by Nick Harland
The rest of the plough was much like before, a triangular cage fixed onto the front designed to push any Zeds we hit to the sides so we didn’t have to roll over them all. He had added some small spikes here and there that would tear the flesh and perhaps even bone of anyone or anything that hit them. It might not kill them but immobilising them was almost as good. We headed off in confidence, even without raised suspension and huge knobbly wheels.
The path to the old base was mostly clear but we got the chance to test the plough a couple of times and it seemed angled about right. The Zeds we hit were pushed off sideways. We had a little speed when we hit one of them and its head whiplashed down onto the very top lip of the plough and more or less disintegrated on impact. This was great but it necessitated the use of windscreen wipers and squirters as it was really had to clean the screen through the mesh. We made it to the old base and Eve started fiddling with her hands and fidgeting. There wasn’t much I could say so I let her work through it.
The apple trees looked fine but the tender salad leaves and tomatoes looked rough. We had removed the crappy plastic green house from on top of them last time we left thinking they would benefit from rain more than heat but there hadn’t been any rain and they needed some. We watered them and carefully carried the growbags and put them into the back of Mary. Eve dug up the apple trees, put them back in their old pots and secured them in the back with some bungees so they wouldn’t get jiggled around too much.
We were back home within a couple of hours and I left Eve and Andrea with the plants. Andrea had already sorted the seeds and Bill had dug over some of a grassy area. It was satisfying to think we were doing something with a longer-term future in mind and everyone’s steps seemed a little lighter. It was the first time we had built anything, or at least anything not designed to destroy.
We took it easy for the rest of the day but when you’ve been so adrenalin fuelled for so long it’s hard to relax. Eve and I decided to open a few boxes over the road to keep us busy before supper. I knew there must be some good stuff in their somewhere and Andrea said there could be some more crappy greenhouse things that would be useful. We were just getting ready to go when Esme found us, ‘Hi guys, where are you going?’
Eve answered, ‘Just to open a few boxes, you’re very welcome to join us.’
I knew Eve was feeling better, or at least that her more primal urges couldn’t be dampened for long, as she emphasised the ‘very welcome’ enough so I would notice but not so much Esme would think it was strange. She also grinned at me when Esme couldn’t see a made a brief hip shaped curvy motion with her hands.
We had some fun over at the warehouse, Mutt prowled around and as the door didn’t let in much additional light anyway we shut it and rammed a heavy box with an exercise bike in in front of it. We did the same with the other two doors and made sure the office area and bathroom were clear. We found various kids toys including some Nerf guns and the outcome was inevitable; it was nice to relax and laugh a bit. Esme proved an agile opponent and Eve wasn’t far behind, my perceived manhood took a beating, but I didn’t mind.
Bill wanted anything metal as stripping it off cars was hard work and the pile of rusty tubes from behind one of the buildings was almost gone. We found a pallet with a few boxes of metal shelving units made for garages and a couple of metal toolboxes, but it wasn’t much. We also found a couple of knife sets and some ok walkie-talkies that had a 3km range. I ran back to the base and we tested the walkie-talkies, they were noisy with interference but worked ok. We carted our finds back to base and sorted them out.
Chapter Twenty Two – Shopping Again
We all went to bed early and everyone seemed nervous about the shopping trip the next day. Andrea was coming but she was going to stay on the ladder up the side of the dump truck and help load the gear, rather than be on the ground. She and Bill swapped weapons so she would have a rifle she could use if necessary and they both had a little practice with them before we left. We all carried two clips worth of extra ammo and we put an extra two hundred rounds of 9mm in Mary just in case. Eve and I exchanged glances as we were sorting it out, we’d made a big dent in our supply by the time every one was kitted out.
I said, ‘Do you know where we could get hold of anymore?’
Eve said, ‘Pretty much any store in America but it’s rare here. Dylan will prioritise the gun range as he knows it will have some, but he will have to find fuel first as it was just under an hour away pre-apocalypse. It won’t be an easy trip so if we’re really lucky he’ll end up in more trouble than he can handle. I can remember my old instructor once said she lived on Yellowstone road in Great Sweeton, which is a small village about half an hour away. We could check there, she will probably have some but there are no guarantees. Farmers often have guns and might have some rifle ammo but it’s unlikely they’ll have any 9mm. Farms often have a decent amount of food supplies and the odd generator so they should be on the list for that reason anyway. Eventually we’re going to run out of leisure batteries.’
We finalised our plans and rolled out. Bill had done what he could with the truck, which wasn’t much. It had a full tank of fuel and we cleaned out the back as much as we could because it was muddy an still had a lot of bits of hard core in. Eve and I were in the truck and Mutt and the others were in Mary. Eve explained the intricacies of driving the truck as we went along, it wasn’t too hard. Bill had welded a few simple plates onto the front of the truck to protect the radiator but apart from that he thought it would be fine. It was so heavy and powerful it would either push through or squish flat even large hordes of Zeds. The problem was it was slow. We planned to use it as much as we could for crowd control and save Mary. We also had three petrol bombs ready in each vehicle to use on any closely packed groups.
