“There are a lot of hungry, desperate people still roaming and surviving. Who-ever took it probably needed it as much as we do,” Michael was pragmatic. Supply trips had become increasingly unrewarding. At least they had some tinned veg and maybe some diesel to show for this trip.
“I’m sorry. There wasn’t as much at the next place, but it isn’t too far,” Kenneth said. He was sorry, these people had saved him, and he’d admired their small community they had created in Nutwood. He had desperately wanted to repay them and have enough to take back to Wellworth.
“Don’t worry lad, what will be, will be,” Michael smiled, no point worrying about things you can’t change.
They scooped up the meagre finds and left the house. The twenty-four tins of sweetcorn and packets of soup looked lonely in the large boot of the car. Jake was already making quick work of siphoning the diesel from the Land Rover into a small red fuel can. Kenneth rummaged in the back of his former vehicle, but they had taken anything approaching useful. The hosepipe filling the fuel had stopped and Jake tapped Kenneth on the shoulder. “Time to go, fella,” he said. The men all resumed their positions in the car.
“Take the left and go down about a mile, then go right, follow the road for about three miles. There’s a farm,” Kenneth directed as he closed his eyes, trying to remember the way. A lot had happened since he last had been at that farm.
Michael followed the instructions to the letter. The farm was right where Kenneth said it was. Michael vaguely knew the former occupants, a good family, hard workers who looked after their herd and their workers. The fields would have been filled with sheep during the day, but now a few dried out, bloodied carcasses were all that remained. They pulled up to the front of the house and repeated the previous routine.
This time the stash was unmolested. Hundreds of tins of meat and vegetables, bottled water, chocolate, bags of flour, sugar, UHT milk, and tea. Jake and Michael smiled, Kenneth did too out of relief he’d be able to repay his hosts with something.
“Jesus Kenny, how much did you have at the last place? Mikey, have you ever seen such a sight?” Jake asked, impressed.
“This is good, this is great.” Michael beamed. “Let’s get the car loaded up and get back to St. Joe’s. There will be a lot of smiling faces when we get back.”
“I do need to get back to Wellworth.” Kenneth knew the supplies weren’t enough to make a meaningful difference to both St. Joe’s and Wellworth, but he couldn’t stay away any longer.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you back, I hope you don’t mind driving a little Fiesta? It’s got a few prangs, but it runs well enough and it’s an automatic. We’ll fill the boot for you too,” Michael smiled at the idea of this giant squeezing into this old, compact car.
Chapter 14
Kenneth helped put the supplies into the storeroom. It was more a token gesture. His stump was still sore, but he could help in a small way. The stores also held the armoury. Two shotguns, a bolt action hunting rifle, and seven air rifles were stored in addition to what had been issued. Kenneth couldn’t help himself and started examining the weapons. The double-barrelled shotguns were of a similar appearance, useful weapons against one or two creatures as close range. The rifle was a .17 HMR with a scope and five-round internal magazine. Good for a short to medium range, but not a big round to put on target. Head-shots would be kills, anything else would barely be an irritation to those things. The air rifles made him smile, “Fucking useless,” he whispered to himself. A couple looked fancy, bottles of compressed air, fine walnut stocks, and large impressive scopes. The rest looked like the basic airguns of his childhood.
“See anything you like?” Michael had been watching the soldier admire their meagre selection of weapons.
“That rifle is neat.” Kenneth picked up the seventeen HMR and shouldered it, it was light enough that his stump could steady it for him to aim, and then cycle the action. “The air rifles, why?”
“They’re our most effective killer,” Michael smiled.
“Bullshit,” he called. Kenneth didn’t believe the farmer.
“I’m serious. Rabbits, wood pigeons, and squirrels. Those pellet guns have put more food on the table than the firearms. A pellet won’t do a lot to those hungry bastards, but a pellet in a rabbit means we have a bullet or some buckshot to put into their stinking flesh. You’re welcome to take an airgun, might get you some fresh meat if you think you can handle it?” Michael said and picked up a rifle and handed it to Kenneth. “That’s a break barrel, you should be able to handle it with your… little disadvantage.”
