Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 1): January Read Online Free

Apparently they had arrived with their parents when they were babies and had grown up on the commune.  Their parents died and left them there to be raised by Kindly Lady when they were very young.  Everyone knew and loved them, and now one had died in the most brutal fashion imaginable.
     
 
     
At dinner nobody spoke.  The remaining Twin had come downstairs to eat, and received such an outpouring of sympathy that she burst into tears and very nearly ran back to bed, but Kindly Lady took her into her arms and sat with her while she ate.  Everyone present, after the meal, with the customary dessert joint, said something about the dead Twin.  The saddest part was when it came to my own and Apocalypse Girl's turns.  All I could say was that I wished I had more time to have gotten to know her better.  All Apocalypse Girl could say was “I'm sorry I had to put a crowbar into her skull.” bitterly before bursting into tears herself.  Then it came to the Living Twin's turn.
     
 
     
“I'm glad you put a crowbar into her skull.” she said through her tears, “She saved me.  She got eaten and I didn't.  I'm not going to forget that, never.  I'm going to keep on living for her, because she gave hers for me!”
     

January 6th Year 1 A.Z.
     
dawn
     
Junior came knocking this morning to see if I wanted to go on patrol with him again.  I really didn't, but I doubt anyone wanted to do much of anything after yesterday's events.  So I told him to wait downstairs for me.  I wanted to make sure Apocalypse Girl was going to be alright.  She told me she would be, of course, and that she would make sure to keep The Twin company.  I grabbed The Bommyknocker and headed out to face the apocalypse.
     
 
     
The morning air was gloomy.  It seemed less like summer already, and not even a week into January yet.  I jumped upon hearing an unusual sound, then felt like a total dickhead when I realised sheep bleat.  Have to get used to these new sounds now.  Junior was waiting just outside the barn for me, club in hand, talking with Archer.  He held a pair of bows, fresh made especially for us, with a score of arrows each.  We thanked him, he left to make more, and we began our patrol in silence.
     
 
     
noon
     
After a relatively uneventful patrol we decided to revisit the clay pits, see if we could clean it up a little bit.  At least retrieve Dead Twin's body.  When we got there we discovered that we were not the only ones with that plan.  The Twin, Apocalypse Girl and Kindly Lady were already burning a large pile of Dead corpses.  The stench was appalling.  Dead Twin they had buried a short distance away, in an area that had been marked off as a graveyard, her resting place marked with no more than a wooden cross.
     
 
     
I asked if burning them was a good idea.  Kindly Lady pointed out that it was better than having them rotting away close enough to where plenty of us will be working.  I nodded, but I said that I think burning them might be a bad idea in the long run.  Apocalypse Girl just looked thoughtful, The Twin nodding in agreement with me.  Kindly Lady allowed that I might indeed have a good point, but that it was too late right now.  In future we would have to come up with another solution.  She also told me that we needed guards if we were to successfully harvest any clay from this river.  I nodded, and left without saying another word, Junior silently following.  We decided upon another lap of the perimeter fence before heading back to the barn.
     
 
     
evening
     
Archer had set up a practice range behind the barn by the time we returned, and was teaching a pair of younger hippies how to use their bows.  Junior and I decided to join them, as I had not fired a bow in at least twenty years, and wanted to familiarise myself with my new weapon.  By which I mean play with my new toy, of course.  Archer, it turned out, was a fine bowyer.  I only lost seven of my arrows, Junior losing