by Rob Lopez
Nobby went off, followed by Zak and the carpenters. Cobb turned to Breht and his group. “Form a line at this end. We’ve just got to make sure the nasties don’t interfere with the work. Shotgunners, position yourselves at each end of the line. Wait until the zombies get close, then take them out with headshots. Breht’s group will take care of those that get past that.”
Breht noted how quickly he’d been demoted in the scheme of things. He turned to his group. “Okay, form a shield wall.” That was Filipova’s idea. When it came down to it, the shields might be the only things that saved them. It certainly made his recruits feel more secure.
Two shots indicated that Nobby had cleared the gate, then the panels were lined up across the gap. Power tools whined as they were screwed together, and hammer drills pounded into the medieval wall prior to securing the panels to the gateway. Colin chopped out a chunk of tarmac with the pickaxe and inserted a support joist to buttress the new wooden fence.
At the other end of the rock passage, the shotguns blasted in unison, shredding a zombie’s head just feet in front of the shield wall. The teacher, standing next to Breht, shuddered at the sight. “Steady now,” said Breht. “We’ll get through this.”
In truth, there wasn’t much danger. The few zombies that appeared were slow and attacked alone, making them easy targets. Breht thought it unlikely that his recruits would get into action today, unless the work took long enough to deplete the available ammunition. But that didn’t appear likely either.
“We’ll soon be done,” said Cobb, addressing them all. “A few more minutes and we’ll be back in time for tea.”
The shield wall wavered as some people started to relax. One man, one of the scientists, actually put his shield down to massage his aching arm.
“Pick that up!” ordered Breht. “And straighten the line, everyone. Every second we spend out here is a second of danger. You don’t relax and you don’t let your guard down.”
Cobb drifted close behind him, whispering: “Chill out, mate. You’re scaring the newbies.”
But Breht needed them scared. They’d feel strung out afterwards, but in combat, he needed them alert and ready to respond instantly to his commands. This was the creed he’d followed as an instructor, and he was surprised how quickly it came back to him.
The zombies were groaning and butting their heads against the other side of the new fence, but the reinforcing batons were being screwed into place now, and Colin nodded approvingly at the finished structure.
That was when the attack came, but it didn’t come from the expected direction. From the car park above, a massed group of undead tumbled down, falling like sacks into the little ravine. With broken bones and twisted ankles, they got up regardless and lurched to consume the carpenters.
Zak moved swiftly, slicing his sword diagonally through a zombie’s skull. One of the shotgunners whirled, discharging a cloud of shot down the length of the ravine. But the pellets flew out in a wide arc, hitting zombies and humans alike. Zak took several to his face and arm and staggered backwards.
“Cease fire!” shouted Breht.
Cobb had his rifle up, but as the zombies converged on the hapless work crew, he froze, confused by what to do next. His bullets would have ripped straight through the zombies, hitting his own side with something more lethal than scattered bird-shot.
“Squad! About turn!” ordered Breht. It wasn’t a manoeuvre they’d practised, but they performed it with admirable precision. “Okay. Charge!”
That wasn’t in the rule book either, but as Breht leapt forward, the shield wall stayed with him. With a clattering of wood, they ran the length of the rocky passageway and made contact with the undead, the gathered momentum knocking them down onto the ground.
Picking his target, Breht slammed his steel rod into a zombie’s head, the slender point entering easily through the skull. Withdrawing his spear, he stabbed the creature again and again, to make sure. Around him, the others did the same in a frenzy of blows that left them standing in a puddle of blood and plasma.
Another zombie tumbled down from the car park, landing behind them.
“Squad! About turn!”
They did just that and, screaming like berserkers, ran down the unfortunate zombie who’d barely begun to rise before he was viciously assaulted.
Breht turned to the work crew. “Grab your stuff and go. We’ll cover you! Nobby, help Zak up.” As they responded, Breht turned again and called out: “Cobb! Take the lead and clear a path. Come on, everybody. Go! Go! Go!”
More undead tumbled from the car park, landing in untidy heaps, but Breht held his shield wall steady, walking backwards as they brought up the rear of the fleeing group. The zombies crawled and limped after them, but the group was moving quickly now.
“Keep your eyes open,” ordered Breht, looking about. He didn’t want any more surprises. But although more zombies were coming out of the town than he anticipated, they were too slow to prevent the group from reaching the safety of the castle.
Shutting the gate, everybody was either bent over for breath, or collapsed as the shakes got to them.
“We did it!” announced the teacher with a delirious look on her face. Then she threw up.
30
Breht walked slowly down the tower steps to the basement. Zak’s basement. He could smell the sweat and candle fumes already. He told himself he didn’t care what Zak had to say to him, but he knew he was lying.
The problem was, he cared too much. His heart felt light, and he had butterflies in his stomach, which, after the frenzied fear of combat, felt absurd, like he was a child again. He didn’t like it, and told himself again that Zak’s words were meaningless to him.
You’re a straight-up and honest guy.