Kenneth took the rifle, compared to his old service rifle, it felt like a toy. He handed it back to Michael. “Probably better you keep hold of it, if I can take this?” Kenneth held up the hatchet.
“Sure, but I’ll be honest Kenneth, I think you should stay with us. You’ve been gone for weeks, they were already in bad shape so either they got help elsewhere or, well, they didn’t and you don’t want to see it.”
“I’m a good soldier, I follow orders and I do my duty. As much as I’d love to stay, I can’t,” Kenneth shot the idea down quickly. He wasn’t looking forward to returning with little to show for his absence, but he had to return.
The two men walked out of the storeroom and Michael reached into his pocket producing an old car key which he handed to Kenneth. Walking across the playground there it sat, the promised blue Ford Fiesta. It was an old model. It was beaten up, but Michael had assured him it ran well.
“Can I ask, why with all the cars in the world, did you take and store that thing?” he asked. Kenneth was grateful, but couldn’t understand with all the abandoned vehicles around, the little Fiesta made the cut.
“The Blue Beaut? It was my wife’s. If I had my way, we’d have a playground full of Land Rovers, but it was already here. The boot is full, as promised.”
Kenneth was ready to go, Jake appeared with a map which he sprawled out on the bonnet in front of Kenneth. “This is us, that is Lewes, I couldn’t see a Wellworth marked on there, but I guess you know where it is once you get there.”
Kenneth nodded. He thought to himself Jake would have made a good soldier; he followed orders, showed initiative, was intelligent, in good shape, and if he was half as good with that rifle as everyone said, he was deadly. “If they’ve been reinforced, I can see about getting you some resources.”
“That’s a kind offer, but I think we’re probably better off out of the way, unnoticed,” he replied. Michael didn’t think Kenneth would be successful, but didn’t like the idea of their tiny village attracting any further attention. The initial interest in having military support had gone. They’d seen a little more of the world and heard a little more of what Kenneth had to say. Any armed forces still left, were as alone as they were.
Kenneth smiled back at Michael, and they shook hands.
“I hope to see you around,” he said and Kenneth did. These were good people, and he was glad to see that with all the death and destruction, they had made it this far. He waved at a few people, patted Jake on the back then climbed into the car. No matter what he did to adjust the seat, he couldn’t get comfortable. Much to Michael’s amusement.
The gates were opened and Kenneth drove the little Fiesta out and through the empty village.
Chapter 15
Kenneth’s frustration was growing. He’d been driving for nearly two hours but was a little over fifteen miles from Nutwood. Anywhere near a town was swarmed by the dead, the roads often impassable. He knew there must be a safe route through, there had to be. He just had to bloody find it.
He pulled up on a country road between an open field and a neglected wood. The hatchet in the driver’s door compartment and the map folded over on the front passenger seat. Kenneth moved his finger around various routes, almost all paths he had marked as danger zones from his previous failed attempts. With two hands and a rifle, he may have been brave enough to attempt at least one of them, but he didn’t enjoy either luxury a
ny more. Before meeting that group, that evil fucking bitch who took his hand. Before that night, he had travelled this diseased land successfully. Even when he knew there was no hope out there, he hadn’t given up. He had a purpose, to get supplies to his men, his friends. He was much more than a day late, and infinitely more than a dollar short, but he was determined to see them again.
The car had got their attention when it passed them a few hundred metres back; they didn’t have a hope of catching it until it stopped and pulled over. Quietly with determination they moved through the undergrowth, closing the distance quickly.
