Cultivator in a Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty - Spring Continues to Deepen

The previous night had been particularly dark and oppressive as rain clouds had blocked the cold, mysterious light of the moon and twinkling specks of stars. Furthermore visibility had been made worse by the fall of seemingly endless droplets of water onto the already soggy grounds. However, zombies had not yet learned to be quiet when stalking pray; their shuffling footsteps kicked up the puddles of water upon the ground as howls of hunger escaped their throats subconsciously.

The mud within the awakening fields slowed their journeys allowing the defending parties to almost leisurely halt their approach, meaning protecting their walls this night could not really be considered much worse than other and the only consequences were needing to soak in a warm bath after ending their shift of duties. Not that everyone did and one person did happen to fall ill, but Paul recovered well enough, just felt he suffered more than he did as he was chided for his foolishness by Autumn, while mercilessly laughed at by his best friend.

The rain lightened by daybreak and fully stopped by the time breakfast had ended. Remaining was the freshness of greenery and the lingering scent of damp earth upon the wind. The clean aromas were swept around the grounds gently and pushed into buildings via open windows and doors, stirring the more stagnant air within.

Plants cannot talk, but they still reach for the sun when it appears in the sky and show dissatisfaction when their roots are too dry. The more conscious ones growing within the indoor environment either coquettishly wrapped vining tendrils around the corners of a young man's clothing as he passed, threw leaves and petals in tantrum or leaned away sulkily as he tried to touch them.

The young man sighed and shook his head, but still gave into them. He turned the tap of a barrel on, the contents spilling into the hose of a makeshift watering system for the indoor garden, before impressively creating a refreshing rain from nowhere which sprinkled water over leaves and vegetables. Even the ordinary plants seemed to shiver with joy as the delicious liquid touched both stem and root in a way so satisfying it could not be described even in human words.

After his plants stilled and became quiet, the young man moved towards where winter cauliflowers had been growing through the cold season. Most of them had long since been harvested, but there were a handful remaining and about to go to seed. Of course this was not a bad thing, Nathan welcomed this stage of all his plants life cycles even though this meant that some could no longer sustain his own as food. The seeds produced instead would be collected, stored and in the example of the cauliflowers would be planted out in the autumn for next year.

So three were selected for tonight's plate, while the other two would be left alone to flower. The cauliflowers were fairly large as much of his produce tended to be, but it was still as tasty as if it had been a tender, small mouthful plucked early. And with Autumn's deft hand, the flavour was often enhanced further, Nathan's mouth watered at the thought, but such was fleeting as his thoughts automatically sprung back to his purpose of harvesting.

The vegetables were placed in a wheelbarrow outside the glass double doors, ready to be transported, along with the last of the harvestable parsnips which in other gardens might be quite woody by now and armfuls of various greens. The youth left the doors to the long, well lit room open that the plants could enjoy the breeze more, now that they'd drank their fill and promised them out loud that he would bring back some compost and liquid feed to nourish them later. The raised beds were increasingly becoming patchy and although they were not exposed to the harshness of the elements, it did not mean that the exposed soil wasn't becoming dry and sterile still, though it was at a slower pace.

Nathan waited several minutes beside the wheelbarrow, his eyes flickering anxiously towards the far door of the room. He counted one hundred and eighty seconds before his patience became tested and he stepped a pace back into the winter garden room. But before he could take another step, the far door opened and his Xian entered in a calm, collected manner while holding a large basket. The tension in Nathan's spine instantly melted and he exhaled.