“I said, soldier, ‘I will see you later,” said the Sergeant. The driver of the second jeep saluted and drove off slowly. We walked swiftly to David’s cell and were allowed admittance by a third guard. David was, at that time, the only prisoner and so there was only one guard inside the prison. Three guards for one prisoner might seem like over-kill but, unless I missed my guess, the prison was about to have a major influx of additional prisoners from the rioting that was taking place within the parade ground area. When we reached the cell, we found David was slumped and torpid in a corner. “Hey, shithead!” I yelled. And, with that, David roused and gave his accustomed morning groan. (You might stretch and scratch your bum first thing in the morning but zombies have a different practice. Their morning groan is very specific to the morning, much higher pitched than any daytime groans. Immediately recognisable.) David looked at me and I felt an instant pang deep in my guts. It was one of those brother-connection things again, I suppose. A gut-feeling, even. He jumped to his feet and started to roar. In relief? In celebration? Who knows? In any event, I needed to get him under control and I needed to do so immediately. The guard opened the cell door at the Sergeant’s (not Ingrid’s) direction and I entered quickly. I slapped David’s face very hard. (“Hello, brother dear” it was not) – and the roaring instantly stopped. Had I hurt his feelings? Probably – at least, the gut- pang immediately increased in intensity. Ouch!) “We gotta move, Dave,” I hissed – and then David understood that I needed his full and unquestioning co-operation. I took his hand, as if I were leading a small child. He acquiesced. At the same time, the Sergeant (who was a pretty big unit) quietly overwhelmed and disarmed the third guard. Both he and Ingrid tied him up and gagged him. (He was not hurt.) There was a second door to the building which was routinely kept locked and barricaded – but it did not long remain so, once Ingrid had taken the guard’s set of keys. (At the time, I thought it was a fire hazard to keep it locked anyway. Yes, a bit strange to think that just then but, ...)
“My a leveris, ‘souder, y’th welvydhav diwettha,” yn-medh an Serjont. Lywyer an nessa jip a ros salusyans ha mos dhe-ves yn lent. Ni a gerdhas uskis dhe vagh Davydh. Ni a veu gesys entrans gans tressa gwythyas. Nyns esa, y’n termyn na, saw onan prisoner hag ytho nyns esa saw onan gwithyas a- berth y’n prison. Tri gwithyas rag pub prisner a heveli bos gorladhva martesen. Byttegyns, marnas my a wre kammgemmeryans, y fia yn skon meur a brisners nowydh rag lenwel an prison drefenn an freudh esa hwath ow hwarvos ogas dhe’n plen an gerdhva. Pan dhrehedhsyn an vagh, yth esa Davydh gyllys yn gronn ha heb gwayans yn kornell. “Hay, ‘benn-kawgh!” a armis vy. Ha, gans henna, Davydh a veu sordyes. Ev a wrug y hanasenn-vyttin herwydh y usadow. (Martesen, myttinweyth, ty a wra omystynna ha skravinas dha dhiwbedrenn mes taklow a’n par na yw dihaval gans zombis. Aga hanasennow-vyttin yw arbennik dhe zombis, ughella yn feur aga fych ages oll a’ga hanasennow dydhweyth. Y hyllir aga aswonn a- dhistowgh.) Davydh a viras orthymm hag, a-dhesempis, my a omglywis gloes yn town y’m kolodhyon. Unnweyth arta, hemm o neppyth yntra’n vreder, kevrenn ynredhon, dell grysav - klywyans-kolodhyon hogen. Ev a lammas a’y sav ha dalleth bedhygla. Difresyans? Rejoysyans? Piw a allsa godhvos? Yn neb kas, res o dhymm y gontrolya – ha res o dhymm y wul a- dhistowgh. An gwithyas a igoras daras an vagh wosa arghadow an Serjont – nag o arghadow Ingrid, dell notyis – ha my a entras ynni uskis. My a frappyas fas Davydh pur gales. (Nyns o hemma “Dydh da, ‘vroder ker.”) Ev a hedhis y vedhyglans a-dhesempis. Esa dhodho glywyansow shyndyes? Yn hwirhaval – dhe’n lyha, yth ynkressyas yn feur gloes an klywyans-kolodhyon. Tynn!) “Res yw dhyn fia, ‘Dhav,” a siis vy – hag ena Davydh a gonvedhas bos edhomm dhymm a dhegemmeres y gesoberyans heb kwestyons vyth. My a gemmeras y leuv, kepar ha pan ledir fleghik. Ev a ros y assentyans. Y’n kettermyn, an Serjont (meur y vraster ha nerth) a ylli yn kosel dhe fetha an tressa gwithyas ha’y dhiarva. Ev o kelmys gans Ingrid ha’n Serjont an dhew hag ena gorherys o y anow. (Ny veu shyndyes mann.) Yth esa nessa daras y’n drehevyans o, herwydh usadow, alhwedhys – mes ny remaynyas yndella dres termyn hir wosa Ingrid dhe gemmeres an dialhwedhyow dhiworth an gwithyas.langbot langbot