Zombie Botnet Bundle: Books 1 - 3: #zombie, Zombie 2.0, Alpha Zombie

by Al K. Line

  "You," panted Ven, "have got to learn how to FUCKING DRIVE!" although she was smiling as she shouted it, tears of relief falling onto her cheeks.

  "I will," Kyle smiled cheekily. "Promise."

  They left the service station behind, nothing to show for it apart from a lucky escape and a little more experience with the infected. The decision to go inside had been stupid, the result of little sleep, too much adrenaline, plus the need for some serious carb intake. It was not a good combination but it was still far from normal behavior for both of them. Who goes for a sandwich when the world is coming to an end? But survival means sustenance, and although they had a few things with them it was not anything that would last for more than a few days if they were lucky.

  In one way stopping to get supplies was sensible, but the fact was that going into any kind of enclosed space was asking for trouble. What would city centers be like if out of the way places were this dangerous? They were better off not knowing that they had it easy in comparison, and were a lot better off than anyone who found themselves even remotely close to a built up area once the zombie botnet was unleashed. Unleashed by the woman driving with her baby, her dog, and her only friend, on the way to see her sister in a place called Dyffryn y Meirw in the middle of Wales. They still needed fuel for the car though, and Bos Bos still fancied a sandwich. So did both of them actually, but they would all have to wait.

  Later, when they had both calmed down, they made a quick stop at another service station and went straight to the pumps. Kyle filled up the car in under a minute and they left without incident.

  Their hearts hammering and all thought of food forgotten, survival now being the priority.

  It's Yurt Time

  Entering Wales was very much like leaving the UK in some respects. Every signpost was written in both English and Welsh over the whole country, although it was predominantly only in the North of Wales that Welsh was still a first language. But the identity and culture were kept strong, and people were proud to be from such a small country that was still world renowned for both its rugby prowess and the strength of its male choirs.

  "Ooh, hello," said Cassie, "what's your name?" A crooked smile spreading across her face.

  Kyle blushed beetroot red, squirming under the unexpected attention.

  "Sis, this is Kyle, my friend, and this," she emphasized, pointing at Tomas asleep in her arms, "is your nephew, Tomas."

  Before she had a chance to react Bos Bos bounded over and began to sniff.

  "Hello there sweetie," cooed Cassie. "What do they call you then?" She patted Bos Bos on the head affectionately.

  Ven sighed. "Cassie meet Boscoe. Boscoe, meet my sister, Cassie." She cast a very disapproving stare at Bos Bos.

  Boscoe didn't notice, he really liked this new person, and she had so many smells, and one was of cheese. At least he thought it was cheese, it smelled different to the sandwiches he had at home, but it was definitely cheese-ish, and we all know how much Bos Bos likes cheese. It was a match made in heaven from the start.

  It did just so happen that Boscoe was correct, Cassie did indeed smell slightly cheesy. Not in any gross kind of way you understand, they made cheese here in 'Yurt Central' as Ven would have put it. Goat cheese, but it was still cheese.

  Giving Boscoe another big pat on the head Cassie stepped through the mud and gave Ven a big hug, eying the little one joyously, giving him a big sloppy kiss on the forehead.

  "It's great to see you Sis, I mean it. And wow, isn't he adorable. How old is he?"

  Slightly uncomfortable with the sudden affection Ven replied, "Just over three months Cassie, he's still just a tiny little thing isn't he?" She tilted little Tomas up to get a look at his Aunt. Any bad feelings Ven had towards her sister vanished in an instant, it was very good to see a familiar face and...

  "Are they, um, knitted?" Ven asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of her voice, pointing at her sister's trousers.

  "They are. I knitted them myself," Cassie announced proudly, "and, guess what?"

  "What?"

  "They are from our own sheep too. Totally organic, I even dyed them from our own beetroot. I will make you a pair if you like. You are staying aren't you?"

