(And would our way also be blocked by tanks and nervous troops with machine guns?) We’d give it a try – North Court and its surrounds were rapidly becoming a killing field for all the creatures that lingered there. We should not linger. We moved with the Northbound flow, across Tin Alley and between the Beaurepaire pool and the squash courts. We moved past the running track and the tennis courts. It was slow, halting progress. The undead then spilled across the cricket ground (oblivious to the damage this would cause to the finely manicured pitches.) For some reason, I led David to the side of the oval and stayed off the playing area. Was this merely respect or was something else clicking inside my head? A helicopter gunship edged away from North Court and followed the throng to the cricket oval, pouring hot metal death down on the pitch invaders. At the same time, the felt-like grass of the pitch itself was fearfully cut up by this careless strafing. It would take the curator weeks of pain-staking repair work. It seemed that I was the only one present who cared about such important matters! (I would have to take it up with the ACB (Australian Cricket Board) much later on.) We reached the North side of the oval where the fleeing throng was forced into the bottleneck of the footpath that ran between the cricket pavilion (and mountaineering clubrooms) and residential college buildings. Chaotic though this was, the helicopter gunship did not fire upon those who had reached this point. Perhaps there was a fear of striking the residential colleges where living survivors might yet be sheltering. I can’t be sure but the relief that came from this unexpected protection was palpable. Slowly, the river of undead snaking North along the path crept towards the Northernmost exit of the campus. Was escape at hand? Nope. At that point, the unmistakable chatter of a heavy machine gun shattered the temporary calm. This time, the sound was not from above but from ahead, from the direction of the exit to which we were heading. More high-pitched zombie wailing.
(Ha, dres henna, a via agan fordh lettyes gans tankow ha soudoryon, es aga movya, ow toen jynnys-setha?) Ni a assaysa y wul – y to ha bos Garth North ha’y gyrghynn park-ladhva rag oll an greadoryon esa ow triga ena. Ny dalvien triga. Ni a wayas gans an res troha’n wogledh, a-dreus Stretynn Sten hag yntra Poll- neuvya Beaurepaire ha’n kouryow-skwash. Ni a dremenas an resekva ha’n kouryow tennis. Lent ha hanter-lettyes o agan avonyans. Ena, an dus anvarow a skoelyas a-dreus an tiryow krykket. (Yn apert, ny wodhyens aga ynherdhyans warnedha dhe wul damaj meur dhe’n gwelyow, meur aga dyghtyans.) Drefenn neb acheson, my a ledyas Davydh a-denewen – ny entersyn an tiryow krykket. Martesen, revrons pur o – po, martesen, yth esa neppyth arall ow klykkya y’m brys vy. Gorhel-gonnys askell-dro a wayas dhiworth Garth North ha sywya an bush dhe’n tiryow krykket ha hi dinewys mernans metelyek war ynherdhyoryon an gwelyow. Kettermyn, gwels pur dheg an gwelyow o treghys yn trog gans an ridrans-tan ma heb rach. Y fia edhomm dhe’n keurador lies seythun a ober, meur y rach, rag ewnhe an damaj euthyk ma. Yth heveli ow bos ena an den unnik mayth esa govisyon a-dro dhe vaterow poesek a’n par na! (Res via dhymm kedhla an KKO (Kesva Krykket Ostralek) yn termyn a-dho.) Ni a dhrehedhas a-gledhbarth an tiryow le may feu konstrynys an bush ow fia yn konna-botell. An konna-botell ma o an hyns yntra’n babell-grykket (o gwrys devnydh keffrys avel stevellow rag kowethas an venedhoryon) ha drehevyansow an kolljiow annedhel. Derayus o. Byttegyns, nyns esa ow tenna an askell-dro war an re a dhrehedsa an le ma. Martesen, yth esa own dhe’n lywyer a frappyans erbynn an kolljiow may kalla goskeusi hwath treusvyworyon. Ny allav bos sur. Byttegyns, an diskeudh a dheuth dhymm dhiworth an difresyans ma nag yw gwaytyes o heglyw. Yth esa avon an dus anvarow ow kramya kepar ha sarf a-hys an hyns troha’n porth a-gledhbarth an kampus. O diank rybon ni? Nag o. Ena, y sonas klattrans na ylli bos kammgemmerys, klattrans a jynn-setha poes. Y feu brywys an kalmynsi berr. An prys ma, ny dheuth an son dhiworth an ebron mes dhiworth an hyns a-dheragon, dhiworth le mayth esa an porth a- gledhbarth. Yth esa moy skrijans an zombis, ughel y bych.langbot langbot