Homecoming. Question time...

I remember those words so clearly.

They hit me like a sledgehammer dipped in pure spring water-

"help us..." she'd said.

"us"!

Was Nana alive!?

I was still in the doorway as Rampage appeared at my shoulder and his people followed him. As I ran over to Nana I didn't want to believe it in case it wasn't true. I knelt down next to her, her face was caked in blood, one eye was puffed and swollen and it was several seconds before I could bring myself to feel for a pulse.

I placed two fingers on her carotid artery and closed my eyes.

It could feel it! It was weak, but it was there!

The strength of emotion I had at the realisation of this made me retch and I had to hold back vomit as I heard Joy begin to sob loudly in agonised relief. Lloyd must have felt her weaken as he made one final attempt to remove Joy from his back. Her face changed from a look of relief into a mask of the Devil's own hatred and even as she sobbed she lifted his head a clear foot off the ground and, with a scream of pure rage, smashed his face back down into the screed. WIth a sickening crack, like a coconut being dropped onto a marble floor, he stopped moving and I would've put my last stash of Reds on him being dead. Joy had stopped crying now, instead she just sat there, looking at a large clump of his hair that was now residing in her clenched fist.

I spoke to her, "Have you been bitten?" I asked.

She didn't hear me.

"Joy," I said, and asked her again "Have...you...been...bitten?"

She looked at me, staring with big wide eyes, and in her small voice and with the slightest shake of her head she said "....no...."

Thank God.., "And Nana?" I asked.

"...no.....no....we got in before they could get us...."

Rampage and his people came running over to us. Gobby was the only one to speak, "What the fuck, Bolo, eh!? What's fucking happened!? Oh shit, Nana! Oh, fucking Hell, no! Nana!? Fuck! FUCK!!".

I've never seen Gobby scared, he doesn't do fear. But I could see now that he was scared, and though he's never admitted it, and indeed once threatened to kill Tongs for suggesting it, Gobby had a lot of affection for Nana. Mainly because, when we first found them she was one the only person not to base her judgement of him on his looks, his almost Tourettes like habit of swearing, or his overly defensive/aggressive demeanour. It was difficult for the rest of us to look past all of this initially, but Nana could always see, and bring out, the good in a person and this simple, kind gesture of reaching out had meant more to Gobby than he would ever admit to. Not only that but we all knew that it was Nana we had to thank for making the pair of them an asset instead of an enemy.

Right now, Nana needed medical attention and the closest thing we had to a paramedic was Shotgun Trev but he was securing the perimeter with Wanker.

I turned to Rampage, "Mo," I said "I need you to get outside and find Wanker. We need Trev in here asap. Take a couple with you and be careful 'cos they might be shooting."

"No problem" he said as he spun round and made for the door, he grabbed the two fighters nearest to him and took them with him.

I spoke to the Fucks, "Gobby, I need you two to bring water and the Medical Kit"

"Sorted, mate, yeah." he said. Then for the first time since I'd known them they actually split up from each other in order to accomplish their tasks.

I looked up at the faces around me, all wearing looks of concern and waiting for directions to help however they could. To be honest, that moment was a bit strange for me. You see, I knew all their faces, I knew all their names, but I didn't know them. Yet, they listenend to my every word, followed my every order, fought by my side. Shit, I probably owed my life to more than one of them and again here they were, waiting for the word to help.

It was at that point that I had a revelation, an epiphany... These people were my family now. They were, and always would be my friends and my allies, and I decided then that I was going to make an effort to get to know these people. Not just their strengths and weaknesses but their hopes and fears, their dreams and their losses. Why? Because I was their leader, they chose me, and I fucking owed it to them!

I spoke to the nearest person, "Bernard, go get the jenny started and get us some some light, mate.". He nodded and jogged off without a word.

Next, I needed a female. I saw Lorraine near the back of the group. I knew her quite well, she was quiet but caring and sensitive. "Raine" I said "I need you to help Joy, please. Clean her up as best you can for now," then I fixed Raine with a look "...and check her over, make sure she's okay.". She nodded and I knew that she understood what I meant... bite marks...

"Okay Bolo." she said softly as she nervously approached Joy. "Come on princess" she said tenderly "we need to get you seen to, okay?". All this time Joy had been staring at the back of Lloyd's head, but now she looked up at Raine, eyes welling up again. She looked exhausted, mentally and physically, and in her hand she still held that dark, bloody clump of hair. "That's it princess, " said Raine as she slowly put her hand over Joy's, hoping to coax her into letting go of it. Her knuckles were white but then I saw her grip relax and that matted tangle of Lloyd's hair fell to the ground.

