The Revenant Mutation

Chapter 7: Meeting a Beauty

In the Base Chief's office.

The governor's office served as the office of the base chief. Paul sat in front of the chief, they were discussing in low tones.

The door swung open and two men entered. One of them was a few years younger than Paul, he looked like he was in his twenties. He was clean-shaven and was wearing a camouflage vest. The other man was wearing a thick jacket and an eyepatch.

“Solomon, Richard. How was the raid?” The base chief, Uche, asked with excitement.

Richard, the man in camouflage, smiled, “Good, good. We were able to raid the General Hospital this time. Got a lot of stuff.”

“That's good, that's good. Feranmi has been on my neck about lack of medications, methylated spirits, bandages and cotton wool.” Uche nodded in satisfaction.

Both men found spots to sit.

Solomon adjusted his eyepatch, he was in charge of patrols around the base, guarding the walls and scouting around the base to study the overall situation around their home.

“We scouted the path towards the Federal University, taking the main roads is a no-no. We might need to find our way through the less conspicuous route.” He then asked, “What about you, Paul?” 

“We ran into an alpha zombie”

“What?!” Both men sat upright.

“What happened? Any casualties?” Richard questioned.

“One. The kid's name was Matthew”

“Was it the same one we fought a few months ago?”

Paul gave it a thought but he didn't think there was any evidence that it was. He recognised the roar of the previous alpha zombie, this one didn't have the same roar.

“I doubt it, we didn't get to see it though. We escaped as soon as we could.”

“Paul and I have been discussing what we should do next. An alpha zombie is a huge threat. Thanks for the effort of our resident engineering specialist, we have managed to create crossbows, but we need ammunition. We need to find and raid a barrack.”

“Not many of those around.”

“An air force barrack isn't that far from here.”

“Am I to remind you that there is a zombified horned serpent in that barrack?”

“We can try to distract it”

“How often does that work? It has never worked Paul. Last time we clashed with it, I lost an eye.” Solomon replied bitterly.

“Calm down. I believe we can all agree that it is too dangerous.”

“The world is dangerous. We wouldn't even be living well right now if not for the Wondrous Plants we have on base. We need to make moves.”

They all went silent. 

The only reason their base survived for so long were the two mutated plants that they had, one purified the radiation and the other protected them from zombies. They wouldn't have been able to live well without them.

“Since we are on that, I have one thing to report”, Richard interjected. They turned to him. “My team found signs of settlement within the range of two square kilometers from us.”

“Settlements?” Uche asked with concern.

“They’ve been destroyed, with the signs around the sites, I have reasons to believe it was done by Vikings.”

“The Vikings are being very active recently”

“They aren’t the only ones, I’ve run into more Free Men and Black Axe raiding teams than any other time this year. They are increasing their numbers.”

“With the way these guys are being active nowadays, we might get more refugees soon.”

Uche groaned in frustration. 

“Will you call a meeting of the council? We need to reach out to these new settlements and prepare for a potential influx of new arrivals.”

“We aren't even sure if they will be attacked by brigands.”

Black Axe, Vikings and Free Men. These three Brigand groups were the local tyrants of the region. It went without saying that they knew it was highly unlikely that they won’t attack new settlements.

“Would you rather wait until they absorb enough settlements to challenge us? I’m sure the Vikings aren’t too far off from having enough people to not even fear our walls anymore. We need to reach out to these settlements before that happens. We need the manpower and we get to save them from potential disaster.”

“Each of you speak reason. We will hold a meeting tomorrow.” Uche assured them.

---

Early the next day, after picking some clothes from the Base’s donation box and bathing in the crowded bathroom, Victor headed to the kitchen. He showed his tag to the head chef, a dark-skinned woman who smelled of onions and spices, making his sensitive nose wrinkle involuntarily.

“Can you cook?” she asked in pidgin, another form of English he had mastered.

He remembered his father’s teachings about staying true to one’s roots. ‘Thanks, Dad.’

“No,” he lied smoothly in pidgin. “But I can wash and serve.”

He wanted to avoid cooking, fearing exposure to animal blood or overwhelming spices might trigger a berserk reaction.

‘It would be truly sad if I was rendered unconscious from food ingredients. How could I face anyone then?’

The head chef considered this, knowing an able-bodied young man couldn’t stay in the kitchen long. Other departments would soon request him.

An able-bodied young man doing dishes was a joke.

“Omolewa. Lewa,” she called out.

One of the ladies washing plates joined them. She was around his age, perhaps a year older. Tall, with a light skin, wavy hair, almond eyes, and a flowery scent, she carried herself an otherwordly grace that made him feel like she was stepping out of a painting, bring color to the world. Without realizing it, she stunned Victor, causing him to stare for a moment. An odd attraction surged within him.

The sound of blood pulsing through her veins, her natural scent among the sweaty workers, and her soothing voice. The curves of her slim body that the work clothes failed to hide, and her firm ‘natural accessories’. She was a beauty.

‘I wonder what her blood tastes like.’

‘Argh!’ he was shocked by his own thoughts. ‘Down, evil Victor, down. Why would you want to eat her? I’d understand if I had venereal thoughts, but to want to eat her? Begone, evil Victor, begone.’

He pushed away the stray thought.

“This is Victor. He’s joining you today. We don’t know how long he’ll stay, so make good use of him.”

“Yes, ma,” Lewa replied, gesturing for Victor to follow.

“What department dropped you on our lap?” Lewa asked as they walked to the dishwashing section.

“I just joined the Base yesterday.”

She looked back. “You were a nomad?”

“Yeah, I got separated from my family.”

“It’s very dangerous out there, I hope your family stays safe till you find them.”

“Thanks”

“It’s best to stay in the base, much safer. Too bad you won’t stay out of trouble for long. Other departments won’t accept an able man doing dishes.”

“I know. It’s only temporary.”

“You’re called Victor”

“You asking, or confirming?”

“I’m Lewa, Omolewa.”

'It means beautiful. How appropriate.'

"Your name means beauty, doesn't it?"

"You know my language?"

Victor chuckled. "My parents made sure I did."

"Well then," Lewa said as they reached the dishwashing section. She handed him a scrub and detergent. "I'll start you with washing. It’s easy. Just scrub, rinse, and stack. Think you can handle that?"

Victor took the scrub. "I'll manage."

She smiled like a blossoming flower, her dimples making her even more endearing. His heart fluttered, but he suppressed it. The more he felt attracted to her, the more his eyes flickered towards the pulsing vein in her neck.

"You have the right attitude. The last guy who washed dishes thought he was too good for it. He disappeared when no one was looking," Lewa remarked casually.

Victor frowned, realizing the seriousness of her statement. "Disappeared? Like... vanished?"

She nodded, her expression serious. "We suspect he tried to sneak out and got caught by brigands. The outskirts of the base aren't safe."

From what he heard from Deji, he learnt that brigands were common, but he never thought they were rampant enough to stay close to the camp. "How does the base protect itself?"

"We have patrols and lookouts. The walls made from old vehicles keep the brigands out, mostly," she explained. "But it's never foolproof. Sometimes they get in."

Lewa pointed Victor to a stack of dirty plates. "Start here. If you do well, I might show you how to help with food preparation."

Victor nodded, grateful for the opportunity. He settled into his work quickly, washing plates and serving food diligently alongside Lewa and the other kitchen staff. Occasionally, he glanced at Lewa as she expertly moved between tasks. She seemed efficient and confident, qualities he admired. He enjoyed working with them; it focused his mind and gave him a sense of purpose and normalcy, like he was back home doing the chores. He missed having a place to call home.