The next few weeks were an endless round of fetch, carry and work for everyone inside the walls. Driver had Colin direct Aaron to the dairy farm where the estate got all their methane to power their Estate cars , They found some of the herd still alive even though they had been locked in one field since the Dead started rising. The field was now no more than a square filled with mud almost a foot deep and not a blade of grass to be seen. They moved the ones that could move into new pasture then Piled food from the barn over the gate. They were going to need milk and meat so it was important as many as possible survived. Two days later they were moved to the Maning estate where they were released. The estate was still walker free due to the wall and cattle grids so they should be safe. Burt's guys started adding a wire fence to the top of the estate wall just incase. As an addition to the wall and fence all the surrounding roads were blocked with cars at every junction meaning any walkers in the area would have to get over hedges then cars then the wall the odds of which were slim. They found the bull a mile away by following the trail of crap it left as it walked through field after field simply bending the gates as it went. They also found two walkers or rather crawlers after the bull had crushed their bodies to the point they could no longer stand. The animal had a few bite marks but seemed none the worse for them. Among the machinery at the dairy farm Colin and Aaron also found a few tractors that had been converted to methane and the attachments they would need to collect the animal waste used to produce the gas and also a generator to power the milking shed. They considered fortifying the farm but it wasn't practical to do so. Instead they would move everything to the estate. The first thing to go was the large cow shed. it would be where the cattle would be wintered out of the cold weather. It was a modular type building that was based on a large steel girder frame covered with metal sheeting then lined with insulation, The heat coming from the beasts would heat the building meaning it wouldn't use any fuel once set up. The milking shed was another matter, the floor wasn't just a flat concrete pad it had a raised area for the cattle to stand on while being milked and a lower area for the person doing the milking. The building however was the same construction. Aaron said the cattle would need a few months to fatten up a bit and build up their strength before putting them to the bull. The cows would then need nine months to calf before giving any milk. Driver was looking forward to having milk again as was everyone , it was a wait worth the time and effort. Any milk they didn't drink was going to made into butter and cheese nothing would be wasted. Even when the milk was gone from the cow it could be eaten and it's hide tanned to give good bite proof leather. this was a big job but if they got it right it would boost their food levels for years. Rick and his guys had done this sort of thing before so they started the footings and foundations for the shed as Burt's guys started taking it down. A steady course of photos and numbering meant it should go together quickly. In the grounds of the Big house were several smaller houses that had been used for visitors and even holiday lets. Each had a wood burner and solar panels, Aaron and his family moved into one of them after they had added metal bars over all the ground floor windows made from the railings of a nearby school. Colin took another with his Mother Lilly so she could run a school at the big house . She would be showing the younger ones how to make jams and other preserves from the now abundant Blackberries, plums and other Autumn fruits. A few of the gun trained people from the walls also moved to the big house as security , after loosing James Driver had insisted that nobody went anywhere alone and that all work details would be overseen by someone with a gun. There were to be no exceptions to this rule even Driver had to have someone with him but he didn't mind as it was invariably Kat. As there was Little Aaron could do until the buildings were transferred to the manor He and Driver took a trip out to his farm where they had been rescued by Driver and Mark. Razor and Kev riding in another car as back up . They turned into the lane leading to the farm house, Aaron could see the body of his father still lying in the field in front of the house. Driver noticed he didn't cry , in fact he was very business like as they stopped to bury the Man in his favorite spot right in front of the house itself.
"Are you OK ? " Driver asked as they lowered the Body into the hole they had dug then poured fuel over it before setting a flame to the body.
"Yeh I'm good, I got used to the idea he was dead the day it happened . To be honest he had been ill for a good while before all this and he went out as he wanted to. He'd been on about the right to die for years then when he was diagnosed he really went for it. Writing to his doctor and MP. In the end I think he would have topped himself any way but this way he did it for us. I'm sad the old bastard is gone but I'm proud of how he went." Aaron said as he added a huge amount of timber to the fire.
"Well said." Driver said " You can be proud of him , He took a good few down before him self" He added looking at the bodies laying in the field.
"Are we going to burn them to?" Aaron asked.
"I think we should but not here, This is your dads spot. Is that loader working?" Driver asked pointing to the big bale loader.
"Yeh should do but we'll need a jump off your car. "Aaron answered.
"Well you go and sort out your stuff what you want to take now and get a list for the transport guys with regards to the machines and I'll scoop and poop them into a field down the road a bit." Driver said as he patted Aaron on the shoulder.