Whatever. He had to stand up to him, and if he wasn’t happy with Breht’s decision to leave Filipova in the castle, then that was too bad. If he didn’t like Breht’s attitude, or whatever it was that was bothering him, then that was too bad as well. And while he was at it, he wanted better protection for his squad. They’d earned it. He was going to make his case this time, and he was going to press it home.
Breht expected him to be doing his Zen thing of sitting cross legged in the centre of the circular room, radiating calm authority, but when he got there, Zak sagged against the wall, like a sick animal. Blood covered the side of his face, shoulder and arm. He looked old.
“Ah, Breht. Sit down, mate.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about this. Looks worse than it is.”
It looked pretty bad to Breht. “You wanted to have a word with me?”
“Yeah. Just need to clear a few things up.”
Breht sat down. “You should get that seen to.”
“Someone’s on their way. It’s not a big deal.”
“Looks it to me.”
Zak laughed. “That’s what I like about you. Plain and honest.”
Breht got a sense of deja vu. “Didn’t appear that way a couple of days ago.”
“Nah. Don’t worry about that. Look, I wanted to congratulate you on how you handled your squad. Exceeded expectations. Bloody amazing to watch.”
“I’ll pass on your congratulations.”
“Oh don’t be like that with me. Goddamn, it’s hard to praise you. It’s like you don’t want it.”
“Maybe I don’t.”
“Fine, have it your way. You were totally crap, worst performance I’ve ever seen in my life, my grandmother could have done better. Happy now?”
Breht had to smile. “Marginally.”
Zak fixed him with a gaze. “That’s my boy. You know, you should consider smiling more often. And I should consider making you my second-in-command again.”
“It was a brief tenure, last time.”
“It was, but I think it’ll be different this time.”
“And what about Cobb?”
Zak dismissed him with a sloppy wave. “He had his chance. Screwed it up today.”
“Balls. Did he send you down here to make excuses for him?”
“No.”
“Then don’t go making them then. I put him in charge of securing the site. Basic stuff. He’s not ready for promotion. Doesn’t think globally. Focusses only on himself. Needs a leader to point for him.”
Breht caught a glimpse of an empty whiskey bottle behind Zak and realised he was drunk. His words were clear, and he was sitting very still, but he wasn’t his usual meandering self.
Maudlin self-pity?
No. Breht understood then. The alcohol was for the pain. The lead shot must have gone deep.
“We need to see to those wounds.”
Zak wrinkled his face. “Don’t worry about that. Someone’s coming. I want to show you something. Move that blanket over there and you’ll see a box underneath. Open it.”
Breht did so, revealing a Katana in a black damask scabbard, with a black and red grip – different to Zak’s.
“No energy for ceremony,” said Zak. “So it’s yours. Genuine item. Not some shit collector’s ornament. You’ve earned it.”
Breht was stunned. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t. Ah, the doctor’s here.”
Filipova came into the room carrying a pair of needle nose pliers and a tray with deformed pellets rolling around. The tray and pellets were covered in blood. “I’ve done the others,” she said. “You’re the last.”
“About time,” muttered Zak. “Breht, if you want, you can come back later tonight.”
“Okay,” said Breht. He walked up the stairs, still taken aback, and realised he hadn’t mentioned any of the things he’d meant to say to Zak.
Outside, Cobb was waiting. He looked down at the sword in Breht’s hands. “Well,” he said. “I suppose that makes you the man.”
Breht looked down too. “I suppose it does,” he said absently.
*
That night, as the community sat around a camp fire to warm themselves, the conversation was subdued. Whatever euphoria might have existed over the success of the day’s operation had changed to a solemn realisation of just how dangerous such expeditions were. Those who’d been wounded were even more cautious, and nobody wanted to talk whenever Breht drifted within earshot. He detected no antipathy towards himself, but reasoned that they were afraid he’d pass on their grumbles to Zak. The eccentric special forces guru was no longer popular.
“How is he?” said Breht as he walked the perimeter with Filipova.
“Provided his wounds don’t get infected, he’ll be fine,” replied Filipova. “I’m sure he’s suffered worse.”
“Doesn’t seem like he’s flavour of the month, at the moment.”
“No. I think at the beginning people saw him as a reassuring authority. A man who looked like he knew what he was doing. The fact that he was wounded today showed them that he wasn’t invincible, and I suppose that scares them. The way things played out show also that he’s not infallible.”
“You can’t expect anyone to be that. He’s only human.”
“Yes, but he’s also divisive. That might be fine in a big organisation like the army, where you can always find a place to get away, but in a small community like this, it’s a disaster, pitting people against each other.”
“That’s an extreme generalisation. In the SAS, he would have worked within a small group, with each member dependent on the other. He must have been okay if he could do that.”
“If that was the case, maybe. But from the stories he’s told about himself, I got the impression he did a lot of solo undercover work. A lone wolf. That calls into question the relevance of his experience to us here.”
“You can’t possibly be serious. After all he’s done here? Who else here do you think can do the job better than him?”
“Since you’re asking, I would answer: You.”
