The dogs and I spent the night sheltering in the home by the water, collecting odds and ends, eating and resting. As the sun began to rise, it came time to move on.

  Before leaving the house, it was time to add Jagger to the team. I looked at the fluffy, jovial boy and asked “Would you like to be part of our family, Jagger?”.

  He did a little bow and replied “Wooo”, after which Rat joined him in play, the two pouncing around the living room like puppies.

  I opened my duffle bag, entering the menu interface. Add Jagger the dog to party? Yes or No? overlaid the menu. I reached out, grabbing for ‘Yes’. I closed out of the menu, not paying attention to the change in stats at the time.

  Back in the home, I decided to pre-emptively gear up Jagger with some protection. Rat and I had put back on our gear, which was now dry. Looking through the bedrooms, I managed to locate a small leather backpack and two pairs of Chuck Taylor high-top shoes. I coaxed Jagger over to me, grabbing his paw and fitting the shoe on it. Jagger, evidently not liking his paws touched, broke free of my grasp and ran around the house as I followed with the remaining shoes. I managed to corner him and fit the other shoes, which shrunk to size. I put the little leather backpack on Jagger also. I had decided to stash some dog food, a packet of jerky, bandages and a bottle of water in each dog’s backpacks in case someone needed it later on.

  After we were all dressed and ready to go, we decided to head out. We walked from the house, back up to the road and across to the petrol station where the Commodore remained parked at the pumps. I opened the rear doors to the cabin and the dogs jumped in. I got into the driver’s seat and started the ute, it spurting back to life easier this time with a full tank of fuel.

  “Okay guys, where should we go?” I said to the dogs. We could return to our original house, I thought, trying to formulate a plan. Or we could try to find a supermarket nearby and get a bit more food secured. Then, after that, we could find somewhere to make a little base and fortify it.

  Deciding on the latter, I pulled the car out of the petrol station and headed out, back towards the highway.

  We drove down the road, once again only encountering sporadic wrecked cars and the odd zombie stumbling along the median. As morbid as it was, I couldn’t help but think ‘five points’ each time we knocked one of them down. After driving for about fifteen minutes, we passed a police car stopped on the road. It was a paddy wagon with one of the front doors slightly ajar.

  “Let’s check this one out, guys – there could be guns in here!” I said to the dogs. I stopped the ute about ten metres ahead of the police car and the three of us jumped out. Rat, in his usual style, started roaming the area, looking for threats; Jagger followed him for moral support, it would seem, while I approached the car. I looked into the front and, finding no-one inside, sat in the passenger seat, rifling through the glove box and centre console.

  Jackpot! I thought as I reached into the centre console and retrieved a small Smith & Wesson revolver. I flicked out the cylinder and saw there were five bullets in chambers. Clicking it back into place, I felt very cool with my new firearm – like a cowboy or a gangster. In the glove box I found a small box of .38 bullets; I snatched them and stuffed the box and gun into my tool belt. I stood up and Rat came over to the police car with Jagger in tow. Instead of meeting me at the front, Rat went directly to the back of the wagon, growling cautiously.

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  We’ve got company, I thought.

  “At least he’s stuck in the paddy wagon,” I said to the dogs. Rat came closer towards the wagon, sniffing the rotten zombie flesh through the vents. Jagger, seemingly copying Rat’s enquiry, walked up to the wagon doors, sniffing the vents also. Intrigued by the smell, he jumped up, digging at the door.

  “Jagger! Stop!” I yelled as I ran over to pull him back.

  “Click!” The latch on the paddy wagon flipped open, loosened by Jagger’s furious digging.

  Hearing the sound, we backed up, hell for leather, away from the car. From the rear of the wagon came a large, grey, decomposing hand. Rat started barking madly as the zombie alighted the wagon, walking slowly towards us. I grabbed onto my crowbar, preparing to fight. As the zombie approached, I steadied myself, but my nerves began to give out and I started backing up as the zombie advanced. I stepped my foot behind me, my eyes fixed on the undead man, when my ankle rolled, tripping over the large furry leg of Jagger. I started to fall and dropped my crowbar in the process, it sliding across the roadway towards the zombie.

  “Fuck!” I yelled.

  The zombie continued and horror overcame me. Standing shakily with both dogs behind me, I reached into the tool belt, grabbing the revolver and pulling it out. I raised the gun to eye level, looked down the sights and aimed at the zombie head.

  “Bang!” I fired off a round at the monster, missing completely. My finger wrapped around the trigger as I fired two more rounds, one hitting his shoulder and one whizzing past his ear.

  “What the hell!” I exclaimed, having no idea why I couldn’t shoot this damned guy.

  I took a deep breath, closed one eye and shot twice more, the first shot hitting the zombie’s neck and the final one going into his brain.

  The zombie collapsed onto the road and blood sprayed behind him, spattering the paddy wagon like a Jackson Pollock painting.

  I turned to the dogs and let out a sigh of relief. I pocketed the gun and walked over to pick up the crowbar.

  “Let’s get going,” I said to the dogs with a feeling of unshakable stress.

  We all jumped aboard the Commodore and continued on our way. After another twenty-odd minutes of driving, we approached a small suburb. ‘You are now entering Cowan’ a sign read as we drove slowly into the area.

  “There might be a supermarket here, guys,” I said to the dogs as we decided to check out the town.

  We turned from the highway onto a smaller street, and although we approached as quietly as possible, the V6 engine did not go unnoticed. Zombies emerged from houses and yards galore and started following the car in a macabre conga line.

  As we approached an intersection, I decided this would be the best place to spin away our troubles. I told the dogs to lay down on the back seat and they did so. As the crowd approached, I put the ute in reverse and pulled hard right, commencing the death spiral.

  Zombies went flying as we spun around on the road like a figure skater. After a good few minutes, the crowd was mowed down, but unfortunately during the attack a stray foot had smashed the front passenger window.

  I stopped the car from spinning and started back down the road, looking for a shop. Rat sat up in the back seat – but, dizzy from the spinning, wobbled over, falling onto Jagger. Jagger sat up abruptly and started wailing.

  “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay!” I said to Jagger, trying to calm him into silence.

  “Wooooraawargwoo,” Jagger continued to howl.

  Roused by the howls, a new group of the undead descended on the ute.

  “Lay back down!” I yelled to the dogs, who, remarkably enough, decided to listen.

  I once again put the ute in reverse and started to turn – however, after clearing most of the herd, the car sputtered, warning lights illuminating on the dashboard as it came to a stop. With a few stragglers left still approaching the ute, I tried to open the driver’s door to get out and personally dispatch them. The door was stiff; hit by a few too many body parts, it had collapsed on itself, making it impossible to get out.

  “Oh shit, oh shit!” I cursed as I looked around, a zombie beelining across to the smashed passenger window.

  I reached into my tool belt and pulled out the gun and ammunition box, fumbling as I stuffed bullets into the chambers of the open cylinder.

  I managed to get only three rounds in before the zombie was at the window. I flicked the cylinder into place and pulled the trigger.

  “Click! Click!” Nothing happened as I shot twice, evidently firing on empty chambers. The zombie started reaching into the window and grabbing towards me. Terrified, I closed my eyes and fired again.

  “Bang!”