CHAPTER 6 HAUNTING AT THE BARRACKS

"So, baby how did all of you happen to meet? Should we call it a coincidence?" Pinky asked Leah. Everyone was busy talking and bonding to their loved ones.

"We met at a hide out in some town south from here, that's where I met Leah and the others, we were forced to move to the south with the girls by the herd of zombies that were coming from the west." Nora joined the conversation.

"Yeah, I remember when we were terrified of her with the others, but at the end she was nice to us, we wouldn't have made it this far f it wasn't for Leah." Nora added.

That's is nice. Everyone is happy to have you here and you are all welcomed, enjoy and feel at home.

Seeing the compound with several new people that was what we all admired to ever feel again. It was a dream come true to the four of us.

We were remaining with about four days to go and visit the barracks to collect the guns. Now that we were a good number, we had the courage to go, we were determined to fight back no matter the case.

Hey Pinky, how is the compost? We should make sure it is ready when the next planting season comes. "Don't worry John, I am good at that, there is nothing to be afraid of, the compost is doing well, the progress is perfect." He replied.

Ok I appreciate your work mate. We couldn't have done that without your hard work brother. I will go and check on Mercy and she how then donkeys are doing.

Hello Zoe? How is your morning my love? "I am fine daddy, how have you been?" she asked she was excited, she had new friends around the likes of Bond.

I have been good pumpkin. "I see you are a leader around here, how did you earn that position?"

Ugh, stop it, I am no leader here, I am just a volunteer, when the right leader will come through, I will hand over the position.

"Why hand over? You lead well, everything is running smoothly. It's your talent." She mocked me.

Get out of here, go and play, see? That's Bond over there, we will catch up later, I will go and check up on aunty Mercy. Later baby, love you. "Love you too papa."

Mercy, come over here, give me a hug. What, you are afraid? Pablo isn't around here to get mad at us. "No way I am not afraid of shit and he already knows we are all friends here." Mercy said courageously.

So, how are we doing here? Are they feeding well? Are they giving you any trouble? "Yeah, everything is totally ok around here, they feed well they are clean and they are also friendly to me." Mercy was getting along with the donkeys; with her they were in safe hands.

After you are done here, make sure you find something to eat, you have been here the whole day. You need to rest; you can pick up from where you will have left.

It wasn't easy to walk around a see who people were working, but anyway I had to do it because there was no one else to supervise the work.

"Hey Judy, what is it you like to do? I can show you and teach you a little bit of knitting. I learned some skills from my grandmother while she was still alive." Leah said.

Judy laughs loudly. "You know pretty well there is no way I am going to resist that, I would love to learn some skills, I will teach them to my daughter someday." She answered.

Judy and Leah walk alongside each other as they chat and laugh.

Finally, the day to leave and get to the barracks was here. By around nine a.m in the morning everyone I was supposed to leave with was set and ready, among the people that had volunteered earlier, Leah, Nora and some few men had joined the crew, ready to depart to the north.

Everyone boarded the truck; this was a four kilometers journey. After one and half an hour we arrived at the site. The surrounding was quiet. We steeped out of the truck; my heart pounded in my chest as I surveyed the desolate landscape surrounding the abandoned soldier barracks.

The air was heavy with an eerie silence, broken only by the distant sound of wind whistling through broken windows and creaking doors. The decaying buildings loomed before us like forgotten tombs, their walls covered in layers of moss and decay.

"Why do we always have to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, desperate for weapons and supplies." Mercy said. I had never seen her tensed her like that. Maybe something was wrong, Pablo had that feeling few weeks ago.

Anyway, we had to at least find the untouched cache of guns and food hidden within the bowels of then abandoned barracks. It was a risky venture, but we had no choice.

Nora Mercy and I moved cautiously, their eyes darted nervously, scanning for any signs of danger like they knew we are not alone.

As we approached the rusted gates that guarded the entrance, Mercy whispered to me. "I can hear my instincts warning me of impending danger." Something was not right. The eerie silence seemed to amplify and an unsettling chill hung in the air.

Hey everyone stay alert and follow silently.

Carefully navigating through the overgrown courtyard, we entered the first building. The floors creaked beneath their weight, and the smell of decay filled our nostrils. The flickering light from their flashlights cast eerie shadows on the crumbling walls, creating an atmosphere of foreboding.

My heart skipped a beat as a distant noise reached my ears. It was the unmistakable sound of footsteps, drawing nearer with each passing moment. We had to huddle together; our eyes wide with apprehension. We had walked into a trap.

My grip tightened on my weapon as adrenaline coursed through my veins. I knew that fighting our way out would be our only chance of survival. "We're just passing through," Pablo said, his voice steady despite the tension. "We didn't mean to intrude."

The gang leader laughed mockingly, his eyes glinting with sadistic pleasure. "Intrude, you say? This is our turf, and anyone who sets foot here pays the price." He gestured to his heavily armed comrades, who closed in menacingly, encircling our team.

The room grew suffocatingly tense as both our groups locked eyes, waiting for the first move. In that moment, the barrack seemed to come alive with a malevolent energy. Shadows danced along the walls, and distant whispers echoed through the corridors, adding to the palpable fear.

With a sudden burst of action, the gang leader lunged at me, aiming to overpower me. I was, fueled by desperation and determination, fought back with every ounce of strength I possessed. Pablo and Mercy joined the fray, their loyalty unwavering as they engaged the other gang members in a fierce battle.

We battled against them but unfortunately the gang member who I heard his crew call him Bazu grabbed Leah alongside some two men from our crew drove off, all we could hear was the faded rumbling of the engine. We had to know what to say to Pinky about his wife taken by strangers.

Walkers we growling all over the place, the gunshots had raised the alarm, wherever noise came from, zombies followed.

Grab whatever you can as fast as possible, we leave in five minutes, watch out for the zombies. The swarm had grown very fast, a single mistakes could make us stranded at the barracks.

"I warned you mate." Pablo said as he blew a few zombie heads off.

Yeah whatever Pablo, you a prophet now or something, get in the truck and shut the fuck up.

At that moment I was mad at everyone and everything, I felt I had failed as a leader, I had let down my crew. I had to make things right.