Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 7): July

by Dave Rowlands

  The weather is still fairly chilly, made all the more so by the rain that decided to plague us on our way south. This, naturally, made for some slow going. Apprentice kept me company while I took my shift driving, both so she could learn how to drive The Tortoise and catch up with an old friend. Neither one of us spoke a great deal, though I told her about Disciple and some of the things that had happened to him, that he had done to other people. She was neither impressed nor surprised.

  Doctor spent a great deal of time sitting and staring at the bite mark on his arm, that now looked as though it had happened months ago, an expression of wonder on his face. Had Elder not shown up at that exact instant it would have been long gone by now, my Japanese friend as well, most likely. Disciple had amputated his own arm in time, though Guide had not been so fortunate. Apprentice assured us that so long as she was with us, none of us need fear the bite of the Dead again. It was a comforting thought, though I had never had to test my own prior inoculation, as Sister and Valkyrie both had, it was indeed nice to know that we had someone on hand that knew how to deal with it, should the need arise.

  noon

  The rain slackened off to little more than a trickle as Viking cooked us all up some Meat-Beast for our lunch. Tiny was up on the roof with Apprentice, testing her hand-to-hand skills, Valkyrie driving, when she shouted from the front “Brace yourselves!” a moment before slamming on the brakes. Viking casually picked up the frying pan with one hand, holding it steady as he held himself upright with his other hand. Doctor flew from his bunk, knocking himself on the head a little.

  Running to the front, I saw why Valkyrie had stopped us so suddenly. Dead. Lots of Dead. Thousands, easily. Fortunately for us, they were packed so densely that turning around became somewhat of a chore for them. Unfortunately for us, turning The Tortoise was always a chore at the best of times. “We've got no choice, we have to go through them.” Came the exotically accented decision as she slammed The Tortoise back into gear. A couple of stragglers had broken away from the main group and were headed in our direction.

  I bolted up to the rooftop platform, Viking hot on my heels. Jarhead was already at one of the forward guns, blasting merrily away, blowing chunks of Dead flesh away from the main murderous mass of meat. I ran to the other, telling Tiny and Apprentice to get the side guns. The Twin and Doctor flew up, several assault rifles in their hands, in case things got nastier than they already were.

  At the very least we were able to tenderise the wall of flesh that Valkyrie slammed us into at full speed. The sea of Dead seemed almost endless, but we continued firing, turning the road surface into an ocean of Dead slime, rotten intestines and flesh and brains all congealing into a rather unpleasant soup. The Tortoise began to slow, eventually coming to a total halt. The weight of the horde surrounding us was too great.

  Still, we kept on firing. Several Dead managed to board the platform, though Viking and The Twin put them down with no trouble. Doctor had the dubious duty of running back and forth from the armoury, carting belts of bullets up to those of us on the heavy guns. The Tortoise shifted, seeming to buckle around the middle. Then I felt myself rise up almost a metre. Finally, I realised what had happened. Valkyrie had deployed the tank tracks. A moment later, we began to move once more.

  Soon enough we were free from the mess of Dead, leaving many mangled corpses behind us. Firing into the horde from the rear of The Tortoise, on the theory that any Dead killed is one less to deal with later, we left them behind to shamble after us as best they could manage. After a few kilometres Valkyrie switched back to normal wheels and we rolled on towards Sydney.

  evening

  We stopped for the night at a truck stop that, by some miracle or other, not only still had electricity but had not been thoroughly ransacked for food, water and fuel. There had been some scavengers coming through, that much was obvious, but they had either been in a hurry or were feeling generous. Judging that it had been several months since anybody had been here, we filled The Tortoise's fuel tanks and fridges with whatever we could cram in there.

  Munching on some chocolate that had been left behind, evidently someone was allergic to peanuts, I wondered aloud what might happen to this fucked up world next. I realised that I should have kept my fucking mouth shut when something big flew across the horizon, far to the west. It was massive and it was on fire. As I watched, bits flew off and disintegrated into ashes.

  I asked The Twin if she could make out what it might be. She spied it through the scope on her rifle, shrugged slightly. “I think it might be what's left of the International Space Station. To be honest, I thought they would have knocked it down long before now.” She waved vaguely in the direction of the second moon. “I suppose it wasn't in the way until now. I only hope nobody was alive on that thing, or if they were, that they don't survive impact. Imagine, no contact from Earth for months, then you get de-orbited and fucking crash land into a post apocalyptic nightmare world.”

  I wondered for a moment how that would be worse than what we faced every day. Then it came to me. We had it easy, to begin with. First it had just been the Dead, then the Winter had hit. Then, the first mutations. Drop-Bears and Dragons. To suddenly wake up in this nightmare would indeed be far worse.

  July 13th Year 1 A.Z.

  morning

  The road was relatively clear this morning, only a couple of abandoned cars, clearly already picked clean of anything useful, yet we went over them anyway. Not that we actually needed any supplies, we were incredibly well stocked, after all. No, really it was more of an excuse to stretch our legs a little bit, grab some fresh air and … do some other things. Viking wandered off back the way we had come for a moment, I moved over to join him.

