Zed Days (Book 3): Zed Days III

by Harland, Nick

  There were two newish four by fours in the carpark we found keys to but it was getting to the stage where we couldn’t really use more vehicles and we would run out of mesh to protect them before we ran out vehicles. We took them anyway, as the brakes weren’t too badly bound, Track and Max driving one back each. Chris drew the short straw and got to drive the van back, which already stank of sheep.

  We were back by early afternoon and an area to keep the sheep in had been prepared. Jim had volunteered to do the killing and butchery and had read up on the process. It was a strange thing after all the killing we had done, but none of us wanted to be the one to slit the sheep’s throats, which was apparently the preferred method. Jim said his father was a butcher in the old days and when he was young he had exposed him to the grim realities of where meat came from and how it got onto his plate. He had seen several get skinned a butchered which I suspected was worth a hundred pages of reading about it, even with pictures.

  We hadn’t realised we would need to wait at least two days of not feeding the unlucky sheep before slaughtering it, and being so close to sizzling meat but having to wait for it, was torture. To distract ourselves we went to find Gary and Mandy the medical student.

  One of the larger offices had been cleaned out completely and three beds had been put in it for treatment of any wounded. Shelves and medical supplies had been placed in the main reception area the office was off and there were plans to turn a room into a theatre that could be made as sterile as circumstances would allow. Mandy was busy organising stuff and Gary was sat sweating unnaturally in a comfy chair.

  Eve pulled up a chair opposite him and smiled, ‘Hi doc, if you feel as bad as you look, then it’s time we had a talk.’

  Gary smiled a thin pale smile, ‘Yes, I’ve been thinking about it. It’s getting ugly and I’m starting to leak from places I shouldn’t. Mandy has been great, but it was always the thing I told myself I wasn’t prepared to put up with. I know there is Lamb on the horizon, but in truth by guts hurt so much I don’t think I could eat it, and even if I did I think I’d bring it back up again and that would hurt even more. I’ve had a good long talk with Mandy whose made copious notes about which sections of which books to read first, and we’ve been through the appendectomy video a couple of times. Without significantly more time, there is nothing more I can do. I’ve also been talking to Don, who’s been a big help as far as helping me make peace with myself.’

  Eve was pragmatic as ever and I guess Gary had done the others bits, so that’s what he needed. She said, ‘So how to do you want to do this and when?’

  Gary hesitated and Eve filled in the blanks, ‘I guess some of that whisky of yours and a few of the right kind of pill, and you’ll go to sleep and won’t feel a thing. I said I’d be the one with you, is that still what you want?’

  Gary nodded and croaked, ‘It hurts and I’ve taken as much as I can and still stay conscious. I’m clean, so I think it’s time.’

  Eve held his hand for a moment and couldn’t hide the lump in her throat, ‘Ok, I’ll meet you at your van in five minutes.’ She walked off without looking at any of us.

  Don came to help us take Gary to his van and hugged him strongly with tears in his eye’s before walking off, head bowed. Esme and I got him comfy in his bed and Eve arrived as were doing so. She had changed into a loose t-shirt and shorts and it was obvious she didn’t have any underwear on. She looked at me briefly and all I could do was smile and nod. We left without saying a word as she poured a large glass of the whisky and tipped out a hand full of pills. Esme and I went to our van and held each other while we waited for Eve’s return.

  It was about forty five minutes before Eve came back and silently slid into bed between us. We held her quietly for what seemed like ages and there were some silent tears. When she started to stir she began to kiss Esme and moved my hand from her hip and put it on her breast. I suppose what followed could be called life-affirming sex, and it was silent and sensual in a way we’d never experienced. We missed supper but Bill saved us some and we heated it up. Apart from Bill, we were left alone in the main seating area, which would normally have been busier. I don’t know if it was empty out of respect, or discomfort.

