Thrust & Parry: Z Day

by Luke Ashton

  “Gary, oh Gary. Hurry up or you’ll be late for school.” David shouted in his best motherly voice. Gary’s head appeared over the banister followed by a carrier bag from the local supermarket filled with an assortment of blunt objects.

  “Quit whinging Tiny and catch.” Gary replied as he released the handles, letting the bag fall. David stepped forward and caught it like a rugby ball making an unnecessary grunting sound to emphasise it. Gary disappeared and called back “Give me another 5 and I will be ready.” David turned to Vicky.

  “Someone should tell him he doesn’t need any make up to be beautiful.” David said in his best gay voice and Vicky was engulfed in a fit of giggles that brought tears to her eyes. She loved her brothers and had a special bond with them in their own way. She could sit and listen to David rant for hours and be left with a stitch from laughing so much where as she would sit and have in depth discussions over a brew with Gary until the early mornings. Vicky moved to the mirror in the hallway and sorted her hair out before checking her face for spots and grimacing at the bags under her eyes. She wasn’t wearing any make up; she didn’t see the point now. Who was she going to impress, the zombies? Vicky stood around 5’7” and wasn’t a particularly skinny girl. She had the same broad shoulders and rugby player legs that her whole family carried but her body was a perfect hour glass shape, she had what people called a booty and large breasts that made most boys drop to their knees. As much as she complained about herself she knew deep down that she was an attractive girl but in this situation she felt no need to dress to the nines.

  “Gary, my darling, we need to leave.” Added David, trying his hardest to sound like a women from the Victorian era. David knew he had to keep the mood light after the night’s events. All his effort went into making sure he kept his younger siblings from crying. He crossed the thought from his mind as he felt himself tear up.

  “Alright dickhead, I’m ready and packed up. Are we off then?” Garry asked impatiently. He was ready to go but now his brother was messing around. David acted overly gay and sauntered over to the mirror and fixed his hair.

  David was the comedian in the family, he would try anything to get a laugh from someone and more times than not, that someone was Victoria. She loved her brother’s sense of humour and made sure everyone around, mainly her friends Tom and Ajay, knew how funny he was.

  David had been in a relationship with Emily for over three years and he loved her more than life itself, he knew she was safe because she had called him only 10 minutes beforehand saying she was ready when they were but they needed to hurry as she could hear strange noises from her garden, this didn’t worry her. Emily was built very similar to Victoria, but she had long blonde hair that never seemed to be out of place. Emily had studied a form of dance martial arts for the last year or so called Capoeira. She had become quite proficient in it and had recently begun training with weapons.

  “Right, let’s go over the plan once more just because I know you two are sharing the same brain cell this week.” David said with a smile. All he got in return was 2 sets of glaring eyes throwing daggers at him. “We move from here over to Emily’s place and grab her. From there we can meet up with Ajay and the race traitor…”

  “Shut up David.” Vicky said. David had made constant jokes about Tom and Ajay’s relationship since it had started 3 months ago. Tom was whiter than white to the point that he could go on holiday and come back with less of a tan than before he stepped on the plane. Ajay was affectionately known as the Cheshire cat by Vicky. The joke if she smiled in the dark you would see only a pair of eyes and a smile. She was a westernised African. She, like the last generation of her family, had been born in the UK and the only difference between her and the ‘natives’ was the colour of her skin. It had meant that she had been picked on relentlessly and because of this she had an attitude that wouldn’t look out of place in the ghettos of America. Normally Ajay had a Yorkshire accent but when she got annoyed it turned more and more ghetto.

  “Anyway, as I was saying. We meet them two and then head off to the colony. Gary did you get the directions?” David continued. Gary nodded and produced a piece of paper form his cargo shorts leg pocket. They were directions he had pulled off of Google in case the satellite navigation failed them. “Good. Vicky wait here. We will be back in a second.” Vicky shot him a dirty look and sat down on the bottom step. They treated her like a child when it came to killing. David and Gary stepped out of the house and closed the door behind them. David looked down the street while Gary looked up it. It seemed clear but looks can be deceiving and David was sure he could hear something. His concerns were confirmed seconds later as the reanimated corpse of his next door neighbour began shuffling out of its garden. Gary put his hand on David shoulder and stepped forward as if to say ‘I got this.’

