always happy to welcome new people, and at the same time we’re in your debt.”
I nodded towards the stricken man slumped against the side of the truck, nursing the bloodied remnants of his arm. “You want to take him with you?”
“Of course,” snapped the woman irritably. “He’s still one of us. Would you like to be left behind?”
“Still one of us but only just,” I said darkly. “He’s going to turn, you know that?”
“He might not,” she replied defiantly, although there was uncertainty in her voice.
I shrugged. “Fine. We’ll take him back with us but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Lay him in the front with you,” said Kit. “You can drive. I’ll get into the back with the newbie.”
I cl imbed into the back of the pick-up truck and held on tight. Kit joined me a moment later. I noticed they had managed to get three bags full of supplies. A few tins I imagined, hardly worth it for all the trouble they’d had as a result. Farrow started the engine and drove carefully along the narrow roads. There were a few revenants about but they did not get in our way as we proceeded along. “My name’s Kit,” said the girl eventually.
“I know,” I said awkwardly, looking down. “That other guy told me, Farrow.”
“So what’s your name?”
“Grant,” I reply.
“Is that your first or last name?” She asks me.
“Either will do fine,” I told her with a humourless smile. “You don’t need my life story and I sure as hell don’t need yours. In this world you’re either alive, dead or one of them.”
Kit scowled at me. I did not know how to be polite or to make small talk. I knew how to be respectful and I knew how to be abrupt. I did not especially want people questioning me as to my background so if Kit thought me aloof and unfriendly that was fine by me. It wasn’t as though I intended to stick around that long with a bunch of amateurs.
“So what are you?” She asked at last. “Military man?”
“Yeah,” I replied, not looking at her. “Or rather former military man. When the shit got so bad we deserted one by one. There’s no army left now. As you might imagine we were hit pretty hard.”
“So I heard,” said Kit. “So you got a weapon of any kind? A gun?”
“Just the clothes I stand up in,” I told her. “Ran out of bullets and broke my assault rifle shattering the head of one of the revenants in the woods only this morning. Left my backpack behind making a hasty retreat from a swarm.” I didn’t care for stories. I decided right away that if I were going to continue the façade of being a military man, an occupation I in fact knew next to nothing about, my best hope of pulling it off would be to talk about myself and my past as little as possible.
“Sounds like you’ve seen some shit,” said Kit.
“Yeah? Well anyone who hasn’t is already one of them,” I said with a shrug.
I looked at the girl before me, noticing her for the first time. She must have been in her mid-twenties with long auburn hair; average height, average build, slightly above average looks but then maybe I was biased. I hadn’t seen a real woman for so long. She continued to regard me with suspicion. I could see she disliked me but was fascinated by me at the same time. “How did you get separated from your unit or platoon or whatever you call it?” She persisted.
“They died,” I replied solemnly. “When things got really bad we deserted our posts, went to fend for ourselves in the town. We were holed up in this loft for over a month until the food ran out, had to go searching for more. We ran straight into a swarm. I was the only one to get away. I headed back to the loft and half starved to death until I was able to get out.”
Kit looked at me. “You don’t seem half starved to me.”
“No? Well believe me I am. You’d better have some food for when we get back to that camp of yours.”
“You’ve got some fucking gall demanding five star service when
I nodded towards the stricken man slumped against the side of the truck, nursing the bloodied remnants of his arm. “You want to take him with you?”
“Of course,” snapped the woman irritably. “He’s still one of us. Would you like to be left behind?”
“Still one of us but only just,” I said darkly. “He’s going to turn, you know that?”
“He might not,” she replied defiantly, although there was uncertainty in her voice.
I shrugged. “Fine. We’ll take him back with us but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Lay him in the front with you,” said Kit. “You can drive. I’ll get into the back with the newbie.”
I cl imbed into the back of the pick-up truck and held on tight. Kit joined me a moment later. I noticed they had managed to get three bags full of supplies. A few tins I imagined, hardly worth it for all the trouble they’d had as a result. Farrow started the engine and drove carefully along the narrow roads. There were a few revenants about but they did not get in our way as we proceeded along. “My name’s Kit,” said the girl eventually.
“I know,” I said awkwardly, looking down. “That other guy told me, Farrow.”
“So what’s your name?”
“Grant,” I reply.
“Is that your first or last name?” She asks me.
“Either will do fine,” I told her with a humourless smile. “You don’t need my life story and I sure as hell don’t need yours. In this world you’re either alive, dead or one of them.”
Kit scowled at me. I did not know how to be polite or to make small talk. I knew how to be respectful and I knew how to be abrupt. I did not especially want people questioning me as to my background so if Kit thought me aloof and unfriendly that was fine by me. It wasn’t as though I intended to stick around that long with a bunch of amateurs.
“So what are you?” She asked at last. “Military man?”
“Yeah,” I replied, not looking at her. “Or rather former military man. When the shit got so bad we deserted one by one. There’s no army left now. As you might imagine we were hit pretty hard.”
“So I heard,” said Kit. “So you got a weapon of any kind? A gun?”
“Just the clothes I stand up in,” I told her. “Ran out of bullets and broke my assault rifle shattering the head of one of the revenants in the woods only this morning. Left my backpack behind making a hasty retreat from a swarm.” I didn’t care for stories. I decided right away that if I were going to continue the façade of being a military man, an occupation I in fact knew next to nothing about, my best hope of pulling it off would be to talk about myself and my past as little as possible.
“Sounds like you’ve seen some shit,” said Kit.
“Yeah? Well anyone who hasn’t is already one of them,” I said with a shrug.
I looked at the girl before me, noticing her for the first time. She must have been in her mid-twenties with long auburn hair; average height, average build, slightly above average looks but then maybe I was biased. I hadn’t seen a real woman for so long. She continued to regard me with suspicion. I could see she disliked me but was fascinated by me at the same time. “How did you get separated from your unit or platoon or whatever you call it?” She persisted.
“They died,” I replied solemnly. “When things got really bad we deserted our posts, went to fend for ourselves in the town. We were holed up in this loft for over a month until the food ran out, had to go searching for more. We ran straight into a swarm. I was the only one to get away. I headed back to the loft and half starved to death until I was able to get out.”
Kit looked at me. “You don’t seem half starved to me.”
“No? Well believe me I am. You’d better have some food for when we get back to that camp of yours.”
“You’ve got some fucking gall demanding five star service when
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