Driver drove off with the bodies to dispose of them, as he passed he watched as Aaron stood staring into the flames. After dumping the bodies off the edge of the road into a hole dug by the council as part of some new landscaping project he torched them using a couple of gallons of fuel. He really didn't want to waste it but he didn't want animals spreading what ever it was that made them walk. On returning to the farm Driver found Aaron standing on the steps of the house with his fathers gun and a few bags of clothes and photos, Under his arm was a large teddy bear he thought must belong to Sara . He made a mental note that next time he was having one of his meet and greets with other wall dwellers he would ask a few if they wanted to go home to recover their stuff. The few he had done inside Anna's walls had really boosted peoples moral and having your own stuff around you made them much happier to be there. He also thought a trip home would be a good idea for him too, it might help put a few demons to rest. As they were loading the car they heard a noise from the barn both men armed up and stepped forward only to find the dog that had chased the family after the walkers came. It was a collie bitch called Lucy. She had given birth to four pups and all were doing well. Razor and Kev who had been pulling security out on the road had mounted up the second they saw the two men raise their guns and had come at speed to find the two of them carrying a pup in each hand towards the 4x4. Lucy following with her tail wagging. By the look of it she had killed a sheep to feed herself, That gave them an idea . Driver had remembered the sheep in the field and as the rear gates were open he drove the route they had taken before and sure enough two fields over they found nine sheep. They were of no use at the moment unless they could find a ram but roast lamb and warm socks beckoned . Aaron thought of a few places they could check on the way back where they might find a ram so they loaded up and returned to the walls. Mark had been at the Manning estate with a very large team of people from the walls they had been transported in the back of an artic , forty five people sat in the back huddled together to keep warm. They had gone to the estate to pick anything they could eat . The estate had a small orchard with apples, pears, damsons and plums. It also boasted a very large walled garden with a one hundred foot Victorian glass house, some of the older gentlemen that Robbo had rescued were in the allotment society and were keen to show off thier skills and to give their knowledge to the younger people. A mixed group were busy planting seeds in the old wooden cold frames so they would germinate early ready for replanting out in the spring. Driver was impressed when he got back to the estate, little Sara was over the moon when she saw teddy, she hadn't had a good nights sleep since she left him lying on her bed. Driver dropped Aaron off at the Manor then he headed back to the walls with Kev, rules were rules he couldn't go anywhere without backup. Razor stayed at the Manor because both his women were there. Driver made a mental note to try and remember which was which, he was still calling them underwear woman and number two when ever he talked about them to Kat. Approaching the walls He could see the guards mark had added on the bridge to overlook the fishing, they looked cold but waved when they saw him coming down the road. He stopped the car and got out, He was on a mission to meet everyone at some point and now was as good a time as any.
"Have you caught anything ?" Driver shouted from the bridge to the man standing by the river. He just pointed to the other side of the river then gave the thumbs up. Driver walked the rest of the way across the bridge and hopped down onto the river bank. There were two of Robos ladies and a younger Man at a table placed in the shallows gutting fish.
"Well that looks good " Driver said eyeing the pile of fish on the table.
"It's not bad, mainly sea trout but give it a week and the salmon will be running then we will be struggling to keep up" Said the man.
"I'm Driver by the way " Driver said extending his hand.
"I'm Craig and do you really want to shake this.?" He said laughing as he held up a hand covered in fish guts. Then smiled.
"Maybe not" Driver laughed again. " But thanks for this it will really help with the food stocks. What are we doing with it.?"
"Well my young lady friends here are getting it ready to jar it. " Craig said as the two ladies giggled like school girls at Craig's comment.
"Sounds awesome. I look forward to trying it." Driver said as he nodded to the ladies and climbed back up the back.
"He looks younger than I expected, not bad looking though " One of the ladies whispered to the other.
"Not a bad arse either" The other replied as they watched Driver climb the back to get back to his car. They both broke into fits of laughter with Craig looking on clueless to what they were laughing at.
As Driver was climbing up the embankment to the bridge where he had left the car somebody called out Walker!. Driver got to the top and saw one of the guards pointing up the hill. They had been told to raise the alarm first to give others the warning then point. It is a natural reaction to look who shouted first then look for the danger. Mark had incorporated this into the training. Shouting without pointing just leads people to run the wrong way Mark had said. Driver took in the direction the guard was pointing and looked up the hill , It had followed the sound of his car.
