"It's okay Eddie, she's with the army."
The girl lowered her weapon and made it safe, taking a few seconds to inspect Merryn as she did so.
"How did you get on?" asked Tom as the recently arrived members of the troupe dropped heavy-looking packs onto the ground.
"More beans, some vitamins from some old grannie's cupboard, some tinned pilchards, prunes, dried milk, and various odd tins and packets of soup."
"Any chocolate?" asked Andrew hopefully.
"Nah, sorry," said Eddie ruffling his hair. "We found a couple of packets of mints though."
"I may be able to help there," said Merryn. She gestured to her pack. "May I?"
Brian nodded and she reached deep into her pack pulling out a large chocolate bar. "I found this sealed in a tin in a house in the middle of nowhere when I hit the edge of Dartmoor. My gran always kept chocolate in a tin to stop the mice from getting to it. I guess this lady was the same. I've been saving it for a special occasion." She handed it to Eddie who unwrapped it and portioned out the chocolate between them.
"Thank you," said Andrew quietly, and walked off to stand by the river.
"How long will it take us to get to the point on the far side of the river that you were talking about Brian?"
"A day. We know the territory. Once you've paddled across the river, how long will you need to complete your mission?"
"Two days at most. I hope to be in and out within a day."
"Okay. In that case, we'll set up camp at the old Sea Scout Hut and see what we can find to get us downriver and out to sea. My kids are good sailors, so we should be able to crew something that'll get us around the coast to Exeter once you get back."
"Sounds like a plan Brian, and once we get to the hut, I'll need to make a call."
~
A day of tense traveling through open countryside later, Merryn, the five teenagers, and Brian made their way along a narrow lane leading to the Sea Scout hut on the western side of the river.
Brian caught Andrew's eye, and the lad lifted his crossbow from his shoulder and moved ahead of the rest of the group. "That boy's one of the most natural countrymen I've ever seen," he muttered to Merryn. "He's got a sixth sense for people or walkers."
"He'll come in handy when we can get him back to base then. As I said yesterday, there are not many people who can sneak around behind me without me noticing. I'm rather impressed."
Merryn glanced around the rest of the group. They'd positioned themselves in a spread formation with Tom bringing up the rear, Eddie taking point behind Andrew and the larger members of the team including the two adults carrying the bulk of the equipment. Brian and his group traveled light but had brought all the food they had with them, enough for a few days.
Andrew appeared ahead of them and waved them forward. As they approached he started talking rapidly, his enthusiasm spilling over into his words. "It's empty. Looks like it's been ransacked for anything edible and medical stuff, but other than that it seems in good shape. No deadheads, nothing seems out of place. There are also a couple of large sheds which are clear of walkers too, and there's a decent-sized boat in one that should be able to carry all of us up the coast. Sails and gear look to be intact and it looks seaworthy. There are even some lifejackets. Health and Safety first eh Brian?"
"Health and Safety?" Brian grinned at the boy. "Duffer. Okay troupe, let's get the place secure, Eddie and Andrew find a place to keep watch please."
Merryn watched as the group fanned out. "These kids are good Brian."
"They've had to be," said Brian quietly. "Only the good ones or lucky ones have survived."
"How many have you lost?"
"Five, and the other leader, a lady called Jane." The man stopped and looked at his feet. "I couldn't save them."
"Damn man, don't beat yourself up. To have survived at all is a minor miracle. I've been doing this for about a year now and I've not come across a group like yours before. You've done incredibly well."
Brain pointed to his left. "From what I remember, the canoes are in the old barn over there."
~
"Control, this is Scout 2. I'm in position. Over."
"Hi Scout 2, this is Control, Mal here. Captain Summers is also listening in. What can you see?"
"I'm to the west of the city, on the opposite side of the river to the military docks, inside the tree line so I can't be seen. I have a canoe and I'm about to paddle over.
"Scout 2, did you say canoe? Over."
"Yes, Control. I've borrowed it from some Scouts."
"Sure, Scout 2. Do they have a campfire going, are they singing songs and toasting marshmallows?"
"I'm serious Control. They've helped me a lot over the last day or so. I'll be bringing them back to base with me when I'm done checking the docks."
"Er... okay Scout 2. Whatever you say. What can you see?"
"I can see into the compound you briefed me on. There's a lot of walker activity down there, mainly in the open areas between the buildings. Do we have any more information I should be aware of before I get closer?"
