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Michael caot a problem,&039; he said, his face flustered I and rushed out to him in the hall

&039;What is it?&039;

&039;The van,&039; he replied &039;It&039;s completely fucked There&039;s oil and all kinds of stuff leaking out Looks like so&039;s cracked underneath&039;

&039;So can you fix it?&039; she asked A sensible question Michael shook his head despondently

&039;I haven&039;t got a bloody clue,&039; he ade a tyre but that&039;s about all I wouldn&039;t knohere to start with so like this&039;

&039;So what do we do? Can we get by without it?&039;

&039;We can, but we&039;d be taking a hell of a chance What if the sa happens to the Landrover?&039;

&039;So what do we do?&039; she asked again

&039;We go out and get ourselves another van,&039; he replied

And so, less than an hour later, Michael and E the relative safety of Penn Fares dotted around the decaying countryside

For once Michael&039;s usually keen sense of direction let hi out at the turn which soon led theht stretch of narrow road The road cli flatter and more level At the top of the climb the trees and bushes which had surrounded them before and obscured their view disappeared Everywhere suddenly felt eh an open gate and into a wide field dotted with a handful of cars They had arrived in a dusty, cliff-top car park where, from the far side of the field, they could see out over the ocean Neither of theht that they were this close to the coast In the confusion and disorientation of the last feeeks their whole world felt like it had been pulled and twisted out of shape beyond all recognition Maps and atlases had been forgotten and put to one side as they had struggled to survive froe as it see that Michael had expected to see

A little more relaxed than they had been before (perhaps because for once they couldn&039;t see a single body nearby) they drove to the area of the car park which afforded thely endless expanse of water below theine and slumped back in his chair

&039;Screwed that up, didn&039;t I?&039; he smiled

&039;Doesn&039;t htly The noise of the wind and the sea was loud and welco silence of the world for a while, it also caht ht of the ocean filled Michael with an unexpected combination of e it now made him remember a handful of memories of childhood holidays, when the sky had always been deep blue, the sun huge and hot and the days seeone innocent days filled hirief But those heavy, desperate feelings were also ht elation because, for once, the two of them were free from the confines of the farmhouse and the barrier and, for a short tiued their lives

&039;Safest thing to do would be to take one of these cars,&039; he said, gesturing out across the car park &039;We&039;ll find the one that&039;s in best condition, empty it, and then drive it back&039;

Emma nodded and continued to look out over the sea

&039;Think it&039;s safe to get out?&039; she asked

&039;Don&039;t know,&039; he replied &039;There&039;s nothing about As long as we stay close we should be okay&039;

Needing no further encouragement, Emma opened the door and stepped outside The blustery as strong and refreshing and it carried with it the unmistakable smell of the salty water below She looked out towards the horizon and just dared to i had happened She had tried to do itin her line of vision to remind her of the limitations of the shattered shell of a world in which she existed Looking out over the uninterrupted water, however, for a short ti was okay She took a few steps further forward and looked down onto a stretch of sandy beach Her heart sank as she watched a single staggering body tripping and stu wave knocked the pathetic creature off-balance She watched as it struggled to stand, only to be knocked over again when the next wave ca only a pair of swi trunks Obviously the unfortunate reo, the bloated, swollen and discoloured body was gradually being washed ashore

Michael hadn&039;t seen the bodies He was still daydrearass next to their vehicle

&039;You know,&039; he began, &039;sitting here you could al had happened&039;

Eht just a few seconds earlier, the appearance of the bodies in the surf below had depressed her She didn&039;t think it was fair to spoil her friend&039;s enjoyment of theback and resting on his elbows He looked over at Emma and smiled

&039;Knohat I want?&039; he asked

&039;What?&039; she wondered, feigning interest

&039;A sandwich,&039; he replied &039;I want a big, thick sandwich on freshly baked, crusty bread I want salad, sliced halass of freshly squeezed orange juice to wash it doith&039;

&039;We&039;ve got tinned ham and a little bit ofdown next to hie cordial&039;

&039;Not the same really, is it?&039;

She shook her head

&039;No Think we&039;ll ever eat like that again?&039;

Michael thought for a few ht do I bet we could make bread and cheese eventually, and we could have harow fruit and vegetables if we set up a greenhouse&039;

&039;You should get yourself an allotment,&039; she joked

&039;I could do,&039; Michael said, sehed sadly and looked up into the sky &039;I don&039;t know, it&039;s fucking stupid, isn&039;t it?&039;