by Ricky Fleet
The vehemence in his words filled the group with hope for the future. Warnings about the possibility of other, malevolent survivors gave them all an appreciation of how lucky they were that Kurt and his extended family had arrived first. Now all that remained was for them to prove their worth and kill the blasphemous frozen mannequins that stood only ten feet away.
DB gave the final order. “I want you to behave as if they were fully mobile. Complacency can mean death, and these bloody things will surprise you if you let them. You saw the way we maintained our distance; dart forward and slash, then retreat and repeat. I don’t want any accidents, so also be aware of the man or woman at your side at all times. Fight as one unit. Begin!”
The veterans all kept a close eye on the dead as the others lined up. Safeties were switched off on the rifles and handguns, ready to put a bullet in any threat. If they caught a twitch of a thawing limb, the attack would be immediately abandoned and the steel would be dropped rapidly to seal them off once again. A panic amongst the uninitiated would be fatal.
“Oh God, this is disgusting,” muttered an older woman, grimacing at the pocked, rotten face in front of her. Even the worms and maggots were brittle and immobile. Others joined in the grumbling, scant breakfasts churning in their stomachs at the vile sights.
“It’s no worse than when we cleared the grounds,” Kurt replied.
“But these things are staring at us.”
“Better than trying to eat you,” said Sarah.
“Ok, here goes,” snarled Pauline, swinging her scimitar down. The blade went wide, shearing the side of the girl’s skull off, cheek, ear and all, before plunging through the collarbone. The mushy, frosted blood started to drizzle from the wound as she withdrew. She looked back apologetically.
“Don’t worry. It’s just your nerves. Try again,” Winston said.
Steeling herself, she lashed out. This time, the remaining face parted in the middle, one half cracking off at the neck and falling to the ground. Fragments of flesh and bone broke off, skittering between their legs.
“Good job. Now the rest of you!” DB barked.
The front line gibbered and hollered, flailing wildly as they shredded the undead. Thankfully, no one got hurt in the melee, and the bodies fell to the ground with dull thuds.
“It wasn’t pretty, but good work everyone. Now let us get them cleared while the next row forms up,” Kurt said, hooking the ribcages and pulling them inside.
With only enough space for six people side by side, the newbies had to rotate until they had cleared the archway and made progress into the open courtyard where they could finally spread out. Following each kill, the shaking hands became steadier as their confidence grew. Dozens of zombies had been slain, their remains forming a growing pile within the castle. A couple of the survivors were holding back which Kurt picked up on immediately.
“Nick, Freya, what’s the problem?”
“I don’t feel…” grimaced Nick, looking across at Freya who had gone deathly white.
“I…” she choked, before a stream of vomit burst forth, coating the body at her feet. This triggered Nick’s own sickness and he added to the warm puddle of bile and bran flakes. Two more of the group retched at the sight and sound, before a torrent of liquid poured from their own mouths.
“That’s so gross,” muttered Anja.
“I think you should go back inside and compose yourselves. We’ll finish up,” Gloria offered and the four gratefully hobbled away, wiping at their lips.
“This is why it was so important to get you out here. If we were in a real fight, they would’ve overwhelmed us,” Kurt explained. They looked at him and nodded weakly; it was a valuable lesson in the realities of their new existence.
“My Viking ancestors would be proud of me,” Anja beamed, revelling in the killing. Turning back to the task, she buried the hatchet into another decaying forehead, ripping it free with a yell of rage.
“I think we’re nearing the tipping point,” Kurt warned, seeing the surging mass outside push against the ice encrusted meat barricade. It would take very little for the remaining zombies to topple like skittles.
“Everyone back inside!” Sarah ordered.
Winston coughed politely, holding his axe up. “May I?”
“Ok, but hurry up! Everyone else, get back now!” Kurt shouted.
“One swing, I promise.”
Facing off against the wall of filth, he got into a comfortable stance and hoisted the battle-axe onto his shoulder. Rotating his hips, he swung with every ounce of strength in his possession. It was devastating. The steel blade smashed through five skulls before slowing down, finally coming to rest in the neck of a sixth.
“Holy shit,” blurted Braiden, eyes wide.
A feeling of raw power flowed through Winston’s body, making him feel invincible. He was death personified, the doom bringer, a warrior without equal. Raising the axe overhead, he roared his triumph. The dead outside responded with their own guttural cries, redoubling their efforts. The dam gave way, bodies tossed aside or to the ground in the crush as the horde advanced.
“Shit!” Winston shrieked. Turning tail and bolting back to the castle, he ducked under the falling steel. With a clang, the portcullis dropped into place. “That was close!”
“Dumbass,” Sam said with a chuckle, punching him on the arm.
CHAPTER 21
“Thanks for coming, everyone,” Sam said by way of getting the meeting started.
Sat around their bedroom were the students and a couple of the younger staff, all eager to hear the secret plan which had been mentioned earlier. They picked at a lunch of spam and stale crackers with disinterest, as much because of the excitement as the lacklustre fare.
“Don’t leave us hanging. What did you want to see us about?” Holly begged.
