Chapter 3

When it started Harper was in the storage room writing in his journal, jotting down ideas and trying to work out what was wrong with the mission. He couldn't be sure about anything in particular, but his intuition knew that everything about it was wrong. In fact he was expecting something to happen at any moment.

So when he heard Jarvis shout 'Ware! Zombies from the swamp!' he wasn't surprised by something happening, merely that zombies were attacking during the day. Quickly checking his weapons before moving to the window, he almost whimpered in fear. There looked like about 15 zombies with just their head sticking out of the swamp and the disturbances in the water of more underneath the surface. There would be more on the other sides of the house.

For a moment he stood aghast, seeing the rotting bodies and the almost completely deteriorated clothing, with the evil looking grins of the skulls where the faces had come off. He watched as one climbed up onto a small mound of firmer mud, with the almost black watery mud falling out between the ribs and the mass of leeches wiggling around the cracked and broken hole in the skull. The rattling death chokes and moans set all his hair on end and he almost froze before getting control of himself.

Rushing to the stairs, Harper saw Bull as he woke up, before suddenly becoming alert at Jarvis's continued shouting warnings. 'Listen up!' he shouted. 'Harper, Baker, you stay upstairs. Move that bed or something near the stairs and be ready to block it off. Ginger, Jarvis, you're with me. Keep them out of the building. Do not let them get inside the windows. I'll keep the door free.'

Harper rushed into the bedroom, comparing the beds and the cupboard. Deciding on the cupboard, he moved to one side and waited for Baker to enter the room, before saying with forced calmness 'Get the other side. Move it smoothly, we have enough time.'

With a nervous fist to his chest Baker ran to the cupboard and stumbled into it before getting hold of it, his arms visibly shaking. 'We're gonna be alright, won't we Harper?' he almost begged, voice quivering and breaking slightly.

Wondering just how young Baker was, Harper just nodded wearily and started moving the cupboard. He could hear windows breaking downstairs and groaning of zombies. With the cupboard at the top of the stairs with just enough room to get past he put his side down, before looking down over the banisters.

Down the stairs Harper could see Bull trying to hold the door closed, before falling back and letting it burst open, with the zombie's arms waving. Then, with a roar, Bull rushed forward with his shield held high, shoving the zombies backwards and over the edge. Standing there, catching his breath he looked round, before seeing Harper and Baker look on. He growled up 'Find some bloody weapons. And be ready to back us up. We'll need to retreat up the stairs soon.'

Whirling around, thinking frantically, he looked at each room before shouting to Baker 'Start moving those rocks. Some by every window, lots by the banisters. Move!'. As the rookie started to move he went over to the bed, looking quickly for how to take it apart before giving up and stamping hard on the very middle of one side. After five or six stamps the long wooden strut broke.

Quickly moving the bed further into the middle of the room and stamping on the other side he paused, spinning round at the sound of a moan and the nearest window breaking. Freezing at the sight of the zombie starting to reach through the window, he pulled out a throwing knife and hurled it at the head, relaxing slightly as it was thrown back by the impact. His heart seemed to stop and everything went silent as he saw it wobble slightly before leaning forward to try to get back in.

Urgently Harper threw two more, focusing on power rather than accuracy before it finally tilted out from the window, pulling part of the window frame away and falling down with a loud splut in the swamp below. After gasping for breath, he shouted down the stairs 'They're coming in the upstairs windows. Get up the stairs'. Stamping back on the bed it finally broke and, muscles straining with the exertion, he lifted the half of the bed.

Looking back at the window there was another zombie starting to climb through. Aiming the end of the bed at the gap Harper charged forward, ramming the zombie back down again, seeing the head getting slammed against the wall and the body spasming before landing, not moving, on top of the water and slowly sinking in.

Moving the half of the bed out the door Harper shouted at Baker as he watched the fighting below 'Oi, Baker. Keep an eye on all the other windows. Chuck stones at their heads and try to keep them out'. Continuing on to the storage room he looked at both the windows with a zombie slowly breaking through. Taking a breath Harper lifted the bed again, walking forward and speeding up into a charge to shove the bed into the zombie.

As the zombie was pushed out the window it grabbed hold of the bed, half pulling it through the window. Trying to keep hold of it Harper stumbled, letting go of one side. Reacting quickly he grabbed the one side with both hands as the other half swung round towards the hole. As the bed started to fall out the window Harper twisted and pulled, the wooden strut coming out and he fell backwards onto his back.

Shoulders aching, he climbed up before moving towards the other window, the improvised club held with both hands and readied back over his right shoulder. As the other zombie started getting up off the floor Harper swung across his body with all his strength, the impact jolting his bones, but satisfied by the sound of the skull crushing and the body slumping down before spasming and laying still.