Lisa took the lead and every few feet, they had to stop to eradicate more of the infected. At the same time, they also checked the fence for weak points which they marked with red streamers for Joseph and his building team to repair later on in the day.
It was a good system, or so Max had thought. Sure, Lisa complained a lot about the growing numbers of the undead, but he’d brushed it off as being something they could handle. Until now. Now he was starting to wonder.
Long before they reached the end, he was nearing the point of exhaustion. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and his legs quivered with each step he took. Sweat poured down his face, and his lungs burned with the need for oxygen. He no longer knew what fresh air smelled like. All he knew was death and decay. Holy shit, how long is this fence? And how many more infected are there?
Their sheer numbers boggled his mind. His stretcher was piled high, and the end was still nowhere in sight. He wasn’t the only one suffering either judging by the moans and groans around him. They’d all be glad when this nightmare was over.
His eyes roved across the grounds outside their haven, over the tall yellow grass and thorny bushes that adorned the veldt. With winter reigning supreme, there was little greenery to be had, and the temperatures hovered between mild during the day and icy at night.
Even as he looked, more zombies pushed their way through the undergrowth heading for the moat. Their peculiar gait marked them as old infected, their muscles atrophied and their sinews decayed. Barely human. No less dangerous, though.
They didn’t wait around for the newly arriving undead and pushed onward, instead. Any fresh infected would be left for the afternoon’s team to take care of. Right now, Max and the others had more than enough on their plates as evidenced by their laden stretchers and contorted faces.
It was with profound gratitude that Max spotted the gates which had been their starting point. Joseph and Lucas were at work restoring it to its former strength. That and the barrier that spanned the open gap in the moat. Both had been damaged during Ke Tau’s attack.
Josh and Jed stood guard just beyond the barrier, taking out any zombies unlucky enough to stumble their way. A neat pile of corpses gave mute testament to their efficiency, and Max sent a silent message of thanks to Martin who’d decided to stick around a while longer. The extra hands were most welcome.
Joseph noticed their approach and straightened up. “Good morning.”
Max dropped the stretcher to the ground and flexed his aching hands. “How’s it going?”
Joseph shrugged. “To be honest, there isn’t much more I can do without fresh material. We used most of what we had stopping up the hole in the inner wall, and even that wasn’t a proper job.”
“Ronnie went out with a few others on a raid this morning,” Breytenbach said as he drew even with Max. “I know building supplies is at the top of their list.”
“I hope they can get it,” Joseph replied. “We sorely need more of it, or we aren’t fixing anything any time soon.”
After a brief period of rest, Max and his group filed through the gates toward the field where they burned all the bodies. Once rid of their grizzly burdens, they trooped back to camp in single file.
Max didn’t feel much like talking, and neither did the rest judging by their thick silence. They all looked pretty beat, and the day had just begun. His admiration for Lisa and her team had grown at a rapid rate during the past hour. If this is what they have to face every day, several times per day, they’ve got balls of steel. No wonder Lisa is pushing for more people and equipment.
Weary resignation set in as he faced the coming day. It wasn’t just Lisa. Everybody needed more hands. Joseph’s construction team consisted of himself and Lucas alone. Phillip, Abraham, and his son Abe managed the crops and animals while Ronnie’s group was down to four with only Kirstin, Lenka, and Mike to assist him. Thankfully, the Irishman had recovered fully from his burns.
With the growing number of kids inside the camp, Michelle and Nombali had their hands full. The infirmary staff took care of the sick, and Elise, Julianne, Erica, and Tumi managed the kitchen, storerooms, vegetable plots, and duty rosters. Sean was in charge of radio operations, Breytenbach trained people to fight, and as for himself, he helped out wherever he was most needed.
Lisa had the most people in her team with the freshly trained Liezel, Peter, and Thembiso to swell the ranks, aided by new arrivals Nadia and Caleb. Still, judging by one moat trip alone, it wasn’t enough.
