Zed Days (Book 2): Zed Days Read online

  Zed Days - Book Two

  By Nick Harland

  Kindle Edition 2018

  Copyright © 2018 by Nick Harland

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in relevant and critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Whilst based loosely in a real life locale all specific locations such as houses, shops, or businesses are described fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, places or events is entirely coincidental.

  Other Titles

  Zed Days Series

  Zed Days Book One

  The Last Alchemist Series

  The Last Alchemist: The Great Bear

  The Last Alchemist: Smugglers Cave

  The Last Alchemist: War

  For more information about the author, other titles, new releases, and to sign up for updates about upcoming titles and other opportunities go to;

  http://www.thefantasywriter.co.uk/

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One – Mega Horde

  Chapter Two - Last Flight to Anywhere, Ever…..

  Chapter Three – Stairway to Hell

  Chapter Four – Deep Cover

  Chapter Five – Skill Set

  Chapter Six – Mark

  Chapter Seven – Down by the Riverside

  Chapter Eight – Axe Meets Skull

  Chapter Nine – Pickup

  Chapter Ten – Survivors

  Chapter Eleven – Wheels of Fire

  Chapter Twelve – Rotten Eggs

  Chapter Fourteen – The Bad People

  Chapter Fifteen – Going it alone

  Chapter Sixteen – Talking Trouble

  Chapter Seventeen – Killing Time

  Chapter Eighteen – Gun’s n Ammo

  Chapter Nineteen – A Willing Subject

  Chapter Twenty – Pretty Little Pill

  Chapter Twenty One - Councillor

  Chapter Twenty Two – While you were sleeping

  Chapter Twenty Three – Bitten

  Chapter Twenty Four – Score Cards

  Chapter Twenty Five – So Far, So Not a Zombie

  Chapter Twenty Six – Choices

  Chapter Twenty Seven – The Factory

  Chapter Twenty Eight – Divide and Conquer.

  Chapter Twenty Nine – Siege

  Chapter Thirty – I Fucking Hate Snipers

  Prologue

  Well, it’s a miracle, but having survived a Zombie apocalypse I’m still surviving three weeks later, and what a three weeks. It’s messed up, but my life over the last three weeks has been better than it has been for years. I’ve met a woman, not a girl, a woman, who is sooo sexy, and smart and perfect. For reasons beyond me, apart from rescuing her maybe, she seems to love me as much as I love her. It might also have something to do with the fact that, apart from Bill who is older, fatter, and balding, I’m the only other man left alive, except her husband who she absolutely hates, and his friend whom I assume she hates by association.

  But I’m getting off track. I survived and now I have an awesome base in a caravan sales place, a woman I love and oh yea….get this, another woman Esme, who is 20 and really fit, and who likes to join Eve and I for threesomes; awesome or what. Then there is Andrea who was a science technician in a lab with Esme and who is older but cool, and Bill, who I mentioned earlier, who is a super geek car mechanic.

  Between us we’ve survived and scavenged, which let me tell you isn’t easy, and now we have a load of stuff stored in our base. Over the three weeks since it happened the Zombie’s, or people who the microscopic aliens have colonised, yes you heard me, microscopic aliens, have been developing. Originally they were slow and predictable. Now they’re faster and smarter and just before we left to try and find some other survivors, one began to talk. We captured one and it began to talk and told us, “We will kill you, you will die”. That was really scary. Apart from having learnt to talk, which means it can do fuck knows what else, it said “we”. That means it and its 6 billion mates have a plan, and us surviving isn’t part of it.