  It was nice to spend a little time alone with Bill. He caught us up on goings on at the base and told us that we now had two generators, and the solar panels were fitted, the place needed re-wiring to make the most of them. The goats were doing well and the estimate on milk was about a week to ten days. The chickens had started to lay the odd egg but we needed proper chicken feed. The farm garden was being maintained and there was a little fresh produce most days.

  When he had finished I asked, ‘So what’s next?’

  Esme didn’t hesitate to reply, ‘Next we take Andrea shopping and see what happens. The stores close to the factory are huge and they would be really messy to clear out. We don’t want to waste ammo if we have an alternative. Even if she just calls them to action and then gets driven away it will be something. Fighting them outside using cars is much less risky than going in. The problem is she’s smart, and like it or not, the Zed occupying her has some brains too, or rather access to her brains. It might only work once unless Andrea can control it, so we should be careful how we use her.’

  I took over, my mind weighing up the alternatives, ‘The massive supermarket at the end of the estate is the prime target, even with our numbers it will have enough food for weeks, and lots of drink too. I don’t know how much stuff gets stored out back, but a place that size must have a pretty big warehouse area and perhaps some big vehicles. The main problem with calling the Zeds out, if that’s what happens, is space in the carpark to manoeuvre. We’ve done it before and it’s not easy.’

  Eve pitched in, ‘We could use the tipper truck to clear some space at the front of the store and the lanes between the parked cars. Even if it takes a day with a rope and hook, it will be time well spent. We could even try and cram the cars together on one side of the carpark to clear a bigger space on the other side. I think the tipper has the pushing power to do it. If we attract any Zeds during the process, then so be it.’

  Bill said, ‘That sounds like a plan. You guys go get some rest. I’ll talk to Ben and the factory. I’m sure they’ll be up for it. I’ll also tell them about the sheep and I’m sure from what you say, they can make their own trip tomorrow and one of them can come and watch Jim when he does the first one.’

  We weren’t really tired but we went back to the van and had a couple of good slugs Gary’s expensive stuff to honour him and help us get to sleep. There was no more sex, and I had noticed our urgent impetus to do it all the time was inversely proportional to our security and how long we’d been together. I didn’t really mind, but I made a mental note to try and get some of the spark back.

  Chapter Seven – I Bloody Hate Supermarket Carparks

  We organised to meet a couple of vehicles from the factory at the supermarket mid-morning. Bill said that Ben had a surprise for us and we assumed that could only be a good thing. It turned out to be an awesome thing. Eve was still a little sore to drive the heavy tipper truck, but Ben had shown one of the plane survivors enough to drive it and he didn’t seem any worse than Eve was.

  We were strictly for support in Lulu and although it seemed unnecessary, the hockey guys came in the GT. Everyone knew it was mainly to mess around in it, but everyone knew they deserved it. Bill had taken a good look at it and remembered reading all about the princesses one that Gary had copied. Apparently it weighed over three tonnes and had super-hardened steel panels and a virtually bomb proof undercarriage. His final decision was that he didn’t need to do a thing to it to make it Zed proof, and it was low enough that the chances of hitting a Zed and it going under the wheels, that might damage the suspension, was pretty small. It wouldn’t be good over rough ground or big piles of bodies though.

  As we made our way to the supermarket it was clear that Ben had got there first. The long dual carriage way with seve
ral roundabouts that led to the supermarket was completely clear of cars, all of which had been smashed to the sides. We had smashed a few cars with big vehicles in our time, but the state of some of the cars at the side of the road, some of which had travelled a good ten feet into other carparks or trees, was a sight to behold. On one occasion we saw a car almost broken in half against a tree.

  The hockey guys took full advantage of the situation and had a great deal of fun speeding up the road and testing the acceleration. Lulu and Mary were fast, but the GT was something else. They swapped drivers once or twice and it put a smile on all our faces to see them. I was appropriately jealous, but knew I’d get my chance eventually.