There was a sustained few minutes of silence and then a new voice came over the radio.
"Scout 2, this is Captain Summers. We now have drone footage from the area from about a week ago from Scout 1. It appears to show a young woman living in that area of the docks."
"How did he spot her?"
"She was out in the open walking amongst the deadheads."
"She what? But are we sure she's not a zombie?"
"As the drone went over she looked up and waved at it."
"She waved?" Merryn took a deep breath and forced calm into her voice. "Sorry Captain, I didn't mean to sound quite so disbelieving."
"Don't worry Merryn, we're still finding this one hard to believe in ourselves too. The footage came in not long after you'd left and we've been looking at it over and over again since. Now you've made it there, we're adding to your mission. What you need to do now if you can is make contact, and if possible get her the hell out of there. If she's somehow immune then we need to get her here so our doctors can talk to her."
"Immune," whispered Merryn, her mind ablaze with curiosity, fear, and a welter of possibilities.
"Scout 2?"
"Sorry Captain, I'm still here. I was thinking. Do we have any intel on the best way into the base there?"
"Yes Scout 2, the gate on the river side of the dock, so opposite your current position. It's wedged open just enough to squeeze through and may explain why the walkers are still in there as they can't easily get out and disperse. I would imagine the area is full of ex-military personnel and site staff who couldn't get out at the time of the Outbreak. But we're also hoping that that does also mean the base may not have been pillaged for supplies and equipment, so keep an eye out for gear too please. If there's enough there we may mount a recovery expedition."
"Understood Captain, I'll get moving and call you later in the day with any news."
"Okay, Scout 2. I'll leave you in the capable hands of Mal."
"Hi, Merryn, Mal here. I'm going to be here all day if you need me okay? Good luck."
"Thanks, Mal, talk to you later. Scout 2, over and out."
Merryn leaned back and caught Brian's look of utter disbelief. The man had been sitting next to her during the discussion and she'd caught his sharp intake of breath as the word 'immune' had danced across the airwaves.
"This suddenly got important, didn't it?" he whispered.
Merryn nodded. "I'm going to leave most of my gear here with you. I'll get in and out as quickly as I can. If I'm not back within two days, get on the radio and ask for Mal or Captain Summers. Then get to the base. I'll mark it on a map before I go just in case. Be ready for me. For us. With luck, I will be bringing a new friend back with me. We may need to leave in a hurry."
Brian held out his hand and Merryn shook it. "Good luck Merryn."
"And to you and your kids Brian. I'll see you soon."
Brian watched as Merryn loaded her pockets with a few essentials, shouldered her rifle, and strode over to her waiting canoe.
~
Walkers in uniform was a new experience for Merryn. She lay on top of a long flat-roofed building inside the walled military complex, with the undead patrolling the grounds below, their non-blinking eyes dust scarred and irrelevant. She'd learned patience as a scout, but anxiety gnawed at her now so much was at stake. Her eyes drifted back to the partially open gate of the compound. That was her quickest escape route should something go wrong and, as long as she could stand, then she could outrun them. Unless there were too many. She'd counted several hundred walkers below her.
"Where are you?" she muttered under her breath. Seagulls screamed at her, mocking her quiet desperation and she decided to move on to another area and see if she could find a way in.
An hour's careful exploration later, and an open skylight on another flat roof gave her an access point. Lowering her head through the opening she paused to let her eyes adjust to the comparative gloom inside. There was a dead walker slumped in one corner with a bullet hole in his head but otherwise, the room was empty. Carefully she lowered herself through the roof light and dropped the remaining few feet to the carpeted floor below, checking her surroundings. On the wall was an officer's sword and soldier's bayonet, both of which she lifted and strapped to her waist. With the sword resting in its scabbard, she held the bayonet in one hand and moved to the office door.
The click of the latch sounded loud in the silence, but the hallway beyond was empty, thickly carpeted, and quiet, and Merryn padded along it to the end of the corridor. Stairs led downwards, and a cafeteria sign on the wall made her stomach rumble. Making her way down the flight of stairs she peered into the open space beyond, empty tables marching away from the window in the access door.
Her eyes came to rest on the only thing of note, a young woman sitting in the middle of the room eating what looked like a pot of instant noodles. Shaking her head in disbelief, Merryn opened the door and walked into the cafeteria.