The team gathered around the coffee table – with Jeb wheeling himself over on his office chair, to join the others at the couches. “Alright, none of us like formalities so I’ll cut to the chase.” Jack started, swigging some of his fizzy drink. “That trade deal in Liverpool a month ago was great. It’s helped more than a few people here and there. So great job you two.” He pulled a mock salute towards Ian and Liana, prompting a little grin to appear across the latter’s face.

  Ian pulled a smaller one at the praise. It was a pain trying to get that deal sorted out. The trip between Manchester and Liverpool was bad enough, and then arguing over another package?

  All part of life with the Merryhunters, he supposed. Someone had to take those trips to the other cities in Northern Britain, making those agreements to benefit the people.

  And the throwing of the odd punch and kick when needed. He nearly shivered at the memory, a knot forming within his gut. It wasn’t something he took pride in.

  At least at the end of the day, we managed to get it arranged in the end. At least, that’s what we thought. Gareth coming round and saying that our extra supplies being taken didn’t help matters.

  “Aaaand it didn’t matter.” Jack continued,“After we made the deal, the idiots up top started hollering for more production. Guns. Machinery. A few ‘luxuries’. You know, the usual crap.”

  The hairs on Ian’s neck rose. The Merryhunters and others had been created specifically to help the impoverished of the cities. But such groups held very little sway over the central governments. His fist began to clench. As far as they’re concerned, we’re just thieves.

  To be entirely fair, there were cases where that was accurate. But, it was always for the wellbeing of many, not the few.

  “A lot of the stuff we got in the trade deal was eaten up to make all that. Anyone who doesn’t give that gear up…”

  Jack let the words hang in the room, there was no need for that to be expanded upon. They all knew that best, that was prison or fines, or worst, they’d be sent to the front.

  Tightening his fist, Jack thumped the table with an uncomfortable bang. “The point is… We’re back to square fucking one.”

  Ian bit off a curse. All those supplies, meant to help those in great need… only to be snatched away on the orders of distant leaders, laying down their edicts upon the dirty populace for their own benefits. Sure, there may have been a handful of key figures working purely for the safety of Manchester in mind, and fewer still have clearly cared for the denizens of the soot-filled streets and rammed factories. But still…

  Liana’s calm voice shattered the silence, “Jack and I have talked about how we can make up for this. We can’t get another deal from Liverpool now and it would take too much time to organise anything in Scotland, Wales or Iceland.”

  “So what we need is something big that we can get sharpish.” Ian observed, leaning forward.

  “That’s right.” She took in a deep breath, seeming to ready herself for something unconventional, bold, controversial, or perhaps even all three at once. The urge to grin rose up and mentally, Ian smacked it straight back down. Taking a breath like that was usually an indicator when Liana was going to suggest something along those lines, and that normally wasn’t a good thing.

  “There’s one risky option we can take.” She peered at the pile of papers, her finger hovering uncertainly above them before it finally settled onto a single sheet. Pulling it out and laying it back on top, it revealed itself to be a set of floor plans for some kind of L-shaped building. “Nice drawing.” Ed grumbled.

  Ignoring him, Liana continued onwards, “Another group has been watching this warehouse for some time now.”

  “And why would they do that?” Jeb inquired.

  “Because an armed group barged into the place and kicked the old guards out.” Jack stated, “They set up new fencing and watch posts too. That’s when the trucks and choppers started coming in.”

  A chill settled onto Ian, even though his tartan jacket, Helicopters? That can’t be right. “It has to be the government, who else would have them?” he asked.

  “You know, I wish it was.” Jack replied, “Someone managed to get their fingers into some sleezy politician’s pockets and learned that for once, it wasn’t them.”

  “Then who would it be then?”

  “Some company that managed to hire a few chopper pilots to ship things in.” Jack suggested with a half shrug.

  “The point is,” Liana jutted in, “That they reckon it’s food and medicine that’s going in there. A few manifests seem to confirm it.”

  Jeb leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin, “Are we certain that these supplies aren’t needed elsewhere? We could be in effect stealing supplies intended for the common people.”

  Ian couldn’t help but nod, aye, they had to be sure they weren’t causing more harm than good.

  “From what they told us?” Liana said, “They checked some records and found that the company has more than a few violations in the books, often related to supply.”

  “They are just hoarding their stuff and finding other buyers?” Ed snorted, “Typical corporate pricks.”

  Ian tilted his head, one eye focused on that floorplan. “And our contacts want to steal from this place. I’m guessing they’re inviting us along?”

  “And a few others, yes.” Liana replied, “Before the stock goes one way or another. They’re offering a share of it.”

  “So… where would this little mission of ours be?” Ed asked.

  She brushed a loose strand of her hair back, staring at the floor plan. This is going to be the bit we all hate isn’t it? Ian asked himself, already braced for the reactions that will no doubt be unleashed.

  Well. One of them at least.

  With a pained sigh, she looked back up at them all. “Birmingham.”