We led the way and as we wanted a clear run back we took a little time using the truck to move cars that were in the way as we went. We mostly ignored any Zeds we saw. We both knew the state of the carpark and that there was no easy access to where we wanted to be. We had agreed Eve and I would go in and clear the way to the DIY store and the rest of the shops we needed. The others would wait on the road and if we attracted a horde we would come back to the road and deal with them there where there was more space. For good measure we did a couple of runs back and forth over the pile of dead Zed’s we’d left on the road last time so they were….flatter.
Eve noisily engaged first gear and went up the small slope into the shopping centre car park. She stayed in first and revved the engine as she hit the two cars that were blocking the road. They slid out of the way like they were match boxes even though one had to jump over the curb to do so. We got our first look at the carpark and it was surprisingly clear. Of course there were a few Zeds here and there that started heading towards the noise, but it wasn’t too bad.
We carried on towards the DIY store and had to push a few more vehicles out of the way to clear a decent path for Mary. We rumbled over the piles of bodies we had previously created and the cab tipped and shook and I almost hit my head on the window as we were thrown around inside, Eve giggled. We were noisy as hell as the cars we pushed out of the way smashed into other cars, but there was still no more than twenty or so Zeds heading for us. I used a walkie-talkie and told the others it was going better than expected. They replied that apart from a couple of Zeds Andrea was using as target practice, they were doing fine too.
Next we needed to clear a path down road that ran along the front of all the shops, and the Zeds dutifully chased us as we did. Lastly we headed back around towards the exit in a full circle until we had created a clear route around the carpark and past shops we needed. As there weren’t too many, rather than draw the Zeds from the carpark towards the others, we stopped just before the exit and waited. As they came towards us and began to surround us we reversed so they ended up in front of us. We were both somewhat alarmed to see one or two reach for the door handles when they got close enough and we were thankful we had locked ourse
lves in. We exchanged glances and I said, ‘This development thing is getting scary, we need to be extra careful when we get out of the cars.’ Eve nodded in reply.
The truck squished or batted away the Zeds and after a couple of runs forwards and backwards, they were either goo or immobilised by the side of the road. It took a couple of runs because they were also starting to dodge out the way and I undid my window, which was too high for them to reach, and taunted them to keep them close enough to squish with the truck. It wasn’t pleasant but I tried to look at their faces as we rumbled towards them and there were definitely sparks of recognition before they tried to move out of the way. Their eyes had become almost white but I could still see them move and they were looking around and trying to make sense of things. They weren’t quick to react by any means, but they were getting there.
When we were done I radioed to tell the others it was clear and to be sure to keep the doors locked at all times. It was time to lead the others in and start the scavenging. We stopped outside the DIY store with the truck as close to the entrance as possible and waited for a few minutes to see if there were any other Zeds who were late to the party. There didn’t seem to be any.
We all got out of the vehicles and continued to look around. Everyone moved from foot to foot and adjusted their grip on their weapon. It was quiet, too quiet, and we were all feeling it. Eve said, ‘Something must have happened to attract all the ones from the other shops or there would be a good stream of them by now. We only hit the DIY store last time so we didn’t necessarily attract ones from the further away shops or from the second floors and they were barely opening doors then. With all the noise we made going round this just isn’t right.’
Andrea said, ‘Well whatever’s going on I suggest we make hay while the sun shines rather than talk about it.’
Eve smiled, ‘Ok then, to work. We all know what we need so let’s get to it. We stay together no matter what, even if it takes longer, understood?’
Everyone nodded and Andrea shouldered her rifle and climbed to the top of the ladder up the side of the truck. We hesitated and she said, ‘I have a rifle and a walkie-talkie. I won’t do anything heroic I assure you. You’ll be back with stuff for me soon so get going.’
We went into the DIY store I flicked my hand away, Mutt ran off in that direction. We knew where the water barrels we needed were so we went there first. There were no Zeds around so we grabbed one barrel each and went back to the truck. We handed them up to Andrea who positioned them in the back of the truck then shoed us away again. Also on the shopping list from the DIY store was any decent bits of metal like garden sheds, any thin wire or string for an alarm system, and more growbags, compost, tomato food and any other plants that were still alive. We grabbed various other things Bill indicated as we walked around and used a couple of trollies to help. It took several trips and it was difficult to get the heavy compost bags up into the truck but we did it. Bill was stronger than he looked. We were all tired by the time we finished with the DIY store but we had a lot more to do.
As it was still clear, we sat around for a few minutes and got our breath. Esme insisted on climbing on top of the roof of the truck’s cab and using the scope on the rife to keep watch. It wasn’t the worst idea in the world and she looked cool up there, rifle in hand. It looked like a scene from a movie. The department store with the food court was next and we knew it would take the longest to loot, and be the most dangerous. It had two floors and the men’s clothing and kitchen stuff was all upstairs.
With the electricity off there was no easy way of getting a trolley down the stairs so we would have to haul it all by hand. Andrea came with us this time so she could pick clothes that fitted her. We planned to put the clothes in the back of Mary to keep them clean. It was clouding over and wet muddy clothes would defeat the object.
