Highschool of the dead: The British Outbreak
Chapter 4: Learn fast, or die hard.
Fred
Chester safe zone
Chester Castle
Z-day + 20
09:00
As soon as the breakfast trays had been bused in for cleaning, the recruits had been ordered into PT kit and lead through their morning exercises: press ups, sit ups, Burpies, and other exercises, before being lead on a 5 lap run around Chester city walls (which roughly came to 10 miles). Over their 2 weeks of training, the recruits had become more or less used to the program of exercise. But up until today, they hadn't done the run with full twenty-five kilo rucksacks. As a result, by the time they returned to the Castle parade square (what had once been the car park) they were all sore from pain and exhaustion.
This was true for Fred as well as everyone else. While he had been a fit lad before, before joining the military he had not been exercised this thoroughly or brutally before and it was taking its toll. He winced as he removed his rucksack, but it was easy to hide as most of the recruits were in similar states of pain. Fred watched as one recruit heaved the contents of his unsettled stomach over the black tarmac. As a few others began to vomit, Fred retrieved his canteen from his rucksack. He got 2 large gulps down before it was pulled violently from his hands by a Sergeant Owen.
"Slow recruit." He said, "Drink it slow or you'll get cramps."
"Yes Sergeant." Fred replied. Fred was handed back his water bottle and he started drinking again, although slower than he had been.
"Alright, Fall in. Squad of 3 ranks." Shouted Owens. The recruits slowly began to move into line, but this was not fast enough for Owens.
"MOVE! YOU'RE ON MY TIME! NOT YOURS!" Fred stowed his canteen and swung the bag onto his back as the other recruits rushed to fall in. He stepped into the rear rank just as Owens brought the recruits to attention. In rough unison, 42 gym shoes stamped to attention.
"Recruits," began Owen. "Today's run marked the conclusion of the end of your initial training. You are no longer recruits, but commissioned to the rank of Private. From now on you will be divided into your fireteams. The roles these teams will fulfil may vary. Some of you will become recon and scavenger teams. Others mortar and other weapons crews, some administrators and support staff." Owen removed a notebook from his fatigues pocket.
"The following Privates are assigned to Fireteam Dragon: Private Holland, Private Ross, Private Hakim. Report to stores, you're NCO will meet you there. Fall out."
Fred watched as the new soldiers of Fireteam Dragon fell out of line and headed off towards stores. Fhajad looked back at Fred as he followed his new fireteam. He nodded to Fred respectfully, Fred nodded back. Owens then read out the next fireteam;
"Fireteam Viking: Privates Vera, Long and Hanson. Fall out." Fred, upon hearing his name, immediately fell out of line and started moving towards stores. He looked around and saw two other people moving with him. Fred didn't know them personally, but he knew their names.
Akio Long was a tall girl with an athletic build, blood red hair and contrasting emerald green eyes. She usually kept to herself, but she'd proven herself as the best of the recruits at hand to hand combat, to the point that she'd left their instructor on the ground when she'd sparred with him, clutching at his ribs. She'd been reprimanded for excessive use of force, but allowed to continue her training.
In contrast to Akio, Alex Vera was kind and approachable, while still being incredibly attractive. Fred also knew she had been a doctor in training and was a skilled medic. She could have continued to work in the town's hospital, but it spoke volumes that she'd joined up when the call went out for volunteers.
The 3 headed for stores. As they walked into the castle, Alex dropped in step with Fred.
"I'm Alex. You are?"
"Fred. Fred Hanson."
"So why'd you join?" asked Alex.
"I'm good with radios," replied Fred, smirking slightly before his face darkened. "I used to run a small radio set out of my room. Not much good now though. What about you?"
"Didn't want to spend my whole time in the hospital patching up bruised knees and handing out aspirins for headaches," she replied. "Thought I could be of more use here. What about you..?"
"I joined to fight," replied Akio. She looked back over her shoulder smiling. "And call me Akio."
"To fight?" asked Alex, confused. Akio sighed.
"When things were going from bad to worse, I saw a woman trying to reason with an infected, right up till the point that it killed her. I then watched as she turned, and was about to tear into her own daughter before I stopped her. I don't want that to happen again."
