Hell in a Handbasket- Atticus, Helena & Luther
Atticus hummed lightly to himself. Lightly wasn’t really the right word. It was actually a fully orchestrated rendition of The Game of Thrones theme. He was stimming and he knew it and every now and then he had to remind himself that quiet was probably better...given the circumstances. He had no idea whether his idea would work. He was on his knees, in his garden, covered in dirt. He had a bunch of herbs in one hand and a guide to herbs book in the other. Not surprisingly, there were no specific entries for which herbs would be best for keeping zombies away. “Never the information you need,” he muttered in frustration.
Fear tickled at the back of his mind with every rustle of the hedge, but so far, his hidden garden had provided the protection he needed. He’d kept it looking beautiful so far, but he worried, now and then, that it might be time to leave soon. Most of the city of Edinburgh was overrun with the undead at this point. Fires burned nearby and he could see the smoke wafting in the sky. Much of the population had fled (not that he minded the now quieter, emptier city) and he was relieved that Scout and Freddy had been away when the epidemic hit the city. He’d managed to talk to them a couple of brief times, before the phones went out completely.
He rubbed his scruffy, dirty chin and then stuffed all the herbs he had into a leather pouch tied around his waist. If nothing else, he’d at least be able to eat well. He fought back a tear as he pulled some carrots. He would dry everything and pack it up to travel. He had a separate pouch for...other things, as well; dried mushrooms and the like that would kill anyone who ate them. He didn’t want to think about having to hurt anyone, but he’d seen this movie before. Sometimes the survivors were just as bad as the zombies. He was so busy collecting and thinking that he completely missed someone coming into his garden. When he finally heard them, he spun around, trying and failing to get a sword out from a sheath on his back. “I’ll use this,” he grunted as he pulled. Then he realised it was a familiar face. “Helena?!”