Zed Days [Book 1]

by Nick Harland

  I looked at the doors and walked slowly around the building, Mutt followed me expectantly. Arriving back at the doors I knew there was just no way I was getting into the building without wrecking them. I thought about tying some rope around the gaps between the vents and using Frank, which is what I’d thought I’d name the Range Rover, to pull the doors off. I was sure it would work but I wasn’t sure how many bricks would be ripped out with the hinges and if it could cause the whole wall to collapse; that would be bad and the roof could follow.

  Then I had a unification theory; isn’t that supposed to be the end point for all scientific endeavour, one theory that unifies all the others and explains the universe. I would weaken the brickwork around the hinges and then use Frank. I found my sturdy screwdriver and hammer and got to work. The cement between the bricks was like concrete and the on the first strike of hammer to screwdriver I jarred my wrist. That was it, it was me or the fucking doors. I threw the screwdriver aside and started wailing on the bricks by the top right hinges like a mad man. When my writs hurt I swapped hands and when that wrist hurt and I was knackered, which didn’t take long, I used both hands. When I was done the bricks were cracked and some bits had flaked off onto the ground.

  It took about half an hour, which was mostly resting in-between short bursts of beating the shit out of the bricks. By the time I’d finished all the bricks around the six hinges looked the worse for wear. I found a tow rope, well strap really, in the back of Frank. After a bit more swearing and skinned fingers I managed to tie the strap securely around the vents at the bottom of the right hand door and attach the other end to Frank’s tow bar. It was time.

  Experimentally I drove forwards at a snails’ pace until I could feel the resistance. I accelerated until I felt the wheels begin to slip and was just about to stop and try again when the car lurched forwards and there was an almighty clattering as the doors gave way and slammed onto the concrete. I was so surprised I barely broke in time to avoid crashing into the compound’s gates.

  I turned the engine off and sat in the car for a minute trying to avoid looking in the rear view. I had no idea what might be inside the building. It was only about forty feet square and for all I knew it was full of machinery of some kind that would make living in it near impossible. I also imagined a pool of stagnant water smelling of sewage in the middle of it that would be even worse. Eventually I got up the courage to get out of the car and have a look. Mutt hopped out and trotted along beside me.

  The door I had pulled off was flat on the floor with hinges and bits of bricks still attached. It had wrenched loose of the other door which stood buckled and ajar, still on its hinges but not by much. Overall it was about as good as I could expect. I peeked into the dim building and relief washed over me. On the wall opposite to the one that now had a fucking great hole in were the other doors and a metal cage about ten feet long that stuck out into the building about eight feet. It was full of machinery, pipes and gauges that all looked very complicated and that I didn’t give a shit about. Unbelievably there was another bloody lock on the double doors to the cage. On the walls to the left and right of the cage were two five feet high three feet wide metal cabinets, also with locks on.

  As I entered the building, stepping over the rubble, I sniffed tentatively and was relieved that the air only smelled faintly of oil. I examined what was left of the wall I had pulled the door from and the rubble left on the floor and there was no way of piecing it back together. I would have to find some way of securing the building and making it so I could sleep in it. With all the breezeblocks and other materials from the building site down the hill I thought I would be able to botch something together, but I would need a new door. I already knew a trip to a DIY megastore was in my future, but now it seemed unavoidable.

  Chapter Six – Shit Stinks.

  Before I could unload Frank I had a couple of visitors to deal with, it was hardly surprising considering the noise I’d made. One was all dressed up in hat a coat and still had a dog lead stuffed into one pocket. He was about my size and the coat looked better than anything I had so I was careful when I smashed his head in between the bars of the fence. The other was quite a shock. I mean, what turn of events has to happen for a guy to end up as a Zombie in the middle of a country park, miles away from the nearest swimming pool, with nothing but swimming trunks on. I felt like I was putting him out of his misery. Killing them as they mindlessly started pushing against the fence was easy.

  After storing all the food and stuff at the back of building I walked around my new estate with Mutt. The fence was as solid as a granite worktop. Short of hundreds of Zeds smashing against it for days, or pilling up against it until their bodies built up so others could clamber over the top, I was safe. There was plenty of space and the grass that covered most of it was well kept. Growing stuff was usually part of long-term survival but unless things got really dangerous for some reason, or I lasted until all the cans I could collect started to go out of date, I really didn’t fancy digging holes and planting shit.

  It was time to make a decision, would I hike back and forth between the base and bike shop to sleep until I had re-secured the building and got some furniture, or use one of the tiny single man tents the bike shop had. I knew unnecessary travel was dumb, especially by car, so I would have to put up a couple of tents inside the building. There was no way Mutt and his arse were sleeping with me in a tiny confined space.

  Mutt and I sat around for a little bit and had some food, Mutt had proper dog food and I had ham and crackers. Then sighing, resigned to the plan, I opened the gates, moved Frank out and locked them behind me. I needed two tents, anything I hadn’t already taken from the small supermarket, and some of the water I had stored. I knew it would also be a good idea to hit the chemist at some point, but the supermarket had some small medical kits so it wasn’t exactly a priority.

