by T. L. Frost
Carter held his tongue, just giving him a stare.
“You should go back.” He said, then turned to Tom and Alice “Tell the others what we found, their truck and pick-up are both here, I’m guessing all of them are in that farmhouse right now. If we’re quick we can trap them in there. We’ll need the other guns and more people, me and Bill will go watch in case they move, if they do we’ll be back here. Be as quick as you can.”
Tom nodded and got back in the second Landrover with Alice, Quinn glared at Carter for a couple of seconds then got in too. They drove away, heading for Bill’s farm.
“You and me now.” Said Carter “Let’s go see what they’re up to.”
Bill grinned and they both climbed in their vehicle. They pulled off the road a little way before the entrance to the other farm, Bill parking the Landrover just out of sight of the road.
“You wait here.” Said Carter picking up his rifle “I’ll go take a look around. If the others get here before I’m back then keep them here and out of sight.”
Bill nodded, taking his shotgun “You be careful son.” He said as he went to keep an eye on the road. Carter kept low as he approached the buildings. The undulating landscape, hedgerows and drystone walls all offering plenty of concealment. At the last rise he lay down and crawled through the mud, keeping his rifle clear. When he reached a point overlooking the farm he crawled into some cover and took out some binoculars. Everything looked quiet. Smoke was clearly visible rising from a couple of chimneys at the main house. Satisfied that they hadn’t been spotted, he moved to the left, nearer to the track which was the main access to the farm. He now had a good view of the way out and most of the buildings. Some overgrown bushes provided plenty of cover and he settled down to wait.
It was mid-morning now, the sky still grey with cloud, and before he had been there more than ten minutes, a solitary figure came out of the farmhouse. Carter saw him squint up at the sky before wiping his face with a hand, then he wandered towards the large barn where the collection of vehicles had been stored. Halfway there he stopped and urinated against a wall, then continued on, a little unsteadily, disappearing into the building. Carter was tempted to make his way around the building, maybe try and take care of the lone man, one less to worry about he thought, as he considered it. He was just about to risk it when another man came out of the farmhouse. Carter took up the rifle and looked down the sight at Sergeant Ross yawning and stretching in the morning breeze but the distance was too great. The sergeant turned towards the storage building, shouting something Carter couldn’t make out, and the other man stuck his head outside for a moment to answer. Carter waited, picking up the binoculars again. A sudden sound behind him made his heart jump, and dropping the binoculars, he grabbed the rifle, spinning around. Bill was coming up fast, wading through the foliage towards him. Then Carter heard an engine, sounding suddenly loud as someone accelerated hard. A Landrover raced past, heading down the track towards the farmhouse.
“What the fuck?” Said Carter as Bill arrived, crouching beside him “Is that ours?”
Bill caught his breath quickly, nodding.
“It’s our Landrover alright, don’t know who was driving it, went past like a bat out of hell.”
Carter lay back down, grabbing the binoculars and watching. The Landrover sped towards the farmhouse. Not slowing until it was very close. Sergeant Ross had raced back inside the building, coming back out with three other men, two of them armed with shotguns, taking cover behind the vehicles parked there. The man from the storage building ran out and joined them. As the Landrover skidded to a halt in the soft earth Ross drew a pistol from the holster at his waist, taking aim at the car. Everyone waited, Carter held his breath as he watched, his mind racing. After a few seconds the Landrover’s door opened. Quinn stepped out.
“It’s fucking Quinn!” Whispered Carter to Bill who was close beside him.
“Quinn? What the hell does he think he’s doing?!” Said Bill.
As Carter watched he saw Sergeant Ross stand up straight, approaching Quinn, the pistol held loosely, still pointing at him. They talked briefly, the sergeant questioning the other man, then Carter saw a grin appear on his face as he put the pistol away. Quinn and Ross grasped hands and the other men there relaxed. Moving back to the driver’s door, Carter watched as Quinn reached inside, coming out with an assault rifle.
“Shit.” Said Carter “I think he’s got our other rifle.”
Quinn passed it to the smiling sergeant and after a brief examination of it, the two men stood talking some more. Carter wished he could hear what they were saying as his eyes bored into the back of Quinn’s head. A moment later the sergeant spat out some orders and one of the men rushed inside the house, coming back quickly with a pair of binoculars. Ross lifted them and started scanning the area around the farm.
“Dammit, I think Quinn just told him we’re here.” Said Carter moving further back into cover.
“That rotten son of a…” Said Bill shaking his head “I never liked the look of that one.”
“Me neither.” Said Carter “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 6
“So it was Quinn.” Said Merrick, slamming his fist down onto the kitchen table “I should have listened to you.” He added, glancing at Carter.
Bill and Carter had arrived back at the farm to find the place in uproar. Tom and Alice were on lookout on top of the silo and as Bill pulled up in the Landrover, they were met by Merrick and Jim, both with shotguns ready.
“So how is Barry?” Asked Bill after they had all relaxed and gone into the farmhouse kitchen.
“Unconscious but alive.” Replied Merrick “He took a hard blow to the back of the head, your wife is looking after him.”
Bill nodded.