  So, before we left in a modified Range Rover we call ‘Mary’, and a big tipper truck we call, ‘the truck’, Eve shot the talking Zed. As our ongoing survival seems less and less likely I printed out our story, what I’ve written so far, and left it at the base. I don’t know when we might all die so, having printed out what I’ve written so far, I guess that makes this Book Two. I should confirm at this point that I’m still writing this book for me, to remember, and that when I started writing I never expected to last so long or to meet one, let alone two, women. As it’s part of the story, I’ve written about the fantastic sex we’ve had so if I read what I’ve written in the future, I’ll remember that too. The possibility of someone else reading these stories is probably increasing as I live longer but I’m going to carry on telling our story, including the sex, because that’s what I’ve done so far and I’d hate for those memories to fade. If someone else is reading this, well done for surviving, and I hope I’m not around to be embarrassed by it.

  So, when I stopped writing last time we were all headed to the airport in search of more survivors but Andrea had been badly bitten on the leg. We were taking her with us because having only just discovered a talking Zed, we didn’t know what else they might have started doing and we didn’t want to leave her alone at the base. It had been a day or so since she’d been bitten and she seemed fine, apart from her leg missing a chunk of flesh of course.

  Chapter One – Mega Horde

  We trundled away from the comparative safely of our base with Eve, Mutt and I in the truck. Yes, I’m 22, in a serious post-apocalyptic relationship, and we have a dog; live with it. Esme, Bill and Andrea were in Mary and led the way. The airport was about twenty minutes outside town pre-apocalypse and we could only guess how long it would take post-apocalypse. We had fuel and lots of food and water in case we did find survivors. We all had guns but the ammo was starting to run low and so far we’d needed it almost every day. We knew the trip was dangerous but it was a unanimous decision to search for survivors. We knew, or at least hoped, that if we found anyone they could help us as much we could help them.

  The truck rattled and bounced and groaned and only had three out of four brakes, but it was high up and virtually Zed proof. Bill had welded some thick wire mesh over the windows of both Mary and the truck before we left. Every Zed was a potential risk so we avoided any we could. We did well until we were on a dual carriage way out of town and Bill, who was driving Mary, stopped in the middle of the road at the summit of a flyover. We had been weaving in and out of crashed or stationary cars the whole time and Mary had been nudging the odd one out of the way. I couldn’t see the hold up.

  Just as Eve got out some binoculars and scanned the road ahead Esme was on the walki-talkie, ‘Hi guys, bad news. There’s…’

  As she was speaking Eve leaned forwards in the cab and said loudly, ‘Fucking hell, that’s massive.’

  I heard Esme end, ‘What do we do?’

  I answered Esme, ‘Let me take a look and I’ll get back to you.’

  I looked across at Eve, ‘I think I can guess, but what’s massive?’

  Eve forced a smile, ‘Well, if the horde my bastard husband brought us was a little gift, there is a full-on family Christmas up ahead and the parents have gone all out.’

  I took the binoculars and opened the door of the cab. I clambered onto the bonnet and then the roof. From my vantage point I almost didn’t need the binoculars but I looked anyw
ay. The dual carriage way was straight for about a quarter of a mile, then there was a big roundabout with four exits at the bottom of a hill. One of the exits led to the town’s football stadium which was only about a mile from the roundabout. On the road from the stadium and all over the roundabout was an enormous horde of Zeds. I guessed there must have been over a thousand if you included the ones on the road to the stadium, but I really didn’t have a clue. All I knew was that there were too many and that they were in our way.

  Eve joined me on the roof. She sat with her legs dangling over the mesh covered screen and then Esme got out of Mary and wander towards us. I looked at Esme who saw the question in my eyes and said, ‘They don’t seem to be going anywhere for the time being and Andrea will beep if they do. What do you recon?’

  I said, ‘That’s a shit load of Zeds. Although we might get through them with the cars, we might not. If we got bogged down in the middle of that lot it would be game over.’

  Esme and Eve said simultaneously, ‘Agreed.’

  I looked down the road again and said, ‘There’s a bit of a hill down to the roundabout and there are two cars that look like they had a fender bender between them and us. We’ve come too far to risk it all when we don’t have to, and there must be a way around, but it’s hard to turn down the opportunity for some cool Zed killing and a chance at clearing the path.’