Kenneth thought he had it. He traced the route carefully with his finger; it looked good, avoided by some distance the overrun areas, and could be as little as an hour away. He hadn’t noticed them approach from the rear and surround his car. Then came the tap on the window. Kenneth froze, unsure of what to do next. He stared at the map, quickly thinking through his options. The hatchet was close, but to get it out of the door compartment would be awkward. The engine was still running, however the small car couldn’t pull the skin off a rice pudding, but perhaps that was his only genuine option. Slowly Kenneth rose his head, bringing his hand and stump up into view. He looked round to the driver’s window. A creature wouldn’t be as polite as to knock. He first saw the rifle barrel pressed against the glass, he recognised it as that of an L85A3. Then he saw the face smiling back at him. Liam hadn’t been close to Kenneth, but it was such a small team they knew each other well enough. Kenneth rolled down the window and smiled.
“Kenneth, you big bastard, where the fuck have you been?” he growled. There was a tone to his voice, easily missed as sarcasm, but Kenneth picked up on it.
“You know Liam, just chilling out. What are you guys doing here? Is Wellworth still standing?” Kenneth looked around and recognised the other faces peering into the car, interested in the occupant.
“Kenny, I guess we need a little talk. Not here, we were tracking a herd of those fuckers and we lost them half-a-mile back,” Liam said. He was anxious, this was no time for a tearful reunion.
“You boys are slipping,” Kenneth commented and smiled, relieved to see some of his friends again.
“Maybe so, but we have digs and they’re better than this dogging spot. I’ll hop in and we’ll meet the boys back at the house,” he replied. There were collective groans from the other men, wishing they’d volunteered their navigation skills for a free ride. Liam jumped into the front passenger seat. “Nice wheels, couldn’t you find something older, shittier, or smaller?”
Kenneth manoeuvred. “Wellworth?”
“It got in, not straightaway, but it worked its way through enough of us that the lab was fucked. The major stayed, everyone else alive and not infected left,” Liam said bluntly.
“I should have been there.” Kenneth lamented. He was sad, embarrassed that he hadn’t made it back to make a difference.
“Looks like you were busy, wanking accident?” Liam gestured to Kenneth’s stump, trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s not dull out here, is it? There are more than just the stupid ones we used to poke in the eye at the fence. How many got out?” Kenneth concentrated on the narrow country road, waiting for odd casual signal from Liam.
“We were a few men down when we left, only a few civilians made it out. We lost a few more of ours out here, but the civilians haven’t done so well,” Liam made it obvious that was all he was willing to say. “Just here mate, then follow the track.”
It was only a few miles away. Had his former comrades not intercepted him, Kenneth would probably have driven past the vast house. It was large, luxurious, and surrounded by open land, only the near waist-high length of the grass providing any concealment on the approach.
“Pull up for a second.” Liam said. Kenneth obliged the command, Liam got out of the car and signalled ahead to an unseen sentry. A loud whistle back confirmed it was safe to proceed. Back in the car, Liam tapped the dashboard. “Up to the house, park it next to one of the Bentleys.”
Kenneth was intrigued as they neared the house. It was a grand stately home, worth tens of millions before the world had ended. Now a bunch of squaddies used it like a clubhouse. The Bentleys were nice, but the two Ferraris really caught Kenneth’s attention, as did the Lamborghini. It made the Tesla next to it look boring. “I feel like I should park this in the river, not next to those things.”
“They’re useless, no space for loot, and you try finding a road you can go faster than forty on. They’re his pride and joy though, he loves them more than anything,” Liam criticised. He resented the cars, amongst other things.
The men got out of the car, Kenneth reached back for his hatchet.
“You won’t need that, Kenny, leave it in the motor,” Liam was telling, not asking.
Kenneth obliged as several soldiers and civilians watched them. Kenneth didn’t recognise any of them. “Who are these guys?”
“We weren’t the only soldiers aimlessly wandering the Great British countryside looking for a home. We have some engineers, two cabbage heads, and a few weekend warriors.”
“And civvies?” Kenneth asked. He knew civilians had survived and was surprised to not have seen more of them with the soldiers.
“I don’t know, maybe a dozen,” Liam said, being purposefully vague.
