She had to admit, things were getting tiresome. There was only emergency generator power for the lighting and air conditioning, and this was run on a huge underground fuel tank. The systems were augmented by external solar panels, but these weren't enough to rely on alone especially as they needed cleaning and were probably covered in leaves still.

The generator was used to top up the batteries, and every day the power levels dropped slightly lower than the day before. One of the staff reckoned it would only last another month or so, then they had to outside.

Months ago, the order had come for the cabinet to lock down as an epidemic was feared. There was a query regarding biological warfare, which nobody had a definitive answer to.

They had watched for two days how the country fell apart. Hospitals were inundated at first, then totally overwhelmed when people started to die. Looting started as soon as the bounds of social cohesion began to fray, which surprised nobody. Quickly, even the looters started to get sick and die. By the time the external power grid failed and severed their link to the cameras outside of their immediate control there was nobody moving.

Four senior politicians had got through the screening process, which was basically anybody that had the slightest raise in body temperature was deftly diverted to another room which did not lead to the bunker. With those politicians had come some key senior military commanders and their bag carriers, along with a research staff who had been in place for some time by their pale complexions. Add to this the maintenance staff and a handful of police officers assigned to escort and protect the politicians, there were thirty-six souls locked underground.

There had been thirty-seven, but one man was determined to open the sealed entrance and condemn them all in the hope that his family were still alive. One of the police officers had abruptly ended negotiations with the enraged man using a gun.

Now it seemed, after months of living underground, there was no rescue coming and no contact from the outside world either. Satellite phones, secure digital hard line networks, internet, radios; all had gone quiet weeks ago. People started to say that this was a global event, and that they may be the only ones alive.

Eleven similar locations on the UK mainland had been activated simultaneously, and communications between four others had been established. Three of those showed signs of outbreak within twelve hours of lockdown, and all contact was lost shortly after. The safe assumption was that they had all died.

Only contact remained with one other bunker, site one, over five hundred miles away in Scotland. It was in a very remote location, intentionally, and was the secret base of virology where bio-weapons were tested and constant theoretical war games were played.

A modern day plague was the new nuclear option, it seemed. Even better actually, as it was deniable. The virology lab held synthesised accelerated samples of just about everything that could kill a person, then tried to find ways of juicing its lethality to biblical proportions. Information security protocols were adhered to in the first few weeks, but as it started to dawn on everyone that this was very real so the story began to unfold.

From what the scientists had seen, this was a form of influenza based on their observations on camera. It had an unbelievably fast gestation period, and was lethal within forty-eight hours. Exact cause of death was unknown as no test subjects were available to be autopsied, but the best guess would be fever and heart failure. They swore it wasn't one of theirs, and voiced suspicions that if it was a bio-weapon attack then it would probably be airborne and most definitely Chinese.

There were some in the bunker with various religious beliefs. Some of these hypothesised the coming of the end of days which led to counter arguments and eventually a number of heated fights which had to be split up more than once.

An ageing Lieutenant Colonel with an impressive shock of white hair and a dazzling array of medals was all for their immediate departure; he planned to lead them all to a nearby barracks where they would be equipped as soldiers and he would lead them onwards.

Most people though the man unstable, and it was rumoured that the last time he had seen active service was before most of them were born.

Their decision was made for them at the end of February, when the generator began to splutter and finally gave out. This year's resolution; don't die of suffocation in a hole in the ground.


February ended, and the weather improved slightly. A flurry of activity began on the farms and gardens; seeds were planted, animals were moved around and Chris spoke of his plans to introduce the young bull to their small herd of cows.

All departments loaned extra bodies to help, and some renewed purpose infected the group. Dan decided to start pushing the fitness and skills of his Rangers, and had them in the gym three times a week where he ran them until they sweated, then made them lift weights and finish with a session on the mats where they drilled over and over with close quarters scenarios. Leah kept up as much as she could and paid close attention to the lessons in weapon retention. She had also been training with Lexi and was starting to develop some muscle.

Twice Dan had overtly tried to get Marie to be part of Ops, and both times she flatly refused him. He raised good points with her skills of planning and organising being an asset, but her mind was made up. He had even approached Penny about it, but she was firmly on the side of Marie.

She felt her professional experience was of no value yet; there weren't enough people to police and nothing to investigate. She had decided to use her education in a more practical setting, and after some discussion she became the group's first mental health professional. She had a degree in psychology, and through her work had been trained as a counsellor. She had also studied art, and ran a drawing class.

She was allocated a room, furniture needs were met and the rules of confidentiality firmly set. Similar to the medical records being established, Marie met each member of the group in turn, taking nearly two weeks, and discussed how they were coping. Nearly half of the group booked a return visit.

Dan grudgingly attended, and was as closed off about his past as he always was but felt tempted to book a follow up session just so he could spend more time with her. She fascinated him, but he couldn't get close to her without looking like a lost puppy. He tried to push her from his mind; he had a lot to plan for with scouting trips and scavenging runs set to start again soon.

Lexi had fussed over Paul who was very groggy for the first week. Kate, using complex medical terminology, had declared him badly concussed with a raft of soft tissue injuries from the crash, and watched him like a hawk.

"What's a sub-dural haematoma?" Leah whispered to Dan as Kate spoke.

"It's a lump on the head" Dan answered in a stage whisper to annoy the paramedic, receiving a cold stare from Kate in reward.

Paul insisted that he felt better, and was released. The subject of his employment was raised in a council meeting, and Neil asked to talk to him with Mike to see if his architectural knowledge was of use to them.

It turned out it was; not only was he an architect but he also site-managed and had built a few commercial properties. He knew a little about scaffolding, and was instantly hired. He also, being a bit of a gym nut and heralded as a ninja according to Lexi, agreed to take over the running of the fitness and self defence programs.

Interdepartmental requirements had been drawn up, and a long list of supplies was needed. Scaffolding and building tools were requested for engineering, equipment and feed for the farm, food and water for stores as their supplies had been depleted over winter. Sera needed veterinary supplies and equipment for the horses, Kate needed medical supplies and an abundance of suturing kits she joked. Dan raised a self-conscious hand to the neat zip marks on his face. Clothes were required, as was all the fuel they could find to keep their vehicles and generators running.

All of these requirements had to be assessed, prioritised and researched for the appropriate site. These sites then had to be checked by the Rangers and reported back on as to whether it was yes or no to the site, and a decision on if the teams should be escorted. Dan took a long list of notes, and decided to call his whole team in the next morning for an admin day and to lay down new standard operating procedures.

Neil, Mike, Carl, Ian, Adam and Paul set to work planning how the solar panel project would work and wrote endless lists of requirements, including every vehicle battery from the larger stuff that could be found. Jack was recruited to the engineering team for his haulage knowledge.

Andrew worked with Jimmy to prioritise the required supplies, and woke Liam from his bored hibernation. Everyone pretended not to know that he and Andrew disappeared during 'generator time' to play on an old Xbox in a small room they had sequestered.

Under Chris' leadership, the farms and gardens were starting to flourish. He knew what they needed, and where it could be found. Dan decided to start the site recces as soon as possible, discussing new operating procedures as his team worked.

"Who is still happy to go out alone?" he asked them.

They all were, despite the events of last year. He was thinking of doubling up on all trips, which met resilience from the other three Rangers. It was argued that it would put too much demand on them; maintaining a permanent guard and potentially running two trips a day would be too exhausting. He had the final say, and he was tempted to demand a slower progress to make sure they always had backup. He felt that he was being overprotective and when the realisation that he was giving advice he wouldn't take hit him, he relented.

"If a site looks dodgy though, we send at least two to run protection" he declared, as 'Mollie' jumped onto the table and walked over their maps and notes with utter distain.

"Leah, do you need to do some target practice?" he asked in a light tone. She smiled widely and nodded.

"Good. Shoot that bloody fleabag, please" he said, making the others laugh. Leah was annoyed at him for using her as a joke prop again and picked up the evil cat lovingly. It sat on her lap, kneading her legs with its paws and shot Dan a stare of pure loathing and superiority. He would set Ash on that thing happily, only he couldn't be sure of the outcome. If only the cat could be trained, they could pack the guns away permanently.

A prioritised list of sites and supplies was produced, and Dan deployed all four of them on one morning with Neil taking over the guard.

Steve was sent to a large supermarket with Jimmy riding as observer, Lexi to the big B&Q they had checked once before with Mike, Joe to an agricultural wholesaler with Chris and Dan went to a smaller outpatient's hospital taking only Ash as he knew what he was looking for. They all had two or three other secondary sites which would be on the return trip, all mapped out by Leah with Steve's help.

If any of them didn't return then the others would retrace their steps in the morning. The rest didn't need explaining; they had all been coached in escape and evasion by Steve, and all of them knew what to do. At least Dan hoped they would.

Leah asked to go with him but he asked her to stay and compile the reports, promising her a trip soon. Even the evident disappointment on her face could not dissuade him.

Dan reached his target by mid-morning, carefully circling the building on foot with Ash at his side. No sign of anyone, but the hospital had clearly been looted some time ago. The smell of the dead was different now; not the gut-churning stench of rotting bodies but instead the musty smell from the drying corpses which had frozen and thawed repeatedly over the winter to be twisted into grotesque poses. He thought it was best not to look at them much.

The looting appeared to have been done in haste and destructively. Dan was appalled at the unprofessionalism he saw until discovering that the only medication that seemed to have been taken was from a locked metal cabinet which had contained a dark green liquid.

Mephedrone. Typical that out of the world's remaining population at least one heroin addict would have survived. The other medicines and equipment seemed mostly intact, so he made a more thorough check of the building before returning to his Discovery. He smoked as he wrote notes on the site; access point, hazards, location of supplies et cetera.