We stopped outside the shop, turned the engines off, and waited. There should have been a stream of Zeds coming from inside but none came. We got out of the vehicles and gathered outside. Eve echoed my thoughts, ‘I don’t like this. I’m creeped out and my stomach feels like it’s full of angry snakes. We knew the DIY shop would probably be clear but this should have loads of Zeds in it. Something else might have drawn them all out but I can’t imagine what. We need to clear every corner, staff area, and changing room on both floors before we even think about loading up. I don’t want anyone coming face to face with a Zed when their arms are full of clothes. There should be lots of food, drinks, clothes and other stuff in here so it should be worth the time.’
I reiterated what Eve had said, ‘I agree, this is creepy. Andrea, you stay in the middle of us, and everyone, keep your heads on a swivel.’ I remembered that saying from one of the Alien movies, the first one I think, and thought it sounded cool. Eve rolled her eyes and I smirked back at her.
We opened the large glass double doors and went inside. We couldn’t see any Zeds but after a few steps four came at us from different directions. Mutt didn’t smell or hear then in time to growl but he was the first to react. I took one, Eve another, and Esme took the last one. I went for the traditional single whack on the head approach but the Zed lifted its arms in defence. Although I hit the arms hard and one fell broken to its side, it managed to protect its head. Having a broken arm didn’t bother it and it launched itself at me, mouth open, its remaining arm trying to grab my shirt. I still had the pry bar above my head, so this time I tilted it so the long end was pointed down and stabbed it down towards the Zeds head as it went to bite me. The end result was a dead Zed, but also quite a lot of goo, and I had to really pull to get the pry-bar out again.
Having struggled with mine I span round to see how the others had managed. Esme was already helping out Mutt who having knocked his Zed over was doing a good job of eviscerating its arms, but couldn’t reach its neck. Eve was still fighting hers. I saw her manage to push it away enough to get a front kick in. One of the Zeds arms was limp by its side so as it staggered back she hit it from that side and it was soon on the floor.
There had only been four Zeds and we had struggled, it didn’t bode well. Esme got the first comment in and confirmed what I suspect all of us were thinking, ‘The bastards were waiting for us, they even attacked at the same time. If there are a lot of them in here we’re in trouble. If there had been eight or ten, at least one of us would have been injured or killed, and probably more.’
Eve was angry and shouted into the depths of the shop, ‘You bastards, come out and face us.’ Then realising she’d lost it for a second she turned and said, ‘Sorry.’
I tried to calm everyone down, ‘At least we know now, they had the element of surprise and we weren’t use to them blocking attacks to their heads. They have obviously moved on again. Now we know we can plan and we’ll be prepared. Mutt can scout a head more and we can maybe throw stuff ahead of us and see if it’s enough to draw them out. If there are more than five at a time we should use our pistols and sod the noise.’
I turned to look at Esme, ‘How long have you been doing Taekwondo Esme, you were the only one who didn’t struggle?’
Esme didn’t meet my eyes and replied, ‘Well I was never particularly serious and refused to do competitions, I just found it less boring than other exercise. I suppose all that endless repetition does work after all though.’
I stayed silent and looked at her expectantly. Eventually she said, ‘Since I was six, and before you ask, I’m a third Dan black belt.’
Andrea inhaled sharply and exclaimed, ‘Esme you never said, and I’ve know you for over a year now.’
Esme cheeks reddened and she replied, ‘I did sort of say, I mentioned my exercises class from time to time and that’s what it was for me. I did the grades because they made me.’
Andrea raised an eyebrow and Esme shrugged her shoulders. Eve said, ‘Well, like it or not you’re going to teach us some tricks. Is there one thing you can show us now that might help, just one simple thing?’
Esme thought for a second then
said, ‘I suppose so. One of the main concepts they teach us is to use the energy of your opponent against them. Meeting a charging opponent head on is at best going to drain you both of energy. Not being in front of them and redirecting their energy where you want it, even increasing it in some instances, is much easier and gives you control. Think of a spinning top and a ball hitting it, the ball will ping off in another direction. The Zeds aren’t fast or reactive, sure they can lift their hands up when they see you lift a weapon, but so could a six year old. All I’ve done with the two I’ve been hand-to-hand with was step to the side and sweep my arms in the direction they are travelling. When you block their arms and step to the side their momentum carries them forwards. When you end up behind them you have an easy target, take the legs or the head or whatever you want really.’
We all stood in vague understanding until Esme said, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing a class in the middle of a department store. Ok Eve, you come at me like a Zed with your arms out, it’s ok to reach for me when I step away, don’t worry, I won’t be there.’
Eve stuck her arms out comically then ran at Esme without any warning. We watched, and even though Eve reached for Esme when she stepped sideways, because Esme lifted and swept her arms in an arc Eve travelled straight past her and Esme patted her sharply on the head before she could turn around. Eve rubbed her head, ‘Ouch.’
We all had a go and watched Esme move, then we all tried it a few times ourselves. We had varying degrees of success but all of us were better off than we had been trying to meet them head on. We got ready and headed further into the store.