"I got this "Driver shouted to the guard and drew his machete. He walked calmly towards the walker and as it reached out he decided to try something different, The side step and downward swing Mark had taught everyone worked but you needed to be out in the open. If you were inside or in a confined space it would be difficult to get the arc of the swing without hitting the ceiling. He backed up to give him self time to think. As he did the ladies by the river started to panic , The mighty Driver backing away from one walker was not good for the myth called Driver. He chucked to himself as he planed a move. He transferred the Machete to his left hand then drew a new knife he had been working on, He called it the finisher. He had found a piece of steel in the workshops at the plant hire depot, It was about four meters long and had an 'X' section. Taking a piece of the steel twelve inches long he had ground it to a point then sharpened the eight edges and wrapped the handle in wet leather so when it dried it went tight. He had fitted it into a thin leather sheath with the handle pointing down in the small of his back. The reason he had made it was a strange one , He had read a book called 'The Chinaman' where it is explained that the groove in the side of a blade is there to let air into the wound making it easier to pull out because there is no vacuum or suction. Reaching back with his right hand he grasped the handle and in one move he ducked under the walkers arms simultaneously drawing the finisher and turning so he stood slightly behind and to the left then with a thrust he rammed the finisher up through the hole at the base of the scull where the spinal nerves enter. He stood holding the walker up as it died for the second time, a split second later pulling the blade as it dropped to the ground. As Driver wiped the goo from his new blade he glanced up and saw Mac standing on the walls , He had heard the call and come running. Driver had a lot of faith in Mac, he was the sort of guy you really wanted around. A few moments later Jono Appeared standing next to Mac holding a rifle. Driver was a little confused as they had talked about Jono, He was a good lad and hard working but they couldn't let him be armed. Driver waved and climbed into the car before driving into the city.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Jono woke early , he was excited. His mum had got up too and had laid out his uniform for him. He washed then started to dress, Mac had been round and dropped off Jono's camo kit and a set of thermals for him to wear underneath. His Mum was so proud of him and so Happy that he had survived. She helped him dress to make sure everything was in order, it would take a few goes for him to get it right him self but he'd get it . Then she walked with him to the square where Mac was waiting. Mac gave him a salute then told him to go to the high point on the wall, Jono looked up with a big smile on his face then headed for the steps.
"Thanks for this" Janice said. "He really needs a purpose"
"I know, he's a good Lad." Mac said smiling.
"It's funny , he never really trusted anyone straight off. We had to visit Jeremy a dozen times before Jono would even talk to him."Janice said.
"Maybe he was lonely or something" Answered Mac.
"No , I think theres a connection, I think it was meant to be you" She said as she turned to leave.
"Janice" Mac said as she turned. "Would you like you join me for a drink tonight ?, Up on the high point."
"I don't know" She said wanting to but thinking of her son as she had done every day since he was born seventeen years before.
"I mean both of you. I know you won't leave Jono." Mac said smiling.
"Ok It's a date, I mean yeh . Oh you know what I mean" Janice said blushing a little as she turned to leave.
Mac smiled as she walked away. He liked Jono he was a good lad, and from what he had seen he got it all from his mother. He turned to follow the path Jono had taken to the top of the walls. Jono was standing at the high point looking out through the new binoculars Mac had given him at the deserted streets below.
"How do you like your new uniform Jono?" Mac asked as he got to the top of the steps.
"It's cool" Said Jono and went back to looking.
"We need to work out a route for you Jono so shall we go for a walk around the castle?" Mac asked , Jono heard the word castle and nodded furiously.
The two men spent the next two hours walking around the walls and streets working out a route that would keep Jono in the action but out of danger. Driver had stashed the two gun safes in a room at the back of the coffee shop on the way up the hill towards the square and as the patrol passed Mac had a thought. He knew where the tools were and he knew roughly what would be in the safes. It took him twenty minutes to get into the first safe. As he suspected the first safe , the heavy one contained ammunition. There were a few packs for the L98's some boxes of .22 and what he was looking for, only now he would have to open the other safe too. He smiled thinking of the shit Driver would give him but it was nothing compared with the smile Jono would give him. He cracked the second safe and opened it up, ignoring the .22 rifles and the pups he went straight for the BSA Scorpion Tactical Air Rifle. It had a good set of Tasco scopes fitted, a suppressor and a shoulder sling. And having the black composite stock it looked the part. He grabbed a dozen gas bottles and a tin of slugs then stuck them in his pocket, Dipping behind the counter of the coffee shop he pulled the rubbish bin onto the counter then emptied it out collecting the empty coffee cans then placing them into the now empty bin bag.