He started on his long return route with, he guessed, five hours of daylight left. Twice more he stopped as he found the addresses of another ambulance outstation and a veterinary practice which specialised in large animal care. Both buildings were intact and there was no sign of danger in the areas. Dan's last stop took him past home to a motorway service station to the south.

There he found a multitude of lorries, all waiting under the watchful eyes of dead drivers for their CB radios and large batteries to be plucked from them. On his notes he recommended checking what the cargo was before stripping them in case they found twenty tonnes of something really useful already gift-wrapped.

He returned late afternoon and sat with Leah who had poured him coffee. He gave his reports as instructed by the domineering almost-teenager, who he had noted had donned her vest with its empty holster in honour of being the senior member of Ops on site all day. He recommended an escorted trip with Kate and Sera riding with him. One crew from logistics with a small lorry should do it. He congratulated Leah on the route, and suggested the recovery operation goes the same way. Hospital first, then pick up another ambulance for Kate to drive and empty their supplies, then to the vets for Sera to pick up what she wanted.

The lorry park was a good bet, but he wanted a separate trip for that with Jack and Ian along as well as two Rangers and all the logistics crews.

Steve returned with a boot full of choice items and Jimmy ready to lead the way; no issues with the supermarket.

Lexi returned with Mike who was happy that the tools they would need were readily available, and had found a well-stocked scaffolding yard on their way back, but couldn't get the loaded lorry started to bring it back.

Joe walked back in, limping, and carrying a box. Chris followed as Joe deposited the box on the table containing three very small bundles of black fur. The story was not a happy one. They found the wholesalers with ease, and the stores there were worth going back for. As they searched though, Joe was attacked by a desperately wild collie dog. She was filthy and bone thin, and after she had bitten clean through Joe's trousers and taken a chunk from his calf, he shot her.

Only afterwards did they hear the tiny sounds the surviving puppies made after their mother had attacked the intruders to protect them. Joe felt terrible and was close to tears. Chris was far more pragmatic about it, and judged that she nor the puppies would probably have lived through to spring. He shared that he had had to shoot one of his own dogs once, as it turned savage without warning and started killing sheep. Sera agreed with Chris' prognosis, declaring the puppies very malnourished and saying that she would be surprised if any of them lived a week.

Joe was marched into medical where Kate set about him. Dan looked out of the window, guessing there was probably an hour of light left. He told Leah to grab Lexi's Glock and her own emergency bag. She flew from the chair and was ready in seconds.

He pushed the Land Rover down now familiar roads, eager to be back by dark. Especially as he hadn't thought to bring the night vision goggles. They reached the small shop they had visited before, as Dan remembered seeing what they needed there. He let Leah do a quick sweep of the building – never miss an opportunity for training – before he grabbed baby bottles and tubs of milk powder. He ended up throwing almost all of it into a bag before driving back.

It wasn't ideal, Sera said, but it would at least give them a chance of survival.


Leah interviewed the three new joiners. They knew of lots of interesting things in the city, but the general consensus from all three was that the city was a bad place to visit. Marie described the place as being plagued by pirates.

What wasn't spoiled or looted was prey to roving gangs of people who wouldn't exactly be welcome in their new society. These reports were put to Dan who decided categorically to avoid the larger population centres and stick to the more rural areas which had served them well so far. He explained this to the council and found no disagreement.

The run to the lorry park was made first. Dan wanted to lead, as always, but Steve stepped in to softly persuade him that he would go with Lexi.

They were gone from dawn 'til dusk and returned full of excitement. They had found countless trailers full of useful supplies and recovered an entire truck full of batteries. They had finally got two articulated lorries started and brought back hundreds of bottles of water in one, and another full of tinned food.

That put the trip to the supermarket on the back burner. They had encountered no problems, and Dan grudgingly left Steve in charge of the next four days of recovery runs there; they had to dump the emptied trailers nearby as there simply wasn't room for them at the house.

Andrew was busy with all the available bodies unloading and sorting the new loot as quickly as possible so that they could get going by the following dawn. After four days they were exhausted and Dan declared them officially stood down until Monday; they couldn't afford a crash through tiredness.

The next day Dan took Adam and Jay with Sera and Kate to clear the hospital and vet's surgery.

The weekend passed without incident, lorry park operations resumed on the Monday. Jack argued to bring back a portacabin for additional storage space which was supported. Neil went with them also to siphon another tanker of diesel from the large tanks of the lorries.

They set the portacabin up at the side of the loading bay to their stores, and Carl began to stack and wire the lorry batteries together. It was one of those moments where having someone not qualified watching slows a professional down significantly, but it was insisted upon that he show Mike what he was doing and why. Surge protectors and other such complicated matters were discussed, all of which sailed over Dan's head - plugs, fuses and bulbs were the extent of his electrical knowledge.

By the time he returned with a lorry full of medical and veterinary supplies, another stocked ambulance - this one being a special weather one, miraculously a Land Rover Defender - and another 4x4 from the veterinary practice, the battery bank was wired and weather proof. Leah rode shotgun for him, taking her role ever so seriously. They drove in alert silence with Ash nosing his now huge head between the seats so it seemed that all three played I spy.

The scaffolding trip wasn't a priority as the weather wasn't yet good enough for the project, and the abundance of supplies from the lorry park was taking most personnel off site for days. Dan accepted the back seat on that detail and rotated the other three Rangers to go in pairs as the full logistics and engineering teams went out for another week.

By mid-March, they had accrued more supplies than they could actually store, and Andrew began to backfill empty barns on the gardens and farm with the sturdier food supplies. Every day the teams went out to return with new fully-laden trailers which were hastily unloaded by a kind of all-hands approach. The next morning they would eat a large breakfast and set off again, with the group's former professional drivers putting in more hours behind the wheel than they used to.

March ended, and so did the runs to the lorry park as they had scavenged all that they could. Pallets were added to the 'battery bank' and another layer of lorry batteries added and wired in. Dan was sure it wouldn't pass a health and safety inspection, but as long as any fire there didn't threaten the house then he was ok with it. Carl assured him that it was far enough away, but still had added a lot of foam and co2 extinguishers to the shopping list.

Dan checked the Ops calendar in early April, seeing a curious marking on the following Thursday. It had hearts and stars on it, and the number thirteen.

It was Leah's thirteenth birthday.

[ BAD PARENTING 101 ]

What to get a newly minted, bona fide teenager on her first post-apocalyptic birthday?

Dan had an idea, and frankly couldn't give a toss if nobody agreed.

She had earned her keep in Ops; put in the boring work, studied the maps and learnt everything from scratch. She could clean and dismantle weapons better than all but three of the group and had proven herself enough to be given lessons on handling the Glock. Now, if she were to take her first adult step into Dan's new trade, she would need to send something a little heavier towards the enemies of the group.

All four M4's were in use, which left the HK416's and the G36c's. The 416 was essentially the same weapon as the M4, and in his opinion too long for her to handle easily. The G36c was shorter and only weighed a shade under four kilos. He stripped one down and checked it. It was spotless, as Leah had cleaned it under his instruction.

He had never really liked it, but hoped it would fit her nicely. He secretly had Lou prepare a scavenged harness from the surplus shop to hold a Glock, two spare mags and another pouch to take two mags for the G36.

He decided that it was sensible to let Steve take her for the next element of training, as he liked the sassy little girl too much to be objective if she wasn't ready yet. Still, he wanted to be the one to give her the present.

To make it less of a boy present, he also scavenged a laptop, iPod and lots of chart CD's he hoped she liked and spent three entire evening's worth of electricity time copying them onto the iPod.

He only told Penny, Lexi and Cara, and between them they planned a surprise party. He told the party committee what he planned to give her, having prepared his arguments in advance. There was some resistance to begin with, but it was Leah's wish to be trained in this field; others reasoned that she should still learn other skills which Dan didn't object to at all.

Whispers had gone round and plans made. Every department head decided to get her something, and one afternoon Dan and Lexi led some others on a small shopping trip to get the items on the lists.

Looting for survival was an unremarkable activity nowadays, but looting for presents and wrapping paper felt strange; like the excitement of Christmas again.

A sticky suggestion came from Kate, who raised a parallel with Leah's chosen career path and the child soldiers of African civil wars. It was done carefully to avoid insult but made Dan pause; if an eight-year-old kid can use an AK47 then he was sure Leah could manage the G36.

Having realised that he had completely missed the point of the comment, he drifted back from his thoughts in time for the suggestion that she be given mandatory weekly counselling sessions to mentally prepare her. He thought this a great idea.

"Agreed, I'll speak to Marie about it" he said too quickly. A smirk showed on a few faces and his further attempt to explain just left him in a deeper hole. He gave up and outlined his plan.

"Leah's training will be thorough, but I have no intention of deploying her alone as a resource yet" he said as professionally as he could to recover some poise.

"She must be a skilled all-rounder before that happens in the future, which includes driving and survival skills"

They all agreed, Penny visibly relaxed when she realised that Leah wasn't to be handed a gun and sent out into the remains of the world.

"I'm trying to future proof our survival here." He said tiredly.

"Who is to say how long I'll be fit to do my role? Leah will effectively be coached to replace me when she's old enough or I'm too old"

That surprised a couple of them, as they clearly hadn't thought past this generation.

"On that note" started Chris "we could do with more people and some youngsters to start training in a similar way. I know Pete needs an apprentice"

Murmurs of agreement went round the table, and the plans for the new apprenticeships were born.

Dan's attempts to spend time with Marie were unsuccessful, to describe it mildly. She was always ahead of him, and whenever he made a clumsy suggestion she cut him off.

He decided to be brief and business like instead of playing the supplicant fidgeting with his hat.

He found her room and knocked.

"Come in" she said from inside. He did, and found her with a large towel wrapped around her and wet hair. They both had a moment of awkwardness, which she turned into his discomfort entirely by asking him what he wanted as she sat on her bed and smiled at him. He explained briefly, stuttering his way through before he left.

