WalkerZ - A Zombie Apocalypse Story

Chapter 23 - Dockyard Brawlers

"You're the Captain, Captain, this is your show."

"Right, Eddie, you get to stay here in the nice warm wheelhouse and watch TV. Any movement or oddity, hit the button in front of you and it'll give you control of the tannoy system. Coxswain Patil here will be with you too as it's his job to make sure we stay where we're meant to be in relation to the dock. Patil, the bridge is yours, take her into the dock please. Merryn, you're with me."

The two of them moved outside and held onto the railings as the cruiser surged forwards towards the dockside. A group of marines were preparing to leave the ship and were doing final kit checks on the deck below.

"You know more about this place than anyone else Merryn, are you happy to go with my team?"

"Of course."

"They'll take point, but local knowledge is always useful."

Merryn wandered off to get her gear and a short time later Patil brought them alongside the dock. The ship cruised in, taking its time and keeping the noise to a minimum. As they drew alongside the concrete, two marines stepped off the boat with mooring lines, the rest of the team lining the starboard side with weapons ready. As the lines were being secured, two walkers staggered into view; two marines standing at the prow waited until they were close then took them down using silenced weapons, the two marines on the dockside finished them off using hand weapons, dragged the bodies to the edge of the dock and dumped them in the river.

Gangplanks were lowered fore and aft and two streams of marines left the ship, Merryn tagging onto the group leaving from the stern. The man in front of her, a corporal, turned and gave her a grin. "My name's Corporal Shaw, Chris, you're with me, miss."

"Call me Merryn please Chris, and no worries I'm keeping you in front of me as bait."

His grin widened and they moved onwards with the rest of the group.

After a few hundred yards they reached the gate to the compound where Merryn had first met Hope. A marine checked ahead and then rejoined the main group. The team lead, a stocky-looking sergeant named King, held up two hands with one thumb folded in and pointed in turn at nine men. They disappeared through the gates and a few seconds later there was a series of dull thuds and King motioned them onwards.

"Chris, what's the hand weapon the team are using?" asked Merryn.

The Corporal handed her his weapon. "It's a modified pickaxe. The blades at the end have been trimmed back so that the handle still has the metal end, but it works more like an old-fashioned mace. The medieval folks knew what they were doing with blunt weapons. We've tried a few things as a team, this one seems to work pretty well."

Merryn nodded. "Seems efficient."

Sergeant King looked back at Merryn for direction and she motioned towards a large storage unit with sturdy metal doors. A heavy chain held them shut and King motioned forward a private who produced some bolt cutters from his pack. There was a heavy-sounding crunch, another soldier caught the shattered padlock before it could hit the concrete and the cutters were stowed.

King arranged his team in a semi-circle and two marines stepped forward to open the doors. One hinge howled in protest as they swung open and a chorus of moans greeted the marines as the sunlight hit the inside of the warehouse for the first time since the outbreak. All pretense at stealth forgotten, the marines hauled the doors open as fast as they could and the team opened fire, bullets slamming into the group of walkers trapped inside. The marines checked the downed deadheads, finished off a couple who weren't quite done, and moved the bodies out of the way.

Merryn looked up, the drone was still hovering overhead and she waved, then joined Chris inside the warehouse.

"Not bad," he said. "Plenty of munitions. Got any diesel?"

"Well Corporal, if memory serves me right, that's in the next courtyard down the dock."

~

Over the course of the next few hours, the rest of the crew joined the marines, and munitions, food, fuel, medical supplies, clothing, electrical equipment, radios and communications gear, tools, and spare parts were loaded into the hold on the cruiser, Eddie keeping a careful watch on the area using the drone, with several marines watching the perimeter on Captain Sands' orders.

Merryn checked her watch and radioed in. "Cruiser 1, this is Scout 2."

"Scout 2, this is Cruiser, how's it going there Merryn?"

"We're almost done here, Captain. We're starting to lose the light a bit, what's the plan?"

"We're going to pull back to the concrete breakwater in the bay. It's more defensible and we'll be able to see anyone who approaches us on the water."

"Okay Captain, we'll be heading back to you in about an hour." Merryn looked at Sergeant King as she said it and the man nodded agreement.

~

As the last of the team made it back to the ship, Merryn walked across the gangplank and as soon as the mooring ropes had been cast off, the ship made its way back into the bay.

"Nice job everyone!" called the Captain from the upper deck and there was a tired sounding cheer from the team. "Hot chocolate in the mess!" That prompted a louder cheer, and Merryn walked up the metal steps to join Lily.

"We'll give 'em a bit of a treat tonight," she said. "They worked hard, and tomorrow is going to be rough. The trip around the southern point of Cornwall is bouncy at the best of times because of the tides and currents that meet there, but we need to check on the Isles of Scilly to the south west before we head north east up the coast. No-one's been that way since before the Outbreak so it might be an interesting trip."

"Well at least we have the fuel and ammunition to do it now," said Merryn. "Right, where's that chocolate?"

~

"Morning Captain, morning Patil." The Coxswain nodded at Merryn as she entered the bridge and Lily turned from her position at the window to greet her.

"Morning Merryn. You sleep okay?"

"Yes, thank you. Eddie and I were put in a little room with a couple of bunks on the starboard side. I haven't slept that well for a long time. Where are we?"

The Captain walked over to the map table and pointed. "We're coming around Lands End which is why things are getting a little choppy, but we're pretty lucky today as the sea is relatively calm. We're going to head up the coast a little then head west past the old Longships Lighthouse. Our route will take us out to the Scilly Isles so we'll see if we can see anything there. There's an airfield on the main island that we're hoping is in good condition, and the PM is interested to see if we can clear the Isles and get people settled on them again. So, we'll do a quick recce there, then cut up the coast past Sennen Cove and follow up through Cornwall and Devon, then up towards the River Severn and the power station. Should be quite a trip."

"Sounds good to me. It's a beautiful morning isn't it?" Merryn looked out of the window at the clear blue skies. A few white fluffy clouds were visible, and aside from the currents swirling around the southernmost tip of England, the sea was calm.

"You sometimes see seals on the rocks around here," said Patil. "I was posted down here when I first joined the Navy. Went fishing off the rocks back up the coast near Penzance a few times. Never caught much."

"That's kinda the point of fishing isn't it?" said Merryn. "Look at the view, enjoy the sea air and hope no daft fish interrupts the day dreaming."

Patil smiled and was about to reply when the speaker on the control panel crackled into life. "Captain, flare spotted, dead ahead."