Surviving The Evacuation.

Book 6: Harvest.

Frank Tayell.

Dedicated to my family.

Synopsis.

A castle can be made safe from the undead, but not from the people inside the walls.

It is eight months since the outbreak. In the anarchy and chaos that came with the undead, civilisation was destroyed. In the wars that followed, the planet was nearly ruined. Billions died. Only a few thousand survived.

Fifty people have found refuge in the Tower of London. Zombies plague the city outside the old fortress. The wasteland beyond is filled with nothing but radioactive ruins. With nowhere left to retreat to, and in a final attempt to make the ancient castle a place where they can do more than just slowly starve, the survivors take their boat west, searching for food in the abandoned coastal farms. They find something else. They discover that hunger, thirst, and the undead arent the only threat they face.

Betrayal and danger lurk in the shadows in this, the penultimate book in the series. It will conclude in Book 7: Home, due out later this summer.

Prelude:.

Suitcases.

London, 23rd February.

"Derry? Corporal Derry? Is that you?"

Derry looked up and saw a man with a vaguely familiar face, wearing a uniform as familiar as her own. "Thompson?" she asked, and the memory came back. "That thing in the Sahara, eighteen months ago, right? And you made it to corporal, too."

"Because of it, I think. Almost made it to sergeant, then this happened." Thompson waved a hand, not at the other uniforms in the conference room of a hotel to the north of Whitehall, but as if to take in the chaos outside. "Zombies, can you believe it?" he asked.

"Almost," Derry said. "Did you hear the rumour that it was a terrorist attack?"

"No," Thompson said. "Where did you hear that?"

"Yesterday I was on duty at a supermarket. I heard it from the colour sergeant in charge of the detail. He got it from a major who used to work intelligence. Hes a solid source."

"Right," Thompson said, clearly weighing up how reliable that made the information. "What kind of terrorists? Fundamentalists?"

"Sounded more like someone who wants to destroy the world just to prove they can," she said.

"Oh." Thompson mulled that over, and shrugged. "What does it matter, right? Its not like were the ones going to track them down." He waved the piece of paper in his hand. "Im off to an inland farm. What about you?"

"The same," Derry said. She looked down at her own orders. "Somewhere near Dover, going by the post code."

"Shame," Thompson said. "Mines in Hampshire."

"Itll make a nice change from guarding supermarkets and petrol stations against looters." She gave her head a rueful shake. "A stint in the countryside will be like a holiday."

"Sounds like you got the short straw. Ive just come from the British Museum. And you wont guess why. They-" But he was cut short by a parade ground bark.

"Atten-SHUN."

Derrys feet snapped together as her eyes snapped to the door. A colonel had walked in. At least the man wore the uniform of a colonel. When shed last seen him, eighteen months before and on the same mission in which shed met Corporal Thompson, hed been dressed as a civilian and claimed to be the same. Behind him came a woman she recognised instantly. Jenifer Masterton, an opposition MP whod been appointed Minister for the Interior in the emergency cabinet.

"Thank you, Colonel," Masterton said. "At ease, everyone, please. We dont have time for those formalities. For that reason, Ill keep this brief. Colonel Cannock has recommended all of you." She turned to nod at the man wearing the uniform of a colonel. "He says that he has worked with you in the past, and that you are diligent, trustworthy, and loyal. Those are the qualities we need in these dangerous times. We face the very real possibility of the extinction of our country, our civilisation, and indeed, our species. To prevent this, we are establishing a series of fortified farms. Redoubts, if you will, to ensure the nation does not starve now that the global food chain has collapsed. You must protect the farmers and train them to protect themselves. It should be obvious to everyone that there will be no more imports of oil. We will be relying on manpower and..."

Derry tuned out what Masterton was saying. Despite saying shed keep it brief, the politician was using a lot of words to say what the soldier already knew. She was to prevent the farmers, and the increasingly large number of workers, from stealing any of the food they grew. Walls would be built to keep the zombies out, and it was Derrys responsibility to ensure any they did see were killed. It sounded like a pretty easy billet, certainly easier than acting as an executioner in the city.

"There are hard times ahead," Masterton said, drawing her speech to a close. "But with hard work, we will have a future. Thank you."

It was a weak ending to an odd speech, Derry thought, as the Minister left the room. It was almost as if Masterton had wanted to remind the military that the politicians were still in charge. Perhaps she had, or perhaps she wanted to remind these soldiers who were about to go out to farms where the population would soon rise from dozens to hundreds, if not thousands, that she was one of those politicians in charge.

