you’ve only just got here,” snapped Kit. “You’re ex-army so you’re used to being in charge I suppose? Think us civilians aren’t worth shit? Well a fat lot of a good you did us. Look at all this.” She gestured to the world around her. “The world virtually ended and fuck all you guys did about it except hiding out in lofts until you got the chance to run for your precious little lives.”
“You fight like sheep, you know that?” I snapped at her. “Weak and cornered. I’m amazed you lasted as long as you have.”
“Hey, fuck you!” Retorted Kit angrily.
“Whatever,” I shrugged. “At least I’m not afraid to kill. You’re going to need a man like me around if your performance of this afternoon was anything to go by.”
“We’ll see about that,” muttered Kit. She folded her arms and cast an anxious glance towards Block who was even now bleeding out in the cab of the truck. I sighed heavily, realising I needed to make much more of an effort than this. “I know you think I’m being harsh but my criticism has a serious side,” I told her, my tone conciliatory. “You need to stop pussyfooting around with those bastards. They aren’t human anymore, you know that?”
“I’ve seen enough of them,” muttered Kit. “And maybe they’re not human now but one day there might be a cure.”
“Forget it,” I told her sharply. “Nobody’s going to come up with a cure. Not now, not ever. You get bitten, you’re gone and the best thing anybody could do is take you down before you kill anybody else.”
“Sounds like a pretty heartless attitude,” retorted Kit.
“An attitude that’s kept me alive up until now.”
Kit said nothing to this. I decided to change the subject. “So anyway, where are we headed?”
“We’re holding out in a church,” she replied. “There are seventeen of us, mostly survivors from the village. There used to be more but, well…”
“If they fought as poorly as that I’m not surprised,” I said flippantly, but Kit’s pained expression immediately caused me to regret my words. I started to apologise but she waved me away.
“We’ve been hit hard but there are still families,” she said. “Me, my dad, a few others. My mum was one of the first in the village to get bitten, took my brother with her when she turned.”
“I suppose a church is as good a place to hide out as any,” I said with a nod, declining to be drawn into the circumstances of Kit’s own personal tragedy. “Thick walls, heavy doors, high windows and if you get a break in you can always retreat to the tower.”
“I gets cold at night,” replied Kit, staring off into the distance. “And we’re only just into September.”
“Are we?” I said in surprise. Truth be told I had completely lost track of the days and the seasons. All I remembered was that when we were first sent over to the stadium to bury the bodies it was the height of summer. I was amazed the time had gone so fast. “How did you all come to be holed up in the church?” I asked her.
“We’re lucky in that we’re isolated from any towns,” replied Kit. “Strange, but I used to hate it whilst growing up. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. Strange to think it saved my life. When the infection first hit my dad acted. He got as many people as possible into the church, pooled our supplies and boarded it up as best he could. This kept us going for the first few weeks. After that we had to start scavenging.”
“How many of you were there originally?”
“Fifty,” replied Kit with a heavy sigh. “But we’ve had five newcomers.”
“So of your original fifty just twelve remain?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah well they’re vicious bastards those revenants,” muttered Kit angrily.
“And let me guess: of those still left most of them are the elderly, the infirm and children. Anybody who could fight has already been out there and been lost.”
Kit bowed her head and said nothing.
“Who’s in charge?” I
“You fight like sheep, you know that?” I snapped at her. “Weak and cornered. I’m amazed you lasted as long as you have.”
“Hey, fuck you!” Retorted Kit angrily.
“Whatever,” I shrugged. “At least I’m not afraid to kill. You’re going to need a man like me around if your performance of this afternoon was anything to go by.”
“We’ll see about that,” muttered Kit. She folded her arms and cast an anxious glance towards Block who was even now bleeding out in the cab of the truck. I sighed heavily, realising I needed to make much more of an effort than this. “I know you think I’m being harsh but my criticism has a serious side,” I told her, my tone conciliatory. “You need to stop pussyfooting around with those bastards. They aren’t human anymore, you know that?”
“I’ve seen enough of them,” muttered Kit. “And maybe they’re not human now but one day there might be a cure.”
“Forget it,” I told her sharply. “Nobody’s going to come up with a cure. Not now, not ever. You get bitten, you’re gone and the best thing anybody could do is take you down before you kill anybody else.”
“Sounds like a pretty heartless attitude,” retorted Kit.
“An attitude that’s kept me alive up until now.”
Kit said nothing to this. I decided to change the subject. “So anyway, where are we headed?”
“We’re holding out in a church,” she replied. “There are seventeen of us, mostly survivors from the village. There used to be more but, well…”
“If they fought as poorly as that I’m not surprised,” I said flippantly, but Kit’s pained expression immediately caused me to regret my words. I started to apologise but she waved me away.
“We’ve been hit hard but there are still families,” she said. “Me, my dad, a few others. My mum was one of the first in the village to get bitten, took my brother with her when she turned.”
“I suppose a church is as good a place to hide out as any,” I said with a nod, declining to be drawn into the circumstances of Kit’s own personal tragedy. “Thick walls, heavy doors, high windows and if you get a break in you can always retreat to the tower.”
“I gets cold at night,” replied Kit, staring off into the distance. “And we’re only just into September.”
“Are we?” I said in surprise. Truth be told I had completely lost track of the days and the seasons. All I remembered was that when we were first sent over to the stadium to bury the bodies it was the height of summer. I was amazed the time had gone so fast. “How did you all come to be holed up in the church?” I asked her.
“We’re lucky in that we’re isolated from any towns,” replied Kit. “Strange, but I used to hate it whilst growing up. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. Strange to think it saved my life. When the infection first hit my dad acted. He got as many people as possible into the church, pooled our supplies and boarded it up as best he could. This kept us going for the first few weeks. After that we had to start scavenging.”
“How many of you were there originally?”
“Fifty,” replied Kit with a heavy sigh. “But we’ve had five newcomers.”
“So of your original fifty just twelve remain?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah well they’re vicious bastards those revenants,” muttered Kit angrily.
“And let me guess: of those still left most of them are the elderly, the infirm and children. Anybody who could fight has already been out there and been lost.”
Kit bowed her head and said nothing.
“Who’s in charge?” I
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