Crashed and burned again.


The morning of Leah's birthday came, and she still hadn't said anything. The day started as normal, with the morning activity causing the flow of people to congregate the dining hall.

Leah shuffled in, groggy as always, and stopped in suspicious surprise as everyone was looking at her.

"Happy birthday!" Penny said in her singsong assembly voice.

Everyone chorused in with the same and Leah turned crimson, looking like she might cry.

Ops presented her with the laptop, Neil gave the iPod and speaker dock from engineering which made her squeal with delight. Cara uncovered an array of her favourite foods whilst Penny gave her a leather bound diary. Chris, on behalf of the farms, gave her a set of boots like Dan's which would have cost over two hundred pounds last year. Medical, via Kate, gave her a compact field medical kit and promised her the training to use it. Next, Lou got a nod from Dan and laid a heavy package in front of her. She tore at the wrapping as politely as she could, then froze.

It was her tactical vest, lifted in silence as she slept and painstakingly transformed under torchlight by Lou. She ran her hands over it, and rested on the pouches for the larger magazines. She looked at her mentor, who nodded and told her that her training was kicking up a gear.

What a terrible world, he thought, that a teenage girl was so excited to be given such things. Still, he was happy that she was happy and oddly proud of her.

She didn't know what to do first. She ate mostly pastries for breakfast, then dressed in black combats and her new boots before bouncing back downstairs pulling on her winter coat similar to Dan's.

The weather was definitely improving with longer daylight hours and nobody was still wearing the base layers which had been so popular over the worst of the weather. There were still some frosts, but spring felt imminent.

"You do know you've got the day off, don't you?" Dan asked as she walked into ops.

She looked instantly deflated "Do I get to choose what to do today?"

"Ok, I'll rephrase that. You can do what you like today" he replied.

"I'd like to learn to shoot then" she said.

Dan nodded agreement and unlocked the armoury, selecting the G36's and four magazines. They loaded them as Dan began again from the beginning the rules for holding a firearm, this time including her mandatory counselling sessions and that her regime will be dictated by Steve.

"Aren't you teaching me?" She asked.

He thought about how to respond and tell her that he was too fond of her to be objective, in the end settling on "Steve will be better at it and I have lots of things to do. I will be assessing you anyway"

She seemed happy enough with that, and they went for some target practice.


The Colonel was somewhat over enthusiastic, and she wasn't the only one worrying that he had possibly suffered an episode, or maybe she had witnessed the rapid onset of degenerative brain disease.

The man was issuing orders and laughing aloud, but being mostly tolerated by the group who were busy packing the remaining supplies for their uncertain future outside.

She had long since abandoned her tailored skirt suit and heels and had resorted to the comfortable jump suits designed for those living underground for extended periods. Now she was in boots and overalls not unlike a pilot's flight suit, loading a bag ready to walk out with the others.

It had been years since she had really walked anywhere or carried her own bags, let alone both.

There was a general feel of a plan, but no real plan and certainly no actual leadership. All those senior and important people in one place was bound to cause friction, as most had their ideas which they would then try to bully others into supporting. The world of politics could well end with these few people wasting what remained of their lives arguing, she thought. She would wait until they had established somewhere, then name herself Prime Minister as the most senior cabinet member left.

Everyone carried their own food and water, those who were armed when they came in felt more secure and she started to notice a shift in the established power balance; for years these politicians had been protected by armed police officers and most saw them as part of the furniture type people, now the politicians stuck to them and started to see them as valuable people. There was no secret weapons cache in the bunker, much to the annoyance of the Colonel who was loudly voicing his hopes that this was a Russian act of war and he would 'finally get to stick it to Ivan'.

He was pretty much ignored by everyone at the end, including his own kind; some of whom had abandoned the dress uniforms most of them wore in favour of utilitarian clothing.

The time came when they could wait no longer and, without ceremony, site three opened its sealed steel doors which had protected them for months.

The pressurised door hissed as it was unlocked, letting cool air in from outside. As this happened, one girl from the research team quietly said to herself with a resigned sigh.

"We all just died" she said tiredly.


Penny called the group to hush during breakfast, engaging with the regular niceties which Dan wouldn't have bothered with. She looked pale and thinner, he thought. Maybe some time outside would be good for her. Spring was fast approaching, and she explained the needs and expectations of them all.

The priority now, was to plant and rear as much as possible during the good weather.

"We will also work on winter-proofing our home for better comfort" she declared "I'm sure everyone knows we are looking to establish some solar power and possibly hot water when we are equipped to do so. Now, your departmental heads have work for you. Have a good day everyone."

Chris was by far the busiest. He had limited support, those assigned to the gardens were equally as busy but Chris was never really given a break during the busiest time for his trade.

He had given his simplified plan to the council recently; expand their livestock through breeding, get enough feed for them, grow vegetables.

Andrew was in support, as having had a winter to see how the food stores fared, he believed that the farms had three to five years to take over supplying the group before the stocks ran out.

"Dependent on numbers, obviously" he added.

That got Dan thinking; they still needed more of them to make this work. Logistics were stacked with premises to empty, and both crews went on a planned route daily with multiple places to hit.

Engineering had recovered the scaffolding lorries, and made a further trip to the distribution place where they had got the lorry full of parts. This time they returned with thin metal cylinder tanks as well as more panels.

More trees were felled near to the house and dragged to the driveway by tractor to be cut up. The space left was requested by Chris to put pigs in when they were expecting; they could have a steady food supply of kitchen waste then. Steve offered to help and built the fenced pen bit by bit. He said it gave him back a small bit of normality. A semi-circular ark was added to the pen for shelter, and the first occupants were herded down the driveway.

Chris wanted his new assistant to help, but she was still very weak and Sera said no.

Out of the three puppies, two had died. They were badly malnourished and frankly she marvelled that they had lived that long.

The survivor was a bitch with jet black fur and a white chin, chest and belly. Ana named her Pig, from a book she had read about a farmer with a sheepdog.

Pig had just about made it through with the milk substitute, and grew much healthier by the day after she could manage solids. She was kept inside by Sera until she was happy that the puppy would live; as it was she was going to be a small dog but there was no way to say for sure if she would be ok in the long term.

Ash was very curious about the little collie sniffing around his paws. He could've fit the entire dog in his mouth easily, yet it scared him and he would jump out of its way. As he became used to this, and Pig grew stronger on her feet, it became an intentional game between them.

Andrew and Liam had started to go out to scavenge again locally, ensuring that every spare storage space was stocked full.

The main aim of the Rangers was to find survivors and recruit, but Steve was set to house guard and trainer for a month. His suggestion was a period of intense firearms training for Leah, then a more relaxed pace from thereon after.

Penny had organised further clearances of the house, opening up another floor of living space as people were asking for their own rooms. The office spaces were emptied and beds brought in, all the unwanted and unusable detritus from the newly reclaimed space went for burning.

In all, the house was a hive of activity with nobody asking for a day off, not that they would have got one.


Kyle lay on the filthy ground where he had been for weeks. His long, wispy beard was matted with something. He didn't know what it was but a good guess was that it was his own shit. It must be old, because they hadn't fed him for days. He drank when it rained through the holes in the roof to fill his pan up, and every day he wished he had kept his head and not tried to remove Dan's.

He still hated him; even more now that he knew he would die here because of him.

It was his fault, him and his elite followers. A voice inside Kyle told him that not even he would treat him like this.

"SHUT UP!" He shouted back, then slapped a hand over his mouth and froze.

If he shouted he would be beaten again. Don't upset them, he thought to himself, if you are good and quiet they might feed you.

They had fed him well before, when he told them about the group and Dan and his guns. They stopped him then.

"Where are these guns?" The leader, Billy, asked, leaning close to his face. Something in the way he said it made him worry about everyone there and what this man would do to them.

He realised that this man was a bully too; he was like Dan but this one never pretended to be good.

He tried to politely refuse them, so they beat him. Then they beat him again and again and again.

Then they locked him away, remembering to beat him every so often to wring out any of the minute details he had forgotten to tell them.

He has been in this box for longer then he can remember now, and it was all Dan's fault.


"Begin" said Steve, activating a stop watch.

Leah drew the Glock and opened the door. She moved in a crouch which Dan knew was a strain on the legs; she had clearly been working on her strength and fitness.

She moved methodically through the building, which Steve had set up but Leah had never seen before, clearing each room perfectly and quietly. She took the stairs backwards, gun and eyes pointing the same way.

She eventually came to the blind spot where he waited for her. He heard her pause outside the room. He could feel her breathing. A noise to his left made him turn, and as he turned back he saw Leah had entered the room fast and stood with Glock held level with his chest. She was a little too close, but he was not confident that he could disarm her without getting shot.

He walked outside with her pacing backwards, never losing sight of her target. Joe walked in behind her, shouting, she turned and pulled the trigger twice.

One in the chest, one in the head.

Too late she turned back to Dan; he was on her, knocking the Glock from her hands. She let her left hand drop away from the gun as she saw this happening, and simultaneously drew the knife from her left shoulder strap. Her right hand gripped his vest as the knife was rested against his neck.

"STOP" roared Steve.

She let him go and sheathed the blade before picking up the empty Glock and sliding in the magazine from her vest.

She smiled at Dan, then holstering the Glock she turned to Steve for her assessment.

"How did you know he was there and how did you distract him?" He asked her.

She slipped a hand into a pouch as she said, "It was the last room and the only place big enough to hide him. Plus, he breathes like an elephant" then she withdrew her hand from the pouch and produced a small handful of Haribo "cost me a cola bottle though"

Dan laughed, realising the noise was a soft sweet hitting the carpet after she threw it over the door he hid behind. The kid was clever, and fast.

