by T. L. Frost
His only answer was a grin from Quinn as he picked up a fallen chair and sat down. Tom paused a moment then went to check upstairs. It was the same as downstairs, everywhere looked like it had been searched in a hurry, nothing useful left behind. When he returned to the kitchen Quinn was still sitting, waiting.
“Better go see if the others need a hand.” Said Tom “Looks like this place has already been cleaned out.”
“They’re big boys, they can look after themselves.” Said Quinn.
Carter lifted the long iron bar he carried and used the tip to push open the door of a storage building. No sounds greeted him and a quick check inside proved fruitless. Nearby bill was watching the main cattle shed, his shotgun pointed at the open, main doors.
“There’s something dead in there.” He said, wrinkling his nose at the smell and pointing to the ground.
Dark, dry blood stains could be seen where something had been dragged inside. Carter nodded and followed Bill inside. Rows of stalls filled the large space, old mouldy hay scattered all around, long unused milking equipment growing tarnished with age. They followed the stains down the centre between the two rows of stalls, a small storage area at the end seemed to be where the smell was strongest, a dirty tarpaulin covering something there. Bill raised his shotgun and Carter, seeing he was ready, grabbed the tarpaulin, pulling it away quickly. Three bodies lay there, two adults and a child, though they were badly decomposed.
“Looks like they’ve been dead a while.” Said Bill, kneeling to examine them “Probably the disease took them early on.”
Carter moved next to him, turning a body over with his iron bar. The skull had been smashed, completely crushed on the side.
“That wound looks recent, hasn’t dried out much.” He said, pointing at the head.
The others showed similar wounds, still dripping blood or brains. Bill threw the tarpaulin back over the bodies, leaving the shed and breathing in the clean, fresh air.
“Nothing in here of any use to us.” He said, walking around the large building to the rear of the farmhouse, his eyebrow raising a little in surprise “They might be though.”
Carter followed his gaze. To the rear were more fields, stretching into the distance. They could see a break in the fencing, and standing next to it a cow with a small calf standing close by.
“Anything?” Asked Tom as he came out of the farmhouse.
“Depends.” Replied Carter with a grin “You know anything about catching cows?”
Chapter 3
“So the place had already been cleaned out.” Said Merrick as they sat around the large kitchen table back at Haven Farm.
He sipped his steaming hot mug of tea which Harriet had made for them all. She was surprised and almost overcome with gratitude when Carter had walked in leading the cow by a rope, the young calf following behind. Carter was happy to hand it over. Having lived in the city his whole life he felt a little uncomfortable with such a big animal.
“Not long before we got there either.” Said Bill “The cow was probably off through the broken fence when they searched the place, whoever they were.”
Merrick nodded “It’s not the first time. A couple of those crosses on the map are places that were already cleared when we checked them last week. Looks like we might have some competition around here.”
“Tell Barry when he’s on lookout that it’s not just zombies he needs to warn us about.” Said Carter “We don’t know what this other group is like, probably better to be too cautious than not cautious enough.”
Merrick nodded again “We’ve got some rifles packed away. Might be a good idea if he took one up on that silo roof with him. He’s the only one of us with any real training with one, well apart from Jim, but that was a long time ago.”
“A few warning shots would probably be enough if anything happened.” Said Carter “But if it looks worse, I know how to handle one.”
“Anyway it wasn’t a complete waste, them there cows are a real asset.” Said Bill sipping his tea and grimacing slightly “Soon have some milk off the mother and be able to have a proper brew.”
Merrick laughed “Harriet does seem rather happy with them, I think she was even happier when you showed her the cheese making equipment you had stashed in the Landrovers.”
“Aye she’s a good’n.” Replied Bill “Knows a thing or two about everything that goes into making a farm work. Learned a lot from her old dad.”
“Don’t know where we’d all be now if we hadn’t met you two.” Said Merrick.
“Hush now, we’re all in this together.” Replied Bill “Ain’t one of you that doesn’t pull your weight. We’re just as lucky you lot turned up.”
They sat sipping their tea in comfortable silence then, each lost in their own thoughts as they recalled what it was like on the road, living day to day. Bill stood and gathered the empty cups, heading for the kitchen.
“So what now?” Asked Carter “We still need to stock up on as many supplies as possible.”
“Yes that’s true. It’s too late now to go out again today, so you might as well prepare for an early start tomorrow, still plenty of places we can check out with the fuel we have.” Merrick stood and left the room.
Carter relaxed, thinking about the other group out there, he didn’t like the idea of them wandering around, scavenging so close. Might be better to look for them before looking for more supplies, he thought. If they were friendly then all was good, but if not… then it was better to find out sooner rather than later. A few minutes after he had left, Merrick returned, placing something wrapped in some oiled cloth on the table. From the shape of it, Carter knew what it was before Merrick had even unwrapped it.
“Used one of these before?” He asked, handing the rifle to Carter.
“Something similar.” Replied Carter nodding as he took the weapon.
He checked it expertly, making sure it was empty and clean. Merrick placed some magazines next to it.
