Free Hellspawn Odyssey by Ricky Fleet, Christina Hargis Smith Page B

worthwhile in the pantry to eat? I’d rather save our provisions.”
    “What about you and Sarah? I suppose you get to sit around doing nothing, just barking orders,” Debbie asked, looking for support from the rest of the group and getting none.
    “I am going to go and check that old barn out the back. I saw a chopping block and a solid looking axe, maybe they have some good equipment we can use,” Kurt explained to them, ignoring Debbie. “Sarah, would you mind checking for water in the taps and tanks?”
    “Not at all,” she replied, staring at Debbie then hurrying off to the task.
    “Go fuck yourselves! You have always been against me. Peter, come on we are leaving,” Debbie shouted, picking up one of the bug out bags. Peter walked over and she mistakenly thought he was offering to take the bag for her, she passed it over smiling, but he gave it to Kurt and her face reddened with fury.
    “I’m not going anywhere,” Peter stated defiantly. It looked like she would explode but she just turned around and walked into the kitchen and out into the afternoon light.
    The rest of the family breathed a sigh of relief. It was exhausting trying to accommodate someone like that, always unsure of their mood swings and instability. Kurt looked at John and they each knew what the other was thinking, she had to go.
    “Sorry,” Peter said quietly, understanding the mood of the group.
    “It’s ok, don’t worry.” Paige smiled and took his hand. “She will calm down and be back soon.”
    “We have plenty of water, the tanks are full,” Sarah informed them as she entered the room.
    “Kurt, take this with you for protection.” Gloria passed the gun, locked and loaded, safety off. “Just point and shoot. Sarah, I found this by the side of the fire,” Gloria said as she handed over a wickedly sharp short bladed machete.
    “Why would they have this?” Sarah asked, turning it over in her hands and feeling the sharpness.
    “It’s for splitting kindling wood, but it will split skulls just as well I should think. It’s light too, so your arm won’t get as tired as it does with that spear,” Gloria said.
    Sarah put the metal spear down. She would miss the range but it wasn’t a viable long term zombie killer. Swishing the small blade through the air a couple of times it felt good, light and powerful. They all got to work. Sarah and Kurt left the house and saw Debbie sulking on a metal bench in the back garden.
    “I will talk to her after, woman to woman,” Sarah suggested.
    “No, she is what she is. We will find somewhere safe and she stays there,” Kurt told her and reluctantly she agreed, the new world was dangerous enough without loose cannons to complicate matters. Debbie watched them pass with barely disguised contempt. Kurt was getting sick of it, the gun in his hands was tempting him, one crack and it would be at an end. Reason won out, he wasn’t an executioner, he would kill if forced to but this was not the time.
    The chopping block had a large axe for log splitting and a smaller hatchet, these too were sharp and well maintained. The linseed oil was still fresh on the polished blades, covered by the small lean to that protected the huge log pile from the elements.
    “Those may come in handy.” Kurt signalled to the weapons and carried on around the side of the barn, gun raised. Quick footsteps caused Kurt to spin, nearly pulling the trigger until he saw it was just Honey joining them. She found a small patch of grass; bending her hind legs she relieved herself before resuming the search.
    The barn was still used for storage; massive bales of hay were stacked twenty feet high reaching the underside of the hayloft. The sweet smell got into their nostrils and made them sneeze, the air was thick with swirling eddies of hay dust. To the right was a small workbench and more tools. Some old farming implements were hung from hooks and they had not been used in many years, scythes, hoes, an old wooden rake,