Breht frowned. “No thanks. Weird as he is, he’s probably the best chance we all have of making it through alive.”
“Only probably?”
“You’re being pedantic now.”
“Cynical, actually. That’s me, remember?”
“How could I forget? That shield wall idea of yours worked a treat today, by the way.”
“If it was good enough for the Greeks and Persians, and indeed modern riot police, then there was no reason why it wouldn’t work for us.”
“The new fighters performed well today. I’m proud of them.”
Filipova stopped to light a cigarette. “I wanted to have a word about that, actually. I’m worried about Sarah.”
“Who?”
“The teacher.”
“Oh, her. She was brilliant today. I was pleased.”
“I’m sure. She’s a nervous wreck now, however. I think today contained about as much excitement as she could handle. I don’t think she can take anymore.”
“It’s natural to feel like that after your first action. Look at them lot around the fire. They’re not exactly bundles of joy.”
“I’ve spoken with her, Breht. She’s thirty eight, for heavens sake. She’s never done anything like this. She even hated doing sport with the children in school. I think she’s traumatised. I don’t think she’s suited to this.”
“Hey, if she wants to start a club for that, I’ll join it myself.”
“Please be serious.”
“Okay. I’ll keep a close eye on her.”
“And you also might want to do the same for Cobb. He looked a tad frustrated when I passed him on the stairs of the tower earlier.”
Breht winced. “He might have overheard Zak’s comments about him. They were pretty blunt. He’s a good soldier, though, and he’s got the capacity to learn. Intelligent, as well. I think he’ll be all right.”
As they approached the gate, Breht was shocked to see a group of children leaning up against it, giggling. The zombies were pushing at it from the other side, and the children were listening to them and mimicking their moans.
“Hey, get away from there,” called Breht.
Still laughing, the children ran off, leaving the toddler who’d been abandoned. Breht picked him up. “Christ, they’ve gone feral already.”
“They’re the orphans.”
Breht looked at the toddler, who looked back at him, somewhat surprised. He was the child Breht had rescued from his mother’s side in the hospital. “Can’t just leave them to fend for themselves. You any good with children?”
“Good grief, no. Why do you think I became a microbiologist?”
“Figures. Need to sort out some sort of mentoring system for them. There’s got to be someone who can look after them.”
“Sarah used to be the one who did that.”
“Then someone else can step up and pull their weight. It shouldn’t be a job for just one person.”
Filipova stubbed out her cigarette and took the child off him. “Zak never worried about details like that. You could be a moderating influence on him.”
“I still think you’re reading him wrong.”
“And I think you’ve become biased. But we’ll see.”
*
Breht descended to Zak’s chamber. Zak was bandaged and reading a book. Breht was surprised to see him wearing glasses. Zak peered over the rims at him.
“Ah, the man himself.”
“How do you feel?” said Breht.
“Better. And sober. I trust I didn’t say anything too embarrassing earlier.”
“Not too much. Didn’t know you wore glasses.”
“For this, yes. Eyes like a hawk for far away stuff, but close work? It’s because I never used to read much.”
“What are you reading?”
“Moby Dick. Reads like my autobiography. Captain Ahab is severely misunderstood.”
Breht sat down next to him. “Never saw you as a whaler.”
“I was, in a past life. And a troubadour as well. Wandering medieval England with my lute.”
Breht smiled, then saw that Zak was serious. “Uhm, okay.”
“It’s why I like castles, you see. You think I’m mental, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, but you do make me wonder sometimes.”
“That’s because you don’t really get my philosophy.”
“Probably not.”
“It’s about seizing the day. The seconds and the minutes pass, but opportunity passes with them if you don’t grab them quickly enough. You have to feel the flow of time. Become a conduit for it. Then you’re ready for anything.”
Breht thought about the Captain Ahab reference. “You realise what that makes you look like?”
“That doesn’t matter to me, and it shouldn’t matter to you. Remember what I told you about embracing the apocalypse? Because the apocalypse is life now, and you have to embrace that life. You’re still stuck in the old world, and I’m trying to prise you out of it. Because I love you, and I’m trying to set you free from all that. I don’t want you to waste your energies like all those other obsolete fools.”
“You love me?”
“Of course, but I need you to start understanding things a bit more.”
“You love me conditionally, then.”
“All love is conditional. Nothing in life is free.”
“And the sword you’ve just given me?”
“It’s yours. That’s all there is to it.”
“And if you get pissed off with me again?”
“A gift given is a gift gone.”
Breht wondered, however, if, like stock market shares, the value of a gift could go down as well as up.
31
Climbing over a wall, Breht made it to the back of the public library. He’d been cautious, sticking to back alleys and keeping low, but he couldn’t get closer to the castle without exposing himself. Traversing the rooftops was no longer a good idea.
The library piqued his interest, however. From his earlier vantage point, Breht noticed that the castle tower, the library and a church nearer the castle were all constructed from the same red sandstone. In contrast to all the surrounding buildings, they stood out as different. It was a similarity that Breht thought worth investigating.