"I'm changing your name to Nikita" he said with a smile.

"Why?" She shot back.

Dan sighed, and Steve promised to find the book.

"Did they make a film of it?" She asked, hopefully.

Steve sent her back to the house and filled Dan in as they strolled along.

"Her mile and a half is just over the nine-minute mark" he said, impressed. Dan commented that she was in Paratrooper time.

"She can do pull ups too. Only a couple at a time but she's getting fitter. Paul has been working on the hand to hand stuff and says that she's getting better by the day" he continued.

"She's competent at putting rounds down range, but I'm going to develop that next"

Dan was pleased, and thanked Steve for his good work. He was tired as he'd been doing Steve's duty days ranging to give him time to train her.

"I might look for a short wheel based Defender for her, and I'll take over for the driving if you don't mind?" Steve didn't. He saw how much he cared for the girl and asked him if he had any kids.

Dan was silent for a while as he lit a cigarette.

"Girl and a boy. They would have been six and four by now" he said sadly.

"Two boys" Steve shared in return. One was with his mum, the other was away at university. Dan wondered if there was hope there, but Steve told him the last contact he had was to say that he was too ill to come home.

Both full of sadness and regret, they walked on in silence.


Logistics were reassigned to help the engineering team. The scaffolding went up, slowly, and one by one the solar panels were fixed onto a frame of Mike's design. A further trip had to be made for more poles and fixings, and progress was slow.

Mike shared his vision with Dan as he smoked one morning, with Ash playing with Pig and the spaniels around their feet as Pete used a pressurised air rifle to remove a nest of pigeons from the trees marked for felling.

"The A-frame rests over the roof so that we don't have to compromise the integrity of the tiles" Mike explained.

"We will hopefully get ten water tanks on the apex to be heated by the top rows, and the rest will power the battery bank. Even better, Adam and Carl are confident that they can fit a power shower in each bathroom"

That was welcome news. Mike went on to explain that he intended to reroute the guttering for a form of toilet flushing and water supply. As he began to explain in more detail, Dan became lost and politely cut him off by saying what a great job he was doing.

"When do you reckon you'll be finished?" He asked.

Mike sucked a breath in, performing a practiced routine of haggling. Dan was tempted to ask for the straight answer, but found himself playing along.

"Six-month project minimum" Mike started "and that's not taking into account any bad weather or technical problems..."

"Cut the bullshit; what's this going to cost me?" he joked, making Mike laugh.

"Just let me know if you need anything" he finished before he walked away calling Ash to stop playing and follow.

He was happy with the engineering side, but was worried about Chris. He looked very tired and had been working long hours with Ana on the farm. Pete had taken days off hunting at a time to help him.

He decided that the Rangers new priority was another recruitment drive. He walked into ops to see Lexi and Joe kitting up for their tasks.

"New objective, people" he declared confidently as he strode in "find more survivors. We need more hands here, and we've been focusing too internally."

They looked at each other, then back to Dan to accept their new task.

"Take an extra jerrycan of diesel and try to stay out as long as you can; be careful." He said, then opened a map to give them directions so as not to overlap.

He kitted up himself and called Ash to him. He put on his Christmas E&E dog vest with a spare water bottle and packet of food and went to tell Steve where they were going.


He didn't really know how to explain it, not without upsetting people, but Joe was happier now than he had ever been. Not at first, not when he was sleeping on the floor of his shop and waiting for someone to tell him what to do, but now. Right now, this very moment, is the best moment of his life so far.

He was a failure before. He tried hard, but just wasn't good enough. So they said.

Now he was driving a hard-core truck, carrying an assault rifle and a handgun. Not only did he have all this great stuff, he now knew how to use it.

Joe was under no illusion that he was great; Dan and Steve were both ex-military – that was obvious. Lexi was fit and could fight, plus she'd already proven herself. He never mentioned this, in case the thought of stencilling a bad guy on the wing of your Land Rover was distasteful. Shit, even the vet had seen more action than him.

He wasn't immature about it, and certainly wasn't out to look for trouble, but he wanted to prove himself. He was fitter, stronger and more capable to handle himself than ever before. He practiced with his weapons until he was confident in himself. The only remaining test was a real life scenario.

If he followed the instructions from Dan and Steve, he would avoid problems. That wouldn't prove his worth much, but he was determined not to screw up.

He drove west, and after an hour started stopping at the places most likely to have attracted survivors. He found evidence of people having looted, indicating survivors had been there, but no evidence of people still there.

Another hour and still no sign of life. By lunchtime he had crossed into Wales, and struck gold.

In truth, they found him, not the other way around.

He drove along a lane into a village and was so surprised to see another vehicle coming towards him that he didn't react straight away.

The other car, a normal family estate, stopped in the road. Joe stopped and the two had a standoff for a few seconds.

Joe forced himself to think; what was he supposed to do now? He had expected to find grateful people huddled in terrible conditions waiting for rescue.

The driver of the estate acted first, by reversing away. Joe snapped out hid daze and dropped his own vehicle into gear to follow. He flashed his lights desperately, trying to get them to stop. They didn't, and after a poorly executed J-turn, were pursued by Joe to a campsite. The occupants of the car, two young women he saw, fled behind the buildings shouting.

A booming sound echoed out as a woman appeared from the side of a caravan, lowering a shotgun to point it at Joe.

He was sure this was a defensive thing, and that they were not attacking him. He switched off his engine and slowly climbed out of his cab, keeping both hands up. He had a Glock on his right leg, and had intentionally left the rifle out of sight.

The woman with the shotgun came towards him, scared and desperate. He started to talk but she screamed at him to shut up. "You tell him we are not his property!" She said, confusing Joe.

"Who?" He asked.

"You know full well who I'm talking about. That bastard wants girls, no amount of threats will make us get on our backs for him. Now fuck off and tell him that" she snarled at him.

"Look" he said reasonably "I'm nothing to do with anyone here, I've come from miles away looking for more survivors." She glared at him, considering the possibility that she had been wrong.

"Seriously" Joe said "I've never been here before and you are the first people I have spoken to since I left home today"

She thought about this and asked "How many of you? Where?"

"Feel free to put that down and I'll tell you everything" he countered reasonably.

"No" she snapped "you're still armed"

"Fine" said Joe, turning his right leg towards her "take it, but I'm not your enemy"

She studied him for a bit longer, then abruptly lowered the shotgun.

"Talk then" she said impatiently.

Joe told her his story from the start, quickly catching up to today. As he spoke, the two women from the car appeared and listened intently.

The woman gave a gruff account of how they had found each other in the days since, and had lived off the village in this campsite until winter forced them to look further away. That led them into a neighbouring town where they first met 'King' Pat. He had a dozen followers, shabby little boys really, but they did whatever he told them to do.

"We call him Fagin. You know, like in Oliver Twist?" She said. Joe knew.

"He told us we had trespassed in his kingdom and that we had to serve him or pay the price."

The price turned out to be that they 'work' for him. She refused, and they had been hunted for nearly two weeks.

"We can help" Joe said "come with me"


Joe made two mistakes.

First, he didn't notice the vehicle that had followed him.

Second, he didn't tune in to the sound of another three vehicles approaching as they talked.

By the time he noticed, it was too late. They were in the campsite.

The woman screamed that Joe had led them to her. He ignored her and took action to make up for his failure in observations.

He drew the Glock and emptied the magazine into the radiator of the lead vehicle, sure that he was right to resist this self-proclaimed King.

The car stopped, blocking the gateway, as water poured from the underside of the engine. That wouldn't be moving anywhere soon. The woman fired her remaining loaded cartridge into the windscreen, peppering it with spider webs as the shatterproof glass held.

Joe yelled at her for another way out.

"Field" she yelled, pointing behind the buildings "yours will make it, ours won't"

"Get the girls in. Now" he said to her as he retrieved his rifle from the cab.

As he rounded the Defender and levelled the gun, a voice rang out from behind the crippled road block.

"You in there with the gun" it bawled, full of scorn and cruelty.

"Those women are my property. Everything here is my property and you are trespassing on my sovereignty"

He turned to see the three women dragging another with handfuls of possessions. The one with the gun bundled the others inside and turned to Joe.

"That's the bastard" she said angrily.

"Tell me about the way out" he said.

"Field. Leads back to the road. About a mile but rough ground"

Joe's thoughts were pulled back to the blocked entrance, where King Fagin began shouting orders which would leave them flanked.

He fired ten carefully placed rounds at the other cars. Some ricocheted off wheel rims, but most connected. He put two into the only other exposed grill which was the one furthest away. Satisfied that they would not be chased, not by these cars anyway, he jumped in and started the Land Rover. The women were all shouting at once, and he was fairly certain that none of them trusted him.

He drove carefully over the uneven ground, but still bounced his passengers around to their annoyance. He turned to the woman in the passenger seat and asked if her shotgun was reloaded.

"No, I've just used the last two cartridges we had."

He paused when they reached the road and reloaded both of his weapons. He pushed the gate open with the vehicle, breaking the fixings easily and sped down the road to put distance between them and the last place they were seen.

He shouted over the noise of the unhappy passengers, and asked for directions towards England.

King Patrick was fuming. How dare a trespasser step foot in his land and take his possessions. How dare he fire a gun at his boys? He looked at the wreckage of three cars that would never drive again, angry.

He vowed to find this thief, and hang him for his crimes. He sent his cleverest boys to follow them on a motorbike. He would find him.

Joe drove hard for twenty minutes, before stopping and pulling the Defender off the road. He took his rifle and told the women to wait there. He had to be sure he wasn't followed.

He set himself up with a good view of the road, and after a few minutes heard an engine. As it came into sight he saw a teenage boy coming slowly, clearly looking to follow them. He couldn't let that happen.

