Chapter 1

The wind was strong upon the top of Norwich castle; Darren pulled his Jacket around him, zipping it up to the very top. It was an average cold day of January, the worst of winter put behind them. It had been difficult surviving the winter but they had managed to do it without losing a single kid. He owed to the scavengers who risked their lives every day.

"Yeah! There look!" said Billy.

In his long trench coat with a breastplate underneath and a long sword at his left hip he looked every inch a proud, strong leader. However he was only leader of the Defence and Scavenging, David was over all in charge. Darren looked at David now, a tall, slim boy of 17 years old. He was looking though some binoculars at the small group of people running in the general direction of the castle. They were being chased by a group of about 10-15 sickos, the group of kids seemed to be made up of two little kids and one older girls.

"Yeah they are defiantly kids and they have little ones with them, Billy, get a team together!" he said.

"I'm on it! Darren, get Bruce!" Billy said, running towards the door. Darren started after them.

"Alright" he paused for a moment as he reached the halfway point of the stairs where there was the door to the common room. "What about Joey?" He said in an afterthought.

Billy paused as well, "I'll handle him" he muttered before continuing to run down the stairs. Darren nodded understandingly. He turned round before bursting through the door to see Bruce Slouched on the sofa reading a book. Bruce was massive, unnaturally large for his 17 year old age and with rough stubble and no hair, he looked formidable. However despite his looks he was a known gentle giant, unless you made him angry that is.

Bruce! We need you know! Some kids have been spotted and there being chased and they have little ones with them!" He said breathlessly. Bruce was already up and moving towards the door, as soon as the small and defenceless little ones were mentioned he had sprang up.

"Let's go!" his deep voice rumbled. They both ran down the stairs and out into the courtyard and to the gates where Billy was waiting. Darren put his hand on the hilt of the katana he carried whilst Bruce ran into a shed the kids had built with contained the most of their weapons and reappeared with a huge axe.

"Is Joey coming?" he asked.

However before Billy could answer the door into the castle flew open and another kid strode out. Bruce as always found himself looking at Joey as he always did, like he would try and kill him at any moment. Joey was average height with medium long hair, and was wearing his leather jacket and carrying his sword in his hand. He was heavily armoured in thick leather bracers that he had made himself and tough workmen trousers. He wore Red Dr. Martens and a leather red sword belt in which his scabbard was on. However the most distinguishing thing about him was the white clothe tied over his left eyehole.

He'd lost it in a fight early on in the disaster but it had neither given him a disadvantage in fighting or killing. After his eye had been ripped out by a dangerous sicko he proceeded to beat it to death with his bare hands. If anything it had made him even more angry, violent and unpredictable. He was the castle kid's best fight being utterly fearless and seemingly immune to pain. However as tough and fierce he was he was, he was also extremely unpredictable and would go into furious killing rages. He was also the world's biggest dickhead.

"Alright lads! Let's get going!" he shouted, sheaving his sword and smiling nastily. Bruce wondered why his sword wasn't already sheathed.

"Ok then" said Billy, as he quickly explained the situation. "We stay together and our aim is to get the kids to safety, not to kill all the sickos." He looked at Joey.

"Ha-ha, alright mate" Joey Laughed, then he shouted loudly "open the gates!"

Darren shock his head tiredly, Joe would kill the all anyway. He ran after the other through the gate and followed Billy through the dirty, abandoned streets. He didn't feel scared much, the force was made up of the bet fighters with his speed and cunning, Bruce's strength, Billy's leadership and Joe's ruthlessness they were as safe as they could be outside of the castle.

As they ran around a corner they spotted the kids and the Sickos they stopped, the older girl saw them and pulling the youngsters along with renewed energy leaving the sickos a good 20 meters behind her she reached the group.

"Oh thank God!" she cried before nearly falling, Billy caught her before she hit the ground.

"It's ok now, don't worry we'll look after you" he said gently. Looking up he told Joey to hold off the sickos and act as a rear guard as he supported her back. During this time Bruce had knelt down and was talking softly to the little ones, who Darren now realised were twins, a boy and a girl and was about 7-8 years old. The kids seemed scared of him at first before realizing he meant no harm.

"Darren you're going to have to carry him" he said as he picked up the girl. Darren knelt down as well and the boy walked over to him.

"Hey buddy is going to be ok now" he cooed before picking him up. Joey turned round from watching the sickos and seeing that they were ready to go urged them to move, but not before he looked at the sickos with a sense of longing.

They stumbled back toward the castle. But they were taking too long and the fitter and the 7 stronger sickos of the group were starting to catch up. They rounded another corner and came in sight of the castle but not before they heard Joe turn round and slice the lead sicko in across the chest. The group looked over their shoulders and the two twins started crying.

"Go! I can handle this!" he shouted, before he leapt into the mass of sickos, slicing and hacking a wild grin on his face.

"Oh shit!" Billy muttered. He placed the girl on the ground and turned to tell Bruce and Darren to protect her and the twins. He then turned to help Joey only to see him standing amongst a pile of dead and dying bodies, wiping his sword clean on a rag. Billy saw the rest of the sickos gaining ground, there number had seemed too increased, and just now as he was watching the 2 more stumbled out of a house to join the hunt for the kids.

"Whoa, that's going to be fun!" said Joey coming to stand beside him.

Billy looked into his one eye and saw the insane fire that burnt inside him. Billy and he had been best friends before the disaster, almost like brothers. That had all changed though. He remembered the time Joey had arrived at the castle, he and loads others had fought through a mass of sickos. Billy had forced Darren to give the command to open the gates, him and the other fighters creating a ring around it to stop sickos getting inside the castle. Then just as it seemed that the kids were not going to make it they had broken through. Joey had been the last in, Kicking a sicko hard in the chest sending it flying. He had the turned round to help keep more sickos entering in till they had managed to shut the big gates. He had the turned to the sicko he had kicked, its leg was broken and it kept falling over as it tried to get up. Billy remembered Joey to walking up to the sicko and in one big sweep had cut of its head.

"Billy you alright mate?" said Darren, bringing him back to the present. He saw that Darren was now holding up the girl and Bruce somehow managing to carry the twins and his axe.

"Yeah, fine" he said "let's get going". He glanced again at Joey who was looking at him deeply as if he too was remembering the past.

The horde of sickos were gaining ground again as they turned and made it back to the castle with Billy and Joey holding the rear. When they were a few meters from the gate they opened and they were bundled in side. A group of girls immediately pulled the girl and the twins inside to be checked and looked after. Billy sighed, a job well done he thought as Joey went off saying something about him dying for a piss.

Chapter 2

Two days later. Joey yawned and stretched, he glanced at his watch. 11 am he'd miss the daily scavenging party. His fault he supposed he didn't sleep in the large room most of the kids slept in, they pissed him off and they only slept together because they were afraid. He got dressed in his usual outfit but left his sword leaning against the wall instead he made sure his kukri was strapped to the small of is back.

He headed down stairs tanking a quick piss before going into the common room. On one of the many sofas in the room was the girl they had rescued, she was slim with shoulder length ginger hair. Her name was Katie. Joey looked her up and down; she was hot and had big tits he thought to himself. No girl would ever like Joey though. With his one eye and scars he was not a pretty sight, he'd never been particular handsome before either. She looked up at him smiling prettily.

"Hey Joey" she smiled. He grunted in reply before asking where everyone was.

"Um Billy's taken the scavenging party out and Bruce has gone to help protect the farming people" she replied.