  "Um, yes, if we can, if that is okay. But don't you go out of your way for me Cass, I am sure you have better things to do than knit me a pair of trousers." Did she say that with a straight face? She hoped so. She didn't want to offend so soon. Woolen trousers seemed about as practical as having a coat made out of holes, she just couldn't see the point at all. And home-made too. Thank God she had packed her Craghoppers.

  "Hmm, well, okay. But you let me know if you change your mind."

  "Will do," Ven replied very diplomatically. Glancing out the corner of her eye she could see Kyle trying to stifle a laugh that was set to explode any second.

  "Kyle, grab the baby bag will you, there's a dear," Ven interjected quickly, trying to avoid any form of confrontation so soon after their arrival. Kyle was happy to do as he was asked.

  The commune, if that was the right word any longer, was actually much nicer than Ven had envisioned. It was clean and tidy for the most part, yes, very make-shift, but it had a certain appeal, even to her untrained suburban eye. The yurts themselves actually looked quite large. The surroundings were stunning, in a rugged sort of way.

  The weather, well that was a different matter, but anyone who lived in the UK knew that the minute you entered Wales the chances are it would rain until you left. Kind of like if you went camping in Cornwall, it was one of those quirks about British life everyone understood and accepted. Just one of the reasons why the British obsess over the weather and talk about it at any opportunity. Conversations mostly revolving around the speed, quality, density, and 'wetness' of the rain itself. There was a lot of different rain to differentiate between.

  The day was just slightly drizzly, a good day in Wales in other words.

  "So, this is a surprise then, it's been a while Ven, and I am sorry."

  "No problem, and sorry to just turn up unannounced. I didn't know how to get in touch with you without just coming, it's not safe anymore."

  "Oh, no problem, we don't have a phone anyway, damn things."

  "No, no Sis, that's not what I meant, I meant it's not safe out there," said Ven, waving at everything.

  "Oh, I know. Murderers, buses, cars, shopping centers, supermarkets..." Cassie counted off on her fingers, contempt pouring out with each subsequent word.

  "I think we better have a chat. Kyle you got the bag?"

  He arrived back next to the two women, so opposite yet so alike in many ways, ways they didn't realize yet.

  "Let's go inside, get out of the rain eh? It's a really wet drizzle today, one that gets you soaked through even though it seems like it's hardly raining."

  "Too right, I can feel it getting under my jacket already..."

  They continued like that, discussing the finer points of drizzle quality as they wandered over to the nearest yurt, Boscoe and Kyle bringing up the rear, both looking somewhat bemused by the strange double act up ahead.

  Inside was a very substantial space, warm, inviting and done in surprisingly good taste. It was like stepping through into another world. A clean world too, which for Ven was very welcome indeed. Bos Bos wasted no time sucking up any crumbs he could find, which mostly happened to be next to the wood burning stove in the center of the room. Finished in a few seconds he did seven turns on the spot, dug at the heavy rug to make it 'just so' for long term rest, lay down and promptly fell asleep. He began to snore.

  "He's had a long day," said Ven. "Well, we all have. A long few days actually." Ven burst into tears, and didn't stop, and couldn't stop. Her chest racking with anguish and unimaginable sorrow.

  Cassie was not quite expecting this. She was surprised to see her sister, pleased nonetheless. But the sister she knew didn't cry at anything, not even at the funeral of their parents. Cassie was worried, very worried indeed.

  She g
lanced over at Kyle, who looked haunted now she took a closer look. He gesticulated with his arms, nodding at Ven. Cassie took the hint and moved her sister onto a low futon and laid Ven's head gently on her shoulder. Ven didn't resist and didn't stop crying. Pent up emotion and sadness at the loss of her Paul, her life, and the damage she had inflicted not only on her friend's psyche but on the rest of humanity as well finally too much to bear and to deal with, without unburdening herself on the only blood family she had left in this world. Relief and a flood of soul sapping despair flowed out of her, soaking the patchwork throw covering the seat of the futon. Cassie had made that too, and dyed it with onions, if you can believe that!

