Z stands for Zimbabwe - Part 9

Later, the van arrives in front of the Mutare Museum, parking near the door of the building. The people get out of the car, help the injured ones walk inside the museum, where other three people, all armed with fire-weapons aims at the group of six people. these three people let the weapons down after the injured person dressed in firefighter costume ordered them to put the weapons down.

"Quanda?" asks a man with a submachine gun.

"Noah." says a woman wearing a soldier uniform that runs toward the group of six people, and helps the two injured people walk to a safe place to inspect their injures.

"Thank you…" says the injured firefighter who's in a critical state of health.

There comes another man, the man with the submachine gun helping the female soldier carry the two injured people to a room where they'll see what they can do to make them feel better. The group of other six survivors have tried to make a step, but the third unknown person aims his pump shotgun to the group, tells them the following.

"Stay here."

"Please." says Chidi to that man with the pump shotgun. "We are trying to help you."

"Lay off the weapons then." says the man to the group after he notices all the group are carrying guns. "Including the ones from close distance. Like axe, knives. Anything that can be used as a weapon."

The group of six people are obeying the order. They leave the weapons on the ground, raise their hands up in sign of surrendering and look at the man with the pump shotgun who proceed to lay the gun slowly. The man let them pass to see the injured people, but one of them, Eze, remains in there to check the weapons.

"Why aren't you going with them?" asks the man to Eze.

"I ain't trusting you." says Eze looking serious to that man.

"I get that a lot." says the man with the pump shotgun. "What? You think I'll be taking your weapons and kill you all?"

"Maybe…"

"Maybe? Aha… What's your name?"

"Why don't you tell me first?"

"Alright… Name is Udo."

"Eze."

"Good to meet you, Eze. Say… Aren't you a footballer?"

"I was." responds Eze to the question of the man named Udo.

"Member of Zimbabwe national Team… Sucks to be dropped for marrying his daughter."

"How do you know this?" asks Eze looking suspicious at Udo.

"Internet." says Udo.

Then, a screaming is heard and then a gun shot from a room where the two injured people have been dragged to being checked up. Guess one of these two have become zombie and got killed. Eze and Udo are running toward the room where the gun was heard. Arriving at the door frame, they see the corpse of a firefighter shot in the head. The corpse of the person that was in a critical condition was the one that had been killed.

"It had to be done." says Chidi who is holding a second gun that he kept it hidden.

"I know." says the female that is dressed as a soldier to Chidi. "We got a move the body of Noah from here."

"Couldn't be burry it?" ask the guy in the firefighter suit.

"No." says the female soldier who is already taking the legs of Noah's body.

Chidi takes the other side of the body and starts to move it from this room. The group of six people are taking the body of the firefighter they just killed and throw him in the street, in a car and walks back to the Mutare Museum. The two groups have come to agreement to remain here for the rest of the day to rest after such a stressful day they had. The group of now ten people are gathering in a room that used to be the break room for the staff. All the people are sitting on chairs and uses milk crates as chairs, such as Eze and Akinyi.

"How long have you been here?" asks Akinyi to Udo.

Chidi and one of the survivors from the group that has taken shelter in this museum puts food on the table, food like snacks, candy bars, canned food and dog's food. But Chidi has taken the dog food and put it away for reasons.

"For two days." say Udo to Akinyi. "Where is your group from?

"Harare." say Akinyi to Udo.

"You came all the way from Harare to here? Why?"

"For a boat in Mozambique." say Chidi after he and one survivor have put all the food on the table, then he looks at everyone who has gathered around him. "My group is going to Mozambique port to take a boat to Camp Lemonier."

"Camp Lemonier?" asks Udo. "Why there?"

"The Organization told us." say Chidi. "We were close to take a helicopter from them, but the helicopter left before we could join. But one of the pilots told us about that said Camp Lemonier is a base for The Organization."

"They really left you like this?" asks the person that helped Chidi put the food on the table.

"Yes."

"Like us." say the female soldier of the second group, wearing an African soldier uniform and a pair of glasses with a helmet. "The Organization has ordered us to help survivors reach one of their bases and safe zones. Municipality Park was one of the said safe houses. But it got overrun, now."

"You all four were part of a safe house?" asks Chidi.