He hoped he was right, and pulled the trigger.


Lexi drove for hours, checking supermarkets and fuel stations as she wove her way south west. She eventually saw signs of life in looted shops. Worryingly she saw markings painted on buildings, thinking nothing of them at first, but the more she saw the more they looked like territorial symbols.

She went slowly, senses on alert until she saw the same markings painted on a vehicle which wasn't covered with the winter grime of the others.

She pulled up nearby and sounded the horn twice. She figured if she didn't like the look of anyone who came out then she could drive away.

Two men appeared carrying boxes. They saw Lexi's Land Rover and stared, then seemed to be arguing between themselves for a while before the younger looking one of the two was sent over. He approached cautiously, and Lexi drew her Glock slowly and rested it in her lap. She kept the doors locked and wound down the passenger window halfway.

He looked nervous, and asked her who sent her.

"Nobody sent me here, I'm out looking for people to join us" she replied.

"We're not finished here and we have to get our quota or we don't eat. You're not one of Bronson's, so who are you?" He said.

"I don't know who Bronson is, and I'm not from around here" Lexi said "what do you mean by 'quota'?"

He seemed annoyed, but glanced at her equipment as he spoke.

"We have to find a certain amount each day to get fed, that's how it works if you want to avoid punishment"

Lexi lit a smoke and looked straight at him "We don't have quotas, and all of us eat three times a day. Reckon you and your mate want some of that?"

He thought for a second, then ran over to the bigger man and had another argument which went on longer.

The smaller one came back to her.

"I'm in, but Ed is worried about the others" he explained. Lexi raised an eyebrow to ask more.

"Bronson has loads of people, but he uses enforcers to keep us in line. If we run off what happens to them?" He said.

"I don't know" she said "if people are being kept prisoner by him then we can help. We'd need you to come back and tell us everything you know though"

"There aren't enough of you to take him on, I bet. He's got gangs of thugs and some of them have guns too" whined the man.

Lexi smiled and patted her M4 which lay on the dash.

"Trust me, my lot is not to be messed with either"

He thought a while longer, then ran over to his friend. They spoke again, and this time both walked over to her.

"You reckon you can help?" Asked the bigger man cynically "he's got twenty or more people my size, even tried to make me one of them but I don't like hurting people for fun"

"Yes" she said confidently "we've seen our fair share of bad ones, and it didn't go well for them"

They looked between themselves and silently agreed to escape. Ed looked back to Lexi, "I'm Ed, and this is James"

"Get in, boys" she said, starting the Land Rover.


Dan drove north, skirting the edges of the city that Marie had described as being full of pirates. He saw car garage with things in the window he used to dream of; the overwhelming urge to steal a McLaren almost overcame him, until he shook himself out of the daydream.

"One day, boy" he said to Ash, receiving a puzzled look from the dog.

He parked on an overpass and got out. Ash watered his tyres whilst he sat and smoked. From his vantage pointing could see for miles, and one direction led to unbroken series of buildings which led all the way to the city centre. He had no intention of heading that way; not without more trigger fingers on his side.

He listened for sounds of anything human, but as the sun sank lower in the distance he felt very alone.

He gave up on the perch, and drove through the housing estates. Lines of newly built Lego houses sat on a former factory site, something which the developer was trying to turn into romanticism. He thought they were still lifeless new builds on the outskirts of a shit hole.

Not a single sign of anyone living was seen; no looted shops or cleared roads, nothing.

He stopped again and consulted the map, planning a longer route home which led him through farmland for miles.

As he drove his mind wandered slightly, his thoughts as they often did turning to Marie. A small wave of guilt brought him back to the present in time for his eyes to register a pillar of smoke in the distance.

He pointed it out to Ash, who didn't care at all, and made his way towards it. The source of the fire was a small pile of burning bodies, shrunk to the size of children as the heat got to the bones.

He had approached as quietly as he could, but there was nobody in sight. He was destined to have a lonely day, it seemed.

An engine note pieced the sound of the fire as a tractor turned off the road towards them. He decided on the gentle approach, and slung the carbine behind him. The tractor slowed as the driver saw him, but still came on cautiously. He made Ash sit, and strolled to meet the driver.

He was taken back slightly when the man driving it jumped down. Literally.

Dan placed him at five feet tall at best. In heels. He had a red face, was jug-eared and the word pugnacious sprang instantly to mind. To make him sound as comical as he looked, he had a high pitched Welsh accent.

The formalities were conducted, and Ewan asked questions about the group.

"You got enough people looking after the farm?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could.

"No, as it happens" said Dan.

They spoke some more, Ewan knew where the prison was, and he agreed to make his way there tomorrow with all of his supplies. Dan suspected him to be a resentful man and bit of a loner, probably having spent his life in jealous anger at people like himself. Taller people.

He said that he had barely survived winter, and was struggling to plant crops alone. He warmed slightly, and was genuinely happy at the thought of a bigger farm and company.

Dan left him to it and they shook hands with a promise to meet tomorrow. He was conscious not to bend down to him to do it. He made his way home leisurely over the next hour, only to pull up in his 'spot' near the front door to see Joe's defender abandoned there still with a door open. Dan glanced inside the cab, looking for blood and being slightly relieved to see none.

Worried that something was wrong he burst inside to see a gaggle of people in Ops around a flustered Joe. He looked relieved to see Dan, who wanted to know what was happening. Conscious that Joe had never had a 'contact' he gestured with his head for him to join him in his room.

He went carefully with him, poured two single malts, and let him go at his own pace. Joe drank, calmed his nerves, and his breathing began to even out. He thought Joe might just be as scared of him as he was of the outside world, and he didn't want that.

"From the beginning, Joe" he said softly.

"Crossed over into Wales mid-afternoon, saw a car. It took off, so I followed. Found the four women in an abandoned caravan park. Turns out the area was 'claimed' by some twat who calls himself the King. The women call him Fagin because he gets boys to do his dirty work" he took another sip.

"They got the drop on me" he said, using one of Dan's terms, "and I had to react."

He paused, letting the report sink in. Joe had found multiple female survivors, then been ambushed by a nut job and his gang of children. He was impressed that Joe made it back, let alone bring four women out.

"Go on" he said.

"They came in a tight bunch of three cars. I emptied the Glock into the radiator of the first one, then got my rifle and took out the tyres of the others and the radiator of the back one so all the cars were stuck" he finished, almost breathless.

Dan was impressed.

"Quick thinking; I'm going to have to add that move to the handbook" he said without a trace of sarcasm.

Joe looked up, relieved because he thought he had screwed up. In truth, he had; but Dan was in no mood to point that out as Joe was suffering enough with his first big post-adrenaline report as it was.

"We went cross country to get away. I put in a dog-leg" Dan's term for ambushing your own trail "and one followed on a motorbike, looking to hang back. I couldn't risk him finding this place, so I" he stopped.

"So you put him down?" Dan asked.

Joe just nodded as the tears came. He felt for him. He knew that familiar outpouring of stress after a fight or a contact, knew how grown men no matter how tough were susceptible to the emotional drain of it.

"You did bloody well at the campsite. It showed quick thinking and tactical planning. I'm impressed." He said.

"And you were absolutely right to protect this place from some dickhead who thinks he's royalty; you were right to put him down" he finished firmly, trying to reassure him.

Joe wasn't doing much talking back right now, so Dan changed the subject slightly.

"How many rounds?" He asked firmly.

"Entire mag from the Glock; fifteen nine mil's. Eleven from the rifle, all on single fire. No misses"

Talking bullets seemed to have woken him up a little. Dan stood.

"Good work. Clean your guns and report to Marie"

Joe started to object, saying that he was fine. Dan cut him off, "It's mandatory following a contact, I know you're ok but we have to stick to the rules"

"Ok Boss" said Joe as he stood to leave.

Dan dashed upstairs to find Marie before Joe could put her on the spot about the 'mandatory' counselling after a contact, as he had just made it up.

He found her, muttered in her ear that Joe had fired his weapons today and killed a hostile. She took the news calmly, asking if he had done the right thing.

"He absolutely did, but he fucked up by letting them get that close in the first place. He has to know he reacted well and saved lives, ok?" Dan pulled away from her, thinking that she still smelled good even after the world ended.

She smiled at him and nodded. He didn't know what else to say to her so he went, leaving her watching him as he went. He always felt very shabby in her company.

He went back downstairs to let Ash out, just as Lexi returned.


The second boy on his scrambler bike found his friend in the road. He thought he had crashed to start with but as he turned him over and called his name he saw a black stain on his clothing where the bullet had punched through his chest. His lip trembled, and he fought back the urge to cry. His fear and sadness turned slowly to anger; anger at the murder of his brother and the invader who had come and shamed them all.

He took what he wanted from the pockets and bag of his now deceased brother, taking over the heavy burden of his mission.

He would follow the bastard back to his home. He would not be caught out like his friend who was chosen above him. He would bring the news back to the king and he would be rewarded.

He followed carefully, stopping to scout ahead and waiting for movement in the distance. Twice more he saw the big off-roader stop, and twice he held his position in silence until the bastard had given up waiting and driven on again. He felt more confident to stay closer after there was no third stop, no longer fearing a bullet as he rode along. He cut his engine as he rolled down the hills after them, crossing over into the next country with no regard for territory or boundaries.

For hours he shadowed their moves, always staying far enough behind to not be seen. He followed the sound and the smell of the vehicle at times when the views were obstructed, only to have to catch up when the geography allowed. It was hard work, but he stayed with them until he lost the Land Rover on a stretch of road. He went ahead before doubling back, sure that they had to have turned off somewhere within a mile stretch.

He stopped his bike and listened. He heard animals, machinery, a small burst of laughter drifted to him on a breeze; gone as soon as it was recognized.