"Right then soldier lets go have some fun" Mac said as he noticed Jono staring at the rifles in the safe. "You can't use them ones but I'm going to let you shoot this bad boy " He added lifting the mean looking air rifle.
They walked down to the gate and Mac handed the bin bag to one of the guards then whispered something into his ear. The man looked at Jono and smiled. Nodding he walked off as Mac span Jono round and they headed for the top of the walls. When they got to the gate house Mac went in and returned with a blanket and a chair , He folded the blanket then laid it on the top of the parapet fifty feet from the gate house. He then placed the chair next to the blanket and sat Jono down. He took some time to explain what all the parts of the rifle were and what they did. Mac knew he would have to go over it a good few times more but Jono knew what it was and what it did so for now that was enough. He fitted the first gas canister and loaded the rifle with a lead slug and pointed towards the man on the other side of the river placing the cans in the grass along the river bank.
"It's important Jono that you never fire if their is anyone around that might get hurt. When the guard has finished putting the cans down I'm going to teach you how to shoot, OK?" Mac said.
"Aww yess" Jono said nodding and grinning from ear to ear.
"But we keep this a secret OK, if they find out they might stop us having fun" Mac said as he took aim at the first tin can. There was a small pop and the tin on the other side of the river plinked as the slug passed through the first side and dinked into the other. Jono clapped as Mac reloaded.
"OK your turn , I want you to keep your finger away from the trigger until I say you can fire OK" Mac said placing the rifle on the blanket , Jono took the rifle and looked through the scope.
"Do you see the little cross on the glass?" Mac asked , Jono nodded "We need to get that little cross on the tin can . Like Driver put the cross on the map your Mum has. Driver had passed the Map to Janice in case Jono ever asked to see it." OK when you get the cross on the can let me know."
Jono looked through the scope and moved around a little until he said he could see the can and the cross together.
"It's on now" Jono said. Mac had moved behind Jono and was looking along the barrel making sure he was roughly in the right place.
"OK I want you to put your finger on the trigger then very softly I want you to squeeze it. Off you go." Mac said waiting for the pop.
There was a pop and the rifle fired, However there was no plink . Mac had watched the the target and noticed the small ripple in the grass above the tin so he leaned in and turned the settings on the scope before re loading and tapping Jono on the shoulder.
"And again " Mac said .
Jono took some time to get the cross where he wanted it and told Mac he was ready. Mac gave the go and Jono fired this time he clipped the top rim of the can.
"Well done , you hit it but it's still a bit high." Mac said as he leaned in and turned the scope another notch then re loaded.
Jono set up his third shot taking his time and checking the cross before telling Mac. He fired as Mac said go and the tin can jumped with a loud plink noise . Jono sat grinning up at Mac who slapped him on the back telling him well done. Mac now added Five slugs to the built in loader and told Jono to start shooting , he didn't need to tell Mac when he was ready he could just shoot. They spent the next hour turning the cans into colanders Jono getting better and faster as he practiced.
"I think you are a natural at this "Mac said to a very happy Jono. As Jono was adding a fresh gas canister like Mac had shown him there was a walker shout from the main gate, Mac grabbed his rifle and ran for the gate . Jono followed carrying the air gun . Mac arrived to see Driver do some strange duck and spin thing with a Walker that had come down the hill towards the bridge. He hadn't seen the move before but it did look good for close combat with walkers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Nice move "Said Mac as Driver walked onto the top of the walls.
"Thanks, It seems to work" Driver said smiling as he lit a smoke and looked at Jono. "Nice rifle Jono " Driver said then looked at Mac who was looking sheepish
"It's an air rifle but I'm not allowed to fire it if there is anyone around that might get hurt" Jono said repeating word for word what Mac had said.
"OK then lets see what you can do" Driver said smiling , totally shocking Mac. "Well he's got it now" Driver added winking at Mac.
The three of them walked to Jono's firing range and Driver watched as Jono lined up his shot and the can flipped over in the grass on the river bank.
"Nice shot Jono" Driver said patting him on the shoulder. Jono carried on shooting as Driver pulled Mac to one side.
