Zed Days [Book 2]

by Nick Harland

  I said goodnight and went back to Esme and Eve. Esme was still awake and hadn’t moved and inch. Eve was still taking the deep regular breaths that spoke more of unconsciousness than sleep. I looked at her right shoulder and said, ‘I’m worried about her shoulder, I think she hurt it?’

  Esme smiled wanly, ‘I know, but I think it’s fine. We were both central against the doors when the Beefcake first hit and people were pushing against us. It was a big hit and I think she took more of it than I did. People were better organised for the second one and it wasn’t so bad. I think her shoulder just took a hit.’

  I lay down behind her and shuffled up. She grabbed my arm and put it across her chest, squeezing it before she moved her arm back over Eve and said, ‘Don’t worry about her, she’ll be fine. It was messy, but she’ll be fine. We’ll make sure she is.’

  I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised that Eve was awake before us, but we were surprised she was in such a good mood. It kinda freaked me out.

  I woke to Eve opening the van door carrying breakfast for us all; it was well after sunrise. Esme woke a moment later, yawned and said hazily, ‘Baby, how are you?’

  Eve dumped the food on the side and crawled onto all fours on the bed over us both, she said, ‘I’m only going to say this once so listen carefully, I’m fine.’ She put her hand on her forehead, ‘No temperature and the bite’s not too bad. I got someone to re-dress it for me. I’m sorry for dissociating yesterday, it’s something I thought I’d got over. I paid enough for the therapy to help me. There were times with my Ex that weren’t good and I got into the habit of closing down until it was over. He barely even noticed, let alone cared. I guess the pain and stress of yesterday just triggered it.’

  I noticed she wasn’t taking as much weight over her right arm and said, ‘How’s your shoulder?’

  She knelt up between us and took her t-shirt off. Brandishing her purple limb she raised her eyebrows and said, ‘Impressively bruised don’t you think. I fucking hate Beefcakes.’

  Esme sat up and rested her head against her belly, putting her arms around her waist, ‘You had us worried there for a moment, I’m so glad you’re ok.’

  Eve put her hand on the back of Esme’s head and pushed her softly against her, ‘I am. I’m a bit nauseous from coming down off the pills, thanks for that by the way, but I’m hungry none the less so let’s eat.’

  Esme squeezed her harder, pushing her face deeper into the soft flesh of her belly, and said in a childish voice, ‘Just one more minute.’

  I knelt up behind Esme so she was squeezed between us and looked Eve in the eye. She said quietly, ‘Really I’m fine. As long as we’re all together we’ll all be fine, now let’s eat.’

  Esme relinquished her hold and Eve put her t-shirt back on and set the food out on the table. We got off the bed and Eve said, ‘I may have hammed it up a bit getting breakfast so I’m pretty sure everyone’s going to leave us alone today. Everyone’s busy with the big move and I gather the captains’ not back yet.’

  I sat down opposite her, ‘I’m taking that as good news. A day or two’s rest would be good, my shoulders aching since yesterday and I’m sure yours could do without skull crushing for a couple of days too.’

  Esme shuffled up next to Eve, closer than she needed to, and Eve said, ‘And although she remains a perfect and undamaged physical specimen, I think this one needs a couple of days’ without one of us almost dying.’

  We ate breakfast and as we were finishing Esme said, ‘So what are we going to do today, not having anything planned feels weird.’

  Eve pulled Esme’s head onto her shoulder and kissed it. Then letting her go she wrinkled her nose and said, ‘It’s turning into a pretty nice day out there so may I suggest a trip to the river. I know I’m probably as bad, but you two stink.’

  Esme lifted an arm, sniffed her armpit and recoiled, ‘Point taken, the sooner the better.’

  I imagined us at the river and added, ‘As everyone is busy with the move and we’ll be alone, may I also suggest we take a blanket, some snacks, and that we do a little naked sunbathing. I’m sure there’s some sun cream around here somewhere. We can take Mutt as a look out, he’s not easily embarrassed.’

  Esme grinned, ‘That would be nice, shame there aren’t any decent beaches around here.’ Then she put her hand up and blurted, ‘I bagsie doing Eve’s back and bum.’

