The road ahead

A massive column of smoke stretches high into the sky where Manchester once lay. Sooner or later that cloud of radioactive dust will start to fall back to earth. I need to be as far away from here as possible. The wind blows towards Liverpool, the opposite direction to my intended destination. Luck is on my side, for now.

Food is my other concern. My tins of beans were only supposed to aid me in cycling to Leeds. Barely beyond the outskirts of Oldham and I can already feel my belly complaining. I should be able to beg, borrow or steal something to eat when I get closer to the next village. That's assuming I stick to this route. I feel horribly exposed. No trees or houses for miles, just open plains and fields.

Seeing the army shoot everything that moved clings to my thoughts. Even if I did encounter someone else, how would they know I was not a threat? Better to wait for the right opportunity to rejoin the human race.

Staying off the motorway will reduce my chances of running into people, but it will also slow me down considerably. There is pretty much nothing on the Huddersfield road. I need a car or a bike though. On foot, it would take me days to reach anywhere, especially in my condition. Maybe a few days without food will not kill me. it's not as if I even have an appetite.

Travelling on foot means I have no way to outrun anybody. Even with a bike I would need a good head start against someone who was determined and fast on their feet. Another good thing about transport is that when we watched all those people coming towards the checkpoint, all of them were on foot. They seem to not want to or be unable to use mechanical means of transport. In short, if I am riding a bike or driving a car, anybody seeing me who is uninfected might assume I am not psychotic.

Have seen some people moving around in the distance both in front and behind me. When its quiet its too easy to forget they might be anywhere. Can't call to them in case they are infected. Nowhere for me to run to, so avoidance is my only option unless I am certain they pose no danger.

In all this madness I have overlooked one thing. Uninfected people are still people. While we would be joined through a mutual bond of being alive and well, who is to say I am automatically safe with them? It might be paranoia talking, but right now paranoia seems to be a healthy alternative to being killed.