“If only I’d followed your advice and gone after them…” Began Merrick, looking at Carter again.
Carter shook his head “No point in ‘what ifs’ or ‘if onlys’. Nobody knew that Quinn was with that other group. As it is, Barry is still alive, it could have been a lot worse. The question is, what do we do now? That group is still out there, we need to be ready.”
“What do you suggest?” Asked Merrick “Going after them is too dangerous, but I don’t like the idea of just waiting around either.”
Carter picked up a hot mug of tea, sipping it as he thought.
“I don’t think we have any choice right now. We should keep lookouts all around, be ready for anything. I’m guessing they’ll come to us. At least we’ll have the advantage of home ground then. We’ll see them coming from a mile off.”
Merrick nodded “I want you and Bill out early watching the road, if they come in force they’ll be coming that way, but don’t go far, we may need you back here in a hurry.”
“I’ll leave my rifle with Jim, keep him in an upstairs room overlooking the approach.”
The next morning Bill and Carter were up before dawn. Taking the Landrover a short distance up the main road, they pulled off out of sight and waited. They had a good view ahead, maybe half a mile before the road turned again, giving them plenty of time.
“You really think they’ll come?” Asked Bill “Maybe they’ll just decide to leave, go looking for an easier target.”
Carter sat looking out of the window, the road quiet, no sounds or movement “I think they will, they don’t seem like the sort to take the sensible option. From what I’ve heard about that Sergeant Ross, he’s got a grudge to settle.”
All day they waited and watched, tension obvious in both men, but as night started to fall, nothing had happened and when it was finally dark, they returned to the farm. Looks of relief on faces all around as the people there lowered their weapons after seeing Bill and Carter.
“You been busy I see.” Said Carter as they entered the building.
There were a lot more boards up at the windows and the doors had been strengthened, extra bars locking into place after they were closed.
“I thought it was best to
keep people busy, plus better to be ready for anything, like you said.”
Carter sat down for some hot food and looked around “Good idea, sitting around worrying won’t help. What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“The same.” Said Merrick “If they don’t come soon we’ll have this place like Fort Knox.”
The next day nothing much happened and Carter began to get restless as they returned to the farm again at nightfall. Another two days passed the same and everybody was looking tired, the constant stress and tension showing on every face.
“We can’t keep on like this.” Said Merrick on the fourth night “This waiting for something to happen is getting to everyone.”
“Agreed.” Said Carter “They should have come by now, I don’t see what else they could be up to.”
“Maybe they pulled out.” Added Merrick hopefully “They could be miles away by now.”
“You really think that?” Asked Carter.
Merrick shook his head, sitting down with a sigh “No unfortunately.”
“Me neither. I think we need to go have another look, see what they’re up to.”
“Sounds good to me.” Said Bill, Standing and stretching his back “I’ve had enough of all this sitting around all day.”
The next morning was cold. Dense fog lying on the hills and fields as Bill and Carter climbed into the Landrover. Nobody spoke as they drove off and Carter could see worried looks all around. Lookouts were useless that day unless the weather cleared but Bill said it had been known for fog to linger for days at that time of year. They drove slowly, windows open to listen for anything approaching, but it was deadly quiet. The fog thinned and thickened in places, Bill driving slowly but surely, knowing the roads intimately. After a couple of miles Carter signalled for Bill to stop.
“What’s that?” He asked as he listened, eyes straining to make out anything in the fog.
There was a very faint sound, like a gentle breeze blowing against leaves in a woods, almost imperceptible, though there was no breeze, the air was thick and still. Bill lowered his window and listened, turning the engine off, after a moment he shrugged and shook his head. Carter signalled to move on and Bill drove a short distance further, stopping on a slight rise in the road where the fog was slightly thinner. They stopped and listened again.
“Still can’t make out what it is.” Said Bill “Almost like a murmuring but very faint.”
They waited, listening, trying to make out the source of the sound but it didn’t get any clearer.
“I think it’s getting closer.” Said Carter after a few minutes.
“You think it’s them coming?” Asked Bill “Could be this fog muffling the sounds of their engines.”
Carter shook his head “They’d be here by now. It’s almost like whispering but I can’t make it out…”
As they listened the sound got louder, like water or wind rushing onwards, though the air was still unmoving.
“You want to go closer, see what it is?” Asked Bill.
Carter waited “No, I think it’s coming to us.”
Ahead of them the road dipped away gradually, the fog thickening as the ground lowered, Carter thought he saw movement. He pointed.
“There!” But the fog swallowed up the vague shape he had seen.
Eyes straining to see anything in the fog, both men watched as the sound grew louder and louder, seemingly all around them, becoming lower and louder. Vague shapes could be made out ahead.
“It can’t be…” Said Carter.
“What? What is it?” Asked Bill as the sound grew in intensity, the murmuring turning to moaning.
“Turn around Bill, right now.”
Bill was about to ask what it was again but decided against it, turning on the engine and turning the Landrover, he heard the murmuring rise in volume, louder moans beginning to be discernible. Shapes wandered about in the fog, a large, indistinct mass of shadow moving towards them like a wave. As the fog thinned Bill could see individual shapes moving faster up the road and through the fields around them. They were everywhere and as they spotted the Landrover the steadily rising moans turned to screams. The rear view mirror showed some breaking away from the great moving, shadowy wall, suddenly sprinting towards where they were parked.
