by Nick Harland
I looked down at the floor and Esme, Eve and the others were silent. I knew he was right. I said, ‘You’re right, of course your right. What do you think we should do?’
Jim replied, ‘We need a rota of guards patrolling the fence. All being asleep at the same time is no longer a luxury we can afford. We need to use all that string and wire to fix up an alarm system. The odd hole with a spike at the bottom covered with sticks and grass wouldn’t hurt either. Even a load of ankle sized ones would help. They’re getting faster but injuries do affect them to some degree, even if pain itself doesn’t, and a limping Zombie is less dangerous. We need a guard tower on the roof with someone who can use a rifle. It needs to be manned day and night and it needs to be defensible against other people with gun’s.’
‘I would hope we wouldn’t need it but like you say, we have some enemies out there and who knows if other groups less generous than yourselves might have come together. With the plane flying around and the devastation we leave behind us a determined group could probably find us if they wanted to. With most or all of us dead this place is worth the effort. Just think what you would do to get hold of all the supplies in here.’
‘I also think we need a back door as this place doesn’t have one. It will take some doing and a few trees may have to come down. I know other things have to happen first, but eventually it needs thinking about. This place needs to be safer and more organised before we even think about going to the factory. So what’s your plan for tomorrow?’
Everyone’s eye’s rested on me but I wasn’t short of idea’s, ‘I agree with everything you’ve said and the patrols and a makeshift guard tower on the roof until we can make a better one can all be done by the end of the day. There may even be time to at least plan how the alarm system is going to work and to try out a few mock-ups. With everyone working together we can do a lot and you can be in charge of that tomorrow.’
‘Fighting groups are still best used scavenging because having strong defences is all very well, but if we got surrounded we need to have the food and water to survive a siege. Guns and ammo are also key to security. There will be other survivors out there somewhere and only very limited places where guns can be found. I think we need to investigate Chris’ lead and one other we already have on the way. We’ll do that tomorrow with Chris.’
‘As usual there are multiple competing priorities and power is one of them. Morale is also key to security and the river is all very well, but it’s not the same as a hot shower, even if it is with river water. Mark can chose a couple of other people to come with him instead of Chris and he should take the guy who thought he could hook up solar panels to try and find some. There are several houses I can direct them to that I know have some.’
It was Jim’s turn to look at the floor, ‘You’ve made some good points about morale and a siege situation. I didn’t mean to undermine you by saying what I said. Me and the others….’
I interrupted him, ‘Jim, you were absolutely right to say what you said and you’re in charge of security. We’re a team and one person can never lead alone, at least not successfully. It’s easy to lose focus in all this and we’ll all be better off if people challenge us when they have something constructive to say. I’m really glad you’re here and stepping up, it makes a difference.’
I looked up at the others in the social area, ‘You all heard everything, does anyone have anything to add?’
Bill had arrived half way through the conversation and was leaning against the end of a Van, ‘I’ve been poking around a little and I’ve found something. I found the address of one our equipment suppliers and although it’s a trek, it could also be a gold mine as far as leisure batteries, aqua-rolls to hold water supplies and who knows what else. It doesn’t look like we got our gas from them but that doesn’t mean they didn’t supply it. They are about an hour south, just west of York, and I know of a big caravan park that’s on the way.’
‘Even the caravan park itself would be worth visiting. Every van will have at least one gas bottle and aqua-roll, let alone clean sheets and stuff. It’s on a working farm in a small village and it’s really spaced out so it shouldn’t be too busy. It was early season when it happened but over half the place is seasonal pitches so there will be at least thirty vans on site, probably more. If there are people on site they’re likely to have four by fours. It wasn’t a cheap place and big vans need big cars that can tow them over wet grass.’
Esme giggled, ‘Thanks for that Bill, just when we didn’t have enough to think about you throw that in the mix.’
Eve punched Esme in the arm and added, ‘What she means to say is, thanks Bill that’s awesome thinking and really useful, I’m so very grateful….’
