noon
Nothing much happening, just the road in front of us. Scout and her group had gone off ahead and returned a couple of times to report nothing for the next hundred or so kilometers, other than an abandoned town, some Dead wandering around it and a service station that would come in handy, as we were very nearly out of fuel. They'd already checked the diesel tank and it was almost completely full.
By the time we arrived at the town in the tank, it was probably midafternoon, so we filled up as quick as we could. The Dead had taken notice of us, starting to mill about, so I took out my sword and began thinning their numbers a little. There were not too many there, anyway, so I was done with them by the time our vehicles were full.
Sonny, while taking Apocalypse Dog out to do his business, (as a dog's business is not to be done in a jeep) came across a road map. It was the work of nearly a minute to work out which blink-and-you-miss-it town we happened to be at, after which we realised we were about halfway home.
evening
As luck would have it, we found a Meat-Beast just off the side of the road around sunset. There were portions already removed today, it seemed, but there is always plenty Meat-Beast to go around. It only meant other survivors, and not terribly many judging by the amount taken.
Clouds gathered overhead, threatening us with rain, so those in the jeep made certain they were all covered up. The bonus of the tank was that there was absolutely no way for foreign particles to get inside it. The Colonel had explained it all, in great detail, how it was able to shield the occupants from things such as chemical weapons, radiation and the like. All I really cared about was that it kept us safe from the Dead and dry when it rained.
Luckily the rain chose to wait until after we had cooked and eaten some fresh Meat-Beast steaks before coming down like a motherfucker. As it was, it began lightly enough that we were able to say goodnight to one another in a civilised fashion rather than bolting for shelter. Maybe Fluffy and the Schrandfelths were responsible for clearing up the weather. If so, you have my thanks, my bizarre little alien buddy! I do not miss the Cold of Winter at all...
July 25th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
With the sky clear, and breakfast under our belts, we began making good time. The roads were relatively clear today, a few Dead shambling about, doing whatever it is that Dead do when they're not trying to eat the Living. Other than that, the occasional abandoned car or truck, already well looted by now.
Scout had taken her jeep for another recon run, taking only Sister and Sonny with her this time, while the rest of us brought the tank along at a more sedate pace. Apocalypse Dog proved just as good travelling inside the tank as in the jeep, curling up on Machete's lap to have his ears scratched.
Scout was waiting for us at a service station on the outskirts of Wagga Wagga. Apparently there was no way, she was saying, that we would be allowed through the town, as they had barricaded the living shit out of the place and were not allowing any newcomers inside. They didn't want anything from us, nor did they want us to have anything of theirs. That being the case, we simply went around. I could see several weak points in their makeshift town wall that anybody would have been able to simply slip through. Oh well, not our problem.
noon
One of the most bizarre things I have seen since this fucked up year began happened today. We came across a mob of perhaps forty to fifty Dead just standing around, stock still, staring to the south. Apocalypse Dog was able to weave through their legs as though they were mannequins, Machete even daring me to touch one. I did so, slicing deep into the skull. The others didn't even notice, still staring off to the south.
“Should we check it out?” Apocalypse Girl suggested, thoughtfully. “I mean if they're so enthralled by it that they aren't noticing food at all, maybe it's something we can use?”
I asked Scout if she would drive Apocalypse Girl and Dog with me to go and see what had the Dead all... well, worked up is not the right term, but whatever they were looking at. She agreed and, before we reached the jeep, Machete was already sitting in the front passenger seat. “I'm coming too!” was all she said.
Apocalypse Dog lay across my lap, head buried in Apocalypse Girl's as we made our way overland to the south. Something was there, off in the distance, something with a whitish look to it. We drew nearer and I realised that it was a caravan. A caravan, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to tow it anywhere in sight.
Scout pulled over and Apocalypse Dog jumped out, sniffing around the caravan's door, one ear half-raised in a canine approximation of Spock's eyebrow. Shrugging, I knocked on the door, almost expecting some half-naked crazy with a shotgun and no teeth to burst out and start shooting. Instead, there was no answer at all.
Scout went around, checking the windows. “There doesn't seem to be anybody inside,” she said, cautiously, “But I'm not sure...” I told Machete to keep Apocalypse Girl safe, drawing my katana, opening the door as I did so.
Sure enough, the interior was mostly empty. A bed, looking to have been recently slept in, a small table with a bowl and spoon sitting atop it. A cup, empty, sitting in the sink. Maybe the toothless, shotgun-wielding nutjob was out hunting?
“It looks like someone lives here,” Apocalypse Girl said, coming up behind me, startling me a little. At least she waited until she knew it was safe before entering. Apocalypse Dog wagged his tail as he plonked himself down at our feet. “Or lived, at least. Who knows if they're still here?” Scout and Machete followed her in.
