early evening sky Strange, he thought, how it all looked so calm and peaceful Underneath the cover of apparent normality the world was filled with death, disease and destruction Even the greenest and purest, seerounds filled with fer disease and devastation

A short distance before the church Carl could see a straight length of road lined on either side with narrow cottages and shops The stillness of the scene was suddenly disrupted when a scrawny dog ran into view The nervous creature slowed down and crept breathlessly along the road, keeping its nose, tail and belly low and sniffing bodies and other piles of rubbish as itstoppedIt lifted its muzzle and sniffed the rancid air Itso in the shadows The dog juan to bark furiously Carl couldn&039;t hear it, but he could tell frory jerks of its head that it was in danger Within seconds of the first sound the dog had attracted the attention of some fourteen bodies With a vicious, instinctive intent and a new found speed, they surrounded the helpless creature and set upon it Between them the corpses tore the animal limb from limb

Even after all that he had seen - the destruction, the carnage and the loss of thousands of lives - this sudden and unexpected attack shocked Carl The bodies were beco day They now see in packs, ani them on

He couldn&039;t understand why Michael and E to ainst the to carve out a future existence when it was so obviously a pointless task? Everything was ruined It was over So why couldn&039;t they just accept it and see the truth like he could? Why continue to ?

Carl knew that there would never be a salvation or escape from this vicious, tortured world and all he wanted to do was just stop and switch off He wanted to let down his guard for a while and not have to look constantly over his shoulder In the dark hours he spent alone he caain find such peace until his life was over But even death no longer brought with it any certainty

Outside in the enclosed area in front of the house Michael orking on the van He had checked the tyres, the oil, the water level and just about everything else he could think of checking The importance of the van to them could not be overestimated - without it they would be stranded Without it they would be trapped at Penn Farm, unable to fetch supplies (which they knew they would have to do at soet away should anything happen to compromise the safety of their home And they had almost come to think of it as a home too In a world full of dark disorientation, within the safe and sturdy walls of the farmhouse they had at last found a little stability

&039;Next tiet another one of these,&039; Michael said as he ran his hands along the buckled driver&039;s side wing of the van He made it sound as if they could just run down to the shops when they next felt like it His casual tone completely belied the reality of their situation

&039;Makes sense,&039; E up to the front door She&039;d been sitting there for the last hour and a half, just watching as Michael had worked

&039;Perhaps we should try and get so a little less refined,&039; he continued &039;This thing has been fine, but if you think about it, we need soet us out of any situation If we&039;re somewhere and the roads are blocked, chances are we&039;ll need to find another way to get away We could end up driving through fields or&039;

&039;I can&039;t see us leaving here et food or&039;

&039;But you never know, do you? Bloody hell, anything could happen The only thing we can be certain about any&039;

Eer,&039; she sh,&039; he continued as he gathered together his tools and began to pack the We could build a brick wall round the house if anted to Really keep those bastards out&039;

Emma didn&039;t respond She stood at the top of the steps and looked down across the yard and out towards the rapidly darkening countryside

&039;Light&039;s fading,&039; she et inside soon&039;

&039;I don&039;t think it makesthe steps to stand next to her &039;Doesn&039;t s just don&039;t stop It ht At least they can&039;t see us when its dark&039;

&039;They can still hear us Might even be able to smell us&039;

&039;Doesn&039;tinto her face &039;They can&039;t get to us&039;

Emma nodded and turned to walk inside Michael followed her through into the house