“Better in the hands of someone who knows how to use it safely, don’t want one of the others shooting themselves in the foot.” Said Merrick “There’s more ammunition, but not much.”
Carter was just starting to wrap it in the cloth again when the warning bell sounded. He stood up quickly, grabbing the weapon and stuffing the magazines into his pockets, then he followed Merrick, who grabbed a long, spiked metal bar and some binoculars.
“What is it?” He asked Bill, who was already there.
“No idea, something heading this way from the main gates.”
Merrick looked up, Barry was pointing up the track which led around a rise in the land towards the main gates. A moment later a green army truck came into view, pulling to the side of the track and stopping, nobody got out. A minute later a pick-up truck pulled past it, stopping in front of the truck. Two men jumped out of the rear.
“Shotguns.” Said Merrick “Both of them.”
Another man climbed out of the passenger side of the pick-up, he had binoculars of his own and studied the group near the farm buildings. Merrick could clearly see the grin on his face as he turned to shout something to the other men with him.
“Damn.” Said Merrick “I thought he was long gone, or dead.”
“Who is it?” Asked Carter, unwrapping the rifle and loading it.
“His name is Ross, Sergeant Ross. We had a run in with him and his men a while ago. That’s one of their rifles you’re holding.”
Carter took the binoculars and studied the other group who were all climbing back into the vehicles.
“They don’t look like military.” He said “He’s the only one in a uniform.”
“The others are dead. I hoped he was too.”
The Truck and pick-up slowly reversed out of sight as Carter watched.
“Where the fuck did you get that?!” Came Quinn’s voice as he appeared from behind the farmhouse, axe in hand.
Carter looked at the rifle he was holding “Santa Claus.” He replied, noticing the way Quinn eyed it �
�Don’t get too excited, there aren’t any spares to go around.”
Quinn seemed about to say something, but clenched his jaw, staring at Carter for a second, before heading back into the house.
“I’ll go check and make sure they’ve gone.” Said Carter heading for one of the Landrovers.
Chapter 4
The mood was sombre as almost everyone crowded into the large kitchen, some sitting, some standing.
“So what do we do about them?” Said Merrick, standing at the head of the table “That’s the question. I’m open to suggestions.”
“Cut his damn head off.” Said Jim from one side of the room “Finish what we started.”
A few murmurs of agreement sounded, others stayed silent.
“They didn’t hang around.” Said Bill, who was sitting next to Merrick “Maybe they’re long gone by now, they saw we are armed.”
Merrick nodded “Possibly, but we’ll have to be looking over our shoulders all the time. I’m guessing they’re the other group raiding the farms around here. They could cause us problems, even indirectly, if they’re after the same supplies we are.”
“They didn’t look like farmers to me.” Said Natalie, Merrick’s sister.
“Maybe if we could talk to them, get to…” Began Bill.
Jim shook his head, his long grey hair tied back in a ponytail “Believe me, you don’t want to talk to Ross, he’s not much of a listener. He prefers using his fists to make a point.”
The room was silent as they looked to Merrick again, they had all heard about how Jim and the others had been treated by Sergeant Ross and none of them were keen to experience it first-hand.
“Ok, but the others with him, maybe we could talk to them?” Asked Bill.
“Maybe.” Said Merrick “But then again, maybe they’re just as bad as him, and how would we get the chance? No I think we’ll have to assume they are all dangerous and be more vigilant. An extra lookout in the far room, upstairs will cover any blind-spots near the buildings, plus Barry on top of the silo should give us enough warning.”
“What about scavenging for supplies?” Asked Carter “We still need to get stocked up for winter and find fuel and other resources.”
Merrick nodded agreement “We should concentrate to the south, away from the other places that were already emptied. Avoid a confrontation.”
Murmurs of agreement sounded again to this suggestion.
“No.” Said Carter “We should do the opposite.”
“The opposite?” Asked Bill “You mean try and beat them to anything to the north before they get to it?”
“Not just that. We should go out looking for them. Hunt them down, maybe force them to move on, or deal with them, permanently.”
Silence greeted this statement, though one or two nodded in agreement.
“We’re not soldiers.” Said Merrick “The risks would be high.”
“Neither are they.” Answered Carter “And yes it’s risky but so is living with them out there, never knowing where they are or what they are up to. They could be watching this place right now for all we know, waiting for a chance to come in and clear us out.”
“You think they’re after this place?” Asked Jim.
“I don’t know what they’re after, but we’ve got it pretty good here, we need to protect it. Believe me, it’s a lot worse out there on the road.”
Merrick stood, hands on the table, looking around the room while everyone thought about what Carter had said.
“I agree with what you say, we need to protect what we have.” Said Merrick “At the same time I don’t think going out and actually hunting for them would be a good idea, they’re armed and we know their leader is ruthless. The rest of his people…” Merrick shrugged “We don’t know yet, but we’ll assume the worst.”
“Just my opinion.” Replied Carter “I never was one to sit back and hope trouble went away. I’ll follow your lead.”