This had to be the place, he thought. He waited, hiding himself and his bike in some trees. He did not have to wait long until he was rewarded with the sound of another vehicle. A big, black Discovery rolled along the road past him. It was a piece of artwork, with bigger wheels and custom roof rack and bumpers; someone had spent a lot of money on that. He laughed to himself, like any of that mattered any more. He watched as the big truck turned into a junction towards the noises he heard. A prison; that's where they've set up shop. He waited longer, to be thorough. Another Land Rover came in shortly afterwards with a girl driving two others. This place was well equipped, he reckoned.

He started his bike and retraced his steps, having to stop to fill up his tank using the hosepipe he carried just before crossing into his home country. He rode fast, trying to use the last of the daylight to get back, finding the wreckage of his friend's dropped bike still where he left it. His body was gone.

The noise of his bike made people look up at his arrival. He ignored the questions about where he had been and what he knew. He took his news straight to the King.

"YOUR HIGHNESS" he called loudly, dropping to one knee as the two most trusted of them eyed him with scorn. They puffed themselves up, forcing their dominance on him. They knew their friend was dead, and this one now returned with news. The King rewarded good news, and they had none to offer where he obviously did. He would be climbing the food chain tonight, and they didn't like it.

"Come up, boy" said his Highness, King Patrick, from his seat on the raised platform.

He did. He told his King everything he had learned.


Lexi brought two men back with her who carried nothing with them. Concerned, he asked if she had run into any trouble as she introduced them.

"No, but you'll want to hear what these two have to say" she said, explaining briefly.

James was young and slim where the other man was big, like Kev's size. They were taken away for induction with the women and Dan told Lexi what had happened to Joe. She was shocked, and asked him if Joe was ok.

"He will be. I've sent him to see Marie which is standard practice following a contact now. As of twenty minutes ago anyway" he added subtly.

Lexi didn't argue with that, having spent valuable time talking through her first killing to better come to terms with it.

He told her of the farmer he had found, who should be joining them tomorrow.

"I still want a guard posted for when he gets here though" he said, voicing his constant worries that they are an attractive target for others.

He stowed his gear in his room, putting a bowl of food down for Ash, then went into the house.

With James and Ed were four stressed looking women. He was given their names but it was done so quickly that he had no time to set them in his mind before they were breezed away for a tour.

They went into Ops to speak to Steve and Leah; Dan wanted a plan before one was requested of him. He filled them in, and as he spoke Leah got out a large scale map of the area which had their location marked and numerous little coloured dots.

Joe's trip into Wales had a simple enough answer; avoid the place. He assumed that the 'kingdom' he spoke of would no doubt expand in the future, so he drew on a map of the area making the limit of their journeys west about twenty miles short of the border. There was no pressing need to encroach on another large group's territory in this case.

Let this lunatic take over the country for now, it would be years before it came to war of the cattle raids that tell the back-story of the neighbouring countries.

Lexi's trip concerned far more; if people grouped together and pooled supplies for a common good, then he thought that was great. They could even trade with them in the future. If, however, people in that group were being threatened and exploited by other using force then Dan swore to himself that it would be stopped. Slavery still had no place in the world in his opinion, even if the laws on murder and torture were slightly more relaxed nowadays.

He needed to get the two from there in to be thoroughly debriefed, but gently so as not to make them feel that they swapped one dictatorship for another.

Lexi showed them the place on the map where she picked them up, an industrial area on an estuary near to a large docks and a sprawling city.

"Leah" he said, surprising the girl whose thoughts had wandered off. "Fire up that laptop and bring up the maps, I want a better look at this place"

She was excited, as she had not yet had a reason to use something that had been scavenged from a library. It was a CD version of a world atlas, archived from a time before technology gave everyone a detailed map of the world courtesy of smartphones and the internet. A couple of years out of date maybe, but in the absence of Google Earth it gave a much better picture with roads overlaid on the satellite imagery.

"Kings and Militant Dictatorships" Dan muttered to nobody in particular "this country just turned into tribal Africa overnight"


Penny had done her normal evening routine of welcoming the new survivors to the group, only this newest lot seemed more traumatised than previous arrivals. Maybe it was spending the winter alone and barely surviving that made them seem less excited, or the other survivors they have met who weren't so kind to them.

Penny called the council heads to stay, and invited Karen to give another run down of the skills and capabilities as she had before. This time, there was no sense of hierarchy with the woman; she was just happy doing her job.

The four women brought back by Joe were discussed first. Laura, a bank clerk in her early thirties, had seemingly held the group together and led them through winter by keeping them ahead of more unfriendly survivors. She was tough, a leader, but had no skill set to bring really. Thoughts were invited from the group as to who wanted her.

Jimmy cleared his throat "Is she the type for a bit of manual labour? I'm still one down since Kyle, um, left. If she's switched on and capable I'll take her to head up another logistics crew?" It was agreed to make the offer to her.

Karen moved on. "Melissa. Eighteen, should have finished A-levels last year. Grew up in the country. She has expressed interest in the animals"

"Sold" said Chris straight away. They all knew he had more work than helping hands and the spring would only pile more on him.

Karen nodded, "In that case maybe you'll like that her close friend is almost inseparable from her" she checked her notes again.

"Kerry is twenty two, and was a biology student in her final year after a 'break' where she travelled to South America. She has knowledge of genetics and wants to stay with Melissa if you would like her too?" She looked at Chris.

"Definitely. She can work out breeding programs and track our herd growth"

"Lovely" said Karen, who found animals quite disgusting. Dan saw the look on her face and reminded himself to scare her with his 'monstrosity' of a dog that she liked so much when he next got the opportunity.

"Nina ran a small catering franchise, and has a desire to stay in that line of work"

"I could do with some help" said Cara quickly, still slightly nervous at having a senior role to play.

"Moving on, neither James nor Ed have asked for placements. James worked in a call centre, but did grow up shooting and fishing."

Dan looked to Chris, as he was the one who spoke to Pete most "apprentice gamekeeper?" He suggested. Chris was happy with the idea, as were the others.

"I'll take the big guy" Dan said.

Karen opened her mouth to speak, but Penny interjected. "It seems we have recruited our first true pacifist" she said with a soft smile. "The only thing he wants no part of is violence, and it seems that his captors had wanted to recruit him into their enforcement ranks. He was beaten for refusing, even though it would have meant more food and better conditions. He refuses to hurt people on principle"

Dan was shocked. It was the kind of justification he had heard from six stone women who don't eat cheese as the milk was stolen from cows. He knew it wasn't the same thing, and he felt a little understanding for the man.

"Ok then!" he said, lost for more words.

Pig yapped at Chris, conveying boredom at being stuck inside, but it stirred him enough to ask if he would join the gardens. "We've got a need for a heavy lifter, and work will pick up there soon as things need planting"

Dan told them of the farmer he had met, and warned them all about his unique appearance. Chris stirred again, "Welshman?" He asked.

"Yeah. You know him?" Dan said.

"I think so, from young farmers years ago. Hard to think there'd be two who look like him!" He was happy for another experienced man on the farm, and said he would see how he goes with a view to making him a foreman.

Penny nodded to Karen, who took it as a polite dismissal. She would go and speak to the new ones about their work.

Penny started in again after she had left.

"There are concerns about where these people came from. Clearly the women were hiding from a self-styled King of Wales, but I'm assured they will not be able to follow them here" she looked at Dan who nodded.

"Joe took care of that. He's a bit tender about it and needs to let it sink in but he did very well. The others are more of a worry"

Everyone listened in more carefully.

"I want to question James and his mate in detail, as it seems they were basically slaves in a large group where they employ enforcers to make them scavenge for them. God knows whatever is going on there, but I don't like it. Not one bit"

Frowns and head shakes rippled around the table. He went on.

"Based on what they say, I may feel the need to visit their 'leader' and explain why slavery was abolished."

The threat hung heavy in the air as they all went away to their own thoughts.


They had stepped out into the world for the first time in months to find a wasteland. Rubbish swirled around the streets, cars lay on flat wheels covered in winter grime. Their plan to get a vehicle failed as none were well enough preserved, resulting in a convoy of traipsing people heaving for a nearby army barracks. Some of the group simply walked off alone; desperate hopes of finding loved ones running through their heads.

Most of the group eventually reached the barracks where the now delirious Colonel yelled at the long dead Ministry of Defence police barrier guard to open the gates. Some of them broke in and found the place partly ransacked, with no way of opening the weapons lockers without power they took what they found lying around. They set themselves up in the mess area where people found what food was still edible.

There was no cohesion, no leadership, and no purpose.

She felt forlorn, uncomfortable in her clothes and scared. She tried to call them to order to hear her carefully planned speech, which had actually been written by her as they walked and not by one of her staff as she had been used to for years now.

Without a speaker to call the assembled people to order, she was ignored. One of the remaining police officers even shouted at her and called her an 'interfering bitch'. She knew to expect such vulgarity from them; she would have wiped them all away to replace them with private companies working to government policy if she still had the power.

Only now she had nothing, and the realisation crushed her.

She lay on the comfortable seats and rested. She coughed, the force of it getting away from her and ended up doubling her over in a coughing fit. When he finally caught her breath and wiped the tears from her eyes she saw them all looking at her in horrified silence. Those near her didn't even have the tact to slide away slowly; they just got up and moved quickly giving her a stare.

She felt like a leper; her head spun as her body temperature started to rise. One by one the rest of the group started to cough.


Ewan arrived just after breakfast, driving a big continental tractor - the kind that can do normal road speeds - and towing a large trailer. Chris met him, and the two recognised each other immediately. Ewan was offered the tour, but refused saying that he had set off before dawn and needed help bringing back machinery that they would need. All available people were tasked to go back and bring what they could. Steve drove their old minibus with a view to dumping it there and driving something more useful back.

