I could tell he was proficient in handling them just by watching him. “It’s a little different to the trusty old SLR I used,” he said as he raised it and looked down the sights. “But I’ll soon get used to it, I suppose.”
We had brought a selection of shotguns, hunting rifles and assault weapons with us, along with plenty of ammunition for them all.
Eddy, who was carrying another case of shotgun cartridges into the house, heard him and said, “Ah, you can’t beat a good old SLR, but I think you’ll like it. They were a bit shit at first, but after several modifications, they got it right. When we get time later, I’ll run through the cleaning and clearing drill with you if, you like?
Stuart put the weapon down and replied, “Yes, please. That would be useful. Can you show my children as well? They’ve been handling firearms since they were young. They were always out controlling vermin or rough shooting when they lived here, and all three are good shots.” A worried look passed over his face. “It’s a little different when shooting at a person, though, but they’ll adjust, I’m sure.”
Eddy stood and faced him. “Well, if they’re like the rest of the civilians we have with us, they’ll pick it up pretty damn quick when they need to.” He shook his head in mock disbelief. “If I tell you the things I’ve seen our group of previously untrained civilians do, I think you’d have trouble believing me.” He gestured to Jamie, who was helping move the boxes of supplies, trying to stack them as neatly as possible. He was still wearing his chainmail. “Wait until you see the knights in action. It’s fascinating and bloody scary to see how well their tactics work. They hardly need us when they get started.”
Stuart laughed in response. “I can imagine. When they first stepped off the trailer, I didn’t know whether to laugh or shit myself.”
As the day progressed and time wore on, real progress was made, shoring up their defences. A plan was also forming on the best way to improve them further. Stuart and I took Shawn, Steve, Eddy and Woody and walked the entire perimeter, armed with notebooks and measuring tapes to coalesce all the ideas we’d formed individually during our short time there.
The defences had to perform two functions; to protect the property against not only the undead, but potentially the living as well. The dead presented an easier problem to solve. You just needed high and strong enough walls to stop any getting inside. The initial defences Stuart and his family had constructed were, as we knew, sufficient, but with the experience and self-taught expertise we’d amassed in the short lifespan of the apocalypse, we knew we could improve them greatly. In fact, the work we’d completed since we arrived had already done much to better the situation.
Stuart had a backhoe loader on the farm which he used for cleaning out the cow sheds and other jobs. The moat that remained in parts around the walls of the castle provided an additional barrier that needed to be negotiated before the walls were reached, so we looked at the feasibility of digging a ditch around their entire perimeter. The excavated earth could also be used to build an earthen rampart that would provide another layer of defence.
A flaw in this plan would be that the berm could provide cover for any attacking forces who could use it to hide behind while launching their assault. As we toured the perimeter, we discussed the merits and pitfalls of the proposal and eventually decided it was worth doing. It was a big project but had the benefit that it wasn’t labour intensive, as only one person was needed to operate the machine. We had other projects we’d choose to concentrate on initially; to reinforce the farmhouse so it could provide a well-protected fallback position if need be; further improvements to the firing steps that had already been started, and constructing some towers that would greatly improve their surveillance capabilities.
Stuart showed us what materials he had stored or lying about that we could use, and we drew up lists of what extras we needed. We still had a good quantity of materials that had yet to be utilised at the castle, and we worked out that with what we already had, we probably didn’t need to go ‘shopping’ just yet.
As it was clear there was a lot to go at, after we’d asked and got welcome permission from the Broughs, we decided it would be best if we continued working throughout the day and stayed the night at the farm. If some of us returned to the castle in the morning, we would load up the supplies we needed to both work on their defences and for the garrison we were stationing there to use. The farmhouse had spare bedrooms which could easily accommodate extra personnel, but more occupants would obviously need more resources. A lot had already been given to them, but now that we’d met, we had a better idea of what they needed; more lists were drawn up.
Shawn and Stuart began marking out the moat, using posts hammered into the ground and before long, the sound of the loader’s diesel engine filled the air as Stuart began work on it.
Many hours later in the gathering darkness, Steve called for us all to come into the farm for some much-needed food and a well-earned rest. After the meal, the guard rota for the coming night was organised by Steve. Those on the first shift went to their posts while the rest of us settled down to try and get some sleep, conscious of the early start we’d agreed for the morning to make the most of our time there.
I chose a comfortable looking armchair and before long, despite the quiet conversations that still flowed around the room from others who weren’t as tired as me, I found my eyes drooping and I fell asleep.
I woke with a jolt as a loud repeated shout of, ‘Stand to!’ came from outside, interspersed with flurries of shots. Initially confused, it took me a few moments to work out where I was. A whooshing sound and a flare of light through the window brought me fully awake. Eddy then screaming at the stop of his voice, “We’re under attack, everyone to the defences,” made me jump up and search for my weapon in the darkness of the room. Another flare of light from outside lit the room, helping me find my weapon, and grabbing it, I rushed outside along with everyone else.
Fires were burning fiercely in a few places. I looked up as an orb of flame arced over the walls and flared into a ball of yellow fire when it hit the ground.