"Fair enough," replied Fred. They then arrived at stores before they could continue the conversation.
Stores had once been a store room for legal documents, but now it was a supply room for uniforms, webbing and other items of military kit that didn't need to be stored in a secure armory. On a table behind the desk was a line of large black duffel bags with pieces of paper on them.
"Names?" asked the adult NCO acting as stores officer.
"Privates Hanson, Vera and Long." Said Akio. The stores man nodded, before turning and moving up and down the line of black bags, extracting 3 and handing them to their designated recipients.
"You guys fireteam Viking?" asked a voice. Alex, Fred and Akio turned around, finding a camouflaged corporal standing in the doorway.
"Yeah that's us," said Fred. The Corporal nodded.
"Nice to meet you. I'm your team leader, Corporal Rees. Your names are?"
"Private Fred Hanson."
"Private Alex Vera," the young woman said with a smile as she recognized the NCO's face.
"Private Akio Long."
"Ok then, follow me." The 3 privates followed their new Corporal through the castle's seemingly innumerable office hallways, until he lead them into one of the rooms off one of these identical hallways.
"This, is our bunk room." Announced Corporal Rees. The room had once been an office, but the office furniture and had been replaced with 4 identical camp beds, foot lockers and cupboards, everything you'd expect to find in a military bunk room. Rees pointed to the bed on the right hand side of the door, it already had a bag and a rifle on it.
"That one's mine," said Rees. "Hanson your opposite me, Vera and Long you've got the back ones. I'll see about getting some curtains or something to get you a little more privacy." They moved to their new beds, setting down the black bags.
"In the bags you'll find a green T-shirt, as well as a green belt, combat shirt and trousers, hiking socks and assault boots. Dig them out and get changed, then come back here. Toilets are down the hall. "
Fred dug through his bag before withdrawing the items before heading in the directions of the toilets to change. He stripped off his sports kit, still saturated with sweat from the morning exercises, and donned the multicam combat fatigues. Once he was fairly certain he had it on correctly, he pulled on his boots. They were hard black leather, and rubbed against his heel, but they fitted. He returned to the bunk room.
"You need to tuck in your combat shirt," said Rees as he inspected Fred as he arrived, "but otherwise not a bad effort. Anything wrong with it otherwise?"
"The boots are a bit uncomfortable," said Fred. Rees nodded.
"You'll need to break them in. If you get blisters, and you will, let me know and I'll give you some blister plasters." The girls returned shortly after and once Rees had made pointed out some corrections they needed to make, they sat down on their beds.
"First things first, some housekeeping." Said Rees. "When were outside of this room, in the presence of officers, NCO's or other soldiers, it's a last name and rank basis. But when we're here, in private or on patrol, I've got no problem with using first names. Anyone got a problem with that? Oh, and its Jason by the way."
"I remember," Alex said with a smile.
"You two know each other?" Fred asked as Akio watched.
"We had a drink at Mickie's a few weeks back," Jason said. "In fact I think it was Z-Day."
"We had both had a very long day," Alex said. "It was good just to sit down and talk."
"So... what are we supposed to do now?" asked Akio. Jason smiled. He reached into his bag and removed an L85 from it.
"Well," he said, "let's get our stuff away, then I'll introduce you to your new weapons."
Jason
Chester safe zone
Northgate
Z-day + 23
13:00
"Alright, just remember what I taught you. Ready, Aim, Fire."
Ka-pow
Jason sighed, "Missed again Alex. You're still snatching at the trigger."
Alex growled in frustration. Fireteam Viking had been keeping watch on the north wall for the last 7 hours, and Jason had been using the time and occasional infected to allow his rookie team to get some target practice in. Fred had, with only little instruction become a competent shot and with a little more attention, so had Akio. However Alex required... more instruction. "Watch and learn." He took Alex's rifle and shouldered it.
"Now squeeze the trigger slowly and don't snatch. That's what's causing you to miss. Here try." He handed back the rifle.
The woman nodded, and mimicked Jason's actions. "I think I see what you're saying Corporal."