"Good girl." said Raine "Now let's get you cleaned up,"

Then Joy looked at me, her voice was husky and coarse "....Nana..?"

"She'll be okay, Joy." I assured her, not knowing for sure and not really believing it myself, but Joy seemed to accept it for now. She struggled to stand and her legs were too weak, but one of the guys at the front (a bearded fella by the name of "Jolly" Roger) stepped in and helped Raine pick up Joy and walk her over to the partition area. He stayed there in case he might be needed but he had the decency to stand with his back to them while Raine checked Joy over.

Without being asked Gobby filled their wash basin with water before bringing another bucket-full over to Nana, as his partner brought over and set down the Medical Kit.

I looked back down at Nana and gently stroked her cheek just as the jenny kicked in and the lights came on. Her hair was matted with blood and the side of her face was grazed and dirty and streaked with mud. She looked like she'd fallen down in the vegetable patch. But it couldn't be that simple. She wouldn't have ended up in this state just from a simple tumble.

What the Hell had really happened here!?

I turned to Gobby "She needs water, mate. But I don't want to move her until Trev gets here." He'd brought a cup but that would've meant having to sit her up. Instead, he took off his bandana, gave it a rinse, then soaked it again and drizzled some water into Nana's mouth. A lot of people there will remember that moment for the rest of their lives. A thug's tenderness for an old woman, it was extremely touching. Especially considering that, before TZSHTF, he may well have beaten her over the head for her bingo winnings and left her for dead.

As the cold water touched her lips there was nothing...then....her lips moved! It was a tiny movement and could almost have been a trick of the light but as I watched they twitched again, and suddenly her eyelids flickered.

"Come on, Nana." I whispered, "open your eyes, love."

They flicked again...twice..

"Gobby, a bit more water, mate." I told him. And he dribbled a few more drops into her mouth as she tried reflexively to swallow.

"Come on Nana," I whispered again "show us those baby blues, old girl."

But this time....nothing...

Shit!

It was Gobby's turn to speak, the anguish and pain he was feeling causing his voice to crack, "For fuck's sake, Nana! Fucking wake up, yeah!? Don't you fucking die on us, you old cow! We need you here, eh? We all fucking need you here! Are you fucking listening to me, you old fucking.........fucking..........aah, shit.....nana....". He choked and turned his back. I don't think he was crying, I reckon he just didn't want people to see how close he was to it.

Suddenly her breath caught...and her eyelids flickered again!

"Come on, old girl. Stop messing about now..." I urged her on, "Open those eyes now you old bird, you've had your fun for today."

Then slowly, so slowly, as if it was the biggest struggle of her long life she managed to open one eye just a bit.

She blinked lethargically a few times as she tried to focus on my face.

"Hey, you." I said, trying to force a smile. I knew we weren't out of the woods by a long way and Nana must've known this too but she managed to give me the weakest of smiles before looking slowly looking around as if she was searching for something or someone particular. At first I thought she was looking for Joy, but instead she found Gobby. He must've heard me as I spoke to her as he'd turned round again.

When he spoke this time his voice was shaky but more controlled, like he was trying to be cool and keep it together, though he was kept shifting from one foot to the other, "Alright Nana? Fucking Hell you gave us a fucking stir. Shit, yeah.... fuck."

And even with her swollen eye and blood encrusted face she managed to give him a disapproving look, before she slowly said in a dry, hushed voice- "Really dear, do you have to swear quite so much...?"

For a second Gobby just stood and stared at her, then "WOOOOOH!! HA HA HA Haaaaaa! You old fucking....... I knew you'd be alright, you stubborn old cow!! Hahahahah! I fucking knew it!! Fucking...YES!!"

Nana couldn't help but smile weakly at his reaction.

"'Scuse me folks, mind your backs, please!". It was Trev. He'd finally got here after apparently running into a small group of zeds round the back of the barn. He dropped straight to his knees next to Nana and flew into action, asking her questions, feeling her limbs, checking her pupils, and all sorts of other medical practices that I had no knowledge of but knew I had to make the effort to learn, and soon.

After several minutes of this Trev assured me that she'd be okay, at least as long as her head trauma wasn't too extensive.

I didn't know how she'd obtained this "head trauma", but I had a feeling I knew who to ask.

And if he wasn't already dead, he might end up wishing that he was,

It was time to deal with Lloyd.