  “We've dealt with a lot of shit together, you and I,” He began. He then went on to tell me a little of his life before all of this. A mechanic and car enthusiast from a very young age, all he had ever wanted was to work on vehicles, customising the living shit out of them. Chuckling a little, he said that now he gets to do that shit all fucking day, most days. He was clearly worried about something, though, despite his humour. Clapping him on the shoulder I reassured him that we would be back amongst friends and family soon. “I found this,” He showed me a small jewellery box, opened it to reveal a rather spectacular engagement ring. “I kinda want to give it to her...” He motioned towards Valkyrie.

  I told him that I couldn't think of a more well matched couple, but argued that marriage was an archaic idea that had little place in this new world of ours. He nodded, telling me that he felt as if we should try and hang onto what we had, as long as we could. Thinking of Apocalypse Girl I realised that Viking was likely correct. “Do you think you could ask your friend to perform the ceremony?” He indicated Apprentice. I nodded, though I thought back to high school. She had been dead set against the idea of tying oneself down to any one person, at least back then.

  noon

  Apprentice was not only willing, she was almost ecstatic. No, she hadn't changed her mind on the subject, at least for herself, but she was more than happy to tie Viking and Valkyrie's knot. When I broke the news to my friend, his beard split in a massive grin. Valkyrie was busily driving us towards Sydney, so he had horses to hold, at least for now.

  Doctor had been taking a lot of Apprentice's time, trying to get a hold of some of her healing techniques. She taught him what little he could learn, though a lot, she said, had to come from within him. That required meditation and study that could only be accomplished in the presence of The Healer.

  Tiny and The Twin were up top, keeping an eye open for any trouble, Dead or otherwise, Jarhead keeping Valkyrie company up front, at least until she pulled over, then he jumped into the driver's seat and she headed back to join the rest of us. She sat next to Viking, sliding an arm around him. I could see him fidgeting with the jewellery box in his pocket, yet he remained silent.

  evening

  After dinner I took Viking aside and asked him what was wrong. “I
don't know, dude. Just, it doesn't feel quite the right time yet. I kinda want everyone there, you know?” I realised in part that he was just stalling for time, but then, we were so close to Sydney and our friends holed up at the Sydney Base that waiting for a day or two was a better idea. Besides, I would definitely prefer to celebrate my friends' engagement with Apocalypse Girl by my side. She would never forgive me otherwise, after all!

  We ate, Meat-Beast as usual, and after our meal I went up top to look at the stars. There was still a lot of cloud covering the sky, but with the lack of light pollution where there were gaps in the clouds that were absolutely full of stars. As I watched, I saw several of them moving.

  Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled, startling me out of my reverie. Please tell me you'll be here soon! Read the message. Smiling, I sent one back informing her that in a day, maybe two, we would be together again. As I put her phone back in my pocket, I realised suddenly that my surroundings had changed. I was no longer on the rooftop platform atop The Tortoise. Instead, gleaming metal surrounded me.

  “Good evening.” A familiar sounding voice came from behind me. Turning, I beheld Fluffy and a pair of its fellow Schrandfelths standing there. The room was completely bare but for the four of us. I couldn't even tell where the fucking door was, but for a narrow crease in one wall. “Apologies for the unannounced transportation. We need to talk.” The other two were standing behind and to either side of Fluffy, holding some kind of weapons. I assured them that I was not a threat. Fluffy chattered at them, translating my words, presumably. It had little effect, they seemed as stiff and ready as ever.

  “My Commander insisted that I be guarded when we speak.” Fluffy began. “I informed that it was unnecessary. The Commander didn't hear me.” It sounded rather apologetic. I smiled, saying that I understand. “I have spoken with some of my superiors. Telling them about your vaccine. They have promised to take it higher still. The Council will hear of this. I cannot promise that your world will remain entirely in human hands. Colonies have been erected already. Further mutations have been authorised. Had to tell you personally. You saved my life. I owe that much. More. Returning you now.”

  Before I could say or do anything, I was back on the roof of The Tortoise. Jarhead jumped visibly, asking me where the fuck I had just appeared from. I told him that it was a long story, that I would tell everyone about it when we get to Sydney Base. I needed to talk to Apocalypse Girl about this first, badly. First, though, we had to deal with something else, something different. Sydney itself.

  July 14th Year 1 A.Z.

  morning

  Been in contact with everyone at Sydney Base this morning, as we should be coming up on it soon enough. According to The Colonel, we should recognise it by the many military vehicles parked nearby. None of us mentioned the cloud of darkness that hovered where the city of Sydney had once lain, or the unearthly sounds that we had heard emanating from within The Shroud, though it was foremost in our minds. My own eagerness to see Apocalypse Girl once again was almost matched by my desire to finally be in a relatively safe location. Experience had taught us all that these underground facilities were not necessarily impenetrable, after all.