Eve’s sarcastic tirade was cut short as Esme returned her punch, though not quite so lightly. Everyone else smiled or giggled too and it was nice to see everyone’s mood wasn’t beyond some comedy.
We walked around the perimeter with Bill and Jim discussing security and looking at possible places we could put a back door. There was an unkempt area of overgrown unused land behind the base and flanking buildings with some large and small trees; it would be a bit much to call it a wood. To one side of the base there was a bank down to a road and across the road there was another predictable warehouse type building. On the other side was a les steep bank to anther road and over the road was a chain-link fence surrounding another building.
I kept thinking about the JCB on the building site down from the pizza shop but we weren’t ready for that yet, if it still worked.
Chapter Sixteen – Talking Trouble
Mark’s second group screeched up to the front gate and leant on the horn in alarm. We ran to the gate and someone was already letting the two vehicles inside. Chris jumped out of the rear vehicle before it came to a halt gasping for breath, ‘They’re coming, probably only a few minutes behind us. I think that Talker of yours is co-ordinating them. I saw one of them pointing and I’m sure I heard some shouting as we were running to the cars. We stopped half way back to let someone have a go at what appeared to be a single Zed. The moment we stepped out of the cars the horde came from behind a building and ran for us. We escaped but I could see them following us as we drove away.’
Chris looked pale and I asked, ‘How many?’
His answer made me feel the colour drain from my own face. He said, ‘All of them I think.’
Mark ran up and stood in front of me, I was glad to see his usually confident expression replaced by some healthy fear. I figured scared people aren’t as fool hardy. Everyone was frozen, waiting for something to happen. Eve smiled briefly and nodded once. The time for group discussion was over, it was time to lead.
I shouted, ‘Bill, we need as much petrol as we can get our hands on, in small containers for throwing over groups, not in petrol bombs. Then I need you on the roof with a rifle. Chris, make sure every single person over the age of twelve has a weapon. Ben, if this turns to shit I want you to be ready to ram the gates and clear the way with your semi, get it in position and leave the engine running. How many can you cram into that thing?’
Ben said, ‘It’s got a bed in the back. At a push, about twelve.’
I replied, ‘Right, make sure Jim is one of them as he knows where the factory is and make sure the other nine know who they are too. Take some of the kids, yours is one of the safest vehicles.’
Then I turned back to Mark,’ I need you and Chris to find seven others and be prepared to follow Ben in Mary, three in the back seats and four in the back. Again, take some of the kids. Have the engine on and ready to go behind Ben.’ He didn’t hesitate and ran off.
Eve and Esme came to stand in front of me. Esme looked worried, ‘We’re leaving?’
I hoped my smile was reassuring, ‘Not if we can help it, but if there are tons of them and they manage to flood over the fence anywhere we need to be ready to run. If the Talker stays alive for more than a few minutes after they arrive we could be in real trouble so I need y
ou on the roof with the other Henry rifle with Bill. They’re smart now, if you or Bill miss and the Talker sees one of his minions next to him hit, he might work out what’s happening and hide. That would be bad. Tell Bill and co-ordinate. One shot one kill. If you miss and it disappears get the hell off the roof and be ready to herd the others into their respective vehicles.’
Esme grabbed and kissed me, then hugging me she whispered, ‘See you on the other side.’
Eve said, ‘You’re doing fine, what do I do?’
‘You can organise whatever other vehicles we need for all of us to escape and make sure everyone is clear which is their ride.’ I hesitated for a second, ‘Then come back will you, I kinda need you by me…’
Eve kissed and hugged me too. She whispered, ‘Sap, like there is anywhere else I’d want to be.’
I waited at the gate while everyone ran around organising themselves. As Bill and a few others were bringing various containers full of petrol I could see the beginning of the horde flow slowly down the road like ragged smoke. They were too dense to count and I couldn’t see the back of them. I wondered how the Talker had found so many in such a short space of time but that didn’t matter, he had.
