Diary: 2015 February PART 12.

20th Feb 2015

7am We heard shooting last night, just a few shots but definitely shooting, probably a shotgun by the sound of it. I think the Griffiths’ are the closest people to us unless there is another house we missed. I hope they’re ok.

I’m staying home today while Rob and Ash go on a mission to find supplies. They’re taking the transit and all the jerry cans. Number one priority is fuel, they’re going to syphon every vehicle they come across. We’ve got marker pens ready to mark the jerries petrol/diesel so we don’t kill our vehicles. I suggested they mark the fuel cap of the cars they syphon so we know they’re empty. Number two priority is to find me some chickens. This is not going to be an easy task. I reckon most of the farms around here will have kept chickens and if the zombies haven’t eaten them they’ll be fine still – even with the awful weather we’ve had, but they will be wild now and they’re hard enough to catch when tame. I’m hoping their roosting instinct will be enough to have kept them close to their old homes. If they do find chickens then I really hope they find a cockerel too, he’ll give us a renewable supply off eggs and meat. After fuel and birds my next request is whatever food they can find. Tinned, dried whatever.

Me and the girls are going to lock the doors and have a mooch about in the cellar. I still need to bust that gun cabinet and see what we can find.

5pm Well we just had a very surprising visit from the charming John Griffiths. Apparently the shooting we heard last night did come from his house. He said that about 15 zombies came knocking, he reckons he shot every one of them and has their bodies burning as we speak. I can actually smell the burning from here (about a mile away) and the smoke is appalling. He wanted to know if we had any medical supplies. Of course I have practically a small hospital here but I’m not telling him that. I asked who was injured and he got a bit twitchy. He said Mair tripped in the dark while she was trying to get the boys safely upstairs away from the shooting. I don’t believe him. I asked if anyone was bitten and he said no. He reckons she’s sprained her ankle so I gave him 2 conforming bandages and told him I had first aid training and I’d be happy to strap her up properly. He said that wasn’t needed and got a brace of pheasant out of the back of his Toyota and gave it to me in return for the bandages. I tried to say there was no need but he insisted. “I’m no bloody charity case”. I told him that if she did have an open wound he’d need a different kind of dressing and some antibiotics and that I could help with that. He refused again and got into his 4×4 and drove away.

So it’s roasted pheasant for tea tonight. I can’t wait for Rob and Ash to get home and smell it cooking! I do hope Mair is alright though.

9pm I can’t believe these bloody men. I sent them out for chickens and what do I get? 15 chickens and a cockerel – brilliant… then out of the transit come 2 pigs. For christs sake! I have wanted a pig for ages but not right now! Then the two of them get back into the van and drive off with wicked twinkles in their eyes leaving me and the girls to deal with the pigs and chickens now running wild around the yard. By the time we’d got one of the stables covered with straw and scared the pigs into it, then made a start on preparing a small shed to make a coop, they rumbled back up the drive – this time towing a horse box. Me, Carys and Seren stood at the gate to the yard in amazement, all wondering what on earth their daft Dad and Uncle had brought now. We opened the gate for them to drive right into the yard and saw through the slats in the side of the horse box…

… 2 cows. Big black and white cows. I don’t like cows.

I told them they could sort the cows out themselves and they were so pleased with themselves I don’t think they realised I was not best pleased. I took the girls indoors and started brewing some tea.

When Rob and Ash came in half an hour later they’d got the cows into the biggest of the outbuildings and had put the chickens into their shed before it gets too dark so they’d get to know where their new roosting place is. I gave them both their roasted pheasant, filled them in on John’s visit then bollocked them for bringing more animals than we can feed. They were both looking a little sheepish by the time I’d finished, when I asked if they’d got the fuel…. well… no they hadn’t. They forgot because they got excited at finding a farm with animals still in it. I asked if they checked for people and they say they did. I’d hate to think of the old farmer and his wife hiding under the table while 2 mad men stole their animals. When I’d calmed down I had to admit that a fresh milk supply was useful but unless they’d managed to get a male AND female pig or learned how to butcher them while they were out then the pigs were just going to eat our precious food. I suppose the snow should be pretty much finished now and the pigs should be ok out in one of the fields. Maybe we can find another couple and breed them for meat. I do wonder though… There must be thousands of sheep around here, you have to shoo them off the roads. Why didn’t they bring me a sheep or two? I almost suggested it but thought better of it. So tomorrow they are going back out to do what they were meant to do today.

Oh and there was nothing of value in the cellar as I thought. I did manage to bust open the gun cabinet but it was empty. Nevermind.