  I drove slowly back to the shops and didn’t attract any attention until I was there. A small horde appeared from the cut as I drove up. I counted eight of them, too many to risk hand to hand. I thought I could back up and when they followed me I could ram them, but the front of Frank was already a bit of a mess and all it would take was a radiator leak and Frank would be dead. I thought I’d been lucky so far. I considered my options. Killing them from the back of the pickup had been relatively easy. They really weren’t much for climbing so any height advantage was huge. I looked at Mutt, put my hand up in front of him and said, ‘Stay.’

  I got out of Frank, locked the door with the key fob and climbed onto the roof. Frank was tall and although some of the Zeds could just about reach up to the roof, I figured the risk of my ankles being grabbed and being pulled off the roof to certain death were small. I knew I’d have to be quick and efficient though. As the Zeds approached I briefly considered the new reality I was living in. A week ago the biggest risk I regularly took was dealing with eight Zeds on Project Zomboid, now I was doing it for real.

  The first few hit the side of the car and I hit the tallest one first. I hadn’t properly considered how much I had to bend down to kill them and it was a bit slippy on the roof, the centre bulging up and down as I moved. I had to be careful and that meant I was slow. I had only taken care of two before the others had spread around the car and one seemed to be making some progress getting onto the bonnet. The room I had in the middle of the roof where their hands couldn’t reach me was small and I began to panic; I wondered if I’d taken on a bit too much? I killed one more before Mr enthusiastic had crawled onto the bonnet and was making moves to come to his feet. Despite annoying groaning from my combatants, I could hear Mutt scratching at the window below me.

  It was a slightly crazy plan, but so was staying where I was. Before the one on the bonnet could get onto all fours I jumped from the roof and stuck my legs out to land sitting on top of the bastards head. The sensation of feeling its skull squidge beneath my buttocks was something I would rather forget, but I don’t suppose I ever will. I bounced off the bonne
t and only just kept my feet as I landed on the road. In the second before they were on me I sprinted away to the nearest car and climbed onto its roof. It wasn’t nearly as tall as Frank but there were only four now and they formed an orderly line as they approached me which was nice.

  I dispatched the first one easily and the second went down before the others hit the side of the car and started to grab at me. The closest one almost grabbed my ankle but I kicked it in the face and it staggered back. Slippy car roofs weren’t actually that much of an advantage after all so I jumped onto the bonnet then onto the road and scrabbling for the keys I ran the ten feet back to Frank. I pushed the fob and let Mutt out before turning to meet the last two.

  Mutt hit the ground running and his aim for a Zeds neck was uncanny. Looking at the beauty of it distracted me for a second as my own Zed lurched for me. I just had room for a front kick that ended up more of a nut-shot but bought me enough time to swing Seven. Although Mutt looked a bit peeved he did take quite a lot of time so I finished his off and slumped against Frank to get my breath. My arse was really sore but that was all; I knew I’d got off lightly from what had been a bad decision.

  Having abandoned my flat as a sleeping place I had a revelation, tents could suck arse when I had Frank. I unlocked the door to the hall that led to my flat and eventually managed to unstack one column of water-filled containers and put them on the pavement. Then I went up to the flat, yanked the mattress off my bed, and threw it down the stairs. It was a double rather than a king so wasn’t huge. I dragged the mattress to Frank and leant it up against him. I grabbed more stuff from the shop and threw it in the back. Then I lifted three of the containers of water and put them in the back before squeezing the mattress in on top of it all. Lastly I grabbed a small, ridiculously expensive camping stove from the bike shop and went back to Frank.

  I hadn’t even seen the Zed before Mutt sprinted off down the road. I threw my pack into the back and ran after Mutt. My stomach filled with lead and tried to fall out of my arse as I saw Mutt jump for a Beefcake Zed who roared and batted him aside in mid-air. He landed yelping on his side several feet away and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get up. Then the Beefcake and I had the same idea, we charged each other.

  I knew I was only about half the weight of the Beefcake and would lose out badly in any head-on collision. I had to hit it on target first time or it was 50/50 if I would make it. I raised Seven, yelled in reply, and swung hard. The thing had a big head with a number two cut and Seven hit its mark. Unfortunately, killing the bastard did little to reduce its momentum. It hit me like a charging bull and I flew backwards. I suppose I was lucky not to land underneath the fucker but I flew off to the side and landed sprawled on my back. As I landed I hit my head on the pavement, hard.

  I had only just gained orientation before Mutt loomed over me and started licking my face. I made a mental note; don’t be a bloody idiot and not put your helmet on because it’s a bit hot and uncomfortable, egg sized lumps on your head are far more uncomfortable.

  I put my hand up and rubbed one of Mutt’s ears. I can admit now I was getting really attached to him and I was relieved he seemed to be ok. We both walked slowly back to Frank. I would need a strategy for dealing with Beefcakes but right then I just needed a rest. We got back to base without further incident and I reversed up to the building and locked the gates behind us. The afternoon was turning to evening and I could feel it was getting chilly. I unloaded Frank and rammed the mattress in. The mattress curled up little where it didn’t quite fit but I would be warm and safe and there was enough space.

