Blog of the Dead (Book 1): Sophie by Lisa Richardson Page A

handing out the food, faces illuminated by the candles. Word must have reached to Asda because soon (by the time I’d started my second burger) people with bulging Asda bags and bottles of wine came into sight from Bouverie Place, heading down to Googies. Me and Sam followed.
    A few of the overhead lights were on inside Googies, but mostly the light came from candles scattered about the place on wooden tables and on the bar at the back. The café felt warm, cosy and inviting. The smell of food filled the place. I munched on my burger, enjoying every mouthful. Then someone handed me a plastic cup of wine. Wine’s not my favourite drink. I don’t mind it but I prefer vodka and lemonade. But, under the circumstances, I wasn’t going to be fussy. And it tasted pretty good.
    More and more people came into the café, the atmosphere a sort of chilled happiness with a hint of sorrow – if that makes any sense. Then David showed up with a cardboard box full of nibbles and beers. He saw me and kind of smiled, reminding me of a geek in an American high school movie who’s just seen the prom queen (not that I’m bigging myself up, just painting a picture) and then he continued to shuffle his way through the crowd towards the bar.
    Sam stood beside me, by a small table in front of the bright orange wall, drinking a beer from the bottle. He grabbed me by the waist and gave me a one handed hug.
    ‘We’ve done this, Sophie,’ he said.
    I nodded down to the bar area where people busied themselves pouring drinks, serving food and putting crisps in bowls. ‘Well, they did all the cooking and –’
    ‘No, I mean, we got them all here – out, not so afraid of the shitting, fucking zombies any more, you know?’
    ‘Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.’
    I saw David then, heading towards the boarded up door. I pulled myself away from Sam and darted after him. I put my hand out to stop him from opening the door.
    ‘Where’re you going?’ I asked.
    ‘Oh … Sophie. Um,’ he ran his fingers through his dark hair and looked at me with his big brown eyes, ‘I’m off back up to Asda.’
    ‘Can’t you stay for a bit, enjoy yourself?’
    ‘Well, I, er … Duty calls …’
    ‘David. Asda won’t fall down because you spend an hour or two relaxing.’
    ‘I know, but …’
    ‘There are still people up there. They’re quite capable of looking after the place, I guess.’
    ‘I know. Ok, I’ll stay. But I’m going to go outside and keep watch. Someone should do it, eh?’
    ‘David!’
    ‘Really. Someone should keep watch.’
    ‘Well, ok, I guess. But at least take a beer outside with you. And remember we’re all in here if you change your mind.’ David smiled and headed outside. I took a beer out to him. I felt bad leaving him out there, especially as the rain had got heavier, but he practically shoved me back inside.
    I know this might sound weird but last night in Googies was one of the best nights of my life. We must have gone through a lot of food, but we’d made an unspoken decision that we all deserved it. I’m getting to know so many great people: Hannah with her knitting needles and Liam, the bloke with the axe, Kay, Terri, Matt, Keith, and many more. (Michael wasn’t there though. I haven’t seen much of him since the raid). We ate, drank, danced and sang. People started playing some of the instruments laying around the place. And then, when we couldn’t eat, drink, dance or sing any more, we slept where we dropped – on floors on chairs and sofas. I woke up early, laying on the floor near the front of the café with my head on Sam’s chest. He had his arm around me. I looked up to see David though a gap in the boarded up window, sat at a table outside. He glanced up and saw me, then looked away. I think he’d been out there all bloody night.
     
    6pm Day 29
It would’ve been the first day of the uni Christmas holidays today. That reminds me, I really want to work on that poem I started ages ago. I haven’t