21st feb

9am I’ve just sent Rob and Ash out to finish yesterdays jobs and find some feed for the animals so I’m having some quiet time before me and the girls go and clean out the stable and barn. I suppose the cows and pigs will give us some good manure for the veg patches which are pretty high up on my to-do list. I’d like to pop out later to check on Mair Griffiths, I hope she’s ok and I don’t end up with a shotgun in my face. I cooked up some rice for the chickens and pigs this morning while I made breakfast. I’d better go feed the beasties.

1pm Rob and Ash came home for dinner. They’ve filled the jerry cans with fuel and are now out securing the big field next to the house so we can put the cows out. their next job is to make a sty for the pigs and fence them in. They seem happy enough in the stable for now but I don’t think the cows like being kept in such a small space. Rob tried to milk them earlier and got about a cupful from each. I think it’s lack of method rather than lack of supply because they both look quite full. Ash said he’d have a go later. The girls thought it was wonderful. They all had a taste of the milk and said it was really nice and creamy and warm. There was no way on this earth I was going to try it. Am not a fan of milk at the best of times. I’m drinking my tea with powdered milk. Am going to the Griffiths’ farm now. The girls are staying here to help with the work in the field.

2.30pm That was a short and not particularly sweet visit. John answered the door and was quite rude, he asked me what I wanted and I said that I was just wondering if Mair was ok. He said “she’s fine” and closed the door. I got back in the landrover and as I was driving away I saw her walking across their yard behind the house. If she’d sprained her ankle then she’s had a miraculous recovery overnight.

11pm We just had a visit from a group of zombies. We heard them coming thanks to the animals. The cows started making a right racket so we had a peep out of the kitchen window and saw 5 of them trying to get into the cow shed. 3 of us, 5 of them. Not good numbers. I told Rob and Ash to wait in the kitchen doorway and to come one at a time when I called them.

I took a big axe we found in the tool shed and sneaked over while they were distracted by the cows. I got the first one right in the back of his head. The axe went into his skull and as he fell to the ground I put my foot between his shoulder blades and pulled it free. The other 4 turned to look at me and I took a couple of paces back towards the house. They started walking toward me. I picked a woman to the right of the group and swung the axe at her face. My aim wasn’t too great and I managed to slice off the ear and the axe stuck into her shoulder. I tried to tug it free but it wouldn’t come so I called for Rob as I ran back to the house, leaving the axe sticking out of the zombie woman. The weight of it had thrown her off-balance and she was tugging at the handle with her free hand. “Finish her off” I told him as I went into the kitchen to grab a new weapon. I chose a large metal pole which had probably been part of a gate at some point. When I got back to the door I saw Rob running back. The woman zombie was on the floor with the axe still sticking out of her shoulder. Her head was caved in. Rob was heaving as he ran and he went to the corner or the yard and threw up noisily. “That leaves 3” Ash said as he jogged towards the approaching zombies. He headed towards the one of the left hand said and swung his crowbar at its head. It crashed to the ground and Ash immediately got his bar ready to swing at the next one. Rob came back to the door and I told him to stay inside with the girls while I went to help Ash. By now he’d hit another over the head and I went for the last one, a big guy who was now only 10 paces from the door. I swung the bar at his head but he raised his arm and deflected the hit. I heard his bones crunch. Ash came over to me and we both went for his head together. he couldn’t deflect both blows, I don’t know which did the most damage. My bar hit him just above his ear, Ash being a foot taller than me managed to get him right on the top of his head, which popped like a ripe watermelon. He took another step then crumbled to the floor. We stepped back to look at the mess we’d made. The five bodies lay staggered across the yard. I walked over to the womans body and put my foot on her chest as I tried to pull out my axe. It must have been wedged in her shoulder joint. It came free with a pop which nearly sent me flying across the yard. When I turned around I saw Ashley hitting one of the bodies on the head. “bugger started crawling at me” he panted. “I reckon it’s dead now Ash, I can see it’s brains. Is Rob ok?” I asked. We went back to the house. Rob was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water. “sorry” he said “It’s head just exploded”. I told him “You’re gonna have to get used to it, we’re going to kill many more and I doubt it gets any less unpleasant”.

We dragged the bodies into the end stable and blocked the door with the transit van just in case. None of them have bled but there seems to be bits of brain on the floor. It’s too dark to tell properly by torch so we’ll have to wait until morning. We stripped off our clothes and got into clean stuff and now we’re having a coffee and a smoke. I think we deserve it. The girls slept through the whole thing which is a blessing. Lets hope that’s our lot for a while.