"You'll get it." Encouraged Jason, patting Alex on the shoulder reassuringly. "It's just a matter of time and practice. Keep trying."
"Corporal? Can I borrow you a minute?" asked a voice. Jason looked over to where the voice had come from. The now Corporal Wheatcroft, leader of fireteam Wolf, was standing there. Jason smiled.
"Of course Corporal." Replied Jason. "Private Long, you have the watch."
"Yes Corporal." Affirmed Akio. Jason followed Wheatcroft further along the wall to somewhere they could talk undisturbed.
"So how's your squad?" asked Jason. Wheatcroft snorted.
"Well I've got a hyperactive kid, a 23 year old lawyer and a woman who's just found out her daughter's pregnant. How about you?"
"They're solid," replied Jason. "They've got their problems though. Fred is a good bleep, but sometimes I think he's just holding back and not trying. Alex is a first rate medic, but can't shoot for shit. And Akio, she's an expert hand to hand combat fighter, but is aggressive, sometimes overly so. They've got a way to go, but they'll do."
"Glad to hear it," said Wheatcroft. "Cause the CO sent me to tell you. You've got an op. Search and rescue run to Christleton, via Rowton. It's an overnight op."
"That's a first," remarked Jacob. "And I don't think any of the recon teams have been out that far."
"Also true. However you weren't the first choice," replied Wheatcroft. "There's another op, supply run out to a large food warehouse out in Warrington. That's taking up all the other fireteams as well as those on wall duty."
"So... A food run, or a recon mission," pondered Jason. "I think I've got the better choice. When do we leave?"
"When you get off duty, go see the CO, he'll give you a full brief."
"Will do. So how's things with Martel?" Wheatcroft looked surprised and a red shadow of a blush went across her face.
"Fine..." she said, quickly looking around. "Have you told anyone..."
"Not a soul." Jason said. "What happens in the field, stays in the field."
"Good to hear. You better get back to it."
"Right. See ya."
The two Corporals went their separate ways with Jason returning to his post.
"Right guys." He said as he returned to his team. "When we get off duty, go back to the barracks and start packing for an overnight deployment. I'll brief you all when we get back."
Fireteam Viking
Chester Safe zone
Z-day + 23
16:00
"Rifles?"
"Check."
"Ammo?"
"Check."
"Patrol bags?"
"Check."
"Alright then." Said Jason as he stood up from his bunk. "Let's go."
Fireteam Viking exited their barracks room. They were each decked out in MTP combat fatigues, boots, helmets, webbing, and each bore a patrol pack on their back. They moved out of the barracks and through the city in silence. They knew what they had to do. In their hands they carried L85s, (with the exception of Jacob, who carried his HK 417) with their slings slung and unloaded.
They reached the first of the double gate under the east gate clock. The fireteam on duty waved them through the first set of doors. Once through, the steel gate was sealed behind them. On the inside of the gate in front of them, the one which kept the infected out, someone had spray painted 'Zed country. Keep out!' on it with an arrow pointing up.
"Fireteam Viking." Called Jason, "With a magazine of 30 rounds, load!" The team each removed a magazine from their pouches and inserted them into their rifles with a staccato of metallic clicks.
"Make ready!"They charged their rifles. They were ready. Jason gave the signal, and the gates were opened.
The area beyond the wall was quiet. No infected activity, just the odd bit of debris or abandoned car. From here they would hoof it out through Chester to Rowton. They'd bed down there for the night then move through Rowton, Waverton and Christleton on their way back.
"Viking." Said Jason. "Fall out."
They clicked their safeties off and moved out.
...
18:30
"Well this isn't at all spooky," commented Akio.
The whole team was inclined to agree. They'd been on the road for nearly 2 and a half hours and they'd had hardly any infected contacts and everyone that they had seen had been either easily dispatched or avoided. But as they'd moved further out of the city, the fewer of them they'd encountered.
In fact the most problematic problem they'd encountered, were roadblocks. Someone had moved cars and other vehicles into the road to create road blocks, either to keep the infected, or someone else, out. They'd either found a route around or managed to get over them but it meant that someone had been around here, and maybe recently.