Ewan saw the scaffolding at the front of the house and asked if they were conned by some fascia salesman.

The solar panel work was explained to him, and Chris admitted that it was slow progress as the panels had to be carefully lifted one at a time.

"Bollocks, man!" Said Ewan. "Get that Manitou" the big telescopic forklift on the farm was called a Manitou apparently "up here and lift the whole pallet!"

How that had escaped the entire engineering team was a mystery to Dan, but it seemed like the strange looking and slightly obnoxious Welshman was going to be helpful.

He smiled at the small man giving a loud explanation of what he would do if he was building it, and walked inside.

Leah was in Ops, having got hold of a nervous looking James and Ed as she was asked to. Dan sat down with them and gathered a notepad and pen close as Leah worked the map on the laptop.

"Thanks for coming in gents" he started in a friendly tone "I know this sounds silly, but you aren't in any trouble" both relaxed slightly.

"You've got jobs now I hear?" He asked, to warm them up a little.

James spoke first "I've got to work with Pete and learn more about gamekeeping" he said. He was happy about that. "I'm going to be a gardener and grow vegetables" said Ed as happily as he could, still quite suspicious of Dan.

"Good stuff. If it doesn't work out, or you want to learn something new instead just ask Chris" he said, ending the ice breaking.

"Now, I need to know more about where you came from and I'll be completely up front about it; if people are keeping slaves to work for them then I intend to put a stop to it if I can".

Ed studied the man in front of him. For all his smiles he still looked dangerous. Ed was taller and probably had four stone on him in weight, but he was scared of him. He had a vicious scar down the left side of his face which Ed doubted was a shaving accident.

Without doubt, this Dan was a fighter. As much as fighting upset and offended him, he wanted the others to be free too.

James began telling him all about who was in charge and how many thugs he had with him. He told him about the shipping containers they lived in, and that they couldn't get out unless the crane lifted them. They were fed and let out to work. In the winter they had metal barrels for fires and kept warm, but they were still prisoners. He would not think about what punishment the others had received after they didn't come back.

Dan asked questions about the layout, the guards and their shifts, what weapons they carried. He wanted the guns described in detail, and asked insignificant questions like, "How do the leader and the guards talk to each other? Do they use any jargon or code words? Do they have radios?"

This went on for over an hour as Dan wrote pages of notes. The kid, who was dressed like one of the soldiers, was working on a laptop and found the shipping yard. He studied the pictures as she gave James a big piece of blank paper and asked him to draw the place where the shipping containers were. She asked questions as Dan looked over the map, checking against a paper one as he went.

The girl got James to mark where the guards stayed, where they walked and lots of other drips of information.

Their questioning finally came to an end, but before they left Dan asked "One last thing boys; if I go and set your friends free, I'll need you to come and convince them they are going to be safe."

For maybe the fourth time during the questions, Ed spoke. "I'll come to see those people safe, but I'll not take part in anything that comes before. Ok?"

"Understood, Ed. Loud and clear." He replied.

Dan and Leah were left alone. He went over his notes and let out a sigh. Leah looked at him and he summarised.

"Thirty plus survivors kept as slaves. Up to twenty guards with a range of weapons including at least five shotguns, a rifle and two semi-automatic pistols. High ground approach, but to a dead end."

He stopped and rubbed his face, scratching the stiff scar down his left eye.

"This isn't going to be easy, kid" he said.

"You'll figure it out, you always do" she said helpfully "I'll make a model of their camp" she declared as she skipped off to find Marie who was teaching her how to draw in their sessions.

"Oh, if I had your faith in me" he said to himself, as Boris jumped onto his notes and hissed at him.


With the help from Ewan over the next week, the pitched roof was now mostly covered on both sides by solar panels. Eight metal tanks lined the apex, all firmly connected to the scaffolding frame which was being secured wherever they could. Pipes ran down to the two bathrooms and the kitchen where Adam had fitted new taps. Heavy wires wrapped in rolls of tape snaked back up, powering the battery bank which in turn fed electricity to the house.

Mike said it wasn't an endless supply, and suggested a further scaffold tower or two be erected on the flat ground near the house. More materials were required for this, as well as a smaller but similar setup for the farm and gardens, and teams were deployed to recover what he needed.

The big win was what Adam and Carl had done; the rainwater reservoir tanks fitted to the guttering system now filled the upper most floor of the house, and the newly fitted electric showers - three in each bathroom - were ready for use.

Marie was the most excited, claiming she hadn't washed her hair properly for nearly a year, and organised an official opening ceremony. A ribbon was found and cut in lighthearted mockery of their old lives, and the queues went along the corridor. Neil had to use the generators to boost the power supply, as the solar panels hadn't yet had a chance to fully charge the batteries.

Dan was amazed at how the small things in life, like a hot shower, made everyone happy. Happy was good. Happy was productive.

The new hands had made the farming and gardening tasks much easier. They had four polytunnels of potatoes growing, and a handful of other vegetables which could be grown early. Ewan had been a godsend in that respect, as he brought sacks of mouldy potatoes sprouting lank shoots and they had gone in the ground to make a new crop. His return trips had also yielded pigs, a cockerel and some chickens and more cows as well as some pieces of farm machinery which made work quicker.

The general feeling was good, and people went about their daily routines with a smile.

Dan brooded, saving his own thoughts of the impending conflict for only a few who knew what he was planning.

His Rangers went out, scouting the things he needed. He tried different scenarios out in his head, calculating problems and losses. That was the issue; he couldn't serve up a plan to the council which allowed for any losses.

He theorised with Steve over Leah's cardboard model, they pored over the maps and suggested different plans of attack which the others were invited to criticise.

Leah surprised him by saying, "Why don't you just go and ask them to let the people go?"

The stunned silence was broken by Steve laughing. Leah looked annoyed and snapped at him "That's just the start, but if you're going to laugh then I won't tell you!"

Dan looked at her more closely. She had an idea, and she had the balls to offer it in this company.

"Run me through it, kid" he said.


"Drive straight up to the gate and ask to talk to their boss" she explained. "You'll have top cover here and here" she said impatiently, pointing at two marks on her model.

"All of the people we want to rescue will be inside metal containers so they won't get shot by accident" she said, as though she spoke to a child in a weird role reversal.

"If they say no, then you shoot the guards on the top - never more than eight to ten - and deal with the rest coming from where their building is." She was annoyed because it was the fifth time she had talked him through it step by step.

He thought about it. "How do we know they'll all be there?" He asked.

She flipped the laptop round, showing her now typed notes of the debrief. "No night activity, all guards sleep in adjacent building bar the ones watching the pen. We get there for sunrise and they'll be there." She finished with a triumphant look.

Dan looked to the other Rangers sat around the table.

"Leah" he said carefully "do you realise your plan involves killing twenty odd people?"

"Yes. But they aren't nice people and they aren't coming to live here so I can be kept prisoner too"

He couldn't argue with her logic, but he worried that he may have created a monster.

"How am I supposed to 'deal' with more than ten people rushing out shooting at me, even assuming that the ones on guard duty have been shot?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"Machine gun. In the back of a truck like in the films." She said with finality.

He hated to admit it, but she had come up with a simple plan which had every possibility of working. Their plans all fell down when they tried to extract scared people without confronting their captors.

"There's a lot more to it, but fundamentally I think she's right" said Steve carefully. Leah practically burst with smug pride.

"Ok, everyone think on it but keep it to yourselves" he said, as they left. He called Steve back and asked him if he thought Leah was too quick to suggest killing.

"I haven't pushed her too far have I?" He asked. Steve had spent a lot of time with her as her training progressed and knew her well.

"No. She's looking at this as a problem to be solved using what we have. She was never constrained by rules of engagement before, and never will be now. She's not a psychopath, she being pragmatic like you. Albeit a little cold..." He finished.

Dan laughed. "Mount the GPMG in the back of a truck like in the films! What's she been watching?"

Steve laughed with him and poured two glasses from the bottle he retrieved from a drawer.

"It has its merits, and is entirely doable. Personally, I'd like more evidence that they are actually mistreating people. I'd like eyes on myself, ideally"

"Me too, but the risk is too high" said Dan as he sipped "I'll work it out, see if Neil can weld a tripod into a Defender! In the meantime, train her hard tomorrow, she's getting cocky"

His head swam with possible tweaks to her plan, but essentially she was right; get everyone in place, demand they release the people and kill them if they don't. They still had to then calm and rescue the people inside and take responsibility for them - after all, they had been dependent on the bastards for food and shelter and probably won't know how to look after themselves. He was planning to kill twenty, and bring back over thirty.

What if they didn't want to be here? What if they wanted to stay where they are? What if some of them know the guards or are related to them?

After breakfast Dan walked outside with Ash; it was just about warm enough for shirtsleeves but his body armour gave him another layer. He smoked as he walked up to the farm to find Neil in his workshop.

"Wotcha, old bean" he said cheerfully from under the bonnet of a Defender he was servicing.

Ash ran to him and sniffed his pockets until he gave up his work giggling, and tossed him a treat. Neil always had some on him as the group now had four dogs. All of them liked him, which was no surprise at all based on the contents of his pockets.

"Hypothetical question mate?" Dan said, getting a well-deserved sceptical look.

"Is it possible to mount the GPMG on a land rover?" He asked, nonchalantly.

"Of course it's possible, but this ain't Desert Bloody Storm! What the hell are you planning, mate?"

Dan's mind flashed to pictures of the 'pinkies' with GPMG's on each side and a fifty calibre in the back. He didn't keep secrets from Neil and trusted him not to gossip.

"I want to rescue those people to the south and we don't have the numbers to take them on conventionally. We need to surprise them with overwhelming force" he said. He ran through the basics of Leah's plan, and told him what he imagined for the heavy gun.

Neil mulled it over.