I heard engines and there was some chaos as the various vehicles in the car park moved around to form the escape convoy. I looked over my shoulder and saw Bill and Esme using a ladder to get onto the roof of the reception building. When the horde were only a few hundred feet away Ben found me and looked hesitant. I said, ‘They really don’t like fire, it’s how we fought off the last horde but it was nothing like this and there was no Talker. Can you help make sure no one is stupid with it. It’s best thrown on groups as it is, then a petrol bomb or anything lit thrown at the group afterwards. I’m guessing they’ll learn pretty quickly so let’s try and get most of the petrol thrown before anyone throws any fire shall we.’
Ben nodded and replied, ‘You’ve had a hell of a few weeks haven’t you?’
It wasn’t long before I could see the faces of the front of the horde and although they were close enough to charge there was a shout and they parted to allow four Beefcakes through, rapidly followed by five Sprinters.
The Beefcakes charged at the gates and I heard a couple of shots ring out from just behind me. Two of the Beefcakes dropped and rolled to a halt just short of the gates. The other three hit the gates and although they held, I was glad it was only three that had hit them. The three that bounced off the gates, the imprint of the wire mesh on their exposed faces drawing grey blood, dropped as more more shots rang out.
The Sprinters launched themselves off the bodies of the fallen Beefcakes and began to climb up the tall fence. I held my hand up to indicate no more shooting and said, ‘Let them fall, they aren’t a threat.’
As the Sprinters made it over the top of the fence the rest of the horde charged and I could see groups break off left and right and head for the side fences. It was getting dangerous. The Sprinters started to climb down the inside of the fence then, as they turned to look down at us my Zombie sense sounded an alarm and I yelled, ‘They’re going to jump, get out of the way.’
The first two were mid-air as I shouted but people managed to dodge and there were enough people with weapons that they didn’t last long. The last three all jumped together and seemed to target me. I dodged backwards but trying to dodge all three was difficult and one tagger me with their outstretched arms and pulled me violently to the ground. The rim of the bike helmet helped but I landed face first and heard as much as felt my nose pop. Eve and others killed them before they could cause any more damage and they couldn’t stop Mutt doing his bit with one of them. He must have been wound up because he growled when someone raised a weapon to speed things up.
Eve helped me up and reviewed the damage, handing me a tissue to wipe the blood flowing down my face, ‘Now you’re handsome, and have character.’ I was too wound up to feel much pain but I wasn’t looking forwards to later or the inevitable black eye’s.
As Eve was seeing to me Ben organised a row of people with various containers full of petrol. We stepped back as they came forwards and threw it over as many of those gathered at the front gates as they could. I shouted up at Esme before Ben lit a piece of wood dipped in petrol, ‘Any sign, how far back do they go?’
Esme didn’t take the rifle from her eye and replied, ‘I see him but he keeps moving or others keep moving in front him. There must be at least three or four hundred of them out front, you need to deal with the ones down the sides, and quickly.’
I looked back towards the horde to see the burning wood fly over the tall gates and land amongst the crowd. I was used the whoomph noise by now, and the wave of heat. I held firm and enjoyed the momentary burn as the others recoiled. The expected chaos of loads of burning Zed’s reigned free and the pressure on the gates eased. Then Bill shouted, ‘They’re climbing the sides, hurry.’
I yelled at Mark through the noise of groaning Zeds and shouting people, ‘Take people left, we’ll go right.’
Bill turned and started taking shots to the left which wasn’t encouraging. Eve followed me, as did Ben, Izzy, and a couple of others. Eve holstered Seven and drew her guns. There must have been at least fifty piling up against the side of the fence and they were climbing over each other until they could reach the top and pull themselves over. There was only a four foot gap between the fence and the side of the building which meant only so many of them could reach us at a time. Eve started firing the moment she could, killing the first few to get to their feet. The Zeds swarmed over the fence as fast as Eve could shoot. Thankfully the rapidly rising pile of bodies slowed their progress towards us a little but we were soon hand to hand and we were still seriously outnumbered.