"Keep an eye out," said Jason. "Call it if you see anything. Were not far from where we'll bed down for the night."
"Where are we stopping?" asked Fred.
"A hotel I used to work at during the holidays," replied Jason. "Pretty small 'no tell motel' kind of set up. Should be a quite place to settle down."
"Really?" snorted Akio, "You worked in a love hotel?"
"And what did you do for a summer job Akio?" asked Fred. "Vigilante bully buster?" Akio snorted.
"No," she said, "I worked as a waitress at my grandfather's Chinese restaurant."
"Fair enough," said Jason. "It's not much further." A thought then crossed Jason's mind. It was a difficult question that he had to ask.
"Does anyone have any family in the area?"
There was a moment silence among the group; it was not a comfortable one.
"No." Replied Fred.
"I don't." said Akio. Alex however was silent.
"Alex?"
"My gran." She replied. "She lives in Christleton, near the Highschool."
"Right, we'll swing by her house in the morning." Said Jason. "For now, were coming up on the hotel. Fan out."
They moved into the hotel car park, weapons raised and scanning for targets. Once in the center, Jason held up his fist, the universal signal for halt.
"All round defense on me." Jason dropped to a knee and the team went prone around him, weapons pointing outward.
"Right, listen in." Said Jason, keeping his voice low so as not to attract undue attention. "The hotel is 3 stories tall. Parking on the west, north and east sides with a forest to the south. Only entrances are the main reception and a fire escape on the north side. On the ground floor is the lobby, a small cafe, housekeeping and maintenance. First floor is accessible by stairs in the back and has 20 rooms on it, same on the second floor. There is a fire exit on the top floor that leads down to the east car park. Any questions?"
"How we going in?" asked Fred.
"Through reception." Replied Jason. "I'll take point. We'll check reception for rented rooms. All the rooms are key locks so we can take the spare room keys and lock them, no telling what might be in there. Then we barricade the front and settle in. Anything else?"
There wasn't. Jason slung his HK and drew his Glock.
"Fix bayonets." The fireteam drew their bayonets and clicked them to their rifles.
"Prepare to move... Move!" Fred was up first, stepping around to the front and his team fell in behind. As they advanced toward the door, one infected pressed itself against the modern glass doors. Jason drew his knife.
"Fred. Get the door on my word. Alex and Akio covering." Fred moved up to be ready to open the door. Alex and Akio moved out to the flanks with rifles raised and Jason stood facing the door. He nodded to Fred. Fred opened the door and the infected stumbled forward. Jason lunged forward, kicking the infected onto its back with his boot, before bringing his knife down into its skull. The infected stopped moving and died as Jason retrieved his knife.
"Sweep and clear." He said. Akio and Alex advanced, moving into the reception in silence. Jason and Fred followed. As the girls secured and held the reception, Jason went behind the desk to retrieve keys and Fred closed the door behind them.
"The desk reads that only 5 rooms out of 40 are rented; 3 on the first floor, 2 on the second. We move through and lock those rooms. But keep sharp, there may be more than a few infected in here. Let's move."
...
An hour later, they had cleared the hotel and the unexpectedly few occupied rooms. Once Jason was satisfied it was secure, they moved the corpses out into the car park and set about burning them. They then set a watch and set themselves up a room on the top floor. While Fred called in their status to HQ on the radio, they managed to recover a supply of the hotels complementary hygiene items which they stowed in their packs. Having discovered there was no edible food left in the hotel, they moved up to the roof to cook some ration packs.
"So what did you guys get?" asked Fred as he tucked into his rat pack.
"Beef stew." Replied Akio, "you?"
"Sausage casserole, although it tastes like chicken curry..." Fred replied.
"That's army ration packs for you guys." Said Jason as he dug into his own ration pack. He looked over to Alex, who was on leaning against the low wall at the edge of the rood. She was looking towards Christleton. Jason got up and walked over to her.
"Tell me about your grandmother," he said, joining her in leaning against the wall.
"Her name is Maggie." Replied Alex, "She's 88. A great cook, better friend..." Alex started breaking down into tears. Jason put an arm around her.