  Ed nearly choked.

  Oh crap.

  “Birmingham?” Ed managed to cough out, his face beginning to burn as his features twisted into a scowl. “Birmingham!?” He roared again, “Have you two completely lost your minds!?”

  Jack’s head swivelled round, his eyes seeming to cut through the man like a laser. “We wouldn’t be there long.”

  “Oh yes.” Ed slurred, stabbing a finger at the other Merryhunter, “It will only for a couple of hours Ed. We’d been in and out in no time Ed. Ha! It’s so easy to say when you are not on the front line between what’s left of Europe and the fucking Ferals!”.

  Jack snarled back, but he didn’t say another word. Only silence filled the space.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Ian’s mind however raced. Manchester had been quite a lucky city for a lot of reasons, but distance was one of the biggest. Birmingham never had that luxury, being a city that lay over 80 miles south of Manchester.

  When the Ferals emerged and began their advance across the world, Europe was one of the first places they struck and began to spread from. Europe responded by fighting the Ferals city by city. Country by country. Their armies, their air forces, their navies and even the odd satellite were thrown against the monsters. On one hand, it fostered a sense of human unity that even today has not been matched. The British, the French, the Germans, the Spanish, the Italians, the Polish… all of them began to work together to crush the fledging mobs of beasts. In other corners of the world, the Americans, the Russians, the Chinese, the Africans and many others worked to stem the tide themselves.

  For the Europeans at least, that worked. For a while. They would make sudden gains, only to be tossed back again and again by another Feral Horde. It was only when the Ferals had spread across half of Europe did the military leaders realise that they were only fanning the flames, and pulled their troops back. It was the Europeans, alongside the Canadians and the Japanese who realised this first. Other nations only started to realise it too late to save what little remained.

  The near entirety of a continent, evacuated in a matter of weeks. Many of whom fled to the British Isles, Scandinavia, Russia, Ukraine and Switzerland. The Channel Tunnel, almost symbolically, was blasted to kingdom come but by then… London had already fallen.

  As Southern England and most of Wales fell, the remaining military forces settled for one final, desperate defence.

  At Birmingham.

  “Look.” Jack said, “There haven’t been any sightings for a while now and- “

  “What if something does happen?” Ed questioned, “I’ve still got a few friends there. Last I heard, the garrisons were undermanned and they could barely keep the whole place stocked up. All it takes is one push at the right place, at the right time and…” his hands cracked thunderously as they slammed together. “Checkmate.”

  Ian sighed, “I hate to admit it, but Ed has a point. There’s a lot of ifs in this.” It was probably the best response he could have come up with. Afterall, Liana had said it herself. It was risky.

  Too risky for his tastes.

  Jeb took his glasses off, “But as Jack said, there been fewer sightings of Ferals in recent months.” he said, carefully rubbing the frame. “Especially after the Ferals stopped advancing years ago.”

  “It only takes one!” Ed barked, “Have you all forgot that!?”

  Okay Ed… Ian growled to himself, already sensing his fist clench again, Now you’re pushing it.

  Ed leaned forwards, pressing down onto the couch. His body towered over them and threatened to cast them in shadow. “Remember how a Feral runs around? Being a little fucking killing machine and laughing its merry head off whenever it gets a kill? Sure, we can kill them but what happens if someone gets caught by one? If they’re bit…”

  He thumped the seat, “Pain, lesions, vomiting. All those pillocks screaming how they’re being torn apart! If you’re lucky, you die. If not, congratulations. You get to go bloody werewolf on everyone alongside your Feral buddies before someone pops you off! Then the people you hurt get to run wild and-”

  “We fucking get it!”

  Everyone’s heads swivelled round towards Ian, even Jeb seemed unusually wide-eyed. It quickly dawned on Ian that it was himself who said that.

  Well damn it. Better not stop now.

  Ian leaned forward, eyes locked onto Ed, “Are you trying to say we don’t know what it’s like?” He slowly rose to his feet, keeping his gaze fixed on the haggard man. “All of us have lost someone. I lost my whole damn family. You’re not the only one to suffer that Ed. So, don’t you dare give us a lecture about the Ferals and go on about how we have forgotten about it!”

  Ed fumed red, ready to explode. But Ian held his ground, and even began to relax. He unclenched his fists and kept his eyes locked on to him. He sensed a corner of his mouth peel back. Go on. I dare you.

  He stared at Ian for a moment longer, but slowly, his face began to slacken. Finally, he puffed out air, tossed his hands up and leaned back. Ed had had enough.

  Needles began to prick against his head and with a groan, Ian lowered himself back onto the couch. I hate it when I have to do that. He thought, carefully massaging his temples. When it came to the… heavy matters, it was normally up to Ian and Jack to handle that. And Ed knew what that meant. Getting their hands dirty with ‘hostile’ contacts.

  “How about we just hear this plan out.” Jeb suggested. “Then we can decide if the risk is worth the rewards.”