"It's a bit cold blooded isn't it?" He asked. Dan told him it was a teenage girl who suggested it.

"You've cloned yourself!" He laughed, then faded off to his thoughts.

"If you're serious, I can do it. I need a long wheel based pickup with a removable tin back, like the farm ones."

"Done" said Dan, and left him to his tinkering.

"Bring that flash Disco of yours in for an oil change too" Neil shouted after him.

Dan walked through the farm, keeping Ash close. He saw Chris and Ewan deep in conversation by a large lean-to, basically a three sided barn where the spare vehicles had been stored. Pig saw them first and bounced over to play with Ash and lick at his face until he swatted a huge paw at her and played. She was small for a collie, not much bigger than Pete's cockers, but considering her early life she was lucky to be alive. She always stayed close to Chris with an unquestioning loyalty.

He spoke with them for a while, hearing their plans for the farm over the coming years.

Chris seemed awkward after Ewan left them, but asked him "What's this I'm hearing about a rescue mission?"

He wasn't entirely shocked that people had talked, but was certain it hadn't come from his Rangers so people wouldn't know how they planned to do it.

"I'm going to suggest it, yes. Our cattle are kept better than they are from what we've heard"

Chris was pleased, and offered any help he could provide.

"I might need everyone who knows how to use a shotgun to stand guard if we all go. I think I'll need all the Rangers on this one" he said.

"No problem" he replied, meaning it.

Dan was happy with the support, and reckoned any future coup attempts would fail based on his popularity. He lit another smoke and wandered towards the sound of single rounds being fired from a rifle. He found Steve drilling Leah on their makeshift range which was framed by high banks on each side and dead ground in front.

Steve had done well, making scarecrow type targets in between the trees. As he approached they spotted him and stopped. They seemed to be having an intense conversation, and as he got to them Steve asked if Leah could demonstrate her current exercise. She beamed at him under the weight of her vest, with the G36 hung across her chest.

Dan looked at her for a while before saying, "Continue"

He called Ash to him and walked back a short way.

Steve stood ready with his stopwatch, as Leah drove in a lazy circle to come back to the range. As she neared, he yelled "CONTACT" and started the clock. She slammed the brakes on the vehicle and slid from the driver's door to drop to the ground. She appeared under the open door and fired two rounds from the G36 into the closest dummy.

One in the chest, one on the head.

She rolled to the side and rose to her knee where she fired two more into the next dummy. Again, her accuracy was good. She ran forward ten metres and dropped to one knee again. Steve yelled "STOPPAGE", so she dropped the carbine to hang at her chest whilst she drew the Glock as she simulated a weapon jam. She rose as she fired two more rounds, slower this time but still as lethally accurate, then advanced at a crouch.

"RELOAD, CLEAR PRIMARY WEAPON" Steve shouted.

Leah dropped to her knee again, holstering the Glock.

She dropped the magazine from the carbine and racked the slide three times before seating a fresh magazine and pushing it home. She chambered a round and called out "RELOADED", then stood and stalked to the end of the range using available cover to good effect. On approaching the final dummy Steve shouted "AUTOMATIC FIRE", prompting Leah to duck into cover and make herself small. Steve then called, "ENEMY RELOADING" and Leah popped out to fire five rounds into the last target.

"STOP STOP STOP" Steve called. Leah safetied her weapons and ran back for debriefing. She was barely breathing hard.

"Twenty-nine seconds, four enemies down, no injury" Steve declared. Both looked at Dan.

"I am impressed!" He said with a genuine smile as he walked towards them. "Why five rounds in the last target?" He asked.

"No clear like of sight for headshot. Four shots to the centre mass until I got line of sight" she barked like a marine corps recruit. Dan really was impressed; their little girl was becoming quite the capable killer.

"What's your time?" She asked, in an innocent voice which oozed with challenge.

He thought about it for a while, then decided to humour her.

"Let's find out" he said, taking the G36 and a spare magazine. He thought through the exercise and decided on a different approach.

"I'm not that familiar with this weapon, so that's my excuse if you beat me!" He said jokingly.

He climbed into the Defender, put the seat back about two feet and drove a loop as Leah had.

Steve called the start of the contact, and Dan accelerated hard to the range. He skidded to a stop and took out the first two dummies with a single headshot as he rounded the Defender's door.

He ran forward, and when the weapon jam was called he fired a double tap from his Sig into the dummy before taking the position it was in.

He cleared and reloaded quickly, then stood and stalked along the left side to the next piece of cover. On being told he was under automatic fire, he took cover and dropped to the floor. The instant the "RELOADING" call came he rose and fired into the head of his last remaining target.

He strolled back to Leah and handed over the weapon. She looked at Steve, hoping.

"Nineteen seconds" he said, keeping his face neutral and hiding the smile that threatened to emerge.

Leah looked dismayed. He hadn't done that to humiliate her, she knew that, but she felt like she was being taught a lesson.

"Cheer up, kid. At thirteen I would've shot my toes off!" Dan said kindly.

He bent down to her "Seriously Leah, you're good. Really good. Keep it up and you can have my job soon"

She smiled her biggest grin before Steve told her to sprint to the farm and back before cleaning the weapons. She ran away, feigning annoyance but actually very happy.

"There's a big difference when they shoot back, mate" Dan said tiredly to Steve.

'We both know that" he said "I just wish she didn't have to find out one day"


She lay there and coughed all night.

It wasn't a normal cough; it was a deep, chesty cough that racked her whole body into convulsions and went on endlessly leaving her breathless and weak. Her skin burned and her head pounded.

She cried during the brief respite, and tried to breathe in shallow gasps so as not to aggravate the cough again.

Each one was worse than the last, and her heart beat so fast she thought it would burst. She had no idea how long she had been like that; all measure of time was lost in the endless cycle of pain and delirium.

Effectively, that's what happened to her the next day when she was too sick to move anywhere. Others were in the room with her, but they were trapped inside their own failing bodies too.

During a coughing episode, the pressure on her cardiovascular system became so intense that the multiple haemorrhages in her system caused too much clotting for her weakened body to deal with.

She suffered a fatal heart attack and died within forty-eight hours of exposure to the poisoned air.

Two of the group who had been allowed into the bunker, seemingly to rebuild their country and its infrastructure when the infection burned itself out, survived past the forty-eight-hour mark without any symptoms.

The junior medical lab assistant, Emma, sat alone talking to herself. At first glance you would think that she had seen too much and the trauma had caused her grip on reality to weaken.

It hadn't, she sat with her eyes closed and visualised her lab as she spoke her notes out loud into a small digital voice recorder.

"Infection through airborne means is most likely due to the lack of other visible means of transmission. Very fast gestation period, ranging from ten to fourteen hours, death followed within thirty-four hours of visible symptoms to all subjects monitored. Other subjects available for monitoring left the test area during gestation."

She opened her eyes and looked at the array of bodies who had died in front of her as she walked between them making observations and notes.

"Two subjects out of twenty-nine remain unaffected. Based on the available, and very limited, data I can extrapolate no common denominator to establish a basis for immunity. Gender, age range, ethnicity, physical size and appearance are effectively opposite in both surviving subjects."

She stopped recording and looked at the other survivor sadly.

The Colonel had gone downhill significantly since people started to show signs of infection. He had ranted loudly about being that last high-ranking Army officer left, making him Commander in Chief. He shouted at the bodies, giving his authority to launch tactical missiles at Russian cities immediately before ordering further strikes on China. On seeing the lab assistant watching him he began to scream that she was a Chinese spy and ordered her arrested immediately. She wasn't Chinese, she was part Korean and had never actually been there, but she was sure that it would be a waste of time to explain this. She left him to his solitary war and monitored the other now non-survivors.

She took a small rucksack from the possessions of a soldier who would no longer have need it, collecting similarly useful items from everyone and closing their eyes when required.

She sorted her small pile into order and packed her rucksack, including the blessedly thin and light laptop and its charger; useless without power and knowing that the battery life must be preserved until another source was found. She carefully wrapped it inside a zip topped plastic bag to protect the contents.

She readied herself to sleep in another room not occupied by dead people. She did not feel brave enough to travel at night, and planned to leave in the morning. She would have to leave the Colonel so as not to be shot on sight for the crime of looking a bit Chinese.


Dan had spent two days scouting and recovering the things he needed. He had found a coach company and managed to start an almost brand new vehicle which was stored inside a large weather proof unit.

Ian was recruited to drive it, and it was now parked on the road by the farm.

Steve had found a hi-capacity Defender pickup truck. A one-thirty wheelbase with three seats up front. Neil had gone over it mechanically first, then started on the tubular steel work in the back. He had brought Mike in to consult, and a series of flexible rubber mounts were fashioned to stop the machine gun from shaking itself loose.

His additions to Leah's plan involved Steve and Lexi acting as snipers, and for that he needed them accurate over three hundred and fifty metres minimum.

The sights of the newer semi-automatic rifles were swapped out for more powerful optics, and in the absence of heavier weapons they practiced with their new HK416's.

Dan was worried that he would have to rely on Joe to fire the big gun, but Neil was the only person other than himself who had ever even seen one fired before, let alone used one. He told him as much, and said he was coming. He would hear no argument against and Dan didn't try too hard. He was glad to have Neil with him if this went down.

On their first day of sniper training, Steve declared the 416's to be inadequate.

"It's not the accuracy, it's the weight of the round" he explained. "To guarantee a kill at the distance you're looking at, we need bigger guns"

Dan considered the heavier of the hunting rifles, but these only held a few rounds and were bolt action. He thought for a while, then turned to Lexi.

"Clean and stow the HK's and remove the optics. Put the holographic sights back on please?" He said, then turned to Steve.

"Remember that army camp you went to years ago for your E&E training?"

He did.

"Good, were going in ten minutes"