"Thats it," Cannock drawled. "Youre dismissed."

"When are you getting to Kent?" Thompson asked. "Because Im not leaving until tomorrow morning."

"In an hour," Derry said.

"Well, theres a pub I know of near here. Its closed, of course, but the landlord will open up for us."

"Yeah, okay. I can spare time for a drink," Derry said.

"Then theres an exit round the back of the hotel. This way."

They joined the group filing out of the door, but turned right when everyone else turned left.

"You find the ballroom," Thompson said. "Then you take a left."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I asked the girl on the reception desk," Thompson said. "I had a feeling this was going to be my last chance to get a decent pint for a long while. And what are they going to-" He stopped talking because ahead, they could hear voices.

"Im surprised you didnt want to see her," a man said. Derry recognised it as that of the fake colonel, Cannock.

"I see enough of her as it is. Why was she here?" another man asked. Derry recognised that second voice, though shed only previously heard it on the news. It was Sir Michael Quigley.

"To give a pep talk to the troops going to those farms you designated for the backup plan," Cannock said.

"Good G.o.d, why?" Quigley asked.

"Who knows? I did offer to deal with her, but you insist-"

"Yes, yes. Shes my problem, not yours. Speaking of your problems, those contacts of yours... I forget the womans name, the one your friend works for. Youve made arrangements for them?"

"Its all in hand, sir."

"And youve no... difficulty with that?" Quigley asked.

"Its not personal, sir, just business," Cannock said. "Always was."

"Good. Good."

The voices came through the open double doors of a ballroom. Opposite was a small meeting room. Derry pointed, and the two soldiers ducked inside. From the ballroom came the sound of footsteps, a chair being pulled from a stack, and then the rustling of paper.

"Its getting late," Cannock said. "We need to get back to the facility."

"Not when theres a chance Ill meet Masterton on the way out," Quigley said. "Shes not meant to know Im in the capital."

"Look, wouldnt it be easier if-"

"Cannock," Quigley said, a warning edge to his voice. "I think you sometimes forget to whom you are speaking."

"Sir."

"Better." There was a pause, then a dull knocking sound as if knuckles were being rapped against a hard surface. "They look like suitcases, I suppose. Travelling cases for a musician, perhaps. Thats as good as camouflage here in the hotel."

"And theyre safe are they?" Cannock asked.

"What do you mean by safe?" Quigley replied.

"Those cases, are they reinforced? I mean, if there was an explosion-"

"Under those circ.u.mstances," Quigley interrupted, "their contents would be the least of our problems."

"Just in case," Cannock said, "wouldnt it be best to have them moved?"

"Where to? Lenham Hill? Caulfield Hall? Or do you want to move them to the fortress? If London gets a direct hit, it wont be the sole target. No, these will be of no use to us if we dont have a civilisation to protect. Well leave them here, but we should have more than one sentry on duty. When he comes back with my coffee, well go and see about doubling the guard."

Derry met Thompsons gaze. He understood. They didnt want to be caught eavesdropping when the guard returned. She pointed outside and back along the corridor. They left the room, moving quietly but as casually as they could until they reached the junction, then they sped up, both trying to get away from the politician, the fake colonel, and whatever was in the ballroom.

They found themselves in the service side of the hotel, and after a few wrong turns, at an emergency exit. The fresh air felt wonderful.

"You heard what he said?" Thompson asked. "Theyre expecting London to get a direct hit."

"Not just London," Derry said. "Having walled farms scattered across the countryside makes a lot more sense now."

"Yeah, but whod attack us?" Thompson asked.

"I dont know," Derry said. "But wheres this pub? I could really do with that drink."

Prologue: The Crown Jewels (The Story So Far) 17th September "Its too heavy!" Jay said.

"Its not," Chester grunted as he raised the ma.s.sive, gold coronation mace of King George III above his head, staggered as he realised Jay was correct, then swore as an undead hand clawed through the air an inch from his nose. He brought the mace slamming down onto the zombies ruined face. There was the now familiar crunch of bone, but it was accompanied by the brittle snap of breaking metal. Chester dropped the mace onto the twice-dead corpse.

"I told you itd be too heavy," Jay yelled as he ducked under the second zombies out-flung arm, swinging the crowbar at its legs.

"Yeah," Chester said, throwing a quick glance towards Nildas teenage son. The boy was stabbing the sharpened end of the crowbar at the creatures face. Chester decided Jay was in no more immediate danger than any of the fifty people whod found sanctuary in the Tower of London seven months after the outbreak. "Well, I had to try," he added. Designed for processions, not as a weapon, the mace was one of half a dozen that were part of the Crown Jewels exhibit. "And its not like we have any use for gold anymore."

