“It’s hard to tell” Wills face looked grim and I knew what he was thinking. That these were not friendlies at all.
“I’m going to get Adam and Lewis and check out the other gate. Keep an eye out here” he was off like a shot.
I took his place behind the gate and peeped through the hole. There were two men sitting on the bonnet of the vehicle smoking whilst another urinated over the back tyre.
The two on the bonnet talked amongst themselves but so quietly that I couldn’t hear what they were saying. The one on the left, looked tall and muscular, his hair looked to be back in a hair tie and he had a large bushy brown beard to match the colour of his hair.
“Come on Mick, it’s me Jed, I’m losing patience here.” He said sliding off the bonnet and sauntering towards the gate.
I shuffled my feet not realising how close to the gate my right foot was and I kicked it causing a giant clang.
“Oh, so you are there Mick? Well for not answering me I’ll give you your present and then take it away.”
“Richard, get her” Jed called out.
The guy at the back of the car, had finished urinating and was doing up his trousers. He gave Jed an evil smile and nodded, walking to the truck behind.
“Lee, get ready to ram that gate.” he spoke to the man still sat on the bonnet who jumped off and sauntered back to the driver’s side and into the seat.
Upon hearing footsteps behind me I turned to see Will, alone. He carried two handguns, I guessed that one was mine.
“You know, for an old guy you sure do move fast” I whispered.
He clipped me across the back of the head but before he could reply, the guy shouted out again
“Come on Mick, I know that you’re familiar with this one” I heard a woman cry out.
Looking back through the small hole I saw the man they called Richard shoving a woman so hard that she staggered and fell.
“Come now Mick! We only want to share that lovely looking camp of yours” Jed called.
“Please just let me go” she begged.
Richard grabbed her roughly by the hair and placed a large knife against her throat.
Blood and Dirt streaked her face and clothes.
“Oh no” I whispered moving from the peephole so that Will could look.
“Amy” I whispered, my mind racing to catch up with what my eyes were seeing.
Before even thinking about it I started to pull open the first lock on the gate.
“No!” Mick was standing on his porch, well being held up by John and Ben anyway. He wore blue striped pyjamas that reminded me of a book that I read when I was younger. Cory peeked out from behind John.
“But they have-“ Mick cut me off again.
“No Please” he was getting out of breath, the warning in Bens eyes was enough. Mick was weak and this stress was not helping.
I wanted to save Amy but I also wanted to respect Mick. After all this was his place. I would go and let him know about Amy and plead my case. I placed the bolt securely back across then followed Will over to Micks.
“Listen Mick he has a woman out there from our old camp. He’s threatening her with a knife. God knows what he’s capable of”
“Oh, I know exactly what he’s capable of. Robert is my brother and Amy is my ex-wife”
“Then why the hell aren’t we letting them in?” I asked utterly confused.
“Because my brother is a serial killer” Mick told us grimly.
I started to laugh, this was just completely insane and had to become kind of sick joke. Perhaps to test us on our loyalty to him and this place?
“I’m serious, before this Jed was in a home for the criminally insane. He escaped during the confusion of the outbreak. I think that it was just pure luck that he found me or is even still alive, he never was the brightest but he is evil.” Mick started to cough uncontrollably.
“I have to take him back indoors, he’s not well enough for this” Ben told us.
“Ok let’s get him inside”
“don’t…open…cough…Gate…Cough” Mick gasped out before being led away.
Will and I walked back to the gate quietly.
I took the peephole as he climbed a tall ladder to the side of the gate. There were a few large planks of wood that it was leaning against. It seemed that Mick had been trying to build a platform.
I watched amused as Will tried to balance his huge frame without revealing himself to the men below.
“What will it be Mick? Let us in or Amy loses her head.” Jed’s voice brought my attention back to what was happening outside the walls.
“See Mick isn’t here at the moment and sorry to say that we don’t have any room for more people.” I was hoping that by informing him that Mick wasn’t here then he would let Amy go.
“We have no need for her then” he nodded to Amy and gave Richard a pointed look.
“Wait! There’s no need for anyone to get hurt. You go on your way and just leave the woman there. She can find her own way.” I tried to reason with them.
Adam and Lewis came up on either side of me as backup, guns at the ready.
I would have loved to have pulled open the gate and let them lose on the bastards outside but we didn’t know how many people were in the trucks behind and which of those were innocents.
“You’re right there’s no need for anyone to