  I looked over at Eve and down at Esme and there expressions were the same, eyebrows raised in utter confusion. Eve’s expression had a hint of, ‘what the fuck is he up to now’, mixed in with one eyebrow just a hint higher than the other.

  I looked back at the cars, a fiat 500 and a Ford Fiesta, definitely both petrol. Shrugging my shoulders and turning my hands over in invitation I said, ‘You really don’t see it?’

  Eve got up, stood beside me and said, ‘It must be a lout think but I’m sure it’s fucking brilliant, so why don’t you just put us out of our misery.’

  I explained, ‘Both the cars are petrol and they’ve lightly crashed into each other which means their handbrakes probably aren’t on and the drivers will have turned. There’s a hill down to the biggest horde of Zeds we’ve ever seen, just waiting for some excitement. We position ourselves so we can make a quick getaway and then we check out the cars. If we can get the fuel caps open we can stick a rag in them, tie off the steering wheels like they do in the movies, then push them down the hill. I’d say a cars fuel tank exploding in a massive horde of Zeds is one nil to us and there’s always the possibility it could clear enough of a path that we could nip through.’

  Eve shrugged her shoulders and Esme did an unconvincing half-mouthed smile and said, ‘You know making a car explode is actually really hard and that petrol doesn’t actually burn at normal temperatures. It’s only the vapour that ignites and can explode. I like the idea, but I think we need Bills help. I also think that them getting smart and self-protective has its advantages. If they’re starting to avoid fire, then if we make loads of it we might spread them out enough to be able to drive through.’

  I looked at Eve, ‘Ok, not such a great idea straight off the bat but it’s got potential and it would be really nice not to have to try and find a way around. An alternative route could take ages and who knows what else we might run into.’

  Eve nodded, ‘Ok, let’s get Bill.’

  Esme called Bill who wandered over, ‘So what’s the plan?’

  Before I could speak Eve said, ‘Lout here wants to try and make those two cars ahead of us explode in the middle of the horde by setting the fuel tanks alight then rolling them down the hill. Esme was just giving us a little chemistry lesson, but she also pointed out that if we could make enough fire down there they might move far enough away and we might be able to get through. None of us knows the way around.’

  Bill looked at us then over his shoulder at the cars, scratching his stubbly chin he said, ‘Interesting, how to make a car actually explode. Like Esme says, it’s not as easy as it sounds but I think we could get close. Firstly, a full tank wont explode because as I assume Esme has pointed out, it’s the vapour that’s really flammable not the petrol itself. The emptier the tank the more space there is for vapour and the more likely you are to get some kind of explosion, but even then I don’t think it would be that dramatic. Making a car burn and heat up until the fuel does reach a temperature that will make it explode might be possible though, or just making whole car burn enough to spread the Zeds.’

  ‘We could cut the fuel lines, roll the cars down the hill and then light the trail of fuel they leave behind them. We could set the boots alight above the fuel tanks for good measure and leave the petrol caps off. When they come to a stop fuel should spill out of the lines making a burning puddle below the car, more so if we can get them started. With the heat below and above the tank it should eventually explode, but I have no Idea how long it would take or how dramatic it would be. The Zeds could just charge us or move far enough away that if they do explode, very few get burnt. I like the idea of trying though. We could position Mary and the truck so we could either run or head down the hill, so we‘re prepared no matter what happens. The truck should lead as it’s less likely to get stopped if the horde charges or if we try and get through. We can stay close behind in Mary.’

  Everyone looked up at me, ‘Well it’s kind of a let down from what I was imagining but let’s give it a go. I see every Zed we kill as one less that might try and kill us later.’