Merrick nodded “We’re pretty secure here. They won’t get near without being seen and we’re armed too. Barry has the other rifle now and I’ll keep the spare shotgun handy. You’re armed too.” Said Merrick looking at Carter “And Bill has a shotgun, together you should be able to protect yourselves when out scavenging, but try to avoid a confrontation, we need everybody alive.”
“Understood.” Said Carter “We’ll head out first thing in the morning, best not to waste any time.”
The next day the two Landrovers were loaded up and ready to go again at first light, Carter and Bill in the first, Tom and Alice in the second, with Quinn in the rear. When they got to the main gates Carter waved them all through again then jumped back in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle.
“We heading south then, away from that other group?” Asked Bill as they left the muddy track and reached the road.
“North.” Said Carter, looking to the right “A little reconnaissance won’t hurt while we’re searching for supplies.”
Bill grinned and spun the steering wheel “Yep, no harm in looking.”
They passed the dairy where they had found the cows and kept going, Bill driving carefully as Carter studied the map.
“The places that were all cleared out are all around here.” He said looking up “We’ll check a few more, that army truck they had should be easy to spot if they haven’t hidden it.”
Bill drove on following directions, the first place they came to was a tractor showroom, large fuel guzzling machines standing untouched, windscreens dusty and the outside of the building overgrown with weeds. Carter stood watch outside as Bill and Tom went in, they were back in less than ten minutes.
“Cleaned out too.” Said Bill “Lock on the side door was already broken.”
“At least we know we’re in the right area.” Said Carter.
“What the hell are we doing here?” Came Quinn’s rough voice “We’re supposed to be searching to the south. This is a waste of time.”
“If you don’t like it, you can stay behind next time.” Was Carter’s only reply as he climbed back in the lead vehicle.
After a few more miles they pulled off the winding country road into the driveway of a cottage, no vehicles were there and everything seemed peaceful.
“Nice place.” Said Alice, sticking her head out of the driver’s side window of her Landrover.
“Yeah, must have been worth a few quid.” Said Tom looking around.
Carter stood by on lookout again as Bill headed for the front door with Quinn and Tom. The handle turned and the door opened easily.
“Check around the back.” Bill said to Quinn before heading inside with Tom.
As they reached the kitchen, they saw a familiar mess, cupboards open, belongings thrown onto the floor, nothing useful left. Quinn came in through the rear door, glancing around with a scowl.
“This is all a waste of time, we should head back to the south, there’s nothing here.”
“Let’s check it anyway, they may have missed something.” Said Bill “Tom you check upstairs, I’ll go check out back. May be a shed or greenhouse they overlooked.”
Quinn leaned against a kitchen worktop, arms folded and waited impatiently. After a few minutes Tom came back down empty handed, shrugging his shoulders. Soon after Bill returned, his face pale.
“What is it?” Asked Tom.
“I found the people who lived here.” He replied “Let’s go, now.”
Tom and Quinn looked at each other and followed.
“Same as the other places?” Asked Carter as the others returned.
“Not exactly.” Said Bill “I found the couple who must have lived here, both dead.”
“They already been put down like at the dairy?” Asked Carter, seeing Bill shaking his head slightly.
“Not like there no. They had their hands tied, looks like the man was beaten to death and neither of them were zombs.” Bill looked back over his shoulder at the cottage “They were both alive not long ago.”
Chapter 5
They drove on
in silence, Bill staring straight ahead as he drove, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“Turn left here, there’s another place a few miles down that way.” Said Carter, indicating the direction with his hand, the map out again.
“I need to go down here first.” Replied Bill “Got a few things to pick up from Harriet’s father’s old place for the missus.”
Carter nodded, checking its location on the map, seeing it was already crossed out. They pulled off the road onto the rougher track leading to the farm, stopping at the entrance gate.
“What are we stopping for?” Asked Carter “The gate’s open.”
“It shouldn’t be, we left it closed.” Replied Bill looking around “I always do.”
“They must have been looking around here, you already cleared the place out though of anything useful didn’t you?” Asked Carter.
Bill nodded “Yep, apart from a few personal belongings that I’m after.”
They drove on slowly, the muddy road showing signs of tracks made by large wheels. When the farm buildings came into sight Bill stopped again. Parked in front of the main building was a green army truck and a pick-up, both dirty and muddy. Bill put the Landrover into reverse and drove back out of sight.
“Well we know where they’ve been hold up now.” Said Bill.
“Probably been here a while judging by the state of the track. Must have checked out every place for miles around.”
Tom got out of the second Landrover and came to the passenger window.
“They’re here.” Said carter as his window lowered “Back out quietly and head back the way we came.”
Tom just nodded and hurried back to the other vehicle. Back at the cottage, they pulled into the driveway and stopped, everyone getting out.
“They’re staying there?” Asked Alice “You sure.”
“No other reason to be there.” Answered Bill “Plenty of tracks going in and out, plus it’s a good location, quiet, out of the way.”
“We should go back, avoid this area.” Said Quinn “This was a stupid idea to come out looking for them.” He pointed at Carter “Your stupid idea.”