  Before Eve could speak I jumped on the bandwagon, ‘I bagsie doing your back and bum.’

  Eve said, ‘So whose going to do my front? I can’t possibly be expected to do it myself with this bad shoulder.’

  Esme and I bagsied together and Eve laughed, ‘Children children, there is plenty to go around so you can both do it.’ Before I could speak she said quickly, ‘I bagise Esme’s front.’

  Feeling a little left out I said, ‘So I’m just being left to burn am I?’

  Eve reached across the table and gently stroked the side of my face, ‘Of course not baby. I have something special planned for you. I know you absolutely love my big beautiful tits rubbing against you, their soft skin caressing you. How would you like it if I made sure you were all covered using my lovely, big, soft, breasts.’

  Esme lifted her foot under the table and felt between by legs. She answered for me, ‘I’m pretty sure he’d like that. I’ll help by making sure those lovely big breasts of yours stay completely slavered with cream and maybe I’ll join in a little.’

  After breakfast we put on forlorn faces and Eve held her arm across her body. We went to find Mutt. He’d taken to joining whoever was on perimeter patrol but ran to us when he saw us and buried his head in Eve’s cleavage as she knelt down to greet him. I was a tiny bit jealous. We took a basic Q3 to the river with snacks, a large blanket, and enough sun cream to ensure a good slavering.

  We washed ourselves thoroughly including our hair, sending a slick of bubbles down river. The water was cold but it was still nice when you got used to it. Lying naked under the sun on a comfy blanket was awesome. It wasn’t easy to find level ground but we managed the best we could. Esme had found the sun cream and it was nice and oily. Cream that immediately absorbed into the skin wasn’t really the point. Esme didn’t let me join in at all as she did Eve’s back and she took an excruciating amount of time over her bum. I repeated the process with Esme’s back and bum and stood firm, literally and figuratively, when Eve jiggled her breasts in my face and offered one minute of open house to finish her off.

  After Esme and Eve’s fronts were all done and we were all feeling the heat, it was my turn. Eve did my back and bum first and feeling her big oily breasts flow over me was wonderful. Esme helped get into some of the harder to reach places before they turned me over. Feeling and seeing myself between Eve’s breasts was a very special treat and, surprisingly, not something we’d done very much. Esme said she wasn’t convinced I was protected enough and proceeded to hold Eve’s breasts together with me between them, which was absolutely heavenly.

  We agreed to save ourselves from doing anything else until after lunch but idly stroked each other as we lay and freshened up each other’s protection when we turned over. It took a while to relax. We were so used to having so much adrenalin to deal with. We certainly weren’t used to lying naked, out in the open, in the middle of a Zombie apocalypse, with our eye’s closed and only a dog to warn us of imminent death. In fact, we didn’t manage it. At least one of us had our eyes open or looked around the whole time.

  We played a little game of all closing our eyes and seeing who opened them first. It relied on a little honesty but neither Esme or Eve could avoid sniggering when they opened them. None of us lasted more than a minute; it just felt too weird, like playing chicken or Russian roulette.

  I was the first to hear it, a noise. It got louder until it was recognisable as a plane and then Esme spotted it. A couple of minutes later it was heading towards us getting lower and lower. It was a bit late by the time we realised we were all naked and how low and fast it was
coming in. Esme made a vague attempt to cover herself but of course Eve was resplendent in her glorious nakedness and just stood there and waved. The captain brought the plane down so low over our heads we could see him and Mike grinning and waving as they passed over us.

  I suppose it could have been worse, we could have been fucking in who knows what creative position. We abandoned the prospect of fucking and got dressed. I don’t think I was the only one getting bored anyway.

  Chapter Twenty Nine – Siege

  We sped back to base to see the plane lining up for its landing. Eve stepped on it and for a worrying fifty feet or so we played chicken with the plane. Then Eve hurled us around the corner through the thankfully open gates and barely missed a parked SUV as we ground to an ABS assisted halt.