He pulled the replica from his belt. This weapon was also a mace, though it had no history. It was a two-foot long, two-inch thick, machined rod of oak topped with an eight-inch octagon of spiked metal. It had come from an exhibit demonstrating the weight of weaponry used during the Norman Conquest. Chester sized up the third and last of the zombies that had appeared on the path since the water collection crew had taken the lifeboat out onto the river. Great fissures had been torn in the desiccated skin around the zombies eyes. Now filled with dirt, they gave the creature a mottled, almost camouflaged look. He punched the mace forward, but the zombie ducked, and the metal smashed into its mouth rather than its forehead. Chips of brown teeth flew out as the unbalanced creature kept flailing its arms. The motion sent it toppling backwards, and its head hit the embankment wall with a resounding crack. Its arms went loose as it fell to the ground.

"Not seen that happen before," Chester murmured. Just to be certain, he swung the mace up, and savagely down.

He looked around, confirming that only three of the living dead had somehow managed to get onto the pathway that separated the Tower of Londons outer wall from the River Thames. To the east, a path that was wider than most roads ended in a giant set of gates underneath Tower Bridge, to the west was a cafe and souvenir shop, with the gaps between blocked by iron railings and a wide, ornate gate.

"Can you see how they got in?" he asked.

Jay shook his head.

It was less than forty-eight hours since Chester and Nilda had arrived at the Tower to find forty people inside, refugees from a small rooftop community based around an old radio station near Oxford Street. It was less than twenty-four since the two of them had rescued Jay, Tuck, and the others from the roof of the British Museum. Any hope Chester had of taking a day off had vanished the evening before when Hana, the groups de facto leader by virtue of having outlived the others, had conducted a meeting that had laid out the harsh truth of the work ahead.

"You knew Hana before, right?" Jay asked.

"Not really," Chester said. "I first met her the day after the evacuation. Well, so did McInery. She and I were walking through London, heading towards Westminster, when we heard the sound of the pigs coming from Hanas city farm. Although, I will admit, I thought they were cows."

"Really?" Jay asked, amused.

"Im a townie," Chester said defensively. "Im used to seeing animals sliced up, cooked, and on my plate. Anyway, McInery and I joined up with Hana, Mathias, Dev, and the others that were there. A few days after that we all heard the radio broadcast. There werent many places it could be coming from, so we went looking and found it was being transmitted from Kirkman House. We moved there and took the animals with us. I left soon after they started building the walkways across the rooftops. But honestly, I thought Hana, McInery, and all the rest were dead, otherwise Id have come back to London long before now." Or would he? He wasnt sure.

"Instead of helping people get to Anglesey?" Jay asked. "If youd done that, you wouldnt have rescued Mum."

"That wasnt me. That was a group going up to Svalbard to see if a NATO fuel dump was still there. They picked her up on the way back to Anglesey. I just happened to be on the island when she arrived. I was looking forward to a hot shower, a warm bed, and a cold drink, probably not in that order." He still was, but they wouldnt be found in the Tower of London. "Our formal introduction came when she was trying to rip apart that guy whod told her that you and Tuck were dead. Rob, wasnt it?"

"Him. Yeah," Jay growled. "She should have killed him."

"She did try," Chester said. "But killing a person isnt like finishing off one of the undead. It isnt something to undertake lightly, its..." He stopped, remembering to whom he was talking. "Look, did your Mum tell you about me, about my past, I mean?"

"She said you were a crook, and that you and McInery ran a gang."

"Kind of."

"I know McInerys odd," Jay said. "And Tuck doesnt like her, but she helped keep everyone safe in Kirkman House. Thats what I told Mum."

"If she did, then it was for her own reasons. She was... well, Id say she was an underworld boss, but thatd make you think of the kind of movies where the bad guy was always the hero. It wasnt like that. We stole. We robbed." And yes, hed killed. But Jay didnt need to know about that. "We ruined lives. Thats the truth of it. For me, it was the family profession. My father was an old school thief, and not a very good one. He spent as much time inside as he did out. Maybe because of that, when I was growing up I spent most of my time with this other kid, Cannock. Now, he was the very definition of evil. I suppose its no surprise he ended up working for Quigley."

"The Prime Minister, you mean?" Jay asked.

"The man might have called himself that at the end, but he never earned that position. He was responsible for the outbreak as much as anyone was, and he played his part in the chaos that came after."