Eve emptied both clips and threw the guns behind her without hesitation, pulling Seven from her waist. In an insane moment of reflection I thought how awesome she looked and how lucky I was. We backed up slowly with weapons up as the Zeds clambered over the bodies and I admit I was as scared as I had ever been. Mutt growled behind me but I knew if I let him past he would die trying to protect us. The sound of shooting from around the other side of the building added to the sense of doom. Both Eve and I front kicked the first Zeds to reach us and although they staggered backwards, they were held up by the Zeds behind pushing them forwards. There wasn’t much room to swing and we couldn’t move around their blocks so we both held our weapons in a way that would allow us to jab at their faces.
I heard Ben behind me, ‘Keep edging back, it’ll be ok.’
The front Zeds cleared the bodies and surged forwards, we both jabbed and had had enough practice to be on target. As the others surged forwards I knew there was no way we could stop them and I said, surprisingly calmly, ‘I love you’, before the next Zed hit me. I jabbed and hit the Zed but the force of the others behind it forced it on top of me. I saw Eve fall backwards beside me and all I could do was hold up the pry bar in front of my face and wait to feel the bites on my arms or legs.
In the slowed time realisation of certain death grants you, as if the purpose is to allow you to eke out your last few moments and have the thoughts you needed to have, I heard a shout, ‘Clear.’ Then I heard a whoomph and felt the flow of heat over me. I jabbed the pry bar into the open mouth of the Zed on top of me to keep it at bay but I could feel other impacts through my body pushing me to the ground and I wondered if any of us would survive.
I tried to turn and see Eve, though I wasn’t sure if I would want to see the view that might greet me or not, but there was a dead Zed between us. I thought I heard her struggling then arms reached over me grabbing the collar of the Zed on top of me and dragging it off me, its dirty clothes dragged over my face and the buckle on its belt scratched my chin before I could see light above me again. I felt numb as if a haze had separated me from the world. I wondered if it was blood loss making me dizzy and although I didn’t feel much pain I knew people sometimes didn’t when they were badly injured because of the adrenalin.
A voice penetrated the haze and I saw a large arm reach down and offer me a hand, but Mutt pushed it out of the way and licked my face first. When he was satisfied the man said, ‘It’s alright, you’re ok, take my hand.’
I reached up and the hand grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. Then the world phased back to normal speed and I saw the pile of burning Zeds and the people gathered around me. Then I saw Eve hurl herself towards me and I only just managed to open my arms and keep my feet. She buried her face in my sweaty neck and I could hear her crying and feel her shuddering as she sobbed. I noticed my own tears and I have no idea how much time passed before we both let each other go enough to look at each other.
Eve said, ‘I thought I’d lost you, and myself, I thought that was it.’
My throat choked with the recent memories and all I could say was, ‘Me too.’
Eve ran her hands down my arms then over my chest and looked me up and down. Still in shock I let her turn me around like a mannequin and felt her hands on my back and legs before she turned me around again and kissed me, ‘It’s ok, miraculously, we’re both ok.’
I took in the rest of the scene and although a few people were stood watching us, I could hear raised voices close by and the familiar groaning of a horde of Zombies. I grabbed Eve’s hand and walked back out into the open. There was still a huge horde at the gates but they were less animated, less fierce somehow.
Esme emerged from the gathering crowd and grabbed us both in a hug, ‘I got him, sorry it was a bit late, but I got him. We still have a big problem but within a minute of the Talker going down they seemed to become less frenzied. They’re staying back a little so we can’t get them with the petrol but they’re not going anywhere. We need a plan.’
Esme held my other hand and we walked to the gate. There were still flames rising from the bodies on the floor and the smell was foul but familiar. I heard a familiar voice above me. Bill said, ‘I recon there must be at least two hundred left.’