  We got out of the car and we were soon surrounded by the gathering crowd. It looked like the factory people were almost ready to leave with a loaded up convoy of vehicles ready and waiting. The captain landed, bouncing once and waving as he passed the gates. He came to a slow roll at the end of the road and bumping over the low curb as he turned the plane around he taxied back to the gates.

  Turning the engine off with a huge grin on his face the captain opened the cockpit door and stood up to wave while Mike was getting himself unstrapped. The image of what happened next joins the ranks of those that remain as vivid as they are unwanted. We heard the shot and had time to flinch before we saw the captains’ face explode. The force of the hit pushed him over the side of the cockpit and his weight carried him forwards so he slipped out of the plane to land in an undignified pile on the road below. At least it must have been instant and he was grinning when it happened. I suppose in a world where the most likely cause of death is being eaten alive by alien Zombies, instant and I suppose pain free death from being unexpectedly shot in the head when you’re smiling and happy isn’t too bad.

  Mike turned to look behind him and started to spring out of the plane when another shot rang out. We could all see blood and tissue spray from the front of his shoulder as he fell and landed sprawled on the ground, screaming and gripping his shoulder. Everyone scattered and Esme was the first to run towards Mike, with Eve and I close behind her. We had all guessed which direction the shots had come from and the plane would cover us, at least until we dragged Mike towards the gates.

  Esme crouched beside Mike, tore her shirt off and rammed it into his wound making him scream; there was a lot of blood. Eve and I grabbed his ankles, turned him around and started to drag him while Esme scuttled alongside him, holding her shirt in place and trying to support his head. I was thankful to hear a shout from behind us, ‘Hold on’, and the noise of a revving engine. Someone had jumped into the Q5 at the front of the waiting convoy and drove out to cover us. We couldn’t see who it was as they were ducked behind the dashboard.

  Another shot rang out and I heard it hit the front of the car. As the car turned in front of us to give us cover I could see water pouring from the radiator. It was a very deliberate shot. We dragged Mike through the gates with the car slowly reversing to cover us and heard another shot which shattered the car’s windscreen. As we made slow progress towards the building I heard a familiar voice shout, ‘It’s ok, I’m ok’; it was Bill.

  Before Bill cleared the gates there was one more shot that hit the front of the Range Rover that was second in the convoy. We were still twenty feet from the doors and safety and there wasn’t room for the Q5 to cover us completely. Bill reversed it as far as he could and we stopped for a moment to catch our breath. Bill opened the door and peeped his head out from where he was crouched. Another shot came that went through the centre of the door and had Bill been in the process of crawling out of the car it would have hit him.

  We heard his voice, ‘We have a bit of a problem!’

  I answered, ‘Yes I know. How do we get you out and all of us to through the doors?’ Everyone else had managed to escape to the relative safety of the building.

  Mike had stopped yelling but he looked pale and was hyperventilating. He gasped, ‘People coming. Want to join. Bottom of A19. Tomorrow at three. Good people. ’

  Esme shushed him and glanced up at me, a very worried look on her face. We could all see the bullet had gone through Mike’s upper right chest, rather than just his shoulder, and his breathing was becoming more and more laboured. I looked at Eve who checked Mike wasn’t looking and shook her head once. There was blood pooling under Mike as well as soaking Esme’s shirt and his lips were turning blue in front of our eye’s.

  Esme crouched over Mike so her boobs were in his face, she had a quite revealing bra on. She said in a low voice, ‘Woops, I don’t want to smother you when you’re having enough problems as it is.’ Mike giggled but it was as much a gurgle and he tensed in pain. Esme moved down to whisper in his ear, ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to be alright. We’re going to make sure you are. You’re one of our best fighters and we need you. We’ll get you inside and Gary will take care of you. We have some pretty pills that will take the pain away and you’ll be back on your feet and smashing Zombies again in no time.’

  Eve put her hand on Esme’s back and gently squeezed her finger tips into her skin. Mike had gone limp and I couldn’t hear him breathing anymore. Esme came up to kneel again and although there were tears in her eye’s her face was twisted in anger, ‘I’m going to fucking kill whoever did this. Andrea could probably do with a snack. I’m going to find them, beat them to within an inch of their miserable fucking lives and then I’m going to put them in the cage with Andrea.’