  I found the camping stove and emptied a can of beans with small sausages in into the small pan it fitted into. It took a while to heat up but it was nice to have something hot again. Mutt had a mix of dry and canned dog food and licked the pan clean before I rinsed it. I really hoped he would control his arse when we were sleeping in Frank.

  Then I felt more than just soreness coming from my arse and I knew it was time, my first shit outside. I had been using the toilets in the bike shop and flat so far, both of which had one flush in after the water went off. It was already starting to get gross. I knew I had been delaying the inevitable. I walked to a far corner of the compound and used the ever handy heavy screwdriver to dig a small hole. If you have never had a shit outside I have one bit of advice you, fucking don’t. Shit fucking stinks, even your own, I almost wretched from the shock of it. Without that instant water barrier to stop the worst of it, shit wreaks, really. I hurriedly wiped myself and quickly covered over the hole. I would definitely need a better solution than shitting in a hole in the compound, and soon. As I walked back to Frank I noticed Mutt doing the same and although I left it where it was I knew that was also not a viable long term strategy.

  Chapter Seven – Lara Croft

  Mutt and I woke to the sunrise and it had been a good night, warm and relatively comfortable. Mutt had chosen to retire to the passenger seat after I thrashed around for the first half an hour, which suited me fine. We both went outside and had a piss and it was time to decide what to do with the day. My head still hurt and I was sore all over from the vigorous activity of the last few days.

  We had enough food and water for ages so I figured it was time for at least one day of rest. I sawed through the locks to the two metal cabinets and sure enough they were shelving units, predictably full of tools and parts I didn’t recognise. There were a few good finds though, a screwdriver that made the one I had been using look like a midget, another quality hacksaw, and a massive two-headed wrench that weighed about three kilograms; nice skull cruncher in a pinch but way too heavy for everyday use. It was almost exactly like one of the weapons from the Zombie game State of Decay, but I never liked it then either, too slow.

  I ditched most of the stuff in a corner and organised the food. Then I had the breakfast of a true gamer, a curry flavoured pot noodle. I was about to get back to organising when I thought I saw a whiff of smoke in the sky, and then another. I knew it was possible there would fires, but not after all the electricity was off. The thought of another survivor made my heart race until memories of post-apocalyptic movies that featured fucked up evil psychopath survivors caused a momentary blip in my excitement. There was no way I was ignoring it though. I looked up at the radio tower and knew it was best option. I wouldn’t have go very far up, just above the tree line. I was already on a hill that was more or less the highest point for miles anyway.

  Amazingly the ladder to the tower didn’t have a lock on it, fucked up or what? I climbed up leaving a concerned looking Mutt below. I started to get nervous as I got to the first platform but I was high enough to see roughly where the smoke was coming from. It was some distance away but it was unmistakably coming from the high ridge that made up the northern border of the suburb. There was a road that ran along the ridge with really expensive houses set back and high above the road, with garages below.

  I watched the smoke for a bit and it came in puffs, not quite, dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dash, but not far off. It was definitely designed to draw attention and it was a smart plan as Zeds probably wouldn’t pick it up or be able to localise it, but people like me could. I just hoped it wasn’t some doddery old lady I would feel obliged to protect and worse still, not swear around.

  Putting the helmet over my lump wasn’t comfortable but I had learned my lesson. I put Seven in the car and chucked the big wrench in for good measure. I took a couple of bottles of water and some crackers and cheese just in case I was longer than I planned. I secured the gates and drove back towards the flat. The beginning of Circus lane, the stupid name of the road I thought the smoke was coming from, was actually just opposite the school and went all the way around the back of the housing estate. It was like the rich people in their massive houses high up on the ridge could literally look down on the lowly folk below and feel superior.

  I drove past a couple of Zeds and had to slow right down and push a car abandoned rather selfishly across the road ou
t of the way. Frank had plenty of grunt to do so but the effort did attract four Zeds. I could see the smoke more clearly now and it was definitely coming from a house up on the ridge. The Zeds were blocking my way but I didn’t want to risk Frank.

  I experimented by driving into the Zeds slowly and they fell over backwards. I had learned how to use the four-wheel drive system, the manual was in the glove compartment, so I pushed the knob that put it into auto mode and drove slowly forwards. In theory, if it slipped on the bodies beneath it, it would engage whatever mode it needed to find some grip and carry on. It worked well. There was some short lived groaning and a bit of a bumpy ride but that was all. I looked behind me when I could and although two seemed to be alive, they weren’t exactly mobile. I stopped and looked around before getting out and finishing them off. Who knew if I might be on foot one day and walking over bodies, only to find one sink its teeth into my ankle.

  I drove on another fifty feet and saw the house the smoke was coming from. As I pulled up the puffing smoke stopped. My heart started to race again, whoever it or they were knew I was coming. I grabbed Seven, let Mutt out, and walked to the steep steps that led up to the front door. The steps started next to a large double sized garage door and twisted and turned up the steep stepped front garden. I wondered how the hell they got furniture up there and again dreaded finding some rich old couple used to bossing everyone around. For reasons beyond me, I straightened my hair and pulled my cycle jacket straight before ringing the doorbell.