Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 9): September Read Online Free Page A

from them, too.  You can live off a Meat-Beast for months in the middle of the world’s biggest horde, long as you’ve got water and fire to cook it up.”

September 4 th Year 1 A.Z.
    morning
    The sun peeled my eyelids apart, burning into my retinas as I awoke.  More military rations for breakfast, though we had coffee at least.  That was something.  Viking took his duties seriously as my second, it seemed, barking unnecessary orders to the others.  For the most part, they took it in good humour, Giant saying that it was always good having a newbie to laugh at, thinking they don’t know their jobs.  Only Scar seemed unamused.
     
    We had only just finished packing up our shit when what sounded nothing so much as a lawnmower entered audible range.  It was followed by another, then a third.  Scar jumped up, following the sounds with his eyes, one hand clapped over his brow to shade his gaze from the sun as he looked to the east.
     
    “I can see three vehicles, it looks like motorbikes with a sidecar,” He began.  “Perhaps two, maybe three people per vehicle.  Hard to say, they are still very far away and the sun is at their backs currently.  They are, however, definitely heading in this direction.”
     
    I told everyone to hide behind the windbreak, out of sight.  When they arrive at the campsite, we should easily be able to get the jump on them.  Viking and Giant both clearly approved of this idea, though Maori and Wall preferred the idea of a stand-up fight than an ambush.  Scar wisely pointed out that our mission was far more important than ‘playing nice with religious zealots and bandits’ and that ‘we would be better off eradicating their sort completely from the Earth’ to ‘make room for people that actually want to just get along, for a change, without all the bullshit about control.’
     
    By keeping an eye and an ear out we were well able to monitor their approach.  From our elevated position we could see everything, there were six men heading this way.  They parked their vehicles at the base of the ledge, one complaining loudly about the long, steep climb up to the plateau.
     
    noon
    The six of us kept very quiet, very still, as we listened to them converse.  Much of the conversation revolved around certain sexual acts that they had engaged in with various women before the world ended, a little about this group or that, encounters with other survivors, many of whom had clearly come off second best, or not at all, upon meeting members of The Righteous.  Giant, closer to me than anyone else, fumed.  I could tell that she wanted nothing more than to tear them limb from limb.  Fortunately, the group moved off after a couple of hours and we were able to move freely once again.
     
    “Man, I hate that shit,” Giant grumbled, working the stiffness out of her neck muscles.  “Vastly prefer to be killing fuckers like that rather than listening to their bullshit.  As a general rule, you can tell if someone’s worth knowing by what they talk about amongst themselves.”  Personally, I couldn’t help but agree.  In the two hours that they were meant to be ‘scouting’ for their leadership, they drank and smoked more than I used to on a three day weekend.
     
    Still, at the least, we were well able to follow their tracks, ascertaining that they were based a few hours to the northeast of our current position.  With several other groups of scouts out and about, The Boss should be able to work out where they kept their camp.  Deciding that we were done for the day, I ordered everyone back to town.
     
    evening
    There was a small group of Dead that caught our scent that we had to force our way through on the way back, nothing too concerning.  Scar charged headlong into them, scattering the mob, Giant and Maori mere seconds behind.  The trio pulled large survival knives from their belts, stabbing them again and again into the skulls of the rampaging Dead.  The entire horde, perhaps