“Let’s get out of here!” Shouted Carter looking all around.
They seemed to be coming from all around as the great mass of movement surged forward, propelled on by the screams. Bill accelerated hard, the engine loud in the still morning air as they sped forward, a sudden wall of sound rising up behind them.
“How many of those things are there?!” Asked Bill as he concentrated on the fog shrouded road ahead, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
Carter shook his head as he looked back, the dark mass of zombies surging through the fog, slowly falling back as the sound of their screams rose higher and higher. He felt a cold line of sweat run down his back.
“Thousands.” He Said.
Chapter 7
They drove back as fast as possible, the fog slowing them but Bill’s eyes glared ahead, trying to penetrate the white mist. All the time the wall of sound behind them increased and decreased as the turnings and the rises and falls of the landscape behind them sometimes obscured it. As they came to the final turn into Haven farm the horde of zombies behind them could still be heard, screams and moans in the distance but getting closer fast, way too fast for Carter’s liking. As the Landrover passed through the gate Carter closed it and signalled Bill to drive on as he locked it with some wire.
“That won’t hold them if they want to get in son.” Said Bill, heading for the farmhouse.
“I know but it might deter some, that road is the easiest route for them to travel around here, the fields are full of fences and stone walls. We need every advantage we can get.”
They drove on, waving to Tom and Alice, who were on top of the silo, to join them. They parked the Landrover inside the barn and locked the big double-doors.
“What the hell’s going on?!” Asked Tom “What’s that noise?”
“There’s a whole load of those things heading this way!” Said Bill as he headed for the farmhouse to look for Harriet.
“How many?” Asked Alice “Do we stay on lookout?”
Carter shook his head “Everybody needs to get in the farmhouse and out of sight right now. Is everyone here?”
Tom nodded and they ran on towards the house. Merrick met them at the door, concern on his face.
“Please tell me that sound isn’t what I think it is?” He said, looking in the direction Bill and Carter had come from.
“It’s worse.” Answered Carter “A lot worse. We need to get everyone hidden inside, close all the shutters and barricade the doors, we can’t fight our way out of this one.”
Merrick waved him in, then with a final look outside, he closed the door, barring and locking it. Everyone started gathering in the kitchen, asking questions. Merrick raised his hands for quiet, pointing at Bill and Carter.
“There’s a load of zombs right behind us, too many to count.” Said Bill.
“How many?” Some asked.
Carter stepped forward “A hell of a lot. They were everywhere, heading in this direction, must be thousands and thousands of them, sweeping across the countryside.”
“They’re heading for us?” Someone asked.
“In this direction.” Said Carter “That sound you can hear is them, just a quick glimpse of us and they all went mad, pouring out of the fog, they won’t be far behind us.”
“What about getting out of here?” Asked Natalie as she stood next to Merrick “Can we outrun them?”
“We’ve only one Landrover left and that’s almost out of fuel.” Said Merrick taking her arm.
“This place is pretty well built and everything has been shuttered and locked up tight.” Carter looked from face to face “We’ll have to ride it out here. Barricade the doors. The guns are no good now, one shot and they’ll tear this place apart,
no matter how strong it looks. We need to defend all the entrances, keep them out, hope they pass by.”
“That’s it, that’s all we can do?” Asked Harriet, frightened.
“If anyone has any ideas then speak up now.” Said Carter “I’m all ears.”
The looks on the faces of everyone said it all, nobody looked hopeful.
“Jim, you go upstairs, keep a lookout but stay out of sight.” Said Merrick “Everyone else start piling anything you can up against the doors and windows, we’ve already strengthened them all but we never expected anything like this. Look out for each other and stay quiet. Hiding is our best chance now.”
People moved off, moving furniture, piling everything that would move against doors and windows.
“I’ll stay here.” Said Carter “They’ll hit this side first, this door will take a beating.”
“Me too son.” Said Bill laying his shotgun aside “I’ll be back in a minute.”
He left and Carter pushed the table up against the main door, tilting it over so that it was flat against the door. Sally came to help him and together they piled everything they could against it. Both of them sat on a couple of chairs, their backs to the blockaded door when they had finished.
“Just like old times.” Said Sally as Carter took her hand.
He smiled at her “We’ll make it through just like then too.”
Sally smiled back and then Bill returned, closely followed by Harriet who was in tears. She leaned back against the wall, Bill trying unsuccessfully to comfort her.
“What’s wrong?” Asked Sally, standing and going to Harriet.
“Oh, it’s poor Daisy, she’s out there…”
Carter raised an eyebrow at Bill.
“I released her from that small enclosure out back.” He said “Sent her off to the west, she wouldn’t have stood a chance stuck in there anyway.”
“You said she’d lure some of them things away!” Said Harriet.
“We couldn’t keep her quiet in here and she’d draw them to the house if I’d left her there.” Said Bill sadly “Maybe she’ll get away…” He shook his head but didn’t look hopeful.