When he added the additional duties that everyone shared such as guard duty, laundry, cleaning, teaching, and grounds maintenance, it was no wonder they were all tired and on edge.
Now more than ever, Max wished they hadn’t underestimated the nefarious Hiran. They could’ve used an injection of fresh blood via the women, elders, and children Ke Tau had kept prisoner, even if they meant added strain on their supplies.
He also missed Michael, though he understood why the man had left. He was on a mission, and nothing but blood and death would stop him. As for Logan, he remained a loner, drifting in and out of camp as the mood took him. He never returned without supplies, though, so nobody complained about his lack of team spirit.
Breytenbach’s gruff voice broke into his morbid thoughts, and Max had to blink a few times to clear his head. “Huh?”
“I said, I think it’s time for a meeting. We need to get our ducks in a row, see where we stand, don’t you think?”
“Hm, yes. I agree. Will you arrange it, please?” Max checked the sun in the sky. “An hour from now, perhaps?”
“Sounds good. I’ll round up everybody who needs to be there,” Breytenbach confirmed before marching away.
Max stared after him, noting the military bearing still ingrained in the Captain even after all the years that had passed. Though semi-retired on Doctor’s orders, Breytenbach still wasn’t someone to fool around with.
“He is a good man,” Kirstin said, appearing next to his shoulder like a phantom from the mist. “It is why I stayed with him all these years.”
Max nodded. “I hope I can become half the man he is.”
“You will,” Kirstin replied with a surety he found odd.
“How do you know that?”
“You have strength, but also compassion,” she said. “You are a good leader.”
“I try to be,” Max said. “It’s not always easy, though.”
“The good things in life are never easy,” she replied before looping her arm around him and pressing her lips to his cheek. “Except this. This is easy.”
“This?” Max asked with a teasing grin as he pulled her close. “You mean us?”
“You know what I mean.” She smacked him lightly on the chest before dancing away. “See you later, my love.”
“Later,” he agreed, watching her walk away with those long legs and soldierly gait he loved so much.
She flashed him a knowing look over her shoulder. “Stop looking at my ass.”
“Never,” he replied with a grin.
Once she was gone, Max turned away to go about his never-ending duties, but this time he had a slight spring in his step. No matter how terrible things got, it was always worth fighting for those you loved.
Chapter 4 - Breytenbach
Breytenbach did a quick tour of the grounds, looking for those who needed to attend the meeting for various reasons. Julianne walked with him, her body pressed against his to ward off the chill in the air.
They walked in silence, comfortable in each other’s presence. Their relationship did not need pretty words or grand gestures of passion, for it was founded on a complete acceptance of the other. Flaws and all.
It was the kind of love he’d been looking for all his life, warm and stable. Constant. After the life he’d lived, he valued loyalty and stability above all else.
Which was why that morning’s forced tour of the moat bothered him more than he was willing to admit. It brought with it the disquieting knowledge that nowher
e in this world was safe. That danger lurked around every corner, waiting to steal away his fragile peace. That was something he couldn’t allow.
With this in mind, he focused on the task at hand. The meeting would be of the utmost importance, and everybody who could contribute knowledge had to attend.
Breytenbach managed to inform Elise, Lisa, and Sean of the meeting, but couldn’t find Logan anywhere. Ronnie was still out with his team on a supply run so Kirstin would have to stand in for the raiding team’s leader.
Julianne walked with him until they reached the schoolroom where she paused. “This is as far as I go, love. See you at the meeting.”
He kissed her upturned mouth and breathed in her scent. It never failed to calm him, and today, he needed it. “See you there. Please, ask Michelle to go as well. We might as well get an update on the schooling and welfare of the kids.”
“Will do.”
After she left, he resumed his search until he spotted Peter and Thembiso. With a sigh of relief, he called them over. Let the kids do the legwork. I’m too damn old for this. “Hey, boys. Do me a favor, will you?”
