The Hurst Chronicles (Book 1): Hurst Read Online Free PDF Page A

for in survival skills and what Jack called ‘bush craft’. Though he had never admitted as much, Jack suspected Zed had spent time in the military. Hurst Castle had provided a rich cache of weaponry from its museum displays covering five hundred years of history. From ornate swords, axes, and maces through to whole suits of armour dating back to Tudor times when Henry VIII had the castle built. The museum also had an impressive collection of World War II weaponry. It included Sten guns, Bren guns, rifles and pistols, though mostly useless without their firing mechanisms and bullets. The search parties that Zed or Jack had led in search of food and supplies made a curious spectacle. Standing ready for inspection before they headed out, a motley crew carrying a smorgasbord of knuckle-dusters, helmets, firearms and swords. Zed had kept the best for himself, a double headed axe, sharpened daily that split logs with a single blow. On trips to the forest tracking deer and rabbits, gathering mushrooms and berries, he liked to keep the axe strapped between his shoulder blades like a hunter.
     
    Zed and Jack had fallen out publicly many times over the smallest of things, from castle rules to food rationing. Zed held that the guys who took the risks deserved the lion’s share of the rewards, but in the end Jack could normally talk him round and make him see sense. Terra had never trusted Zed and she made sure that one of her own people kept an eye on him and reported back to her. Zed was the source of many of their discussions, but in the end his good deeds outweighed the bad. Terra knew in her heart that a time would come when Zed's loyalty would be tested and she knew he would put his own interests ahead of the community’s.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Zed loaded up the last of the gear into the Land Rover and wandered back to join the scavenging group of seven. Lucky seven, as Zed thought to himself. Two teams, two cars, the way they had done it for weeks. He got the ordinance survey map out and checked today’s search area one more time. The map was marked with large red and black felt-tip crosses and blocks, showing where teams had already searched. Red circles marked where supermarkets, hardware stores, pharmacies or other areas of potential interest were located. Though most of the obvious places had long since been ransacked and looted. Black circles with skull and crossbones were unsafe and to be avoided, where rival groups had set up camp but also where pockets of infection remained.
     
    The group was standing huddled together, smoking and chatting. There was an air of ease and normality about their conversation. Bob, Riley and Joe had made these trips dozens of times. It was routine. But it was Zed’s job to prepare them properly for each and every trip and remind them of the very real dangers ahead. Each three-man team carried water, food, torches, a rope, plus a radio with a range of about two kilometres. The seventh team member was held in reserve and stayed behind to guard the vehicles, while the two teams conducted house-to-house searches and systemically swept larger stores. If one of the teams got into trouble they could radio the other team and the cavalry would come to support them, together with the seventh man, who also carried the spare radio. Every team member carried a weapon. Several of them had both blade and a firearm, chosen from the armoury this morning. Riley knew how to handle herself. Zed had trained her well. She tied back her long brown hair in a ponytail, sharing a joke with Bob. She wore a grey puffer jacket and jeans with ankle high walking boots. Once she’d rechecked her rucksack, she inserted a long handled machete in the sheath attached to the front of her webbing and jumped up and down a couple of times to check for any noise, any rattles.
     
    The rest of today’s team was made up of three recent arrivals, whose turn it was on the camp rota system. Will was a jovial thirty-something