“Oh, I'm still here, alright!” I was wrong on a couple of points. He was fully clothed and appeared to have all his teeth. However, I was spot on about the shotgun, leveled at the back of Scout's skull. The glint in his eyes was telling me I was probably right about the crazy, too.
evening
Once introductions had been made, Caravan Loony grinned like an idiot, put his gun away and asked us if we would like to sit and play some cards with him. As I examined the shotgun, realising in short order that it was a toy, I asked him if he minded a few other people joining us, to which he started having a panic attack. So, Machete asked if he would like to come along with us, once he calmed down. That was almost worse. No, he told us, he was staying right there! That was the end of that discussion.
So, Scout got on the radio, informing Apprentice and the others that we'd be back tomorrow, asking them to keep an eye on the Dead. At mention of the word, Caravan Loony looked up. “Dead? What're you talking about?” He looked genuinely confused, this time.
“Where have you been for the last seven months?” Scout asked him. “The Dead started coming back and trying to eat people and you missed it all? How is that possible?”
“All I know is that it started getting fucking Cold a few months back, started snowing and everything.” Caravan Loony truly had missed the Dead, it would seem. “Then I noticed a new moon in the sky at night, a couple of weeks back. A red one. But I thought I was just seeing things. I do, sometimes, you know. But, come one, tell me the truth! I know you're just pulling my leg about the Dead!”
Try as we might, there was no convincing him. Not without some kind of proof. And, since no Dead would come anywhere near the caravan and dead Dead would just be taken as evidence of grave-robbing, nor would Caravan Loony leave, there was no way that was possible. In the end, we offered to share some of our food with him while he shared some of his wine and weed with us. All in all, a fair trade, and a roof over our heads for the night to sleep under.
July 26th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
The strange, scraggly bearded lunatic was nowhere to be seen when we awoke, so we simply packed up our things, wrote a note thanking him for his hospitality and left. There was nothing we could do for him and, though we soon came to the conclusion that it was Caravan Loony himself that was affecting the Dead, he was not willing to come with us. He certainly didn't need any help of any kind.
More Dead had joined those already near the tank when we returned. T
hey numbered nearly a hundred now, by the look of things. Still, they ignored us. Most of them. As we left our vehicles to share news of Caravan Loony with those that hadn't come to meet him, another group of about twenty Dead shambled over a nearby hilltop. When they noticed us, they began moving to intercept and feed. Until they got to the road itself, then they turned slightly and moved in to join the larger group, staring to the south. Directly towards the lunatic's caravan.
noon
Continuing our journey we came in short order to a particularly nasty snarl of traffic. This time a petrol tanker was involved, miraculously undamaged but still full of the volatile liquid. About a dozen other cars of various shapes and sizes littered the road either side of the truck, so we wasted no time in searching them.
When we were all out of the vehicles a bullet came seemingly out of nowhere to strike Tiny in the shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Apprentice was at her side in an instant, Scout ducking down behind the nearest vehicle, pulling out her pistol.
“Stay where you are and you won't get hurt!” A voice came, amplified by a megaphone, from the direction of the gunfire. “We will help ourselves to some of your supplies and then leave you alone. We will not take everything, just what we need to survive. We are not monsters!”
“Could have fucking fooled us,” Apocalypse Girl muttered to me as we crouched behind a nearby car. Apocalypse Dog huddled at our feet. Sonny and Sister attempted to get around to the other side of the petrol tanker only to be shot at. Sister bled from her scalp where a bullet grazed her.
“I mean it, STAY PUT!” Megaphone shouted. I called out to the rest of our group, telling them to just let it happen. Next time, someone would need to stay with the vehicles. Fuck, why didn't I think of that? A couple of minutes went by, then Megaphone called out to us once more. “Okay, we've taken what we need. Some food, some water. We've left your weapons and ammunition. I am sorry we had to do this to you.”
evening
As pissed off as we all were about the bandits attacking us, they seemed to have been in a position to wipe us all out easily. The fact that they didn't bother trying to meant that either we had a chance of getting our supplies back, or moving on. Sonny was all for raiding them, seeing as they shot Sister, Apprentice was arguing on behalf of the side of peace. We had shared with them, unwillingly, what we might have given them had they asked.
Tiny, healed and back in action, volunteered to scout out their camp. Promising that she would return by morning, the rest of us made a show of putting up signs warning other travellers that there were bandits nearby.
After a couple of hours we were beginning to think that Tiny had been captured, or perhaps had encountered more Dead than she could handle. Apocalypse Dog's ears pricked up a moment before she wandered into the light of our campfire. “I have some bad news.” She told us. “They need supplies far more than we do. There are about thirty of them, with nearly half of those children.”
I agreed with Tiny, as did most of us. Sonny, however... he was a different story altogether. They had attacked us, he said, so they deserved to be attacked by us. I told him that if they had asked us for help, we would have done so without question. Instead, by ripping us off, even though they left more than they had taken, we now just get to walk away. Their problems are their problems, now.
July 27th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
We moved on from the site of the bandit encounter, passing what had been another fairly large town around mid-morning. This one we avoided, as trust was wearing thin for all of us. Finding The Smart Couple on the radio, telling us that they had made it to their safe place at last, was a welcome piece of news, however. They had heard from The Tortoise's crew, safely back in Melbourne already. The Principal had been more than happy about their return, though he was furious that we would drag his emissaries of peace into an assassination mission.