  He stepped out of the gate slowly just as the zombie reached theirs and tried not to be noticed as he brought his weapon up. He was using a table leg he had taken off the family dining table. It was about 3 foot long and solid oak. Just as he was about to swing his death blow on his former neighbour it’s head snapped over to stare straight at Gary. It let out blood curdling cry before it’s head disappeared under the table leg. Gary grunted as he brought the heavy leg down on its head. David smiled as he watched the events. He moved over to stand next to his panting brother to admire his handiwork. The zombies head was completely caved in.

  “Did you see his head go?” Gary asked regaining his composure.

  “Fucking yes mate. Although, I have to say it wasn’t much of a show. Could you try make it last a bit longer next time? Maybe a little bit of dancing or something?” David replied. They both stood and chuckled for a minute before David began to wander back inside leaving Gary to keep watch.

  “Let’s go princess.” David said as he opened the front door and ruffled Vicky’s hair. She swatted him off and sat scowling at him.

  “Fuck off and take my bag bitch.” Vicky replied with a smile.

  “I am your faithful protector not your man servant.” David said bowing low. On his way back up he picked up his and Gary’s holdall and turned to leave. Vicky followed, tugging her case on the wheels with her cricket bat in her spare hand. They packed the bags into David’s Volkswagen Polo while Gary looked round nervously. They jumped in and sped off towards Emily’s place.

  Chapter 17

  Jim awoke in his bed space. He had no idea how long he had been out but when he opened his eyes he found his head wasn’t swimming as badly as before. He was laid on his side so he rolled onto his back and immediately regretted it. There was a large welt on the back of his head that was now covered with a bandage. The second it touched the pillow stars shot across his eyes. His head throbbed a nasty splitting pain. He opened his mouth as he winced and felt the bruising on his jaw. He sat up slowly and looked around, Sam was asleep on her bed space but no one else was in sight, He pulled his sleeping bag off him and realised he had been stripped down to his boxers. He shuffled to the end of his bed and found his clothes neatly folded on top of his day sack and webbing. His sharpshooter rifle was laid on the floor under the bed with the barrel just poking out. He dressed quickly and, slipping the webbing and daysack over his shoulders, grabbed his rifle.

  He moved to the bar doors silently and froze as he saw that the front door was now unlocked. He cleared the three offices and found nothing before moving over to the corridor and slowly moving through. He cleared the storeroom before sliding over to the hatch and climbing up, taking care not to let anything bang. He reached the top and spotted a new structure on the rooftop. It was a square structure made up of a wood frame with walls that came up to about nipple height made up of sandbags. The roof was a camouflage tarpaulin known as a Bashar that was nailed to the frame. It looked like a Sanger and Jim wondered how long he had been out for. He kept his body low and moved over to the Sanger entrance, weapon up and ready. There were 3 figures in the Sanger and Jim hoped to god they were Paddy, Monica and Laura. He reac
hed the entrance, dropped his weapon down and breathed a sigh of relief. It was them. Paddy was in the middle of teaching them how to clean the Gimpy and had each of them take a piece and start working off the layers of black carbon that had formed over the last few weeks. There just hadn’t been time to clean it.

  “I never thought I’d see the day that my own little Paddy had pupils of his own.” Jim chirped up and Paddy span round. His face looked concerned until he saw Jim and it creased into a smile.

  “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes boss.” Paddy replied, the smile growing a few centimetres. Jim stepped into the hanger and hugged his 2ic briefly before stepping back and getting to business.

  “Why is the front door unlocked?” Jim asked his voice filled with concern.

  “The TAC is now secure. All entrances have been checked and all buildings are zed free.” Paddy replied with a sense of pride.

  “Even the RLC block?” Jim asked.