Kenneth didn’t like the sound of that maybe. The fancy digs were one thing, but where was the discipline? He looked around at the faces staring back at him from the numerous windows or standing in the courtyard. The soldiers he didn’t know looked at him with distrust. They may have only had their little group for over a week, but they had faced much together. The civilians were harder to read, each face plain and lacking emotion. Then he noticed. The civilians were all women. Maybe there were men inside and out of view, but the numbers tied in with Liam’s maybe.
“What are the current orders?” Kenneth questioned. He needed to know what exactly this was.
Liam led Kenneth into the main building. “We’re going to need a chat with Charles.”
Kenneth felt nervous. This wasn’t a military outpost carrying on the fight, this was a group of armed men doing what they needed to survive. He was led through to the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was huge and opulent. The marble work surfaces alone cost as much as Kenneth’s parents’ house. They had stacked boxes of food and supplies at the far end. An armed soldier stood watch, and then there was Charles. In his thirties, he was in a mismatched military uniform, a non-standard issue handgun hung from his left hip, and a pump-action shotgun was slung across his back. If he was military, he had taken his own path.
“Charles, this is Lance Corporal Kenneth Addo. He was with us at Wellworth, he’s a good soldier, an outstanding soldier.”
Charles turned to face them, a beaming smile on his smooth, well cared for face. He cleared six-feet, with broad shoulders and a muscular physique. Had he played rugby, Kenneth imagined he’d have been a prop. He approached, left hand outstretched. Through habit, Kenneth stretched out his stump. An awkward exchange saw the hand and stump shake lightly. “Kenneth, will you be joining us?”
“What is us?” Kenneth asked. He didn’t like this situation, it felt wrong.
“We’re alone and we’ve got to fend for ourselves. You’ve probably heard the radio broadcasts, that fucking automated message chirping on about them coming back. Maybe they will, maybe they’ve found somewhere jollier than here and will never return. Either way, they are of no help to me now, or you, or anyone.”
Kenneth looked Charles up and down as he spoke. He was posh, he could’ve been a commissioned officer, but he just didn’t seem like a military man. His uniform didn’t match and missed several key features. He was a civilian, playing soldier, playing commander.
“This is my house Kenneth, it’s been in my family for many years. I have a lot of food, a great wine cellar, a small arsenal of shotguns, rifles, and some more exotic pieces, but I was alone. After the staff left or turned
, it was just me. I couldn’t keep this to myself, however much I wanted to,” Charles said. Charles definitely wasn’t a sharer. “I was doing okay, but between the looters and the feeders, I was under constant attack. Then a few abandoned soldiers found their way here, and we teamed up. We strategised and together, we found more supplies and your people. Now we have a unit of crack soldiers, a safe headquarters, and we’re set. We perform missions on the very ground that the government is too gutless to tread. That’s us. Want in?”
Wellworth was all but gone, but the major, maybe he should try to reach him. Nutwood was appealing, kind people who could use him. Charles? He was a rich boy who still thought he was wealthy. Why Liam and the other soldiers would take his shit was beyond him.
“Where are the male civilians?” Kenneth had to know, Liam quietly groaned and turned away.
“I provide the house and supplies. You soldiers supply the muscle. The women supply, themselves. We’re not a damn charity and the men provide nothing,” he replied. Charles was proud of his hard-nosed approach. “We can’t patrol the neighbouring towns and villages protecting those few who survive for no payment. We accept food, guns and other things.”
“So, the women, they’re slaves?”
“No, they’re free to leave at any time after they have repaid their debt.” Charles said.
“Out into the hands of those hungry bastards? Liam, how can you be okay with this?” Kenneth asked shocked. He was exasperated, he wasn’t close with Liam but he thought he knew him better than this.
“Kenny, your beloved army abandoned us. Left us to die. Your moral code is useless out here and you fucking know it. This is the good life, for us and for them,” Liam was trying to convince himself as much as Kenneth. He still wore the uniform, but he wasn’t a member of Her Majesty’s armed forces any more.
Deadweight | Book 2 | The Last Bite Page 5