Read Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 1): January for Free Online Page A

nonetheless.  Of course, that might have been my imagination, as that tiny little scratch was responsible for six deaths already.
     
 
     
After an hour or so, Farmer came back downstairs, and publicly apologised for his, as he put it, “disgraceful” behaviour.  He even came up to me and thanked me for pulling him back in line, suggesting that the stress of the whole world ending was somehow responsible for his errant behaviour.  I let him think that, but realistically, everyone else here treats each other with respect, and as a group we have been through some fucked up situations, yet we never once resorted to punching a loved one in the face, as he had done.  Nor do any of us dictate terms as to how another person should live.  The world has ended already, time to do away with all of that outdated bullshit too.
     

January 10th Year 1 A.Z.
     
dawn
     
On patrol again in the morning, passing by the wall-builders, we saw a pair of people off in the distance, just standing, staring at us.  I told The Twin to keep her eyes open, and her bow handy, as Junior and I walked out to see who they were, and why they were just standing around.
     
 
     
One of the couple spotted us, pointing us out for the other man.  They discussed something among themselves, then the first man walked off a short way, keeping watch all around as the second came towards us.  I walked out alone to meet him, trusting Junior to watch my back.  And trusting The Twin to watch over both of us.
     
 
     
“Nice wall you guys are building there...”  He began by saying.  “Good to keep the Dead out, at least.  Looks pretty easy to just jump on over though...”
     
 
     
“As you said, it's good for keeping the Dead out.”  I replied.  “The Living shouldn't be a problem for each other should they?”
     
 
     
“Well, that all depends, doesn't it?”  He chuckled.  “How many people you got in there?  What are your defences like?  How much food have you got?”
     
 
     
“We have plenty of people, don't you worry about that.  As far as defences go, we took out a fair sized mob of Dead ones a couple of days ago.  Forty of them or so.”  They had been taken over the other side of the river and, as we had not come up with another viable alternative, incinerated.  “We have food, too.  You're welcome to join us, if you want.  Can always use another couple of pairs of hands to help out.”  I offered.  I didn't like offering, as I had a really bad feeling about it, but I offered anyway.
     
 
     
“Oh there's more of us than just us two...quite a few more.  What about women?  You got any women?”  He spotted The Twin off in the distance behind me.  “Oh yeah, you guys got women alright.  Tell you what.  You give us your food, your weapons and your women, and we might just let the rest of you out alive.  That's the only time you get this offer, and I strongly advise you take it.”
     
 
     
“How did you find this place?”  I asked him.  He just smiled in a gruesome way.  He was missing several of his front teeth.
     
 
     
“This place is a fucking myth man!  The prison we came from was full of stories about some old hippy commune nearby, out in the woods.  Heh, most of those morons are looking in completely the wrong direction for this place.  Lucky we found you first!”  I briefly considered my options.
     
 
     
“So you two came across this place this morning then?”  He answered in the affirmative.  I raised my bow, knocking an arrow as I did so, and fired at the bandit's sentry, taking him in the throat.  A bare instant later a second shaft flew into the bandit's face.  I walked carefully up to the sentry, and looked down at him, writhing around in the mud.  He gasped for a breath that kept escaping out from the gaping wound left where his adam's apple had been moments before.  He tried to hold his hand out to me, mouthing 'help', but all I could do, all I wanted to do, was to