  "Cup of tea?" Cassie asked, some time later when it seemed that Ven had finally run out of tears to shed.

  "Please."

  "Please," they both agreed at the same time.

  "Mmm, proper cuppa, you can stand your spoon up in it, just the way I like it. Any sugar?" inquired Kyle.

  "Sorry love, no sugar, but I do have some bee vomit."

  "Um, no thanks, this is great anyway, don't know why I asked."

  "Kyle, she means honey you muppet," said Ven, smiling at Cassie and remembering how she loved to wind people up.

  "Oh, right, yes please," said Kyle, going along with the light-hearted banter, welcoming it after so much seriousness of late.

  Boscoe growled in his sleep, either chasing zombies or dreaming of a simpler life — when all he had to worry about was that damn man that came to the door every day with a bright orange jacket on to talk to Ven and give her bits of paper.

  Tomas stirred and Ven excused herself and fed him discreetly, still uncomfortable doing such things in public. She changed him, made a fuss, then brought him back over to her sister where she handed him over for a little Auntie play time.

  Cassie was a natural with children. Tomas was soon fast asleep in her arms. She had been chatting away to him inanely while they all drank their tea. The trip and excitement had taken it out of Tomas, and he was going to be asleep for hours. In fact, he slept for the longest he ever had, a warm glow from the fire lighting up his face with an angelic radiance, innocence in a world gone mad.

  "I think it's time you told me just what is going on, don't you?" Cassie said, once the tea had been drunk and the crying had stopped. The warmth of the room and the cocoon-like feel of the yurt had relaxed everyone, a feeling of safety and the chance to relax had washed over Kyle and Ven. But Cassie's few simple words brought them back to reality.

  "You aren't going to believe it, but yes, we need to talk that's for sure," agreed Ven.

  The rest of the Saturday night was spent with them trying to explain to Cassie just what had happened, and the responsibility that Ven had for the whole damn mess they were now in. Cassie interrupted often, disbelief and incredulity combining with horror at the scenes explained and the reality exposed. Away from technology, and with no news of any of the previous days' events, it was a bitter pill to swallow that was for sure. She found it hard to take any of it in. The situation really hit home after the events at Kyle's home were told. No-one is going to make up something like that about their own family, and the rest of the story was listened to mostly in silence on Cassie's part, each minute the reality sinking in more and more.

  "God, Mike's out there, with all this going on," she exclaimed at some point in the night. The truth finally accepted she was now beside herself, realizing just how severe the situation was.

  "Mike?" asked Kyle.

  "My boyfriend, he's out there um, hunting."

  This was not exactly the truth in the traditional sense of the word. He was out looking for meat, but not hunting in the wilds so much as stealing sheep from farms well away from their own location. This was not something either of them were proud of, it went against the rules they tried to live by. But the commune was now a shadow of its former self and the reality was that there was no-one left but Cassie and her partner.

  The rest of the tale was told with growing despair for Cassie and a constant worry about her partner. Not until he came home would she be totally convinced of the tale she was being told.

  "So, they'll just turn it off, won't they? I mean, it will stop then and some people will be safe, like us," Cassie asked.

  "Sorry, it doesn't work that way," replied Ven.

  Cassie just stared at her not really understanding.

  "But, I thought... I mean, I assumed that the Government could just turn off the Internet somehow, you know, like, everywhere?"

  "Not really," said Kyle, not wanting to go into detail.

  Cassie just cried, not even trying to understand the complexities of a world she had tried her best to no longer be a part of. She just assumed you could turn it off and on again and get rid of the bad bits.

  ###

  The noise sent them all scrambling to their feet, Ven and Kyle grabbing for weapons and Cassie turning Tomas away from the door, sheltering him with her own body.

  "Jesus fucking Christ Cass, you won't bloody believe the shit I have been through tonight. The world has gone into total and utter crazed fucking meltdown. I mean it's..." Mike realized they had company and he was in no state to simply shake hands and be polite.