Petrol bombs, my mind registered, processed, and then screamed back at me. “We’re being attacked with petrol bombs!”
Confusion reigned in the courtyard as everyone seemed to be shouting at once. Eddy’s booming voice galvanised us all into action.
“Everyone to the south wall. Open fire.”
I ran to the nearest platform we had built against the south wall and scrambled up it. “What the fuck is going on?” I shouted at the shape beside me in the darkness as I aimed my rifle over the walls and searched for a target.
Steve’s voice shouted back from my side. He was firing his weapon into the darkness. “Fuck knows. Some bastards are throwing petrol bombs by the look of it. It must be those from yesterday. Shit,” he screamed in frustration “I can’t see anything; we need some light up here.”
“On it,” I shouted in reply and, turning, I jumped from the platform and ran to the trailer. The flickering glow of the fires lit the area enough for me to find the bag I knew held some torches we kept in there. Grabbing it, I sprinted down its ramp. I was heading back to Steve when another burst of flame, this time on the walls, followed by screams of agony, made me stop in horror. A petrol bomb had exploded against the walls, covering two of our people with its dreadful contents. Both fell from the platform they were on and were writhing on the ground, their clothes and the ground around them burning fiercely. Inhuman sounding screeches of pain cut through the air. Dropping the bag, I ran towards them, pulling off my jacket which I threw over the nearest one to me in an attempt to smother the flames. I could sense others joining me as we desperately battled the flames, but they were soaked in the petrol which no matter how hard I tried, kept reigniting. Their continuous screams of utmost agony pierced my soul as I desperately fought to save their lives. Intense pain flared through my own hands as the flames scorched them, but I ignored it and furiously kept trying to beat out
the flames. Over my own screams of panic, pain and fear, I could still hear guns firing relentlessly as those still on the walls fired their weapons at our unknown assailants.
A torrent of water came my way, unbalancing me and knocking me aside. It was quickly followed by more, which extinguished the flames on both men completely. I scrambled back to the person I’d been attending. His face was burnt beyond recognition so I couldn’t tell who it was. I knew it was one of the soldiers, by the uniform he’d been wearing. He lay unmoving, his uniform still smouldering. Desperately, I tried to feel for a pulse but the charred shin on his neck and hands made it impossible for me to find one. I let out a howl of desperation. Looking over to the other body, from what I could make out from the uniform it had to be another soldier. He was writhing weakly on the ground and in the light cast by the fires still burning, I could see Woody and Louise feverishly tending to him.
More firing from the walls cut through the fog that had filled my mind. We were still under attack!
With a shout of, “Look after him,” to the others I could see around me, I grabbed my rifle, retrieved the bag of torches and ran back to the walls. Steve was still firing his weapon outwards into the darkness and shouting commands to the rest of the defenders. When he saw the bag I had, he reached into it, pulling out a large flashlight which he immediately turned on. Its bright beam shot out across the fields beyond the walls. “There?” I shouted as in the beam’s periphery I saw a figure. Steve adjusted his aim and the beam highlighted four people crouching about thirty meters from the walls who, as soon as the beam hit them, tried to scramble out of its glare. Screaming in blind rage, I raised my rifle, my finger automatically finding the rate of fire selector and I squeezed the trigger, sending a torrent of hot lead towards them. Even with my wildly aimed shooting it was hard to miss at that range and my bullets peppered the ground around them. Other defenders on the walls now adjusted their aim towards them when they saw them trapped in the beam of light and in seconds, countless bullets found their mark, killing them all as they tried to escape.
As soon as they were down, Steve moved the beam of light away from them and searched for more. The backs of distant figures running away were lit up and concentrated fire poured into every target until no more were found.
Steve kept scouring the area with the torch and after another five minutes when no more targets were found, ordered the ceasefire. He handed me the torch he’d been using and pulled another from the bag. “Stay here,” he commanded. “I need to check the other walls.”
Ten minutes later I heard him shout, “I think they’ve gone. Those on the walls, stay there and keep vigilant. Sergeants on me.”
And then the pain in my hands hit me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
In dawn’s early glow, I surveyed the damage. The blanket-covered corpses of the two soldiers lay in a corner of the yard. Their injuries had been too severe to give them any chance of surviving. The one I had tried to help had died as I was fighting to save him and the other a few hours later.
Everyone was too upset about our losses to pay much attention to the rest, but I’d noticed that the backhoe loader was burned out and still smoking and other fires had damaged some of the structures we’d built the day before.
As soon as it was light enough, Steve had led a patrol to investigate the surrounding area, primarily to check the bodies that lay in the field, but also to see if he could find any clues to the gang’s whereabouts. Stuart’s wife had treated my hands when they’d gone. They were both badly burned and in a normal world a visit to the hospital would definitely have been in order. As that was no longer possible, I had to settle for swallowing as many pain killers as I dared and to have my hands liberally coated with ointment and wrapped in bandages. I had to keep apologising for my language as she worked on me.
We gathered around expectantly as Steve, his sergeant and four other soldiers filed back in through the gate, carrying weapons gathered from the dead.