  Before we reached our friends, however, we had to pierce The Shroud and find our way through the darkness to safety. Valkyrie hesitated for a moment before slowly driving in, the headlights of The Tortoise seeming to be absorbed by the field of un-light. Inside The Tortoise it seemed as if a wall of blackness had just eaten everything and everybody in front of me. Once we were all inside it seemed almost like a gloomy, moonless night. Fog lay heavy all around us, and patches of Darkness moved within the encircling shadows.

  I tapped Jarhead and Viking each on the shoulders, motioning that we should go up top while Valkyrie switched over to tank tracks, as it was practically impossible to see what sort of terrain she was driving over. Tiny and The Twin followed us up. As I passed Apprentice I gave her a reassuring grin, telling her that we do this shit all the time. She didn't look convinced, but she did relax a little.

  noon

  There was no question as to what might have been responsible for this area of darkest gloom. Tiny, Viking and Jarhead speculated as to the nature of the beings that had made their home here, The Twin and I preferring to keep an eye open for anything that might be a threat. Judging by the darker patches of blackness following in our wake, not to mention those in front parting to allow our passing, whoever wanted our world knew we were there. It seemed almost as if they were guiding us along, hurrying us out of their territory.

  “This feels wrong,” Jarhead was saying, at one point, “Shouldn't they have attacked us by now?” Viking pointed out that they didn't need to bother with any of that, in fact if they had wanted to attack we would have likely been vaporised in an instant. I looked up at that point, seeing this great nothing hovering barely a metre over our heads. It seemed to me that they were keeping a very close eye on the intruders within their domain, yet knew we were only passing through.

  “It is simple, really,” Tiny told us. “We are not a threat to them. Not in any sense of the word. It is as if you might observe a fly that is behaving abnormally. They are curious, yes, but no more than that.”

  evening

  The Shadows kept following our every move, parting before Valkyrie could drive us around them in many cases. Now that we have stopped for the night, it seemed their interest had waned slightly. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, telling me that someone was watching us. Looking around from the roof, I saw only blackness. Realising what an idiot I was, I chuckled to myself. The only reason we had even noticed them earlier was that they had been moving. With us stationary, they were still as well.

  Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled, startling the bejesus out of me. Judging by the message, they had been trying to contact us via radio and were quite concerned that they were unable to. I sent back a reply that we were fine, should be there tomorrow some time. Telling her that Sydney was not what I had expected, I asked her to get The Smart Couple to look at some recent satellite images, assuming there were any satellites left.

  As I stood on the rooftop platform, leaning against one of the machine guns, it suddenly struck me how warm it was inside this Shroud. Warm and dark. Idly, I wondered what kind of creature might require this sort of habitat, then, looking all around at the dark, and our 'hosts', not that I could see them, I went back inside The Tortoise.

  July 15th Year 1 A.Z.

  morning

  Hard to tell if it's day or night, almost like it was a couple of months ago, during the abnormally cold and early winter. The warmth, however, was new and different, if a little oppressive. We've been going through this place for a whole day, discovering early on that the lights of The Tortoise did nothing to penetrate the surrounding blackness. Tiny was very quiet this morning, Apprentice looking very pale. My old friend kept muttering to herself. Jarhead and Viking were up top, keeping an eye on the nothingness floating above as it observed us. Doctor, Valkyrie, The Twin and I sat up front taking turns to drive.

  After a couple of hours we began to despair of ever seeing the sun again. Shadows flitted and jumped around outside our vehicle, whatever flew above us disappeared and either returned or was replaced a minute or two later. Every now and then we could see a deeper black in the gloom. This was the only way we knew what to avoid. The last thing we needed was to ram into a Shadow building, after all.

  “Shit!” Valkyrie swore, braking hard as a wall of blackest darkness appeared all around The Tortoise. I ran up to the rooftop platform, manning the nearest unoccupied gun. The nothingness above us hung there silently. A screeching wail sounded all around us, making Viking clap both his hands over his ears. Jarhead attempted to fire at the void above us, shouting that his gun had jammed, so I tried my own, with no effect.

  A silent blob of darkest gloom extended down from whatever floated above, then it was among us. A tendril of Shadow extended from it, stabbing into each one of our foreheads in u
nison. What the fuck are you? I could feel Viking asking the question. Sensing curiosity from our guest I told it that we needed to just pass through their territory. Then I blacked out.

  noon

  The sun shone high overhead as my senses returned. The Tortoise was parked outside the globe of impenetrable darkness surrounding Sydney's remains and my friends were also regaining consciousness. Tiny and The Twin were marginally more mobile than the rest of us, helping us to our feet one by one.

  Jarhead, glancing at a map, worked out that we were at the very least on the side of Sydney that we wanted, probably no more than a mere couple of hours away from Sydney Base. Nobody wanted to discuss what had occurred with The Shadows. We moved off, driving along a wrecked roadway, coming eventually to a halt as we approached a familiar-looking tank. Several other vehicles lay about, many spattered with blood and other bodily fluids.