Cultivator in a Zombie Apocalypse

Chapter Ninety Three - New People Bring New Troubles

"We'd been checking out some fields further north; it's not like we had the space to store all of last year's harvest after we stripped the local fields bare, we had to abandon some," he stated. 

This had been their mission, as well as searching houses in the town and villages along the way.  It had been a lengthy journey spanning a few days with mixed results.  For instance, they found a practically untouched village, with a few weak zombies still trapped in their abodes with tins and packaged food still surprisingly intact, a bit was even in date.  The town had clearly been a target of survivors, doors torn off hinges or smashed in and left to the elements, cupboard doors broken and the front window glass shattered as shops had been vandalised and pillaged.  But the worst thing was that the majority of the plants in the fields had mutated.

"At the last tiny village we got to, we called it a night with plans to return home.  But as the sun began to set, we suddenly heard the cries of people as well as the screams."

Surprisingly, in the middle of one of those mutated fields was a garden nursery, large connected buildings of both brick and glass.  In the latter, before the end, used to be a massive variety of pot plants, flowers, shrubs and even edible plants, all for purchase for gardens, while in the brick buildings pots, soil and seeds were sold and stored.  There was even a small cafe with its own kitchenette.  Naturally, this place made quite the base in a world where plants could turn into monsters if left outside and zombies were generally concentrated where once populations of the living had been.  Of course, it can't be stated to be the most secure place, but at first, wandering zombies were few and weak, the roof prevented birds from getting in and then the fields of mutated plants actually protected them even more.

They quietly lived and farmed in this group of buildings after gathering from abandoned villages and farmhouses close by.  But their luck did not hold forever.

"They were attacked by a large group of zombies, which seemed to be led by one with ash black skin and another with no jaw.  The mutant plants were burned down or otherwise pacified.  They were surrounded in all directions and the zombies threw rocks or themselves at the glass until it began to break.  Some fought, some took refuge in more secure spaces, one group, who were injured in the fight tried to lead the majority of the zombies away.  There would have been no hope at all for any of them had the sun not risen and the majority suddenly upped sticks and left."

Out of more than five hundred people, only sixty odd survived that attack.  Seizing the chance once the sun was past the highest point in the sky, the remaining people fled from their fallen base, but the wandering zombies did not make it easy for them.  Worse, the mutant plants that had not been set on fire to burn that night once more came to life to claim new nutrients for themselves.  The people could only run, fight and pray.  They arrived at the village chased by a pack of mutant foxes, who caught an older man in their hunt before the soldiers shot them down in an attempt to save him.  Unfortunately, he took his last breath before they could reach him.

Now only thirty nine survivors lived.

They had watched friends and family, people they had grown close to and supported while in turn being supported, bitten and consumed by undead zombies, torn apart and dissolved by mutant plants and hunted to death by ravenous beasts.  It was no wonder they were weary to the core of their souls.

"We travelled back with them, taking the majority to the base.  It was just this family wanted to stay together, but the base couldn't ensure that was possible.  We just don't have the space for such a large group."

In truth, the group could have split up a bit.  As far as blood relations were concerned, there was an adult man in his twenties and his teenaged nephew, an adult woman, her twin brother and his two young children, then another man, who looked about thirty and his middle aged mother.  That last man also happened to be distantly related to the twin brother and sister, while the first man had developed an intimate relationship with the sister over the last year and they didn't want to be apart.

Dexter frowned glancing over at the cousin and his mother, guessing that theirs was less a reliant relationship due to blood, but that the brother and sister were tall pillars to lean on.  Sure enough, the brother revealed that he had joint fire and lightning abilities, while the boyfriend's nephew could produce water.

"No!"

All three and a half feet of blond princess upon the back of her loyal black hound pointed at the cousin and his mother with defiance.  Aslan growled viciously, causing the smallest of the three children to burst into tears.  The brother hushed the toddler in his arms, whispering softly in an attempt to comfort him.

The other man and middle-aged relative looked startled then glanced at each other, before the woman fell to her knees dramatically and began to weep loudly.  The man bent his back and cautiously sidled forward.  "Could it be," he said with a wheedling, saddened tone, "my June actually survived?"

Dexter's hands curled into fists, his heart suddenly furious, yet at the same time sore as they commanded more and more attention from those around them, while they staked their claims.

"Praise be to God!" The woman wailed and shuffled closer to little Lucy, opening out her arms as if to embrace her.

Aslan did not allow her to get any closer to his ward and did not quieten his growls.