Chapter Six - Lakenheath

They spent a couple of nights at each place they visited before moving on. They see some cats, a few more dogs, but nothing they can't avoid or handle quietly. No humans, and no Infected. Emily's plan is still to head north, as far from the green zone as possible. Doyle suggests that they stick a little closer to the coast as they move, and she's okay with that. If anyone is doing flyovers from Europe, he wants to know about it. He'd held onto his radio, trying the frequency he'd been using with Flynn a few times, and then every frequency he could think of, but there was no response. He hoped it was only because he was out of range, but that didn't feel right in his gut.

They reached RAF Lakenheath, and Emily wanted to give it a wide berth, but Doyle was itching to check for any ammo he could use for his M4. They lurked for ages, watching for any movement, but everything seemed clear. Eventually they moved inside, stopping to raid the hospital, commissary and the armoury for supplies.

"What's that?" Doyle asked as he stared at the expanse of greenery in the distance.

"I believe," Emily started as she squinted in the sunlight. "That's Thetford Forest Park. They have a Center Parcs near there, it's a little bit east of here if you fancy some hideously overpriced outdoor activities."

"Like what, mountain biking and shit?"

"Mountain biking, paintball, geocaching, that kind of thing. Probably out of the price range of an Army Sergeant and a refugee."

He smiled. "Think they had archery there?"

"I'd expect so. Why?"

"Forest like that," Doyle mused. "Bet they have deer."

"Yes, it did. I guess they might have still survived. Do you even know how to use a bow?"

Doyle looked at Emily, and saw the expression of doubt on her face. "What?" he said. "You think all I can do is shoot a gun? I suppose it's been a while, but I was pretty good."

"And you want to go hunting deer with a bow and arrow?"

"Guns are loud," he replied with a smile, echoing one of the first sentences she ever said to him.

"I…" she said, her face darkening into a frown. "I don't think I could eat a deer."

Doyle leaned against the wall of the commissary, thinking about the cans of old meat that they'd managed to salvage from the cupboards. "So, what? You'd prefer to keep getting our protein from lumps of grey, sweaty, canned rubber?"

She punched him in the chest, but without any real attempt to hurt him. "You told me that you liked my cooking, you dickhead!"

He grinned. "Course I do. It's just it would be nice to be able to eat something fresh for once, don't you think? And it will help us conserve our supplies."

Emily didn't answer for a while. She looked at the ground, kicked at a pebble near her foot. "Promise me you won't shoot one that has babies with them."

"Course I won't," he assured her. "No re-enactments of Bambi, I swear."

"And I have no idea what to do with a dead deer."

"That's okay, I can handle it."

"Fine," she said, begrudgingly. Then, under her breath she muttered "you filthy, dirty American."

The words had no malice behind them, and Doyle laughed as they set off towards the Center Parcs. They found a farmhouse not too far from the forest entrance, and Emily started their settling in routine.

"Still a couple hours of light left," Doyle said. "I'm gonna go see if I can find a bow. You okay here?"

Emily wasn't happy with him going alone, but didn't try to stop him. He had his M4, and he was finally happy now that he'd been able to restock his ammo. Before he left, he lifted his USP from his thigh holster and held it out to her. She wrinkled her nose, but she took it.

"You ever used a gun before?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Only in games, but I think I know what I'm doing." She pointed the gun at the ground, thumbed the safety off and chambered a round. Satisfied, she pulled the safety all the way down to engage the de-cock feature, put the safety back on, and rested the gun on the table. "That okay?"

Doyle let out a chuckle of surprise, and ran his hand through his hair. "Okay," he agreed. "That's not half bad."

"Probably couldn't guarantee I could hit anything," she admitted, and his chuckle returned.

"You're not gonna need to," he reassured her. "But if you need me, go outside and fire a round into the air. I'll hear it. That okay?"

"I guess."

"I'll get the bow and come straight back, then tomorrow I'll head out and bag us a deer. After that, why don't I show you how to fire the gun? Just in case."

"Okay," she agreed, and he started to turn to leave. "Don't you dare die," she added, and he smiled as he slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a quick hug.

"Never," he promised as she slid her hands under the edge of his vest and held on tight.