"Hey hey hey." He said reassuringly. "If she's that old she grew up during the war, just like my grandmother. They don't make 'em like that anymore. If she was cut from the same cloth as my Grandmother, then she's a tough old bat. If she's still out there, we'll find her."
Alex sniffed amusingly, struggling to hold back her tears.
"What was your grandmother like?" she asked, "Is she still out there?"
"No." Replied Jason sadly, "Cancer took her 2 years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. She was a hell of a woman, a true matriarch. She worked as a medic during the Korean War; met my grandpa in an aid station. She was a mean poker player, took 20 quid off me at one family game. I remember, on her last day, she gave me the money from her purse, almost a hundred pounds, looked me straight in the eye and said; 'Jason. You take that money, grab two of your best friends, and go have a hell of a night on me.'"
"Sounds like a great grandmother."
"Yeah, she was. When I got the call that night that she'd died, I understood why she made me take two of my friends with me... I got drunk and nearly started a bar fight and my mates carried me out after I collapsed. Ah... good times..." Jason looked back at Alex.
"If she's there, we'll find her. That's a promise. Now get some scram and get some rack. Were on watch in 2 hour shifts; Fred first, then Akio, then you then me. So get some eats then go to bed." Alex smiled then stood up and threw Jason a jaunty salute.
"Sir Yes Sir!" she said before moving back to Akio and Fred.
"Cocky little..." Whispered Jason to himself before heading back as well. Once they had eaten their fill, Jason and the girls retreated back into the hotel, heading for their bunks. As Fred set about making himself a brew, Jason reappeared.
"Kicked out by the girls huh?" Guessed Fred. Jason nodded then shook his head smiling.
"I told them to sleep in their fatigues, but they insisted on changing into some night clothes they brought. Then they kicked me out." Fred laughed as Jason started making himself a brew with a piece of his ration pack he'd been able to grab before the girls threw them out.
"So what's the story?" asked Jason, "What's it like out there?"
"All quiet since you went inside." Replied Fred as he took a drink of his tea. "I've seen a few infected, but they've moved off."
Jason sighed, "I feel sorry for whichever poor soul has got their attention. I mean when you think about it we're lucky."
"How so?"
"Well we've been behind a thick stone wall since this all went down. We've got food, clean drinking water, plenty of weapons... Any survivors out here might not have any of that."
"You've got a point..." agreed Fred. "Though I'm not sure anyone will still be out there."
The echo of two shotgun blasts in the distance disproved Fred's theory but also made both of the teenage soldiers grab their rifles and get up.
"You see anything?" asked Jason, scanning through his rifle's scope.
"No." Replied Fred, lowering his rifle. "Keep an eye out. If you see anything, call on the squad com."
"Got it. Good night Corporal."
"Good night Fred."
Fireteam Viking
Chester Outskirts
Z-day + 24
07:30
Fireteam Viking moved with all deliberate speed and stealth. They were determined to find Alex's grandmother, along with as many survivors as they could. But Jason knew that sheer determination to succeed would not keep them alive if it hit the fan...
... Cadet Joyce had taught him that much.
They'd set out early, after securing the hotel for future use and disposing of the infected bodies. They'd then swept through the rest of Rowton, then Waverton. Both towns had exhibited signs of looting, but no recent indication of survivors. As they moved closer to Christleton, Jason put up his fist.
They froze.
He then held up 4 fingers and tapped his helmet twice. Alex moved up to him while the rest of the team dropped to a knee.
"Which way to your grandmother's house?" he asked. Alex thought for a moment.
"Second road on the left." She said. Jason nodded.
"Alright. You take point." She started to get up but Jason grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.
"When we get to your house. You and Fred stay outside and wait. Akio and I will go in and look for her." Alex was about to protest but Jason cut her off.
"We don't know how we'll find her. She could be alive. Or she could be infected, or dead. If it's either of the last two... We'll I'd rather remember my grandmother for how she was, not how she ended up. Wouldn't you?"
Alex remained silent for a moment, before nodding.
"Alright then. Lead the way."
Alex stood up and started forward. Jason held back and took her place in the formation, close enough that he could relay what was going to happen to Akio and Fred.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Akio after hearing the plan. She was deliberately being quiet enough so that Alex couldn't hear her.
