Page 21 of Surviving Her

Eliza nodded, her face set with determination. The two of them moved as a team, River taking the lead as she lunged at one of the walkers with a precise whack to the head. The crack of its skull was loud as its limp body crashed onto the sidewalk. It was gruesome, but it had to be done. River gasped for extra breaths as the adrenaline flooded her body. Meanwhile, Eliza grabbedthe old man and tried to pull him into his store, but one of the walkers had already clamped its jaw onto his leg.

“River!” Eliza screamed. “Help me! Help me!”

“Drop him, Eliza! Drop him!” River cried out as she struggled to step over the remaining two walkers, who were now lying on the ground, snapping at the old man’s legs. She heaved the old man’s body out of Eliza’s grip and threw him to walkers. “Get inside! Now!” River’s adrenaline surged as she pushed the doctor into the laundromat and slammed the door shut behind them.

She looked out of the window and watched for a few seconds as the walkers devoured the man who had only minutes earlier shown them such kindness. Her breathing was heavy and ragged. “Jesus, that poor guy. Look at them! Those things are demonic. They’re eating him!”

“Don’t look, River. Please stop it. That was too close,” Eliza said, her voice shaking. “They came out of nowhere. I tried to get him inside. I was too slow. It’s my fault. I’m fucking useless! I’m no good to anyone, and now he’s dead. At least you got one of them.”

“Yeah,” River said, not meaning to sound as though she agreed, her heart still pounding. “We need to stay alert. This new world is unforgiving. He’s gone. We need to stay holed up in here for the night until it’s safe to go out again. We have to survive this and help my dad.”

“I’m sorry it’s taking us longer than expected to get to your dad,” Eliza replied quietly.

“It’s not your fault. Nobody expected a fucking apocalypse to break out, did they?” River huffed.

As the pair settled into their new hiding place, the weight of the day’s events pressed heavily upon them. The dangers they’d faced and the uncertainty of their future hung over them like a dark cloud.

“I don’t even know what we’re doing,” River said. “We spent the day creeping around Campdale, and we’re no better off than we were this morning. We haven’t found any antibiotics. The walkers are everywhere. Let’s get some rest while we can.”

As the sun began to set, River and Eliza sat together behind the counter, the warmth of their proximity offering a small comfort amidst the cold and darkness. They’d managed to barricade both entrances with various furniture and scraps of wood.

“River,” Eliza said softly, breaking the silence. “About earlier...I need to talk to you.”

“Sure,” River replied, her tone neutral. “What’s on your mind?”

Eliza hesitated, her eyes searching River’s face for a moment before she spoke. “I’ve been thinking, you know? About what happened earlier? It’s confusing me.”

River’s heart skipped a beat as a mixture of hope and apprehension filled her chest. “I get that. It’s confusing me, too. But I feel something when I’m around you. You know I’m queer, right?”

Eliza’s lips trembled slightly as she met River’s gaze. “Of course, but I’m not. I’m scared. Everything’s so messed up, and I don’t want to complicate things. But I can’t deny that...well…”

River reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against Eliza’s. “We’re here together. I’m here for you. You’re stuck with me. We can figure it out as we go along. Nobody’s one hundred percent straight, you know? Didn’t they teach you that in med school?”

The space between them seemed to shrink, the tension crackling with an unspoken energy. “You’re right. But they didn’t teach us about zombies, either.” Eliza laughed, breaking the tension.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything!”

8

ELIZA

Eliza adjusted the shoulder straps of her backpack, the weight of it digging into her skin as she took a final glance back at Campdale. Would the town that had been her home for so long soon be a fading memory? As she made her way down the dirt cycle path, the city’s edges seemed to blur in the distance. Her heart tightened as images of what she was leaving behind flashed through her mind—the faces of her colleagues, friends, neighbors, and patients would soon be distant memories. That world already seemed so far away as she and River moved east, venturing into the unknown.

River studied the map they’d found in the apartment above the laundromat, frowning as she tried to concentrate. “This is a super old map. I don’t even know if these little roads exist anymore. We can only hope they do. We should head east and then circle back up to the cabin. It’ll take about a week if we follow these cycle paths…maybe more, but it’s safer this way. We’ll avoid the more dangerous territories.”

Eliza nodded, trusting River’s judgment. “If it keeps us alive, it’s totally worth the extra time.”

The first day passed in a blur of dusty roads and quiet, almost cheerful conversation. The route had been surprisingly peaceful so far, with the only sounds coming from the rustle of leaves and the occasional birdsong. It seemed the infected were gathered in the city, and hadn’t yet wandered out into the wilderness.

“Oh my God,” said Eliza, feeling her spirits lift a little. “It’s so wonderful to hear the birds. They haven’t got a clue what’s going on. I guess nothing’s changed for them.”

But as evening approached, fatigue began to set in, and they both knew they needed to find shelter before nightfall.

They came across an abandoned farmhouse just as the sun started to dip below the horizon. The structure was weathered and worn, but it stood sturdy against the elements.

“This place looks about three hundred years old, doesn’t it?” said Eliza, secretly wishing they were booking into a five-star hotel for the night. “Would wishing for hot running water and a soak in the tub be too much to ask, do you think?”

River pushed open the creaky door, revealing a surprisingly intact interior. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

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