The Dead Land: Chapter 7

7
The sound of silence in Robbie’s school was almost unbearable. Not one pupil, or even teacher, made a noise. They just stared at the image of dead Jennifer in utter horror. And then the screams started. Most children were crying, others screaming, and one kid threw up, but all Robbie could do was sit and stare. She watched Agatha toss Jennifer’s body aside, limp and lifeless, and she swore she saw Agatha try to hide a grin.

“This is what will happen to those who do not obey! From now on forth, there will be patrols on every street in every town in this country. Those who do not take my word as law with be punished by death!”

A man lunged forward to attack her, and in the blink of an eye, he was dead too, his blood crawling towards Agatha, who dipped her shoes in it, making Beth retch and cling onto Robbie. Despite the horror before her, she found that she could not tear her eyes from the images before her.

“None of you have anything to fear if you just obey! What is so hard about that?” Agatha screamed manically and stomping her feet childishly. It was then clear to Robbie how sick in the head the Prime Minister was. And she would be the downfall of many people.

“Now do as I say, and go home and await further orders. Anyone caught in the streets within an hour of this announcement will be executed on the spot!” she snarled, and then the screen went blank. The chaos surrounding Robbie was unbelievable. None of the teachers tried to restore order, or get other children to safety. Beth took Robbie’s hand and pulled, fear filling her eyes.

“We need to go. Robbie, come on,” she cried, tugging her to her feet. And then they ran. Past the teachers and children dealing with the news, through deadly silent corridors that seemed to go on forever, and out into the street, where the news had made a huge impact. Neighbours had clustered together in the street, discussing the broadcast and what they should do.

“What if we are stuck in our houses for a long time?”
“What will other countries do to help us?”
“Do you think we can make a barricade to keep them out?”

Questions with no answers filled the air. Nobody knew what to expect. Robbie desperately wanted to believe the whole thing was a dream, or a joke, but deep down she knew it was neither, and that she should expect life to be very different now.

On and on the two girls ran. They didn’t speak, for they knew if they did they would lose their minds, or cry, or scream, or all three. Robbie felt like she was going to faint, but kept running, more for Beth’s sake than her own.

They reached Beth’s house with in ten minutes, and then they split off. They weren’t sure how long it would be before they saw each other again, but at their young age, they thought it best not to think the worst. And so Robbie finished the last of her journey alone, wondering if she would ever escape the nightmare she was living in.