  “Yeah I gave the girls some FIBUA training and we cleared it yesterday with minimal issues.” Paddy replied, the pride swelling inside him.

  “Wait, yesterday? How long was I out for?” Jim asked looking alarmed.

  “3 days in total mate. We got a lot done while you were out. The ladies are now zeroed and have taken down at least 25 zeds each. With the exception of Sam who has a few more under her belt from the alarm fiasco. We stopped the alarm with a few well-placed shots at the wire and popped all the zeds in sight. We loaded the truck up with all supplies from here and drilled on an emergency procedure in case we get overrun.”

  “Wow, fucking hell mate. I’m proud of you.” Jim was genuinely shocked. Paddy had progressed well without him. The girls must be coming along nicely as they seemed proficient in picking up anything thrown at them.

  “How are you feeling?” Laura asked and Jim jumped slightly. During his discussion with Paddy he had forgotten the girls were here.

  “Like I tried to out drink the incredible hulk and he punched me in the jaw.” Replied Jim rubbing his jaw tenderly.

  “Well, the bruising’s coming out nicely.” Monica said looking him over. “Nothing broken but it will be uncomfortable for a while. There is still a chance that you have concussion but nothing serious.”

  “Turns out Monica has a talent for first aid.” Paddy said over the girls shoulders.

  “Thank you guys. By the way why are you both having lessons while Sam’s asleep? Have you been wearing her out?” Jim smiled and glanced over at Paddy who had gone a shade resembling beetroot.

  “I checked her bullet wound a day or so ago and found it had begun to become infected. She had a fever so we have had her sleeping as much as she can. Antibiotics are about the only thing we don’t have readily available.” Monica explained.

  “Has she been checked for bites since after the alarm fiasco, as it’s now known?” Jim asked with the concern returning to his voice. Paddy just gave him a look that said ‘I’ve been a dickhead’ and shook his head. “Right, carry on with your lesson I will be right back.” Jim strode over to the hatch and slid down before moving through to the bar. He drew his pistol and leant it, out of sight, against the bar chair walls.

  “Sam, you awake love?” He asked in a soft, cooing voice. No movement. “Sam, wakey, wakey.” He gently shook her shoulder. She stirred and squinted up at him.

  “What? Jim? You’re awake!” She seemed more shocked about Jim than the fact she was being woken up.

  “Yeah I am and I’ve been filled in on the last few days by Paddy. I understand you have a bit of a fever.” Jim asked. His voice had a nurturing quality.

  “Yeah, I think my war wound got a bit infected.” Sam explained, holding up her bandaged arm to emphasise the point.

  “Well, I hate to have to ask again but I am going to have to ask you strip off for me. I don’t take any pleasure in getting you naked against your will but I need to ensure that this fever is not down to a hidden bite wound.” Jim explained and Sam looked shocked at him.

  “What? You checked me already. I’ve not been bitten. You just like gawking at my body don’t you.” Sam was straight on the defensive.

  “I know but you got very close to the zeds while closing that gate and you know we have to be safe.” Jim tried to calm the situation the best he could. It was understandable when someone is telling you to strip off so he can look at you and if he sees a bite mark he will shoot you.

  “Well, how do I know you haven’t been bitten?” Sam replied giving Jim a sceptical look.

  “Once, I’ve checked you your welcome to check me over. I’ve been in my boxers for the last three days so I would guess any bites would have been spotted but I guess it’s only fair.” Sam nodded at this before standing up. She was wearing her t-shirt and shorts and slipped the t-shirt off. She still didn’t have a bra on which wasn’t surprising. She couldn’t really nip down to La Senza and pick a few up.

  “Satisfied?” she asked holding her arms out to one side.

  “And the rest, If you would.” He asked motioning at her shorts with his pistol.

  “You can get fucked soldier boy.” Replied Sam with an attitude that could only have come from several near death experiences.

  “You know the drill. I need to make sure you don’t have love bite on your arse or something.” He replied.

  “You are correct but I have more dignity than Laura and I don’t sleep in underwear.” Replied Sam, making an obvious dig behind her best friends back.