Not everybody was happy, however. Firecracker had been so distraught over the death of Redbeard that nobody has even seen her in days. Everyone at The School was concerned. The news of the Healer up in Queensland had, evidently, inspired several of the younger Schoolfolk to head north and learn a few things, yet another reason for The Principal to be pissed off at us. We had good friends there, but by now we'd be lucky to not be shot on sight in Melbourne.
The East Coast of Australia was seemingly almost as civilised as it had been last year, what with The Bosses dealt with and a regular trade-route being established between New Brisbane and The School, something that Doctor had arranged with The Puller before leaving. The Mech-Techs would, naturally, be handling any transportation of goods. I shuddered at the thought of the numbers of teeth that might end up changing hands and hoped that most of those would come from Dead mouths.
noon
I was riding on top of the tank, taking in some fresh air when I finally saw our tail; a tiny sliver of Shadow snaking along the road behind us. For whatever reason we had drawn their attention while going through the Shadowzone, now they seemed to want to keep tabs on us. As I watched it seemed to gather itself together, becoming almost solid as it lifted up out of the asphalt and into the sky, where it became a wedge of infinite darkness before flying off to the east.
When we stopped for lunch I debated within myself whether to tell anyone about our Shadow, eventually deciding against it. If it appears again I'll tell Apocalypse Girl and the others, but for now there is little point in worrying them. To be honest I don't think there would be anything any of us could do...
Sonny and Sister wandered off for some 'alone time' in a nearby pub that everybody assumed was abandoned until Sister screamed in agony. This was followed by Sonny shouting “NO!” then crying out in pain himself. We sprang instantly into action, kicking in the door of the pub, Scout shining a torch onto the grisly scene before us.
Sonny was being chewed on by a monstrously bloated Dead wearing biker leathers that had long since split at the seams, as had his skin in parts. Oozing black fluid seeped from the fissures, pulsing each time the Bloated Dead gnawed on its victim. Where the drops of fluid fell, smoke rose. Where the drops of fluid fell on Sonny, flesh sizzled and burned away. Sister's fate was worse still.
She lay on her back on a pool table, Dead surrounding her. One hand held a Dead head by the little remaining hair on its head. The hand, however, was no longer attached to Sister's arm. How they had managed to sneak up on the couple I will never know. Perhaps he was distracted by the fact that her pants lay around her ankles, she might have been oblivious to everything but his touch...
A few slices with my sword and the Dead devouring Sister were no more. Scout opened fire with a shotgun, pulverising the Bloated Dead's head, sending corrosive fluids flying, most landing on Sonny's face. She fired once more when Apprentice told her she could do nothing for the unfortunate Sonny, that the damage had been too severe.
The Twin and Tiny sought out and destroyed the rest of the Dead in the pub while Apocalypse Girl, Apprentice and I attended to Sister. She was bleeding out, and fast. The light in her eyes was beginning to fade and she pulled my head close to her own. “Too much infection...” she gasped, blood bubbling out from both her mouth and the horrific hole torn in her throat. “I can feel it... don't let me become one...of them...pl...” Sister's final words were interrupted by a swift thrust from my katana. She died with a smile on her ruined face, her eyes unmarred by the glaze of Death.
evening
Nobody spoke, nobody wanted to after what had happened in that tiny little 'abandoned' pub on the side road in the middle of fucking nowhere. It wasn't going to be attracting any more victims, that was for damn sure. The place is fucking burning, now, courtesy of one of Apocalypse Girl's many lighters and all, well most, of the more flammable spirits. We snagged a few bottles to help us sleep tonight, though.
I am sure that everybody else felt like I did, so fucked up by events that even the tasty way that Tiny cooked up Meat-Beast turned to ash when it came into contact with taste buds. T
he booze that we had grabbed tasted little better, and we all slept crammed into the tank for safety. A tight fit, but we all felt the need for it tonight.
Too many fucking deaths. Too many. All due to sheer stupidity as well. Jarhead could have been saved, though he was going to lose the leg, but for Sonny's stupidity. Now the little fuckwit got Sister killed, if only he was still around so I could fucking beat him to death myself. FUCK! The next person to cause someone else to die through stupidity I am personally going to cut to pieces.
late night
Had a bit more to drink. Talked a bit with Apocalypse Girl. Maybe we're all fucking up due to stupidity. Sat on top of the tank for a while just watching the stars. Fuck it all, I'm going to sleep. Sort it out in the morning.
July 28th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
Moving on today, hurts like hell though. We're leaving still more friends behind plus I have the grandmother of all hangovers. Plus I woke up, yet again, to Apocalypse Dog slobbering all over my face.
We've been making excellent time today, the road seems mostly to be clear, though there is evidence of several pile-ups that we passed somebody came along and cleared all of the cars to the side of the road. It made me wonder briefly who exactly keeps doing that. Though it was probably different people in each instance, almost certainly in fact, we had encountered several stretches of road in our travels that had been already cleaned of all impediments and obstructions.
Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 7): July Page 9