Revenge of the Dead

Chapter 9: The Hidden

My bag slips off my shoulder and I sit back onto the sofa, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I still hold Ashia tightly and rock her gently in my arms, trying to send her off to sleep once again. I shake my head slowly and look at my parents, my eyes clouded by tears. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I can't believe how wrong I was," I whisper, the group standing around me in silence, their faces holding the same look of confusion as my features hold. My parents smile sympathetically and I shake my head in shock, I can't believe they did it all for Sophie and I. This whole time I'd questioned their morals and character, my anger-driven thoughts wishing them dead for what they did. Guilt courses though me and a feeling of sickness settles in my stomach. 

"We love you, Madeline, we couldn't let you die," my Dad exclaims and I nod my head blankly. "Especially not in the hands of the government, not in that horrible lab," he continues to rage and my head snaps up.

"Wait, what did you say?" I interrupt him suddenly, causing him to jump back slightly and his words to trail away into silence.

"I said, especially not in the hands of the government in that horrible lab?" he replies but it sounds more like a question aimed at me, a questioning tone creeping into his voice. I pass Ashia to Soph gently and lean forward, putting my head in my hands and running my fingers through my ruffled hair before I speak up, my elbows resting on my knees. 

"Where was the lab, Dad?" I ask and he frowns at me across the tense room.

"France, why are you asking?" he questions uncertainly and I bite my lip, if my assumptions are correct then this could be it- we could be so much closer than we think.

"Because that's where the government are hiding," I state coldly, "and we need to go there, now," I add hurriedly, sliding my bag back onto my shoulder.

"No, no, no!" my Mum interrupts, "France had been overrun, everyone's dead Madeline," she says softly and I frown instantly.

"You don't know that," I argue, "if we want answers it's there," I explain and everyone looks at me quizzically. "Those were some of the most High-Tec labs in the world, it's where any remaining government could be hiding!" I say exasperated. Maria looks over to me with a tired look in her eyes, but I can tell from her tone that she follows my trail of thoughts.

"But what if the government are all dead?" she asks slowly and I shrug absentmindedly.

"There's still going to be documents on the virus and the tests in the labs, even if everyone's dead we can still find a laboratory to work on a cure. This could hold all of the answers we've been searching for," I plead and they all stare in concentration.

"You know, Madeline's right," Elijah adds and I spin around to smile at him thankfully.

Josh and Sophie nod in agreement and soon Maria sighs in defeat, I turn to my parents and look at them both, seeking their support and approval in a bizarre contrast to my previously engrained anger and bitterness.

"Dad?" I ask nervously, watching him clasp and unclasp his hands for a while before he finally breaks the silence, his tone somewhat defeated. 

"I guess you have a point," he concedes and I smile to myself in accomplishment. I turn slyly to my Mum who finally nods and I let out a sigh of relief.

"What if the government are there, Madeline," my dad asks, once again breaking the silence, "they won't be compliant and willing to talk, quite the contrary really, they'll probably try and kill us." My dad's words sink in heavily and I chew my lip in concentration, the thought of hostility and an uncooperative response derailing my plans.    

"They wanted to control the population, right? Creating a virus that brought back the dead was never the plan, so maybe we can find some sort of common ground or compromise? If we portray the purpose of our presence as finding a cure that eliminated the zombies then maybe they'll be willing to help us. We can fight for justice once all of this is over," Josh suggests and I nod to his words, knowing a peaceful approach may be our only option. 

"Josh is right," my mum states gently, "our only chance at a cure is if the government don't think we're there to prosecute them, once the world has returned to normality the justice system will hold them accountable," my mum adds but I'm not so sure. The system has a funny way of covering its own back and I don't doubt our allegations will be quashed, but still, justice cannot be our current priority. 

"Ok, let's get going," I mumble and point in the direction of the ocean outside, "every second we spend sat here is another death in the hands of the virus," I reason but my hands fall to my sides as I see my dad's expression. "What?" I question and raise an eyebrow.

"How do you suppose we get to France?" he asks, "borrow a ferry?" he asks rhetorically but tilts his head when he sees my smile. "What?" he sighs with a raised eyebrow, a feature I'm certain I inherited from him.

"Well, we borrowed a boat before," I start but soon lapse back into silence as I remember the disastrous events of our crossing to the island. Still, it appears our only option with the absence of aeroplanes and the closure of the Channel Tunnel. 

My parents just shrug tiredly and I turn around, taking their silence as approval, before walking over to the door and hovering my hand over the open button. Suddenly something on the screen catches my attention and my eyes flicker to the movement, my hand flinching away from the button as if I've gripped something hot. I find the camera that shows the house's entrance and see it's surrounded by a hoard zombies.

All staring straight into the camera.