  “Even so, I must ask you to lose some dignity. I assure you I have little interest in getting you naked at gun point.” Jim replied feeling a little ashamed.

  “For fuck sake fine.” Sam dropped the shorts to her ankles revealing what was once neatly kept pubes. Several weeks in the apocalypse had taken their toll and she now had a small bush growing between her legs. She unhooked one leg and gave Jim a spin to prove the point. There was no bite marks. “Now, you’re turn.” She said holding her hand out for the pistol. Jim obliged and handed it over before taking his kit off and making a neat pile. He then sat on it and removed his boots before stripping down to his boxers. He mimicked Sam with a little spin.

  “Well, you’re clean.” Replied Sam lowering the pistol. At that moment Paddy and Laura walked into the bar chatting and froze mid-sentence at the spectacle in front of them.

  “Bite checks.” Jim explained as Sam tried to cover herself up. Paddy smiled at his section commander and began to giggle while Laura simply scowled at her best friend.

  “Is that what we’re calling it now boss.” Paddy giggled to himself as Jim held his middle finger up.

  “Fuck off Paddy you know the score.” He replied as he grabbed his trousers. Paddy and Laura went about their business while Sam and Jim redressed. Laura kept stealing concerned glances at Jim the whole while.

  “Right, what’s the plan then mucker?” Jim asked Paddy once he was dressed again.

  “Well, we could do with raiding a pharmacy to get Sam some antibiotics but I don’t think that will be easily done. We just have to do the best we can and hope she can sleep it off.” Paddy explained looking at Sam, concerned.

  “Shit, wait one.” Jim dropped his daysack on his bed and rummaged through before pulling out his pill pack. He dug through it before pulling out a half used strip of Erythromycin. “it’s a broad spectrum antibiotic for those allergic to Penicillin. I had some left over from a chest infection a while back. Completely forgot about them.” Paddy instantly perked up and took them over to Sam.

  “Sam, take one four times a day until you run out. Hopefully we should have either killed the infection or found an alternative by then.” He explained as he re-packed his daysack. Sam took one and climbed back into her bed. Jim pulled out his cigarettes and lighter and lit one before passing the pack round. Paddy took the last from that packet and Jim checked the top of his daysack and tucked a fresh one in his arm pocket before nodding to Paddy and moving back up to the Sanger. Monica was looking round the area bored. He greeted her by h
olding the packet of cigs and lighter out to her as he took deep drags from his own cigarette. They stood and chatted for a while as they smoked, talking about nothing in particular. It was mainly family and their past, in amongst it they chatted out what they thought different areas would be like and if there were other units doing the same thing as Jim and Paddy. After around an hour or so Jim headed back down below and got his head down, assuming he would be on stag soon enough as he noticed Paddy revising the stag list.

  Sure enough Jim was awoken several hours later to take his time up in the Sanger. His hour passed uneventfully as he gazed out into the murky depths of what used to be a bustling city. He was relieved by Paddy and wandered wearily back towards his bed space when he heard a voice whispering his name.

  “Jim, Jim, over here.” Monica was motioning from her bed space. Jim snuck over and crouched next to her pillow.

  “What can I do you for little lady?” Jim replied sarcastically. He was never in the best of moods when deprived of sleep.

  “Laura approached me earlier asking all sorts of questions about us. She was asking why we were up in the Sanger for so long so I told her we were just chatting and that you had come up to keep me company on stag. She then started asking what we were talking about and if there was anything going on between us. I think she might have a soft spot for you.” Jim’s puzzled look turned to a smile as his ego got the better of him.

  “Jim, well is there something going on with you and Laura?!”

  “No, no. Nothing at all. I’ll tell you what, I’ll have a word with her tomorrow and set things straight.” And with that Jim stood and climbed into his bed.

  Laura had been listening to the entire conversation from her own bed space and was now thinking deeply, she hoped Jim had only said what he’d said to hide their love. She couldn’t lose him. She had to try harder.