  When we got to the roundabout that led to the supermarket Ben was waiting for us, as was the surprise. He was driving what looked like a giant snowplough. The plough itself was about five feet high and the cab was about six feet off the ground. The cab’s glass was covered in a protective mesh that was obviously factory fitted. There were no Zeds around so he got out and we had a chat. He said, ‘We used the drone to scope out the area around the factory and found this in an aggregate storage place just down the road. The keys were still in it and what we think was the driver looked like he was a late turner and was half-eaten. It needed some fuel and a bit of tinkering, but it’s running well now. You will have noticed it’s pretty unstoppable. Good plan to organise the carpark before any attempt to try and go in by the way.’

  Eve replied, ‘Thanks, that’s certainly going to help. Are you guys doing ok in the factory?’

  Izzy who was ever present at Ben’s side said, ‘It’s grim as hell in there and it will take some time, but we’re comfortable for the time being.’ Then she smiled and added, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day and it’s definitely secure.’

  We discussed our plan which, in theory at least, was relatively simple. We would clear as much of the carpark around the doors to the supermarket as we could by pushing, pulling or otherwise manhandling the cars to one end of the space. I have to admit I wasn’t sure how well we would do, but any extra space would be good so it was worth a try. The carpark was fairly full but the lanes between rows of parked cars were wide which helped.

  The plough wasn’t the most manoeuvrable thing, and we knew the work would put a lot of strain on what could be a valuable resource, so we went ahead to clear the Zeds and any stray cars in the lanes. Ben’s group had brought a Range Rover and a Q3 as well. We led in Lulu and scoped out the terrain. The tipper stayed back for the time being, we didn’t want the back full of Zeds. The supermarket was one of those mega stores and it was the only shop on the plot, though it had its own petrol station near the road at the front of the carpark.

  The road that skirted the carpark was blocked by two cars and the moment we entered it we could see a few other blockages further around and several at the front of the shop. There was also a horde of at least fifty Zeds that had gathered in the middle of the carpark. It didn’t take long for the enormity of the task ahead of us to sink in and Esme mirrored my thoughts, ‘This is gonna be a long day.’

  We were still some distance from the horde so I got out and signalled the other drivers to do the same. We gathered and I said, ‘This will take time and there’s no rush. We want to preserve the cars so no speeding around or heroics that could lead to crashes. Take one lane each and do runs up and down your lane so we don’t get in each other’s way. You’re safe in the cars so no one gets out unless I do, understand?’

  Everyone nodded. ‘Ignore the Zeds and push any cars on your lane out of the way so you can drive up and down unhindered, we’ll take the middle lane with the most Zeds. If your ride gets covered in Zeds, don’t panic, but try and keep moving. The weakest point is the side windows and mesh. If they manage to get the mesh off they could smash the glass and that would be bad.’

  ‘They shouldn’t be able to smash the windscreen even if they get the mesh off, but don’t stand still so they can pull the side windows mesh off. If you get bogged down and think you’re in trouble honk your horn, and don’t hesitate to do so. It only takes a second to die. The main threat is Beefcakes. They’re getting bigger and stronger and they could probably tear the mesh off and break the windscreen; that would be really bad. Every car has someone with one gun and that’s when to use it, and about the only time to use it. No matter how much space you think you have, don’t open any doors. Again, honk if you think you’re in trouble. If you panic you’ll die, and if you get out of the cars you’ll die, is everyone very clear.’

  The faces that met my comments had fallen appropriately and there were silent nods from everyone; this wasn’t a fun day out with go-carts and they needed a little fear to keep them alive. As we set off I had also managed to scare myself with visions of cars covered in Zeds. I couldn’t help but recall the image of Marion getting dragged out of the broken window of the pickup. Eve must have guessed my thoughts as I sighed and wrung my hands on the steering wheel. She put her hand on my arm and said, ‘It’s ok. There is always risk but when people are aware of it, they’re safer. This will be worth it.’

  We pushed through the two cars on the outer road and the others finished the job nicely, making sure they were as out of the way as they could be. Esme giggled and said, ‘Wimps’, when she saw the GT avoid the cars and the Q3 behind finish the job. I hoped they didn’t think they would preserve their paint job and bodywork for long.