“It’s always been the case that the adults were meant to keep us safe, right? I think what we saw earlier didn’t bode well for us at all,” Sam began.
“They didn’t do too badly.”
“Really? What about the breakfast all over the floor outside?” said Braiden.
“You can’t blame them for blowing chunks though. The zombies are bloody awful; the way they look, the way they smell, the green blood. I mean, what’s that all about?” Holly remarked, pulling a disgusted face.
“The difference is that when we arrived to take the castle, you all stepped up without complaint and fought by our side. From the watchtower, and then in the corridors, you didn’t hesitate.”
“We were all scared out of our wits,” Pauline admitted.
“Of course, you were,” Braiden shrugged. “You were taking on a bunch of rotting corpses for the first time. I’d be more worried if you weren’t afraid.”
“You weren’t scared, though. I saw you kill them as if they were nothing.”
Pauline nodded eagerly. “You were actually enjoying it!”
“Not as much as Winston was earlier. Six kills in one swing is amazing,” Sam remarked.
The teenager blushed at the praise and turned away.
“Are you ever going to tell us the plan or do we need to pin you down and tickle it out of you?” Holly demanded, holding up her fingers in threat.
“Winston will explain everything,” Braiden replied. “This psycho was breaking out of his sanctuary in the middle of the night to forage for sweets. He went out alone, unarmed, against the undead. Can you imagine that?”
Mouths gaped at the revelation and Winston rolled his eyes. He had told the boys that in strictest confidence and now the embarrassment burned even deeper.
Sam saw the discomfort and jumped in. “What my brother was trying to say is that out of everyone in the castle, this guy is the bravest of us all.”
Braiden nodded, staring at him with a growing respect. “Exactly. Sam and I had the protection of my family and two soldiers when we travelled across the south coast. Winston had to overcome every danger alone, without guns.”
“You’re going
to make me cry,” Winston said, dramatically wafting a hand to dry his eyes.
“Cut it out, you idiot,” Braiden chuckled, pushing him.
“Ok. We’ve been talking and we think it would be a good idea to take a bigger role in the defence of the castle. We’re younger and can adapt far better to what is happening; that includes our speed, strength, and if I can lose this,” he patted his belly, “Stamina.”
He waited for a few moments while the youngsters digested the idea. Slowly, they all looked at one another and agreed.
“We’ve seen the divisions already appearing between the grown-ups. Kurt is a warrior and protector, but he’ll need us behind him, fully prepared for what’s coming.”
“What do you mean? The zombies?” Holly wondered.
“They are a threat, of course, but the biggest danger is from the prison. All three of us have spent time with Mike and Debbie and they’re as crazy as a box of frogs. They have an army at their disposal and they’ll come for us. It may not be for a while because of the winter, but make no mistake, they’re plotting as we speak.”
“What can we do to prepare for it? We’re stuck inside these four walls,” explained Pauline.
“The first thing is maintaining our fitness regime. When my legs stop aching, anyway,” Winston replied.
“Jonesy said we need to keep going through the pain,” said Sam.
“That’s easy for you to say, you’re a skinny bastard. Try carrying Braiden on your back and jogging around the grounds. You’d soon change your tune.”
“I’ve been carrying him ever since we fought in the classroom during the outbreak.”
Braiden grabbed him in a headlock and they started to wrestle, laughing madly. “Bollocks! I was the one who saved you while you threw math textbooks at the zombies and shrieked like a girl.”
“You hid behind Miss Blume the whole time!” Sam retorted.
“I think we all did,” Braiden gasped, letting his brother go. “She was amazing and so brave for a teacher.”
“If you two are finished cuddling, I’ll continue,” Winston snickered.
The room erupted in mocking oohs and the boys sat down, grinning and panting.
“Secondly, DB and Jonesy have offered to train us to use their pistols and rifles. We begin in the next few days when they find the time.”
The students were unable to hide their excitement and Winston held up a hand to quieten them.
“We’re going to be limited on the training by the amount of ammunition that they have, but they want others to have some experience in case something bad happens to them. Personally, I think we’ll do better with the bows and arrows, especially when we set foot outside the walls.”
“Did you know there’s a sporting goods store just on the outskirts of town? I saw it as we drove in,” Holly explained.
“So? We don’t need trainers and golf clubs,” Braiden teased.
“How about the bows and crossbows that I saw advertised in the window, smart ass?”
“You’ll have to show us on a map. That’ll be a fantastic haul if we can get to it,” Sam admitted.
Pauline leaned forward, brow creasing. “Did I hear you say when we set foot outside the walls a second ago?”
“Yes. And this is where it’s going to get complicated and extremely dangerous. None of you can truly understand what it’s like out there until you’ve lived it. This brings me onto the third point. Sam and Braiden are going to ask Kurt if we can go outside and fight them.”
“Are you nuts?” Holly demanded. The others shared the same opinion and voiced their disapproval.
“I know you think it’s a crazy idea, but we’ll need to eventually take them on face to face on their ground. I’d rather control the time and place that it happens. Silence and subtlety is going to be our friend. I’m not suggesting we open the portcullis and battle through the thousands at the main gate. We can either open one of the back gates where there are fewer, or drop from the wall on ropes and kill small numbers at our leisure before retreating to safety.”
