~Tales of Tokyo~
Part One: OutBreak
Part Two: Hack & Slacker
Part Three: Hi I’m Jamie
Part Four: Follow The Rules
Part Five: For Reals
~Pony Tales~
Part One: Note From Mom
~Fallen Saint~
Part One: Dans Last Post
Part Two: The Beginning of The End
Part Three: The Fallen Saint
Part Four: Garbage of The Dead
Part Five: The Bell
Part Six: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Jagged grey objects loomed out of the cold mist that hung deathly quiet in the still waters flowing gently from the Thames. As their small boat approached Bede could see the harsh angular shapes of vast warships in a chaotic tide-washed jumble strewn across the coast.
Slowly they made their way up the river as the smoke streaked skyline of the city faded into view through the mist. It wasn’t long before their path was blocked by half sunken ships and detritus washed down from the ruined metropolis.
“Alright, well as ridiculous as it is that I’m actually saying this for real…but, you stay with the boat, I’ll go ashore.” Bede paused and looked out across the grey waterfront that faded quickly into the mist and grey buildings.
“If I’m not back by dark…I’m probably not coming back”
Margo looked at him silently for a while. “Alight, I’ll be here until dark” They hugged each other then, it was a kind of automatic need for reassurance that went beyond any other motivation and without another word Bede climbed over the side of the fishing boat and into a small skiff they had collected form an abandoned pier during their trip south.
He made his way carefully to the embankment trying to limit the amount of noise his little boat made as he tied it up and climbed to the street. All around him the air was heavy with a damp cold fog which further reduced any sounds, leaving nothing but a silent light grey nothingness that extended in all directions.
Crouching he turned on his radio receiver and this time keeping the volume to barely a whisper he turned the tuner until he reached the agreed upon setting.
“Nushi are you out there? I’m going to make my way up to the Queen Elizabeth the second Bridge, I can’t go by water so I’ll be on foot on the northside of the river. Get in touch as soon as you can”
He waited, listening to the quiet hissing of static. Just then a thin lonely wail pierced the enclosing fog, at first it sounded like some strange animal but as his attention focused Bede realised it was a violin. It rose and fell in a slow lamenting tune that echoed through the mist.
Standing, Bede closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the strange echoing music, then he smiled un-slung his shotgun and made his way off into the city keeping the limpid waters of the Thames to his left.
The violinist kept playing on and on until Bede identified it must be coming from the otherside of the river somewhere, for a while he closed and the sound got louder but soon it was once again lost in the blanket of mist as he continued towards the bridge.
Finding a quiet spot near some waste ground Bede tried the radio again as he had done every twenty minuets since he left the boat.
“These fucking things are useless” He muttered as he once again finished his message and stared out around himself into the enclosing greyness.
“Well that’s not very nice” The voice sounded calm and slightly amused as it came from the receiver. “Hello! Are you there?” Bede said gripping the thing with a start.
“Yes. I’ll be on the bridge, probably best we leave the city…it’s getting a bit tricky here” Then the static came back up and there was no further response.
‘Awesome!’ Bede said to himself punching his fist and picking himself up off the crate he’d been sitting on. “Finally you useless piece of sh…” Bede broke off as a dull thud thud thud and scattering of gravel broke into his awareness, suddenly out of the blank greyness a ragged human form exploded into view, its arms flailing wildly its black blood stained mouth opened wide.
Bede grabbed his shotgun and in one quick upward ark brought the buttstock into contact with the Zombies jaw, the terrible bone crunching sound filled the fog heavy air as the creature somersaulted backwards and landed hard on the ground twitching.
Bede moved over to it quickly and slammed his shotgun into its head three more times until it lay still. “Oh good, fast Zombies too” He muttered and made off at a quicker pace towards the bridge.
Following the river he finally reached an area filled with large grey cylindrical storage containers that loomed about him in the mist. He knew from research on google maps the bridge was just the otherside of them.
Making his way through in the enclosing silence until several vast support legs came into view. Turning to his right he followed them as the level of the road slowly dropped above him. Eventually it was at grown level and he turned onto the car strewn tarmac, taking a deep breath he began up the slope.
There had been too few zombies so far, for such a vast and populated city but he guessed that there must still be a few survivors within the city that were drawing their attention from the ragged edges, he certainly hoped so as he made his way up the lonely and exposed road bridge.
Out over the water the fog seemed thicker and his pace slowed as the view distance closed in, his ears straining to forewarn him of anything that might be coming. Then he heard it, the scraping shuffle of footsteps.
‘One…two…three’ He muttered under his breath, it was definitely three or more sets and they were getting closer. He couched his shotgun to his shoulder and aimed into the swirling grey.
“Nushi!” He called his voice barely more than a whisper. The footsteps paused, a few tense moments passed and then they restarted this time slightly more urgently. Bede backed up a couple steps and checked his escape route.
Three gloomy figures entered the edge of his view distance, shuffling limbs hanging limply heads lolling to the side. He raised his gun again pointing at the first one on the right. Suddenly his target stiffens, stumbles and collapses.
The other two pause for a moment then shuffle on quicker this time their heads raising to look at Bede, who in turn turns his aim on the next in line. This time he hears a ‘thunk’ and the creature moans slightly before it crumples to it’s knees, head hanging limp.
The last zombie now sprints towards him, perhaps driven by the impending animal realisation of its meal slipping away. But before he can fire the scarred face of the man shambling towards him explodes in red and for a moment Bede sees the tip of an arrow jutting from where his eye used to be before the zombie tumbles past him and bounces off a car to lie still on the road.
“You know” The voice startles Bede into looking back up to the first body, where a thin hooded figure is standing over it, one foot on the back of its neck as an arrow is pulled from its skull.
“Apart form the silence” The figure moves over to the second zombie kicking it forwards before yanking the arrow from its head.
“London hasn’t really changed that much” Close enough to see clearly now Bede can make out the thin figure of a young girl, she is wearing a sort of hooded robe over leather armour strapped to her securely to allow maximum freedom of movement.
“Nushi! Thank god for that.” Bede says dropping his shotgun to his side. “Nice shooting by the way, I wasn’t too keen on firing this thing unless I really needed to”
“Yes” Nushi says looking over at the double barrelled. “Not the most subtle weapon in the world is it.”
“Are you ready to go?” Bede asks resting the shotgun over his shoulder.
“Oh yes, I think that would be quite well timed actually…errm is the boat close by?” She replies flipping over the last body and dragging the blood red arrow from it’s skull.
“Why?” Bede says looking nervously towards the distant side of the bridge that is completely obscured by the mist still.
“Well, I did have to get through one of the most densely populated cities in England you know…and I think one or two might be following me” Just as she finished speaking Bede suddenly became aware of a slight tremble in the bridge.
“One or two??!” He said looking at her his eyebrows raised, his shotgun back in both hands and pointing at the grey.
“Perhaps one or two hundred, certainly enough that you won’t need that.” She looked down at the gun and slotted her arrows back into the quiver on her back, slinging the bow over her shoulder. “Come on” She adds turning and walking quickly and quietly into the mist back the way Bede had come.
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