  He pointed his shotgun at the visitors, wild eyed and shaking like a leaf, the gun wavering unsteadily from one to the other. Mike tried to focus on them both whilst simultaneously trying to check the rest of the room, make sure Cassie was okay and assess if the newcomers were going to try to eat his fucking face off too.

  It really had been a long night.

  Commune Shommune

  When Cassie first arrived at the commune she was about as excited as she could possibly be. The hustle and bustle of towns and cities had never appealed. She always felt lost and out of sorts surrounded by so much stress and the manic need to consume more and more. Her sister loved the ability to spend a day deciding on what wallpaper to buy — Cassie would rather live in a hut and poo in a bucket. She loved nature, loved natural environments, and wanted to be around like minded people. Not people obsessed with the next holiday and buying a better car.

  The commune sounded like the answer to her prayers, so she went. She took a few bags of possessions with her and that was it. After hitch-hiking as far as she could Cassie began walking the last few miles.

  "Need a lift somewhere?" the rather hunky and grizzled man inquired, pulling alongside her in an immaculate 1966 five door Land Rover series IIa.

  Result! Thought Cassie. Cool car, and what a hunk.

  They have been together ever since.

  Mike had been living at the commune for a few months, and much as he loved it there were many lonely nights — he had never felt that he quite fitted in. He was not the usual hippy type, more a man of action that wanted to return to the land to live a less stressful life and get away from the past he had put behind him years ago. He found it hard to get along in the busy world he had been re-introduced to and struggled to hold down jobs where he had to take orders from people. He had had enough of being told what to do, feeling he had paid his dues so should now be allowed the freedom he had easily taken for granted in the past.

  The commune fit the bill almost perfectly. If it wasn't for the damn lackadaisical attitude of so many of the youngsters there it would have been perfect. It looked like it was just about to get a hell of a lot better though.

  "Where you heading to?" asked Cassie.

  "Off back home to the commune but I can drop you somewhere if it's on the way."

  "That's where I'm going, I have a friend there, Sharon. You know her?"

  He knew her alright, one of the more active members; always willing to chip in and help keep the place running smoothly.

  "I know her, great gal. You staying then?" he asked.

  "Hopefully, what, you live there too?" she asked, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.

  "Been there a few months now, it's a good place. Not perfect, but where is? At least you can breathe there. Ther
e's no-one to get in your face either."

  Cassie liked this man, she knew he was her kind of guy the minute she set eyes on him.

  Over the months they gradually moved in together, making a larger yurt. Combining materials, with Mike shaping the struts and generally doing all the 'Man stuff' while Cassie focused her activities on making it a proper home. Somewhere comfortable, and when you got right down to it, a happy place.

  The commune was a somewhat strange place. People could come and go as they pleased, so there was nothing really in the form of a leader as such. Over time Mike gradually came to be the dominant figure, but with it being such a transient kind of place it was hard to keep a proper sense of order or assign chores to any one group of people. People came, stayed a while only to be replaced by friends that took over their yurts, or by newcomers just looking to 'try' the alternative way of life.

  Over time the numbers shrank, until it was Cassie, Mike and just a handful of others. Some of the rest of the group were rather insular, not as communicative as the rest. Somewhat 'out-of-whack' although you couldn't really say why if you had to.

  Mike, much more worldly wise than the others, and with a lot more life experience, knew from the look of them that the group of two men and one woman were trouble. He was right. One evening he found them whispering out by the fire, and he knew that they were up to something for sure. You could taste anticipation in the air, and you could smell the adrenaline a mile away. At least he could, he knew these kinds of people only too well.

  He made his way over to the yurt they all shared. As quickly and silently as possible he entered. The three beds were a mess — the whole place seemed like it was ready to be abandoned at any minute. Their possessions were packed. Piled in the middle of the room was what can only be described as a small arsenal. Mike checked out the contents. Three shotguns, a rifle, a collection of handguns too.