Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 2): February by Dave Rowlands Read Free Book Online

A.Z.
     
    morning
     
    Breakfast this morning, then Smart Girl called The Colonel and I into a smaller computer lab.  Apocalypse Girl followed, naturally, and the four of us gathered around a monitor, which she brought up a satellite image on.  We immediately recognised the compound, and saw that the fires of the Dead still blazed strongly.  We also immediately saw that the flames were only affecting the front few ranks of the Dead, and that there were many thousands behind them all surging forwards.  Smart Girl pointed to another, much smaller, group of something moving.  Clearly they had been attracted by the fire, as had the group behind that, and another group behind that one too.  All of them moving directly towards the flames.  Seven groups all told, moving towards us.  She then switched over to thermal imaging.
     
     
     
    The Colonel swore.  Apocalypse Girl pointed to the four groups glowing red and said, “So these ones are still Living, yeah?”  Smart Girl nodded.  “They're still days away, at least.  What do we do?  We've got to help them...”  I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry.  Smart Girl opened a fresh bottle of water and handed it to me without a word.  Smart girl, that Smart Girl.  I wet my mouth, and told her that after seeing the size of the horde at the gates yesterday all four of those groups were fucked.  “We have to do something though!  We can't just leave them out there alone!”
     
     
     
    “She's right.  We do have to do something.  We have to lock the fucking door.”  The Twin said, slipping into the room.  Apocalypse Girl and The Twin proceeded to argue the point back and forth for a few minutes, first quietly, then they started shouting.  I tried to get between them to calm them down, but Apocalypse Girl shoved me aside.  After that I just sat and watched.
     
     
     
    “ Enough! ”  The Colonel shouted.  They stopped, each looking mildly ashamed.  “They're both right, each in her own way.  We must defend our position, and we must do what we can to help those people.  We have to make sure the road is clear, at the very least.  That helps our security, and eases their passage.”  She looked each of us in the eyes.  “Above all, we have to keep the fires burning.  I realise that raises a whole host of other potential problems, but it keeps the Dead coming, and serves as a beacon to the Living groups out there, as well.  If there are four groups out there in the immediate vicinity that can see this pillar of smoke by day and fire by night, then you can be sure as hell there are others out there who can see it too.  They're going to come this way too.  Believe me.  We lock those doors and we're responsible for a lot of deaths.”
     
     
     
    noon
     
    The cold hit us like a fucking brick as we stepped outside.  The Colonel, Apocalypse Girl, The Twin, Redbeard and I surveyed the scene.  The compound remained clear of Dead, though the bodies from yesterday's cleaning spree still lay about, here and there.  The Colonel gave Apocalypse Girl her binoculars, and sent her and The Twin up to the helipad to keep watch for both any approaching Dead, or Living.  The rest of us, once again, went to the gate.
     
     
     
    Our work yesterday had been effective, not a single corpse in sight moved, and the flames had retreated down the line somewhat.  Dead flesh burned easily enough, but the snow retarded the spread considerably.  The corpses remained, yet when I kicked one, it disintegrated to dust and ash.  The Colonel casually pulled a grenade from her belt, removed the pin and lobbed it gracefully into the horde behind the ashen dead.  It hit one, who turned to see what had pummeled it, raising a semi eaten arm in our direction just an instant before it was blown to the hell that had rejected it, as well as about a dozen of its companions in Death.  Everything behind them turned as one entity, and surged forwards.  The Colonel threw