They jogged closer, and he took a moment to study them. Nearly a year into the zombie apocalypse, the change in both of them was startling.
Thembiso was the taller of the two, his musculature thin and rangy. Peter possessed a stockier build, his shoulders broad and husky. Both sported unshaven chins, wearing their wispy facial hair like a badge of maturity.
Breytenbach shook his head. It reminded him of his own teenage years. Of the desperate need to be viewed as a man and an adult. Now that they were part of Lisa’s security team, they were growing up even faster, honed by their new responsibilities.
It might be worth treating them like adults and including them in the meetings more often. They are the future, after all. Lonny and Ruby too. Once they’re settled in and completely recovered, that is.
The boys halted in front of him, and their sheer energy made him feel older than his years for a moment. He straightened his back and shook off the feeling. “Could you two find Phillip, Martin, and Joseph for me? I need a message delivered to them.”
Peter nodded eagerly, “Of course. What’s the message?”
“There’s to be a meeting within the next half hour, and Max would like them to be present.”
“Sure, we’ll tell them, no problem,” Thembiso said. “Oh, wait. Martin isn’t here. We saw him leave earlier with Ronnie.”
“I see. All right, well, tell the others, at least.”
“Will do!”
“Thanks, I know I can always count on you boys.” They beamed with pride as they turned to leave, but he stopped them. “Oh, one more thing. While we’re having the meeting, I’m relying on you two to keep watch. Keep us safe and secure, you hear?”
“Yes, Sir,” they chorused, prompting a smile from him.
“Now off with you.”
They sprinted away at a speed he hadn’t been capable of reaching in years, jostling and teasing each other as they went. Once more, he felt his age, despite his best efforts. As if to highlight his advancing years, his left hand started trembling again in that annoying manner it had developed ever since his illness.
With a grunt, he clenched and unclenched his fist, shaking the numbness from his arm as he made his way to the infirmary. “Seeing as he has to go to the meeting, anyway, I might as well drop in on the good doctor for a quick checkup.”
The infirmary was quiet when he entered, with no signs of either Dr. Lange or Hannah. Nor did he see Dave, though the man only helped out in the infirmary in times of need.
It’d been somewhat of a surprise to all of them when the quiet and bespectacled Dave announced a newly discovered passion for gardening. Now he spent most of his time cultivating the vegetable plots and helping Elise to store the surplus. That’s when he wasn’t teaching the kids Biology, though.
Breytenbach spotted Jonathan in a corner sorting pill bottles and hailed him. “Hi, Doc!”
“Well, hello, Captain. What brings you here?” Jonathan asked with a frown. “Trouble?”
“Not really. We’re holding an emergency meeting, and Max would like all key members to attend.”
“I see. When is this?”
“In about ten minutes, or so,” Breytenbach replied.
“It’s not like I have much else to do. I’ve seen very few people today, to tell you the truth,” Jonathan replied as he replaced his stocks.
“That’s a good thing, I hope?”
“Very. Let’s just hope it stays that way, but with winter in full swing, I doubt it.”
“I hear you, but while we’ve got a minute…” Breytenbach hesitated before pressing ahead. “I’m still getting the shakes, Doc. Is that normal?”
Jonathan thought for a moment before pointing at a bed. “Sit down, and I’ll take a quick look.”
“Thanks.” Breytenbach sat down and rolled up his shirt sleeves. He was used to the routine by now.
Jonathan went about his business, checking Breytenbach’s pulse, blood pressure, and heartbeat before producing a syringe. “I’d like a sample, if you don’t mind?”
“Go ahead,” Breytenbach said.
Jonathan withdrew a vial of blood, did a few last checks, then nodded. “I’m done for now, though the blood tests will take a while longer.”
“So what do you think?”
“I don’t think it’s anything serious, Captain. Maybe leftover nerve damage from your injury and illness, though I’ll take a more in-depth look at your blood work and let you know.”
“All right.”