“But what if something goes wrong?” Pauline asked. She could understand the logic but her fluttering stomach would not relent.
“You can feed me to them. With my size, they’ll be gnawing on me for quite a while which gives you time to escape,” Winston replied with a wink.
“Stop talking about yourself like that,” Pauline admonished, swatting him on the arm.
“Sorry, force of habit, but I mean what I said. I’ll hold them off while you retreat if the worst should happen.”
“I’m not even sure my dad will let us do it anyway. I wouldn’t if I was making the call,” Sam added.
“We’ll convince him,” said Braiden. “Or we’ll just have to sneak out and do it anyway.”
“Fuck that!” Winston blurted. “I’ve only just got here and he’s looking for an excuse to mistrust me. How’ll it look when I help to sneak you all outside the castle? I’ll be lucky if he just tosses me from the tallest tower.”
“You leave my dad to us,” Sam assured him. “We’ll take the blame if we need to.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I’ve heard what he can do with that axe of his and I prefer to keep my most important parts attached.”
“Pussy,” Braiden teased.
Sam broke in. “It doesn’t matter anyway until we’ve had the talk. And we won’t have the talk unless you’re all on side.”
The nervous teens stared back at the three boys, contemplation etched on their faces. For a long while they sat in silence, with only the crackling of the fire popping in the corner. Turning to each other, Sam and Braiden looked unsure until finally Winston was tempted to speak up and cleared his throat.
Holly nodded slowly and stood up. “I’m in. I want a future with happiness, not fear. I want children and grandchildren who don’t have to look over their shoulder for a shambling monster.”
Pauline joined her and, one by one, the others fell in behind them.
“It looks like we have an army of our own,” Sam said.
“It’s more like a squad or a small platoon, really,” Winston replied. “Our army typically had about one hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.”
Braiden shook his head. “Nerd.”
CHAPTER 22
The soldiers worked in silence, neither needing, nor wanting, to talk. The rush of battle and the dizzying high of rescuing so many people in a world thought lost to the dead had faded. Replacing it was a feeling of melancholy. Unburdened of the need to be on guard at all times, the peace and quiet allowed bad memories to inveigle their resting minds. The screams of Walker as he was dragged into the mass of zombies. Langham’s last, heroic stand which might have single-handedly assured the mission’s success by ensuring the gas tanks exploded. Like robots, they cleaned and oiled their weapons, the sounds of springs and mechanisms being stripped the only noise in the vehicle hangar.
Corporal Hague entered, flanked by two of Baxter’s men. The prisoners were dressed in blue overalls with high visibility jackets to show their low status. Once surly, they now meekly stared at the floor, dragging the heavily laden pallet movers across the grey painted concrete. Crates of grenades and various calibres of ammunition had been stacked carefully on the lifting aid. Two L16A2 81mm mortars had been added, along with fifty greenies; the name given to the plastic cases which carried a pair of shells. Explosives had been woefully ineffective so far, but it was decided it would be worth having them just in case.
The Royal Engineers were going over the battered APCs while maintaining a respectful distance to the grieving team. They carried out their checks with an almost reverential care, as if the camouflaged beasts were a symbol of humanities changing fortune. Many of the soldiers on base had passed through to pay their respects to Eldridge and the team for their losses. Those that found it hard to express themselves would raise a beer to the fallen during the evening’s festivities.
The six soldiers lined up, facing the freshly
washed down armoured carriers. Tomorrow they would be returning to the fray, hoping for an uninterrupted run to the prison and castle. With the undead teeming across the land, it was a fool’s hope.
“Is everyone still ready to move out at first light?” Holbeck asked, quietly.
“I’d be happy to get a bite to eat and head out right now,” Dougal muttered. The last thing he wanted was to spend the night sharing stories of Walker and Langham, it was still far too raw.
“We need a night’s rest.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep,” Petermann admitted.
“Me either, buddy, but we need to at least try.”
“We won’t be doing ourselves any favours by going out frazzled. I want to get to our brothers in one piece,” said Eldridge, squeezing Petermann’s shoulder.
“That’s the last of it!” Dougal said, pushing the empty trolley out of the way.
The tannoy crackled into life. “I share your enthusiasm on this joyous day, so drink and be merry tonight. Before that, I’m afraid we have more pressing issues. I want everyone mustered in the main hall in thirty minutes. Hayward, out.”
As the noise died away, Eldridge turned to her fellow troops in the vehicle hangar. “What do you think he means?”
“Fuck knows, but it didn’t sound good. Let’s grab a brew and go and see what’s going on,” Holbeck replied.
***
“Ladies and gents, thank you for coming. I know you want to get back to the celebration as soon as possible, so I won’t take up too much of your time. I can’t sugar coat this; our situation has gone from bad to worse.”
“What do you mean, sir?” Holbeck asked when the captain paused.
“Twenty-four hours ago, our only concern was wresting back a vast city from the clutches of the undead to facilitate the docking of Her Majesty’s Royal Navy at Portsmouth Dockyard. Now, we have something even more dangerous to undertake.”