  Esme began to get up and we both grabbed her. Eve said, ‘That’s a good plan Esme, and we’re going to help you, but right now we need to get inside without being shot ourselves.’

  Eve was about to carry on when we heard more shots, but they sounded different from the ones so far. The doors to the building opened a crack and someone shouted, ‘They’re shooting from the sides as well, you need to get inside.’

  Eve looked at us and said, ‘The other shots are from pistols or low powered rifles at most, they’re just harrying us. If they could shoot us they would have done so already. Even a trained sniper would struggle to hit one of us hauling ass to the doors and they would only get one shot off. My ex is good, there’s no doubt, but I’m not sure he’s that good. He’s my responsibility so I’m going first, you lot follow after the shot and you’ll be fine. He might even hesitate if he sees it’s me. I imagine he still wants me alive.’

  I hadn’t got around to the realisation of who it was, but it fell into place the moment Eve said it. I said, ‘He’s joined up with the three we kicked out hasn’t he. They were here long enough to hear about your Ex and roughly where he was. We knew he would probably go to the nearest shooting range after we last saw him and he must have found a sniper rifle and who knows what else.’

  Eve answered, ‘I can’t say for certain but that sounds about right. Handling a sniper rifle takes some training so it’s got be him. He was always better with a rifle than he was with a pistol. We really pissed off those other three arseholes so I’m sure they were delighted to join him. They must know how much gear and provisions we have and figured it’s worth the hassle trying to kill us.’

  I replied, ‘Ok, but we still have to get inside and he’ll have his sights trained on the space between us and the door. I know you say it’s a hard shot but it’s still a pretty big risk, I…..’

  Eve looked at me, ‘What?’

  ‘No, it’s not going to work. I don’t even know how it popped into my head and it shouldn’t be there.’

  Eve said, ‘Brad, the idea’s that pop into that Zombie games master head of yours have kept us alive this long, whatever it is, spit it out.’

  I hesitated and Esme said, ‘Come on, what is it?’

  I said, ‘Ok, but don’t judge me, it’s not like I worked it out, these things just appear, I can’t control them.’

  Eve said impatiently, ‘Sooner or later he’s going to work out that firing at the gr
ound under the car is likely to cause the bullet to ricochet and probably hit one us, spit it out!’

  I sighed and said, ‘Bill has to get out so he’s ready. Then we hold Mike up and just before we run we hold him where he can be seen. If he’s trained on the spot he’ll probably fire before he works out what we did and then we drop him and run like hell.’

  Eve grabbed Esme’s arm before she could speak, ‘No Esme, don’t! It’s awful, but if you want to kill the bastard as much as I do right now we still have to get out of this mess. If Mike were here and if he knew he was dead, if any of us were, and we knew we could help, none of us would hesitate for even a second.’ She looked at Esme, ‘Would you?, For even a second?’

  Esme looked down, ‘No.’

  ‘Right then. Bill, you need to jump out of the car and help us.’

  Bill voice came, ‘Ok, ready, set…’

  Bill jumped out of the awkward space as quickly as he could and ran to the back of the car to join us, there was no shot.

  Eve said, ‘He’s patient, concentrating, that’s dangerous.’

  Bill interrupted, ‘What about the tower, is there someone in the watch tower on the roof?’

  I hadn’t even thought of it, we’d not been involved in the base defence much at all. I shouted, ‘Tower, is there anyone up there.’

  A hesitant male voice shouted back, ‘Yes, I..I’m here.’

  ‘Are you alright, are you safe?’

  The voice came back, ‘Yes, I’m ok, but there’s no way out of here. Jim made sure we built this to be bullet proof so I’m safe, but I can’t move. I ducked the moment the first shot went off, sorry.’

  Eve replied, ‘Don’t be sorry, if you hadn’t you’d probably be dead. I’m afraid we can’t get to you. Can you last until dark?’

  The voice said, ‘I can if I have to. I’m gonna have to take a piss at some point but I’ll manage.’

  Eve smiled and raised her eyebrows, ‘Ok good. Do whatever you have to but don’t move from behind that armour until we talk again ok?’