"What else was there then?" Driver asked.
"a couple of L98a2's an L81A2 and a few number 8's and two more of them " Mac said pointing at the rifle that jono was holding.
"Dude in English please." Driver said smiling.
"Sorry .. L98A2 semi auto assault rifles L81A2 elephant gun and a few .22 plinkers. "Mac said " Plus a bit of ammo for them all"
"That's better" Driver said. "I take it this one is now Jono's "
"No this one is now for the gun school." Mac said "But the ammo will come in handy for some of the stuff I brought"
"I think we need to get an armory up and running. That old fella who sorted out the pumps looks like a prime target for looking after them" Driver said.
"Yeh the yank, He'll enjoy that . He keeps nicking our stuff to 'clean them properly' as he puts it" Mac said laughing.
"Well get him set up and get some of the kids up here with Jono , How many gas canisters have we got.?" Driver asked as Jono scored another hit.
"Not a lot. I think we can sort something out though. Theres a good few bottles of CO2 in the wine bar on the other side of the walls, they ran out of beer a while back but theres loads of gas. If I rig an adaptor and regulator they could get thousands of shots out of one bottle and lead pellets we have loads of."Mac said.
"Well lets make it happen we need to start arming more people so we have a bigger security force."Driver said heading for the warmth of the gate house.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As night fell the group started to gather on the wall for their evening chat and a little drink. Mac had ditched his Camo gear and was kitted out in new clothes they had picked up at the hub, He stood nervously waiting for Janice and Jono to arrive. Driver knew he had arranged for them to come up but didn't let on to anyone else. Janice was a good looking woman and he hoped Mac would grow a set and get on with it. As Macs pacing started to get on Drivers nerves Jan appeared at the top of the steps Jono not far behind her. Mac turned as Driver nodded to him and signaled her arrival. She was wearing a black puffer jacket and black leggings with a red mini skirt over the top. Added to that where a pair of red patent leather high heeled shoes that matched the red of her glossed lips. She looked stunning. Mac stood unable to speak as she walked over to him.
"Well how do I look?" She said smiling, Thankful she had talked to Kat's friend April who had leant her some of her clothes.
"You look... Amazing" Mac eventually got out after a few seconds of trying to get words that could do her justice.
"Good it took a lot of work" Jan said smiling.
"I doubt that, you looked great before" Mac said before realizing what he had said and blushed.
Driver had intercepted Jono to give Mac and Jan some time . He had taken Jono and Kat to the spot where Jono had been shooting , Jono was showing Kat the cans on the other side of the river. With the wind turbines now pumping out electricity into the walls they had set up large halogen lights to cover the bridge. During the daytime the power went to the med block and canteen then at nights it went to a few of the buildings where people lived and the security lights. Driver had plans to look for more. Kat watched as Mac and Janice talked, she was stroking his arm and flicking her hair like there was no tomorrow but still Mac just stood and acted the perfect gentleman.
"That guy needs a smack" Kat whispered to Driver nodding towards Mac.
"I'll have a word" Diver said as he handed Jono another carton of juice.
Later on Driver Had slipped away to have a smoke, Kat had got into the habit of pulling them from his lips every time he lit up and wanted to have a whole one. Mac appeared out of the darkness with a beer in each hand and offered one to Driver who took it and raised it a little to say thanks.
"Sorry about opening the safes without you" Mac said as he sat on the low wall surrounding the top of the wall.
"No worries, It had to be done and you know a lot more about that stuff than I do. I would have been pissed if it was one of Burt's guys who wouldn't know a gun from a spanner." Driver said smiling. "I like the way you are with Jono, he really likes you"
"I like him too , he reminds me of my little brother, He had downs too. Unfortunately he also had a bad heart and passed away a few years back." Mac said looking thoughtful.
"Sorry I didn't know" Driver said.
"How could you, Before this we would never have met." Mac said smiling.
"I'm glad we did though, You and the other guys you were with are making a real difference." Driver said and meant it. "Kat wants to know what's going on with Jan, You know what Kat's like trying to get people together"
"Truthfully.." Mac said. "I love her".
"Jesus that's big" Driver said shocked.
"I did from the moment I saw her on the square . When she came walking towards me I fell for her even before she mentioned Jono" Mac said starting to feel a bit embarrassed about opening up to Driver.
"So why are you.. er.. how do I put this without offending you... Acting like a wet fucking lettuce. You should get in there."Driver said smiling.