  “Sounds good.” Jack nodded as he cast a glance across the four members. “Anyone have a problem with that?”

  No one spoke out.

  “Fantastic.”

  Jack slipped out another sheet from the pile. Ian leaned in again, it seemed to be a less detailed plan of the building at first glance, but then he realised it was a more widespread plan of the entire compound. The L-shaped warehouse was surrounded by smaller buildings. Fences, towers and floodlights were all indicated by roughly sketched symbols, all of which was highlighted by a key to one side.

  “The place has turned into quite the fortress.” Jack explained, “So going through the fence won’t work but…” he tapped on a random point on the map. “There is a drainage tunnel that goes underneath the warehouse and the compound.”

  “A part of the old sewer system?” Ian questioned.

  “Aye. Reaches up to a store room… here.” His finger rested directly onto a large room on the original floor plan, dominating one whole side of the ‘L’.

  “So we slip through the tunnel, take a few boxes and get out?” Ian noted.

  Ed’s eyes narrowed, “What about the guards?”

  Liana sipped from her glass. “We’re looking at assault rifles, body armour too. I doubt the helicopters are armed but there is plenty of security.”

  “And we’ve got the floodlights.” Jack added.

  Ed shook his head, “Ain’t going to happen then. We’d be spotted before we even got there.”

  Ian shrugged, “I hate to admit it again, but shotguns, handguns and the odd Sten won’t cut it against ARs.”

  “I’d agree…” Liana started, turning to face Jeb. “But that would be when you come in.”

  Ian couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Alright, this I want to hear.

  Jeb leaned forward, “Then what do you have in mind?”

  “Our contact told us there’s a generator that’s been running long enough that it needs a service.” Liana explained.

  “Government loves their health and safety.” Ian mused with a deep chuckle.

  “Allow me to fill in the blanks.” Jeb stated with a flicker of a smile, “I get inside and ‘service’ the generator. That means shutting said generator down.”

  “So, what, you pretend to be a mechanic?” Ed grumbled.

  “Ed, have you forgotten that I am a mechanic?”

  “Err… fine.”

  Ian mentally ran through the plan. Jeb turns off the generator, the main group gets in, takes some stuff, leaves and Jeb turns the generator back on. Every plan had its risks, there would have been nothing to achieve if one minimised every little one.

  But there were also risks so great that one had to question wherever the reward was worth it. There are too many risks with this. I mean, what can we expect? Heavily armed guards? Only the military pulls out that kind of hardware. I’m more worried about that, and what’s inside that place, than the Ferals.

  “So, we’re going to vote?” Ed asked.

  “Well…” Liana started, biting her lip.

  And here we go again.

  She took another breath, “Jack and I have already agreed to go.”

  “Oh for fucks sake…” Ed hissed, spinning away in disgust.

  Ian frowned, feeling his headache return around his temples, “That’s… premature.”

  “I must concur.” Jeb agreed.

  Come on you two, you must know how risky this is…

  “Look.” Jack uttered, twisting his whole body to face them. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. You know, I would have told the guy to piss off normally.” He crossed his arms, as if ready to pass on some hidden wisdom. “But without that fresh load of supplies, things will only get worse. It might be spring now but the head honchos are going to keep sucking the people dry. You’ve seen them do it before.”

  Ian closed his eyes. He could see images of people filling the streets. Fists waving and feet stamping as they all screamed for something to make their lives better. More heating, no curfew, shorter shifts. Only for them to get beaten back down by the powers that be, all in the name of security. He could remember those first few years when he walked into Manchester for the first time during the outbreak. The rioting in the streets… the starving people in the winter.

  “So.” Jack finished, “Are we going to be Merryhunters and help people? Or are we not?”

  Ian sighed softly, he still didn’t agree with the idea, deep down. But he wasn’t going to let anyone try that alone. He opened his eyes. “I don’t like this. But you two are going to need all the help you can get, I’m in.”

  A bright smile burst across Liana’s face at his words.

  “I’ll go with you also.” Jeb decided, “Besides, I imagine if they have a mechanic of their own, two professionals would be more… convincing…”

  Everyone’s eyes, including Ian’s, now turned onto Ed. He seemed to freeze solid, as if he were a rat surrounded by starving cats. “This is stupid. Getting yourselves killed is the only thing you will get.”

  “Are you going to drone on about how suicidal this is?” Jack snarled back. “Because the door is over there.” He snapped his head it’s way to make the point.

  Ed’s eyes seemed to drift towards that door, and Ian could already half imagine his mind struggling to decide what to do. He growled, and once more tossed his hands into the air. “You lot are idiots, but to hell with it!”

  A single finger shot up, “But if we find any beer. Actual beer, then it’s mine!”

  Laughter erupted throughout the room and Ian could feel his lips stretch into a smile. Merry indeed. He looked towards Liana and gave her an inquisitive look, “So, when do we go?”