"Yes." says the female soldier. "All four of us have been living in that safe zone for a while. After it got overrun, most of the people have gone separate ways. Some have died in the overrun, others fend for themselves, and my group of soldiers, have gone their ways. I. I decided to help as many survivors as I can and lead them to a safe place. I managed to help five people."

"And you did a good job." says a survivor from her group.

"By any chance," says Chidi. "does the safe zone have some supplies. Like a flare gun ammo or something?"

"I think so." says the female soldier to Chidi. "But why flare gun ammo?"

Then, Chidi pulls up his flare gun that kept hidden under his belt. And he says to the female soldier.

"Found it in Harare. Thought will help us to alert the Organization when we were getting closer to that said camp."

"They probably have." say the female soldier. "That base still had some supplies stored in a locked house. Maybe we can find a working radio to alert and give our coordinates."

"So, we'll go tomorrow there?" asks Giconi.

"It is worth a shot." say Udo. "The safe zone must've been cleaned by now."

"Why we are not going now?" ask Chimola.

"It's too dangerous to go on the night." says the female soldier.

"I know." say Eze.

"What are your names?" asks Chimola. "To know that we can trust you."

"Trust?" asks Udo to Chimola. "Don't you think you are saying this a bit later than you should've. By now you all would've been killed and stole everything from you."

"Udo." says the female soldier to the man, then looks back to the first group who seemed a little uneasy. "Sorry about my friend. He's a bit of an asshole. But a good man inside. I am Abeni."

"Name's Quanda." says the man who helped Chidi set the table, wearing civilian clothes, but still having a nightstick and a gun holder with a 9mm, then he shows his badge to the people. "I was a cop of this jurisdiction."

"Another cop." says Chidi to that policeman and he scoffs. "I am a retired one, son."

"You looked like one." says Quanda to Chidi. "Name?"

"My name is Chidi." say Chidi to Quanda.

"I am Udo." say Udo, and he points at the man who sits near him, one of the people who wore a firefighter suit and helped the one dead evade the burning building. "He's Samuel."

"Hello." says Samuel who rise from the table and takes a protein bar from the table.

"I am Akinyi." says the girl sitting on the milk crates, he points at Eze. "He's Eze.", and points at Giconi. "And Giconi."

"Sup?" say Giconi to the three people as he is cleaning the knives that were soaked in blood with a piece of cloth he found nearby.

"My name's Monifa." says Monifa.

"Chimola." says Chimola.

"Good." say Quanda. "Now we know each other. How about we split the food and start eating? I bet we are all hungry."

"Yeah we are." say Chidi to Quanda.

And the group of ten people are going at the table, split their food even and eat tighter while all of them are having a conversation about what they've endured so far in this apocalypse. Chidi told them about their adventure in Harare, about the guy named Dumisa who gave them a hand to get safe and sound to the train station, about the train ride they've had here and about their arrival yesterday in Mutare. The other group told them about their experience they've had in the safe zone, which was mostly quiet until a few zombies from Class F shows up.

"What's a Class F zombie?" asks Akinyi to Quanda as the woman finished relating the events she and her group had it at that time.

"They are strong." say Quanda to Akinyi, then she looks at the other members of the combined group. "Class F zombies are immense. Stronger. And durable. They can throw cars, rocks and everything they have at them. These things are hard to fight without guns. With guns, if you can shoot the thing head, you can kill it."

"So, are like Tanks from Left 4 Dead?" says Akinyi.

"Left 4 Dead?" ask Quanda to Akinyi.

"It's a video game about killing zombies. Played it when I had a PC."

"I see…"

"These things die only by a shot to the head?" asks Chidi. "Like the others?"

"Yes. That is what I said. These things die easily if you have a gun. But if you don't… Better know how to run."

"And they are many?"

"I don't know. This new species, to say that, it is kinda new for us, the soldiers and The Organization."

"We didn't say anything like this." says Chimola and looks at her group members. "Right?"

"No. We didn't." say Chidi taking a sip from the water bottle. "On our way to Mutare we haven't caught a glimpse of a zombie like this. Hopefully in Mozambique there won't be any."

The group continues to discuss for a while, then they all decide to go on the top floor, go into one of the improvised bedrooms, that consists into small room that used to be stored a bunch of animals that can be seen into this area, nine of the group of ten people are sleeping, while Akinyi decides to take the night watch in case any zombie or somebody would break inside here and stole the goods.