"Yeah." Replied Jason, "I don't want her to break. If her grandmother is dead, seeing her like that may break her."
"You're really concerned for her well being aren't you?" noted Akio. Jason smiled, he saw where she was going with this.
"She is a soldier under my command Akio," Jason said, "Her well being is a top concern of mine. As is yours."
Akio smiled at that.
They marched on, moving through abandoned street after abandoned street. Until they came to a small bungalow. It was a quaint dwelling, a small garden in front and various ornaments in the front window. But there was one feature that told them something was wrong...
The door had been broken in.
"Fred, Alex, set security." Said Jason firmly, "Akio, on me."
Akio and Fred moved to their tasks, Alex hesitated, but then took her position.
Akio and Jason entered the house. They entered into a front living room decorated with numerous pictures and other ornaments, a few of them had pictures of Alex. They moved through the house, clearing a dining room, bedroom and bath room before coming to the kitchen.
"Damn." Was all Akio could say.
They'd found Alex's grandmother. She lying on the kitchen floor, in a pool of her own blood. Her chest cavity had been blasted open. It had been a gruesome, if quick death.
"Looks like a shotgun blast, close range." Determined Jason, disgusted at the sight.
"Which means people did this, not an infected." said Akio. Jason agreed. The cupboards had been emptied of canned goods and other non-perishable food items. This had been people, gunning down an innocent old lady and taking everything she had. The thought made Jason mad. He retreated to the bedroom and removed a sheet from the cupboard. He returned to the kitchen and covered the body. He offered a momentary silent prayer, before turning back to Akio.
"Let's move." He said. They started outward but as they passed a mantel piece, Jason brushed up against a photo in a frame. He reacted and caught it then saw what it was. It was a picture of Alex, along with an adult man and woman who Jason assumed to be her parents, and a picture of her grandmother. They looked happy together, like a family. Jason broke it out of its frame and stuffed it into a pocket of his fatigues before continuing outside. As soon as they exited, Alex abandoned her post and rushed up to them.
"Did you find her?" she asked. Jason sighed.
"We did." He said, he then put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, she's gone."
Alex looked like you'd expect. Tears started to well up in her eyes and she looked down and started to sob.
"Was it infected?" she managed between sobs.
"No." Said Jason. Alex looked him in the eye. She no longer looked like she was in mourning, she looked furious. Jason continued.
"It looks like she was killed by scavengers. Single shotgun blast to the chest. All the food cupboards are empty. It was messy."
He let that sink in.
"Alex. I'm sorry, but we still have a mission to complete. And it's all the more important if there are potentially hostile, desperate people out here. We don't have time to bury her now. But I promise, when were done, we'll come back and give her a proper burial. Agreed?"
She remained silent for a moment.
"Agreed."
"Ok then." Said Jason, "Let's move."
The team continued onward, abit with less chatter than before. They moved into the centre of Christleton. The centre of town was situated on the crossroads of 2 country lanes, and featured a predominant church, a pub, village hall and corner shop/ pharmacy and not really much else.
"Let's check the store." Suggested Jason. The team moved in towards it from the road, when a figure stepped out.
It was a boy. He looked like he was in his early teens, his hair was overgrown and his clothes were shabby. He was carrying a basket, half full with packs of crisps and what looked like bottles of medicine and other products.
He looked at them, they looked at him.
Then he ran.
"Wait! Stop!" shouted Jason. He kept running. The team started sprinting after him, despite being weighed down by their kit and weapons, they kept pace with the kid, he wasn't moving particularly fast. Jason thought he was probably tired... hungry... both.
"Stop Running! We're not going to hurt you!" shouted Fred.
"We're British Army!" added Alex. Their kit was weighing them down; they were going to lose him if they didn't catch up to him. The kid kept running. He rounded a corner, the team followed, he was still running, straight into a group of infected. There were 20 or so of them in the street, now all converging on the boy. He tried to sidestep around one, but he was going too fast and tripped. He flew over before crashing face first onto the pavement, the contents of his shopping basket flew forward and over the ground. The infected were upon him.
