is in front of you. Everyone else knows what they are doing and will work to cover your sides. If you are bit or cut by an infected you will make that known straight away. We fuck about when we are not fighting but we are serious in the application of our work. Do you understand all of that?’
‘Yes.’
‘If Roy is firing his bow do not try and compensate for where you think he may fire. Roy will work around you. Nick, you got a spare radio?’
‘Yep.’
‘Radio goes on your belt, thread the microphone up inside your shirt and clip it on. Press the button to transmit. Keep the earpiece in at all times. Hand me your sidearm.’
Maddox draws his pistol, flicking it round to present the butt to Blowers. The weapon is stripped quickly, the moving parts checked before being re-assembled and handed back. ‘Rifle…’
He does the same again. His hands working fast, checking the working parts and listening to the firing mechanism.
‘Loaded, made ready, safety on,’ Blowers says, passing it back. Paula and Marcy watch him closely, both of them fascinated by everything he just said and the way he said it. They share a glance, mouths turned down and eyes wide.
‘Any questions?’
‘No.’
‘Good,’ Blowers looks away to the front, his hands resting on the assault rifle between his legs.
The silence extends again. Awkward and uncomfortable.
‘Put another two water bottles in your bag,’ Blowers says after a few minutes.
‘Van’s pulling over,’ Howie calls back. ‘They’re waving…there’s the wheelbarrow. Paula? See it?’
‘Er…yep got it.’
‘I’ll tell the van they can go back,’ Clarence says, dropping out to run ahead.
‘Right,’ Paula says, spreading the piece of paper out. ‘So this line is the road we’re on…she said we go back up the road to a junction…so that will be on the left?’
‘Right,’ Marcy says, ‘right side.’
‘Is it? Oh yes, yes you’re right.’
No Cookey jokes about being lost already. No comments from Nick that even he could read it better. Nothing from Howie. Nothing from anyone. Just a heavy silence that Maddox knows his presence is causing.
‘Right,’ Clarence says, clambering back in. ‘Which way?’
‘It’s one road,’ Howie says. ‘We can only go one way.’
‘Good point,’ Clarence says easily.
‘Keep going until we reach a junction on the right,’ Paula says.
The Saxon pulls away. The big engine rumbling deep and strong to roll the vehicle on the road. Nick stretches his neck, rolling his shoulders. Cookey entwines his fingers and stretches his arms forward. Blowers inhales deep and long. Blinky pulls her head back trying to stop the urge to puke. Mo stares at the back doors, his hatred for Maddox palpable and obvious.
‘Junction,’ Marcy says, calling out and pointing.
‘Is it?’ Howie asks. ‘I would have gone straight past it too.’
‘Funny.’
‘I try.’
‘You’re very trying…’
‘Down this road and she said we go straight over at the next junction…she said they stayed on the wider road.’
‘Roger,’ Howie says, building the speed up.
‘Open the back doors, Mo. Hot as fuck in here,’ Nick says.
Dave nods, Mo releases the lock to push the doors open filling the interior with the noise of the tyres on the road. Roy’s van behind them.
‘Straight over?’ Howie asks.
‘Yep, stay on the wider road,’ Paula says. ‘Should be a gate down here somewhere, she said it leads to the stables…the big fight was across the field from that stable.’
‘There,’ Clarence says, pointing ahead.
‘Got it,’ Howie says, easing the speed down. ‘We’ll go on foot from here. Everyone switch on…out we get.’
‘With me,’ Blowers says, staring at Maddox. Mo and Dave drop out. Charlie and Blinky next.
‘On Jess?’ Charlie asks.
‘Go for it,’ Blowers says.
‘Work with Simon’s team for now,’ Dave says to Mo, walking off to the front. Mo nods, scowling at the ground to avoid eye contact
‘Yes.’
‘If Roy is firing his bow do not try and compensate for where you think he may fire. Roy will work around you. Nick, you got a spare radio?’
‘Yep.’
‘Radio goes on your belt, thread the microphone up inside your shirt and clip it on. Press the button to transmit. Keep the earpiece in at all times. Hand me your sidearm.’
Maddox draws his pistol, flicking it round to present the butt to Blowers. The weapon is stripped quickly, the moving parts checked before being re-assembled and handed back. ‘Rifle…’
He does the same again. His hands working fast, checking the working parts and listening to the firing mechanism.
‘Loaded, made ready, safety on,’ Blowers says, passing it back. Paula and Marcy watch him closely, both of them fascinated by everything he just said and the way he said it. They share a glance, mouths turned down and eyes wide.
‘Any questions?’
‘No.’
‘Good,’ Blowers looks away to the front, his hands resting on the assault rifle between his legs.
The silence extends again. Awkward and uncomfortable.
‘Put another two water bottles in your bag,’ Blowers says after a few minutes.
‘Van’s pulling over,’ Howie calls back. ‘They’re waving…there’s the wheelbarrow. Paula? See it?’
‘Er…yep got it.’
‘I’ll tell the van they can go back,’ Clarence says, dropping out to run ahead.
‘Right,’ Paula says, spreading the piece of paper out. ‘So this line is the road we’re on…she said we go back up the road to a junction…so that will be on the left?’
‘Right,’ Marcy says, ‘right side.’
‘Is it? Oh yes, yes you’re right.’
No Cookey jokes about being lost already. No comments from Nick that even he could read it better. Nothing from Howie. Nothing from anyone. Just a heavy silence that Maddox knows his presence is causing.
‘Right,’ Clarence says, clambering back in. ‘Which way?’
‘It’s one road,’ Howie says. ‘We can only go one way.’
‘Good point,’ Clarence says easily.
‘Keep going until we reach a junction on the right,’ Paula says.
The Saxon pulls away. The big engine rumbling deep and strong to roll the vehicle on the road. Nick stretches his neck, rolling his shoulders. Cookey entwines his fingers and stretches his arms forward. Blowers inhales deep and long. Blinky pulls her head back trying to stop the urge to puke. Mo stares at the back doors, his hatred for Maddox palpable and obvious.
‘Junction,’ Marcy says, calling out and pointing.
‘Is it?’ Howie asks. ‘I would have gone straight past it too.’
‘Funny.’
‘I try.’
‘You’re very trying…’
‘Down this road and she said we go straight over at the next junction…she said they stayed on the wider road.’
‘Roger,’ Howie says, building the speed up.
‘Open the back doors, Mo. Hot as fuck in here,’ Nick says.
Dave nods, Mo releases the lock to push the doors open filling the interior with the noise of the tyres on the road. Roy’s van behind them.
‘Straight over?’ Howie asks.
‘Yep, stay on the wider road,’ Paula says. ‘Should be a gate down here somewhere, she said it leads to the stables…the big fight was across the field from that stable.’
‘There,’ Clarence says, pointing ahead.
‘Got it,’ Howie says, easing the speed down. ‘We’ll go on foot from here. Everyone switch on…out we get.’
‘With me,’ Blowers says, staring at Maddox. Mo and Dave drop out. Charlie and Blinky next.
‘On Jess?’ Charlie asks.
‘Go for it,’ Blowers says.
‘Work with Simon’s team for now,’ Dave says to Mo, walking off to the front. Mo nods, scowling at the ground to avoid eye contact
Similar Books
