Cultivator in a Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter Seventy Four - Green stands for Danger

Possibly the first question within the five soldiers minds were not about accommodation nor when were they going to learn how to increase their abilities, but actually; why was the inside of this base so green?!

The wall appeared thick and tall, perhaps not as great as their own, but there was a feeling of security from it being there... were it not for the Ivy vines creeping up its height at one side of the metal gate. Then there was the lightly trimmed grass upon the verges either side of the road, even weeds peeking out of the pothole forming to one side. Trees, thick hedges, even multicoloured tulips, these were all in the space of a few metres from their location and all were exposed to the elements. Were the people of this base not dicing with death?

It was the loud and opinionated Thomas who was the one to speak the words they all thought aloud; "Shit, are you people crazy? Why the fuck have you let the plants grow wild in here?"

Glances were exchanged and Dexter scratched at his temple before realising something. "I guess we forgot to warn you about this. Our policies are a bit different than the ones at your base. Here, we don't cut plants or trees down willy nilly. Not that you lot are wrong to clear your base of plants, mutant species can be fuckers, but that wouldn't work here."

"Why not?" Luke asked.

"The landlord wouldn't like it!" Eraj chuckled, recalling how Nathan had first been introduced to them when they arrived at this hidden haven late last summer.

The five soldiers naturally didn't get the jest and their initial reaction was to assume these people had gone nuts during the days following the apocalypse. It's not like there weren't a few of those on base, just that they hadn't caused any serious disturbances, so they were left alone. But, reconsidering it, if they truly were mentally challenged in any way shape or form, how had they survived so long and so well up until now? They were clearly well nourished, strong and determined, from what they had witnessed so far, so they obviously had access to plentiful food over the winter. The clothes they wore seemed clean and food wasn't the only necessary resource for survival, so they apparently also had a good water source as well. So, it wasn't just luck that had seen them through these days. The only thing they could do was to wait and see what the hell was up with this place.

Dexter guided them, not to their living space, but to the second mansion on their land. He'd decided this right from the beginning for them to stay in there rather than crowd their own home further. For one thing, although there were a couple of bedrooms free, accepting strangers in their home now was not something he thought any of them would be comfortable with. They weren't going to be staying that long either, the barrier between them and us wasn't going to disintegrate in that time, better to give them their own space for the time being. Plus he wasn't sure just how Nathan would cope with the new faces so suddenly in their midst. He'd have to see them eventually, but better to introduce the idea slowly...

He never thought he wouldn't have the chance of that.

*****

Nathan's head was not clear and his body was reacting strangely, he did not like it. When his body first reacted in such a manner at the tender age of fourteen, he'd not reacted well at that time either. It had taken Nanny several hours to coax him from his bedroom to find out the situation from him. In her usual calm and collect manner, she had explained that this was a normal thing for a teenaged boy to experience. That he might find his lower body become stiff at other times, not just in the mornings. After factually speaking about sex, for the old woman had long since discovered that so long as certain subjects were spoken of in a scientific way rather than an emotional one, her charge was much more adaptive to new ideas, she had suggested cool showers as a manner to allow his body to return to a non-sexualised state.