  We turned down our lane to face the centre of the horde that turned to look at us. We had a forty feet run up but there were two cars in the middle of the lane the Zeds were surrounding, so we couldn’t just plough through them. Eve said, ‘How are you going to handle it?’

  Esme replied, ‘They’re pretty squishy and there are lots of them. The first car is small and I’m sure I see someone in it so the hand break might be off. Lulu has proved she can take a knock, so I say go for it, but don’t be silly.’

  I looked around at Eve next to me and she saw my eyes flick to her side. She rolled her eyes and said, ‘I’m fine, just don’t hurt Lulu too much.’

  I saw the others were in place at the top of their lanes and I revved the engine and dropped the clutch. I moderated our speed, and as expected, the horde parted as we sped towards them. Because they were quite closely packed though, there were still several stuck in our path when we hit. I hit the brakes as late as I dared and hit the car in our way at about ten miles an hour. The plough worked a little too well and the Zed’s we hit were mainly flung to the side. There only ended up being one Zed left to cushion the blow, but the cars hand break was off so the impact wasn’t too bad.

  I had a quick look to the sides and the others had made their runs just after me and must have a hit a few of the Zeds that had scattered. Now we were all in the thick of it, it was every car for itself. I started to reverse as quickly as I could but before we got going we had three Zeds on the bonnet pulling at the mesh, and a few either side starting to pull at the mesh over the side windows. I was about accelerate when I hesitated for long enough for Eve to say, ‘What the hell?’

  I waited until a couple more Zeds had their fingers woven into the mesh either side of us before dropping the clutch again. As I sped backwards I said, ‘Fingerless gloves all round this winter.’

  Esme giggled, ‘That’s almost mean.’

  Eve said in typical Eve style, ‘Shame they weren’t biting the mesh.’

  We only made one more run backwards and one forwards and only winged a couple more Zeds. They were quick learners and had gathered amongst the cars between the lanes. The other cars came to a standstill when we did and although the horde was smaller, there were still plenty of them and there was no safe way of getting to them.

  I radioed Ben, ‘We’ve done what we can here. There are still quite a few Zeds but they’ve scattered to the safety of the parked cars. I think it’s time.’

  Ben replied, ‘Ok thanks, let’s see just how mush pushing power this baby has.’

  I twisted in the seat and saw
a gout of grey smoke against the blue sky as Ben cranked the plough into action, followed by the tipper truck. The rest of us gathered on the road that ran outside the front of the store to give the plough space. The GT had some goo on it but from what I could tell, the body work still looked nice; that hardened steel obviously wasn’t just for show. It was basically a good looking, fast as fuck, tank.

  Ben rolled into view and barely fitted down the lanes. He stopped just passed the lane we had been on and then reversed up into it scrapping by several cars in order to do so. Then he stopped about four cars from the top of the lane, revved the engine, and set off. He veered into the cars on one side and they crumpled and slid as he hit them. His progress was slow but unstoppable. He steered into the line of the parked cars as they piled up against each other and moved relentlessly forwards until the first car crossed the back road and hit the high curb, jumping onto the grass verge bordering it.

  I thought the combined weight of the cars would eventually stop the plough but he didn’t stop until he was close the curb himself and all four cars were lumped into a pile of mangled metal, one crushed almost in half against a lamp post.

  I took in the overall effect and Eve radioed Ben, ‘That was pretty damn good. It’s gonna be a long day and you’ll be doing almost all the work, but I think you can clear a decent amount of space.’

  Ben came back, ‘Yup, depending on how thorough we are this could take all day, and we will probably have to retreat for fuel before we finish. There’s nothing scary going on here and I don’t need the audience. Our guys can stay in case we need the support, and the tipper can certainly help out, but you guys should go and investigate elsewhere. Stay safe.’

  Eve nodded beside me and to annoy her I replied, ‘Roger wilko, affirmative message status, alpha monkey Zero Zero over and out.’

  Eve punched me in the arm then yelped and held her side, ‘That ones in the bank, and the interest will be high.’