  We positioned ourselves so we could go either way on the road and Bill grabbed a few tools. I grabbed a 5-litre can of petrol, some cardboard, and a lighter. Bill and I approached the two cars with Eve and Esme close behind us, guns at the ready. We were still far enough away so we would have plenty of time to run back to the cars, but we wanted to be safe. The Zeds must have been able to see us but they didn’t move towards us, though some turned to look at us. Luckily, they seemed to be sticking with their change of behaviour from immediately charging anything living, to lying in wait, or at least waiting until the meat was close enough. We checked the handbrakes first and they were both off. The Fiesta had keys in it which was a bonus and both previous occupants must have joined the crowd or wandered off.

  Esme had to help us push the cars until they were pointed straight down the hill and we put the hand brakes on to stop them rolling. We used some cord to tie the steering wheels off so they would stay straight.

  Bill said, ‘We need to be quick about this. I’ll cut the line and you pour the petrol into the boot. When I’m done, Esme can let the handbrake off and get behind us. Then you throw some burning cardboard into the back and light the fuel on the ground. Then we have to do the same with the second one as quickly as we can.’ Looking at both of us with a furrowed brow he added, ‘Any questions, this is a pretty dangerous stunt?’

  We both shook our heads and Esme half sat in the front of the Fiesta ready to turn the engine on and take the handbrake off. Bill lay on the ground and reached under the car then nodded at me, ‘Now.’

  I poured half the petrol into the popped boot and lit some cardboard. When the card was alight Bill crawled out from under the car and said, ‘Esme, now.’

  Esme turned over the engine and it came to life, then she took the handbrake off and gave the car a shove on its way. When she and Bill were behind me I ran a couple of steps forwards and threw the burning card into the boot. The whoomph of the petrol lighting and the brief fireball directed at me by the open boot scorched my face, but I was still smiling. Then, standing as far away as I could this time, I used the lighter to set fire to the line of fuel being pumped out from under the moving car. It went up and only took a couple of seconds to catch up to the car.

  I watched the car for a moment but Bill and Esme were already in position at the other one. I ran over fumbling with the lighter, ‘Sorry.’ I emptied the rest of the fuel into the back as Bill cut the lines and this time when Esme was safe I ducked as I threw the burning card and didn’t get scorched.

  After I lit t
he fuel on the ground Bill and Esme both took an arm each and marched me back to the cars. Bill said, ‘You can watch from the safety of the cars, they could charge at any moment.’

  I took one last look over my shoulder and both cars were well on the way, the Fiesta gaining a little speed and burning well by now, a column of grey smoke trailing behind it. I climbed back into the passenger seat of the truck where Eve was already waiting with the engine running, ‘Now we wait and see.’

  I used the binoculars and watched the Fiesta hit the roundabout, the Zeds parting to let it through. It had enough speed to mount the curb and make it a few feet up the bank of grass that, along with various flower beds, covered the roundabout. Then it slid back down onto the road again. The Fiat went off course and hit the barrier by the side of the road then careered across the road to hit the other barrier just before the roundabout. The Zeds wandered away from the two cars but didn’t charge or move very far. It was hard to imagine what they might be thinking, but it plainly wasn’t complicated.

  The Zeds were getting smarter but they didn’t seem to know what to do about the cars except keep away from the flames. I had expected them to charge but they just stood there. It crossed my mind that they might know they were blocking our way and that’s why they didn’t move, but I dismissed the thought straight away. They were getting smart, but not that smart.

  Within a couple of minutes, both cars were burning fiercely, thick smoke filling the sky above them. Then, just when I was starting to give up hope, the Fiesta blew. It wasn’t as dramatic as I had hoped but a fireball did shoot from the side of the car and reach some Zeds, setting them alight. The panic was contagious and Zeds started running in various directions. The Fiat blew a moment later with a similar effect. The burning Zeds scattered the rest of the horde.

  I looked through the binoculars and with the position of the two cars and the scattered Zeds I thought we could probably get through. I called Esme on the radio, ‘I think we can get through, they’re pretty scattered. We’ll go first and get up as much speed as we can. You stay really close behind so they can’t get between us. Well go right around the roundabout then straight on. See you on the other side.’