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almost instantly, Laura had the sense of things being better – better than before. Her thoughts were noticeably clearer. She felt the responsiveness of her own mind, the relative ease with which she was able to move from one moment to the next. It wasn’t perfect. A weight still remained, a something that sat right in the middle of her head. But it was better… definitely better.
    She looked around and saw Zack in the other vehicle. She heard the engine struggle for a few seconds and then fall silent. Scanning the area for any threats, she got out and approached. She knocked at the window. Zack jumped and took a moment to compose himself. She gestured for him to let her in. He unlocked the door. Laura sat in the passenger seat.
    “What happened?” she asked.
    “You fainted.”
    “How long was I out?”
    “Not long…Can you take me now?”
    Laura weighed everything up. Would she find Stacy again? Did she want to find her? And if she did, then what? Would it all go wrong again? Where would she even start? Zack was asking for her help. His family were probably dead, but at least he knew where to look. Besides, she was a mess. Being alone didn’t seem like a good idea. But was she giving up? John was waiting for her. Except he wasn’t. He was gone, replaced by a shell. Duke and Dreadlocks, they were frozen – dead. Out of all of them she was the only one alive. And if she couldn’t save them she could at least save herself, and if she couldn’t save herself maybe she could save Zack and his family.
    “Okay…”
    “Okay… Thank you. Thank you so much.” Zack went on to explain his plan to her. She would drive the car there and she would use the vehicle to run over any undead that they found.
    Laura said nothing.
    “So… you wanna go?” asked Zack.
    Laura was silent and still. Her eyes stared into the distance, sometimes moving slightly, as if flicking through the pages of a book. She didn’t like Zack’s plan, but an idea was coming to her. First she would eat, and then… if they could just find some rope…

Chapter 10
    Zack’s hands were sweating on the leather grips of the steering wheel. His eyes remained fixed ahead. A short rope had his car attached to Laura’s.
    With his engine off, the sound of Laura’s car filtered into the empty space of his vehicle. Her movements played out in his windscreen. Every turn and acceleration from Laura quickly travelled down the rope and altered his path – so that he felt the weight of her car in the weight of his, so that he became a sort of physical echo of her.
    They came to a car, deserted in the middle of the road – blocking their path.
    Zack saw Laura get out. She slammed her door and walked over. Zack unlocked the door and she got in.
    “I’m going to ram it,” she said.
    “Okay.”
    “Yeah… so… you honk your horn if you see anything coming, okay?”
    “I will.”
    Laura got out again, ran over to her car and untied the rope. Then she returned to the driver’s seat. A few seconds later, Zack heard the sound of her engine, and watched as she accelerated towards the obstructing vehicle. She crashed into its front end. It rolled back slightly. She reversed and repeated the action, going through several collisions, until there was just enough space to squeeze by.
    Laura got out, retied the rope, returned to her car and then slowly dragged Zack’s vehicle through the small space.
    He went through the plan in his mind. He could not avoid expecting the worst, whilst simultaneously pleading for the best. Ever since this had all begun, he had found himself praying.
    In his head, one of these prayers now ran.
    I know my Mum’s gone. I accept that. I accept that. Please don’t let her be there. Please let my sister be okay. And my Dad. Please let me find them. And if I don’t find them, please let them be somewhere else, safe. Please let my dog be safe. Please keep Laura safe, and me. And please get rid of the zombies. Please get rid of them. And if