“The main thing is to take it easy, Captain. With your heart not being quite what it was, and possible nerve damage too, your raiding days are at an end,” Jonathan said.
“Yes, I’m well aware of that, and I know I’m of no use to anyone in this condition. You don’t have to tell me again,” Breytenbach said, surprised to find that he felt quite bitter about it.
He stared at his hand. The same one that shook and quivered for no apparent reason. The original cut that had caused all the trouble had healed without a scar, the skin as smooth as a baby’s bum. It was such a tiny wound. So innocent looking. I can’t believe such a small thing nearly killed me.
Handing the team reins over to Ronnie had been the most difficult thing he’d ever had to do. It was his baby. The work of a lifetime. All those years spent gathering the perfect crew, and now it was taken from him.
“I miss it. I miss going out with my team on missions. The excitement, the adrenalin. It’s not the same without it. I feel empty,” he found himself admitting to Jonathan who stared at him with a worried expression.
“Captain, I can’t say I know how you feel because I don’t, and frankly, I’m too young to be giving you any sort of advice, but I can tell you one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“None of us would be here today if it weren’t for you. We all look up to you, every bit as much as we look to Max.” Jonathan’s face was earnest as he spoke, his blue eyes wide open and honest.
Breytenbach stared at him and wished the words would take effect, would ease some of the unrest and unhappiness inside him, but it didn’t. Life’s not that easy, I guess.
With a grunt, he stood up and prepared to leave, shoving aside his morbid thoughts for the time being. “Thanks, Jonathan. For everything.”
“No problem.”
“See you at the meeting?”
“In a few minutes, yes.”
“Oh,” Breytenbach said as he remembered something. “You haven’t seen Dr. Lange, have you? He should come to the meeting as well.”
“I’m afraid he’s not here. He went with Ronnie on the supply run,” Jonathan replied.
“What for?” Breytenbach asked.
Jonathan shrugged and turned away, busying himself with a few utensils on a tray. “I’m not sure.”
“He didn’t tell you anything?”
“Not a thing. Best to ask him your
self, I guess.”
Breytenbach stared at the doctor for a few seconds, but Jonathan studiously avoided his gaze. “All right, I’ll do that. See you later then, Doc.”
As he left the infirmary, Breytenbach’s head spun with questions. What on earth was Dr. Lange doing on a supply run? He had no business out there and was most definitely not a fighter. The exact opposite, in fact. “I’d love to hear what his explanation is when I track him down.”
He made his way deeper into camp, heading for Max’s office while mulling over these thoughts. Thembiso had said Martin was with Ronnie as well. Could it be connected to Dr. Lange’s excursion, or was it unrelated?
He shook his head. The whole situation felt like a mystery, one he had yet to solve, with bits and pieces nagging at the back of his mind. Dr. Lange’s strange behavior was one just piece of the puzzle, with Martin’s actions, Lisa’s convictions, and the infected’s increased numbers all offering possible clues to the answer.
One way or another, he was determined to figure it out. It was something he excelled at. Using bits and pieces of Intel to form a larger picture of the enemy’s plans and movements to counteract them. In this case, the zombies were the enemies, and the camp’s survival counted on keeping the upper hand. Let’s see what the meeting delivers.
He passed Nadia along the way and paused, reminded of the possibility of a vaccine. She walked past with Caleb, her boyfriend, and the two were engaged in such a deep conversation, they hardly noticed him.
She was a pretty girl, though she clearly walked on the wild side with her wacky hairdo, thick eyeliner, and numerous piercings. It was impossible to miss the tattoo on her neck either. Caleb was a lot more serious and reserved, and the two made a cute, but odd, couple.
He had a new respect for them both, though, after that morning’s patrol. As part of Lisa’s security team, the two performed the unpleasant duty daily, and he’d never heard either of them complain.
At that moment, he spotted Logan’s lean figure in the distance and called out, “Hey, Logan. You’re back!”
Children of the Apocalypse: Mega Boxed Set Page 75