"Viking! Engage!" ordered Jason. The team opened fire.
The air filled with sharp cracks as the barrels of their L85A2's cracked and flashed with each round as the team laid down steady streams of fire into the infected. The boy curled up into a ball as the rounds whizzed over head. Jason moved forward, carefully placing shots into infected with shots from his 417.
Ka-pow! Ka-pow! One target down. Ka-pow! 'that's 2.' He thought as he dropped to a knee and continued firing. With the combined firepower they brought, it didn't take long to clear the street.
"Cease fire!" called Jason. "Clear!"
"Clear." Replied each of the team as they each checked a different angle of approach.
"Anyone injured?" asked Alex. Each of the team reported fine as they moved back towards the boy.
"You ok kid?" asked Fred. The boy looked up to see the 4 camouflaged soldiers looking down at him.
"Get away from me!" he shouted, scrambling to his feat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a kitchen knife. As soon as he did, Akio and Fred had their guns on him.
"Whoa, take it easy." Said Jason, stepping forward to try and diffuse the now volatile situation. "Were not going to hurt you. We just want to talk."
"You're not gonna get my stuff!" he shouted, He started backing up and kneeling down and feeling for his scattered supplies while keeping the knife pointed at Jason and his team.
"We don't want your stuff." Said Jason. "We just want to talk." Jason looked down at the supplies, there were a lot of medical drug bottles. He reached into a pouch on his webbing.
"Here," he said as he removed a small personal first aid kit. He proffered it to the boy before tossing it to the ground in front of him. "It's yours. We just want to talk, we're not going to hurt you." The boy eyed the first aid kit with intent before looking back to Jason.
"How do I know I can trust you?" He said. Jason shrugged.
"If we wanted to hurt you," he said, "we would have already shot you." He turned to his team. "Weapons down. Set security."
Slowly Akio and Fred lowered their rifles and they and Alex then moved to a position to cover away from the boy and Jason, but so that they could still see them and react if necessary.
"My name is Jason Rees. What's yours?"
"Callum." Said the boy, slowly edging forward to the offered first aid kit but not taking his eyes of Jason. Jason saw this and kicked it gently closer with his boot. As Callum made a lunge for it, Jason made all efforts to look as less threatening as possible. He waited until Callum had the first aid kit and was upright before continuing.
"Why are you helping me?" Asked Callum.
"It's our job." Replied Jason. "We're a British Army recon team based at the Chester Safe zone. We're on a recon mission to find survivors and bring them back to the city. Now I have a question for you, can you lower the knife please?"
Callum lowered the knife.
"Who are the meds for Callum?" asked Alex, stepping into the conversation. "Is someone sick?"
"This is Private Alex Vera." Introduced Jason, "She's our team medic. But she has a point Callum. Is someone hurt?"
"No." He replied shortly. Jason was about to ask another question when he spotted 2 items on the floor. One was a smashed jar of orange paste, the other was a packet of nappies.
"Do you have a younger sibling?" asked Jason. Callum looked surprised.
"How did you..."
"Well the nappies and baby food aren't for you I take it." Jason replied. "If you take us to them, we can bring you back to Chester."
The boy continued to reclaim his scavenged items and put them in his shopping basket.
"Guys, we've got company." Cautioned Akio. She was right, the sound of mass gunfire had attracted seemingly all the infected in the area. "We can't stay here."
"Do you have a place to go?" Jason asked, he already knew Callum did.
"Yes." He said. His voice sounded slightly panicked at the thought of being surrounded and over run by infected. He turned and started moving down the street "Follow me."
"Let's move Viking!"
The team took off after Callum. Wherever he was going, was probably better than an infected infested street.
Here we are guys, Chapter 4.
I have a request for you guys... PLEASE REVIEW MORE! I can't tell if the vast majority of you are enjoying the story from 5 reviews over 3 chapters. I need more people reviewing so I can see where I'm going wrong.
Things are starting to move forward with the plot and I've got my first 'story Ark' coming up. It'll probably last around 3 chaptes before leading into the next one, and I have 4/5 planned.
Anyway, let me know what you think... please...
Jango