Anger as well as sadness played across Steve’s face. “We know where they are,” he stated simply as he sat on a bale of hay and ran his hands over his face. “One of the bastards was still alive and he told us before he died.” He didn’t tell us how he’d died, but we could guess. “Stuart?” he said as he picked him out from the crowd. “Can you show me on a map where this place is. It’s some sort of hall or stately home or something.”
When Stuart nodded, he stood up. “Get ready, men, we leave in ten minutes.” His men cheered grimly at the news and reached for their weapons. Steve and his sergeant walked off with Stuart, presumably to get the location. As he passed me, he looked at my hands and his face softened. “Are you okay?” he asked.
I gingerly held my hands up, wincing as the movement caused a ripple of pain to spread through them. “I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to sound happier than I felt. “They’ll heal.” Looking him in the eyes, I could see grief as well as anger in them. “Is this a good idea, Steve?” I asked, “Don’t we need to get our shit together before going up against them? Everyone’s exhausted and not thinking straight.”
He sighed; his drawn face lifted slightly as he smiled at me. “Normally yes, but if we delay, they’ll move on. I don’t think they knew we were here last night, they attacked expecting just minimal resistance from a group of civilians, not a barrage of automatic fire. If we give them chance to regroup, the chances are we’ll never find them; they’ll move on and we can’t risk that. And as to exhausted, my men have just lost two more of their mates and are beyond angry. All they want to do now is get revenge on those bastards and if I don’t do something now that we know where they might be, I think some of them will ignore any orders I give and take matters into their own hands and rush headlong at them. If I go, at least I can try and keep more of them from getting killed.”
I thought for a moment. He was right, I was also full of anger at how they had died and quite probably, if I hadn’t been injured and in so much pain, I, too, would have been baying for the attackers’ blood. “Okay, mate, just be careful. There aren’t many of us left, you know.” He nodded and walked off.
I spotted Jamie, Ian, Geoff and Simon were also checking their weapons. Standing up, I walked over to them. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“We’re going with them,” Ian replied.
I shook my head slowly at them, “I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“Why not?” Ian asked defensively. “We knew them too.”
“First of all,” I replied carefully, “we need you here to help protect this place.” I held my bandaged hands up. “I’m not up for much at the moment, am I? And secondly, I get the feeling Steve wants to keep this within his men. They’ve just lost some of their own and are out for revenge. He’s going to have a hard enough time controlling them, let alone keeping you lot of maniacs alive.”
Simon leant the sword he was sharpening against the wall. “So not a good idea is what you’re saying?”
“Not this time,” I replied.
Ian thought for a moment before nodding slowly. “Okay, agreed. Let’s help the boys load up then, at least.” As he passed me he held out his hand for me to shake. I instinctively took it and screamed out loud in pain as soon he gently touched it.
“Now that’s what I call not a good idea,” he laughed as he walked away, leaving me with tears of pain running down my cheeks as I tried to get my speech back to swear at him.
Within fifteen minutes, the armoured car raced out of the farmyard, clouds of black diesel fumes pouring from its exhaust as the driver coaxed every last inch of speed out of the vehicle.
Woody and Eddy closed the gates and dropped the locking bar into place, securing the compound. Charles spoke up. He indicated the two blanket-draped corpses. “I would like to bury those two brave men with dignity, if I may, Stuart?” he said looking at him. “Do you have a suitable place on your land you can suggest?”
Stuart looked painfully at the two corpses; tears formed in his eyes as he sp
oke. “Yes, Vicar,” he said, pointing in a direction, “there’s a beautiful copse of trees just over there. It’s my favourite place on the farm and where I often go when I just want to sit and think. It has a beautiful view over the valley. It’s where Helen and I…” he smiled at her as he took his wife’s hand, “have stipulated in our will that we want to be buried. Those two brave men gave their lives to protect ours, so I’ll be proud to lie by their side when my time comes.”
“That sounds a beautiful place,” Charles said. He turned to the sergeants. “Can you take me there so I can consecrate the land, please, and can you organise digging the graves?”
Woody replied soberly, “It would be my honour, Vicar.” He thought for a moment. “We’ll take my Land Rover for transport and protection if that’s okay, but I suggest we wait until Steve and his men return before we do the service. Before we do anything, we do need to discuss what we should do today first. We need to get back to the castle and get more supplies for this place, but as last night proved, the ones left here might be vulnerable to another attack.” He turned to Stuart and his family. “I’ve been thinking, would you be open to the idea of the women and children coming back with us until the work is complete? I can’t guarantee their safety until then.”
Stuart nodded in agreement, but his family initially looked shocked at the suggestion. He supported it because he could see it would be the safest option for them. They were resistant to it at first, but he slowly persuaded them and eventually, even though slightly reluctantly, they agreed to the idea. They just hadn’t wanted to be separated.
I was excused work due to my injuries and took over guard duty as Woody drove off with Shawn, the Vicar and Stuart’s two sons to begin work on the graves. Everyone else worked to tidy up the destruction caused in the night. The biggest loss was the backhoe loader, without which the ditch would be impossible to dig. Stuart claimed that he knew other farms in the area that had them, so they should be able to replace it easily enough.
Zombie Castle Series (Book 4): ZC Four Page 19