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"Todd," thefest Dad looks up, happy tears sparkling in his eyes, grinning like a loon "Our kids aren’t here We have to push on"

Dad’s grin fades He pats my head, then stands The two uy with the gun, one white, one Chinese Dad smiles sadly at the white woman but only scowls at the other one

"You’re sure you want to continue?" Dad asks Gun Guy

"I have to" He turns to the rest of us "Any of you know Jimmy Wilkins?" Most of us nod "Have you seen hian?" the white woot her," I mutter

The wo"

"We saw therab her"

"Where?" she screa "It was on the top floor," I shout "You’re too late She’s dead"

But the woone

The Chinese wohter, but we don’t know either of the swiftly, checking each room as they pass

"It’s et killed"

"I know, love," he says "But that’s what parents do for their kids I knew I’d probably get eaten when I ca for you, but did that stop me? Hell no"

I beam at him, so proud He looks around, smiles at my friends, sniffs at the Musli you out of here"

We follow Dad back the way he ca "Slon," he says as Trev tries to force the pace

"But the zoasps

"You think I don’t know about theet out," Trev insists

"That’s e’re doing," Dad says cal around like headless chickens, we’ll run into trouble, the way you lot did before I found you These zoh if you’re prepared for them I’ve finished off a few of them already" He shakes a o about it the right way, keep your head, "

He takes a left turn and we pass the staff room The door’s open I spot a couple of teachers inside, chewing on the reues

"They won’t be failing you again," Dad says and we both laugh

"Straight F’s in most courses," I chuckle "But A-plus in zo tiically "But I remember the place like it was yesterday Didn’t have any trouble finding et over here so quickly?" I ask It feels like we’ve been running for hours since the gym, but it can’t have been more than fifteen or twentynearby," Dad says "When I heard about the attacks on the radio, I ran like the wind I tried calling ahead to check if things were all right but the phones aren’t working"

"Then it’s true?" Elephant asks "This is happening in other places too?"

"Yeah," Dad says "Schools, hospitals, shops, factories, all sorts and all over the place Getting out of here won’t be the end of it London’s in an uproar But the zombies tend to keep to the shadows If we stick to the ht At least until night"

"What about Mum?" I ask, able to think about her now that I have so by home, see if she’s there," Dad says

"Can’t we call and get her to - "

"Weren’t you listening?" he snaps "The phones are dead Cells, landlines, the lot TV stations are down too A lot of radio stations as well, but a guy I ith has a top-of-the-range radio that picks up all sorts of frequencies That’s how I know it’s widespread It started about" He checks his watch "Not quite an hour ago But I didn’t hear about it immediately As soon as I did, I came" He flashes me a shaky sobbled by zombies, did you?"

I want to burst into tears and hug hi We’ll be relatively safe in the sunlight once we get out of here We can hug all ant then

Wecloser to the front of the building For the first tiym I really allow myself to hope I don’t want to tempt fate but I think we’ve made it

We come to a corridor that’s only a few turns from the main exit Everyone’s excited We can virtually smell freedoh that, the corridor branches The right turn leads back into the school The left will lead us all the way home