[i]I think I lost them.[/i]

Leaning against the wall, his muscles all screaming for him to rest, Henry gasped as he tried to force air into his exhausted lungs.  There had been no signs he was being chased, by human or infected, but he had been in this city too long now to be careless.  Few had survived the initial outbreak and the survivors had been whittled down in number by themselves and the infected.  Those remaining were either cautious or ruthless and, of course, incredibly lucky.

Finally getting his breath back, the former teacher opened his small rucksack and took out his small canteen and a pack of cereal bars he'd plundered in the early days of the outbreak.  Henry tried to travel as light as possible but there was no telling how long he might have to stay low in one place, the infected often hanging around before moving on and so preventing him from finding new resources. The first time that happened he had nearly starved to death and so had taken precautions for the future, just in case.

[color=662d91]"Hello Army man!"[/color]

He was on his feet straight away, looking desperately for the source of the voice.  English, with a British accent! He began to run towards the source before slowing for a moment, caution taking over.  The voice didn't have a Welsh lilt to it so it can't have been hers.  Now on higher alert, and suspicious, Henry drew his sabre and approached more cautiously.  There was another voice now, speaking in a different language; sounded like Russian but he wasn't sure.  His understanding of most languages beyond English was rudimentary at best; there hadn't been many people to converse with lately.

The owners of the two voices were mere feet away from him around a corner and he had to decide how to approach them.  People understandably reacted badly if they realised someone was trying to hide from them while on the other hand walking out in plain sight would put himself at risk.  Deciding on a half way approach, Henry drew his sabre and walked slowly around the corner into full view, making himself plainly visible but remaining at a safe distance.

"Nice to hear someone from back home for a change."