"I don't want to scare her off. I'm worried she'll run if I come on too strong" Mac said.
"So it's not Jono putting you off then?" Driver asked pretty sure what the answer would be.
"Fuck No , what made you think that. He's great." Mac said shocked.
"Just checking that's all. Kat says she likes you too. Her and April have been getting her ready for the last four hours." Driver said sparking up
another smoke.
"They needn't have bothered I'd have taken her if she was wrapped in a bin bag" Mac said smiling. "I just want to take it a bit slow , Jono's been through a lot, well they both have. They have been on their own for so long that I just want to ease myself in slowly so I don't upset the way they are together."
"Well I can say that that lad thinks the world of you , and so does she." Driver said as the two men stood to walk back to the others.
Mac hovered around Jan and Jono for a while, when he saw Jono yawning he offered to walk them back to their rooms. Jono said he would show Mac where they were and took the lead, Mac and Jan walked a few feet apart until they got about half way there when Mac took her hand, She gave it a little squeeze as he locked his fingers with hers. As they came to the door of the block they were living in Jono stopped to wait for them. Mac let go of her hand just as Jono turned.
"Night mate , see you in the morning" Mac said to Jono.
"Good night Mac" Jono said with a wave and stepped inside the door.
Jan turned to Mac smiling. "He really likes you" She said glad that her boy had someone strong as a friend. She knew Jono would be safe while Mac was around.
"I like him too he's a great lad." Mac said knowing she was waiting and he was stalling. He leaned in to kiss her on her cheek but she turned the last second and kissed him lightly on the lips. Then she said good night and turned to enter her block. He stood and watched her walk away with his heart. He also got a really good look at her ass as she walked away. Wow he thought as he turned to walk back across the walled city . Jan stood in the darkened room watching him walk away. she knew he would be back, others she had dated had run a mile once they had met Jono. They said they would call or come round but they never did. In the end she had simply stopped dating but she knew, she just KNEW he was the one. She knew he was going slowly and that was just fine , If that was how he wanted to do it then she would go slowly too. She covered up Jono who had fallen asleep fully dressed on his bed then went to her room, The rooms they were in were really offices with a connecting door off a long corridor. She had added curtains supplied by the team that stripped the houses by the wall. it wasn't much but they were together and strangely she felt happier now than she had ever been. Mac walked back to the gates and checked in with the guards who were just starting their shift then headed for his room , as he lay in the dark trying to sleep all he could think of was Jan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning he waited in the square for Jono and right on time he came walking up to the steps. Jan had hung back to let Jono walk on his own while she looked after him from a distance . Mac spotted her a hundred yards behind keeping an eye on her boy , she waved Mac waved back. As he and Jono got to the top of the walls Jono started looking round the streets with his Binoculars.
"I can see a red car" Jono said "My Mum had a red car".
"Did she "Mac said "I bet there are lots of red cars out there"
"Yeh but that one wasn't there yesterday." Jono said as he turned to look at Mac.
"Are you sure?" Mac asked
"Yes because I was writing things down."Said Jono taking a note book from his pocket that Driver had given him. Driver gave everyone a note book incase they had an idea or saw something useful. Mac took the note book and thumbed the pages. The first one had a hand drawn map showing the walls and a route to Jono's room, Driver had drawn it before giving the book to Jono. Mac smiled happy he wasn't the only one looking after Jono. The next page had a list in Drivers hand writing with various headings. Walkers, cars, smoke, planes and other random things. Jono had then copied the list onto the next few pages then at the top of the page was the date. sure enough the day before showed one walker but no cars. Mac took the binoculars and had a good look at the car. then he noticed it was in one of the streets they had cleared outside Anna's wall. All the cars from that street were taken to block the carriageway when the march came through. Jono was right.
"Jono I want you to stay here and watch that car, Good work lad you spotted something nobody else did" Mac said as he walked calmly to the steps. As soon as he was out of Jono's sight he ran to the main gates and grabbed a radio.
"Driver are you there?" Mac said
"I'm up at Costco what's up?" Came the reply.
"We have contact. Jono spotted a car that wasn't there yesterday." Mac reported .
"Get a team together. I'll be down in ten." Driver said then cut off.
Mac rounded up Robbo and the rest of the soldiers, it had been agreed that when it was human verses human Robbo's team would take the lead. They checked weapons then armed up heavy before climbing into the 4x4's. the four cars then drove round the walls and to the check point at the back facing the estate. Driver signaled the cabin above the container that they needed to get out and two men on the top pulled levers and the two ends of the container opened and they drove through to the outside world. Turning into the deserted estate the car looked out of place , Jono had been right it shouldn't have been there. They stopped a few hundred meters short and Robbo's team stepped out they had a quick gear check then two of his men went ahead to see what they could. several minutes later they returned saying that there were indeed people inside but they could see how many or if they were armed. Driver stood back and let the professionals do their thing. Robbo lead his men to a house up the block and they stacked outside the front and rear door. the lead man swung a sledge hammer and the door popped open as they all piled in. There was no shooting that in itself was a good thing as far as Driver was concerned. Moments later Robbo waved from the door and Driver walked up to the house and in through the front door. Inside the living room of the house he found an Indian woman crouched in the middle of the room with two children cowering either side of her, she had tears running down her face but she had a look in her eye that scared Driver.
"I'm Driver, Sorry we came in so heavy but we can't take chances. We won't harm you or you children" He said smiling trying to ease the situation. It didn't seem to work she still glared at Driver.
"We have food and somewhere safe you can stay if you want to." He said but still nothing. He pulled Robbo to one side . " I'll get a few of the girls down here, maybe Jono he spotted them. It might make them feel safer, you lot scared the shit out of them" He said.
"Well mate she doesn't look scared to me, she just looks pissed off" Robbo said with a smile. Driver got on the radio and asked someone to get Jenny and Jono down to the checkpoint and then sent a car back to get them. A while later they arrived at the house, the woman was still squatting in the center of the room with her children.
"Hi I'm Jenny and this is Jono. He spotted you from our base. We are here to help you if you want it or we will leave and let you go on your way. it's up to you" Jenny said then smiled. Ask she was talking one of the children looked up and into the eys of Jono. Jono smiled and waved, the child smiled back as the woman saw the wave and turn to look at the child. She must have felt something whether it was trust or innocence in Jono but it worked she relaxed her grip on the kids and stood. Driver could smell burning then noticed a camping stove with a pan of rice on it boiling dry on the other side of the room . As he stepped forward to turn the flame off the woman recoiled .
"Sorry I just don't want a fire" Driver said as he held up his hands and stepped back around the woman.
"That was our last food" She said staring at the pan of burnt rice.
"Like I said we have food you can have, you can take it and leave if you wish it's up to you we don't force anyone to do anything." Jenny said smiling.
Robbo cleared his team out and Driver left the room leaving Jenny and Jono in the house. Driver wanted all the guns out of the place it was making the woman nervous.
"What's your name" Jono said to the woman stepping forward and extending his hand. "I'm Jono" he said smiling.
"Tiya" The woman said shaking his hand hesitantly.
"We live in a castle " Jono said smiling. "Do you want to see?"
The woman must have sensed truth in Jono, the way he smiled and his child like language opened her up. "Is it nice in the castle?" She asked glancing at Jenny as she waited for Jono's answer.
"It's great, me and my mum live there we have new rooms and I work with Mac he's a soldier and we walk on the walls and look for things like bad guys or walkers and smoke and stuff" He was rambling but it worked , a smile spread across the woman's face and she visibly started to relax as Jono took a small packet of mints from his pocket and offered one to the child that had smiled. The child reached out and took two giving one to the other child clinging to the woman's leg, then smiling at Jono.
"OK Jono lets see this castle." Tiya said as she pulled the children to their feet and started out of the house.
"Does your car work?" Jenny said
"Yes but theres not much fuel left in it" The woman said as she climbed into the drivers seat, the two children both sitting in the passenger seat as the back was full of bags.
"Follow us" Jenny said before climbing into one of the 4x4's with Jono. The mini convoy wound it's way through the estate then through the container into the city, the doors closing behind them. they drove around the Stone walls before stopping at the main gates . Robo's men decamped then went their separate ways . Tiya got out and walked with the children into the walls, she saw the people walking around smiling and the women carrying food and supplies between the the various buildings and broke down. She had been driving for days not knowing where she was going , When Jenny finally got her to open up she told her that the children where not hers she had seen them running from a swarm of walkers and pulled the car up to let them in like her they had been orphaned by the walkers and she just wanted to get away from anywhere they were. She had driven into the town during the night with a plan to get more fuel and keep moving. Then she dropped the bombshell.
The march was coming back their way.
